A.N.: Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I can't believe I've almost reached 800! How? You guys are perfection personified. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter; I know some of you wanted a few extra scenes between Severus and Harry, so here we go! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as much as the ones before and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer; Not mine. Come on, we've talked about this before…

PETRIFIED STUDENTS AND SUSPICIONS

"Watsup?" A groggy voice sounded from the other side of the room before a soft cracking noise announced the house elf leaving.

"Ron, you won't believe what happened again!" Adrian whispered to his redhead friend; Harry had the fleeting suspicion he would have to fly tomorrow with only a few hours of sleep. He was right.

The next morning, Harry woke up with a headache from all the information he had gotten last night, the usual dread before a Quidditch match and the strong notion he would have to speak with Severus immediately after the game. He had delayed it for far too long already and he could see the potions master was very close at giving him a detention just to get him talk. He threw away the covers, rubbed his eyes open and headed for the bathroom to throw some water on his face, waking his brother up in the process.

The two boys, along with Neville who had woken up to wish Harry good luck, were soon at the Great Hall with the rest of the team, eating silently at the empty table of the Gryffindor House before heading to the field. Harry almost forgot his own tangled nerves in his attempt to calm his ashen faced brother; Adrian was fidgeting, fixing his glasses that weren't even slipping from his nose, trying to straighten his hair or his robes.

"Once you get out there, you'll feel much better." Harry insisted, smiling confidently. Not that he felt confident at all about winning the game, but he knew for sure that most of the hassle was getting at the field. Once you were there, you were far too focused on playing to actually care about your anxieties.

"You think?" Adrian asked hopefully.

"I know." Harry stated, winking at his brother in a perfect imitation of Lockhart.

"Team, gather around!" Wood called as footsteps were heard above them, the tall-tale sign that students were gathering on the stands.

"There we go again…" George muttered.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've flown at all weathers…" ("Too true." Muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August.") "…and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way into the team." Eyes sparkling with a crazy gleam, Oliver turned his eyes towards Harry. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."

"So no pressure, Harry." Said Fred, winking at him.

"Is he always like that?" Adrian asked a little scared.

"Scary and paranoid?" Harry asked back lightheartedly.

"Yes."

"Yes." Harry repeated as an answer.

"Oh." Adrian simply stated smiling faintly. The team made it out amidst loud cheers from their House -Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too, both Houses had spent too much time losing against Slytherin to not hold a bit of a grudge- and boos from the green clad fans of the Slytherin team. It was pouring, but the two teams paid no notice and gathered in the middle of the field. After the promise of a clean match was made to Madam Hooch, the teams took off. Harry immediately began looking for the elusive golden ball, not wanting Malfoy to get his hands on it first.

The blond Seeker proved he wasn't above cheating when he grabbed the back of Harry's broomstick to stop him from getting the Snitch. Harry had turned to Fred and George, trying to see why they weren't throwing a Bludger at Malfoy, only to find them defending his brother with all their might from a Bludger that seemed to be targeting him specifically. A few near misses of Adrian's head and Oliver had to call for a timeout.

Adrian had vehemently refused to forfeit the match just because a Bludger was trying to decapitate him and Harry, caught between his usual urge to protect his brother and his thirst to win the match, vowed to get the Snitch as fast as he could. And he did just that, getting the Snitch right under Malfoy's nose; literally too, since the Slytherin Seeker was so absorbed with making fun of Adrian who was avoiding the Bludger with all he had, he didn't notice the Snitch hovering next to his head.

The team had gathered to celebrate in the middle of the field when Harry caught it with the corner of his eye; the Bludger that had been targeting Adrian during the whole game was coming towards him yet again; it hit his brother straight to the chest, and knocked him of his broom, before returning to finish the job. Not having time to draw his wand from such a distance, Harry simply placed himself between his brother and the Bludger. The sickening crack and the searing pain on his left arm easily informed him of a broken bone. He pulled out his wand swiftly with his right hand and pointed it at the Bludger.

