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<div id="nav-top"><form action="../go.php" method="GET" id="nav-form-top" target="_top"><div class="nav-prev"><a href="../chapter/17" title="Chapter 17: Locating the Hypothesis" accesskey="p" target="_top">« Prev</a></div><div class="nav-dropdown"><select name="chapter" class="nav-select">
<option value="home">Home</option>
<option value="1">Chapter 1: A Day of Very Low Probability</option>
<option value="2">Chapter 2: Everything I Believe Is False</option>
<option value="3">Chapter 3: Comparing Reality To Its Alternatives</option>
<option value="4">Chapter 4: The Efficient Market Hypothesis</option>
<option value="5">Chapter 5: The Fundamental Attribution Error</option>
<option value="6">Chapter 6: The Planning Fallacy</option>
<option value="7">Chapter 7: Reciprocation</option>
<option value="8">Chapter 8: Positive Bias</option>
<option value="9">Chapter 9: Title Redacted, Part I</option>
<option value="10">Chapter 10: Self Awareness, Part II</option>
<option value="11">Chapter 11: Omake Files 1, 2, 3</option>
<option value="12">Chapter 12: Impulse Control</option>
<option value="13">Chapter 13: Asking the Wrong Questions</option>
<option value="14">Chapter 14: The Unknown and the Unknowable</option>
<option value="15">Chapter 15: Conscientiousness</option>
<option value="16">Chapter 16: Lateral Thinking</option>
<option value="17">Chapter 17: Locating the Hypothesis</option>
<option value="18" selected>Chapter 18: Dominance Hierarchies</option>
<option value="19">Chapter 19: Delayed Gratification</option>
<option value="20">Chapter 20: Bayes's Theorem</option>
<option value="21">Chapter 21: Rationalization</option>
<option value="22">Chapter 22: The Scientific Method</option>
<option value="23">Chapter 23: Belief in Belief</option>
<option value="24">Chapter 24: Machiavellian Intelligence Hypothesis</option>
<option value="25">Chapter 25: Hold Off on Proposing Solutions</option>
<option value="26">Chapter 26: Noticing Confusion</option>
<option value="27">Chapter 27: Empathy</option>
<option value="28">Chapter 28: Reductionism</option>
<option value="29">Chapter 29: Egocentric Bias</option>
<option value="30">Chapter 30: Working in Groups, Pt 1</option>
<option value="31">Chapter 31: Working in Groups, Pt 2</option>
<option value="32">Chapter 32: Interlude: Personal Financial Management</option>
<option value="33">Chapter 33: Coordination Problems, Pt 1</option>
<option value="34">Chapter 34: Coordination Problems, Pt 2</option>
<option value="35">Chapter 35: Coordination Problems, Pt 3</option>
<option value="36">Chapter 36: Status Differentials</option>
<option value="37">Chapter 37: Interlude: Crossing the Boundary</option>
<option value="38">Chapter 38: The Cardinal Sin</option>
<option value="39">Chapter 39: Pretending to be Wise, Pt 1</option>
<option value="40">Chapter 40: Pretending to be Wise, Pt 2</option>
<option value="41">Chapter 41: Frontal Override</option>
<option value="42">Chapter 42: Courage</option>
<option value="43">Chapter 43: Humanism, Pt 1</option>
<option value="44">Chapter 44: Humanism, Pt 2</option>
<option value="45">Chapter 45: Humanism, Pt 3</option>
<option value="46">Chapter 46: Humanism, Pt 4</option>
<option value="47">Chapter 47: Personhood Theory</option>
<option value="48">Chapter 48: Utilitarian Priorities</option>
<option value="49">Chapter 49: Prior Information</option>
<option value="50">Chapter 50: Self Centeredness</option>
<option value="51">Chapter 51: Title Redacted, Pt 1</option>
<option value="52">Chapter 52: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pt 2</option>
<option value="53">Chapter 53: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pt 3</option>
<option value="54">Chapter 54: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pt 4</option>
<option value="55">Chapter 55: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pt 5</option>
<option value="56">Chapter 56: TSPE, Constrained Optimization, Pt 6</option>
<option value="57">Chapter 57: TSPE, Constrained Cognition, Pt 7</option>
<option value="58">Chapter 58: TSPE, Constrained Cognition, Pt 8</option>
<option value="59">Chapter 59: TSPE, Curiosity, Pt 9</option>
<option value="60">Chapter 60: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pt 10</option>
<option value="61">Chapter 61: TSPE, Secrecy and Openness, Pt 11</option>
<option value="62">Chapter 62: The Stanford Prison Experiment, Final</option>
<option value="63">Chapter 63: TSPE, Aftermaths</option>
<option value="64">Chapter 64: Omake Files 4, Alternate Parallels</option>
<option value="65">Chapter 65: Contagious Lies</option>
<option value="66">Chapter 66: Self Actualization, Pt 1</option>
<option value="67">Chapter 67: Self Actualization, Pt 2</option>
<option value="68">Chapter 68: Self Actualization, Pt 3</option>
<option value="69">Chapter 69: Self Actualization, Pt 4</option>
<option value="70">Chapter 70: Self Actualization, Pt 5</option>
<option value="71">Chapter 71: Self Actualization, Pt 6</option>
<option value="72">Chapter 72: SA, Plausible Deniability, Pt 7</option>
<option value="73">Chapter 73: SA, The Sacred and the Mundane, Pt 8</option>
<option value="74">Chapter 74: SA, Escalation of Conflicts, Pt 9</option>
<option value="75">Chapter 75: Self Actualization Final, Responsibility</option>
<option value="76">Chapter 76: Interlude with the Confessor: Sunk Costs</option>
<option value="77">Chapter 77: SA, Aftermaths: Surface Appearances</option>
<option value="78">Chapter 78: Taboo Tradeoffs Prelude: Cheating</option>
<option value="79">Chapter 79: Taboo Tradeoffs, Pt 1</option>
<option value="80">Chapter 80: Taboo Tradeoffs, Pt 2, The Horns Effect</option>
<option value="81">Chapter 81: Taboo Tradeoffs, Pt 3</option>
<option value="82">Chapter 82: Taboo Tradeoffs, Final</option>
<option value="83">Chapter 83: Taboo Tradeoffs, Aftermath 1</option>
<option value="84">Chapter 84: Taboo Tradeoffs, Aftermath 2</option>
<option value="85">Chapter 85: Taboo Tradeoffs, Aftermath 3, Distance</option>
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<option value="87">Chapter 87: Hedonic Awareness</option>
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<div id="chapter-title">Chapter 18: Dominance
Hierarchies<br /></div>
<div style='' class='storycontent' id='storycontent'>
<p>Any sufficiently advanced J. K. Rowling is indistinguishable
from magic.</p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p><i>"That does sound like the sort of thing I would do, doesn't
it?"</i></p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p>It was breakfast time on Friday morning. Harry took another huge
bite out of his toast and then tried to remind his brain that
scarfing his breakfast wouldn't actually get him into the dungeons
any faster. Anyway they had a full hour of study time between
breakfast and the start of Potions.</p>
<p>But dungeons! In Hogwarts! Harry's imagination was already
sketching the chasms, narrow bridges, torchlit sconces, and patches
of glowing moss. Would there be rats? Would there be
<i>dragons?</i></p>
<p>"Harry Potter," said a quiet voice from behind him.</p>
<p>Harry looked over his shoulder and found himself beholding Ernie
Macmillan, smartly dressed in yellow-trimmed robes and looking a
little worried.</p>
<p>"Neville thought I should warn you," Ernie said in a low voice.
