chapter 3
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! WHERE AM I?" A white cloth surrounded Harry and it was pressing against him, almost choking him. He began thrasing against it, trying to free himself from it when he noticed a clawed foot.
"Damn it! I'd better not be some damn reptile!" He started to scream and yell " HELP ME! WHERE THE HELL AM I?" All of a sudden he was being lifted and he saw light. He saw a pale Ron and what looked like...was that Hermione's knee? Then he was dropped and a bloody awful scream rang in his ears. After stumbling out and eyeing his friends darkness over took him.
"Good morning mate! How ya feeling?" Ron sounded disgustingly cheerful to Harry's hazy morning mind.
"Hey Ron I had the weirdest dream that... ha, your not going to believe this, but I was a lizard you see and-" The expression on Ron's face was somewhere between bemused and smiling.
"Harry I don't speak lizard." Ron whispered " Hermione and I are going to see Professor McGonagall after breakfast. She'll fix you up in no time."
Then it had all been true? Ron stretched and began to dress himself in his school robes. Harry found himself on Ron's pillow, not remembering anything after he had nodded to Ron and Hermione.
"You fell dead asleep afterwards. 'Mione said that maybe it was shock or something. Come on then." He picked Harry up and placed him on his shoulder, mumbling " just hang on". And then finishing up, Ron, with Harry on his shoulder, walked down into the common room.
Hermione was currently sitting on one of the many poufs in the corner of the common room. Her nose was buried in Harry's book, more than likely looking for a solution.
"Hey 'Mione, You coming?"
Hermione slapped the book shut and huffed across the room and made her way directly toward the portrait door.
"Come on now 'Mione, what's wrong?"
"I'll tell what's wrong! I did research on that spell and since the last time it was used, it's been labeled a hex! Since this book is fairly old, it's information about legal and illegal spells is wrong!" She said this to Ron in a angry rush, took a calming breath and continued, "we're going directly Professor McGonagall to sort this mess out."
"But 'Mione can't we get some breakfast first?" Seeing the furious look on Hermione's face he added, "Come on! If I'm going to get in trouble I might as well have a meal before I do! Besides, Harry's got to be hungry too! He spent the WHOLE summer at the Dursleys' and he hardly ate anything on the train."
At this Harry had to agree so he began to nod his head as fast as he could. He could feel his lizard belly move and grumble, and, to say the least, it wasn't pleasant.
"Fine, but make it quick!" and with that, she stormed out of the portrait doorway with Ron right behind her.
The way to the Great Hall was as quick as anyone could have made it. It felt like no time at all had passed, which to Harry was a Godsend. "Food!" was his only thought, which was strange to him. He usually never felt like stuffing his face but, being a lizard was hard work! Harry was ready to hiss at Ron to hurry up, but his message was cut short by none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Good Morning Weasel. Why's your Mudblood girlfriend in such a knot?"
Malfoy was circling Ron like a vulture, but strangely without his hulking goons. Not that Ron noticed anything amiss, Malfoy was baiting him and he was going to bite.
"My! What's this, you've got a new pet? Tell me, did your dear mummy buy if for you or did you get it second hand like everything else you get?" and with that he plucked Harry right off Ron's shoulder.
"Shut it Malfoy! Give him back!" Ron made a wild grab for Malfoy and Hermione FINALLY sprung into action. She made a close swipe at Malfoy's face.
"You should keep your mudblood claws to yourself Granger!" Ron at hearing this, nearly hit Malfoy's block off.
The Great Hall was a flurry of students trying to see what was happening. Malfoy stepped back from Ron's attempts to kill him and began to stroke Harry's lizard-y head. Harry responded by trying to bite Malfoy's fingers, which earned him a shove into Malfoy's pocket. Malfoy knew he was on thin ice when Professor McGonagall shoved through the thick mass of students.
"Later weasel" he, said, giving Ron a hard shove. "Granger," giving Hermione a little wink and pressing himself out of the Great Hall, he headed to the dungeons.
A few minutes later Harry managed to get his claws free of the fabric of Malfoy's jumper and stuck his head out of his pocket.
