Chapter Four
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger exchanged dumbfounded glances. Had Dumbledore *really* just said that Greasy Old Snape had been hit with a de-aging potion?
Ron was the first to break into a broad grin. Harry, of course, quickly followed. Hermione groaned, afraid that they would insensitively humiliate her by getting onto the Gryffindor table and partaking in a dance of celebration. She didn't much care for Snape, but she *certainly* didn't want to get behind in Potions.
"Brilliant! I've waited for this day ever since we started at Hogwarts," Ron practically sang. "Let's go into his dungeons and have a whack all over his ingredients."
Hermione covered her ears. She really hadn't wanted to think about Ron doing that . . .
"Ron!" Harry looked baffled.
"Oh honestly, Harry. It's not that hard. I found a picture of Cho Chang to help-"
"RON!"
"Wha-?"
Hermione shook her head, her hands now clenched *very* tightly over her ears. There was nothing more disconcerting than hearing her best friends since first year talking about . . . well . . . choking the chicken?
"Who do you think the innocent victim was?" Harry asked.
"Dunno. Couldn't have been a student. Everyone seems accounted for," Ron shrugged. "What does it matter? We're FREE!"
"RON!" Hermione snapped. "The man's not dead. He's *de-aged*."
But nothing could wipe the smile off of Ron's face. "What's the difference?" he brushed her argument off cheerfully. "Dead? 5 years old? They both lack the power to torment us!"
Beneath the table, something brushed past Hermione's leg. Hermione glared at Neville Longbottom, who was innocently shoving shepherds pie into his mouth across the table. When his eyes met hers, they grew wide in fear. He ducked his head, blushing.
Just as she had thought. The forgetful boy was playing footsie. Ridiculous.
She felt something tug at her robes.
"Neville," she spat. "Please stop that."
Neville choked on mashed potato, not meeting her gaze.
She felt the hem of her robes raise, soft skin caressed her bare leg.
"NEVILLE!" She shoved her chair away from the table, only to find that it had not been Neville's foot but an extremely small boy with blue eyes and long black hair.
She blinked.
The boy blinked back.
This wasn't Severus Snape. This was Sirius Black.
"Erm . . . Harry?"
***
"Oh god."
Remus Lupin, Moony, Werewolf, whatever you wished to call him, wanted to bash his skull into the table until he fell unconscious. Again, he had lost them. They had escaped his line of sight for the SECOND time that day. What was this feeling? The soft boil of rage at the pit of the stomach; his teeth grinding irritably, sometimes pinching his tongue; the sudden hot flow of blood to his fingers . . .
A glass broke. Oops.
"Remus?" the headmaster looked at him curiously.
"Sorry, headmaster. They're gone again and I . . . well, I'm feeling rather murderous."
Remus got to his feet and walked towards the students.
***
"Sirius?" Harry whispered into the little boy's ear. "Is that you?"
Sirius nodded, outstretching his arms to be lifted. Harry obliged, settling Sirius into his lap, though feeling a little confused as his godfather was sitting on him. The confusion heightened when the boy cuddled closer.
"Sirius," Hermione whispered. "Where's Snape?"
"You mean Sevie?" Sirius yawned, resting his head against Harry's shoulder. "I don't know. He was afraid you would eat him."
"Maybe we should . . ." Ron trailed off thoughtfully.
Sirius gasped in horror. "Big kids really eat little kids? He wasn't just being daft?" He began to struggle against Harry, who clung tightly.
"We're NOT going to eat you."
"Promise?"
"Promise," Harry nodded. "Now . . . do you know who we are?"
Sirius looked sleepily at Ron and Hermione, then up at Harry. "You're Harry. She's 'Mione. He's Ronnie." He closed his eyes. "And I'm tired."
"I see you've found your godfather."
Harry swivelled his head around quickly to see that the quiet voice belonged to Professor Lupin. Relieved, he nodded. "He got away from you?"
"You don't know the half of it," Lupin muttered. "Where's Severus?"
"Erm . . . Sirius said that he was afraid that we'd eat him."
"Oh, Lord . . ." He nudged the little boy gently. "Sirius, where's Severus?"
"I don't know," came the sleepy reply.
"SIRIUS."
"Moony, go away and stop being weird."
Ron snorted. "My thoughts exactly . . ." His smile faded when their beloved Professor Lupin shot him a deadly glare.
"Sirius, I *need* to know where Severus is."
"Maybe he's havin' a bath," Sirius mumbled. "No wait . . . *I* wouldn't even want a bath. Why would Sevie? He's greasy-"
"Sirius." Remus cut him off.
"He left."
"Left?"
"Yeah. He was scared that the big kids would pee on him."
Ron and Harry stifled their laughter. Hermione looked horrified.
"Sirius, where would Severus get an idea like that?" Remus asked, lowering his head to be face-to-face with his childhood friend.
Sirius cracked a tired grin. "Me."
Another glass broke. Oops.
"You?"
"Me."
"And . . . you think this is okay?"
"It is okay. You're Moony."
"And you don't feel the least bit bad that Severus is truly frightened right now?"
"Uh uh."
"Sirius?"
"What do you want now, Moony? I'm tired."
"It's not okay."
***
Severus was lost. After leaving the Great Hall, he'd gone up a series of staircases (one of them moved!), through a few doors, down a lot of hallways . . .
The portraits kept talking to him. He had reached one of a rotund woman that he found comforting. She was nice.
"Do you know the password, dear?" she asked kindly. He shook his head. "Well, why don't you just sit and rest? You look right tired." Severus did just that. Maybe Remie would find him in the morning.
