A Helping Hand ~ By Moon-Ying

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **sniff**

Author's Note: This part is dark but not very scary.

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Chapter 3

Questions

When Harry ran for his life away from the graves he didn't get far. His mind was reeling with so many confusing thoughts and it hurt to even open his eyes. He just knew he didn't to get away, to get far away. His legs felt unimaginably weak and his blood, pumping through his veins, felt like ice water. He felt numb all over. But he told himself he had to run.

He knew he needed time to settle down, to let everything he saw and what Snape had told him to settle in. But before all of that he needed to get the hell about of the bloody graveyard and find Snape. He was charged through the graves with lightening speed, panting for breath between sobs with his eyes blinded by the sharp darkness and his tears.

Something stirred behind him in the darkness. Harry stopped and whirled around, ready for an attack. Nothing happened. His heart gave a terrible quiver as silence settled in his ears. He didn't see anything. He saw darkness and swirling gray mists, curling around the graves like snakes. What was out there?

I don't know, he told himself. But I don't want to be around when it decides to show up again.

Licking his lips nervously, his palms began sweaty as he held his wand. He scanned the dark before slowly turning around and fleeing once more. Then suddenly it felt like he hit a wall.

A shriek of pain and surprise escaped his mouth as the wind escaped from his body. For a moment he was dazed and started to fall backwards but something was holding on to him, holding him so that he couldn't fall. Harry wasn't in the mood to be reasonable. When he had opened his eyes all he saw was folds and folds of darkness as a cold grip of ghost encircled his, grabbing his shoulders almost painfully. Harry fought.

"Let me go!" he shouted, beating his fist and wand against his possessor. "Let me go! Let me go!!!"

"Harry! For the love of…stop it!" a sharp voiced told him suddenly. "What the hell has gotten into you, boy?"

Harry was paralyzed and slowly raised his head. He squinted and through the darkness saw a very familiar and very angry face. It was professor Snape. Harry was shocked into silence. Snape shock him gently.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he asked again, his voice cold and furious. He leaned down until his face was very close to Harry's. "Don't you know where you are?!"

"In…in a graveyard…." He slowly replied. His own voice was trembling and hoarse as he stared the professor with wide eyes.

Snape shook his head, frowning. "Stupid boy, don't you know anything?…This a the demeanors' dwelling…"

Harry frozen, a chill running through his spine. "What…but…but I saw my mum and dad's graves…" he began.

Snape shook his head again. "It doesn't matter, boy. They could be here any minute. Now come on before we're found. You made enough racket to wake the dead...hasn't anyone told you of this place?" Snape hissed. "Stupid boy, you could have died! Quickly, come on!"

Snape was pulling Harry quickly by the wrist through the graves. His hold was painful and cold. Harry shuddered but did his best to keep up. Snape threw glances all around them, on every side, his profile serious but angry. His wand was out too, ready for something.

"Get your wand out too!" Snape snapped. "Were is your mind tonight?"

"Why?" Harry asked stupidly, pulling out his wand.

"Dementors by the hundreds roam this place, that's why. The follow him now. Do you remember the spell Lupin told you?"

Harry gave a very weak yes. The thought of dementers by the hundreds was slightly disturbing to him and he hoped that he didn't run into any. Besides Lord Voldemort, those foul creatures were the worst thing imaginable. They were fear and death in the flesh. Before Voldemort had be reborn Harry thought he worst fear was a dementer. Now he feared them both with equal horror.

An eerie rustle near by made Harry's heart pound. Snape immediately stopped and waited, his dark head leaning to a side. Harry didn't know why they had stopped. He just wanted to get far away from this place as quickly as possible. Then he told himself to stop. He knew the spell perfectly. He could drive back as many dementers with it as he could. He needed to be strong and he needed to be prepared. Harry quickly raised his wand to eye level and slowly scanned the area around him though the darkness.

Snape shook his head. "They are retreating. Let's go. Quickly. There is more coming"

Once again they were hurrying through the darkness. After another moment, Snape stopped and then Harry. They were standing before a great tree as big as a whale. At its trunk they was a whole as tall as it was wide. It looked like someone could easily fit inside of it. Breathing heavily he watched as Snape raised his wand to the whole in the tree and murmured something under his breath.

There was more rustling in the darkness. Harry jumped and glanced in that direction. He didn't see anything but he knew that they were starting to gather.

His attention was grabbed the whole in the tree began to fill with a bright green mist. It swirled like endless piece of shimmering ribbon for a moment then slowly it began to form into something. It was something with four legs, a tail, and a face. After another moment the something became solid. Harry gasped. It was a sphinx with black fur, a tail of a snake, and mane of black feathers and pretty, dark face of a woman. Its calm eyes regarded both Harry and Snape with an unruffled recollection. Harry was unnerved even more.

"I am the guardian of the Doors to Worlds. Why have you call me?" the sphinx asked, its voice hard and cold.

"We wish to leave this place immediately," Snape quickly told the beast. To Harry's amazement, he pulled back his robes and showed the beast his forearm.

The sphinx slowly sat down on his back legs; it's scaly tail came forward to twist around its front paws. "You may go. But the boy cannot," it calmly stated.

"Damn," Snape cursed under his breath, glancing around him. The darkness started to move as more and more dementers began to come, hovering silently only yards away from them in the darkness. They seemed to be waiting for something. What was it?

The sphinx turned its head to Harry. "I will let you pass if you answer my question correctly. If your answer is wrong I will allow the dementors to kill you." The Guardian looked at Harry for a moment. "Are you scared?"

He shook his head, nervously licking his lips. "No. I have faced a sphinx before. I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

Harry bit his lower lip and slowly nodded. "Your appearance is…a bit unnerving and I have to say that your claws are a concern of mine but I'm ready."