"Reducto!" He bellowed, the jet of magic from his wand turning the Bludger into fine dust.

"Harry!" Adrian called shocked. "Your arm! What were you thinking?" His words were coming out slurred and Harry realized he had hit his head falling.

"That I'd rather my brother kept his head on his shoulders." Harry admitted with a pained smile. "Ouch, by the way."

"Adrian! Harry!" Lily's voice echoed in the field, rising above all the ruckus around. "Harry, are you alright?"

"Great catch, kiddo!" Sirius called from behind her. "Malfoy never saw what hit him!" Lily glared at him and Sirius stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, Lily."

"It was a great catch though." James added.

"James, could you stop it!" Lily hollered and turned her attention back to her amused, albeit in pain, son. "Harry what were you thinking! And Adrian, are you alright?" She added, noticing the swelling bump on Adrian's head. The boy simply nodded, regretting moving his head the very next moment. Harry was more vocal in his response;

"Why does everybody ask me that? Would you rather I'd let Adrian get hit?" That seemed to placate her a little as she gathered her youngest into her arms, minding his arm.

"You're an amazing brother, Harry. And I'm proud of you; but if you ever do something like that again you'll be grounded until you turn seventeen." She stated amidst tears.

"Clear the way, clear the way!" Lockhart's voice broke through the gathering crowds. Neville, who was following after him, run as fast as he could to reach Harry first, pointing at Lockhart's hand as he went. The blond professor's wand was drawn and Harry could guess he wanted to try healing his arm. Nodding thankfully to Neville for the heads up, he turned to his family;

"What do you say we take this to the infirmary?" Harry asked, more than glad when his parents agreed, taking him away from a disappointed Lockhart. Harry caught Severus's eye and send him a look that clearly stated 'talk to you later'. The potions master nodded and smiled slightly, before shaking is head and waking towards the Slytherin team; this was one of the few times he could scold Malfoy without raising suspicions and he wasn't letting it go to waste.

"But why would a Bludger do that?" Remus wondered while Madam Pomfrey worked on Harry's hand. "They're not supposed to target players specifically."

"Well this one did." Sirius offered, looking pensive.

"I don't know how to thank you, Harry…" Adrian mumbled for the tenth time that hour. The hazel eyed twin had his head bandaged and was lying on a bed next to Harry.

"Nonsense!" Harry retorted. "You're my brother, Adrian; jumping in front of a rampaging Bludger is the least I could do. If anything, I should have moved faster!" Adrian smiled weakly and nodded once. Harry wasn't fooled and expected to be thanked all over again in about ten minutes. The hazel eyed twin had a concussion and some bruised ribs and would be forced to spend the night in the infirmary.

"And it was a brave thing to do." Lily stated, ruffling her green-eyed son's hair.

"Was that the Reductor Curse you used on the Bluger?" James asked interested.

"Yeah, it was."

"That's advanced magic Harry, for your age." James stated with a smile. "And it was a potent one too!"

"I found the spell in the library last month; I hadn't really tried it." And it was the truth; he hadn't tried that specific spell before. It was just the first one relevant that popped into his mind.

"My son, the bookworm." Lily said fondly.

"I resent that!" Harry huffed in annoyance, causing some laughter. "No, really, I do! Here I am, in the infirmary, being treated for a broken bone I got playing Quidditch and yet you call me a bookworm!"

"He's got you there, Lily." Sirius offered with an amused smirk.

"Speaking of your broken arm," Madam Pomfrey stated, "you're good to go. Now, it was a nasty one and it might sting a bit for the rest of the day. If you don't put much weight into it for the next couple of hours it will be completely fine by nightfall."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." Harry said smiling. "Will you be alright?" He asked his brother, a bit guilty he got to leave before him.

