Just as Harry was about to think further about his plan of escape, his train of thought was abruptly derailed by the loud wail of the smoke alarm.
"For Chris'sakes Mum, let Harry do my breakfast!" bellowed Dudley, trying to get over the duet of rock band versus the klaxon.
Harry looked up half-interested at the ceiling, but remained rigidly backed against the wall. Like before his dark thoughts descended down again to drown out the noise.
His heart rate increased with excitement at his earlier thought. Of course he could run away! Escape into the Muggle world where no one knew him or what he'd done, or recognise his new family resemblance as a negative.
His mind finally set on a plan of action, Harry stood up and began to move toward his room to gather some things together. He felt quite shaky and weak – not having had any food since yesterday lunchtime.
He was a few feet from his bedroom door before there was a loud "Crack- BANG!" close by. Instinctively Harry dived to the floor.
"There ain't no sense in feeling lonely, they got no faith in you, But I got a feeling you still owe me so wipe the shit from your shoes,"
It was a few seconds before he realised he could only hear Oasis again. He gazed upwards, and his eye was immediately drawn to a black patch on the ceiling where the smoke alarm used to be...
His heart in his throat Harry leapt to his feet to find a rather pale- looking Snape glaring at him from the top of the stairs.
Snape narrowed his eyes still more and hissed, "What do you think you are playing at setting those contraptions off?"
Harry opened his mouth to retort, but shut it again and trembled slightly. It was too much. He couldn't cope with what this man meant to him anymore.
Snape was expecting a retort, but instead watched with some surprise as the teen seemed to quiver before leaping inside his room and slamming the door. He sneered; Fearless Gryffindor, maybe not.
"Potter, it is the Headmaster's Order that I remove you from this house today," called Snape over the music, "so I suggest it would be wise to stop acting like the brat you are and pack immediately!"
"I think I've got a feeling I've lost inside I think I'm gonna take me away and hide,"
No reply. Snape muttered a few swearwords under his breath.
"I'm thinking things that I just can't abide,"
"Potter?"
Damn the impossible brat. Muttering a few more bitter words, Snape pulled out his wand, strode to the closed bedroom door and flung it open to reveal a bare room - and no Potter.
His initial thought was to check the window, but that was soon dismissed as flinging back the faded old curtains revealed a set of bars criss-crossing them. Scowling, Snape swept round to face the wardrobe. He flung open the doors - to reveal nothing.
Creak...
Snape turned to see the bedroom door open of its own accord. He cursed – of course the damned boy had an Invisibility cloak!
"Potter!" he roared. The door slammed, and there was a sound of sliding bolts and the thud of scrambling feet. Snape leapt to the door, and unlocked it swiftly with a charm, but once in the hallway again he was unsure of which way to turn.
"You gotta roll with it, You gotta take your time, You gotta say what you say, Don't let anybody get in your way, 'Cause it's all too much for me to tzzzzk!"
With one moody flick of his wand Snape had cast a silencing charm on Dudley's room. Harry suddenly became acutely aware of his breathing, and watched on nervously from the corner of the hallway. He pressed his back further into the wall as the dark gaze swept over him, and back again, and over him again.
Harry shook his head - why was he so terrified of Snape? He could handle him, yet here he was falling apart like some twelve year old Neville Longbottom – and it was utterly, utterly stupid!
"I know you are still in the hallway. Don't think you can hide from me..."
Snape continued to stand there frowning, yet seemingly at a slight loss of what to do. Harry shuddered as he watched the man's sharp features pinching together in a deeper scowl. Merlin – how much it now reminded him of his own face pulling in the mirror the night before!
"I am going to be extremely generous and give you five seconds to show yourself, Potter," hissed Snape. "After that, I will resort to...other means to...get you...
"One..."
Harry swallowed. He had to escape, even though he was wandless and without his broom – if he was lucky he might be able to return for them at a later stage. He pressed his back against the wall, and began to slide toward the stairs.
"Two..."
Harry was two foot nearer the stairs now, but so was Snape, who was also moving slowly forward, his wand slightly raised. Glowering. Dangerous.
"Three..."
As Harry moved closer to escape he glanced back and saw the man bare his teeth slightly. He felt a prickle run down his back; had he been located?
"Four..."
Only when he had reached the top of the stairs did Harry notice Snape's eyes were now trailing his feet, and realised with absolute horror – of course he would be making foot impressions in the carpet...
At Snape's cry of five two things happened simultaneously: Harry panicked and leapt kamikaze style down the stairs, while his professor aimed his wand and bellowed out a spell.
"MURUS SOLIDUS!"
Bang! Harry groaned and swore as he felt his body come into contact with what seemed like an invisible wall halfway down the stairs.
Before he had even found his senses enough to get up, Harry sensed the hallway turn very dark. Harry opened his eyes to find that a wall of black robes was blocking half the light out.
Snape was leaning over him, a nasty gleam in his eye...
"Taking yet another foolish risk. How Gryffindor of you," he sneered pitilessly. "A shame that tragic reality hasn't changed."
"My mum was in Gryffindor," quavered back Harry's voice from beneath the cloak. "At least THAT hasn't changed."
Snape's eyes narrowed. Taking care to keep the wand pointing at the boy, he brought his other hand forward. Finding a handful of material he pulled hard to reveal the teenager beneath.
Harry shivered as Snape's nose came closer to his own. He was cornered, wandless, despised; alone.
"Indeed. All that's happened is that you have exchanged one cocksure idiot father for another," said Snape, his eyes gleaming oddly. "But now you have lost her green eyes you bear no resemblance to her - at all."
Harry watched as his dark "uncle's" lip curled in mockery. "You will never be half the person she was."