[a/n: too much snape? too little? review and tell me!]

Off to the zoo, Snape sighed, straightening his researcher's uniform. Snape hated wearing white, it got stained with ink, it was nearly transparent when wet, and to top it all off, it looked perfectly hideous on him! His skin was already pale, wearing white made him look like a ghost. While he wasn't entirely oblivious to the students who credited him with being a vampire, at least that did his reputation credit, even if it was more than a bit implausible and short-sighted. Straightening his uniform again, he grabbed up the book on herpetology, thinking 'soonest started, soonest finished.'

Bureaucracy was an annoyance any day, and this one was no exception. Having suffered through a train ride, a trip through the floo, and a walk through the noonday sun (what his students didn't know wouldn't hurt them, this time at least), he was now explaining exactly why he needed fresh rattlesnake venom, and that no, night adders' venom was not an appropriate substitution. At last the poor zoologist smiled, and said, "Wait a moment while I fetch Harry." Snape examined the older gentleman as he was accustomed to examining his students, and found the poor man a good bit wanting, both in the good sense and cunning departments. Most would have known to get Snape what he needed simply by the strength of his glare.

At last, Snape was back in his office. It being past midday, he sniffed at the lunch the house elves had left, before floating it into his quarters. Nothing edible in the potions lab. It would appear some of the house elves needed reminding... Absently, he began to plan the trick, as he added snakeskin and just the tip of a snake's fang to the boiling oil. They landed with a sizzle.

Three hours later, and just in time to miss dinner, Snape bottled the three vials of antivenin. Placing them carefully in his private store, he strode towards Slytherin House, visions of puddings dancing in his head. He hadn't meant to starve his snakes, after all...

"Flint, McNair, gather the students. You can release the sleep spell, get every Slytherin into the common room now." Snape snapped, as he strode into the common room, his voice pitched to echo through the entire House.

"Children, if I find out (And I will Find Out) that it was one of you who imported an exotic and foreign snake into my dormitory, and then proceeded to loose it - and not tell me, you will rue the day you were ever born. You are to not attempt to catch the snake under any circumstances. Avoid the snake. If you do find it, tell either a prefect or me. Do not bother the other Heads or teachers with this. I hardly think Professor Sprout would like to spend the day searching for poisonous snakes." Although Minerva might like it, cats did go for snake-killing often enough. "We will keep this within our House. Not a word outside it, until the fell creature is captured. Any questions?"

Goyle raised his hand, "Is it a very Dark Snake?"

Snape sighed, saying abruptly, "No, it is a normal, muggle snake. simply a very dangerous one."

[Earlier that day...]

It was dark, darker than Harry ever remembered seeing it, and he'd been on the Astronomy tower at all times of the night. Slowly, he began to consider what Malfoy had told him... and more importantly, what he hadn't. For whatever reason (Malfoy hadn't been clear, and Harry needed to know, if - this was going to go further), Malfoy wanted to leave everything behind. He hadn't said how nor why. And yet, looking back, Draco Malfoy had somehow managed to not be arrogance personified. He seemed serious, which was intriguing... And he seemed confident, which was an invitation to watch Malfoy fall flat on his face. This wasn't some sort of sad joke, a jest or jape... And, Harry had to think, if Draco was merely serving me up to someone bent on evil, he'd have hardly let me lie here, unbound - even if we are so far from anywhere that it would be easy to find me if I ran off. Villains, in Harry's experience, were far from patient. Internally, harry sat back on his heels, thinking of the fork in the road ahead of him. Harry Potter could go "home to Hogwarts" - as soon as that was available, which he was fairly confident would be far sooner than Draco was expecting (nick his wand, and summon the Knight Bus, Harry thought with an evil smirk) - but that was the safe answer, and since when did Potter do what was safe? Oh, Snape would be so disappointed! A chance to let off some steam at the Golden Boy of Gryffindor was not to be missed, after all! Here Harry stood, with a mysterious adventure beckoning at him. His lips compressing into a thin line, Harry Potter thought, "if it's an adventure, I'm going to do it right. Details first, and decisions second." As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered about whether Draco had actually just been putting him on - was this face, this new face, just another mask? Potter's sleep was troubled by unsettling dreams, as he tossed and turned, his mind in overdrive.

[About a half hour later...]

Draco woke, looking up at the bright stars, and the Road of Heroes and Warriors** stretching across the nightdark sky. Idly, he wondered how his plan was going. Had anyone realized they were gone? Really, did anyone care? They were, after all, just two British kids, on the run. They couldn't be the first, could they? Not even from Hogwarts... Shaking his head, he thought, "It hinges on Harry Potter" - but then again, his backup plan did too, and that was just poor planning. If a boy was to make a backup plan, it shouldn't have the same point of failure as the original. Still... he had smiled, once or twice, yesterday... and even pushed a little on a few of Harry's buttons, and not been laid out flat on his back for his trouble. Frowning, Draco thought moodily, "I think this just might work..."

