HEATHENS - Harry Potter ✔

CHAPTER NINE

Kiera was sat on Harry's bed, scratching Crookshanks behind his ears, as she read. When she had brought the battered Carroll novel up the boys' room, Hermione had spent the first minutes casting uneasy glances at the dog-eared pages and creased spine as if it personally offended her. Then she had eventually turned to watch Ron and Harry's chess game with Ginny to avoid the horrendous sight of the book.

Though Ron still had to warm up to her, he no longer protested about Kiera being in the same room as the rest of them, Harry was still quite hesitant (they still had not addressed the fact that she also had nightmares of Voldemort), and while Fred and George spend most of their time in their own room (coming up with new ideas for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, no doubt), they now talked to her like they had been friends for years. The girls' treated her almost like anybody else. If only sharing a room would make it as easy to become friends with the girls in her dormitory – not that she really wanted to be friends with Pansy Parkinson.

Ron's pawn and Harry's castle engaged in a violent tussle just as Mrs Weasley poked her head into the room. "Harry, dear," she said. "Could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you."

Kiera looked up from her story. Snape? Though she had never hated the professor, per se, she certainly never liked him either, and everyone knew was that Snape and Harry loathed each other Snape was here and he wanted to talk to Harry ... Everything about that equation was off. But Harry, who was egging on his castle ("Squash him - squash him, he's only a pawn, you idiot!") seemed to not have realised.

"Sorry, Mrs Weasley, what did you say?" he asked after Ron's pawn was finally off the board.

"Professor Snape, dear. In the kitchen. He'd like a word."

Harry's mouth fell open in horror. He and Ron exchanged glances, looking away from their chess game, which proved to be a mistake seconds later when Crookshanks leapt gleefully on to the board, knocking the pieces onto the floor as they squealed at the top of their voices.

"Snape?" he repeated blankly.

"Professor Snape, dear," Mrs Weasley corrected. "Now come on, quickly, he said he can't stay long." She then turned to Kiera, the caring expression. "He wants you to be there, too."

Kiera stood up uncertainly, walking out of the room behind Harry. Was Snape finally going explain the nightmares? Though she would have preferred another professor to do it – any other professor – getting some answers was worth Snape.

Harry pushed open the door to the kitchen. Snape and Sirius were inside, and the air was so tense that Kiera almost thought she might suffocate as she stepped inside. They were both seated at the long kitchen table, glaring in opposite directions, and Kiera couldn't help feeling amused at their behaviour – they looked like children ... very overgrown children.

"Er..." Harry said to announce their presence.

Snape turned to them. "Sit down."

Leaning back on the rear legs of his chair, Sirius gave a hum of fake interest. "You know, I think I'd prefer if you didn't give orders here, Snape," he said to the ceiling, "It's my house, you see."

Snape's usually pale face flushed as Kiera reluctantly sat down at the end if the table. Harry followed suit, taking a seat next to Sirius, opposite Snape.

"I was supposed to see you two alone," said Snape, a sneer soon curling his thin lips, "but Black –"

"I'm Harry's godfather," he interrupted, speaking even louder than before. Kiera glanced at him – Sirius was still staring at the ceiling.