Clowder

Chapter 2

~The Freak~

Hello mi amigos! Thank you for the response to my first chapter! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!

A massive thank you to: misteeirene- Thank you! icequeen2897- Thank you so much! Glad that you liked it :D Yuujiro Hiromi- Thank you! I'm glad that you liked it, hope you like this chapter too! Padfootette-Thank you! Ps, I love your pen name! :3 Yui- Aw thank you! Sorry but here is the next chapter! Hope you like this one too! Nekobaby1997- Thank you! The weasel is MINE XP- Here it is! :D hunnylover- Hehe here is the next chapter! So happy that you liked the last one! :D

Here is the next chapter!

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see."

-Winston Churchill

To Snape, the boy looked as though he was two years old. His big green eyes- Lily's eyes- were taking in every aspect of the room, his body rigid as if preparing himself for an attack. The boy looked too skinny, as though he had been underfed, he looked terribly pale- sickly even. Surely this wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived. The pampered prince whose relatives bowed to his every whim.

He knelt down in front of the boy and softly spoke, remembering his reaction to Weasley's volume and tone of voice earlier in the lesson, "Hello."

The class looked shocked, especially the Gryffindors, that Snape- the greasy dungeon bat- could be nice and was willing to be.

"Hi." Harry whispered back shyly which made some of the girls coo in his direction.

"Do you know where we are?" Snape asked, the boy simply shook his head.

"Ok, I'm going to ask you some questions now to make sure you haven't lost your memory- can you answer them for me?" Snape asked, mentally cursing himself for rambling but the boy seemed to be able to understand general things and respond. Obviously Snape knew that the boy wasn't a two year old but then why did he look like one? Harry sat seemingly contemplating Snape's question before he quickly nodded.

"What is your name?"

Harry looked down ashamed and quietly answered "I don't know." Snape feared that he could have amnesia but the reason as to why he was nameless was far worse than he ever could have guessed. "Auntie and Uncle calls me Freak or Boy…am I FreakBoy?" Harry continued.

Everybody was shocked into complete silence, this was the life that their saviour had to endure? A life where he didn't even know his own name?

Snape quickly corrected the crestfallen boy. "No, you have a different name. Your parents named you Harry."

Little Harry looked up at Snape with unshed tears in his eyes and Snape wondered what he had said wrong. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up his patient facade, he was not normally a patient man and the things that he was hearing about Potters relatives were destroying that patience.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He asked Harry.

"I-I hads a mummy and daddy? But Auntie said I no allowed mummy and daddy 'cause I is bad." Harry whispered, a lone tear ran down his face. Even though it was said in a hushed tone, everybody still managed to hear it along with their hearts breaking a little.

"No Harry." Snape replied firmly. "She was wrong. You have a mummy and daddy- they were Lily and….James Potter." Snape continued trying not to sneer at the name James Potter. "And they loved you very much."

"T-they did?" Harry stuttered, more tears racing down his cheeks.

Snape nodded. Being a spy he never allowed to let himself get emotional. He was a hard, stoic sort of man but even he nearly broke down at the boys next heart wrenching question. "But why did they leave me? Was it 'cause I is bad?"

"No, child. You are not bad. They didn't go by choice, they were taken away by a very…nasty man." Snape told him avoiding the use of the word 'bad' fearing that Harry would associate it with himself.

Harry nodded, absentmindedly stroking his newfound tail., believing him for now. But Snape had no doubt that the boy still thought degradingly of himself.

"Harry, child, could you tell me what you were doing before you got here?" Snape asked curiously.

He wondered if the potion had actually taken Harry back to when he was at the age he is now. If that was the case then Snape feared for his memory and if he would be able to regain it, and even if he did he feared how much of an emotional wreck the boy was going to be.

"I was in my cupboard, it was the first week of school this week! - But I was no allowed to go 'cause I did nots finish my chores." Harry explained sighing.

'CUPBOARD!?' Snape mentally screamed. 'What on earth were they thinking keeping a growing boy locked in a cupboard?'

"What do you mean by cupboard Harry?"

"Thats is where I sleeps. I no allowed bed, only good boys get beds, bad boys with beds get eaten by monsters!" Harry told him his eyes widening.

"Oh Harry," Snape sighed. "And they didn't let you out to go to school?"

Harry shook his head. "I nots allowed out when I is being punished."

Snape was struggling to keep his voice calm, oh how he had failed his precious Lily and her son. How did he not notice the signs? He had taught the boy for what….five years now? Normally he could spot an abused child in ten minutes, how had he gone so wrong with this one? 'Because you refused to see it.'

Putting his mental turmoil aside, hoping that the digression wouldn't have been too noticeable, he carried on with his questioning. "How old are you Harry?"

"I is four!" Harry beamed proudly.

