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Chapter 31
Severus stormed into the room and the class was silent as he past Harry he dropped a note on the desk, Harry snatched before anyone could see it and turned his attention back to his father.
"Today we will be making an all purpose dissolving fluid it is not too taxing but don't get it on you as it will eat through your clothing and your skin. It is used as a cleaning fluid as it only works on organic substances and so can be used to clean statues and buildings without damaging them…." The lecture continued for half an hour until the ingredients list appeared on the board and he barked at them to get on with it. Whilst Hermione was gathering the ingredients Harry read the note.
Harry,
The Headmaster just caught me you newest victim I mean experiment I mean shrink err counsellor will be arriving after classes please make your self available. I must say as a member of staff that I am disappointed in you for accepting the challenge Outkast gave you. As you father I bet her 10 galleons this one wouldn't last more then half an hour. Don't make me have to pay out.
SS
Harry smirked and handed the noted to Hermione she rolled her eyes and got to work on the potion. Half way through the session Hermione approached Snape's desk a few words were exchanged and she came back looking infinitely pleased with herself but when Harry and Ron asked she refused to say what it was about. Harry sighed and carried on chopping up his dried nettle leaves. Harry glanced over to Ron and Neville's cauldron and gasped he grabbed Neville's arm to stop him adding the Aqua fortis he shook his head and indicated to the desiccated Flobberworm. Neville nodded his thanks and Harry went back to his own work
"Sir Potty I mean Potter is helping Longbottom" Pansy Parkinson smiled sweetly but didn't lower her hand, Harry didn't even look up he simply threw the knife he was using to chop his leaves and it flew straight through her robe pinning her arm to a cabinet above her head.
"Wow remind me not to get on the wrong side of you if your aims that good" Ron said quietly
"I missed" snarled Harry
"MR POTTER!" Snape while inwardly highly impressed with the shot he had to keep up appearances. But he didn't finish his sentence Pansy (with the help of Blaise and Draco) had got her arm free and threw the knife back her aim was terrible and it landed in Harry's and Hermione's potion. Harry turned covering Hermione with his body as the potion splashed violently Harry turned back to see the potion reacting with the metal and cast a shield spell round it just as it exploded. He felt the warmth as is started to melt through his robes. Harry quickly pulled the robe off, but wasn't fast enough it had already eaten it's way through the clothes and was on his skin he bit his tongue to prevent him from crying out in pain Hermione shrieked and went to launch a dousing spell on Harry before Snape stopped her he push Harry roughly to the floor face down and poured a counter potion all over his back, it made a hissing sounds as it worked. He released Harry who got to his feet breathing heavily. Snape disappeared into the stores and returned with another potion he handed it to Harry
"Drink this Mr. Potter it will neutralise any of it left in your system. Be warned you may find it has… interesting side effects" Harry looked questioningly
"What side effects Sir?"
"Unfortunately they are very per specific now drink it unless you want to end up like your robe" Harry glanced down at the melted pile of black goo that was his robe and cringed. He downed the formula in one and sat on his stool. Ron obligingly took off his outer robe and offered it to Harry seeing as Harry's shirt was in only a marginally better condition then his robe. Harry nodded his thanks and slipped it on. Snape turned is attention to the Slytherin girl
"You stupid little girl what if he hadn't managed to shield the potion you would all be in the hospital wing! Never have I seen a more stupid stunt performed…" he was in full rant and didn't notice Harry sitting on his stall swaying from side to side, his movements were almost snake like, he started making hissing sounds, not parseltongue but a close approximation. Snape spun back, Ron and Hermione were on his left as Harry swayed, Harry looked and Snape and giggle
"BING!" he shouted and turned into a multicoloured Cobra still swaying on the chair. Severus looked at it and gulped, several students that weren't aware of Harry's animagus form gasped. Ron cringed he hated spiders but wasn't keen on snakes either, even if it was his best friend… and looked like something he saw one time when Fred and George slipped something in his drink they got from a muggle friend. Hermione was the first to recover, she lowered her arm to the snake and Harry gratefully slithered up it resting his head on her shoulder. Hermione smiled and stroked it, then giggled as his tongue touched her neck. Ron was puce with suppressed rage ok they hadn't told Harry they were dating but he didn't like the way she responded. Hermione noticed his expression and rolled her eyes
"Oh honestly Ron." She snapped and then pulled Harry's head so she could look him in the eye
"That pillock's jealous" she said to the snake Harry slithered down her other arm along the edge of the desk and up Ron's. Ron went white he wasn't keen on having a poisonous snake under the influence of a potion on his arm he took some deep breaths,
"I'm sorry Hermione, err Sir err someone get him off!" he said getting more panicked but he didn't give anyone the chance to reacted he pulled Harry off him and dropped him on the floor. Harry was stunned for less then a second and the swirling colours went slightly bluer and then he was off
"CLOSE THE …" Snape was going to say 'door' but it was too late Harry had left the classroom. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long day.
