Disclaimer: I keep forgetting about this. Anywho, I don't own anything except for the plot changes that aren't in the canon version. I don't make any money from this either.
READ PLEASE! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Quite a few questions and other comments have been aimed my way over the last couple of chapters so I'd like to take a moment to clear that up.
1. Several people have told me so far to write for myself and not others to get reviews. I do write for myself or you guys wouldn't be reading this story right now. I love writing and no matter how bad or good my stories are, I'm going to keep with it. I just love getting feedback, especially compliments. I like the attention I guess you could say.
2. Again several people have mentioned how the story is moving 'too fast'. I'm sorry but that's just the way I write. I need something that's going to keep my attention or I'll get bored and stop writing.
3. In contingency with number 3, the characters did not just up and switch. I've clearly expressed it in several of the chapters so far. The main one being that Severus has always been looking out for Harry as he promised Lily he would if the Potters happened to pass on (that was a main conversation between him and Draco in the beginning of Ch. 4). Draco changed his attitude halfway when he heard about Harry being sick (as in Ch. 1 when he was eavesdropping. Seriously even if he's mostly portrayed as a jerk, I don't think he would pick a fight with someone that's seriously ill). As the chapters progressed, his attitude changed more and more until he made an unannounced truce with the boy (he thinks this through a bit in Ch. 6). As to their relationship so far, they're obviously attracted to each other and they're teenagers… What did you expect honestly? Draco also practically follows whatever Severus does and if the man is kind to Harry, so will he, in due time anyways. And finally, Sirius hugged Severus spontaneously. It's just the kind of thing Sirius does, especially seeing as he just found out his godson survived a potentially fatal surgery.
4. Okay, let's get this one straight. When did I ever say that Harry couldn't get sick again? Hmm? I'll let you guys in on something. People who get diseases and such, have a chance of getting the disease again or even getting another illness. That very thing happened to my Nana when she got cancer and ended up passing away from the second bout.
Okay I think that clears up the major concerns. Thanks for taking the time to read through this. Don't be afraid to ask questions or give comments/concerns, I'll do my best to clear up whatever the problem happens to be. I'll give you all a warning now seeing as you didn't get it before: characters in this fic will and/or can be OOC so just go with it. I'll let you all get to the chapter now. :]
________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7
Severus felt an intense burning in his left arm. Immediately he knew the Dark Lord was calling him. He could only hope that this wouldn't be the meeting where he was found out to be the long-time spy for Dumbledore. He assumed Voldemort finally found out about the adoption. At least he hoped that was it and not something else…
Standing up slowly, he attempted to quietly move from the bedside to leave the Hospital Wing. His plan would have worked if he wouldn't have tripped over one of Harry's shoes. Landing with a muffled groan, he pulled himself up, brushing off whatever dirt and dust he thought collected on his robe from the fall. He was about to continue on when he saw movement. Glancing in the direction, he froze when he saw Black curled up in a chair snickering at his unfortunate tumble.
Arching an eyebrow, Severus murmured, "See something amusing Black?"
Immediately the other man froze. The icy tone was enough to make Sirius slightly frightened. Severus stared down into the swirling grey eyes, unfaltering. "Well?" he said just as quietly as before, if not a bit more dangerously.
________________________________________________________________________
"No," was all Sirius Black managed to get out.
He had to admit, Snape could be down right scary when he wanted to be. It was somewhat confusing actually. He didn't remember ever feeling that way towards Snape before, especially not when they were young and in school. Though now that he thought about it, the Potions Master had changed quite a bit since then. Snape was much taller now, towering over Sirius by at least two or three inches. There was a hardness to those coal black eyes, probably from all the years he spent working undercover as Dumbledore's spy. There were lines around his eyes from what Sirius presumed was a massive amount of stress. Not to mention, the man was nearly as pale as soft cream. Put that altogether and it was enough to make him look intimidating, yet a bit sickly.
"Good," the Potions Master said stiffly before striding out of the Hospital Wing.
Sirius slumped in his chair as soon as the other left the room. Sighing, he shook his head slightly before turning back to the bed. A small smile flitted across his face at the sight of his godson curled up under the blanket, sleeping peacefully.
________________________________________________________________________
Severus strode through the castle and out onto the grounds. He was late already, causing hope to flair through him that the Dark Lord didn't need anything immediately but the man was known to be rather impatient. Quickening his strides, he made it beyond the grounds' wards and apparated away.
