NEW CHAPTER! Yay, I finally manage a real update rather than tedious revisions it makes me happy.
Disclaimer: Severus, I love you, but it just can't be. Copyrights prevent it.
Dark Angel
"It was Snape, it was Snape" Ron seethed as Nat bandaged her hand. He was furious, how could that greasy git, do that to a kid, one in his own house no less!?
"It was Harry, Ron and I saw him. He had to be cursing your broom, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." Hermione explained, while Ron viciously kicked at one of Hagrids chairs.
"Rubbish," Hagrid dismissed the claim immediately, "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"
Nat snorted while Ron, Draco, Harry, and Hermione wondered what to tell him. It was Harry who decided one the truth.
" We found out that he tried to get past that three headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever it's guarding. Harry said this all very calmly all through it stirred up memories from the other day; Snape had been positively enraged.
Hagrid dropped his teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" He asked.
"Fluffy!" Nat was incredulous, fluffy; he'd named that monster fluffy.
"Yeah – He's mine – bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…."
"Yes?" Harry asked eagerly knowing he was on the brink of the answers he needed.
"Now don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret that is."
Nothing could have piqued their curiosity more than the words 'top secret'.
"But Snape's trying to steal it." Draco emphasized, hoping that Hagrid would understand the urgency of this all.
Nat watched this argument with confusion, she couldn't mesh the Snape that had pulled her from the streets with this diabolical, and devious Snape, but the evidence was there, even Hermione the sole voice of reason agreed with them.
"Rubbish," Hagrid insisted, again, "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher he'd do nothing of the sort.
"Then why'd he just try to kill Harry!?" Hermione cried. She had changed her opinion about Snape in every aspect.
"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid. I've read all about them!" Hermione seethed, "You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all. I saw him!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don't know why Harry's broom acted like that, but I know for a fact Snape wouldn't try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all of yeh – you're meddling in things that don't concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog and you forget what it's guarding. That's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."
"So there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involed, is there?" Nat smirked at the inadvertent slip Hagrid had made.
Hagrid looked furious at himself as he ushered them out.
Snape meanwhile was in his chambers, he rested his head against the cool stone of the walls and tried to will the headache that had formed there away. Today there had been far to close a call. That broomstick would have ripped itself apart if he hadn't managed to start the counter jinx in time to match whoever had tried to hurt Harry. This strategy of ambivalence wasn't working, he was continuously pushing those children away now, while his heart told him to stop alienating them his head had to keep cool he would do no one any good if he lost his cover now. Not just his own life would end, but if any of the old crowd found out about Nat they would try to return her to the place she belonged, among the Dark Lord's most loyal.
Christmas was coming. One morning the school awoke to find itself covered in an ethereal blanket of white, Ron and twins were punished for bewitching snowballs to follow Quirrell and bounce continuously off of his turban. No one could wait for the holidays to start. While roaring fires warmed the common rooms and the Great Hall, but the corridors were drafty and the classrooms windows were rattled by the chill winds outside. The worst came during Snape's classes in the dungeons, where their breath misted and the student stood a little too close to their cauldrons in order to stay warm. Snape, the students thought, had to be cold blooded, as the cold seemed to not bother him.
"I do feel so sorry," Nott sneered on the last potions class before break, "for all of those who have to stay at Hogwarts, because they aren't wanted at home."
Harry ignored him as he continued his potion, he was wanted at home, this was home, for both him and Nat they had made it home since neither really had one. Nott was really grasping at straws any way, his ego had been bruised by the fact that Harry and Nat no longer were the outcasts they had been, Hogwarts like all schools never stayed on one topic for long, so the list of things to make fun of Harry and Nat for had aged quickly and he had no new material.
Ron too was staying for the break as his parents were spending Christmas with his older brother Charlie in Romania. Class let out and as they were walking they came upon a large fir tree blocking their path. The large feet extending from underneath the tree told the group that it was Hagrid and from the grunting he wasn't having an easy time fitting the large tree through the tiny hallway.
"Need any help there, Hagrid?" Draco asked sticking his head through the branches.
"Yeah that looks pretty heavy." Ron added looking at the large tree warily lest someone drop it.
"No but thanks for yer offer boys." Hagrid said still trying to maneuver the tree through the sea of students without killing anything. Ron gave Hagrid a hand anyway by pushing a few stray branches back into place.
