A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, everyone. Enjoy Chapter 16!

Harry stood brooding in the empty entrance hall, unable to decide where to go from this point. Only moments ago, he had been following very close behind Snape as the man carefully transported Hedwig down through the castle and towards his office in a cage he had transfigured from a feather back in the owlery. It seemed that he had also cast some sort of privacy spell as well, for none of the few students in the corridors seemed to be the least bit interested in the fact that Severus Snape was carrying an owl through the school with a small, second year Gryffindor following on his heels.

Harry, of course, had had every intention of staying with his owl for the rest of the day. He didn't want to leave her for anything. Not until he was sure that she would be alright.

But Snape had quickly put a stop to that. Just before reaching the narrow staircase that led down into the dungeons, the professor had rounded on the boy, glaring down at him with those dangerous, dark eyes.

"Go along to class, Mr. Potter. I will take care of your owl from here."

"But—"

"Do not argue with me, Potter," Snape warned. "This creature needs an antidote and then rest, and you and I both have classes starting in just a few minutes."

"I can't just leave her!" Harry protested, taking a step closer.

"You will do exactly as I say," Snape replied firmly. "And you will do so quickly if you do not wish to waste any more time and potentially jeopardize your owl's recovery."

Harry glanced at Hedwig for just a moment. She was completely motionless in the cage. She made no movements at all, and her eyes remained half-closed.

Harry nodded then and took a step back. "Please. Just save her," he begged, tears glistening in his eyes.

Snape didn't respond then. He simply turned on his heel and swept down the stairs, leaving Harry standing alone in the entrance hall.

But Harry knew that there was no way he was going to be able to make it to class that morning. He could barely pay attention to Professor Binns' lectures on the best of days. And now, with Hedwig...

Making a quick decision, Harry turned and headed for the large castle doors.

It was a quiet morning outside the castle as Harry hurried across the school lawn. The young Gryffindor didn't hear so much as a bird singing somewhere off in the distance, or the wind rustling through the trees. The whole world seemed to be still and silent just then. Almost as if frozen in time.

Harry didn't like it. It shouldn't be this quiet. It didn't feel right. It was all wrong. And soon, he found himself breaking into a run just so he could hear the sound of his feet pounding against the ground and echoing in his ears. It was comforting somehow, and so much better than the silence. And it gave him something to concentrate and focus on as he moved further away from the school.

The boy was nearly out of breath by the time he finally reached Hagrid's cabin, panting and gasping for air. He raised his fist and knocked firmly against the door. And a moment later, there was the welcome sound of Fang, barking on the other side.

It was only a few moments then before the cabin door swung open, and Harry was looking up into the eyes of his half-giant friend.

"Harry? What're you doin' here?" the gamekeeper asked in surprise. "Shouldn' you be in class?"

Harry sighed as he looked down at the ground for a moment. "Can I come in, Hagrid? Please?"

Hagrid frowned in concern as he immediately moved away from the entrance so that Harry could come in.

"Bin wonderin' when you'd find the time ter visit," Hagrid said, walking over to where the tea kettle was sitting on the table, and waving Harry into a seat.

Harry sat, and within seconds, Fang's head was in his lap, getting drool and saliva all over his school robes. But the young boy didn't mind. He simply stroked the top of the boarhound's head absently as Hagrid set a giant cup of tea down in front of him.

"Hedwig is sick," Harry found himself saying, before the man even had the chance to ask.

Hagrid finished pouring his own cup of tea before taking the seat opposite of Harry, the worry clear in his expression.

"How sick? Maybe I could—"

"Snape is taking care of her," Harry interrupted. "He said she's been poisoned and he'll give her the antidote."

"Then yeh have nothin' ter worry 'bout," Hagrid said firmly, reaching across the table to pat Harry's hand comfortingly. "Professor Snape knows what he's doin', and Hedwig's a strong bird. I should know. I picked her out meself."

Harry managed a weak smile at that, remembering how surprised and happy he had been when Hagrid had presented him with the beautiful snowy owl on his birthday the year before. But then he sighed as he looked down at his tea.

"I'd never seen her like that before, Hagrid. What if she doesn't make it?"

"There's no use in worryin' 'bout that now. We'll jus' hafta wait an' see."

The two of them fell into a companionable silence then. Hagrid sipped at his tea every now and again, while Harry just continued to stare blankly down at his own cup, his mind racing with the morning's events.

Now that he was somewhat calmer than he had been before, his brain was beginning to put the pieces together in his head. Hedwig had been poisoned. It had happened sometime between yesterday afternoon and early this morning.

And then his mind finally made the connection, and Harry stood up abruptly, his knee knocking painfully against one of the table legs.

"Wha-" Hagrid began, but he was soon interrupted.

"Malfoy! He did this! He-he poisoned her!" Harry exclaimed, ignoring the twinge in his knee.

And before Hagrid even had the chance to respond, Harry was at the cabin's entrance, wrenching open the door and heading back out onto the grounds and up towards the school.

Once he was back in the castle, Harry was forced to pause for a moment as he remembered that most students were still in class at that time. He found a narrow, secluded passageway somewhere on the first floor and slid down the wall until he was sitting, his knees drawn up close to his chest. And once there, he had nothing else to do but to think.

