Unexpected Encounter : Chapter Six
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.
_______________________________________________
They stepped through the opening. The portrait door swung shut after they entered. Harry looked at the girl talking to the Headmaster. She looked about seventeen, maybe a bit older of younger. He really couldn't tell. When he had first seen her he had thought that she was older. She seemed to have an aristocratic presence, but then again it could just be the dress. He would not really say that she was bubbly, but she was certainly quite vibrant while having an animate conversation with Dumbledore whilst moving to another picture. Harry wondered why Snape had picked such a painting to guard his quarters.
Harry stepped through the opening and looked around Professor Snape's quarters. Even though they had had many discussions over the last year but Harry had never been here. They had usually talked at a tower overlooking the forbidden forest. Harry had found the tower last year while exploring Hogwarts.
Sneaking out at night had become Harry's solution to sleepless nights, which had been quite common for Harry near the beginning of his fifth year. He went for days without getting any sleep at all. When he did manage to fall asleep the chances were that he would have one of his 'dreams.' He found that if he spent a few hours walking though the school he would end up falling fast asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. It was slightly pointless though since by then it was early morning. A few concentrated hours of deep sleep could keep him alive though, and that was what was needed of him.
Dumbledore had increased the security of the school and the staff now patrolled the school on alternating shifts during the night. Harry had to be extra careful while wandering the halls. He did not have the added security of the Marauder's Map anymore after Crouch Junior had 'borrowed' it.
Harry's sleepless nights were not as frequent after he had begun talking to his potions professor. Harry figured the sleeplessness was due to stress. As the pressure lessened, Harry could sleep on a normal basis again. That is if he wanted to, but he would sneak out on the nights that he knew Severus was on night patrol to 'bump' into him.
_______________________
It had started out as one Harry's sleepless nights. Harry looked up at the dark red canopy of his bed. He listened wistfully to the soft breathing of his roommates. He had been trying to fall asleep for hours now. The warm blankets covering over him felt heavy as if they were trapping him. He had to get out. Squirming until he was sitting up, he stuck his hand through the curtain and reached for his glasses, which were sitting on the small bedside table. Reaching under his pillow he got his wand and crawled towards the end of his bed. Taking the locks he had placed on his trunk, he flipped open the lid and dug around in the dark until his hand meet the silky material of his invisibility cloak. He placed the neatly folded cloak onto his lap.
Pulling back the curtains, he looked out to see if anyone else was awake. Hearing soft breathing from each of the beds he stood up and disappeared under the cloak. He headed towards the boys washroom.
_______________________
He had never really paid attention to the plumbing of the school until this year. He had been taking a shower in the changing rooms after the first Quidditch game of the year. It was against Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor had won of course.
The soap had slipped out of his hands and when he had reached down to get it we was eye level with the water taps. A small snake was etched into the metal. Just like the one he had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He had been finding small snakes etched into the plumbing all over the school. Not all of them lead to the Chamber of Secrets. Some lead right into classrooms, others had brought him to hidden rooms, and once while exploring he had ended up in a very small broom closet. Apparently Salazar Slytherin had been doing more than creating a secret chamber to house his basilisk.
Harry had considered telling Dumbledore about the passages, but he told himself that he would after he did a bit more exploring. He figured it really would not matter since he was the only Parseltounge in the school and thus the only one that could use the tunnels anyway. The longer he put off telling the Headmaster the less he wanted to.
_______________________
He walked to the shower at the end of the washroom. He stepped into the shower and squatted down. The door of the shower was slightly crooked and was difficult to close so they usually avoided using it. What made it really special though, was what Harry was now looking at. On the edge of the metal drain was another carefully carved snake.
"Open" he hissed. The drain widened into a sizable pipe. Harry concentrated a bit to switch back to English and sent a scouring charm down the pipe. He had learned from the first time how rusty the pipes could be.
"Lumos." he said as he started to lower him self into the pipe. Just after he let go of the side and began sliding down the tunnel, he looked up and hissed "Close." The opening closed above him and he slid down the tunnel awhile before the pipe made a sharp turn and he was sucked up the pipe. The pipe rounded off at the top.
"Ompf" said Harry as he passed through a wall and landed on the floor. He leaned back against the wall that he had just passed though. Most of the passages ended like this, with a one way wall. He allowed his heart to slow down a bit before venturing in the corridor he had landed in. He had used this tunnel numerous times before since it was the easiest to access from the fifth year dormitories.
He started walking towards the kitchens to ask Dobby for a late night snack. As he neared a corner, he paused at the sound of soft footsteps accompanied by the voice of a certain Potions Professor. "Sapphire, will you stop following me? Go back to the dungeons. Don't even try giving me that look, you know it doesn't work. Off with you, it's too late for you to be prancing about. Need I remind you that I'm needed to patrol the school."
Harry stole a peak around the corner. Snape was much closer than he had previously thought from the sound of his footsteps. 'He seems distracted maybe I can slip by unnoticed.'