Nott smirked, "Trying to earn some extra money Weasley? Want to be Gamekeeper her when you grow up? That hut he lives in must seem like a palace compared to what your families used to."
Ron dived for him and Nat would have too had Harry and Draco not grabbed her. Unfortunately, Snape had just come up the stairs.
"Weasley!"
Ron let go of Nott who was by now smirking triumphantly.
"He was provoked Professor, Nott was insultin' his family." Hagrid said as he leaned around the tree.
"Be that as it may Hagrid, fighting is still against school rules." Snape said silkily, "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley and be happy it isn't more. Now move along, all of you."
Nott pushed past them with Crabbe and Goyle in tow, all of them smirked as they passed.
"Oh, I'll get him one of these days," Nat muttered, "I really will."
"I hate them both," Ron sighed, "Nott and Snape."
"Come on cheer up, it's nearly Christmas." Hagrid said smiling kindly at them.
The Great Hall looked spectacular festooned with huge trees towering with decorations, and the ceiling showing the gentle snow falling outside, there were boughs of holly everywhere, and the students tried their hardest either to avoid or trick someone into stepping under the mistletoe that was placed at various points in the room.
To Nat's chagrin she had neither succeeded in tricking Harry or anyone else for that matter, caught under the offending plant, but she vowed that she would do so eventually.
The rest of the day passed quickly and ended with them all working in the library looking for information on Nicolas Flamel. The man seemingly did not exist they looked through every book on important magical discoveries going back a full hundred years, and nothing.
Nat strained to get a look at the books in the restricted section; perhaps the answer lied there, in those forbidden texts. It would certainly explain why Professor Dumbledore was taking such strides to keep it secure. She very nearly tried to snatch one when Madam Pince caught her and brandishing her feather duster furiously chased her from the books.
"You will keep looking while we're gone won't you?" Hermione asked, as she and Draco were about to leave, "Send Artemis with a letter if you find anything."
Once the holidays had started though, they were having too much of a good time to think about Flamel. They had taken up Ron on his offer to stay in the Gryffindor common room since they had it to themselves the only others there were Fred and George who didn't mind having their protégé around, Harry and Nat really had a lot of potential. They spent hours swapping stories by the fireplace and toasting anything they could, Nat suggested they make smores, it was hilarious to see Ron fumble with the new snack. At one point Harry tried to take up wizard's chess, while they played Ron remembered the story Harry had almost told him in November about Nat.
"Hey, Harry since Nat isn't here at the moment, why don't you tell me that funny story you mentioned before."
"Well, I'm not sure…" Harry entertained the prospect as he judged where to move his remaining pawn, "She'll be really peeved if I tell you…"
"Aw… Come on I wanna know." Ron whined, "Oh and check mate." He added as he cornered Harry's king.
"You wanna know huh?" Nat said a she smirked from the doorway.
"Uh… Nat! What a surprise!" Ron gasped as the famous Weasley blush flushed his face. Busted.
"Oh… Fine why not, tell him Harry." Nat said flopping down on the nearest couch.
"Well," Harry started, "This was about a year ago, Nat tended to run with a bit of a tough crowd then, and one day she got into a dispute with them over a debt owed to her. They one and to make a point they cut her hair real short."
Nat twisted her fingers around the braid she habitually wore; she was quite fond of her hair. It was really her one point of vanity.
"And the punch line of all this is that from that point to the point it was long enough to braid again everyone, even people she knew mistook her for a boy, even I did for awhile."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Ron mused, "I mean, I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a girl or anything but the reverse doesn't sound bad."
"It is when you walk into a bathroom and the girls shriek because a 'boy' just walked in, or when you consider how guys act around guys as opposed to girls." Nat said tersely as she remembered a very annoying memory.
"Maybe it was more your attitude than your looks that lead them to that assumption I mean you do act an awful lot like a guy." Ron pointed out.
This was obviously the wrong thing to do as a shoe suddenly flew in his direction and proceed to kick at him furiously.
They camped out in the Gryffindor common room and woke up Christmas to Nat's startled yell.
"What… What is it?!" Harry said startled as he sat up.
"Presents…" she whispered in awe, she'd never really ever had a Christmas present before.
