Over the next few months, Harry gradually settled into his busy schedule. It was exhausting, having to juggle studies and quidditch training, but it was the best time of his life. He had nice food, good bed and more importantly, people that cared about him. Even if most people treat him with awe more than anything, due to the fact that he was the Boy Who Lived, he had great friends, especially Ron and Hermione, and his Gryffindor dormmates. The only problem was that he was really jumpy as he was afraid that his keeping of Draco would be discovered. Unlike Ron who simply left Scabbers in his dorm room most of the time, Harry found it impossible to go anywhere without Draco clinging on to him. Except for Quidditch practice. Draco had attempted to hang on to Harry's new Quidditch robes when he decided to go flying the afternoon he got them, as the Quidditch robes do not have pockets, and had a few hair-raising, or in this case fur-raising, moments, where it had nearly slipped off completely and gone plummeting to the ground. Once Harry touched down, Draco finally released his deathgrip on Harry's robes, leapt to the ground and gave him a reproachful glare.
"What? Don't you blame me! I warned you it is dangerous to come flying with me when I don't have pockets you can sit in. I can't spare hands to hold on to you when I have to hold on to the broom and catch the snitch at the same time. You were the one who insisted on coming. So now would you listen to me and stay in the dormitories?"
Draco hung its head at being chastised and curled in on itself. Feeling sorry for the little creature, Harry picked him up and stroked him soothingly. "Shh….it's all right. I'm not angry with you. But just for your own safety, don't come with me when I go flying in these robes okay?"
"Talking to your pet again, Harry? Geez, sometimes I swear you treat it like it's human." Harry looked up, startled. Had someone caught him? He breathed a sigh to relief to see that it was only Hermione. Hermione knew about the ferret, and in fact had helped Harry cover for it when on numerous occasions it was nearly discovered by the staff. That did not meant the Hermione approved of it. She was always scolding Ron and Harry for breaking the rules, but they had gotten used to her nagging by now. Besides, Ron seemed to enjoy bickering with her.
"Sometimes I think it is too. It certainly understands me and communicate well enough to be one." Harry murmured absently and went back to stroking Draco lovingly. Hermione just shook her head and let Harry indulge himself. "There must be a few screws loose in your head. I rest my case. Anyway, I came out here to tell you that we are having a study session tonight. Remember to come back earlier and shower so that we can hit the books."
"What? Again?" Harry groaned. "Why? Can't we do it another day?"
"What another day? We don't have any more days!"
At Harry's perplexed look, Hermione's exasperation rose a few notches.
"For goodness sakes, Harry, remember? Tomorrow? Double Potions with the Slytherins? Snape's test? Or have you forgotten all about it?" A look at Harry's stricken face, Hermione guessed that the answer was yes.
"Oh my god. I've already finished studying for it last night, and thought that today is for revision only. Guess I'll have to change that to teaching you guys. Really don't know how I end up with idiotic friends like you two. You'd better go start studying now... Will you close your mouth and start moving? A fly is going to think it is nesting ground if you keep it open like that. Come on! GO! NOW!!"
Hermione watched as Harry grabbed his broom and went streaking off the quidditch pitch with Draco tucked under his arm. Really, boys.
The next morning found Harry tearing his hair out and making little sounds of distress as he sat hunched over his desk in the Potions class. That, and giving huge yawns every five minutes. 'Oh god. Snape is going to kill me when he marks my papers. Can't remember everything despite all the mugging I did last night. Damn, damn, damn!' he thought, punctuating every 'damn' in his head by banging his head on his table and leaving perspiration marks on his test script.
"Mr Potter, I am well aware of your lack of brains, so there is no need to make it clear to the whole class by knocking your hollow head on the table. There are others who would prefer to do their test in silence," drawled Professor Snape, who had suddenly came up from nowhere and was now currently looming over Harry. The boy stifled a groan and murmured an apology instead. The Potions master was his most hated teacher, and it didn't help that Potions was his worst subject. And those irritating Slytherins who shared that class made it a habit to snigger whenever he got reprimanded by their Head of House.
Having had his daily dose of Potter-insulting, Snape made to move away, gloating and feeling very triumpant. That leaded to his downfall. Literally.
The class burst out laughing as they saw their normally uptight teacher in a heap on the floor, but stopped immediately as he looked up, a deadly scowl on his already-very-black features. Dead silence reigned as Snape righted himself, looking around to find whatever-it-was that had caused him to trip. Never mind that it was his own fault for having his nose in the air when walking. Not that he would ever admit it to himself.
Harry could not stop the groan from escaping this time. He was in for it. Snape took points from Gryffindor for his breathing, so now that his bag had …... Oh no. "POTTER!!" Snape exploded as he realized just what had caused his embarrassing fall.
"OF ALL THE….What's this?" Snape's hawk-like eyes suddenly caught sight of a squirming form in Harry's bookbag lying on the floor at his feet.