There was a pause in Snape's rant. Harry heard him mumble a good night. Snape's footsteps were still coming towards him. 'Damn, I was hoping that he would turn. Hmpf, and people are always telling me that I'm lucky.' Harry pressed his back against the wall, and listened to the approaching footsteps.
_______________________
Footsteps. Poke. Poke. Harry swatted at the hand. Someone was calling his name. Ron was poking him in the arm. 'How did Ron get down here. I was sure he was still sleeping when I left.' Harry shook himself out of the past.
Harry looked around. They had walked further into Snape's chambers. He could not call it a room, but they were now in an opening with corridors leading off in several directions. Scattered around the walls were paintings of different armchairs and usually accompanied by a shelf of books. The girl in the blue dress was passing through the different paintings leading down one of the halls, and the group trailed after her.
"What were you thinking about" asked Ron, who was giving him a funny look. "For awhile there I thought Draco had cursed you or something." at that comment Draco looked up from the sofa he was seated in. A small black cat jumped off his lap. "It is just like you to assume that the Death Eater's son is going to be the one inclined to curse everyone in sight. As if I'm stupid enought that I would point my wand at any of you while the Headmaster is just a few meters away. Aren't such foolhardy actions more of a Gryfindor trait anyway?"
_______________________
"Ah. Draco, how is Severus doing? I thought you were with him." said Dumbledore. "He was, but he went to his rooms to get something. He told me to stay here and wait."
There was a small pop and Sunny appeared off to a corner of the room. "Sunny, please inform Severus that his guests have arrived." said Dumbledore. "Right away Headmaster, sir. Professor Snape is already aware of your arrival. Please be seated. He will be with you shortly, sir." with a bow he had disappeared with another pop.
_______________________________________________
thanks to reviewers of Chapter Five. KC - epp. get up. please don't grovel. Don't worry it will be Sev/Harry. hmm what in the world will I do with Draco now though. aie. o.O haha ohh well it really doesn't matter. Won't have to worry about that for a few more chapters probably.
Prophetess of Hearts - Hmm. I always have a few plot ideas floating around in my head and I need time to decide which will work out best. The story has just started so I do not know if Harry will become a vampire.
pencil - yeah! another interview with the vampire fan. hehe. glad you liked the story. plus I love reading reviews so I don't mind that it's long. I'm actually quite touched that you spent the time to review.
Author's Note: hey by the way, for those of you that write fics please leave a signed review. Also if you want me to e-mail you to update you when a new chapter comes out put down your e-mail address.
katz_nipp updated : October 10, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004
Disclaimer : as you know I don't own any of the character's or concepts that are in the Harry Potter books. They all belong to J. K. Rowling. No money is being made here. Just me here, writing a story.
_______________________________________________
They stepped through the opening. The portrait door swung shut after they entered. Harry looked at the girl talking to the Headmaster. She looked about seventeen, maybe a bit older of younger. He really couldn't tell. When he had first seen her he had thought that she was older. She seemed to have an aristocratic presence, but then again it could just be the dress. He would not really say that she was bubbly, but she was certainly quite vibrant while having an animate conversation with Dumbledore whilst moving to another picture. Harry wondered why Snape had picked such a painting to guard his quarters.
Harry stepped through the opening and looked around Professor Snape's quarters. Even though they had had many discussions over the last year but Harry had never been here. They had usually talked at a tower overlooking the forbidden forest. Harry had found the tower last year while exploring Hogwarts.
Sneaking out at night had become Harry's solution to sleepless nights, which had been quite common for Harry near the beginning of his fifth year. He went for days without getting any sleep at all. When he did manage to fall asleep the chances were that he would have one of his 'dreams.' He found that if he spent a few hours walking though the school he would end up falling fast asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. It was slightly pointless though since by then it was early morning. A few concentrated hours of deep sleep could keep him alive though, and that was what was needed of him.
Dumbledore had increased the security of the school and the staff now patrolled the school on alternating shifts during the night. Harry had to be extra careful while wandering the halls. He did not have the added security of the Marauder's Map anymore after Crouch Junior had 'borrowed' it.
Harry's sleepless nights were not as frequent after he had begun talking to his potions professor. Harry figured the sleeplessness was due to stress. As the pressure lessened, Harry could sleep on a normal basis again. That is if he wanted to, but he would sneak out on the nights that he knew Severus was on night patrol to 'bump' into him.
_______________________
It had started out as one Harry's sleepless nights. Harry looked up at the dark red canopy of his bed. He listened wistfully to the soft breathing of his roommates. He had been trying to fall asleep for hours now. The warm blankets covering over him felt heavy as if they were trapping him. He had to get out. Squirming until he was sitting up, he stuck his hand through the curtain and reached for his glasses, which were sitting on the small bedside table. Reaching under his pillow he got his wand and crawled towards the end of his bed. Taking the locks he had placed on his trunk, he flipped open the lid and dug around in the dark until his hand meet the silky material of his invisibility cloak. He placed the neatly folded cloak onto his lap.
Pulling back the curtains, he looked out to see if anyone else was awake. Hearing soft breathing from each of the beds he stood up and disappeared under the cloak. He headed towards the boys washroom.