"I think he's right. Be careful of the Potions Master in our
session today. The older Hufflepuffs told us that Professor Snape
can be really nasty to people he doesn't like, and he doesn't like
most people who aren't Slytherins. If you say anything smart to him
it... it could be really bad for you, from what I've heard. Just
keep your head down and don't give him any reason to notice
you."</p>
<p>There was a pause as Harry processed this, and then he lifted
his eyebrows. (Harry wished he could raise just one eyebrow, like
Spock, but he'd never been able to manage.) "Thanks," Harry said.
"You might've just saved me a lot of trouble."</p>
<p>Ernie nodded, and turned to go back to the Hufflepuff table.</p>
<p>Harry resumed eating his toast.</p>
<p>It was around four bites afterward that someone said "Pardon
me," and Harry turned around to see an older Ravenclaw, looking a
little worried -</p>
<p>Some time later, Harry was finishing up his third plate of
rashers. (He'd learned to eat heavily at breakfast. He could always
eat lightly at lunch if he didn't end up using the Time-Turner.)
And there was yet another voice from behind him saying "Harry?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Harry said wearily, "I'll try not to draw Professor
Snape's attention -"</p>
<p>"Oh, that's hopeless," said Fred.</p>
<p>"Completely hopeless," said George.</p>
<p>"So we had the house elves bake you a cake," said Fred.</p>
<p>"We're going to put one candle on it for every point you lose
for Ravenclaw," said George.</p>
<p>"And have a party for you at the Gryffindor table during lunch,"
said Fred.</p>
<p>"We hope that'll cheer you up afterward," finished George.</p>
<p>Harry swallowed his last bite of rasher and turned around. "All
right," said Harry. "I wasn't going to ask this after Professor
Binns, I really wasn't, but if Professor Snape is <i>that</i> awful
why hasn't he been fired?"</p>
<p>"Fired?" said Fred.</p>
<p>"You mean, let go?" said George.</p>
<p>"Yes," Harry said. "It's what you do to bad teachers. You fire
them. Then you hire a better teacher instead. You don't have unions
or tenure here, right?"</p>
<p>Fred and George were frowning in much the same way that
hunter-gatherer tribal elders might frown if you tried to tell them
about calculus.</p>
<p>"I don't know," said Fred after a while. "I never thought about
that."</p>
<p>"Me neither," said George.</p>
<p>"Yeah," said Harry, "I get that a lot. See you at lunch, guys,
and don't blame me if there aren't any candles on that cake."</p>
<p>Fred and George both laughed, as if Harry had said something
funny, and bowed to him and headed back toward Gryffindor.</p>
<p>Harry turned back to the breakfast table and grabbed a cupcake.
His stomach already felt full, but he had a feeling this morning
might use a lot of calories.</p>
<p>As he ate his cupcake, Harry thought of the worst teacher he'd
met so far, Professor Binns of History. Professor Binns was a
ghost. From what Hermione had said about ghosts, it didn't seem
likely that they were fully self-aware. There were no famous
discoveries made by ghosts, or much of any original work, no matter
who they'd been in life. Ghosts tended to have trouble remembering
the current century. Hermione had said they were like accidental
portraits, impressed into the surrounding matter by a burst of
psychic energy accompanying a wizard's sudden death.</p>
<p>Harry had run into some stupid teachers during his abortive
forays into standard Muggle education - his father had been a lot
pickier when it came to selecting grad students as tutors, of
course - but History class was the first time he'd encountered a
teacher who literally wasn't sentient.</p>
<p>And it showed, too. Harry had given up after five minutes and
started reading a textbook. When it became clear that "Professor
Binns" wasn't going to object, Harry had also reached into his
pouch and gotten earplugs.</p>
<p>Did ghosts not require a salary? Was that it? Or was it
literally impossible to fire anyone in Hogwarts <i>even if they
died?</i></p>
<p>Now it seemed that Professor Snape was going about being
absolutely awful to everyone who wasn't a Slytherin and it hadn't
even <i>occurred</i> to anyone to terminate his contract.</p>
<p>And the Headmaster had set fire to a chicken.</p>
<p>"Excuse me," came a worried voice from behind him.</p>
<p>"I swear," Harry said without turning around, "this place is
almost eight and a half percent as bad as what Dad says about
Oxford."</p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p>Harry stamped down the stone corridors, looking affronted,
annoyed, and infuriated all at once.</p>
<p>"Dungeons!" Harry hissed. "<i>Dungeons!</i> These are not
dungeons! This is a basement! A <i>basement!</i> "</p>
<p>Some of the Ravenclaw girls gave him odd looks. The boys were
all used to him by now.</p>
<p>It seemed that the level in which the Potions classroom was
located was called the "dungeons" for no better reason than that it
was below ground and slightly colder than the main castle.</p>
<p>In <i>Hogwarts!</i> In <i>Hogwarts!</i> Harry had been waiting
his whole life and now he was <i>still</i> waiting and if there was
anywhere <i>on the face of the Earth</i> that had decent dungeons
it ought to be Hogwarts! Was Harry going to have to build his own
castle if he wanted to see one little bottomless abyss?</p>
<p>A short time later they got to the actual Potions classroom and
Harry cheered up considerably.</p>
<p>The Potions classroom had strange preserved creatures floating
in huge jars on shelves that covered every centimeter of wall space
between the closets. Harry had gotten far enough along in his
reading now that he could actually identify some of the creatures,
like the Zabriskan Fontema. Albeit the fifty-centimeter spider
<i>looked</i> like an Acromantula but it was too small to <i>be</i>
one. He'd tried asking Hermione, but she hadn't seemed very
interested in looking anywhere near where he was pointing.</p>
