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The Third Time is a Charm	By : ladyedgecombe Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 45346 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don’t own the HP Universe. I admire. Rowling for entertaining us with her world of make believe. I don’t make any money from writing this story, I just like to have fun and borrow her characters for a while but I promise to put them back

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter 19: A Visit to Hogwarts

Harry and Severus met with Becca and the others about an hour and fifteen minutes later. They were both showered and dressed in muggle clothing that they could throw their wizarding robes over. Not knowing exactly what they would be doing, they wanted to be prepared for anything. As soon as they entered the kitchen, they knew they were late as everyone was already half finished eating the food on their plates. Two place settings remained untouched together at the end of the table and they quickly sat down to eat some of the delicious looking sandwiches. Severus poured himself some tea, but Harry opted for some of the fruit juice in the pitcher on the sideboard where there were also several different kinds of fruits to choose from. As they sat down to eat, they looked at Becca to see how she was feeling. Obviously everything on the table was wholesome but also they didn't have anything hot like stew or soups that would give off any kind of odor, that might upset her stomach as the bacon had that morning.

They all ate in a fare amount of silence until everyone was finishing, but when the healers had completed their meal they looked to Becca when Doc asked. "So what are the plans for today? I know you have much that you want to accomplish, is there something we can help with?" His smile to her was in the form of a challenge, he knew she was something of a control person and would not ask for help unless it was something she couldn't do for herself or was in real trouble.

Just as Becca was shaking her head no and about to answer Doc in the negative, Severus spoke up before she could get the words out. "We need to go to Hogwarts and dissect a basilisk for potions parts. How are your surgical skills?" Severus knew that working with the great snake could take hours and the many hands they had here could make the work much faster.

Doc looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, "You mean Becca is going to let us help?" He started to chuckle under his breath waiting for the explosion from his honorary granddaughter.

"Becca," Severus raised an eyebrow at the woman in question, "doesn't have a say in the matter. She is carrying Harry's and mine child and will not be going near that snake. From what I hear the snake is very large but has been in a preserving chamber. If that is true, the more skilled hands the better and although we will have protective clothing, we need to be as fast and efficient as possible while increasing our safety by limiting our exposure."

That's when Doc showed a genuine smile. He knew Rebecca as a headstrong young woman, but she did not often argue with her great-grandfather and it looked as if she was going to give these men the same respect. Doc looked around the table with an inquiring look on his face and at the nods from the others turned back to Severus and said "Yes we will help. All of us had some type of surgery when in our healer training. We are not often offered the opportunity to do field work with Becca, I look forward to it."

Becca looked at her grand... no Severus, he wasn't really her grandfather, and started to say something of a retort, you could see it in her face. Then she thought about the baby and how this was complicating things more than she expected; the same baby that was created because of her mistake. She could do other things in the Chambers and as long as she was able to come, she would be satisfied. Doc caught Becca's eye and she shrugged and looked at Severus again.

"Becca has told us that some of the house elves of Hogwarts will be available to help. We know the headmaster cannot get into the chamber so we should not have a problem taking all the time we will need to safely dissect the snake, pack up what we find in the chamber and then get out of there. Does anyone have any questions?" Severus was definitely in command of the situation and knew what he wanted to do but even with the extra help, it would be a long afternoon.

"I would suggest everyone pack a change of clothes, once we are there we are not leaving until we have completed our tasks. The headmaster will be gone when we arrive but I don't know for how long and we will have to find a way to keep track of him so we can leave without him knowing we were there." Becca looked at the Potions Professor and knew he was definitely in charge of her operation. She could not argue with the logic though, he was more familiar with the school and the headmaster.

It was Severus who started with the organization of the trip. He was giving instructions to everyone on the care of dissecting a venomous creature to make sure all the safety precautions were adhered to. He asked Becca for the safety equipment and made a careful show of how to inspect it and how to properly use it. As excited as he was to get his hands on the rare potions ingredients, it was clear he was a very methodical Slytherin and not a 'rush head first into the fray' Gryffindor. The healers seemed to be excited about going and helping, as they paid careful attention to everything the professor said. When Becca brought out the shielded clothing however, it was something Severus had never seen before but he could tell that it was extremely durable and should protect everyone well.

