Author Notes: Hello everyone and thank you once again for the lovely reviews! Sorry for the delay in getting this next chapter out. Enjoy :)
Warnings: This is an experiment mixing my preference with my daughter's who is the co-author of this story. Hence, there are two OCs, some OOCness, some fluff and a general disregard for both logic and the more serious incidents in canon.
- Chapter Start -
Harry's ears were still ringing with Snape's howl of rage when the Potions Master spun around and loomed over him, black eyes snapping in fury.
"Cupboard - empty! Ingredients - gone! Potions - stolen! You are in very, very, very deep trouble, Potter!"
Harry gulped, taking an automatic step backward. On either side of him, Caramel and Velvet did the same, crouched low with their little ears flattened against their heads.
Grinding his crooked teeth in fury, Snape swung back to the cupboard, grabbing handfuls of his hair and looking like he was about to yank them out by the roots.
"One pack of red flame leaves, two bottles of ruby dust-"
"Meow?"
"- three vials of essence of dittany, four vials of essence of rosewater-"
"Meow?"
"- five jars of numbing salve, six vials of stomach soother-"
"Mee-oof!"
"Mee-ouff!"
Blinking, Harry looked down to see Caramel and Velvet, each gripping a mouthful of the hem of his jeans as they tried to tug him towards the door.
"Oh, the eggs! Right."
With a final guilty look back at Snape who was still reciting what appeared to be the entire inventory of his potions cupboard, Harry hurried out into the corridor, Caramel and Velvet at his heels. Then Caramel skidded to a stop and spun around. She dashed back inside Snape's quarters and emerged a few moments later with the empty sack clamped between her teeth.
"Good thinking, Caramel! Let's go!"
"Meee-ow!"
Sprinting down the corridor, they rounded the corner and saw that same egg hopping up the spiral staircase that led out of the dungeons, still holding the bundle of grass over its head. Harry exchanged horrified looks with the kittens, his stomach dropping to the floor.
Was that where the other ninety five eggs had gone?
Harry's mind immediately pictured a sea of colourful eggs reaching the top of the stairs and spreading over the main floor of Hogwarts, gleefully depositing the precious contents of Snape's cupboard in every nook and cranny of the castle and grounds, forest and lake. His stomach dropped even deeper than the floor.
Snape was so going to kill him. And then give him detention for the rest of his life.
- o -
A movement out of the corner of Severus' eye stopped his incensed recitation. He turned his head to see Caramel dashing out of his bedroom, almost tripping on the sack she was dragging along.
Pulling himself together, Severus closed his cupboard doors (a rather moot action although he didn't realise it until later), hurried out of his quarters and down the corridor. Rounding the corner, he saw Potter and the kittens standing at the base of the spiral staircase and staring up at a small orb going up the steps.
Before he could say anything, Potter (typical thoughtless Gryffindor that he was) had started charging after the egg, closely followed by the kittens (curious and impulsive creatures that they were). Gnashing his teeth in exasperation, Severus moved closer and tipped his head back, cursing when he saw the rest of the eggs approaching the second floor of the dungeons.
Only one floor remained between them and the rest of the castle. It would be next to impossible to track down those eggs and get back his ingredients once they reached the top of the stairs, not to mention the rumours that would fly around if word got out that Potter had given him chocolates. For Easter.
Feeling hot and cold at the very thought, Severus drew his wand and aimed it.
"Protego!"
The eggs at the head of the pack promptly collided with a shield that suddenly shimmered in front of them. Severus winced at the clattering of dropped vials and thanked Merlin he used unbreakable vials for all his ingredients.
Undeterred, the little wretches turned around and ran back down the steps, knocking into the others and causing more sounds of dropped things. There were cries and meows of alarm before the eggs fled to the third floor corridor of the dungeons, consisting of unused classrooms.
The opportunity that presented itself was too good to miss. Severus rushed up the stairs and ushered a wide eyed Potter and the kittens onto the same corridor before casting another Protego behind them, effectively trapping the eggs on the same floor. Nodding in grim satisfaction, he turned to Potter.
"Get those blasted eggs. Now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lighting his wand, Potter charged down the long dark corridor with a little sea of multicoloured eggs before them, Caramel and Velvet following in hot pursuit.
Severus lit his own wand and followed. Something was sparkling red up ahead - two of those blasted eggs still had his vials of precious ruby dust! Picking up speed, he moved to the right side of the corridor, intent on getting ahead of them and cutting them off. Potter apparently had the same idea for he had moved to the left side of the corridor.
As soon as Severus drew level with the head of the pack, he lunged to the left and saw Potter lunging towards him at the same time. In the next instant, as if obeying an unspoken command, the sea of eggs split right down the middle with military precision - half of them veering to the right, the other half to the left.
Too late, Severus realised he was on a collision course with Potter, his horrified gaze full of a pair of rapidly closing in green eyes before-
CRASH!
The resultant collision left both of them flat on their backs on the floor while the eggs happily scuttled past them and further down the corridor. Severus blinked up at three little eggs chasing each other round and round above his head. Were those... little vials... they... were carrying...?
