Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 59 The Teachers Holiday

Severus stalked down from the headmaster's office and past the gargoyle, fuming. Could not, for once, the last day of term end smoothly? There always had to be something! His robes billowed as he flew down the charm's corridor and came to a sharp holt in front of his colleague's door. It swung open before he could bang on it. He frowned and entered warily.

"I thought you might pop in before term officially ended." Filius said, skipping greetings, "Harry has been unhoused. His robe crest changed today. It is far worse than we feared. This must have happened a few weeks ago."

"Yes," Severus snapped. "And the little ankle-biters have all done the impossible and kept it from the Hogwarts rumour mill, so we didn't even hear about it! That's what the Gryffindors were all so quiet about! We should have noticed! Normally rumours travel around the castle before the end of the day!"

"We'll he has hardly been seen out of class, he's been skipping meals and not seen between classes in the corridors," Filius said sounding sad and old.

"They're probably hexing him!" Severus snapped.

"Yes," Filius sighed, sounding tired, "and you know without catching them in the act, our hands are all but tied," Filius reminded him, "you know this, and they're smart enough not to be caught."

"And he's smart enough not to be caught by them, or us," Severus said softly.

He turned a slightly accusing eye on his friend, "you said we should wait to give the boy time and space to cool down. But we have waited too long, failed him too long. Now he's permanently un-housed, and his friends are probably on their way to joining him, if not also un-housed! And that dunderheaded head of his house has not even noticed!

She has done nothing! I don't even know if she'd noticed the five of them are hardly ever seen out of class! If she'd failed this, what else has she neglected in her duty!" Severus spat with a vitriol usually only reserved for particularly stupid potion mistakes.

Filius swore (not at all briefly) in his own tongue and said, "I did not realise it had gotten that bad. I have tried to step in before; you know this." He sighed, "I didn't know she was that ignorant. I wonder... I know Mr Potter is leaving for the break, but I assumed she had agreed. Not that she needs to, he is within his rights to leave for break, but maybe..."

Severus snorted, "she doesn't agree, she just finished drawing him up to Dumbledore's office for that reason. It was pretty funny, actually." Severus said before proceeding to tell his colleague all about the meeting, and the brief dressing down Harry had given Dumbledore.

Filius snickered then sighed and offered his colleague a seat and a cup of tea with their customary shot of goblin whisky.

"and he's not likely to let us help him now either," Severus added, "not when I made such a hash of it last time we spoke."

He sipped his drink then nearly spat it out again at the sudden realisation, "that's why he's in the dungeons!"

"What?" Filius said, cleaning the mess up with a flick of his wand.

"Someones been taking refuge in the dungeon for a few weeks now. I hadn't managed to catch them, though. I didn't know who it was, so I wasn't able to offer help. But the Barron knew! He knew but didn't tell me who it was!" Severus fumed, berating himself.

Why didn't he tell him? It was always for a reason, withholding information on the goings-on in their domain. But the Barron had said it was a snake... What did the Barron know, and why had he held back on the details this time? And what was the Barrons angle?

"Maybe there is something else at play here?" Filius said after a while.

"There must be..." Severus said thoughtfully, "He was un-housed and felt he couldn't go to anyone, so he took refuge in the dungeon of all places, he's been avoiding his housemates in the hall, his friends have too. It's worse than we thought and he, all of them have kept it from us," Severus muttered.