(Never Done This Before, But: ) This Chapter is dedicated to the memory of Willow, who passed away on the first of June after 10 years of life as our family dog (rottweiler).
Chapter 23. About time, right? Sorry about that. And the cliffhanger. I was going to keep writing, but it was June. Everybody must know what happens in June. (Finals, End of Term Projects, The End of School!!!) Then I was too lazy to sit down and write. Anyways, without further rambling, here's the chapter:
"Vitesse Where Art Thou?"
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
The Three Broomsticks was crowded that night. Christmas day, everyone celebrating with their family. Made perfect sense for it to be crowded. So it was an extremely good thing that the inside of the restaurant was magically enlarged.
Harry glanced around the crowded room. "Nice place."
Severus Snape nodded from across the table. "Yea. Usually students don't visit here until their third year. Unless they live in the neighborhood, or have apparating parents."
Harry nodded back. He glanced to his left, out a window in the front of the building.
"Well, I know we aren't here to discuss the Three Broomsticks. Today is Christmas. What did you get for gifts?"
The boy ticked them off on his fingers. All four. "A cloak from Draco; a book from Vanella; some socks from Dumbledore, and of course, you know what you gave me."
The tall man stared. "Yes, I do."
A waitress came over and took their orders: two mugs of Butterbeer and two hamburgers. An almost-Muggle meal.
"What do you have to say about my gift?" Severus asked once the short, pudgy waitress left.
Harry sat up and shifted uncomfortably. "It was… a surprise, I'll give you that."
The little round waitress came back again and set down their mugs, then left.
"A good surprise or a bad surprise," Snape said, taking a slow drink.
"I'm really not sure. I mean, it's a wonderful thing, and I want it very badly, but I just don't understand if I want it.
I'm not making sense am I?"
Severus shook his head with a humorless smirk. "None at all."
Harry nodded. "Yea, that's what I thought." He took a deep breath and began. "I just don't feel that I know you well enough for you to become my father. I was thinking, and I thought that maybe you could be my legal guardian without actually adopting me, like, if you were assigned to watch over me, then once I know you, and love you like a real father… then you can adopt me."
Severus, with tilted head, still stared. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and lifted his head. "Well, I'm not sure if it's possible, but I can try it with Dumbledore." The tall man shrugged. "It's a good idea. And if that's what you want, I'm all for it. It may not seem like it when I teach, but I do have a heart."
Harry laughed.
The waitress came back with their food, and they ate dinner and returned to the castle, completely immersed in small talk.
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
The night before vacation ended and school began again, Vitesse the Cobra slithered quietly around the school, cloaked and hidden by heavy darkness. Something was strange about this night, but what? The snake couldn't put her tongue on it, but something was most definitely off. She knew by simple deduction that Voldemort would not give up with Quirrell dead. That he would try again from inside another person.
She also assumed that tonight would be the last time to try to discover who that person was, because Lord Voldemort was not stupid, and would probably lay low for a safe amount of time.
She turned a corner and stopped short. Someone was standing in the shadows, talking to himself. But that's not the strange part; people talk to themselves all the time. What was strange was that himself was talking back.
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
Harry hurried through the dressing ritual and practically ran into the common room. The person he was searching for, Vanella, was reclining in a lounge chair in front of a fire with a book.
"Merry Christmas," she said at his approach.
"Yea, yea, merry Christmas, welcome back." He stopped in front of her. "Have you seen Vitesse this morning?"
She shook her head slowly. "No…" she said, dragging out the 'o' to emphasize her point. "Is she missing?"
"She's not here. She's almost always here."
"Almost, Harry? How do you know today's just one of those days that she's out hunting mice with Filch's cat?"
Harry pursed his lips and shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think so, but fine. If she's not back by dinner, do I have permission to worry?"
She smiled. "Permission to worry granted if Vitesse is not back by dinner," she stated, in a mock-army sort of way. She closed her book and put it in her book-bag with her schoolbooks.
They left for breakfast together, mentally preparing for double-Potions with the Gryffindors.
In the Great Hall, Draco was, as usual, complaining: "First day back and already a double class with the Gryffindors! Do the teachers live to torture us?"
Harry cleared his throat after a bite of toast. "Technically, Draco, it's more like the teachers are torturing the Gryffindors. You do, after all, give them hell for existing."
Draco wolf-smiled. "But still."
A half-hour and a few scrambled eggs later, Harry, Vanella, and Draco were headed to Potions, trailed by Crabbe and Goyle, the goons.