And then the world went dark.
- o -
"Meow? Meow!"
Severus opened bleary eyes and encountered a pair of concerned golden orbs.
"Velvet?" he muttered and started coughing. Something warm and furry was pressing against his throat, chin and mouth.
"Meow." Velvet stopped leaning against his jaw and nonchalantly stepped down from his throat.
Sitting up with a groan, Severus carefully probed his throbbing shoulder. It felt like he had hit something hard with it. The sound of another groan made him turn to see Potter lying flat on his back a few feet away with Caramel on his face, fore paws on his glasses and back paws on his throat.
"Meow meow."
"Wha - can't see. Geroff-"
Potter went into a similar coughing fit, prompting Caramel to carefully step down from his throat. He sat up and winced, clutching at his head before looking around him, green eyes wide behind the smudged lens.
"What happened?"
"We collided," was Severus' dry reply as he stood up, wand in hand.
Potter scrambled up as well and went to retrieve his wand which had fallen a few feet away.
"Meow!"
"Meow!"
Caramel and Velvet had stopped in front of a suit of armour four feet away and were pointing at it with their right forepaws.
"What is it?" Harry moved towards them.
Spotting the two eggs jostling for space on top of the helmet, Severus cleared his throat and jerked his head at them.
"Oh."
- o -
This time around, the egg hunt went far easier. With all the rooms on this floor locked, the only hiding places were the suits of armour placed along the corridor.
Caramel and Velvet led the way, running from one suit of armour to the next and pointing to each one with the precision of trained hunting dogs coupled with excited high pitched mewls. Potter opened visors and lifted helmets, removed spears and lowered shields, dropping the revealed eggs into the sack hovering at his side. Severus went around and collected the dropped ingredients and vials, storing them in another sack he had conjured up.
Neither wizard exchanged a single word the entire time.
Within thirty minutes, they had collected all ninety six eggs. Severus cancelled the two shields at the staircase and strode back to his quarters where he Vanished the egg box and packet of fish crackers outside his door, ignoring Caramel and Velvet's sad protests. He then swept inside his quarters and spun around, scowling at Harry who was cradling the heavy sack in his arms and staring hopefully at him.
Caramel walked in before turning to see Velvet sitting next to Harry's left shoe.
"Meow?" (Velvet? Aren't you coming in?)
"Meow." (Not if Harry isn't.)
"Meow." (Er... I don't think Severus is going to let him in this time.)
"Meow!" (He must! Look how tired he is. He's swaying!)
"Meow." (That's due to the weight of the sack.)
"Meow!" (No, it's due to exhaustion!)
"Meow!" (No! Eggs!)
Pouting, Velvet leapt up and clung to Harry's jean clad leg, all four limbs and tail wrapped around it as if she were a baby monkey clinging to its mother. When Caramel narrowed her eyes at her, she narrowed her own right back. They were just about to continue their argument when they became aware of the growing silence and looked up.
Severus and Harry were still staring at each other.
Severus' black eyes were narrowed.
Harry's green eyes were rounded.
Severus' long hair was plastered to his forehead.
Harry's unruly hair was also plastered to his forehead, half hiding his famous scar and the darkening bruise beside it.
Severus had a nerve ticking away in his tightly clenched jaw.
Harry was biting his lip.
And in the end, it was Severus who moved first, raising his wand and pointing it at Harry's face. Caramel and Velvet's mouths fell open, as did Harry's, but a murmured word and a tingle of magic later, the bruise on Harry's forehead faded.
"Thank you, sir."
Severus just snorted and stood to one side.
"Do not think you are getting away without putting my potions cupboard to rights, Potter."
"No, sir!" Harry beamed at him as if he had just been awarded an 'O' for his Potions OWL. He hastened inside, walking a bit awkwardly because of the grey kitten still clinging to his leg.
"Meow!" (This is all your fault, Velvet!)
"Meow." (Is not.)
"Meow!" (Is too!)
"Meow!" (Is not!)
Velvet hopped off Harry's leg and turned around to face Caramel. Both felines were all prepared to continue their little argument when the sound of two two loud rumblings from their little tummies made them pause. In a well rehearsed motion, they plonked themselves down on their haunches and looked up at Severus expectantly, little ears perked.
Shaking his head, Severus went to the fireplace and tossed in a pinch of floo powder.
A few moments later, a dish of grilled fish and another of milk appeared on the coffee table. Uttering happy little meows, the two kittens sprang up onto the table and practically dived into the food, argument pushed aside for now.
Severus watched them eat, a small smile softening the harsh lines on his face until he turned around and saw Harry still staring at him.
"Give that to me," Severus snapped, ignoring the accidental brush of their fingers when Harry handed him the sack. He tied it tightly and put it the floor beside the sofa.
A rather awkward silence commenced, broken only by the sound of another tummy growling.
"Did you skip breakfast, Potter?" Snape barked, relieved to have something to say.
"I was planing to go the Great Hall right after I, uhm, delivered your, uh, chocolates," Harry mumbled. "Only... well, you know-"
The sound of another rumbling tummy interrupted him.