After coming to a halt, Snape found himself on the pathway to a drab, overly large house. He swiftly made his way up the path and into the building. Without hesitating, he entered through the front door before climbing the staircase and sweeping down a long hallway to an open door near the end.
Inside stood Lucius Malfoy next to a seated man. Lucius gave a curt nod to Severus but remained silent. The other man, who sat stiffly in the plush armchair motioned for the two men to take a seat across from him in front of the fireplace. They both gazed over at the man. He no longer looked like the snake creature he had appeared to be only months previous. Now he had short, meticulously-styled, black hair; though if one looked closely, they could see grey hairs sprouting near his temples. Faint wrinkles crinkled the corners of his eyes, making slight crow's feet. His red eyes were drooping slightly and faded. There was a hint of stubble along his chin, making them assume he hadn't bothered to shave that morning. Over all his facial appearance, seemed exhausted. This led them to believe that the stress of trying to take over the wizarding world was finally getting to the normally stoic man. At least he was able to go through with their plans in a more human form, which was a lot more comforting to all of them.
(How Ralph Fiennes really looks, cause he actually does play Voldemort in the movies. Picture him like this but a wee bit older. http:// werievents. files. wordpress. com/ 2008/ 09/ ralph-fiennes. jpg Just remove the spaces.)
Voldemort glanced at each man in turn before sighing. Severus had to restrain himself from letting a brow rise in curiosity. He had never seen his master in such a way before.
"You two are my most trusted Death Eaters. After proving yourself time and time again, I believe it is important I disclose something with the both of you," Voldemort said softly. Outwardly, he seemed nonchalant but deep in those swirling red eyes, both men could tell he was battling with himself over some matter.
"I need to tell you about the night I lost my body. The truth of what really happened…"
________________________________________________________________________
Harry was fidgeting on the hospital bed. He was so sick of being around this particular wing of Hogwarts. All he wanted was to go to his dorm and sleep in his own bed. He couldn't wait to get back to classes. All this lying around was driving him crazy. As much as he hated doing school work, he would rather do that than stay in the hospital wing for one more moment.
As if answering his pleading thoughts, Madame Pomphrey approached his bed. Sirius had left not too long ago to attend to some matters he refused to tell Harry about, so he was now alone trying to amuse himself.
"Mr. Potter. You may leave now. Don't overwork yourself and no rough housing. I want you back in here once a week for the next month for check-ups. Do I make myself clear?" the stern woman ordered.
Harry nodded quickly. Flying off the bed, he slipped his shoes on and nearly ran out the double doors. He was so excited to get out. A nice long fly on his broom seemed like paradise. Noticing how dark it already was, he figured that would have to wait till the day after. Instead he headed up to Gryffindor tower to get settled in. He had a feeling it was going to be extremely awkward staying there.
Just as he slipped past the Fat Lady's portrait, he was rushed by a tall redhead and a shorter brunet. Ron and Hermione were standing in front of him talking a mile a minute. From what he could make out, they were asking him if he was alright and something about the adoption and slimy Slytherins. Confusion set in quickly in his exhausted mind.
"Whoa, what? Since when are you talking to me again?" Harry demanded to know. He noticed that most of the common room's occupants were listening in on the conversation.
The couple looked at each other for a brief second before turning to the other member of their trio. "We changed our minds," Hermione said briefly.
Something strange was going on. Harry didn't believe them at all. "How can you just change your minds after how you treated me? You knew I didn't kill Cedric. Voldemort did! And yet you guys still blamed me!" he said angrily, ignoring everyone's flinch at the name.
Ron's face was steadily turning red while Hermione produced her patented scowl she always got when arguing about something she didn't want to lose. They were silent for a moment. "That's in the past. How could you let Snape become your guardian?! That greasy git will probably hand you right over to You-Know-Who the first chance he gets!" Ron said, changing topics without giving an actual answer to the bespectacled boy's question.
Harry could feel his anger rising. How could they be so harsh towards him, calling him a murderer and then wanting to be his friend again but telling him to get rid of the only adult who's actually cared for him properly? It just didn't make any sense to him at all. They didn't even apologize for how they had acted earlier, just shrugged it off. It aggravated him to no end too just by the fact that they were acting as if they could control his life. "I don't believe you. Neither of you would just up and change your minds like that. Severus is staying as my guardian, whether you like it or not. If not for him, I could be dead by now. He cares more about me than my aunt and uncle ever did. So no, I'm not leaving him just because you don't like him. If you don't like it, then too bad for you," he said bluntly.