"What is this made of, Becca? I was expecting dragon hide gloves and aprons." Severus asked but Harry had been looking at it also and although it seemed familiar he couldn't place ever having seen clothing made of this substance before.

"This is acromantula shielding, made from the shells. Just as a normal tarantula sheds its shell about two or three times a year when growing and about every year in adulthood so does an acromantula. It provides a renewable resource and doesn't require the death of the spider as the dragonhide does require the death of the dragon before you can take their hide.." She replied. "It is just as strong as dragonhide and it was more available to me from my time. Prince Conglomerate made a pact with the acromantulas and came to an agreement that is quite equitable. I suggest we wear some of this under our clothes; it is also very spell resistant in case a hex is thrown at us. We don't know when the headmaster will come back. Gorbink will keep him as busy as possible but we don't want to be seen in the castle any more than we have to. There is an external exit to the chamber that opens into the Forbidden Forest and we can leave that way."

"Why don't we go in that way and bypass the rest of the castle altogether?" Severus wanted to know why Becca insisted on going into the castle.

"Because, the outer door to the chamber was not an entrance for anyone but Salazar; it is hidden under spells from the outside so you can't find it, but you can use it as an exit from the inside in case of emergencies. This way no one can happen upon it and get into the castle."

So they gathered their equipment, more storage trunks (there was quite a collection now) and as they were all gathered in one room Becca received a message that appeared in thin air in front of her. "That's Gorbink; the headmaster is at the bank with Professor McGonagall for an audit of the school's finances." All seven people and one elf took hold of the rope and were port-keyed into the Great Hall.

I was a good thing nobody else was in the castle except the elves. Harry tripped into Severus as soon as they landed and nearly knocked him over. The noise of the arrival of seven people was rather louder than the professor would have wanted. There were little whispers and quiet talking around the Great Hall. It was a little odd but Severus got the impression that some of these people had never seen Hogwarts before. If he had asked them, he would have found out he was correct.

A contingent of about twenty Hogwarts house elves popped in just at that time accompanied by the head elf. All the elves bowed in unison to Becca and Harry, Severus was wondering why they were bowing like that to just those two, but then dismissed the thought and kept his mind on the task at hand. They would not have an ample amount of time and needed to stay focused. Becca looked at the head elf and nodded asking, "Where are the elves that have volunteered to go down into the chamber with us?"

The head elf answered with an astonishing "All that are here and any more you may require are ready to follow you into the chamber." Becca nodded again but Severus interrupted, "You mean all the elves are willing to go down there and help?"

"Yes Master Professor Snape, any help you need we can give you for Master Harry and Mistress Becca. The chamber is large and the snake is huge, you will need much help." The elf interjected.

"Harry, how big is this snake of yours?" the professor asked cautiously.

Harry looked around the Great Hall with a frown on his face, thinking hard. "I guess it is probably the length of this room or better. I don't really remember it was a few years ago and I was more concerned in how to kill the thing before it swallowed me whole." He said this so matter of fact, as if it was of no big concern, that Severus felt a shiver run up his spine, surely his young mate was exaggerating about the size and had meant to say kill him not swallow him.

He smiled indulgently and motioned to Harry, "Come on then, you lead the way." They went into the hallway and moved through the castle to the girl's second floor bathroom. As Harry entered the bathroom, Moaning Myrtle came to greet them with a wail of a scream until she saw Harry standing there.

"Oh, hello Harry, did you come to visit me?" The ghostly presence asked as she watched with wide eyes as her bathroom fill up with the adults and elves.

"Hello, Myrtle. All these people need to see the Chamber of Secrets and get a few things from down there. This is a secret mission so we need you to not say anything. Okay?" As Myrtle agreed, Harry hissed "open" at the set of sinks to one side of the room and they all watched in fascination as the entrance was exposed.