He never would have believed Malfoy to be capable of something so callous and cruel. This fight, this rivalry, was between the two of them. The Slytherin was supposed to go after Harry, not a defenseless owl.

Harry had expected Malfoy to want to duel him, to corner him in a corridor somewhere so that he could throw a hex or two in his direction. He would have been ready for that. He could have handled that.

But this...

This was far worse than Harry could have ever imagined. He never thought that the Slytherin could stoop so low. Hedwig could lose her life.

And all because Malfoy had gotten a detention with Snape.

Harry's grip tightened considerably on his wand at that thought. There was no doubt that Malfoy had gone too far.

And Harry had every intention of making him pay for it.

When the bell rang to signal morning break, Harry jumped up from his position on the floor and set a course directly for the dungeons. Surely Snape didn't expect him to go all day without seeing Hedwig, after all. Harry knew that he would go crazy if he didn't get some news soon.

Harry descended the grand staircase and crossed the entrance hall until he stood directly in front of the entrance down into the dungeons.

It was then that he heard the laughter.

Whirling around, Harry saw the small group of second year Slytherins coming down the stairs, laughing uproariously at something that one of them must have said. And right in the middle of the group, smiling and smirking and soaking in all the attention, was Malfoy.

Harry didn't even stop to think.

Drawing his wand, he charged straight for the group, not even caring that he was considerably outnumbered. He only had eyes for one of them.

Someone in the group squealed in shock when they spotted Harry headed for them with a raised wand. It was too late to give much more of a reaction, however. For in the next second, the angry Gryffindor stood right in front of them, his wand pointed directly at the spot between Malfoy's eyes.

"What on earth do you think you're doing, Potter?" Malfoy demanded, taking a step back. His voice was an equal mixture of shock and fear.

"You could have killed her!" Harry shouted. "She could die because of you!"

"What are you talking about?" Malfoy shouted back. Behind him, several of the other Slytherins were fumbling around in their robes for their own wands.

"Don't play dumb with me, Malfoy! You poisoned my owl to get revenge—"

"I did no such thing!" Malfoy scoffed.

"Take out your wand, Draco," Harry's voice was suddenly quiet. "Let's settle this once and for all."

"You're crazy," Malfoy answered, eyes widening.

"Oh, go on, Draco," Pansy Parkinson encouraged from behind the blond-haired boy. "You can take him."

By now, a small crowd of students had gathered in the entrance hall, all of them eagerly watching the scene unfolding before them. The excited murmurs and whispers were spreading rapidly, and it was soon apparent to everyone present that there was no way Malfoy was going to be able to back down now. His pride would not allow it.

But just as Malfoy managed to withdraw his wand from the folds of his robes and point it towards Harry, a dangerous and silky voice cut through the mutterings in the crowd and carried throughout the entire hall.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy. I suggest that you lower your wands immediately."

Malfoy looked somewhat relieved to hear the sound of Snape's voice moving towards them, and he dropped his wand to his side.

"I said now, Mr. Potter!" Snape said a bit more forcefully.

Harry didn't dare disobey him then. He lowered his wand, and settled for simply glaring at the Slytherin boy before him.

"He's trying to kill me," Malfoy exclaimed, now that the threat of Harry's wand was gone.

"He poisoned Hedwig!" Harry retorted.

"Silence!" Snape commanded.

And both boys wisely kept their mouths shut.

"The rest of you will disperse immediately," Snape said to the entrance hall at large.

There was a sudden mad dash for the grand staircase as the rest of the students hastened to obey, and in less than a minute, the hall was completely empty except for Harry, Malfoy, and Snape.

And the potions master did not look pleased.

"Mr. Potter, go wait for me outside my office."

"Sir—"

"Now!"

Harry turned and headed off towards the dungeons. There was no doubt about it. He was in huge trouble now.

As soon as the young Gryffindor disappeared from view, Snape rounded on Malfoy.

"I didn't do it!" the boy was quick to defend himself. "I never touched Potter's stupid, bloody owl."

"I would certainly hope not," Snape answered silkily.

"I didn't!" Malfoy insisted. And then his eyes narrowed. "You actually believe him, don't you? Again? How could you believe him over me?"

"Watch yourself, Draco," Snape warned.

"You really believe I would do something so low and-and cowardly?"

"I believe that you need to start focusing a little more on your schoolwork, and a little less on your rivalry with Mr. Potter."

Malfoy huffed and crossed his arms. "Why don't you tell him that?"

"Do you imagine that I invited Mr. Potter to my office for tea?" Snape said scathingly. "I will be speaking to him just as soon as we are done here, not that it is of any concern to you."

Malfoy just glared off to the side, arms still crossed.

"You will improve your attitude, Draco, or you will not like the consequences."

Malfoy had to fight not to roll his eyes. But he knew that that would be practically suicidal in Snape's presence. And so he resisted.

"May I go now, sir?"

Snape considered the boy for a moment, before finally waving him off.

"Go. But stay away from Potter. Is that understood? We will continue this conversation later."

"Yes, sir," Malfoy answered quickly, before turning around and heading back up the grand staircase.

Snape sighed then and turned towards the dungeon steps.

It was time to go deal with Potter.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'll start working on the next chapter soon.

-Ailee17