No Good Deed

Chapter 2

Harry sat down at the kitchen table and poured milk over his cornflakes. It was ten to nine, so he figured he had time for a quick breakfast. He was hungry. In fact, he hadn't woken up this hungry since before his final confrontation with Voldemort.

After he'd got back from his nighttime meeting with Snape, Harry expected a sleepless night. Instead, he'd fallen asleep right away and had only woken up ten minutes ago. Apparently the knowledge he'd get some answers from Snape eventually was enough to lay his worried mind to rest. At least for now.

Harry took a bite of cornflakes and immediately spit them out again. The milk had gone sour. Sighing, he dropped the bowl in the sink, and stuffed a few handfuls of dry cornflakes in his mouth. He washed them down with a glass of water.

The Weasleys had stocked his fridge for him when Harry'd been released from St Mungo's. But it seemed that now Harry was expected to do his own groceries. They had to wait until later, though.

Harry had a Death Eater to meet.

He scooped the Pensieve box up in his arms, even though he didn't expect to need it yet today, but you never knew, and then picked up the box of cornflakes as well.

Three minutes later, he was standing in front of Snape's house. After a polite couple of knocks, the door opened to reveal Snape, dressed as always in his black robes.

"Potter."

Harry stepped inside as Snape allowed him entrance. "Morning, sir. Do you have any milk?"

"Ah," Snape said, nodding at the box of cornflakes in Harry's arms. "Miss breakfast? For a second there you had me wondering what kind of torture you had planned with those."

It took Harry a moment to realize Snape had made a joke. He chuckled, though it felt odd to laugh at a joke Snape had made. "Yeah. My milk had gone sour."

"Well, you are in for a disappointment," Snape said, waving at Harry to put his things down on the table. "Seeing as I'm under house arrest."

"Huh?"

"House arrest, Potter. Which part of that don't you understand?"

Harry frowned. "Oh. Of course. You haven't done any groceries, either."

Rolling his eyes, Snape pulled out his wand. Harry stiffened for a moment, but Snape ignored it and conjured parchment and a quill. He started drawing something. "You will find a small supermarket about a ten minute walk away from here." Snape turned the parchment over and scribbled down a large list. "Buy these," he said, handing Harry the parchment. Reaching inside his robes, Snape pulled out three ten-pound-notes and offered them to Harry as well.

"I'm not your errand-boy," Harry grumbled, looking the parchment over. One side held a simply drawn map how to get to the supermarket, and the other side contained a long list of groceries. Well, at least it had milk listed.

"I don't particularly care, Potter. You are the one allowed out of this house. So unless you prefer to go hungry while you are here, you'd best hurry along."

Harry shoved the parchment and money in his jeans, and without saying another word he left the house. As he walked through the empty streets, Harry thought that Snape had to be a fast walker. Ten minutes, right. It took Harry almost half an hour. But he didn't really mind, as it was a nice day. Late summer, without any real hints of autumn yet. And even though the streets he walked through looked deserted and slightly depressing, Harry enjoyed being outdoors again.