<p>Harry was looking at a large dust ball with eyes and feet when
the assassin swept into the room.</p>
<p>That was the first thought that crossed Harry's mind when he saw
Professor Severus Snape. There was something quiet and deadly about
the way the man stalked between the children's desks. His robes
were unkempt, his hair spotted and greasy. There was something
about him that seemed reminiscent of Lucius, although the two of
them looked nothing remotely alike, and you got the impression that
where Lucius would kill you with flawless elegance, this man would
simply kill you.</p>
<p>"Sit down," said Professor Severus Snape. "Now."</p>
<p>Harry and a few other children who had been standing around
talking to each other scrambled for desks. Harry had planned on
ending up next to Hermione but somehow he found himself sitting
down in the nearest empty desk next to Justin Finch-Fletchley (it
was a Doubles session, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff) which put him two
desks to the left of Hermione.</p>
<p>Severus seated himself behind the teacher's desk, and without
the slightest transition or introduction, said, "Hannah
Abbott."</p>
<p>"Here," said Hannah in a somewhat trembling voice.</p>
<p>"Susan Bones."</p>
<p>"Present."</p>
<p>And so it went, no one daring to say a word in edgewise,
until:</p>
<p>"Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new... <i>celebrity.</i>"</p>
<p>"The celebrity is present, <i>sir</i>."</p>
<p>Half the class flinched, and some of the smarter ones suddenly
looked like they wanted to run out the door while the classroom was
still there.</p>
<p>Severus smiled in an anticipatory sort of way and called the
next name on his list.</p>
<p>Harry gave a mental sigh. That had happened way too fast for him
to do anything about it. Oh well. Clearly this man already didn't
like him, for whatever reason. And when Harry thought about it,
better by far that this Potions professor should pick on <i>him</i>
rather than, say, Neville or Hermione. Harry was a lot better able
to defend himself. Yep, probably all for the best.</p>
<p>When full attendance had been taken, Severus swept his gaze over
the full class. His eyes were as empty as a night sky without
stars.</p>
<p>"You are here," Severus said in a quiet voice which the students
at back strained to hear, "to learn the subtle science and exact
art of potionmaking. As there is little foolish wand-waving here,
many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you
will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron
with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep
through human veins," this in a rather caressing, gloating tone,
"bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses," this was just getting
creepier and creepier. "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew
glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as great a pack of fools
as I usually have to teach."</p>
<p>Severus somehow seemed to notice the look of skepticism on
Harry's face, or at least his eyes suddenly jumped to where Harry
was sitting.</p>
<p>"Potter!" snapped the Potions professor. "What would I get if I
added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"</p>
<p>Harry blinked. "Was that in <i>Magical Drafts and Potions</i>?"
he said. "I just finished reading it, and I don't remember anything
which used wormwood -"</p>
<p>Hermione's hand went up and Harry shot her a glare which caused
her to raise her hand even higher.</p>
<p>"Tut, tut," Severus said silkily. "Fame clearly isn't
everything."</p>
<p>"Really?" Harry said. "But you just told us you'd teach us how
to bottle fame. Say, how <i>does</i> that work, exactly? You drink
it and turn into a celebrity?"</p>
<p>Three-quarters of the class flinched.</p>
<p>Hermione's hand was dropping slowly back down. Well, that wasn't
surprising. She might be his rival, but she wasn't the sort of girl
who would play along after it became clear that the professor was
deliberately trying to humiliate him.</p>
<p>Harry was trying hard to keep control of his temper. The first
rejoinder that had crossed his mind was 'Abracadabra'.</p>
<p>"Let's try again," said Severus. "Potter, where would you look
if I told you to find me a bezoar?"</p>
<p>"That's not in the textbook either," Harry said, "but in one
Muggle book I read that a trichinobezoar is a mass of solidified
hair found in a human stomach, and Muggles used to believe it would
cure any poison -"</p>
<p>"Wrong," Severus said. "A bezoar is found in the stomach of a
goat, it is not made of hair, and it will cure most poisons but not
all."</p>
<p>"I didn't <i>say</i> it would, I said that was what I read in
one Muggle book -"</p>
<p>"No one here is interested in your <i>pathetic</i> Muggle books.
Final try. What is the difference, Potter, between monksblood and
wolfsbane?"</p>
<p>That did it.</p>
<p>"You know," Harry said icily, "in one of my quite
<i>fascinating</i> Muggle books, they describe a study in which
people managed to make themselves look very smart by asking
questions about random facts that only they knew. Apparently the
onlookers only noticed that the askers knew and the answerers
didn't, and failed to adjust for the unfairness of the underlying
game. So, Professor, can you tell me how many electrons are in the
outermost orbital of a carbon atom?"</p>
<p>Severus's smile widened. "Four," he said. "It is a useless fact
which no one should bother writing down, however. And for your
information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion
so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. As for
monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes
by the name of aconite, as you would know if you had read <i>One
Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.</i> Thought you didn't need to
open the book before coming, eh, Potter? All the rest of you should
be copying that down so that you will not be as ignorant as him."