"Oh my God, he's heading for his common room!" Harry thought for sure that this spelt his doom! So he did what any creature with a half working brain would do and leapt out of Malfoy's pocket, ran down the hall, ran under the nearest door, and hid near a desk.
"NO ALBUS! I will not have myself exposed to that arrogant showoff again!"
"Severus, I don't think Harry is at all what you say he is. He needs guidance and someone to understand him."
"As if he doesn't have that already? He refuses to listen! Even for his own good! Why should I bend to him? If he was half the person you paint him to be Albus, he'd at least have some notable amount of respect!"
"Why did you stop the Occlumency lessons? I trusted you to teach him so that I might be able to look him the face when I needed to speak with him."
"He NEVER tried! He had other more important things to do than learn from me! What did he care if I'm a 'Brilliant Occlumens' or that I spared him from revealing where the Order was hiding and many of the other things I've done over the years! He only acknowledges what YOU'VE done! Even when you didn't even trust him enough to look him in the bloody eye!" Severus Snape was near screaming now. He was as pale as Harry remembered seeing when he looked into the pensive. "He never trusted me and I NEVER wanted to have that duty placed upon me."
"I think your being unfair and childish Severus, just because he was a bit curious-"
"His curiosity cost me a great deal Albus!" Snape's voice had returned to a cold, deadpanned whisper. "He is ever your favorite son! Are you afraid he'll end up like me? Your failed experiment?" He was in a cold fury. Harry could now plainly see that. "James, of course! Your pride and joy! You always favored him, and let's not forget Sirius! Oh no! Ever the prankster, but in the end, as selfish as ever!"
"He gave HIS life to protect Harry!"
"Harry never asked for his life! He could of held out and stayed behind! But no! A chance to escape and for a good cause!"
A cold draft filled the room. Dumbledore stood very straight, as if age and weakness had fled him like leaves in the wind. In a cold voice he said, "Do you recall a conversation we had in my office no more than sixteen years ago?"
Snape seemed to have lost his dignified posture and said in a dead voice "Yes, sir."
"You went down on your knees and told me you would do whatever it took, for the rest of your life, to assist the light side and atone for your sins. Have you reconsidered that promise, Severus?"
"No never I'd j-"
"Then you are never to speak to me again in that tone of voice young man." Dumbledore face softened and he embraced a trembling Snape. He was trembling! Dear God in heaven! The world was ending. He was acting almost...human. Some of the hatred Harry had been harboring since Sirius's death seemed to have been muted. This creature that was Professor Snape seemed to have a human core, he couldn't be all bad...maybe.
"I'm sorry, that was cruel. You really are like my son. I have always been proud of you, my boy, but I truly feel if you would just try to get on better terms with Harry you'd both be happier." The Headmaster held Snape by the shoulders now. Professor Snape had never looked so UN-Snapish.
"Happiness has nothing to do with this Albus."
"I hope you understand now how I couldn't have expelled Sirius, Remus and James. Your happiness does have to do with this."
"Yes, I know. They would have been either killed or turned, but it still wasn't fair. Better me than them. Right Albus?" Some of his previous resentment tainted Snape's voice. He ignored Dumbledore's last sentence.
"Severus," Dumbledore said in a sigh, "forgive me already."
"I have, but it still hurts."
"Lemon drop, Severus?" Harry near keeled over when Professor Snape's face broke into a grin.
"Any toffee?" Dumbledore fished in his pockets and pulled out a whole bag of Honeydukes' Perfectly Penny Pralines.
"Will these do?" Dumbledore smiled and Snape snatched the bag and popped it open.
"I hate you, Albus." He said as he plunked a candy into his mouth. Dumbledore gave him a slight hug and laughed.
" I love you too my boy," then he left.
Snape was left to chew his candy and begin to gather various plants and jars, for what Harry thought was a potion. Harry thought he must be hallucinating. None of it seemed real. Maybe it was just hunger mixed with lizard vision.
end of chapter 3
(PSST...review!WooHoo! three chapters in two days!)