"For the third time, I'll be just fine, Harry! Ron and Hermione will drop by later anyway; just go have fun." Harry smiled and nodded in agreement; the party of five walked all the way up to the Gryffindor tower, where the adults, with a strong feeling of nostalgia, said their goodbyes and left the boy to return. The greeting by his Housemates was loud to say the least. A few of Fred and George's fireworks flew around the room and someone had obviously paid a visit to the kitchens judging from the abundance of food laying around.

"Amazing catch, Harry!" Neville exclaimed, running to greet his friend. "But is your hand alright? And how's Adrian?"

"He's just fine." Harry assured the boy. "A little startled and dizzy from a very impressive bump he managed to get on his head, but otherwise unharmed. And Madam Pomfrey healed my arm in no time." He said smiling. "Thanks by the way, Nev; who knows what would have happened had Lockhart managed to reach me!"

"Don't mention it, Harry!" Neville stated smiling back at the green eyed wizard. "That's what friends are for, right?" Harry's smile widened at the proclamation, threatening to tear his face in two. Friend. He used to think he had had friends before, but that title was mostly held by Ron and Hermione. And those two were friends of his brother that occasionally hang out with him too. But a friend all of his own? Someone that had chosen to befriend him for himself? He had never had that before Neville.

"That's exactly what friends are for, Nev!" Harry agreed and pushed his friend towards the twins that were once again showcasing their aptitude for all things prak related in the middle of the room.

It was late at night when Harry finally had the occurrence to take the cloak from his brother's trunk and slip outside the Common Room, trying to find an easy way to broach the subject of him hearing voices to Severus; was there even a way to broach such a subject and not end up sounding crazy? He was at the bottom of the Grand Staircase when he heard it.

"… tear… kill…" Harry froze.

"Not again!" He mumbled as he ran towards the voice, wand drawn. Rationally it was the wrong thing to do, run towards an unidentified danger. But what could he do? Last time it was Mrs. Norris who got petrified; what if something worse happened this time?

"… I can smell you… so hungry…" The voice was going upwards again and Harry followed.

"… kill… time to kill…" The sound was coming from a few corridors up still. It was close to… the infirmary? Harry doubled his efforts, thinking of his brother.

"… die, Mudblood!" Harry run the few stairs stood frozen at the sight than greeted him. On the floor lay a prone form, a small body, his camera still held in front of his face. Colin Creevy lay on the floor petrified. Harry couldn't tell how long he stood there; a noise was heard from the stairs bellow him and he looked down to see the Headmaster, clad in woolen robes and a nightcap, a steaming cup in his hands, climbing the stairs. Not wanting to be found there, Harry walked softly towards the corridor behind him, running only when he turned around the first corner. Out of breath he knocked on Severus's office.

"Calm down, Harry!" Severus exclaimed as the boy entered the office in a half invisible blear. "What happened?"

"Colin Creevy. He's been petrified! Dad, I was just there! It was the voice. I followed it there." Harry was breathing heavily, pacing up and down the room. How could this have happened?

"A student petrified?" Severus asked numbly. "And you followed a voice? What voice?" The flames in the fireplace turned green and Severus placed the invisibility cloak swiftly on Harry before hastily replacing his disillusionment charms and approaching; the face of Minerva McGonagall appeared on the burning embers.

"Severus!" She called; there was anxiousness in her tone, panic even.

"Minerva? What seems to be the problem?"

"A student was found by Albus on the Grand Staircase. A first year student petrified! It's awful, Severus!" Harry had never heard the usually collected Deputy Headmistress sound like that.

"Calm down, Minerva." Severus spoke evenly. "Is the student at the infirmary?"

"Yes, Albus carried him there." She breathed in deeply. "Can you come over? We need your confirmation that it's the same thing that happened to Filch's cat."

"I'm on my way. Should I alert the students?"

"Albus said we shouldn't; they will find out tomorrow, we shouldn't spread panic in the middle of the night." The potions master nodded.

"I will be there in a few minutes." McGonagall's face disappeared from the fireplace and Severus turned back to Harry who took off the cloak.