"For the love of…Harry, we don't have time for this!" Snape hissed. "Ask for the bloody question!"

"Er…right," Harry murmured, a cold sweat dampening his brow. "Um…I'd like the question now."

"You may pass," the guardian slowly told Harry, standing up and moving out of the whole in the tree.

Harry face twisted in confusion. "Huh?"

"You may pass," the sphinx told him quietly. "You answered my question as honestly as you could. You are free to you're the Door."

Harry heard Snape swear under his breath before he pulled Harry into the tree with him. It was damp and cold inside but there was plenty of room. The two of them stood facing each other. Outside he saw the dementers stir much more vigorously. But an enormous roar from the sphinx silenced their actions.

"Get out your wand," Snape barked. "And make an 'X' with mine."

Harry quickly did want he was told. When the 'X' was formed Snape grabbed his wrist with his free hand. "I'm not planing to look for you again, Potter," he hissed, his hold tight. "Church Grim Manor," Snape murmured and suddenly Harry was weightless once more.

It felt like he was spinning around and around in a tornado as weightless as a feather. His hair smacked his forehead painfully and he closed his eyes but Snape never let go of his wrist. His stomach twisted inside of him until he felt like being sick and his heart was pounding like mad in his ears. There was an awful howl surrounding in, going through him. He shuddered and pleaded for everything to stop. Then there was nothing.

Harry felt himself land on his feet. The ground underneath him was soft and there was a dampness in the air. But it was clean! His heart stopped. Please let us be out of the graveyard, he begged. Please, please, please…

After a moment, Harry slowly opened his eyes. His wand was ready in his hand if he needed it.

"There is no need to defend yourself, Potter," Snape told him harshly. "We are safe now."

Harry pulled it wand in his pocket and looked away wearily. They were standing before a black lake, smaller to the one at Hogwarts but very similar. Behind them was a very dark and foreboding forest. He squinted through the darkness and saw that there was a large house beyond the misty lake. For a moment he thought he must he at Hogwarts.

"Where are we now?"

"My home," Snape said stiffly.

Harry paled drastically. For a moment he thought he should have stayed back there with the dementers. "Oh…" He stared at the house. It looked cold and empty just like its surroundings. Harry shivered with the cold night air.

"Come," Snape ordered quickly, turning to his left and walking along the lake's edge. Harry silently followed him. They walked in quite, going forever straight until Snape turned and walked on to a long, narrow strip of land that divided the lake down the middle. As Harry studied it, he was sure it led straight to Snape's house.

Great. Maybe he's going to kill me and hide my body.

The thought made a chill run throughout his body. With a shake of his head, a tossed that bleak thought away. Harry looked through the gloominess as the building grew larger and larger as they grew closer. It was very dark. Harry wondered if the home was built out of pure black stone. Then again this is Snape's home, he told himself.

There weren't any lights on but the moon was bright enough that more light would have been useless. They stopped at the front door (they looked at tall as Hagrid). Snape raised his wand, pointing it at the double doors, and muttered, "Alohomora." Harry wondered if Snape knew how much he muttered under his breath.

Instantly the door flew open to reveal an even darker entrance. With saying anything more, Snape quickly put his wand back inside his robes and strolled into his home. Harry stared after him, pale and wide-eyed.

I can't believe this…he thought to himself. This is so weird! Snape's house…me in Snape's house….

"Harry!"

"Er…coming," he choked out finally coming out of his uncontrolled musing. A crimson burn came into his cheeks as he walked, embarrassed at his own idiocy and hesitancy. Snape was just a teacher (a very scary teacher) but he wasn't going to throw him into an oven and bake him alive! He walked with his eyes to the ground to avoid Snape's glare. He paused in the hallway and raised his eyes to look around but it was too dark to see anything. It was also very quiet, almost as silent as a graveyard. Harry jumped when the front doors slammed closed behind him with a frightening BAM!!

Snape snickered at him. Harry gasped and his hand shot up to clutch the cloth covering his frantically beating heart. "That wasn't funny!" he choked.

Snape was still smirking as he replied, "Of course it wasn't. Never in my dreams would I think to lower my self to embarrass you."

Harry glared at the teacher. "Now your just scary. Stop it."

Snape didn't reply as he turned around from Harry and waved a hand to a large dark staircase to his right. "Night grows late, Potter. Up these steps you will find a room on your left that has all your things in it. You will stay in there for the time being." With that, Snape just walked away. He didn't glance back at Harry. He just continued through the hallway as if Harry was suddenly invisible.

"Harry this is my home," Snape's voice echoed around the hall. "I like my privacy too. Tomorrow I will ask you to hand over you Invisibility Cloak to me. No harm will be done to it, Potter. I just don't trust your meddlesome nature."

"Do you have something to hid, Professor?" Harry suddenly asked before he the warning bells in his head went off.

Snape spun around. Even through the darkness, Harry noticed the anger in his black eyes as he quickly took a sleep back. "I have just saved you, Potter…In return I ask you, no I demand, that you, offer me some respect as this in my home, and keep your remarks to yourself. Not many people wish to explain themselves to a child. Have a good night. I understand that this has been a rather long and…bumpy journey for you so you may sleep in till you see fit."

Snape turned around once more and continued to walk on down the hallway. Harry stared after him, glancing at the stairs then down the foyer. He bit his lip as he stared after Snape's retreating figure.

"Thank you."

Harry had whispered it but an empty dark hall seemed to pick it up as if it were a scream. Harry held his breath as his own voice echoed back into his ears. Then he saw Snape's tall black form stop for a moment but Harry was up the stairs before he saw him turn around.