It's not easy to explain, but . . .

Chapter 19

                                                                Chapter 19 : Reality Check

Over lunch, Severus explained to the group how he'd taken everything his mother had taught him about potions and used it to edit his school textbook, the one that Harry was going to wind up using the next year, that is, if he doesn't remove it from the book cupboard where Harry finds it that first day of Slughorn's class.

"It was a bit unfair of you to use it, don't you think, Harry?" Hermione questioned him, a bit smugly.

"No! I don't think it was," retorted Harry.  "I just considered it an edited version - an updated textbook, with some practical and useful hints."

"You're just sore he was beating you at something, Gran . . . Hermione," Draco teased.  "Not used to not being top of the class, are you?"

"It's not that!" huffed Hermione, as most of the kids rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "Seriously!  It's almost cheating!"

"Ha! If your book had the edited instructions instead of the old ones, you wouldn't think a thing of it, would you?" Ron asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well . . .maybe not . . .  Right . . .  in that case, maybe Professor Snape should think about editing and publishing a new, updated, and improved Potions textbook . . .  after all, with Voldemort out of the way and no more Death Eater meetings to attend, you'll have all kinds of spare time, won't you?!"  Hermione turned to Severus and smiled sweetly.

"The thought had crossed my mind once or twice and I may consider it more seriously if, as you say, I have some free time in my future . . . and it seems I will have a future, now . . . I'll put that on my 'to do' list, straightaway."  Severus replied, then ducked his head in an attempt to hide the smile threatening to spread across his face. 

Sirius elbowed him, grinning.  "You could make a packet on that book, Severus, old man. If I promise to buy a copy will you promise to autograph it for me?"  He clenched his hands, pleading outrageously.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Black, I can tell you spent a few too many days talking to yourself in that cell, didn't you?"

"Too bloody right I did,  It was only when I started answering myself that I realized I really did need to get out of there," laughed Sirius. "Seeing 'Scabbers' in that photo of the Weasley family in the Daily Prophet was a bit of incentive, too, mind you."

"Yes, Wormtail . . . imagine my surprise  to find him at the Dark Lord's side, not long after the Tri-Wizard Tournament.  That's when I knew you hadn't betrayed Lily and James."  Severus looked at his new friend and smirked, "But we'll both get our revenge on him this time."

"Too right we will," agreed Sirius, clapping Severus on the shoulder.  "Now, be a good lad and pass me another piece of Molly's Christmas cake."

 * * *

"A bit of breaking and entering?" asked George.

"REALLY?"  Fred grinned.

"Let's consider it a 'behind the scenes/after hours tour'.  The other sounds a bit dodgy."  Tom winced, but smiled at the twins.  "We're just doing research, so you'll see what we mean about realism. We're not nicking anything, just getting a good close look, and getting some ideas."

"That's our story . . . " Fred replied.

"and we're sticking to it!" added George.

"Right, so here's where we need to go . . . " Tom pulled out a map of London and spread it out on the end of the kitchen table.