"Sev, I…"

"I'll be back in an hour tops. You should stay here and try to relax; then I want you to tell me everything." He waved his wand producing a cup of hot chocolate as Harry sat in an armchair. The minutes ticked by slowly as Harry thought. The voice had to be real; how else could it lead him to the place of the attack? But why was he the only one to hear it? He looked at the empty painting on the wall deep in thought. What was happening in Hogwarts this time?

In the meantime, Severus had reached the infirmary. The student was indeed a first year Gryffindor called Colin Creevy and a great fan of Adrian Potter. He had apparently sneaked out of the Gryffindor Common Room to snap a picture of his hero. Hoping he had caught a glimpse of the attacker, Albus had opened the lid of his camera; a thick grey smoke and the smell of burned plastic was all his action revealed. Dumbledore seemed to know who the Heir was, Severus thought as he returned to his office, having verified Creevy had fallen victim of the same fate that had befallen Mrs. Norris. Albus knew but still seemed perplexed as to how it was possible. And a perplexed Albus was never good news.

Then there was Harry, the potions master thought quickening his step. The boy had avoided speaking to him for a few weeks; that in itself was highly unusual. The fact that he seemed preoccupied was unnerving. The way he looked earlier that night was right down disturbing; he had been pale and going on and on about a voice that had led him to the scene of the crime. He opened the door to his office, a pair of emerald eyes boring into his immediately.

"Is Colin really…"

"Yes, he has been petrified." Severus confirmed; Harry sunk back into the armchair.

"Oh." He mumbled softly.

"You wanted to tell me something before Minerva called." The potions master reminded him, sitting right across him. Harry lifted his eyes contemplative, as if he was trying to fond the right words. That too, was never good news.

"Last spring, Ron Weasley told me that I was loosing my mind from all the studying I was doing." Harry began, remembering a conversation from last May.

"Why is this relevant?"

"I think he was right."

"On you studying too much?" Severus offered, trying to lift his mood.

"Not that. The losing my mind part." Harry corrected him.

"And what made you think you're losing your mind?"

"I…" Harry looked at the floor crestfallen. "I may be hearing voices that nobody else hears." He finally admitted.

"Voices?"

"Well, one voice really. Quite the bloodthirsty one; it keeps repeating that it wants to kill someone…" Harry looked back at Severus's eyes with fear.

"To kill you said?" Severus asked. Harry hearing voices was not a good thing indeed. Mostly because it was Harry who was hearing them and that probably indicated a magical threat rather than insanity. And with the resent attacks…

"Yep." Harry agreed trying and failing to sound lighthearted. "I hear a murderous voice coming from the walls. Not a very good sign for my sanity, I fear."

"For argument's sake," Severus began as he rose from his chair to sit at the corner of his desk, closer to Harry. "Let's say you're not -and I truly believe you're not- crazy." Harry nodded, quite liking the idea. "And if you're not crazy, there has to be another explanation for the voice."

"Like what?" Harry asked, sitting straighter in his chair.

"You said you're the only one who can hear it?"

"Yes." Harry confirmed. "I was waiting for Adrian to get through with his detention with Lockhart first time I heard it." Harry explained rubbing his eyes. "I thought that Adrian might need to see a friendly face after so many hours locked in the same room as Lockhart, answering his mail, but the detention went on forever and I was half asleep on the floor. When I heard the voice, I passed it off as a ghost playing tricks, quite possibly Peeves."

"Reasonable enough." Severus agreed.

"The second time, was right before Mrs. Norris was petrified. Adrian, Ron and Hermione had managed to get stack at Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party without food and I had, kind of, ditched them to go to the Halloween feast; I decided to ask the house elves to prepare something for them and take it to the Common Room when I heard the voice, claiming it wanted to kill, heading towards the Great Hall; I had just read the message on the wall when Adrian showed up; I hid behind the tapestry and mingled with the students when the feast was over."

"And why didn't you tell me then?" Severus asked confused.