[A few hours later, the fully-crested sun shining out of the east...]

Draco and Harry seemed to wake at the same time. Of course, that was only an illusion. In fact, both of them had been awake for a bit before, collecting their thoughts and waiting for the other one to make the first move. It was only when Draco realized that Harry's breathing was far too regular that he decided to do something about it. What will be lost to the sands of time, as Draco sitting up caused Harry to immediately sit up as well, wanting both to finish the unstarted conversation, and to not leave himself completely helpless.

"What do you need my help for, Draco?" Harry said, as he pulled out some of the hardtack to eat.

"I want to learn how to fit in as a Muggle." Draco said calmly, his grey eyes intense and serene, the indomitable steady wind.

"Why me?" Harry blinked, suddenly realizing how little he knew of the world at large. He had barely been outside Little Whinging. "What's so useful about me that you decided to kidnap the Boy-Who-Lived? Isn't that like kicking the hornet's nest?"

"Well, you can hardly know less about the Muggle World than I do, growing up in it and all. I doubt it will take you all that long to teach me, anyway..." Draco says with a syrup-slow smile.

"Why not Hermione?" Potter cried out, as this seemed to be growing weirder and stranger by the minute. It just didn't make any sense...

"Please, give me some credit." Malfoy scoffed. "For one, Granger doesn't break rules." Somewhat googly-eyed, Potter stared at Malfoy, only belatedly realizing that Draco couldn't possibly have known of half the ideas Hermione had devised. Suddenly wishing for a camera (and filing that look away, as it undoubtedly meant something) , Draco continued, "Second, you'd have noticed she was missing the moment she wasn't at a meal. Or in the library. And - you wouldn't have stopped until she was back, come hell or high water."

Harry nodded curtly, conceding the point. "It's gotta be tough caring for someone so much..." Draco growled under his breath. "You'd be searching for her right now, and have started before lunch yesterday. With luck, they won't have found you missing until classes on Monday..."

"Why's that?"

"Because, I can forge your handwriting. For emergencies only, you understand..." Draco said, smiling triumphantly.

"So you won't be doing my Potions for me this year, then?" Potter said hopefully.

"With your help, I won't even be there." Draco said with a trace of a smile.

Potter said, quietly, "I'm not saying no. And someone had better look after you, so you don't get killed."

"But...?" Draco said, his manner still and quiet, even as he packed away the tent.

"You sprung me on this, and it needs more than a little thought. It may be completely unworkable."

"Fair. I suppose I can't hold my poor planning against you." Draco responded, his mind working on pulling another backup plan out of his hat, just in case.

"I don't suppose I'd have reacted any better with more notice, mind." Harry said with a bright smile.

"No, that would have been something to see..." Draco said, his contemplative tone describing exactly what he was envisioning in his mind***.

They fell silent, focusing on packing and eating their feeble repast.

"Where are we headed, Malfoy?" Potter asked, as they prepared to head down the cobbled road again.

Malfoy smiled a prankster's smile, "I was hoping you had some idea, honestly. Away from Hogwarts was good enough for me."

Potter blinked, and then laughed, finally saying "You mean we've just been riding away?"

Malfoy smiled and said, "If I picked a direction, it would just make it easier to find us, wouldn't it?"

Potter chuckled again, shaking his head at this new bout of tomfoolery.

Both of the boys groaned as they mounted their horses. Draco's was a destrier, while Harry sat a smaller courser. Harry couldn't resist a smirk as Draco bounced twice, trying to get astride. "Too much horse for you?" Harry asked. "No, Shade's a decent ride - but don't try her yourself, you haven't been taught. In fact, that's why I've got Sandy's head." To prove his point, Draco tugged at the rope. "We don't have time for you to learn more than the basics, but I'm happy to teach..." So saying, he clucked his tongue and they started off. Unnoticed behind them, a black shadow separated itself from the long shadows of the copse.

The great black dog, now slim as a greyhound and as gaunt, woke to voices - happy children. Rolling to his feet, he sat the way dogs generally do, absorbing the cheer as if it was a lifeline, letting the happiness strengthen his resolve. As the boys mounted up, the black dog stalked out of the copse, following them and keeping their pace. It was a far easier pace than he had set the day before, anyway.

**Milky Way. I'm stealing Hungarian Mythos here, but hey, alternate universe.

*** Spectacular explosions, fwiw.

[a/n: up next: The boys discover the dog. The Rattlesnake gets captured. The Snape goes off to chase two wild geese!

Timeline Note: The above is Saturday, and about the second week of school (thus no Quiddich to have captains complaining to Minerva or Snape, as tryouts haven't happened yet)]