Severus paused, looking quite pleased with himself. "And that will
be... five points? No, let us make it an even ten points from
Ravenclaw for backchat."</p>
<p>Hermione gasped, along with a number of others.</p>
<p>"Professor Severus Snape," Harry bit out. "I know of nothing
which I have done to earn your enmity. If there is some problem you
have with me which I do not know about, I suggest we -"</p>
<p>"Shut up, Potter. Ten more points from Ravenclaw. The rest of
you, open your books to page 3."</p>
<p>There was only a slight, only a very faint burning sensation in
the back of Harry's throat, and no moisture at all in his eyes. If
crying was not an effective strategy for destroying this Potions
professor then there was no point in crying.</p>
<p>Slowly, Harry sat up very straight. All his blood seemed to have
been drained away and replaced with liquid nitrogen. He knew he'd
been trying to keep his temper but he couldn't seem to remember
why.</p>
<p>"Harry," whispered Hermione frantically from two desks over,
"stop, please, it's all right, we won't count it -"</p>
<p>"Talking in class, Granger? Three -"</p>
<p>"So," said a voice colder than zero Kelvin, "how does one go
about filing a formal complaint against an abusive professor? Does
one talk to the Deputy Headmistress, write a letter to the Board of
Governors... would you care to explain how it works?"</p>
<p>The class was utterly frozen.</p>
<p>"Detention for one month, Potter," Severus said, smiling even
more broadly.</p>
<p>"I decline to recognize your authority as a teacher and I will
not serve any detention you give."</p>
<p>People stopped breathing.</p>
<p>Severus's smile vanished. "Then you will be -" his voice stopped
short.</p>
<p>"Expelled, were you about to say?" Harry, on the other hand, was
now smiling thinly. "But then you seemed to doubt your ability to
carry out the threat, or fear the consequences if you did. I, on
the other hand, neither doubt nor fear the prospect of finding a
school with less abusive professors. Or perhaps I should hire
private tutors, as is my accustomed practice, and be taught at my
full learning speed. I have enough money in my vault. Something
about bounties on a Dark Lord I defeated. But there <i>are</i>
teachers at Hogwarts who I rather like, so I think it will be
easier if I find some way to get rid of you instead."</p>
<p>"Get rid of me?" Severus said, now also smiling thinly. "What an
amusing conceit. How do you suppose you will do that, Potter?"</p>
<p>"I understand there have been a number of complaints about you
from students and their parents," a guess but a safe one, "which
leaves only the question of why you're not already gone. Is
Hogwarts too financially strapped to afford a real Potions
professor? I could chip in, if so. I'm sure they could find a
better class of teacher if they offered double your current
salary."</p>
<p>Two poles of ice radiated freezing winter across the
classroom.</p>
<p>"You will find," Severus said softly, "that the Board of
Governers is not the slightest bit sympathetic to your offer."</p>
<p>"Lucius..." Harry said. "<i>That's</i> why you're still here.
Perhaps I should chat with Lucius about that. I believe he desires
to meet with me. I wonder if I have anything he wants?"</p>
<p>Hermione frantically shook her head. Harry noticed out of the
corner of his eye, but his attention was all on Severus.</p>
<p>"You are a very foolish boy," Severus said. He wasn't smiling at
all, now. "You have nothing that Lucius values more than my
friendship. And if you did, I have other allies." His voice grew
hard. "And I find it increasingly unlikely that you were not Sorted
into Slytherin. How was it that you managed to stay out of my
House? Ah, yes, because the Sorting Hat claimed it was
<i>joking</i>. For the first time in recorded history. What were
you really <i>chatting</i> about with the Sorting Hat, Potter? Did
you have something that it wanted?"</p>
<p>Harry stared into Severus's cold gaze and remembered that the
Sorting Hat had warned him not to meet anyone's eyes while thinking
about - Harry dropped his gaze to Severus's desk.</p>
<p>"You seem oddly reluctant to look me in the eyes, Potter!"</p>
<p>A shock of sudden understanding - "So it was <i>you</i> the
Sorting Hat was warning me about!"</p>
<p>"What?" said Severus's voice, sounding genuinely surprised,
though of course Harry didn't look at his face.</p>
<p>Harry got up out of his desk.</p>
<p>"Sit down, Potter," said an angry voice from somewhere he wasn't
looking.</p>
<p>Harry ignored it, and looked around the classroom. "I have no
intention of letting one unprofessional teacher ruin my time at
Hogwarts," Harry said with deadly calm. "I think I'll take my leave
of this class, and either hire a tutor to teach me Potions while
I'm here, or if the Board is really that locked up, learn over the
summer. If any of you decide that you don't care to be bullied by
this man, my sessions will be open to you."</p>
<p>"<i>Sit down, Potter!</i> "</p>
<p>Harry strode across the room and grasped the doorknob.</p>
<p>It didn't turn.</p>
<p>Harry slowly turned around, and caught a glimpse of Severus
smiling nastily before he remembered to look away.</p>
<p>"Open this door."</p>
<p>"No," said Severus.</p>
<p>"You are making me feel threatened," said a voice so icy it
didn't sound like Harry's at all, "and that is a mistake."</p>
<p>Severus's voice laughed. "What do you intend to do about it,
little boy?"</p>
<p>Harry took six long strides forward away from the door, until he
was standing near the back row of desks.</p>
<p>Then Harry drew himself upright and raised his right hand in one
terrible motion, fingers poised to snap.</p>
<p>Neville screamed and dived under his desk. Other children shrank
back or instinctively raised their arms to shield themselves.</p>
<p>"<i>Harry don't!</i> " shrieked Hermione. "Whatever you were
going to do to him, don't do it!"</p>
<p>"Have you all gone <i>mad?</i> " barked Severus's voice.</p>
<p>Slowly, Harry lowered his hand. "I wasn't going to hurt him,
Hermione," Harry said, his voice a little lower. "I was just going
to blow up the door."</p>
<p>Though now that Harry remembered it, you weren't supposed to
Transfigure things that were to be burned, which meant that going
back in time afterward and getting Fred or George to Transfigure
some carefully measured amount of explosives might not actually
have been such a good idea...</p>
<p>"<i>Silencio,</i>" said Severus's voice.</p>
<p>Harry tried to say "What?" and found that no sound was coming
out.</p>
<p>"This has become ridiculous. I think you've been allowed to get
yourself in enough trouble for one day, Potter. You are the most
disruptive and unruly student I have ever seen, and I don't recall
how many points Ravenclaw has right now, but I'm sure I can manage
to wipe them all out. Ten points from Ravenclaw. Ten points from
Ravenclaw. Ten points from Ravenclaw! Fifty points from Ravenclaw!
Now sit down and watch the rest of the class take their
lesson!"</p>
<p>Harry put his hand into his pouch and tried to say 'marker' but
of course no words came out. For one brief moment that stopped him;
and then it occurred to Harry to spell out M-A-R-K-E-R using finger
motions, which worked. P-A-D and he had a pad of paper. Harry
strode over to an empty desk, not the one he'd originally sat down
in, and scrawled a brief message. He tore off that sheet of paper,
put away the marker and pad in a pocket of his robes for quicker
access, and held up his message, not to Snape, but to the rest of
the class.</p>
<p>I'M LEAVING<br />
DOES ANYONE ELSE<br />
NEED TO GET OUT?</p>
<p>"You're insane, Potter," Severus said with cold contempt.</p>
<p>Aside from that, no one spoke.</p>
<p>Harry swept an ironic bow to the teacher's desk, walked over to
the wall, and with one smooth motion yanked open a closet door,
stepped in, and slammed the door shut behind him.</p>
<p>There was the muffled sound of someone snapping his fingers, and
then nothing.</p>
<p>In the classroom, students looked at each other in puzzlement
and fear.</p>
<p>The Potions Master's face was now completely enraged. He crossed
the room in terrible strides and yanked open the closet door.</p>
<p>The closet was empty.</p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p>One hour earlier, Harry listened from inside the closed closet.