Ron and Hermione were the only ones there before them, and Snape was clearly unhappy with that arrangement.
Harry laughed silently at the look on his professor's face. The five Slytherins took their seats.
The other students trickled in slowly before class began. Eventually Snape stood and began the class, instructing everyone to open their books to the instructions for today's potion, the Headache Elixir, a fairly uncomplicated potion consisting of many mashed herbs and assorted ingredients.
"Now, I want you all to get the ingredients listed on the page in front of you from the storage cabinets in the back. The supplies are all listed alphabetically so there should be no trouble finding things unless you idiots don't know your alphabet. And, only one person out of every duo should be retrieving the supplies to avoid a crowd."
Snape smoothly glided to the back of the room and unlocked the storage cabinets, allowing the students to get their necessities.
Harry looked over the instructions for the potion while Vanella walked to the back with her list to get what they needed.
They all worked on the elixir for the rest of the class period, Snape pacing through the room, looking over everyone's shoulders and scrutinizing the potions. No potions or cauldrons blew up, so it was considered a good class. Snape didn't get much of a chance to pick on Gryffindors because they, with the exception of Neville Longbottom, mostly did it right.
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
The rest of the day went smoothly as well, no curious-acting teachers or students prowling the school. Of course, this was the first day back from Christmas vacation, so most of the teachers and students were busy getting back into the gist of things, assigning/grading or doing homework and assignments.
Harry slumped to the Slytherin dinner table in a foul mood. "Vitesse is still missing. I checked my dorm room and she wasn't there. She's usually sleeping there if she's been out during the day. You know she's not allowed to be seen by other students."
Vanella shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine."
"Good, 'cause I'm not."
"I'm sorry."
Then Draco came over, and word of the snake was over. He was complaining about some extra assignment that McGonagall had given him for acting out in her class.
"That woman. Who does she think she is—"
"Your professor, Draco," Vanella said.
He shot her a look. "—giving me an extra assignment like that! I would rather have detention!"
Vanella rolled her eyes.
Harry stifled laughter. "You deserved it. Most professors would behave much less sensibly had you charmed their clothes to be covered in their rivalry house emblem. Imagine what Snape would do if a Gryffindor charmed him into red and gold robes with lions all over it?"
Vanella added, "Especially if the lions were alive. Good thing McGonagall knows how to handle snakes."
Harry nodded. "Yes, very."
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
The next morning Vitesse was still not back. A few days later she was still missing. Then the days turned to weeks and the weeks into a month. The value of Harry's schoolwork decreased incredibly as worry took over his mind completely. After flunking a few assignments, Headmaster Dumbledore requested audience with him.
"Sir?" Harry asked cautiously, entering the office.
Dumbledore looked up at him from his position at the desk. "Ah, Harry," he said, smiling. There was no twinkle in the old man's eye.
"Professor," Harry said, nodding a greeting.
"Please sit, Harry. Lemon drop?" the Headmaster asked, offering a platter to the first year.
Harry took one hesitantly and waited for Dumbledore to cut to the point.
Dumbledore set the platter on the desk and looked at Harry. "It's come to my attention that your concentration in class has declined, as well as your work ethic and work quality. And you haven't been talking to Severus. He doesn't like that."
Harry nodded solemnly, waiting for the Headmaster to go on.
"Now, I know you are a bright boy, and a good student, so the only explanation I can come up with is that there is something else on your mind. It worries me to see this happening to you now, when the quality of your work is so important to passing your classes for the year. Your final exams are only a couple months away."
Harry nodded.
"Do you want to tell me what's on your mind, Harry?"
Harry opened his mouth and hesitated. "Er…well, sir, Vitesse is missing."
The Headmaster's ancient features became troubled. "Vitesse, your snake?"
Harry nodded again.
Dumbledore frowned. "That's what has you so upset?"
"Yes, sir."
Albus furrowed his white brows. "You have no idea where she is?"
"If I did I wouldn't be so worried, now would I?"
The Headmaster dismissed the sarcasm given the circumstances. "I'm sure she'll turn up, Harry."
"I'm not."
"She could not have left the castle without being seen."
"You're positive about that, sir?"
"Yes."
Harry made a 'hmm' noise and glanced around. "I doubt she's as stupid as you seem to think, sir."
"I never said she was stupid."
"You don't think she's figured a way out of the school yet? Do you realize how easy it would be for a snake to slither out the door when someone leaves the school to go throw snowballs around? Do you realize how easy it would be for her to freeze in this weather because she could not manage to get back into the school?"