"Did you skip breakfast as well, sir?"
Severus folded his arms and glared at him. "I was about to have mine when I heard a commotion outside my door," he said.
"Ah."
Their tummies rumbled again. Muttering under his breath, Severus spun around and went back to the fireplace.
Half a minute later, a tray of sandwiches, fruit cake, pumpkin juice and coffee appeared on the coffee table. After a quick assessing glance at the dishes, Caramel and Velvet went back to enjoying their own breakfast.
"Sit down, Potter," Severus ordered. "You will need your strength for your detention."
"Yes, sir."
Neither chose to point out this was the first detention Severus had given Harry in a month.
Neither chose to point out Severus wasn't the type who cared if a student had eaten or not.
Neither of them chose to point out they were now sitting side by side on the same sofa and eating from the same tray with one pair of hopeful golden eyes and another pair of suspicious green ones eyeing them the whole time.
- o -
Another hour later...
Harry closed the cupboard doors with a relieved sigh. He had wiped down every shelf before replacing the ingredients and vials to Snape's exact requirements, noted in minute detail on a piece of parchment.
Looking down, Harry smiled at his two assistants who had helped to pass him the ingredients from the sack. Of course, it was partly their fault why he had ended up in this mess in the first place, but well, they had made up for it by catching all those eggs for him.
"Thanks for your help, girls. I appreciate it," he said and crouched down, scratching them behind their ears.
"I'm never going to order chocolates for your master again," he added in a low voice. "Right now, I'm sick of even the sight of them."
Uttering commiserating meows, they climbed into his lap, taking his words to mean that all was forgiven.
A pointed throat clearing had all three of them looking up. Snape was staring at them from his usual armchair, an open book on his lap. He jerked his head at the bulging sack by the sofa.
"One final task, Potter," he said softly.
Harry's heart sank as he stood up with a kitten in each hand. No doubt Snape was going to tell him to leave and take his unwanted gift with him. Harry ignored the pang in his heart, telling himself he would share the original six eggs with the boys in his dorm and pretend that had been his plan all along. Ron could have his share.
"Dispose of the duplicated eggs now," Snape ordered.
"Here? Why?"
A dark eyebrow rose.
"How else will I get the original eggs?" came the answer in a silky voice.
In a heartbeat, a frowning Caramel and an expectant Velvet were deposited on the sofa, and Harry was focusing his wand at the sack.
"Finite Incantatem," he whispered. He waited until after the sack had wriggled and deflated before untying it and removing the six remaining eggs sans limbs. Carefully, he placed them in the centre of the coffee table, wishing his hands weren't shaking.
Caramel and Velvet leapt onto the table at once, eyeing the eggs warily as if they might come alive again at any second.
"Eat one, Potter. Just to make sure it isn't poisoned," Snape said.
This time, Harry just smiled, taking the invitation for what it it was and completely forgetting what he had told Caramel and Velvet just moments ago. He sat down on the sofa, picked up the nearest egg and bit into it. Rich dark chocolate filled his mouth, making him hum with pleasure. It was every bit as good as the Valentine's Day chocolates.
A long fingered hand entered his sight of vision and closed around the next egg, and then Snape was biting into it with his eyes closed, a very low rumble issuing from his throat. Smiling, Harry took another bite of his egg, loathe to close his eyes even for a moment.
The peaceful, chocolate flavoured silence lasted all of five seconds before...
"Meow!" Caramel glared reprovingly at Snape, eyes narrowed.
"Meow!" Velvet shoved Caramel to one side as she waved an airy 'pray ignore us and continue enjoying that' paw at Snape.
The Potions Master just stared at them with a baffled look on his face before turning to see Harry gaping at him again, cheeks pink and chocolate egg melting on his fingers. He scowled.
"Your detention is over, Potter."
"I... oh. Yes, sir." Harry crammed the rest of the egg into his mouth and licked his fingers clean, unaware of narrowed dark eyes watching him.
"Take Caramel and Velvet with you." Snape's voice sounded a bit strained.
Nodding, Harry scooped up the pouting kittens, his school bag and headed for the door which swung open for him. His footsteps slowed down once he reached it and he glanced over his shoulder, unwilling to leave without a final look.
Snape was picking up the four remaining eggs and placing them inside a small box, his movements slow and careful.
"Meow," Caramel groused.
Snape's head snapped towards them and then he froze, two splotches of pink appearing on his cheeks.
"Was there something else you wanted, Potter?"
Biting back the 'Yes, to stay here all day with you please' dancing on the tip of his tongue, Harry shook his head.
"No, sir. Happy Easter," he said softly and left, the door closing behind him with an audible click.
"Meow?"
"Meow?"
Harry took a deep breath and smiled down at Caramel and Velvet.
"I'm fine, that ended way better than I'd hoped. Let's go find Ron and Hermione, I bet Hermione still has some of those fish flavoured snacks for you."
Meowing happily in agreement, they climbed up onto his shoulders as Harry headed for the spiral staircase, his heart lighter than it had been a couple of hours ago.
He would give something the next time round... just not chocolates.
- Chapter End -
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed :)