Alright so for a few days I'm not going to update, so that I can shove out a few more chapters. Just to keep me from falling behind on the updating I'm going to post 1 chapter a day for four days then take a three day break, and so on and so forth. So expect the next update on Friday. ^_^
The move to Snapes rooms was surprisingly easy on both parties involved. The naturally darker lighting, even with torches and candles and such, was easier on Harry's new superhuman eyesight, whereas the Hospital Wing was beyond painful at first, and the Hallways were just a tad to bright in places with large windows. However the dungeons darker lighting was just perfect, and Snapes rooms weren't that bad either. Everything was either soft leather, or soft velvet...or just plain soft, which felt amazing against Harry's...scales. The first thing one sees when entering Snape's chambers is a beautiful polished to showing a perfect reflection, and solid black, Grand Piano. Then there was the kitchenette and living room. The kitchenette was done in forest green tiling, with alternating dark and light brown accents and cupboards, the sink even looked like it was made out of a cauldron, it was black pewter. The living room had soft black carpeting, two crushed velvet, navy couches with black and slightly lighter blue pillows, a wing back black leather chair with a small table next to it with a large potions tome on top, obviously Snape's reading chair. Then the rest of the room was decorated in blacks and navy's with books lining every wall, except the fireplace of course. Wouldn't want any books catching fire after all.
Snape had then lead Harry to what would be his room, showing him their now shared bathroom(done in emerald green, and gray tiling), the door to Snape's personal labs that we was to 'NEVER enter under ANY circumstances', and the door to Snape's room. Harry's room itself was done in beautiful black and gold shades. A cherry wood wardrobe stood in one corner, a desk for studying in another, and a large black four poster bed with gold accented vine patterns on it against the opposite wall, with two nightstands, one on each side of the bed, that could have easily fit both Snape and Harry together.
Snape scoffed, "I'm surprised your house elf didn't decorate in bright and obnoxious red and gold."
Harry merely looked at Snape as he walked around his room, "Dobby knows that I don't like the color red. For the memories it brings up and the nightmares. This is perfect."
Snape gave Harry a strange look before frowning and leaving Harry to his own devices with nothing more than a, "I'll be in my lab. Do not, under any delusions of getting away with it, break anything."
Harry settled onto his new incredibly soft bed. Moving into Snape's quarters was easy so far. It's tomorrow when he goes back to classes that he's the most worried about.
Harry awoke slowly. His internal alarm clock telling him it's time to get up and go to classes. Upside was today is Friday, and therefore he'll have a whole two days after today to be alone and let everyone absorb his new...qualities. Downside was today is Friday, meaning he has to get up and go to classes and face them now instead of Monday like he'd rather do.
He didn't have any more time to lay there and think, especially not with Snape pounding on his door and telling him to "get his lazy arse out of bed, and to breakfast in the great hall". Sighing he got up and got ready for his day. He took a short cool shower to help wake himself up, then brushed his teeth and dressed in his student Gryffindor uniform, before leaving Snape's quarters and following Snape up into the Great Hall.
When the doors opened, the whole hall quieted, everyone staring at Snape and Harry. Snape being the ass that he is, left Harry standing in the doorway to head to the head table with a billow of his black robes. Taking in a large gulp of air, Harry moved towards his house table, everyone gawking and staring at his new appearance, all with unreadable expressions. Harry sat himself down between his two best friends Ron and Hermione, Hermione immediately gave Harry a bone-crushing hug before continuing on with her breakfast as normal. Most students followed her lead and went back to breakfast, however many continued to stare even while eating. Harry no longer had much of an appetite but he figured since he hadn't eaten anything since...he couldn't remember, he figured he should at least eat something to help get him through the day. Therefore, and without fear of poisoning, he dug into his waffles, and drank heavily of his mug of...hot cocoa...mmm.
Harry sighed happily, Dobby always did know the perfect pick-me-up for Harry was hot cocoa, and Dobby always made it perfectly just for Harry. After his hot mug and most of his pancakes, Harry felt much better about things. Things always seemed better with a full and happy stomach, he thought. There was one thing that still bothered him though. No one at the table aside from Hermione had greeted him...not even Ron.
First class of the day was Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. Great, he had a class where you transform objects and creatures into other objects and creatures(not unlike what had happened to him) with a bunch of people who'd just love to dissect him on a slab. However things went by rather smoothly, Professor McGonnagal simply ignored his new looks and still required the same of him as always. Hermione was herself as usual, answering questions and earning her house mucho points. However Ron and the other Gryffindors still hadn't spoken to him. Ron was even keeping textbooks of unrelated classes between himself and Harry. Harry'd be damned if he didn't figure out what was there problem by the end of the day.
By lunch time Harry was about ready to bang his(or someone elses) head into a wall. The Hufflepuffs were all scared of him, the Ravenclaws kept trying to analyze him, the Gryffindors were ignoring him, and the Slytherins...well nothing new there, they simply glared at him as always, maybe with a little more fire than usual, but still nothing out of the ordinary. Harry himself was having a hard time with his new form. He kept breaking things because he's not used to his new strength, and worse of all, McGonnagal relayed to him that he was no longer allowed to play Quidditch. His new form apparently gave him an unfair advantage against the other teams. He didn't see how that was, since most snakes don't fly, but he guessed it had something to do with his now superhuman eyesight, at least that was Hermione's guess.
Before lunch started Harry dragged Hermione and Ron off to an abandoned classroom. He needed to find out what the hell was their problem. He figured he would get odd looks, maybe be hated by some people, but to have what seemed like his whole house turned against him? He just couldn't figure it out. So he needed Ron and Hermione to clear things up for him.
"Okay guys, what the heck is going on? Ron, why are you and the other Gryffindors ignoring me?" he asked after shoving them into an abandoned classroom.
Ron merely sent a glare Harry's way before pushing passed him and into the hallway, heading for the Great Hall for lunch.
"Harry." Hermione said quietly, "After I told everyone what happened...they...well were less than understanding."
"What?"
"Well you see, they all seemed to forget that you were poisoned, and latched onto the fact that you're now not only, not entirely human, but a snake no less. And you can easily guess how well they took that. Then there's the fact that you moved in with Prof. Snape and everyone seems to think you've betrayed us and Prof. McGonnagal was with me, and told them under no circumstances were they allowed to tell the other students what happened, that Dumbledore would do it tonight at supper, so they all opted to simply ignore things for now." Hermione rushed out all at once, barely pausing in between for breaths, and barely talking slowly enough for Harry to understand her.
"Do you feel that way to Hermione?" he asked quietly, head down, and sadness filling his voice.
"NO! No Harry I don't. They weren't there, like I was. They didn't see what happened or what state you were in, so they just can't understand how glad they should be that you're alive. If you had died, not only would the Wizarding World be without it's savior, but they would probably close down the school as well!"
That struck a chord in Harry's chest. It sounded more like Hermione was glad he wasn't dead, simply so that SHE can keep an education, and so that HE can die for their cause. Everyone else obviously hated him for living, if he's going to live as a part-snake. Unable to take it, Harry stood up and preceeded Hermione to the Great Hall for lunch, an emotionless mask covered over his face as he ignored everyone, even Hermione for the rest of the day. He just wanted to get back to the safety and dark of the dungeons. For the first time it seemed the dungeons were going to become Harry's sanctuary.
Last class of the day was double Potions with the Slytherins, and considering his own house was ignoring him for the time being, Harry was not looking forward to the problems that were sure to occur. He thought about skipping for a moment, but then remembered, he now lives with the local Potions Master, if he skipped all hell was sure to break loose. So grudgingly he went to class.
Just to screw with him, things in class for Harry were much worse than he thought. He had taken a seat next to Hermione with Neville on his other side and Ron on the other side of Hermione. After Snape billowed his way in and instructed them to the potion on the board, things immediately went horribly wrong. Aside from the fact that he was paired with Neville to say the least.
Harry went up to the supply cupboard and grabbed the necessary ingredients. On his way back Ron stuck his leg out tripping Harry up, and causing several ingredients to fall into his own and Harry and Neville's cauldron. Ron and Hermione's cauldron immediately turned a nasty green color and began to emit the smell of rotten eggs. Snape seeing the altercation did nothing, figuring that those two deserved it as all Gryffindors do. No one noticed the ingredients falling into Harry and Neville's cauldron, not even Neville who started making the potion after Harry returned again with more supplies.
Harry noticed that their potion wasn't even close to the right color. Instead of a dark purple it was a bright putrid yellow. The moment Neville dropped the gecko spleen into the concoction it began to bubble and hiss. Thinking fast(or not at all as some would say) Harry shoved Neville, Hermione, and by default Ron, away from their table as the cauldron exploded. Harry was covered in acidic goo, the whole table before them melting away. Harry screamed as the acid ate through his clothes and skin.
Snape was over him immediately, pouring another potion over his skin, stopping the acid and healing his burns. After dismissing the class, he picked a now nearly naked and barely conscious Harry up and took him back to his quarters. The potion he'd poured on Harry all but healed his burns by the time he got Harry back to his quarters. He laid him down on one of the sofa and covered Harry with a blanket. After checking making sure he'd be alright alone for a few moments while he spoke to McGonnagal about her students.
Severus was beyond pissed. After all that he caused, even against his own housemate, McGonnagal was convinced that Potter tripping over Weasley's foot was merely an accident, and that as long as Potter was alright now, everything was fine. At least Severus had the pleasure of seeing the look on Weasley's face as he gave him detention for the ruined cauldrons, table and ingredients. Needless to say Severus will now have a VERY clean classroom by the time Weasley's detentions are done with.
Severus paused just outside his quarters. He could hear music being played, and from the sounds of it, on HIS piano! If Severus was pissed before he was absolutely LIVID now. Storming into his rooms, fully prepared to give a massive tongue lashing, he stopped short as the stone wall disguised door slid closed behind him. Before him, now thankfully dressed in a gray, stained, t-shirt, and jeans full of holes, sat Potter, playing Fur Elise on his piano. As the melodic music filled the room, all of Severus' earlier anger melted, and was replaced by confusion.
As the last chords rang out through the air, Potter placed his hands in his lap and sighed.
"I believe I told you not to touch my piano Potter." Severus' voice rang out, seemingly loud in the suddenly quiet rooms.
Potter jumped, to Severus' satisfaction, at his voice and turned frightened eyes to his Professor. "I-I'm sorry sir! You see I-I love music, and that was one of my favorite songs and-"
Severus stopped Potter's ramblings by sitting down next to him on the piano bench. "I, myself, am a fan of Fur Elise, and you did not totally butcher the song, so I think this once I can let it slide. However if you truly enjpy playing, you'll need to learn more than just that song."
Potter's eyes widened comically at Severus' implications, "Sir, are you saying that, that you'll teach me?"
Severus smirked and stood heading for his bedroom to change, " I need something to do in my spare time, and at least at the piano you don't seem totally hopeless. Now head to bed, sleep will help the rest of your burns heal."
Severus left to change for supper. Potter may miss Dumbledore's announcement, but Severus was sure he's going to find quite the entertainment in the student reactions to what happened. He was especially curious to see if hearing the news twice would change the Gryffindor's opinions of Potter-turned snake.