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CHAPTER SIXTY ONE:

When Harry reached Hogwarts again that evening, he collapsed much as he had the previous evening.

"Amelia agreed to dealing with Dumbledore soon," he told Severus wearily, "and today's trials went quickly, so we managed to get through six of them today. I had the goblins set up a trust fund for each Death Eater child and find a Muggleborn wizard to balance out Narcissa as a caretaker, which they did far more quickly than I had expected; the house elves at Black Manor are already preparing it for the children, so that should be ready soon. Today there were no children again, but Amelia told me in confidence that among tomorrow's Death Eaters there are two with children, and that there is no chance that the parents will go free. So tomorrow I have to deal with the first children – they're apparently quite young, under Hogwarts age, so it will probably be hard for them to be without their parents..."

Suddenly a loud hissing filled the air, and Harry straightened, a confused look on his face. "Luna?" Severus raised an eyebrow in query, and Harry shrugged cluelessly. "Let's go see what she wants, I guess?"

They went over to the entrance, and as the statue slid aside Harry asked, "What is it, Luna? Did the Timpling Irrens bring you?" Then he noticed that she was slumped and out of breath, and his gaze sharpened.

"No, the Lump-legged Urgles," she panted, and Harry's eyes widened.

"Where?" he asked curtly, visibly restraining himself from running off without direction.

"North Tower," Luna replied, and with that Harry was gone, running in the direction of the North Tower and whatever trouble he would find there.

Severus frowned down at his student. "What is happening on the North Tower?"

"Nothing Harry can't handle," she replied absently, and Severus raised an eyebrow.

"That does not answer my question; Harry is capable of handling many things." Didn't he just know it.

Luna giggled breathlessly. "True, Professor. Sorry for disturbing you." She turned to go, and Severus gave her back a pensive look.

"Stay, Miss Lovegood." She turned back looking slightly surprised, and he gestured for her to enter. "I am perhaps not as adept as Harry at making hot chocolate, but I can at least offer you my hospitality until he returns from the mission you've sent him on," he said drily. His student blinked once, slowly, then moved towards the door.

"Thank you, Professor." She looked up at him when she passed him. "Did the Kimdingers compel you to offer?"

Severus frowned slightly as he let the statue slide into place behind him. Hadn't Harry mentioned what Kimdingers were? "Ah," he said softly when he remembered that Kimdingers apparently stood for love. "Yes, perhaps it is due to the Kimdingers," he admitted. "I am not prone to inviting students other than my snakes into my private quarters."

Luna hummed happily as she sat down on his couch – in the spot Harry preferred, incidentally. "They suit you, Professor," she looked at him with those wide silver eyes of hers. "Your face softens when you listen to the Kimdingers. It's quite lovely."

Severus cleared his throat slightly, unable to keep his lips from twitching. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Lovegood," he said. Harry certainly had the most interesting friends. "Could I offer you a cup of tea? I would not wish to offer you inferior hot chocolate," he said with a straight face, though his lips twitched again when she giggled, the sound like the chiming of little bells. Yet another person who laughed sincerely around him.

"A cup of tea would be lovely," Luna agreed. "I'm saving the treat of Harry's hot chocolate for a better time."

"Indeed," Severus said, preparing some tea in the kitchen, "now is not the most opportune time."

"I do apologize for disturbing you, Professor," his visitor said earnestly, "I would not have come were it not an emergency."

"There is no need to apologize, Miss Lovegood," he replied, bringing the tea set into the living room. "A biscuit?" he offered as he set down the tray before her, choosing the armchair to her left to sit in.

"Oh, how lovely!" the girl enthused over the small selection he had. "I do love butter biscuits."

"Please, help yourself," Severus invited, pouring himself a cup of tea. How long had it been since he had last exchanged such pleasantries with anyone? Have I ever? He seemed to recall one or two visits by Minerva, but other than that nothing came to mind. His fellow Death Eaters certainly never deigned to visit him at Hogwarts, or accept an invitation to tea from such a lowly half-blood.

Then he became aware of his student waving her hand over his teacup in a shooing motion.

"Is something the matter, Miss Lovegood?" he asked, wondering whether there was a fly or perhaps dust.

"I'm just chasing away the Plimplams, Professor Snape," she replied with a slight frown. "They seemed to be affecting you, and I'd rather they went away."

Severus hummed pensively. The only conclusion he could reach was that she had picked up on his minute shift in mood, which would mean that Plimplams were bringers of unpleasant thoughts or something of the like.

"They should leave again soon, Miss Lovegood," he assured her, which caused her hands to still. "Plimplams used to enjoy my company very much, but they have decreased in the past few weeks. I believe the Kimdingers to be chasing them away."

His young companion blinked twice, then suddenly beamed at him. "I never thought of it that way! You're right, of course – these are the most I've seen around you of late, Professor. Is it my presence that's attracting them?"

"No," Severus immediately assured her, "It was merely a passing thought that brought them. As I said, they should be leaving momentarily." Picking up his cup, he leaned back in his armchair. "When you arrived, you mentioned... I believe they were called Lump-legged Urgles? Tell me about them," he invited. She seemed only too happy to comply.

OoOoO

Harry slowed to a trot when he reached the North Tower, stopping just before the last bend and slipping his wand into his hand.

"Don't!" a young voice cried out, and Harry's eyes flashed as he recognized the boy's voice.

"What's going on here?" he asked as he slid into sight, his wand casually held in his hand and his voice deceptively calm. The three older Gryffindors turned like rabbits before a car, their eyes widening as they recognized him.

"Nothing, Lord Potter-Black," one of them tried to assure him. "We were just having a little chat with Creevey here about the use of his camera," he shot the younger Gryffindor a dirty look.

"Ah," Harry said mildly. "And what where the details of this… chat?"

"He's always taking photos of everything, getting in the way, making noise," another boy complained, holding up the camera he had taken from Colin. "We were telling him to be more considerate of other people's peace and privacy – it's like he doesn't understand the concept!"

Harry hummed and took a step forward. "I see. Why don't you give that to me," he held out his left hand for the camera, "and I'll have a talk with my friend here. How does that sound?"

The three boys seemed to understand the hidden warning in his words – though openly calling Colin his friend was hardly subtle – and left quickly, leaving behind Harry, Colin and his camera.

"Here you go, Colin," Harry said once the three boys had left, handing the small boy his camera back with a smile. "I may not agree with their methods, but they are right that you should tone it down a little. Why don't you try taking photos of the castle and the grounds for a bit, and maybe ask people for permission to photograph them? You're a great guy, and I'm sure you'll be a great photographer, but the OWL and NEWT students especially prefer to be undisturbed when they're studying."

"I guess," Colin said resignedly. "I just wanted to take good photos…"

"And you do," Harry assured him, slinging an arm around the younger Gryffindor's shoulders. "You just have to make sure that you don't disturb others while you're perfecting your skills," he told the boy.

Colin seemed to consider that. "I suppose you're right," he said eventually. "I'll try to think of the others next time."

"That's all I ask," Harry smiled. "You okay to go back to Gryffindor Tower on your own?"

"Yeah," Colin said, standing a bit straighter. "Thanks, Harry."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Harry winked and started down the steps. "I'll see you round, Colin."

Behind him a small Gryffindor looked down at the camera in his hands before raising it and taking a photo of Harry's retreating back. "I'll have to make it quieter somehow," Harry heard him muttering and grinned as he headed back to the dungeons.