The Odd Couple
By Penpunk
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine . . . not yet at least (Mwaahaahaa)
Chapter 1: Summer Plans
"Hurry up boy."
Uncle Vernon removed his key from the trunk lock and left Harry to struggle with his baggage. Harry lifted his huge school trunk into the back of his uncle's car along with his broom and closed the door. He trudged around the car and got into the backseat with Hedwig. Uncle Vernon started the car and they were on their way back to Privet Drive.
Harry ignored the constant looks he got from his uncle in the rear view mirror and contented himself with staring out the window. Another summer with the Dursleys. Another summer without Ron or Hermione or Sirius . . . . Harry prayed that his Godfather would be safe. Sirius had a habit of putting himself in danger for Harry. He just hoped that he wasn't going to do anything stupid.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a soft hoot from Hedwig. He turned and smiled at his faithful pet owl.
"Shut that confounded bird up!" shouted Vernon from the front seat.
"Sorry Uncle Vernon," said Harry. He looked at Hedwig and put a finger to his lips to urge his owl to be quiet.
"Don't think we forgot about that clever little magic trick your freak friends pulled last summer. You're going to pay for that one boy."
Harry's breath caught in his throat as he heard his uncle's words and saw the crazed look in his uncle's eyes. What could happen that would possibly be worst than the last fourteen summers? Harry began to cherish every moment he had in the silent car. No doubt this would be the last time he would see daylight in a very long time.
The car ride ended too quickly for Harry, even despite the fact he was in a very small space with a very large, angry man. The car pulled into the driveway and Harry got out of the car very quickly. Maybe he could make a run for it before his uncle got out of the car. He had his wand in his hooded sweatshirt. He could run and flag down the Knight Bus.
Harry glanced down the left side of Privet Drive. All clear. He turned his gaze to the right side of the street and his heart fell. A muggle was walking down the sidewalk. Calling the Knight Bus was out of the question. The muggle would see too much and Vernon would lock Harry in the cupboard forever. The muggle was drawing closer and Harry suddenly got another idea. If he could stay outside as long as possible, Uncle Vernon couldn't do anything to harm him and after the muggle passed, he could make a run for it.
Harry fingered his wand inside the front pocket of his sweatshirt. The muggle was closer and Harry noted something familiar about the way the man walked. It was stealthy and cat-like. Where had he seen that walk before? Harry turned his gaze back to his uncle, who was struggling to remove his pudgy self out from behind the steering wheel. Harry turned back to the man walking towards him. He was now close enough to enable Harry to note his features. He was lean and tall and was dressed in all black with a sweatshirt like Harry's. As he approached, Harry noticed his long black hair . . . Harry froze. He knew this man.
'Why on earth is Snape walking down my street?' thought Harry to himself as his Potions professor drew closer. Harry's shock prevented him from realizing that his uncle was shouting his name.
"Harry! Get over here and get your trunk! Are you daft boy? Potter!" Harry took his eyes from Snape and back to his enraged uncle. His face was a dark shade of purple. Harry looked over to Snape who was just a few yards from him. Quickly making up his mind, he dashed towards his professor and stopped in front of him.
"Professor, help me please. I..."Severus held up a hand to silence Harry. He looked at the boy in front of him, and smirked to himself. Potter was asking him for help.
"Potter, I'm not walking down your street for pleasure. I've been sent to collect you."
"Am I going back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked hopefully.
"It will be explained later, Potter. Now, if you don't mind, I have some business to attend to. Is this your muggle relative?" Harry nodded. Snape walked past him and towards a very apprehensive Vernon.
"Are you Potter's uncle?" asked Snape who crossed his arms over his chest. He was at least a head taller than Vernon who was looking quite intimidated.
"Who wants to know?" said Vernon as he eyed the strange man suspiciously. He looked Snape up and down. Vernon puffed himself to appear larger, though it made him look like an expanding blueberry in Harry's opinion.
"I have been sent to pick up Potter. He is being removed from your care this summer," said Snape. "He'll be leaving immediately."
Vernon, if possible, turned even purpler.
"Are you one of those freak friends of his? Is this what this is? He's been taken away by people like you before. That boy is not leaving this time. Oh no, he's going to pay for the last time he left this house with one of you weirdos.
Snape snorted at this and drew his wand.
"He will come with me."
Vernon moved to protest but Snape fixed his wand in between the man's eyes. He muttered a spell which cause Uncle Vernon's face to slacken and his eyes to stare straight ahead.
"Harry Potter is gone on holiday and will not be returning until the school year starts again. You are to tell this to anyone who asks about the boy. Do you understand?" Snape removed his wand from Vernon's forehead. Vernon nodded at Snape's question, remaining otherwise motionless.
"Good. Now go into your house and stay there until we are gone," continued Severus. Without another word, Vernon spun around and ran his pudgy self into the house. Snape turned back to Harry.
"Potter, where are your things?"