Severus Snape usually prided himself on being not easily shocked or scared - coming from a past like his and having to deal with the Marauders throughout school taught him that - but the last few minutes had easily lost him his status as he didn't bother trying to hide his shock behind a mask.

"S-sir, can I asks you someting?" Harry asked cautiously.

Snape ignored the boys' bad use of English and replied, "Of course you can child, you can ask me anything you want."

That seemed to be the right thing to say because Harry looked up at Snape in awe. His Auntie and Uncle never let him ask questions, and they liked to remind him of that every time he dared.

"Why do I have a tail - likes a kitty?"

Snape allowed himself a small smile as though to calm the child, "There was a bit of an accident child, but there is nothing to fear, if you touch the top of your head, you'll find a pair of ears to match."

Harry lifted his little hand and plonked it on top of his head, letting out a small gasp when he tugged on his ears.

His happiness was short lived though when a frown made its' way on to his face.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked carefully, not knowing for the life of him what could have brought down the boys' mood.

"Auntie's not gon' be happy - she no likes animals or me - and know I is both!" Harry fretted chewing his lip anxiously.

Snape gently tugged Harry's lip away from his torturing teeth and muttered, "Hey, none of that now it's ok. It's a good thing that your Aunt is not here then isn't it? And you're not going back as long as I can help it." Snape promised.

Harry's emerald eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Really." Snape confirmed.

It was then when Harry seemed to notice everybody else in the room, who were staring intently at the pair on the floor. He crawled towards Snape who easily picked him up and put him in his lap, this was the right thing to do because as Snape guessed he would, Harry hid in his robes for comfort.

"Who they?"

"This is my class." Snape told him. "There is no reason to hide child, they are all very nice. I'm sure that they'd like to be your friends." Snape's voice was laced with a warning to everybody in the room - be friendly or deal with an angry Snape. Unfortunately the brave and noble Gryffindors had seemed to have lost their voices as they all still seemed to be in shock and of course the Slytherins didn't want to go near the Boy-Who-Lived.

Snape turned his head towards his godson and gave him an icy glare, that glare promised bad things if Draco didn't do as he wanted.

Knowing that it was futile to ignore his godfather, Draco sighed and knelt down next to the man and the cat boy in his lap.

"Hello Po- I mean Harry. I'd very much like to be your friend." Draco spoke softly trying to copy his godfathers' tone of voice.

The child lifted his head and looked at Draco with curiosity.

Draco was horribly reminded of first year, how he was embarrassed - no publicly humiliated - and rejected by the Golden Boy. He figured that this was bound to go down the same route and cursed the Fates for making history repeat itself.

"My name is Draco." He added as if it would help.

"Y-you wants to be my friend?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded, feeling more inferior by the minute as Harry's bright green eyes bored into his. 'Pull yourself together, you're a Malfoy for crying out loud!' He mentally shouted at himself.

"I has never hads a friend before." Harry admitted to him shyly.

"Well, I would be honoured to be your first friend Harry." Draco smiled.

"Really?" Harry beamed.

Once again, Draco nodded and then suddenly he was attacked by a hug from the small cat boy.

"My first ever friend." Harry whispered proudly and tightened his hug, just in case Draco decided that he was too much of a freak and didn't deserve friends.

Draco returned the hug, honestly shocked by the turn of events even if his well placed mask didn't let that show, and stood up - still holding Harry in his arms. This somehow managed to pull the Gryffindors out of their shocked states and they all started complaining loudly at once.

Harry whimpered and tried to snuggle further into Draco, but only succeeding to hide his face into his friends robes.

"Are you okay little one?" Draco whispered.

"Too many peoples, I never beens in the same room as this many peoples. Too loud." Harry explained.

"But Harry is our friend! Why isn't he here with us?" Ron shouted, easily being the loudest of all the lions.

Harry whimpered again, Draco was attempting to soothe him but it obviously wasn't working, knowing that it probably wouldn't anyway. He had never handled a child before, he had no idea of what to do or what to say. Not to mention that this child was his former enemy now turned friend.

"Shouts bad. Shouts mean bad freak. Bad freak." Harry scolded himself for no reason, tugging at his hair.

Draco pulled Harry's hand away from his hair, looking desperately over to his godfather for help on what to do.

"No, no Harry. You are not a freak. You are not bad." Draco told him firmly and ended up chanting it to try and soothe the child and get him to calm down.

Snape on the other hand had a different idea on how to approach the situation. "Silence you complete bunch of baboons!" Snape demanded.

On cue the class stood still. Although being the most feared professor wasn't the best social status, Snape had to admit it did have its benefits.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter shall accompany me to the Headmasters office. I want everybody else to start on their homework - and I don't want there to be a sound. I will know if there is and for every sound fifty house points shall be deducted - no house is excluded…" Snape warned.