There was no sound from outside, and no point in taking risks
either.</p>
<p>C-L-O-A-K, his fingers spelled out.</p>
<p>Once he was invisible, he very carefully and slowly cracked open
the closet door and peeked out. No one seemed to be in the
classroom.</p>
<p>The door wasn't locked.</p>
<p>It was when Harry was outside the dangerous place and inside the
hallway, safely invisible, that some of the anger drained away and
he realized what he'd just done.</p>
<p>What he'd just done.</p>
<p>Harry's invisible face was frozen in absolute horror.</p>
<p>He'd antagonized a teacher three orders of magnitude beyond
anything he'd ever managed before. He'd threatened to walk out of
Hogwarts and might have to follow through on it. He'd lost all the
points Ravenclaw had and then he'd used the Time-Turner...</p>
<p>His imagination showed him his parents yelling at him after he
was expelled, Professor McGonagall disappointed in him, and it was
just too painful and he couldn't bear it and he <i>couldn't think
of any way to save himself -</i></p>
<p>The thought that Harry allowed himself to think was that if
getting angry had gotten him into all this trouble, then maybe when
he was angry he'd think of a way out, things seemed clearer somehow
when he was angry.</p>
<p>And the thought that Harry didn't let himself think was that he
just couldn't face this future if he wasn't angry.</p>
<p>So he cast his thoughts back and remembered the burning
humiliation -</p>
<p><i>Tut, tut. Fame clearly isn't everything.</i></p>
<p><i>Ten points from Ravenclaw for backchat.</i></p>
<p>The calming cold washed back through his veins like a wave
reflected and returning from some breaker, and Harry let out his
breath.</p>
<p>Okay. Back to being sane now.</p>
<p>He was actually feeling a bit disappointed in his non-angry self
for collapsing like that and wanting only to get out of trouble.
Professor Severus Snape was <i>everyone's</i> problem. Normal-Harry
had forgotten that and wished for a way to protect <i>himself.</i>
And let all the other victims go hang? The question wasn't how to
protect himself, the question was how to destroy this Potions
professor.</p>
<p><i>So this is my dark side, is it?</i> <i>Bit of a prejudiced
term that, my light side seems more selfish and cowardly, not to
mention confused and panicky.</i></p>
<p>And now that he was thinking clearly, it was equally clear what
to do next. He'd already given himself an extra hour to prepare,
and could get up to five hours more if required...</p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p>Minerva McGonagall waited in the Headmaster's office.</p>
<p>Dumbledore sat in his padded throne behind his desk, dressed in
four layers of formal lavender robes. Minerva sat in a chair before
him, opposite Severus in another chair. Facing the three of them
was an empty wooden stool.</p>
<p>They were waiting for Harry Potter.</p>
<p><i>Harry,</i> Minerva thought despairingly, <i>you promised you
wouldn't bite any teachers!</i></p>
<p>And in her mind she could see very clearly the reply, Harry's
angry face and his outraged response: <i>I said I wouldn't bite
anyone who didn't bite me first!</i></p>
<p>There was a knock at the door.</p>
<p>"Come in!" Dumbledore called.</p>
<p>The door swept open, and Harry Potter entered. Minerva almost
gasped out loud. The boy looked cool, collected, and utterly in
control of himself.</p>
<p>"Good mor-" Harry's voice suddenly cut off. His jaw dropped.</p>
<p>Minerva tracked Harry's gaze, and she saw that Harry was staring
at Fawkes where the phoenix sat on its golden perch. Fawkes
fluttered his bright red-golden wings like the flickering of a
flame, and dipped his head in a measured nod to the boy.</p>
<p>Harry turned to stare at Dumbledore.</p>
<p>Dumbledore winked at him.</p>
<p>Minerva felt she was missing something.</p>
<p>Sudden uncertainty crossed Harry's face. His coolness wavered.
Fear showed in his eyes, then anger, and then the boy was calm
again.</p>
<p>A chill went down Minerva's spine. Something was not right
here.</p>
<p>"Please sit down," said Dumbledore. His face was now serious
once more.</p>
<p>Harry sat.</p>
<p>"So, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I've heard one report of this day
from Professor Snape. Would you care to tell me what happened in
your own words?"</p>
<p>Harry's gaze flicked dismissively to Severus. "It's not
complicated," said the boy, smiling thinly. "He tried bullying me
the way he's been bullying every non-Slytherin in the school since
the day Lucius foisted him off on you. As for the other details, I
request a private conversation with you concerning them. A student
who is reporting abusive behavior from a professor can hardly be
expected to speak frankly in front of that same professor, after
all."</p>
<p>This time Minerva couldn't stop herself from gasping out
loud.</p>
<p>Severus simply laughed.</p>
<p>And the Headmaster's face grew grave. "Mr. Potter," the
Headmaster said, "one does not speak of a Hogwarts professor in
such terms. I fear that you labor under a terrible misapprehension.
Professor Severus Snape has my fullest confidence, and serves
Hogwarts at my own behest, not Lucius Malfoy's."</p>
<p>There was silence for a few moments.</p>
<p>When the boy spoke again his voice was icy. "Am I missing
something here?"</p>
<p>"Quite a number of things, Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster.
"You should understand, to start with, that the purpose of this
meeting is to discuss how to discipline you for the events of this
morning."</p>
<p>"This man has terrorized your school for years. I spoke to
students and collected stories to make sure there would be enough
for a newspaper campaign to rally the parents against him. Some of
the younger students cried while they told me. I almost cried when
I heard them! <i>You allowed this abuser to run free? You did this
to your students? Why?</i> "</p>
<p>Minerva swallowed a lump in her throat. She'd - thought that,
sometimes, but somehow she'd never quite -</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster, his voice now stern, "this
meeting is not about Professor Snape. It is about you and your
disregard for school discipline. Professor Snape has suggested, and
I have agreed, that three full months of detention will be
appropriate -"</p>
<p>"Declined," Harry said icily.</p>
<p>Minerva was speechless.</p>
<p>"This is not a request, Mr. Potter," the Headmaster said. The
full, entire force of the wizard's gaze was turned on the boy.