"I am going down first to make sure nothing is down there and will let you know when the coast is clear. I will have to do a few cleaning charms or everyone is going to get filthy before we even get to work." Harry stated as he stepped toward the opening of the chamber.

"Oh, no you are not. You don't have to do this the Gryffindor way anymore. First we will send down a disk of light to see if we can see anything. Then we will do a revelation charm to see if anything living is down there and after we have taken as many precautions as possible, I will be the one going first." Severus had grabbed a hold of Harry's arm while he was explaining to his young mate. He then bent forward and spoke very quietly in the young man's ear, "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you now. Please don't rush into this."

Harry was reminded that it was just yesterday than he had come closer to death than ever before. He conceded to Severus' wishes and let him take the precautions he wanted. He watched as the older man sent a revealing spell down the chamber to look for any life forms, then he sent a disk of light from his wand to light up the tunnel but as the piping bent and turned you could not see the bottom at all and eventually you could see no light from it either even though Severus had explained that it would stay lit for awhile.

"Severus?" Harry said to get the man's attention. "I think maybe I should go down first, but on my broom. I am the best flier here and will be very careful. I will talk to you as I go down so that you know I am safe. I can also use the cleaning charms so that no one else gets so dirty." As much as the professor hated to admit it, Harry did have a point. Nothing was revealed from the living entity spell and the light should still be shining at the bottom so he would not be going in blind. If he went down on his broom he could control the speed and head straight back up at any danger.

"Alright Potter, the professor said sternly "If you see anything and I mean anything untoward I want your arse up here immediately. Do. You. Understand?" Severus actually was using one of those expressions that he was famous for that still gave Harry the chills. Then when the older man turned to the Doc and asked "Is there any reason Harry should not be flying?" Harry knew he was really worried about him. It made him feel really special, no one had ever cared for him like that before.

Doc shook his head and answered. "No, he should be alright as long as he takes it easy." Severus turned back to Harry and watched as he mounted his broom. He really didn't like this and his stomach was in knots as he was so sick with worry, but he would not let it show in front of these people.

"Harry, I would feel better if one of the elves rode down with you. Do you think you could carry one of them on the broom and ride double? If the elf is in the front, it can concentrate on cleaning while you concentrate on flying and getting into the chamber. It can also help protect you."

Kreacher, believe it or not, stepped forward and said to the professor. "Master Severus, I am owned by Master Harry and have had the charge of protecting Lord Blacks for many generations as my father before me. I go with him. He is now Lord Black and it is my job to protect him." The little creature stepped forward with all the confidence in the world and waited for Harry to put him on the broom. Severus was the one who actually picked him up and put him straddling the broom in front of his mate. He didn't want anything to happen to the little elf, but he wanted even more for nothing to happen to his Harry.

"Harry, did you see how I made the light disk?" Severus asked and at Harry's nod he continued. "I want you to do that every six or seven meters and stick the disk to the wall of the tunnel. We don't want anyone getting lost if the tunnel splits and this will provide adequate illumination for the others to come down safely." Harry nodded again. He really just wanted to get this over with. Actually he didn't want to go down there at all but Becca had said they could make a werewolf's cure and he really wanted to help Remus.

Harry made a disk of light and stuck it at the top of the entrance then slowly lowered himself into the chamber. Kreacher clicked his fingers and the tunnel was spotlessly clean for about eight meters. They continued this way until they got to the bottom. About every minute Harry would yell "Not there yet" or "Everything is alright". The others could hear the echo bouncing off the walls of the pipe in an eerie reverberation.

As this was going on, Severus went over to Becca and asked her. "So, tell me how you encouraged that little demon elf to act so nice and be so cooperative?" He smirked then persisted. "Did you put him under the imperious or something? I have never seen him so dedicated to his duties."

Becca gave a slight laugh and told him "No, I just reset the wards on Grimmauld Place and threw the Weasleys out while they were standing in the kitchen complaining about everything in the house being gone, including the books, food and beds. Kreacher had packed up everything with the promise I would let him go to Lady Malfoy. After I reset the wards and destroyed the locket he changed his mind and wanted to come along with me."