Feeling good about the fear he installed into his students, Snape billowed out of the room his robes impressively following behind. Not wanting to keep his godfather waiting, Draco shifted Harry in his arms to make it more comfortable to hold him and followed Snape out of the room. He had no idea how to calm Harry down. On the outside he looked calm but Draco could tell that the cat boy was anxious because his tail was wrapped tightly around his wrist and is ears were instinctively lying flat on his head. During the journey Harry seemed to warm up to Draco more and with every small gasp the Gryffindor gave when he saw a moving and talking portrait or when he caught a glimpse of the outside through a window, Draco couldn't help but smile down at him.

The Good, Golden Gryffindor seemed so innocent and loveable. Draco didn't know how Harry's relatives had the nerve to hurt him and keep him locked away.

"Dway?" Harry whispered.

Draco looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. Dway? What in the name of Merlin was a Dway?

Harry's eyes widened, thinking that he had done something wrong and started apologising profusely. It was then when Draco realised that 'Dway' was supposed to be him. He hated nicknames with every fibre of his being but he had to calm down the part cat in his arms.

"No, no Harry - it's ok!" Draco tried to soothe him, once again failing miserably. "Nobody has ever given me a…nickname before…" Except Pansy. Gah, that woman is unbelievable. Just wait until she hears about this. "I was shocked. B-but I rather like it. Yes, it is very special and to…honour that only you are allowed to call me it. Ok Harry?" Draco told him.

Harry looked at Draco curiously, trying to detect any hint of a lie. Meanwhile Draco mentally slapped himself - why on earth was he, Draco Malfoy, trying to soothe a de-aged Potter? 'It's just because I want my enemy back.' Yes, that was the reason. The cat bot seemed to accept what he said which made Draco inwardly sigh in relief.

Finally they reached Dumbledore's office and Snape spat 'Lemon Drops' at the gargoyle, obviously disgusted with the Headmasters choice of password.

"Stupid, bumbling fool." Snape murmured. However Draco felt as though this was more to do with how Harry had been treated by his supposed relatives rather than the password.

An awed 'Wow!' came from Harry, who - unlike Snape - was amazed by the moving staircase. But then again, Draco guessed that most young children would be.

"Did you like that Harry?" Draco chuckled as he followed after the irritable potions master.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, "It was like magic!" He exclaimed.

Draco didn't dare think why, but he was oddly happy seeing the glee in the cat boys' eyes but then suddenly Harry clamped his tiny hand over his mouth, his eyes widening in fear, and made small whimpering noises.

"Harry? What's wrong now?" Draco asked exasperated.

Draco was seriously starting to think that Potter must be bi-polar. One minute he was perfectly fine and happy and the next he was crying and incessantly apologising.

"I saids the M word! I is sorry, I really is Dwaco. Please don'ts lets them use the belt! Please Dwaco!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. Calm down, that's it." Draco told him slightly bouncing him up and down. He felt sick at the new revelation and he knew that if he didn't ask the questions burning is mind then it would haunt him. "I will never hurt you Harry. I promise you that…"

"…Pinky promise?" Harry asked innocently.

"…What?"

Harry lightly gripped the hand that was supporting his back and linked their two pinky fingers.

"Pinky promise." Harry repeated.

"Right." Draco coughed feeling silly. "Yes."

"Pinky promise!" Harry insisted, his wide eyes somehow getting bigger.

"Ok, ok, I pinky promise." Draco gave in.

Harry smiled slightly to himself and shook the linked fingers a couple of extra times.

"Erm, Harry. Can - can I ask you a question?"

Harry's head snapped up so his eyes met Draco's. 'Dwaco wasn't going to take back the pinky promise was he?' Harry fretted. 'Who would want to make a promise with a freak like you anyway.'

Draco noticed Harry's eyes dulling but he knew that he would never build up the nerve to ask the question again. The cat boy nodded solemnly not wanting to hear about how much of a freak he was.

"This is really serious, ok Harry? I need to you to answer this honestly. What did you mean by the belt, Harry? T-they didn't hit you with it…did they?" Draco gulped, already knowing the answer to his question.

He carefully started walking up the steps, knowing that Professor Snape would be angry with them if they didn't hurry up. Draco could tell from the glare in Snape's eye that he wanted to know what happened but Draco decided to inform his godfather later.

"Come on Harry, please answer me."

Harry couldn't help it, he didn't want his Dwaco to know how much of a freak he was and how he had to be punished. But then again, he reasoned, if his Dwaco knew then maybe he could make him better and not so much of a freak. "Only when I is being a bad freak and mention the word..m-magic because m-magic isn't real."