"Mr. Weasley 10 points from Gryffindor for your show of cowardice, now go get the headmaster. Miss Granger as much as it pains me to say it we are going to need…"
"Outkast" she finished for him and was out the door in a flurry of fabric. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose
"All those that have finished put your potions in a bottle at the front and then go and find a multicoloured cobra that is …somewhere in Hogwarts, preferably before it bites someone" there was a bustle of movement and several potions appeared on the desk, Neville bottled some of Harry's and Hermione's as well. Everyone had almost finished and were packing up before Snape spoke again
"Oh and Miss Parkinson, 30 points from Slytherin for a stupid action and you have a weeks detention with Filch not get out of my sight" She nodded and left thankful that she still had all her limbs. Thirty seconds later Hermione came in with Outkast, Severus looked at them
"Did Miss Granger tell you happened?"
"Yup" Outkast said staring at him, Severus rolled his eyes trust Outkast to be high on that muggle beverage the one time he needed her clear headed.
"Well can you find him?" he said exasperated
"Yup" she said and nodded for emphasis, before retrieving a can of cherry cola from her pocket, Severus was on her in an instant and snatched the can
"Oh no you don't you get it back when you bring Harry done here got it" She sighed and stared petulantly.
"You're mean" she said before shifting into to her animagus form and flying out the door. Hermione was puzzled
"Sir why did you take a can of cola from her" Severus was rooting in his desk drawer for a headache relieving potion, and downed one before answering
"Because Miss Granger there is an ingredient in this vile drink that has the same effect on Outkast as two bottle of Firewhiskey has on most people. The only difference is she will never pass out from it but just gets more and more hyper active" Hermione nodded
"Would that explain why she was having a conversation with a yoghurt when I knocked on the door?" Severus nodded
"Yeah that would explain. Miss Granger if anyone tries to tell you that Outkast is in fact a sane and coherent member of society don't believe them she's just as mad and the Dark Lord, but she's mostly harmless" Hermione was about to ask another question when the headmaster and Ron reappeared
"Difficult class Severus?"
"No it was a total walk in the park, my son did not prove his knife throwing capabilities nor did another student almost blow up the lab and there isn't an intoxicated cobra taking a gentle stroll round the castle as we speak" he snarled he was in no mood for Albus at the moment, and luckily was saved any further discussion when a golden eagle swept majestically into the room carrying and squirming but unharmed multicoloured cobra in its talons as it flew over her head Hermione muttered something that sounded like
"Now in any other school that might seem strange". The eagle dropped the snake on the desk in front of Severus who caught it before it had a chance to slither off again and allowed it to coil around his arm. The eagle landed on the floor by Dumbledore and transformed back into Outkast who turned to Severus and held her hand out impatiently. He deposited the fizzy drink back in her hand and she nodded.
"Well alls well that ends well" Albus said and turned to leave he stopped by the door
"Don't forget Severus Harry has an appointment in half an hour" and then he left, Severus sighed got up and went into his quarters. He put Harry on a chair
"Harry please turned back, I was concerned" Harry did what he was told but it was obvious he still wasn't back in the land of the living Severus hugged the child who looked at him at an angle
"Why'd you do that?" Harry asked suspiciously
"Because you're my son and you had me worried again" He start blubbing
"I didn't mean to worry you I'm sorry I'm a freak" he put his head on the table and wrapped his arms round it. Severus rolled his eyes
"You're not a freak come here" He gave Harry another hug and desperately tried to think of something that would distract the boy
"Harry do you remember you have a meeting with a counsellor soon" Harry perked up immediately
"Oh yeah I better get ready and rehearse" Severus raised an eyebrow
"Rehearse?" Harry nodded and ran up to his room. Severus sighed and raised his wand
"Accio Cognac"…
##
Twenty five minutes later there was a knock on the door, Outkast stood there grinning
"Sev this is Ms. Morden she's Harry's new counsellor" she said smirking Severus nodded
"Ms. Morden" the women was in her thirties had blonde hair in a braid and was wearing a pair of fawn slacks with match jacket she had a overly long neck that reminded Severus of Petunia Dursley, he hoped Harry didn't see the resemblance.
