Chapter 15: Talks and Adventures
After a few days of settling in, in the potion master's rooms, Harry and Draco, along with Severus himself became much closer. Harry and Draco became close friends while Harry's and Severus's relationship became stronger. They all spent their evenings in the living room either chatting quietly, or reading in a companionable silence. During the days, Severus was usually in his potions lab working on healing potions for the school year coming up, and Harry and Draco would spend most of their time in their rooms resting and healing, or taking short walks around the school grounds, regaining their strength back slowly.
Looking up from reading his book on healing potions from Hermione, Harry realizes Klara was slithering towards him along the grass. Reaching down, he smiles gently as she coiled around his arm, her tongue flickering out to taste the air.
ßHello Masster.
ßHey Lara, how wass your hunting today?ß Harry responded as he lays the book down next to him, looking at his friend curiously.
If snakes could sniff, Lara would be doing that as her head swivels around, her tongue tasting his skin softly. ßTerrible. That retched cat in the hallss hass been chassing all my mealss away. I've even had to go into the foresst a few timess to find ssomething!
Harry laughs, shaking his head slightly at his snake's complaints. ßYou alwayss know that if you need food you can jusst assk me and I'll have the housse elvess get you ssomething. You have no need to hunt.
Bristling, Lara stretches up, hissing slightly at his offer. ßMe and any other Ssnake-kin will never rely on another for food! We hunt for our food jusst ass our life-giverss hunted for theirss. If we were to sstop now, when it came time to become life-giverss oursselvess, how would we teach the newlingss to hunt when we do not?
Hiding a grin from his snake, Harry shakes his head, having heard this argument several times before. ßCalm down Lara, I wont force you to accept any food from me, or anyone elsse, I was jusst letting you know that if you needed it, it wass there for you.
Coiling herself around his arm softly, Lara hisses annoyed, ßHmph… you humanss never know when to give up do you?
Laughing softly, Harry picked his book up and started reading from the passage he had left off on, only to be interrupted a second time by a shout coming from behind him. Twisting around, a broad grin spreading across his face as he saw Draco trotting towards him, a latter in his hands.
"Harry! We got our school letters, and Sev said he'd take us to Diagon Alley this weekend!" Draco panted as he reached Harry, dropping to sit on the ground next to him in the shade of the tree.
"Really? He's taking us to Diagon Alley? Pomfrey said it was okay?" Harry asked with enthusiasm, even though he was home when he was at Hogwarts, it just wasn't the same without all the other students there. He realized it was quite boring actually.
Nodding, Draco replied, "Yea, she didn't want to give him the 'okay' but, Sev convinced her we needed to go out for a day, and work on getting our strength back, not that staying in that damned trunk of yours for two hours isn't enough or anything.." Draco trailed off as he saw Harry was just tuning out his complaints.
Laughing, Harry marked his page and set the book back down, grabbing the parchment out of Draco's hand, reading over the list of supplies needed for his fifth year at Hogwarts. "Hmm, the list is a little bit shorter than usual, any idea why that is? In fact, I don't see a book for DADA."
Grabbing the parchment back from Harry, Draco scanned it over before nodding. "Yes, you're correct on that. Never would have thought you'd catch something like that while being so blind and all." He smirked as he shot Harry a challenging look.
"At least I can see well enough not to stand in front of a mirror ever morning fussing over an invisible flaw in your appearance." Harry shot back while getting up from the ground and stretching before offering a hand down to Draco.
Not even thinking about it, Draco accepted the hand up as he opening his mouth to reply only to be caught of guard as a roar broke through the trees in the forest, a few birds flying out of the trees in a panic.
Both boys, turned quickly towards the trees, their eyes wide as they both asked the same question. "What was that?!"
After looking at each other, Harry took a step towards the forest just as Draco took a step towards the school, glancing over his shoulder, Harry raised a questioning eyebrow. "You coming?"
Looking shocked, Draco froze before standing up straight. "No I am not, and neither are you, I'm not letting you run off and get into one of your gryffindorkish adventures, and I am especially not letting you drag me al–" Draco was cut off as he let out an indignant squawk as Harry grabbed his arm, tugging him towards the forest."
"You were saying?" Harry smirked as he glanced back over his shoulder before turning around and walking towards the forest slowly."
"Harry! We're going to get killed! There's, werewolves, and aracamantulas (AN: Spelling? Too lazy to go look it up . ) in there!" Draco said, almost whining as he lets Harry drag him forward a few steps before pulling out of his grasp, walking along side of him.
Harry waves it off, intent on the forest, stopping at the edge. "You don't have to worry about werewolves, the full moon was last week, and aracamantulas don't come out that often unless it's dark, or they're threatened."
"Oh, of course, so let's just walk in and get eaten by that, that thing that roared!"
"Do be quiet Draco, nothing's going to happen." Harry shoots him a half playful, half challenging grin. "I've lived through everything else that's been thrown at me, I doubt anything will happen this time." Looking at Draco one last time, Harry turns around and takes a step into the forest, being surrounded almost instantly by the forests magic.
