Resonance, Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Resonance (part 6/8) Harry Potter Fan Fiction by Greengecko

Title: Resonance (Part 6 of 8) (part 1 is wattcode:152897)

Author: Salamander/GreenGecko (AKA Marie Williams)

Website: darkirony.com

Rating: PG-13 for occasional violence and very roundabout romantic references.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, this universe, or anything beyond the veil. JK Rowling, some publishers, and some film companies own it. I'm not making anything from this except a hobby.

Author's Notes:

When I came across the quote below in JKR's Book 4 about the low likelihood of Snape adopting Harry, I first considered addressing this topic comically, but that seemed too easy, and short, frankly. This is a serious attempt at making this realistic. Even though it is serious, it is supposed to be fun. Hopefully, even if the plot seems impossible, you'll find the resulting situations entertaining enough to make up for it. It has been way too fun to write.

No challenges being answered here except the unintended one from the mistress herself.

This story does not take Book 6: The Half-Blood Prince into account since it was written post-Book 5.

Two sequels have been written: Revolution and Resolution.

Chapter 51 -- Uncertain Glory

Severus Snape completed the student record for the previous school year by filling in the very last entry in long columns of classes, teachers and students in green, red, blue and brown--in lieu of yellow--inks. At the bottom of the section's last page were logged notable events of which there were surprisingly few; the first one being the passing of the headmaster, noted by McGonagall in factual language. The sizable square dusty book containing the record had a thick leather binding that creaked ominously from its infrequent use and only bound enough pages for the compilation of the last hundred years. The book flickered occasionally with old spells applied to protect its utterly mundane contents. New spells had been put on twenty years ago: a locking spell and a content protection spell that had to be neutralized before writing in it.

Snape adjusted the soiled bandage on his palm, and turned the large stiff pages back to the previous year. McGonagall's hand markedly differed from his own; it rolled along unnecessarily curly and prone to flourishing beyond the small boxes supplied for each of the student's names along the left-hand side. Horizontally ran coded entries for classes attended and grade given, or a code for a footnote of which there were several, such as Crabbe's line of daggers and the note that he withdrew for family reasons. The same note was repeated for Goyle. It is always the foolish who pay in the end, Snape thought idly, noting that Malfoy and Nott were in good stead throughout. Nott, Snape would have in his House one more year, because of his missed year recovering from his injuries during the final battle. He considered that if the boy remained the quiet outsider, Snape's job as Head of House would be easier. Sometimes though, Seventh Year created unexpected changes in older students, drawing out leadership potential or the opposite--active disloyalty--where none had manifested before.

The notes section below the final name--Zerxes, Saris--comprised a tidy list in McGonagall's competent hand.

Teachers and Aurors respelled the barrier to the Forest before classes resumed as Centaurs can no longer be relied upon to defend it.

Cancelled all Quidditch in the interest of safety.

Cancelled student Hogsmeade visits on 1 January for remainder of year.

Snape swallowed, gripped unwillingly by the memory of everything spiraling down into doom. He had begun to seriously question his faith in Dumbledore about the time McGonagall had made the Hogsmeade note. The old wizard's opaque plans and gentle assurances had grown maddening that winter. The Ministry's assistance had constituted little help as the Order, Ministry, and others worked at odds to each other. The constant strain of his own dual role had rendered him unable to do more than mindlessly follow the orders he had been given. His own single-minded priority of avoiding exposing his disloyalty to the Dark Lord had overridden larger thoughts about the usefulness of what they were all doing. Even as he had realized this, during the rare quiet moment, he could do nothing about it.