***
*hugs the reviewers* 33
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger exchanged dumbfounded glances. Had Dumbledore *really* just said that Greasy Old Snape had been hit with a de-aging potion?
Ron was the first to break into a broad grin. Harry, of course, quickly followed. Hermione groaned, afraid that they would insensitively humiliate her by getting onto the Gryffindor table and partaking in a dance of celebration. She didn't much care for Snape, but she *certainly* didn't want to get behind in Potions.
"Brilliant! I've waited for this day ever since we started at Hogwarts," Ron practically sang. "Let's go into his dungeons and have a whack all over his ingredients."
Hermione covered her ears. She really hadn't wanted to think about Ron doing that . . .
"Ron!" Harry looked baffled.
"Oh honestly, Harry. It's not that hard. I found a picture of Cho Chang to help-"
"RON!"
"Wha-?"
Hermione shook her head, her hands now clenched *very* tightly over her ears. There was nothing more disconcerting than hearing her best friends since first year talking about . . . well . . . choking the chicken?
"Who do you think the innocent victim was?" Harry asked.
"Dunno. Couldn't have been a student. Everyone seems accounted for," Ron shrugged. "What does it matter? We're FREE!"
"RON!" Hermione snapped. "The man's not dead. He's *de-aged*."
But nothing could wipe the smile off of Ron's face. "What's the difference?" he brushed her argument off cheerfully. "Dead? 5 years old? They both lack the power to torment us!"
Beneath the table, something brushed past Hermione's leg. Hermione glared at Neville Longbottom, who was innocently shoving shepherds pie into his mouth across the table. When his eyes met hers, they grew wide in fear. He ducked his head, blushing.
Just as she had thought. The forgetful boy was playing footsie. Ridiculous.
She felt something tug at her robes.
"Neville," she spat. "Please stop that."
Neville choked on mashed potato, not meeting her gaze.
She felt the hem of her robes raise, soft skin caressed her bare leg.
"NEVILLE!" She shoved her chair away from the table, only to find that it had not been Neville's foot but an extremely small boy with blue eyes and long black hair.
She blinked.
The boy blinked back.
This wasn't Severus Snape. This was Sirius Black.
"Erm . . . Harry?"
***
"Oh god."
Remus Lupin, Moony, Werewolf, whatever you wished to call him, wanted to bash his skull into the table until he fell unconscious. Again, he had lost them. They had escaped his line of sight for the SECOND time that day. What was this feeling? The soft boil of rage at the pit of the stomach; his teeth grinding irritably, sometimes pinching his tongue; the sudden hot flow of blood to his fingers . . .
A glass broke. Oops.
"Remus?" the headmaster looked at him curiously.
"Sorry, headmaster. They're gone again and I . . . well, I'm feeling rather murderous."
Remus got to his feet and walked towards the students.
***
"Sirius?" Harry whispered into the little boy's ear. "Is that you?"
Sirius nodded, outstretching his arms to be lifted. Harry obliged, settling Sirius into his lap, though feeling a little confused as his godfather was sitting on him. The confusion heightened when the boy cuddled closer.
"Sirius," Hermione whispered. "Where's Snape?"
"You mean Sevie?" Sirius yawned, resting his head against Harry's shoulder. "I don't know. He was afraid you would eat him."
"Maybe we should . . ." Ron trailed off thoughtfully.
Sirius gasped in horror. "Big kids really eat little kids? He wasn't just being daft?" He began to struggle against Harry, who clung tightly.
"We're NOT going to eat you."
"Promise?"
"Promise," Harry nodded. "Now . . . do you know who we are?"
Sirius looked sleepily at Ron and Hermione, then up at Harry. "You're Harry. She's 'Mione. He's Ronnie." He closed his eyes. "And I'm tired."
"I see you've found your godfather."
Harry swivelled his head around quickly to see that the quiet voice belonged to Professor Lupin. Relieved, he nodded. "He got away from you?"
"You don't know the half of it," Lupin muttered. "Where's Severus?"
"Erm . . . Sirius said that he was afraid that we'd eat him."
"Oh, Lord . . ." He nudged the little boy gently. "Sirius, where's Severus?"
"I don't know," came the sleepy reply.
"SIRIUS."
"Moony, go away and stop being weird."
Ron snorted. "My thoughts exactly . . ." His smile faded when their beloved Professor Lupin shot him a deadly glare.
"Sirius, I *need* to know where Severus is."
"Maybe he's havin' a bath," Sirius mumbled. "No wait . . . *I* wouldn't even want a bath. Why would Sevie? He's greasy-"
"Sirius." Remus cut him off.
"He left."
"Left?"
"Yeah. He was scared that the big kids would pee on him."
Ron and Harry stifled their laughter. Hermione looked horrified.
"Sirius, where would Severus get an idea like that?" Remus asked, lowering his head to be face-to-face with his childhood friend.
Sirius cracked a tired grin. "Me."
Another glass broke. Oops.
"You?"
"Me."
"And . . . you think this is okay?"
"It is okay. You're Moony."
"And you don't feel the least bit bad that Severus is truly frightened right now?"
"Uh uh."
"Sirius?"
"What do you want now, Moony? I'm tired."
"It's not okay."
***
Severus was lost. After leaving the Great Hall, he'd gone up a series of staircases (one of them moved!), through a few doors, down a lot of hallways . . .
The portraits kept talking to him. He had reached one of a rotund woman that he found comforting. She was nice.
"Do you know the password, dear?" she asked kindly. He shook his head. "Well, why don't you just sit and rest? You look right tired." Severus did just that. Maybe Remie would find him in the morning.
***
*hugs the reviewers* 33