"This is your punishme-"</p>
<p>"You will explain to me why you allowed this man to hurt the
children placed in your care, and if your explanation is not
sufficient then I will begin my newspaper campaign with <i>you</i>
as the target."</p>
<p>Minerva's body swayed with the force of that blow, with the
sheer raw <i>lese majeste</i>.</p>
<p>Even Severus looked shocked.</p>
<p>"That, Harry, would be most extremely unwise," Dumbledore said
slowly. "I am the primary piece opposing Lucius on the gameboard.
For you to do such a thing would strengthen him greatly, and I did
not think that was your chosen side."</p>
<p>The boy was still for a long moment.</p>
<p>"This conversation grows private," Harry said. His hand flicked
in Severus's direction. "Send him away."</p>
<p>Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry, did I not tell you that
Severus Snape has my fullest confidence?"</p>
<p>The boy's face showed the shock of it. "This man's bullying
makes you vulnerable! I am not the only one who could start a
newspaper campaign against you! This is insane! Why are you doing
this?"</p>
<p>Dumbledore sighed. "I'm sorry, Harry. It has to do with things
that you are not, at this time, ready to hear."</p>
<p>The boy stared at Dumbledore. Then he turned to look at Severus.
Then back to Dumbledore again.</p>
<p>"It <i>is</i> insanity," the boy said slowly. "You haven't
reined him in because you think he's <i>part of the pattern</i>.
That Hogwarts needs an evil Potions Master to be a proper magical
school, just as it needs a ghost to teach History."</p>
<p>"That does sound like the sort of thing I would do, doesn't it?"
said Dumbledore, smiling.</p>
<p>"Unacceptable," Harry said flatly. His gaze was now cold and
dark. "I will not tolerate bullying or abuse. I had considered many
possible ways of dealing with this problem, but I will make it
simple. Either this man goes, or I do."</p>
<p>Minerva gasped again. Something strange flickered in Severus's
eyes.</p>
<p>Now Dumbledore's gaze was also growing cold. "Expulsion, Mr.
Potter, is the final threat which may be used against a student. It
is not customarily used as a threat by students against the
Headmaster. This is the best magical school in the entire world,
and an education here is not an opportunity given to everyone. Are
you under the impression that Hogwarts cannot get along without
you?"</p>
<p>And Harry sat there, smiling thinly.</p>
<p>Sudden horror dawned on Minerva. Surely Harry wouldn't -</p>
<p>"You forget," Harry said, "that you're not the only one who can
see patterns. <i>This grows private. Now send him</i> -" Harry
flicked a hand at Severus again, and then stopped in mid-sentence
and mid-gesture.</p>
<p>Minerva could see it on Harry's face, the moment when he
remembered.</p>
<p>She'd told him, after all.</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster, "once again, Severus Snape
has my fullest confidence."</p>
<p>"You told him," whispered the boy. "You utter fool."</p>
<p>Dumbledore didn't react to the insult. "Told him what?"</p>
<p>"That the Dark Lord is alive."</p>
<p>"<i>What in Merlin's name are you on about, Potter?</i> " cried
Severus in tones of sheer astonishment and outrage.</p>
<p>Harry glanced briefly at him, smiling grimly. "Oh, so we
<i>are</i> a Slytherin, then," Harry said. "I was starting to
wonder."</p>
<p>And then there was silence.</p>
<p>Finally Dumbledore spoke. His voice was mild. "Harry, what
<i>are</i> you talking about?"</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Albus," Minerva whispered.</p>
<p>Severus and Dumbledore turned to look at her.</p>
<p>"Professor McGonagall didn't tell me," said Harry's voice,
swiftly and less calm than it had been. "I guessed. I told you, I
can see the patterns too. I guessed, and she controlled her
reaction just as Severus did. But her control fell a shade short of
perfection, and I could tell it was control, not genuine."</p>
<p>"And I told him," said Minerva, her voice trembling a little,
"that you, and I, and Severus were the only ones who knew."</p>
<p>"Which she did as a concession to prevent me from simply going
around asking questions, as I threatened to do if she didn't talk,"
Harry said. The boy chuckled briefly. "I really should have gotten
one of you alone and told you that she told me everything, to see
if you let anything slip. Probably wouldn't have worked, but would
have been worth a shot." The boy smiled again. "Threat's still on
the table and I do expect to be briefed <i>fully</i> at some
point."</p>
<p>Severus was giving her a look of utter contempt. Minerva raised
her chin and bore it. She knew it was deserved.</p>
<p>Dumbledore leaned back in his padded throne. His eyes were as
cold as anything Minerva had seen from him since the day his
brother died. "And you threaten to abandon us to Voldemort if we do
not comply with your wishes."</p>
<p>Harry's voice was razor-sharp. "I regret to inform you that you
are not the center of the universe. I'm not threatening to walk out
on magical Britain. I'm threatening to walk out on <i>you</i>. I am
not a meek little Frodo. This is <i>my</i> quest and if you want in
you will play by <i>my</i> rules."</p>
<p>Dumbledore's face was still cold. "I am beginning to doubt your
suitability as the hero, Mr. Potter."</p>
<p>Harry's return gaze was equally icy. "I am beginning to doubt
your suitability as my Gandalf, <i>Mr. Dumbledore</i>. Boromir was
at least a plausible mistake. What is this <i>Nazgul</i> doing in
my Fellowship?"</p>
<p>Minerva was completely lost. She looked at Severus, to see if he
was following this, and she saw that Severus had turned his face
away from Harry's field of vision and was smiling.</p>
<p>"I suppose," Dumbledore said slowly, "that from your perspective
it is a reasonable question. So, Mr. Potter, if Professor Snape is
to leave you alone henceforth, will that be the last time this
issue arises, or will I find you here every week with a new
demand?"</p>
<p>"Leave <i>me</i> alone?" Harry's voice was outraged. "I am not
his only victim and certainly not the most vulnerable! <i>Have you
forgotten how defenseless children are? How much they hurt?</i>
Henceforth Severus will treat <i>every</i> student of Hogwarts with
appropriate and professional courtesy, or you will find another
Potions Master, or you will find another hero!"</p>
<p>Dumbledore started laughing. Full-throated, warm, humorous
laughter, as if Harry had just performed a comic dance in front of
him.</p>
<p>Minerva didn't dare move. Her eyes flickered and she saw that
Severus was equally motionless.</p>
<p>Harry's visage grew even colder. "You mistake me, Headmaster, if
you think that this is a joke. This is not a request. This is your