Severus whistled softly. "How did you reset the wards and who can get in now?"

"Blood wards, Severus. I am Harry's descendant. The only people who can get in are family including the Malfoys. Narcissa is after all a Black." Becca looked at Severus with a cheeky grin and a teasing twinkle in her eye. "You do know Harry owns the house don't you?"

Severus was thinking that revenge was sweet and he would love to see the headmaster's face when he couldn't get in. "Very Slytherin of you Miss Becca. Are there any other tricks up your sleeve before we leave?"

"Oh yeah, quite a few, we also have to go to,,," Just then they heard Harry shout about reaching the bottom of the tunnel and to start coming down and that all was clean and clear.

Severus was the first one down after Harry, he had to make sure his lover was really alright. He wasn't getting overprotective, he just wanted to make sure he didn't overexert himself after yesterday's healing. Yes that was his motive, he could never be overprotective. Not at all; over protection was for people like the Weasleys, but not him.

As everyone gathered at the bottom of the chamber, Harry and Severus walked over to where the tunnels had actually caved in when that crazy Professor Lockhart from second year tried to obliviate Harry and Ron. "How are we going to get this mess out of the way, Sev?" Harry asked as he looked on at the mess.

Severus surveyed the damage for a few minutes, walking around and looking at the ceiling as well as the pile of rocks on the floor. After he had thoroughly inspected the area from all angles he turned to face his younger mate.

"I have an idea. The Doc said our magic works together, right? Let's both take out our wands and see what a reparo will do." So Severus and Harry took out their wands and standing about 3 meters away from the mess. Severus was holding Harry to him with his left arm around the younger man's waist while Harry had his back to his soulmate's front; they both pointed with their wands which were in their right hands and shouted "Reparo" at the same time using the corresponding motion simultaneously.

The rocks started to shift and fly around the area, Harry and Severus pulled back keeping everyone else far away from what was happening. Suddenly the rocks flew into what was assumed to be their original positions and were absorbed into the broken ceiling and walls where they belonged and the cracks filled and slowly disappeared. Harry turned his head and looked at his older lover with a wide grin on his face. "Wow!" was the only way he could think to express himself.

"Remind me to never make these two mad at me." One of the healers said. "I have never seen anything like that, even in the Dark Elvin realm. Everyone else nodded in agreement with the sentiment and continued on their journey and cautiously watching the ceiling as they passed by in awe.

The group of adult humans and about twenty house elves arrived at the next chamber door. Harry hissed at it and the door opened its locks one by one until all seven snake locks clicked free. Everyone carefully walked forward with wands drawn a few with a lumos spell so they could see and entered the next part of the chamber. There lay the great snake, just where Harry had left it and suddenly the memories flashed through his mind and he stood rock still. The others started moving toward the snake as if they thought it were still alive and ready for anything.

"Oh, Merlin." Severus exclaimed under his breath. "Harry, did this thing grow after you killed it or something?" Severus turned around to find his lover. "Harry?" But Harry was frozen to his spot, flashbacks of memories about being in the chamber coursing through his head with this thing trying to kill him and the younger Voldemort coming to life as Ginny died. Severus quickly strode the few steps to reach his mate and put his arm around him to hold him to his chest. He rubbed soothing circles on the young man's back and waited for him to settle down. Once Harry was breathing normally he took a calming draft out of his pocket and tried again to get Harry's attention.

"Come on love, this will help." He said as he put the vial into Harry's hand. Harry tossed it into his mouth like it was nothing and told Severus "I'm fine. Just memories coming to the surface, I am alright now."

They both turned back to the great snake in the middle of the room. "Harry, was this thing that big when you faced it in second year?"

"Yep, pretty much. It may have shrunk a little from lying here so long."

Everyone had turned their attention to the soulmated couple to hear the conversation. After Harry made his statement, on of the healers turned back to the snake and muttered to the others.

"Uh, yes, let's not make him mad at us."
- 18
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The Third Time is a Charm