"Of course," Ron smiled, "haven't you ever had presents before?"
"Not really…" she whispered still staring at the presents.
Ron frowned at her but decided not to comment as they all reached for their presents. Why wouldn't she have had a present before?
Harry and Nat got identical presents from Hagrid rough-hewn flutes that sounded faintly like an owl.
Harry actually got something from the Dursleys, fifty pence, "how nice" he muttered, wondering why they bothered
"Whoa wicked! Is that money? What a weird shape!" Ron exclaimed as he stared at the fifty pence.
"You can have it Ron." Harry said, laughing at how pleased Ron was.
"I know who those are from," Ron said pointing to two lumpy packages, "I told my mum you didn't expect any presents and – oh no she's made you guys Weasley sweaters."
They tore open the parcels to find the sweaters Harry's emerald green and Nat's a deep shade of violet.
"Every year she makes us a sweater," Ron pulled a face, "mines always maroon."
"I think it's wonderful," Nat said as she felt the warm fabric, she and Harry so rarely got such care it was truly remarkable to her.
Draco And Hermione both sent candy chocolate frogs from Hermione and sugar quills from Draco.
Harry and Nat each had one present left though, Harry's was larger than Nat's they both dug in with equal vigor.
Nat had hers open first: It was a stylized silver armband, lightweight, with a snake inscribed into the metal; she laughed as she put it on.
"Hey, what do think?" She asked showing it to Harry.
"You look like a warrior, so it fits you." He said smirking " Seriously though it looks wicked."
"Who's it from?" Ron asked.
"Dunno, the card here says "You may have earned this" and it's signed, T.M.R." she shrugged, "I like the armband and it was given to me so I don't see anything wrong with accepting it."
Harry now opened his last package; a fluid silver material flowed out and lay in gleaming folds on his lap.
"No way!" Ron exclaimed, "I've never seen one up close before! They're really valuable!"
"What is this rare valuable thing Ron?" Nat asked earnestly.
"An Invisibility Cloak!" He breathed staring at it like it was a holy relic.
Harry threw it over his shoulders and sure enough his body had vanished below him.
"Just think of what we could pull of with this!" Nat whooped the possibilities already swirling in her head.
"There's a note." Harry said picking it up.
Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A very merry Christmas to you.
Harry was ecstatic he'd never really had anything from his parents no this cloak had seemingly been returned to him, but who'd sent it?
Harry put the cloak away just as Fred and George came down from their dormitory.
"Harry and Nat got sweaters too." They said wearing matching blue sweaters with either a G or a F depending on which twin it was.
"And why aren't you wearing yours dear little brother?" They asked leaning over him a little.
"I hate maroon." He whined as he halfheartedly pulled it over his head.
"Yours don't have letters on them," George observed
"I suppose she thinks you don't forget your names, but we aren't stupid, we know our names are Gred and Forge."
Percy stuck his head through the door "what are they doing here, school rules forbid…"
"Shut it Percy," The twins said, "Look they got sweaters to that means they're family, and family is always welcome."
Nat practically glowed with joy as Harry laughed and joked with the twins. Family. They were considered family. Harry had shot her an elated look when they had said that. There was family out there even for people like them who so often had nothing.
"Hey Nat, are you going for the Amazon warrior look?" Fred asked observing the armband.
"Yes, and I am here to conquer you puny Gryffindors!" she teased and used her pillow to start a pillow fight that lasted nearly all day, in the end the only loser was Percy as everyone had turned their 'weapons' on him when he'd tried to stop the chaos.
The feast that night was unlike any Harry had ever seen real or imagined, with huge turkeys and cranberry sauce, puddings, potatoes, and rich gravy. The Wizard crackers were an experience going off like a cannon and releasing several live mice and a rear admirals hat.
They all watched in amazement as the professors had a little too much to drink which resulted in Hagrid giving McGonagall a small kiss on the cheek, and they were amazed when he merely giggled.
Still camping out in the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Nat fell asleep nearly instantly, But Harry felt so curious about the cloak that he couldn't sleep he sat up and pulled out the cloak.
Dun dun dun. Cliffhanger sorta… we all pretty much know what happens but it's so exciting. This is my first new chapter in awhile I hope you all review to reward my return!
"Un!" Deidara (Naruto)
