~Chapter Thirteen~
"I think you just scared him is all," Damien said as he and Harry made their way up the stairs.
"Sometimes I wonder if dad would have been better off without me," Harry said. Damien shook his head as they continued up.
"Nah, don't get me wrong, Sev is like my pop too, but if he didn't have you he'd be like ten times meaner to everyone," stated Damien as they reached another set of stairs.
"I wonder what father put dad through to make him so bitter," Harry said, suddenly a large jolt caused them both to grip the railing tightly as they watched the stairs swing around.
"What's going on?!" Demanded Damien.
"The stairs move remember," Harry said grimacing as they finally halted, Damien looked at Harry and hurried up to the landing.
"Let's get off them before they move again," Damien said as Harry quickly joined him on the landing, they pushed through the door and suddenly looked around. They were in a very dimly lit hallway, which was very creepy looking.
"I don't think we're supposed to be here Dame," explained Harry.
"That's because this is the third floor corridor, the area we're not supposed to be in…remember," Damien said as they walked towards a door to see if they could get out of there.
"I know you're in here," called Filch, the caretaker at Hogwarts. Damien muttered a curse word under his breath then quickly unlocked the door with a spell and they slipped inside.
"I think we're safe for a few minutes," whispered Harry as the two boys stood behind the door panting.
"Harry…do you hear that?" Damien suddenly asked, hearing a slight growl, Harry looked over his shoulder and gasped, jumping. There in front of them was a three headed dog, which was no growling at them. Damien raced to open the door, not caring about Filch anymore. Harry quickly followed behind him as they ran out the door, slamming it behind and running all the way to the common room.
"I don't thin… I don't think I want to ever see that….again in my life," Harry gasped as he dropped to a knee and gasped for air. Damien collapsed to the floor next to his best friend and smiled.
"That thing had three heads, I mean damn!" Damien stated.
"Who on earth would want to keep something that horrid around as that!?" Harry said as he looked at Damien.
"I think it was guarding something," Damien stated, causing Harry to look at him in confusion.
"Why do you think that?"
"Would you believe intuition?"
"No Damien, I wouldn't, because I know you, and you don't have any intuition," stated Harry smiling.
"I saw it standing on top of a door, at least what I think is a door, whatever they're hiding has to be important."
"Either that or the person's crazy," Harry stated.
"Should we go ask your dad?" Harry looked at Damien with a 'are you crazy' look.
"Okay, fine we won't tell him."
"No, we won't. At least not yet; not until I figure out what is going on in this school," Harry said as he helped Damien off the floor.
"Hey guys, where have you been? The Halloween feast is about to begin," explained Ron.
"Where's Hermione?" asked Damien, noticing the bossy girl he had taken a minor liking to wasn't around.
"No idea, I heard she'd been crying in the girl's bathroom all day," explained Ron.
"Probably because you had to be such an arse and make fun of her, I realize you don't like her Ron, but do try and be nice to her. Just because you two don't get along doesn't mean no one else likes her," Harry stated looking at her.
"Nothing we can do about it now, let's go to the feast, then Harry and I will talk to her," explained Damien, with a nod the three boys headed down to the dinner. Dinner seemed to be very festive, all the Ghosts were talking with students at their tables, the teachers were talking amongst themselves, although Harry noticed his father nor Professor Quirrell were at the table yet.
"Harry, where do you think Snape and Quirrell are?" Damien said looking up at the table, as if on cue, Snape slowly walked into the room, and sat down at his normal spot, he looked tired and flustered but other than that Harry didn't seem to see anything wrong with him at all.
"How's you're arm Neville?" Harry heard Ron asking Neville.
"Good, Madame Pomfrey fixed it up in a jiff," explained Neville. Harry watched the younger man. While many students seemed to talk of being on brooms before their first year, Harry noticed Neville had indeed explained his grandmother had never allowed him near one. Harry suddenly understood why, in a matter of two days at Hogwarts, Neville had seen Madame Pomfrey more than seven times, and they had only had about five classes. Harry was sure that Neville was shooting for some type of record.
Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and Professor Quirrell, turban and all shoved through the doors, running as fast as he could, terror written all over his face. Harry looked up, as well as every other student and watched him come to a halt just in front of the stairs leading to the head of the table, "TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" Quirrell screamed all the way to this point.
"Thought you ought to know," with that the skinny man fainted, Harry watched the man, as he heard everyone begin to panic, and for some reason, Harry couldn't find it in himself to worry much.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore's loud voice filled the room and everyone froze in spot, and watched the old wizard.
"Prefects, you will lead your students back to their dorms, teachers will follow me to the Dungeons," explained Dumbledore, and suddenly Harry realized his father was gone again.
"Hermione!" Damien suddenly yelled, Harry looked at his best friend and realized what the younger man was saying, Hermione was in the girl's bathroom, and while the troll was no where near the girl's bathroom, he could very well get there quickly.
"Wait, I'm coming too," Ron said looking at them.
"All right let's go," Harry said groaning, he didn't know who he found more annoying, Ron or Hermione.