Harry's blood froze as he immediately realized what Snape must have seen. Draco! He had left him in the bag today, not in his pocket for fear that the ferret would wake up and disturb Harry during the test with his squirming.
"Nothing! It's just my bag and….whatever is in bookbags! Bo-books, I mean! Sor-rry it tri-tripped you, Professor!" Harry stuttered in panic and made a mad grab for his bag, but Snape beat him to it.
"Books? Then you don't mind if I take a look right?" Snape, seeing the boy's panic, guessed otherwise. On purpose, he slowly opened the bag and tipped it upside down. Quills, parchments and books came spilling out. And a very startled ferret. Who immediately streaked for, what was in its opinion, the nearest refuge.
The voluminous folds of Snape's robes.
Headmaster Dumbledore tried hard to hide the amused glint in his eyes as he looked upon the strange sight that greeted him as he stepped into his office after his morning walk - a livid Potions Master holding a terrified Boy-who lived by the scruff of his neck in his right hand, and a equally terrified ferret held captive by its tail in his left hand. The expression on the man's face was priceless - torn between ill-hidden fear, revulsion and fury at the boy and the rodent both.
"I think you can let go………."
"No! Do you know what this rotten animal can do? It disrupted my lessons! It climbed into my robes and tore them! It scratched me! It made me looked like an utter fool in front of my students! It….."
"I meant the boy, Severus." The corners of Dumbledore's lips were twitching as he watched his normally controlled Potions Professor in such a state. "I don't think Harry is going to run away. You are frightening the dear boy. Now, have a lemon drop. These are really good."
"This, this…..BOY of yours just brought this repulsive…", punctuating his statement with a hard shake on both sides, "RODENT into Hogwarts and into MY CLASS!!!". Snape was practically foaming at the mouth as he spitted the words out.
Secretly worried that such an unhinged Professor can do some damage to the child with all the shaking, Dumbledore repeated, with a tinge of command in his voice, "Put the boy down, Severus." Snape relunctantly obeyed. Dumbledore noticed that Harry was still looking at the ferret and flickering his eyes up to its captor in fear.
"Give the animal to the boy, Severus."
"But..."
"You deserve a rest. Or do you like to hold it so much? I didn't know you like small animals..." Snape stiffened and practically flung the poor ferret into Harry's arms. Shaking in residue fright yet relieved to be back in its owner's arms, Draco curled into a furball and burrowed into the folds of Harry's robes.
"Why, it IS quite adorable. Harry, you say? Where did you get it, boy?" Dumbledore turned twinkling eyes upon the child.
Harry swallowed, his mind in a whirl. Should he lie and say that he just picked up the ferret along the school corridor? No, Snape would probably kill his beloved Draco if they thought it was just a wild escapee and use it for a potion ingredient. Or throw it away, in the least. NO! They cannot do that to his Draco! He would rather get thrown out with it if it came down to that...
"No what?" One eyebrow was raised above half-moon glasses. Harry blinked and blushed, realising he must have voiced his mental protest out loud.
"I...I found Draco on the Hogwarts train..." "WHAT?? YOU' VE KEPT HIM SINCE THEN? THAT IS BLATENT DISREGARD OF RULES! YOU WILL BE..." 'Expelled', Harry finished mentally as Dumbledore interrupted Snape's tirade. "Nothing. Nothing is going to happen to Harry. It is correct to love and cherish all living things, isn't it Severus?"
Harry's jaw was hanging off the floor as he listened to his headmaster. He wasn't going to be expelled? He had not expected Dumbledore to not punish him, after Snape's reaction. Although it was true that Snape was always picking on him anyway. Sneaking a peek at the professor, he saw that the man was turning colours faster than a Muggle traffic light. Red with anger, white with shock as he realised that Harry is not going to be punished, then back to a furious reddish-purple. Harry could practically see smoke emitting from the man.
"FINE!!!" The pyrotechnics show ended when the Professor whirred around and stormed off, realising it would be impossible to do anything when the Headmaster was deadset on protecting his beloved Gryffindor.
Moments after their ears had stopped ringing from the slam of the doors, there was an awkward silence. Dumbledore cleared his throat and was about to break it when the school bell rang, signaling the ending of the period. 'Saved by the bell!', thought the relieved old man.
"Don't you have Care of Magical creatures next, Harry?"
Harry, still not really believing the fact that he had escaped punishment, finally snapped out of his daze. Nodding and stumbling to the door, Harry paused as he heard Dumbledore's next words.
"And Harry....I take it you named him Draco right? Go ask Hagrid for something more healthy to feed him than biscuits."
In his confusion, it vaguely registered that Dumbledore didn't seem very surprised throughout his whole traumatic experience, but the thought was lost as fast as it struck him in his maelstrom of feelings.