Harry pointed to the open trunk. Snape walked over and muttered a spell. Harry's giant trunk shrunk to the size of a matchbox, which Snape put in his pocket.
Harry nodded and took Hedwig's cage out of the car. Snape used his wand to write on a piece of parchment. Harry coaxed Hedwig onto his arm and walked over to Snape.
"This needs to get to Dumbledore as soon as possible," said Snape as he tied the note to the owl's leg. She hooted and flew off. Snape then took Hedwig's cage and shrunk it down to the size of a thimble.
"Do you have anything else Potter?"
"Um . . . yeah. My broom." Harry took his firebolt out of the trunk of the car and walked over to Snape. He proceeded to shrink the broom.
"We're going to travel by portkey," said Snape as he pulled out an old, leather bound book. He held it out to Harry. Harry didn't move. His eyes were fixed on the book. "Well, are you coming or not?"
Harry said nothing and continued to look at the book. A portkey. It was a portkey that took him to Voldemort a few days ago . . . . Where would this one take him?
"Potter! Are you coming or would you rather stay here with your relatives?"
Harry looked up and met Snape's gaze. He wasn't going to stay with the Dursleys but he wasn't going to touch the portkey either.
"Professor, I. . . I can't. . . I. . ."
"You can't what?" Snape's tone was going from slightly frustrated to thoroughly annoyed.
"I can't touch the portkey. I. . . just can't."
"And why not?" Snape was quite past thoroughly annoyed.
"A portkey. . . t-took me t-t-to. . . Voldemort. . . the tournament. . . Cedric."
Snape had forgotten that the tri-wizard cup had been a portkey. The fear in Harry's eyes was confirming the fact that he was severely traumatized by this.
"Mr. Potter, I understand your apprehension but I can assure you that you'll be perfectly safe. I will be with you the entire time," Severus was not sure that that fact would lessen the boy's fear.
"No, Professor . . . could we travel by floo or the Knight Bus?"
"Potter, take the portkey. You will be far safer after you take it then you will be if you stay here."
Harry looked down at the portkey again and then back up to Snape. He nodded slightly before placing a hand on the book. After a minute or so, he felt the familiar pull behind his navel and the rushing sound in his ears. He could feel Snape's shoulders bumping into his and then it all ceased.
It took Harry a moment to steady himself and open his eyes. When he did, he was a little disappointed. They did not land in Hogwarts. They were in a cottage, it looked like. It looked slightly larger than the Burrow and was a two-story house at least, judging by the staircase in the corner. Harry guesses they had landed in the living room. There was a fireplace in the center of the left wall with a window on each side. There was a couch in front of the fireplace and an armchair in the left top corner of the room. To his left, there was a desk beneath the window. Harry turned around to see that there was a bookshelf brimming with books behind him. Next to the shelf was a doorway that led to the kitchen and another door, which Harry guessed to be the bathroom. Harry returned to his original position and realized he was alone in the room. Where was Snape? Harry was startled when he heard a voice.
"Your things are in the second room to the left upstairs," said Snape as he walked down the stairs. "You will remain here for the rest of the summer."
Harry froze. The whole summer? With Snape?
"Excuse me Professor, am I to stay here with you?"
Snape straightened before answering. "Yes, I am to remain here with you along with another person who should be arriving shortly."
"Who?"
"I don't know. Dumbledore informed me that it was going to be a former auror but left it at that."
Harry nodded slightly before venturing to ask another question.
"Professor, why do I have to stay here?"
Snape walked over and sat in the armchair in the corner of the room.
"Dumbledore received some disturbing news this morning, as you were boarding the train for Kingscross. It seem as though you have gained yet another enemy. The ministry wants you to be questioned extensively about Cedric's death. Dumbledore knew you'd probably end up in Azkaban so we decided to move you here."
Harry sat down on the sofa. Azkaban?
"They want to put me in Azkaban?"
Snape shrugged. "It's a possibility. Fudge doesn't believe that Voldemort has returned, so he wants to place the blame on someone."
"Me."
Snape nodded. "This cottage is quite a long way from Hogwarts and your relatives' house so they will have a tough time finding you. "Is this your house?"
Snape shook his head.
"No, this cottage belongs to a trusted collegue of Dumbledore. It's his summer home but he is in France for the summer so we can stay here."
Harry leaned back on the sofa. A whole summer with Snape and some stranger. Harry's expression must have been easily read because Snape commented on it almost immediately.
"As always Potter, you are thinking only of yourself. Do remember that I am stuck with you all summer as well. Not quite ideal but it is my job. I will ignore you as much as possible if you promise to do the same for me.
Harry nodded.
Both professor and student were startled when there was a knock at the door. Snape got up from his place in the corner and pulled out his wand. He walked over to the door and opened it slowly.
"Merlin," groaned Snape. "Not you. You aren't the auror Dumbledore was talking about, are you?"
There wasn't a person at the door, as Harry expected. Instead, a big, black grim-like dog trotted into the cottage.