If it was possible, it seemed Ron turned even more red, taking on a purple hue. Harry had to suppress a shudder when it reminded him of Vernon when the man was angered. "So you're turning into one of them. After all we did for you, you're becoming a snake. I knew we shouldn't have tried this. He's already turning dark. I bet he'll go running to You-Know-You and become his lapdog!" the boy snarled to the others.
He had to admit, he wasn't really surprised. Ron never had been much in the way of faithfulness, especially towards his supposed best mate. It was like second year all over again. "I am not turning dark. If you had really been there for me, you wouldn't believe all that rubbish out there about me. Ron, you need to work on your loyalty to friends. It's severely lacking," Harry said poker-faced.
Ron officially passed the purple stage. He was now heading into darker territory. Harry had a feeling he should get out of there while he could before hexes started flying. He wasn't ready for the fist that flew at him though. Before he could dodge the hit, it slammed into his cheek. Harry cried out before crashing to the ground. Silence flooded the room. No one moved an inch, all eyes on the two boys.
Harry was too shocked to say anything. Pushing himself up off the ground, he glared at the red head before turning and stalking from the common room. He slammed the portrait behind him before running through the halls. There was only one place he had in mind to go to: Severus' quarters. He had to admit that he was glad the man was now his guardian, if not, he didn't know where he would go or what he would do.
________________________________________________________________________
Knocking on the Potion Master's portrait entrance, he waited. When no answer came, he figured the man was out at the moment and would be back soon, at least he hoped so. Leaning against the opposite wall, he slouched down until he was sitting on the floor. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them, trying to get the chill from the dungeons to leave him. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in his knees, trying to forget what had just happened.
He must have dozed off at some point, for when he next looked up, Severus was kneeling in front of him. The man's dark eyes glimmered in concern. Scooping the boy up from the ground, he carried him into the small sitting room. Placing the boy on the couch, he sat down next to him while lighting a fire in fireplace off to the right. As soon as the room was lit with a warm glow he turned to his new charge.
Harry tried to keep his throbbing face away from the man's gaze. Severus saw the large bruise first though. The Gryffindor sat still as the man left the room for a moment before coming back with a small container. He couldn't help but let loose a wince as the potion stained fingers carefully smeared a cream on his darkened skin.
"There, that should help heal the bruise so it should be mostly gone by tomorrow morning. Now, are you going to tell me what happened to cause this?" the dark man inquired.
Sighing, Harry knew he wouldn't and shouldn't keep it from Severus. Especially if Ron decided to go after him again at some point. He didn't doubt that the rumors and name-calling would continue if not grow larger as time went on. "I went to the tower after Madame Pomphrey let me go. When I got there, Ron and Hermione came up to me. They were being all worried and trying to be friends again. They wanted me to go back to the Dursley's but I told them I wasn't going to ever go back there. Then Ron started saying I was going dark and that I was going to become Voldemort's pet. I told him that I wasn't dark and that he was horrible when it came to being loyal to a friend and believing all those rumors about me. He got mad and punched me. I left after that and came here," he briefly explained quietly.
"I'm proud of you for not engaging in the fight. I think we will have a talk with the Headmaster tomorrow about this. I have a feeling Weasley will continue on with his childishness if we don't do something about it and soon. For now though, one hundred points from Gryffindor house for Weasley acting with physical violence towards another student. I will assign him a week's worth of detentions also. You start classes tomorrow, so get some sleep. I don't have a spare room but you can sleep on the couch if you want," Severus said, conjuring a pillow and thick blanket for the teen.
Harry quickly gave him a small hug before curling up under the blanket. He didn't miss the small smile directed at him during the embrace. Relaxing, he slipped off into a gentle slumber.
________________________________________________________________________
It was just before breakfast when he was awoken. Severus was already up and moving around, nursing a cup of strong tea. "We need to go see the Headmaster before breakfast, so you better hurry up and get ready. I took the liberty to get a house elf to bring your things down here. The bathroom is down the hall to the left," the man said.