punishment."</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter -" Minerva said. She didn't even know what she was
going to say. She simply couldn't let that go by.</p>
<p>Harry made a shushing gesture at her and continued to speak to
Dumbledore. "And if that seems impolite to you," Harry said, his
voice now a little less hard, "it seemed no less impolite when you
said it to me. You would not say such a thing to anyone who you
considered a real human being instead of a subordinate child, and I
will treat you with just the same courtesy as you treat me -"</p>
<p>"Oh, indeed, in very deed, this is my punishment if ever there
was one! Of <i>course</i> you're in here blackmailing me to save
your fellow students, not to save yourself! I can't imagine why I
would have thought otherwise!" Dumbledore was now laughing even
harder. He pounded his fist on the desk three times.</p>
<p>Harry's gaze grew uncertain. His face turned toward her,
addressing her for the first time. "Excuse me," Harry said. His
voice seemed to be wavering. "Does he need to take his medication
or something?"</p>
<p>"Ah..." Minerva had no idea what she could possibly say.</p>
<p>"Well," said Dumbledore. He wiped away tears that had formed in
his eyes. "Pardon me. I'm sorry for the interruption. Please
continue with the blackmail."</p>
<p>Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again. He now seemed a
little unsteady. "Ah... he's also to stop reading students'
minds."</p>
<p>"Minerva," Severus said, his voice deadly, "you -"</p>
<p>"Sorting Hat warned me," said Harry.</p>
<p>"<i>What?</i> "</p>
<p>"Can't say anything else. Anyway I think that's it. I'm
done."</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>"Now what?" Minerva said, when it became apparent that no one
else was going to say anything.</p>
<p>"Now what?" Dumbledore echoed. "Why, now the hero wins, of
course."</p>
<p>"<i>What?</i> " said Severus, Minerva, and Harry.</p>
<p>"Well, he certainly seems to have backed us into a corner,"
Dumbledore said, smiling happily. "But Hogwarts <i>does</i> need an
evil Potions Master, or it just wouldn't be a proper magical
school, now would it? So how about if Professor Snape is only awful
toward students in their fifth year and higher?"</p>
<p>"<i>What?</i> " said all three of them again.</p>
<p>"If it's the most vulnerable victims about whom you're
concerned. Maybe you're right, Harry. Maybe I <i>have</i> forgotten
over the decades what it's like to be a child. So let's compromise.
Severus will continue to unfairly award points to Slytherin and
impose lax discipline on his House, and he will be awful to
non-Slytherin students in their fifth year and higher. To others he
will be scary, but not abusive. He will promise to only read minds
when the safety of a student requires it. Hogwarts will have its
evil Potions Master, and the most vulnerable victims, as you put
it, will be safe."</p>
<p>Minerva McGonagall was as shocked as she'd ever been in her
life. She glanced uncertainly at Severus, whose face had been left
completely neutral, as though he couldn't decide what sort of
expression he ought to be wearing.</p>
<p>"I suppose that is acceptable," Harry said. His voice sounded a
bit odd.</p>
<p>"You can't be serious," Severus said, his voice as
expressionless as his face.</p>
<p>"I am very much in favor of this," Minerva said slowly. She was
so much in favor that her heart was pounding wildly beneath her
robes. "But what could we possibly tell the students? They might
not have questioned this while Severus was... being awful to
everyone, but -"</p>
<p>"Harry can tell the other students that he discovered a terrible
secret of Severus's and did a bit of blackmail," said Dumbledore.
"It's true, after all; he discovered that Severus was reading
minds, and he certainly did blackmail us."</p>
<p>"This is insanity!" exploded Severus.</p>
<p>"Bwah ha ha!" said Dumbledore.</p>
<p>"Ah..." said Harry uncertainly. "And if anyone asks me why fifth
years and above got shafted? I wouldn't blame them for being irate,
and that part wasn't exactly my idea -"</p>
<p>"Tell them," said Dumbledore, "that it wasn't you who suggested
the compromise, that it was all you could get. And then refuse to
say anything more. That, too, is true. There's an art to it, you'll
pick it up with practice."</p>
<p>Harry nodded slowly. "And the points he took from
Ravenclaw?"</p>
<p>"They must not be given back."</p>
<p>It was Minerva who said it.</p>
<p>Harry looked at her.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter," she said. She <i>was</i> sorry, but it
had to be done. "There <i>must</i> be some consequences for your
misbehavior or this school will fall to pieces."</p>
<p>Harry shrugged. "Acceptable," he said flatly. "But in the future
Severus will not strike at my House connections by taking points
from me, nor will he waste my valuable time with detentions. Should
he feel that my behavior requires correction, he may communicate
his concerns to Professor McGonagall."</p>
<p>"Harry," Minerva said, "will you continue to submit to school
discipline, or are you to be above the law now, as Severus
was?"</p>
<p>Harry looked at her. Something warm touched his gaze, briefly
before it was quashed. "I will continue to be an ordinary student
to every member of the staff who is not insane or evil, provided
that they do not come under pressure from others who are." Harry
glanced briefly at Severus, then turned back to Dumbledore. "Leave
Minerva alone, and I'll be a regular Hogwarts student in her
presence. No special privileges or immunities."</p>
<p>"Beautiful," Dumbledore said sincerely. "Spoken like a true
hero."</p>
<p>"And," she said, "Mr. Potter must publicly apologize for his
actions of today."</p>
<p>Harry gave her another look. This one was a bit skeptical.</p>
<p>"The discipline of the school has been gravely injured by your
actions, Mr. Potter," Minerva said. "It must be restored."</p>
<p>"I think, Professor McGonagall, that you considerably
overestimate the importance of what you call school discipline, as
compared to having History taught by a live teacher or not
torturing your students. Maintaining the current status hierarchy
and enforcing its rules seems ever so much more wise and moral and
important when you are on the top and doing the enforcing than when
you are on the bottom, and I can cite studies to this effect if
required. I could go on for several hours about this point, but I
will leave it at that."</p>
<p>Minerva shook her head. "Mr. Potter, you underestimate the
importance of discipline because you are not in need of it yourself
-" She paused. That hadn't come out right, and Severus, Dumbledore,
and even Harry were giving her strange looks. "To learn, I mean.