"I wanted to, but I thought… I just wanted to have a better explanation than being crazy before I said anything." Harry looked ashamed as he admitted why he was avoiding him; it was silly of course, Harry thinking that he could ever believe him crazy, Severus thought.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" The potions master asked.

"Yeah."

"And I want you to; even if it is about voices you hear that shouldn't be there." He thought of his statement a bit better. "Especially if it is about voices you hear." He corrected.

"Do you…" Harry gulped. "Do you think if I had told you sooner Colin wouldn't…"

"No. Don't shoulder the blame for that too." Severus warned him. "We have no idea what's responsible for these attacks and who this Heir is. Well, Dumbledore seems to know, but even he couldn't do anything to prevent the latest attack." Harry nodded once, not completely convinced.

"Anyway, the third time I heard it was tonight; I followed it all the way to the place where I found Colin. But I was already on the way to tell you. After Dobby popped in last night…"

"Dobby?" Severus asked confused.

"A house elf that visited my brother last night…" Harry explained, narrating what he had heard. The potions master rubbed his eyes tiredly; how could a house elf know what was to happen in Hogwarts before it did? How could an elf know about the attacks? And if the elf, Dobby, did know, why did he warn Adrian and not the Headmaster?

"Let's take one thing at a time here before I lose my mind." Severus suggested.

"Okay."

"First of all, promise you will always come to me when something bothers you; the way I see it, hearing you out and helping every way I can is in my job description." Harry smiled.

"I promise, Dad." Severus smiled back.

"Now, back to that voice; I believe we can say for sure that it's not a product of your imagination." Severus explained. "It has led you to the place of the attacks twice already."

"So you think that the voice and the attacks are connected?" Harry asked.

"Admit you have already thought about it, even fleetingly." Severus stated, cocking an eyebrow. Harry nodded; he had thought about it, but only after the second attack. After all, the first time he heard the voice there had been no petrified victim to account for.

"After tonight I did, yes."

"And if it's not just in your mind, it's real. And if it's real, why are you the only one hearing it?" Severus asked, the question sending both of them into a contemplative silence.

Harry concentrated, gathering his tired mind as better as he could. What made him different than the rest of the present occupants in the castle that could lead him into hearing voices? Well, he was an alchemist,Harry thought, but hearing voices -just like in most magical arts, with perhaps the notable exception of Divination- was generally frowned upon amongst alchemists too. His eyes widened at the next possible solution; on one hand it would make sense, as, in essence, he did possess an ability allowed him to hear voices that others didn't and, on the other hand, it would make no sense at all. For why would a snake be attacking Muggleborn students?

"Sev?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Any ideas?"

"Just one."

"And that would be?" The potions master urged him on.

"Could me being a Parselmouth have had anything to do with that voice I've been hearing?" Severus cocked an eyebrow as he pondered the green eyed boy's suggestion. Because while, yes, it was the most viable explanation -when Salazar Slytherin got involved snakes always followed- it didn't quite foreshadow well.

"It most probably does." The potions master agreed, nodding absentmindedly. "But I'm not sure if that's reassuring."

"You'd rather I'd gone mental?" Harry asked with a soft smirk.

"No. Not really." The potions master agreed, his expression still one of worry. "Still, you do realize that, if it's indeed a snake you're hearing -and what else could it be with the Heir of Slytherin supposedly in Hogwarts?- then it's a snake with homicidal tendencies, strongly prejudiced against Muggleborns and with the ability to petrify them. And it's somehow slithering unseen around the castle, at the beck and call of whoever this supposed heir is." Harry leaned back on his chair.

"I see your point." He admitted. "What I don't understand is," Harry begun after a lengthy pause "what kind of snake could do something like that? What species has the power to petrify?"

"That, Harry, is yet another good question." Severus stated, making a mental list of the abilities of each kind of snake he knew. Many could poison, some had magical properties of various types and many -magical or not- could kill. But petrify? "And one I'm afraid I can't answer." The potions master concluded with a sigh. He could already feel a massive headache coming his way.