"Harry, I—"
"No, Headmaster. I'm afraid she's dead, and the only thing that will change that is if she all of the sudden turns up."
"Harry—"
"And I doubt she will, because she would not have disappeared for a month without coming and making contact with me even once. She's not like that. She cares about me just as I care about her."
"Harry, I—"
"And—""HARRY!"
Harry quieted.
"I understand how you feel. There's a bond between a Parseltongue and his snake, and this causes you to care about her quite a bit. But you should have come to me sooner. There are ways that I can find her. I am, after all, a wizard. Just as you are. Apparently you have not stumbled across a few spells that I figured you must know."
Harry stayed silent.
"Have you tried the Summoning Spell, Harry?"
Harry furrowed his brows in thought, then shook his head slowly.
"What about the Locating Spell?"
Harry bit his lip and shook his head again.
"Can I ask why you didn't come to a teacher sooner?"
"I didn't think of it, sir," he said meekly, "I was too preoccupied, I guess."Albus nodded, "I figured as much."
After a pause, he continued, "Now, the Summoning Spell might not be very fun for her, because we don't know where she is and how much of a ride it would be, and she can't go through walls or doors. The Locating Spell requires a lot of movement, because we have to follow a stream of smoke that would lead us to her, and we don't know exactly where she is, once again."
"I suggest the Locating Spell. I would rather walk a lot than have her hurt."
Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "Of course."
The old man took out his wand and flicked his wrist, whispering the Locating Spell, "Invenimus Vitesse."
The wand vibrated roughly and a stream of silvery smoke shot out of it weaving out of the office and down the stairs.
They followed the smoke around the castle until it finally stopped at a door. Harry looked hesitantly at it anxiously, watching Dumbledore out of the corner of his eye. Professor Dumbledore sighed.
"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," he said, frowning.
Harry didn't know what this meant, but he figured that if the Headmaster was reluctant to go through a door there must be something terrible on the other side.
With an unenthusiastic hand, Albus pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside, holding the door open for Harry to follow.
Harry stepped in cautiously, not really knowing what to expect. Moaning Myrtle's bathroom? Who is Moaning Myrtle?
The silver stream of light curved into one of the stalls. Harry stepped up to the door of the stall and opened the door. He recoiled at the sight of a female ghost sitting on the toilet and crying quietly. She looked up at Harry and wailed.
"What are you doing in here? You're a BOY! A BOY!"
Harry looked questioningly at Dumbledore, but the Headmaster was frowning in a sad, somewhat pathetic way.
Harry turned back to the crying ghost with the pigtails. She didn't look to be old, like the other ghosts of the castle, but she was older than him. "Er… I'm just looking for my snake," he muttered.
She squinted at him, squeaking with refrained tears. "What did you say?"
Harry repeated himself, louder.
She nodded with a sad look in her eyes. "There's a snake behind my toilet. It doesn't look to good." She hiccuped.
Harry rushed through her, causing her to start crying again and wail something about being so unimportant people just walked through her, but Harry wasn't listening to her. He was looking at Vitesse, curled up behind the toilet.
He picked her up and brought her out of the stall, bringing her to Dumbledore to examine. "She's not dead," Harry said. "I think she's stunned or paralyzed."
"Vitesse?" Harry asked in Parseltongue.
"Harry?" was the weak reply.
"You're alive!"
"Gee, what gave it away?"
Harry ignored the comment and grinned. "Oh, thank gods."
"She's in a full-body bind. She couldn't move to get back to you. I don't think whoever did this to her expected her to live."
"I don't either."
"Finite incantem."
Vitesse began to move in Harry's arms. "I'm hungry, Harry."
"I know."
Dumbledore dismissed Harry with a smile and a "work on your grades, Harry", bid farewell to Moaning Myrtle, who let out a high-pitched wail and dove into the toilet, and left the bathroom for his office.
Harry carried Vitesse back to the common room, deciding against going to his afternoon classes.
He spent the rest of the day recuperating her, feeding her back to full health, afraid of the aftermath of her foodless month.
'squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line, star, squigly line'
Author's Note: Sorry about the wait. Beginning of summer: laziness and everything. I tried to make up for it with a long chapter, but my attempts may have failed. I would've had the chapter up last night, but there were some computer problems. Anyways, there's one translation and fourteen reviews. I was told by a not-quite-reliable source that Cobras can go for a month without food, so I'm not sure if these happenings are plausible in reality. I do not know, but that's the way it is here. If Cobras cannot really go for a month without food, apparently Vitesse is a supernatural snake.