Not every child can learn in the absence of authority. And it is
the other children who will be hurt, Mr. Potter, if they see your
example as one to be followed."</p>
<p>Harry's lips curved into a twisted smile. "The first and last
resort is the truth. The truth is that I shouldn't have gotten
angry, I shouldn't have disrupted the class, I shouldn't have done
what I did, and I set a bad example for everyone. The truth is also
that Severus Snape behaved in a fashion unbecoming a Hogwarts
professor, and that from now on he will be more mindful of the
injured feelings of students in their fourth year and under. The
two of us could both get up and speak the truth. I could live with
that."</p>
<p>"In your dreams, Potter!" spat Severus.</p>
<p>"After all," said Harry, smiling grimly, "if the students see
that rules are for <i>everyone...</i> for professors too, not just
for poor helpless students who get nothing but suffering out of the
system... why, the positive effects on school discipline should be
<i>tremendous.</i>"</p>
<p>There was a brief pause, and then Dumbledore chuckled. "Minerva
is thinking that you're righter than you have any right to be."</p>
<p>Harry's gaze jerked away from Dumbledore, down to the floor.
"Are <i>you</i> reading <i>her</i> mind?"</p>
<p>"Common sense is often mistaken for Legilimency," said
Dumbledore. "I shall talk over this matter with Severus, and no
apology will be required from you unless he apologizes as well. And
now I declare this matter concluded, at least until lunchtime." He
paused. "Although, Harry, I'm afraid that Minerva wished to speak
with you about an additional matter. And that is not the result of
any pressure on my part. Minerva, if you would?"</p>
<p>Minerva rose from her chair and almost fell. There was too much
adrenaline in her blood, her heart was beating too fast.</p>
<p>"Fawkes," said Dumbledore, "accompany her, please."</p>
<p>"I don't -" she started to say.</p>
<p>Dumbledore shot her a look, and she fell silent.</p>
<p>The phoenix soared across the room like a smooth tongue of flame
leaping out, and landed on her shoulder. She felt the warmth
through her robes, all through her body.</p>
<p>"Please follow me, Mr. Potter," she said, firmly now, and they
left through the door.</p>
<hr size="1" noshade="noshade" />
<p>They stood on the rotating stairs, descending in silence.</p>
<p>Minerva didn't know what to say. She didn't know this person who
stood beside her.</p>
<p>And Fawkes began to croon.</p>
<p>It was tender, and soft, like a fireplace would sound if it had
melody, and it washed over Minerva's mind, easing, soothing,
gentling what it touched...</p>
<p>"<i>What</i> is <i>that?</i> " Harry whispered beside her. His
voice was unstable, wobbling, changing pitch.</p>
<p>"The song of the phoenix," said Minerva, not really aware of
what she was saying, her attention was all on that strange quiet
music. "It, too, heals."</p>
<p>Harry turned his face from her, but she caught a glimpse of
something agonized.</p>
<p>The descent seemed to take a very long time, or maybe it was
only that the music seemed to take a very long time, and when they
stepped out through the gap where a gargoyle had been, she was
holding Harry's hand firmly in hers.</p>
<p>As the gargoyle stepped back into place, Fawkes left her
shoulder, and swooped to hover in front of Harry.</p>
<p>Harry stared at Fawkes like someone hypnotized by the
ever-changing light of a fire.</p>
<p>"What am I to do, Fawkes?" whispered Harry. "I couldn't have
protected them if I hadn't been angry."</p>
<p>The phoenix's wings continued flapping, it continued hovering in
place. There was no sound but the beating of the wings. Then there
was a flash like a fire flaring up and going out, and Fawkes was
gone.</p>
<p>Both of them blinked, like waking up from a dream, or maybe like
falling asleep again.</p>
<p>Minerva looked down.</p>
<p>Harry Potter's bright young face looked up at her.</p>
<p>"Are phoenixes people?" said Harry. "I mean, are they smart
enough to count as people? Could I talk with Fawkes if I knew
how?"</p>
<p>Minerva blinked hard. Then she blinked again. "No," Minerva
said, her voice wavering. "Phoenixes are creatures of powerful
magic. That magic gives their existence a weight of meaning which
no simple animal could possess. They are fire, light, healing,
rebirth. But in the end, no."</p>
<p>"Where can I get one?"</p>
<p>Minerva leaned down and hugged him. She hadn't meant to, but she
didn't seem to have much choice in the matter.</p>
<p>When she stood up she found it hard to speak. But she had to
ask. "What happened today, Harry?"</p>
<p>"I don't know the answers to any of the important questions
either. Aside from that I'd really rather not think about it for a
while."</p>
<p>Minerva took his hand in hers again, and they walked the rest of
the way in silence.</p>
<p>It was only a short trip, since naturally the office of the
Deputy was close to the office of the Headmaster.</p>
<p>Minerva sat behind her desk.</p>
<p>Harry sat in front of her desk.</p>
<p>"So," Minerva whispered. She would have given almost anything
not to do this, or not to be the one who had to do it, or for it to
be any time but right now. "There is a matter of school discipline.
From which you are not exempt."</p>
<p>"Namely?" said Harry.</p>
<p>He didn't know. He hadn't figured it out yet. She felt her
throat tighten. But there was work to be done and she would not
shirk it.</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall, "I need to see your
Time-Turner, please."</p>
<p>All the peace of the phoenix vanished from his face in an
instant and Minerva felt like she had just stabbed him.</p>
<p>"<i>No!</i> " Harry said. His voice was panicked. "I need it, I
won't be able to attend Hogwarts, I won't be able to sleep!"</p>
<p>"You'll be able to sleep," she said. "The Ministry has delivered
the protective shell for your Time-Turner. I will enchant it to
open only between the hours of 9PM and midnight."</p>
<p>Harry's face twisted. "But - but I -"</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter, how many times have you used the Time-Turner since
Monday? How many hours?"</p>
<p>"I..." Harry said. "Hold on, let me add it up -" He glanced down
at his watch.</p>
<p>Minerva felt a rush of sadness. She'd thought so. "It wasn't
just two per day, then. I suspect that if I asked your dormmates, I
would find that you were struggling to stay up long enough to go to
sleep at a reasonable time, and waking up earlier and earlier every
morning. Correct?"</p>
<p>Harry's face said everything she needed to know.</p>
<p>"Mr. Potter," she said gently, "there are students who cannot be
entrusted with Time-Turners, because they become addicted to them.