'Why do I have to study Occlu-thing?' he blurted out. Defence against external penetration? But he was not being possessed, they had all agreed on that. Harry's heart began to pump very fast indeed. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one.' The magical defence of the mind against external penetration. 'The Headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term.' Snape's lip curled in triumph as he turned to Harry. 'Merely that I am sure you must feel-ah-frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful,' Snape laid a delicate stress on the word, 'for the Order.' 'What's that supposed to mean?' said Sirius, letting his chair fall back on to all four legs with a loud bang. 'I am here on Dumbledore's orders.' said Snape, whose voice, by contrast, was becoming more and more quietly waspish, 'but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel. 'I'm his godfather,' said Sirius, louder than ever. 'I was supposed to see you alone, Potter,' said Snape, the familiar sneer curling his mouth, 'but Black-' Harry sat down in a chair beside Sirius, facing Snape across the table. It's my house, you see.'Īn ugly flush suffused Snape's pallid face. 'You know,' said Sirius loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling, 'I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. Snape looked around at him, his face framed between curtains of greasy black hair. 'Er,' said Harry, to announce his presence. A letter lay open on the table in front of Sirius. The silence between them was heavy with mutual dislike. Had his last piece of homework perhaps earned a 'T'?Ī minute or two later, he pushed open the kitchen door to find Sirius and Snape both seated at the long kitchen table, glaring in opposite directions. 'No!' said Harry indignantly, racking his brains to think what he could have done that would make Snape pursue him to Grimmauld Place. 'What's he want with you?' said Ron, looking unnerved as Mrs. 'Now come on, quickly, he says he can't stay long.' Crookshanks, whom Hermione had been restraining with difficulty for the past quarter of an hour, leapt gleefully on to the board and set the pieces running for cover, squealing at the top of their voices. He looked around at Ron, Hermione and Ginny, all of whom were gaping back at him. 'Squash him- squash him, he's only a pawn, you idiot. Harry did not immediately register what she had said one of his castles was engaged in a violent tussle with a pawn of Ron's and he was egging it on enthusiastically.
Weasley poking her head into his and Ron's bedroom, where the pair of them were playing wizard chess watched by Hermione, Ginny and Crookshanks, 'could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you.' Then, on the very last day of the holidays, something happened that made Harry positively dread his return to school. In fact, if it hadn't been for the DA, Harry thought he might have begged Sirius to let him leave Hogwarts and remain in Grimmauld Place. Going back to school would mean placing himself once again under the tyranny of Dolores Umbridge, who had no doubt managed to force through another dozen decrees in their absence there was no Quidditch to look forward to now that he had been banned, there was every likelihood that their burden of homework would increase as the exams drew even nearer and Dumbledore remained as remote as ever. Harry didn't want to leave Sirius again with only Kreacher for company in fact, for the first time in his life, he was not looking forward to returning to Hogwarts. His gloom seeped through the house, oozing under doorways like some noxious gas, so that all of them became infected by it. Weasley called 'fits of the sullens', in which he would become taciturn and grumpy, often withdrawing to Buckbeak's room for hours at a time. As the date of their departure back to Hogwarts drew nearer, he became more and more prone to what Mrs.
Harry did not mention his vague suspicions to Sirius, whose cheerfulness was evaporating fast now that Christmas was over. Kreacher seemed to be in a better mood on his reappearance, his bitter muttering had subsided somewhat and he submitted to orders more docilely than usual, though once or twice Harry caught the house-elf staring at him avidly, but always looking quickly away whenever he saw that Harry had noticed. Though Sirius seemed satisfied with this story, it made Harry uneasy. Sirius said he had found him up there, covered in dust, no doubt looking for more relics of the Black family to hide in his cupboard. Kreacher, it transpired, had been lurking in the attic.
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