Muttering to himself, things sounding suspiciously about 'foolish Gryffindorks' and 'bloody hero complexes,' Draco follows Harry into the forest, staying as close to him as possible while trying not to fall over anything in the dark forest floor.
Harry shoots Draco a glare, motioning him to be quiet as they make there way deeper into the trees, light becoming dimmer and dimmer as they continue on. Looking at Harry, Draco sees determination and something else in the boys sparkling emerald eyes.
Harry, feeling Draco's eyes on him tilts his head slightly, blinking in confusion, whispering softly. "What is it?"
"Nothing."
Looking at him in surprise, Harry shrugs mentally and turns back, walking in a direction that was almost tugging him from inside. Watching his step carefully, he still misses a branch and stumbles over it slightly, his arm reaching out to grab a tree to keep him upright. Lifting his head slowly, he stares in front of him, his face flickering from fright, to amazement, and back to fear again.
Draco, seeing Harry starting to stumble, takes a step towards him to see if he was okay before he sees the same thing Harry had seen and freezes, identical thoughts running through their heads.
'You/I just had to bring us here…'
Walking, well, more like stalking, the Potions Master heads up to Dumbledore's office, having passed the gargoyle already. Lifting the phoenix door knocker, Severus was about ready to knock before Albus's voice sounded through the door.
"Please come in Severus, I've been expecting you."
Shaking his head, not wondering for the first time if the headmaster could read minds, Severus opens the door and walks in, taking a seat across from the headmasters desk, nodding once towards the phoenix sitting on a perch next to the fire place.
"Lemon drop Severus?" The headmaster held out his hand which was holding several lemon drops, his eyes sparkling happily as he himself was sucking on one.
"No thank you headmaster." Severus replied politely.
Nodding almost to himself, Albus took his hand back, dropping the lemon drops back into a bright yellow bag. His hands folding in front of him, he looks calmly at the other room occupant, waiting for Severus to say something.
"Albus, as you probably no already, I'm taking the boys to Diagon Alley this coming weekend. I know it's not safe, but I have a solution to that, as for my question, I was wondering if it would be possible to get Weasely and Granger to meet us there. Call it a belated gift to Harry." Severus asked calmly, sitting back in the chair, his coal black eyes watching the headmaster closely.
Seemingly to be not listening, the headmaster nods half to himself, half towards Severus. "I think that would be wonderful for Harry, he needs his friends now. He may not be showing it, but I think he's still hurting, but I do have to admit that Draco has worked wonders on him, and visa-versa. Yes, I'll call up Molly and ask her if that'll work out right away, Hermione is staying with the Weasely's for the rest of the summer, so that wont be a problem eith–"
Just as before, the headmaster was cut off as the alarms went off about students going into the forbidden forest. Standing up quickly, his thoughts were mirrored by the worried voice of the potions master.
"Harry and Draco! They were just outside!" Severus stood up quickly, ready to fly out the doors and down into the forest to see what was wrong, but was stopped by the headmaster shaking his head.
"No Severus, the forest is too big, and the wards are weak right now because it's summer. The best we can do is wait, and hope they make it back safely. They went in on their own free will, else we would have known something was wrong sooner, you know that."
"I know headmaster, but it doesn't change the fact that Harry and Draco are out in the forest with god knows what.."
"You know as well as I do that since Harry's fifteenth birthday, nothing would dare harm that child." Albus looks at Severus meaningfully over his glasses, his eyes sparkling brighter than usual.
"I know that as well Albus, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm worried, what if something goes wrong, or doesn't realize Harry is who he is before it's too late?"
"I assure you that will not happen to Harry, Severus. Harry and Draco will make it back just fine, in anything, their heads might be a little sore from all the questions they'll be holding if anything does happen. Other then that, they will be perfectly healthy."
Defeated, Severus sits back down into the chair. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Just wait my boy, the only thing anyone can do most of the time is just wait."
Down in the dungeons, on Harry's bed, a soft hissing could be heard as the egg he had left there for the day wobbled slightly before whatever was inside it settled down again. It's time for awakening was coming soon.
Hundreds of miles away, the Dark Lord sat on his throne, thumbing through several ancient looking parchments, muttering to himself in parseltongue.
ßSssoon Potter. Sssoon you will be mine and nothing will ssstand in my way!
AN: Wow, it's been ages since I've written guys, and I'm so sorry. I know I said I'd get one out around Christmas time, but things just kept popping up…but with the end of the school year getting here… I can start typing again :) Don't... expect chapters all the time though... maybe once a week, maybe less... maybe more, it'll depend on when I feel like typing sorry :(
Second…pretty much ignore all my earlier author notes, especially emails and aim's. I have a new email, and I'm almost never on aim. However, feel free to email me at my new email address à Usaka87hotmail.com. Hmm... I think that's it... I hope you guys like this... And I'm very sorry for the loooong wait...
hides from the tomato throwing people
One more thing… sorry it's kind of short… but I had to get at least something out to you all who have waited patiently for my next update :)