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

Chapter 55

"Ah, letting Daddy in the side door?" Neville questioned.

"Attacking the D.A. from behind?" Ginny added.

"Among other helpful little tasks," Severus smirked. "When is your next D.A. meeting?"

"Saturday morning, at 9AM," Neville replied. "It's harder, on Saturdays, to keep track of people when there's no scheduled activities or classes."

"I must come and report to all of you what I learned at my last summons," Severus glanced from one to the other.

"Good news or bad?" Ginny asked.

"Is it ever good news?"  Neville laughed.

"'It's when we learn our plans have caused old Tom problems," countered Ginny.

"Then it's, at least, a bit of both," Severus said.  "Alright, I think my keeping you here this long is sufficient to have everyone wondering what you've done to draw my attention, don't you think?"

"Should we look downtrodden or just terrified?" Neville asked, with a grin, as he and Ginny stood and walked the length of the Great Hall with the Headmaster.

"I plan to stomp out of here with a bit of my famous temper showing," Ginny told them, then scowled to show what she meant.

"Oh, well . . .  frightens me nearly to death, Miss Weasley," Severus said, hand to chest in mock fear.

Both Neville and Ginny looked at Severus with expressions of surprise, before smothering their laughter in their hands.

"Stop snickering, you two!" chided Severus.  "You'll ruin my reputation!"

"Too late!" gasped Neville, Ginny nodding agreement.

The three of them stopped at the door.

"I'll leave first, then count to ten and head for the Gryffindor Tower," instructed Severus.

"Right!" Ginny said, wiping the smile off of her face

"See you later, Severus!"  Neville stage-whispered, just as the doors opened and Severus started to leave.

"Cheeky blighter," Severus threw back over his shoulder, as he strode out the door, robes billowing behind him, scowl firmly planted on his face. 

The few students standing around the entrance hall backed away from him, clearing a path to the stairs, but then they looked to see if Ginny and Neville were coming.  When  Neville and Ginny emerged from the Great Hall, Ginny looked as if she could rip the head off of a mountain troll and Neville looked stricken and close to tears, although, in actuality, he was closer to bursting out laughing.  They walked silently to the main stairs and started the climb to the Fat Lady's portrait and the Gryffindor Common Room.  Only the few Slytherins in the hallway were smiling and then they also headed to their Common Room, to gleefully report what they'd seen.

X X X

The weather turned bitterly cold and ominous grey clouds scuttled across the sky, cutting off the weak winter sunshine.  It didn't take long for the residents of the castle to realize that Dementors were once again circling overhead, patrolling around the school grounds from above.

"This is unconscionable!" fussed Minerva, at the D.A. meeting.  "It's bad enough that the students are living with the threat of the Carrows and their sadistic ways in the classroom, but the addition of the Dementors mental influence is starting to show, Albus, and it's not been a week since the children returned!"