Before Snape or Draco could comment Dumbledore's cheery voice laughed from inside his office, "Enter please, it does no good to dawdle outside of doors."

Snape pushed the door open harshly and entered with Draco and Harry in tow. Before any words could be exchanged with the Headmaster Draco told Harry sternly, "Magic is real Harry. If anybody tries to tell you otherwise then tell me and I'll set them straight. Also nobody is ever going to hurt you again, ok? I promise. I protect my friends - and I will protect you."

"Severus, my boy, who is this young fellow?" Dumbledore asked the damned twinkle never leaving his eye. He knew who this was, yes, it was his student Harry James Potter. This most certainly was an interesting development to Dumbledore. He noticed straight away how fiercely overprotective the young Malfoy had become of Harry. And judging by the cat boy's teary eyes and small hopeful eyes, Dumbledore guessed that he had become quite attached as well. The Headmaster knew that this was likely to ruin all of his hard work and careful planning over the years, but he knew how to keep control. Yes, the cogs in his old mind were turning as if they were brand new and recently oiled. Plans were forming and pawns were unknowingly being added to the mix.

"As if you don't already know." Snape hissed somehow already guessing what could be going through the old mans' head. "This is Harry Potter, Headmaster, as you can probably already guess - there was a bit of a potions accident."

"Ah yes, I can see that. You were brewing the…animagi potion this week, correct Severus?" Dumbledore replied.

"Correct." Snape drawled. "Before you ask - yes I can fix it, I just need to test some samples of their potion. I just supposed that you would like to know."

"Yes, thank you for informing me Severus." Dumbledore smiled unnervingly, a million ideas floating around in his brain.

"I also have a matter to discuss with you, Headmaster, privately of course." Snape sneered.

Dumbledore was confused as to what Snape could possibly want or be angry at him for, he hated not knowing but he had to stay in his grandfatherly role. " Yes, well, I shall send a Patronus to Miss Granger and Mr Weasley to come and collect young Harry - then we may have that discussion Severus."

"Who they?" Harry spoke up for the first time. He watched the encounter quietly - knowing how his Aunt and Uncle felt when they were interrupted, but he couldn't hold back his question. Especially when his Draco promised to protect him from now on.

"Why, Harry, they are your best friends." Dumbledore smiled.

Harry shook his head, what was this man talking about? "I only haves one friend sir. Dwaco sir! Can'ts I stay with Dwaco?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I'm afraid not Harry, I feel that it would be more beneficial for you to stay with your old friends. They will certainly be able to help you regain your memories."

"B-but Dway is my friend!" Harry protested. Harry was ashamed at his bad manners, his Aunt and Uncle had ingrained in him to never question anything - especially one of their decisions. But Draco was his first friend and he didn't want to lose him, not so soon after finding him.

"I loathe to admit it Headmaster - but the child has become quite attached to Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps it would be better to place the child with him - unless you are suggesting that Slytherins cannot take care of the boy." Snape implied.

"No, no nothing of the sort Severus. It just won't do. He needs to be around things that are familiar to him. Gryffindor house for example, his friends…"

"Who he hasn't met with, or seen yet! Headmaster, this boy is vulnerable and he has one friend which so happens to be Mr Malfoy, and you're about to separate him from that?!" Snape snapped.

"Severus, that is my final decision on the issue. He will be staying with the Gryffindors and if young Harry does find it too distressing then we shall reevaluate the situation. Although I doubt that will happen." Dumbledore shouted, which was a shock to the blonde and the cat boy in the room. Dumbledore took a deep breath to calm down and then spotted the two young Gryffindors entering his office. "Ah yes, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley - glad that you could join us…"

Yay! The end of the second chapter! Haha sorry it took so long to get out. Been super busy! I'm doing my A-Levels at the moment and they're going quite well - I got the highest score in my Law Test the other day so that is what has inspired me to start writing again! Hehe, also I am on half-term break so when I'm not studying or doing my projects I will be trying to write up the next chapters on my story.

UPDATE: If you were reading my story Pages Of Our Lives, then I am super sorry but it got deleted:( I think someone must have reported it or something, bad times! Anyway I won't be posting it on Fanfiction again because I don't want my account to be suspended or anything but it will be continued on Archive Of Our Own! My Penname is the same (Milkamoo97) and if you can I would love it if you checked it out there!

PLEASE READ: Also, I would love it if you guys could please, please review! I don't want to be a review nazi or anything but I really love hearing what you think and it does inspire me to write more so I don't let you down. It also lets me know if you actually like it or not and if it is worth continuing so please please PLEASE review! I always review any stories I read so it would be great if you could do the same for mine? Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and alerted!

Plus, if you guys write any Harry Potter stories then let me know! I'd love to read them:) And if anyone needs a beta reader then I am one, just to let you know:)

Until next time, mi amigos!