"Please call me Amy" she said with a genuine smile, Severus was kind of sad she seemed pleasant enough. Pity really he gestured to the kitchen sink and called Harry down. A quick glance at the ring told him that Harry was still affected by the antidote. Harry bounced down the first two steps before jumping the rest in one go. He landed gracefully and bowed. He looked from Sev to Outkast to the new women, he blanched at the sight of her and his gaze went back to his father's
"Harry this is Amy" Harry nodded the women who looked like his aunt with bleached hair smiled, Harry whimpered. Amy was surprised
"Is there a problem Harry?" Severus answered
"You bare a passing resemblance to his aunt it's unsettled him" She smiled again
"Oh that's ok Harry don't worry, why don't you have a seat?" Harry sat opposite her. Outkast glanced at Sev and indicated to the living room. They both went in and closed the door, Outkast handed him a set of extendable ears. Severus turned them over and the
WWW logo
"You're kidding my those two jokers sell this stuff?" Outkast nodded
"Oh they're good, for kids now shh" she put the ear under the door as did Sev and they listened in.
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In the kitchen Harry sat staring off into space. The shrink was getting things out of her bag that was on the floor. The first was a file she placed it in front of her, when she bent down to get something else he moved the file to the other side of the desk using wandless magic, not altering his gaze. She sat back up and looked puzzled but shrugged it off. she pulled the folder back across and sat with her hands in front of her
"Harry as you know I'm here so you can talk to someone, I'll listen to anything you want to talk about, things that have happened your future your fears anything" Harry cocked his to the side like a puppy
"Fears?" he repeated she nodded he looked straight at her
"What are your fears?" He said. She looked at him, being honest was a good way of getting patients to open up.
"Well I'm not keen on spiders and I'm terrified of snakes" Harry nodded.
"What about you Harry? Are you scared of something?" Harry thought for a second
"I'm scared that the penguins are stealing my sanity"
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Outkast quickly cast a silencing spell on them before they gave in to the fits of hysterical laugher she forgot all those shirts at her house with odd sayings, and was amazed that someone found a use for them…
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Amy went to make a note of this and knocked the quill on the floor, was she reached for it Harry used a voice altering charm that Fred had taught him to make his voice deep and gruff
"I can smell your brains" he whispered before cancelling the charm, Amy shot up and looked around she stared at Harry
"Did … Did you just say something?"
"No" he said in his normal voice, she nodded
"Never mind" she muttered she turned back to Harry
"How are things with your father?"
"Good" he answered mechanically; she nodded and made a note of this. Harry caused a glass behind her to fall and break, she spun round as he put the voice charm back on
"I can smell your spicy brains" she flicked back round and he still hadn't moved. She was a little anxious
"Harry is there anyone else in the room" Harry cocked his head listening before nodding she looked slightly relieved
"Who?" Harry thought quickly
"Uriel" he said
"Whose Uriel?" Harry sighed, and had the air of someone that had been through this a hundred times
"Uriel was a cobra that belonged to a previous potions master, but his master was cruel and one day in a fit of rage threw Uriel into a cauldron killing the snake. The ghost of Uriel haunts the dungeons prying on people, apparently he has this voice which only his victims can hear" Amy was white
"Victims?"
"Yes he say something about spicy brains, and then he attacks" Amy was trembling
"How.. how do you know it's a cursed cobra not one that's escaped" Harry smirked evilly
"The potion took the pigments of Uriel's scales and mutated them to a swirling mass of colours, that's how we know it's the ghost" at that moment he levered a silver tray off the wall and let it clatter to the floor Amy bounced out of the chair and spun round, when she turned back Harry wasn't there but there was a rearing cobra with multicoloured scales. Amy's scream could be heard in the Gryffindor tower and she scrambled out of the dungeon. She ran out the school didn't stop until she hit the apparition wards.
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Outkast and Sev appeared from the living room with tears streaming down their faces, Outkast lifted the silencing charm
"I've got to hand it to you 15 minutes that's impressive, you were brilliant" Harry turned back and grinned
"Thanks" even Severus was grinning
"Yes very Ssssslytherin of you take 50 point for Gryffindor for the best entertainment this year and wow 15 minutes is impressive"
"Actually it was 14 minutes 29 seconds" said a voice at the door they turned to see Hermione holding a stop watch and grinning she looked at Severus
"Pay up" Severus muttered something about Gryffindor brats but handed over the galleons. Harry looked stunned
"You placed a bet?" she nodded and smiled
"I bet 5 galleons she'd be out of here in 15 minutes" she tossed the bag and caught it again and smirked at Severus
"Mind you I had an advantage I know something about Harry you don't"
"Miss Granger no doubt you know a lot about my son I don't what in particular?" she stepped out of the room still looking at the potions master
"I know the sorting hat tried to put him in Slytherin" and then she left leaving Severus stunned.
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AN: woo another chapter completed thanks for all the reviews guys, I'm not going to respond this time because it's only been a few hours between posts! Hope you like!