The site still will not accept my stars and squiggly lines, so once again it's typed out. Copy and Paste is really a miraculous achievement.
I'm working on writing this story a little quicker, now. When I first started it I vowed that the number of hits I got on it would never exceed the number of words, and now it has by two thousand. This chapter brings me up one grand, but I'm working a little harder now...
Anyway, moving on…
Translation:
"Invenimus": '(you, pl.) Find'Review Answers:
starangel2106: Sorry about the wait. I got lazy. Wicked lazy, more accurately. But chapter 24 won't be long because it's already mostly done. It may be a little short, though, unfortunately. Thanks.
shirriez: Ah, another sorry about the wait. Thank you. The mystery of the wool socks will be solved later, I promise. As for Voldemort's possession, good question. After careful deliberation I chose a good host. I think it will be a nice surprise. Anyways, I love Dumbledore, he's hilarious. And thanks, again.
Kayla Summers: Heh, how was that for an answer?
Prophetess of Hearts: Thanks!
Itty bitty evil kitty of doom: Sorry for the wait, but I updated eventually… that's got to earn some bonus points, right?
BlackSparrow: Isn't he though? It's great, a contrast to his usual dark and brooding self.
Mikee: I don't know about the system, but my stats and my e-mail account didn't say you reviewed chapter 22. I think the site's a bit hyperactive sometimes. Anyhow, I figured the socks and the book were good gifts, and they make some sense, too, which is always a good bonus. And of course, the adoption papers. I think Harry's making the right choice, holding back the adoption for awhile. How would he feel if he was adopted then hated his parent? I know that wouldn't happen to him, but it has to be sensible. Heh, I now understand how hard it is to type with your fingers crossed. An interesting revelation, really. You can't do it the normal home-key way. Anyways, thanks for reviewing.
Starlight Dreams: Yea, you're not the only one it wouldn't let review chapter 22. The system was being weird, I guess. I had exams and such also, that's why the chapter's so late. Sorry about that. I figured the adoption papers would be a nice added surprise. Anyways, thanks for the review.
Natara: Yes, Snape seems to be on a roll here. About the possession… hmm… simple deductive means should give it away. It could be Vanella, but it would also make Harry's relationship with her in the future a bit strange. It could be Dumbledore, but he's such a powerful wizard that I might not be able to stop him if he gets up to the Mirror of Erised. Of course, McGonagall is a fair choice, although she seems a little too strong-willed to be the victim of possession. So who is left that is a good choice? Everyone in the castle is possible, but which person is more likely to bend to Voldemort's will of hurting people? Ah, well… I think I made the right choice…. Anyways, thanks for the review!
HaliJade Snape: Ah…. Thank you! I don't think anyone's ever said that. Flattering, if I do say so myself. Anyway, moving on to the title…. I'm not sure what it's going to be. I might just leave it the way it is, even if it doesn't make much sense. Yours are good, also, though, and I think I'll need to dwell on it. Oh, well…. Thanks for the compliments, and the review!
Hermione88220: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry about the cliffhanger! And the wait for this chapter! Like I said, end of term exams and such. Then laziness. That was my fault, but I'm sorry. And the titles… I'm still at a minor difficulty. Not quite sure what to do about the title. Giant Monkeys? I suppose some brothers can fit into that category. I have a few. Not sure where the marshmallows fit into that, though. Anyways…Thanks, and I think Harry made a good choice. Voldemort's choice of possessed body… I guess we'll all just have to wait for that, won't we? Snape? That would be an interesting turn of events… Have a great day, too!
Hakkai-Gojyo-Goku-Sanzo: Harry's answer wasn't exactly a yes, but close enough… Anyhow, sorry about the wait and thanks for the review!
athenakitty: No, Snape's not surprised. He knew. I do save it as a web page now, if I'm on a computer that can. The site was just not being right when I uploaded the last chapter and some non-word characters and such weren't working. It even said so at the home page, I think. Anyway, yes, Harry's accepting the adoption… sort of. Will some random person get what Dursley? Thanks for the review, sorry about the update lapse.
Damon Rhodes: Thanks! And yea, I think it takes a whole lot of willpower to sit and begin a new chapter. That's why if I lapse even a few days, it usually goes on quite a long time, which I'm sorry about. The titles are good, and I'm thinking about it. I still just don't know what to do. Oh, well. Thanks for the review!
Ah… there we go. I think that's all of them. Anyways, sorry again about the wait for this chapter. The next one is almost done so it shouldn't be too long before it's updated. It's called "Valentines Day".
Oh well… Until next time!