_______________________
He had never really paid attention to the plumbing of the school until this year. He had been taking a shower in the changing rooms after the first Quidditch game of the year. It was against Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor had won of course.
The soap had slipped out of his hands and when he had reached down to get it we was eye level with the water taps. A small snake was etched into the metal. Just like the one he had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He had been finding small snakes etched into the plumbing all over the school. Not all of them lead to the Chamber of Secrets. Some lead right into classrooms, others had brought him to hidden rooms, and once while exploring he had ended up in a very small broom closet. Apparently Salazar Slytherin had been doing more than creating a secret chamber to house his basilisk.
Harry had considered telling Dumbledore about the passages, but he told himself that he would after he did a bit more exploring. He figured it really would not matter since he was the only Parseltounge in the school and thus the only one that could use the tunnels anyway. The longer he put off telling the Headmaster the less he wanted to.
_______________________
He walked to the shower at the end of the washroom. He stepped into the shower and squatted down. The door of the shower was slightly crooked and was difficult to close so they usually avoided using it. What made it really special though, was what Harry was now looking at. On the edge of the metal drain was another carefully carved snake.
"Open" he hissed. The drain widened into a sizable pipe. Harry concentrated a bit to switch back to English and sent a scouring charm down the pipe. He had learned from the first time how rusty the pipes could be.
"Lumos." he said as he started to lower him self into the pipe. Just after he let go of the side and began sliding down the tunnel, he looked up and hissed "Close." The opening closed above him and he slid down the tunnel awhile before the pipe made a sharp turn and he was sucked up the pipe. The pipe rounded off at the top.
"Ompf" said Harry as he passed through a wall and landed on the floor. He leaned back against the wall that he had just passed though. Most of the passages ended like this, with a one way wall. He allowed his heart to slow down a bit before venturing in the corridor he had landed in. He had used this tunnel numerous times before since it was the easiest to access from the fifth year dormitories.
He started walking towards the kitchens to ask Dobby for a late night snack. As he neared a corner, he paused at the sound of soft footsteps accompanied by the voice of a certain Potions Professor. "Sapphire, will you stop following me? Go back to the dungeons. Don't even try giving me that look, you know it doesn't work. Off with you, it's too late for you to be prancing about. Need I remind you that I'm needed to patrol the school."
Harry stole a peak around the corner. Snape was much closer than he had previously thought from the sound of his footsteps. 'He seems distracted maybe I can slip by unnoticed.'
There was a pause in Snape's rant. Harry heard him mumble a good night. Snape's footsteps were still coming towards him. 'Damn, I was hoping that he would turn. Hmpf, and people are always telling me that I'm lucky.' Harry pressed his back against the wall, and listened to the approaching footsteps.
_______________________
Footsteps. Poke. Poke. Harry swatted at the hand. Someone was calling his name. Ron was poking him in the arm. 'How did Ron get down here. I was sure he was still sleeping when I left.' Harry shook himself out of the past.
Harry looked around. They had walked further into Snape's chambers. He could not call it a room, but they were now in an opening with corridors leading off in several directions. Scattered around the walls were paintings of different armchairs and usually accompanied by a shelf of books. The girl in the blue dress was passing through the different paintings leading down one of the halls, and the group trailed after her.
"What were you thinking about" asked Ron, who was giving him a funny look. "For awhile there I thought Draco had cursed you or something." at that comment Draco looked up from the sofa he was seated in. A small black cat jumped off his lap. "It is just like you to assume that the Death Eater's son is going to be the one inclined to curse everyone in sight. As if I'm stupid enought that I would point my wand at any of you while the Headmaster is just a few meters away. Aren't such foolhardy actions more of a Gryfindor trait anyway?"
_______________________
"Ah. Draco, how is Severus doing? I thought you were with him." said Dumbledore. "He was, but he went to his rooms to get something. He told me to stay here and wait."
There was a small pop and Sunny appeared off to a corner of the room. "Sunny, please inform Severus that his guests have arrived." said Dumbledore. "Right away Headmaster, sir. Professor Snape is already aware of your arrival. Please be seated. He will be with you shortly, sir." with a bow he had disappeared with another pop.
_______________________________________________
thanks to reviewers of Chapter Five. KC - epp. get up. please don't grovel. Don't worry it will be Sev/Harry. hmm what in the world will I do with Draco now though. aie. o.O haha ohh well it really doesn't matter. Won't have to worry about that for a few more chapters probably.
Prophetess of Hearts - Hmm. I always have a few plot ideas floating around in my head and I need time to decide which will work out best. The story has just started so I do not know if Harry will become a vampire.
pencil - yeah! another interview with the vampire fan. hehe. glad you liked the story. plus I love reading reviews so I don't mind that it's long. I'm actually quite touched that you spent the time to review.
Author's Note: hey by the way, for those of you that write fics please leave a signed review. Also if you want me to e-mail you to update you when a new chapter comes out put down your e-mail address.
katz_nipp updated : October 10, 2002 edited : January 11, 2004