Harry nodded before jumping up and running to said room. His guardian was already waiting at the door when he came up with his uniform on and satchel by his side. All of his books and school things were in the bag, which had a lightening charm on it so it wouldn't weigh down on his shoulders and neck.
The two of them swiftly strode up to the Headmaster's office. Just as they were approaching the gargoyle, Severus said, "Your teachers have kindly excused you from any homework you may have missed in the past week due to the circumstances. I do however expect you to get caught up in any lessons you will need to know."
"Thanks Professor," Harry said, grinning at the taller male. Severus murmured the password and they ascended the stairs to the office above.
Before they could knock, Dumbledore's voice called out to them to enter. The two men entered to see the old man at his desk, writing on some pieces of parchment. They sat in the offered chairs. It was a moment before the Headmaster finally looked up. "What can I help you with gentlemen?" he inquired.
"We've come to lodge a formal complaint against Mr. Weasley. He verbally attacked Mr. Potter last night before letting it become physical. In concern to Mr. Potter's safety in Gryffindor house, I would like to issue a resorting," Snape answered sternly.
Both Harry and Dumbledore looked at him in surprise. Neither had been expecting that. Harry had to agree though. He knew he wouldn't be safe in the lion house anymore, not if Ron kept up his hatred. "Severus, are you sure? I'm certain Mr. Potter will be fine in Gryffindor. I will have a word with Mr. Weasley and I'm positive we can sort this out," Dumbledore argued.
"No Albus. You and I both know this won't end like that. The attacks will only get worse over time. The attackers will become stealthier in hiding the fact that they were the ones to go after Mr. Potter. In switching houses we can ensure Mr. Potter is at least secure in that he will not be attacked in his sleep. I use my rights as a Professor of Hogwarts and Mr. Potter's legal guardian to demand a resorting in my concern for his well-being," Severus said smugly.
Harry couldn't help but notice the little smirk that played at the corner of Sev's mouth. He had a feeling there was something the man knew and had not told him yet. Making a silent promise to himself to figure out whatever it was the man was hiding, he turned back to survey the Headmaster.
Dumbledore, knowing he was caught in the legalities Severus had used, sighed. "Alright. I will allow a resorting as long as Padfoot stays in your dormitory during the evening and nights for added protection," he bartered.
Both Harry and Severus knew why the old man was doing this. He didn't trust the Slytherins at all. Harry agreed. It would be nice to have his godfather around more often. He'd missed the man a lot over the past year.
The Headmaster stood then, grabbing the Sorting Hat and placing it on Harry's head. 'Ahh, Mr. Potter. You're back then, are you? Are you going to allow me to put you in your rightful place this time or are you going to argue with me again? I have all the time in the world, you know,' the object teased.
Harry giggled. 'No, I won't argue this time. You can put me where ever you want,' he answered.
'Finally! Then let's make it…' There was a moment of tense silence in the room. "Slytherin!" the hat pronounced.
"Very well then Mr. Potter. Your possessions will be moved into the dungeons. Padfoot will be there by the end of the day. Now all we need to do is change your classes to those of your fellow Slytherins and change your uniform colors," Dumbledore said before making the necessary changes. "Run along now before you miss breakfast."
Severus and Harry stood, making their way out of the office. Neither said a word until they were nearly at the Great Hall. "Thank you," Harry said, turning to face his new Head of House.
"It was no problem at all Harry. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Now run along. Breakfast will end shortly. I do believe Draco will be excited to see you," Severus said, smirking slightly at the blush that painted Harry's cheeks.
Harry just shook his head and entered the Hall. Breathing deeply he made his way over to the Slytherin table. All eyes were quickly zoomed in on him. The blonde noticed him right away, a smile gracing his aristocratic features. No one said a word as he took a seat next to the boy.
"I see you have finally joined your rightful place amongst us," Draco said.
Harry managed a quiet 'yeah'. He was shaking slightly at the stare of every single student and teacher focused solely on him. It was extremely intimidating and nerve wracking.
"Then let me be the first to welcome you to Slytherin House," replied Draco.
A loud round of clapping and cheers rang out from his new housemates. Everyone else was too shocked to move or say anything. Harry smiled slightly at all of the Slytherins before Draco began placing food on his plate. He had a feeling he would fit in well with these misunderstood students.
________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for reading. I'll hopefully be updating more often now. I'm over my writer's block and I already have three more chapters planned out. Please review and let me know what you think.