While everyone else headed upstairs or downstairs to their dorms, Harry, Damien and Ron headed towards the girls' bathrooms. Unfortunately the troll had beat them to it. The troll was large, and had a bit of a pointed head, Harry couldn't help but groan as he remembered his father's word about mountain trolls. "Their dumber than a rock, and unfortunately meaner than one too," Harry hadn't known what his father had meant by this at first, although by the way the troll was crashing around, Harry was quickly getting the idea.
"You guys distract him, and get Hermione the heck out of there," Harry stated.
"Wingardium Levosia," yelled Damien as he began to levitate the club above the trolls' head, while Harry began picking things up and throwing them at the troll.
"Hermione, come here," Ron called reaching for her.
"Ron look out!" screamed Harry from where he now sat on top of the troll's head pulling at his ears.
Ron looked up and ducked under a sink near Hermione just as part of the door to one of the stalls hit the ground where Ron had been.
"Wow, that was close!" Ron yelled.
"Harry, get off of him," yelled Hermione as the club got closer to Harry's head, unfortunately the troll grabbed Harry by the leg and was dangling him just over the floor.
"Do something, and do it quick!" Harry yelled as the troll shook him.
"Almost there partner!" yelled Damien, he let the spell go and watched the troll's club whack him in the head. Harry fell to the ground, hitting his shoulders and neck, groaning in pain.
"Get out of there Harry!" Yelled Ron as the troll began to falter, and finally fall, Damien reached out and yanked Harry, who was half unconscious, into his lap and got far away from the troll.
"What on earth!" Minerva's voice came blasting over the silence, Damien, Hermione, Ron and an out of it Harry looked up at them.
"What is going on here!?" Demanded McGonagall, as Severus came over to Harry and slowly helped him up.
"Are you all alright?" Severus asked. Harry looked down at Damien and smiled softly.
"Thanks for that," whispered Harry as he rubbed his neck.
"You're welcome, now what the hell happened."
"I'm sorry Professor, it was my idea, I wanted to try and defeat the troll," explained Hermione, surprising all of the guys. Severus looked at her and didn't really believe her, "Harry, Damien and Ron came to my rescue."
"You should all consider yourselves lucky, not many first years could take on a full grown mountain troll and manage to survive it. Twenty points from Gryffindor, Ms. Granger," Hermione grimaced, and Minerva looked at the other three.
"And twenty points awarded to each of you…for dumb luck," she stated and then marched away, Severus looked at Harry then at Damien, "you two my dungeon now, you two back to the Gryffindor Tower, and you best be good, because if you slip up on more time, I'll have you both expelled, Miss Granger five more points for lying to Professor McGonagall, I'd expect better from you. Mr. Weasley, five points lost for putting Miss Granger in danger, and for treating her badly, friends are there to back you up, and you wouldn't be here without these three. Damien, fifteen points for saving Harry's life, Ron's life and Hermione's, and Harry, well, we shall discuss this further later," the two boys nodded as did Hermione.
"Weasley, Miss Granger, would you please return to the Gryffindor tower, I think I'm going to keep these two with me tonight," with a final nod the other two headed out of the bathroom. Severus, no longer supporting his son walked the two boys out of the bathroom and headed downstairs to Severus' private chambers.
"Harry, no more risks, do I make myself clear, it's bad enough you got rewarded for riding your broom when you were not allowed."
"Dad, you're not being fair!"
"Harry, it's not about being fair, listen to me okay, just for a moment, listen to what I'm actually saying. I love you, you're the only son I have, and possibly the only one I'll ever have, I have no intentions of losing you, or allowing harm to come to you."
"You're not going to lose me dad,"
"Harry listen, nobody knows whether tomorrow we have another day on this earth, and I don't want tomorrow to be your last day if it has to. Please understand me when I say this: I don't want to have to watch you die, so many people rely on you, and count on you to…save the world, if you will. I rely on you Harry, more than anyone, I can't live without you."
"I know dad, and I…I'm sorry," Harry whispered hugging his father tightly. Severus looked over at Damien…his son. He hadn't told the boy yet, and wasn't sure he really wanted to just yet, it's not that he didn't want to claim the child as his, but he wasn't sure Damien was prepared to hear it just yet.
"Damien, you've become my son over these past few years, and you're just as important to me as Harry is. I can't lose either of you, and I know for a fact that your mother would be in an uproar if she knew about this…" Damien looked down at the floor.
"Which is why…I'm not telling her, be good both of you," stated Severus looking at them.
"We will be," Harry whispered. Severus nodded and placed a kiss on both their heads.
"Go get some rest, you'll stay in your chambers down here tonight," the boys both nodded and headed towards their room which they shared together. Severus sighed and walked into his own bedroom, ready without a doubt to sleep forever.
A/N: Sorry this has taken so very long, I'm way behind on some things, I didn't get a chance to beta this real well, sorry about that. The next one will be betaed, thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I will answer all reviews in the next chapter, and thanks for sticking around for so long!