In the subsequent days, Harry and his friends were busy with the Polyjuice potion and stealing from the potion store, which Harry will pay Severus back when summer hits. Those ingredients are probably not cheap. Not to mention the potion teacher works hours brewing them. Wanting to write to Snape when he had time but never got around to it. Not only that, but exams were hitting them as a truck full of cement. Even in the potion's class, Harry had to leave right after to study. Snape had his own problems, helping the staff figure out the situation at school and who is behind it, working on exams, and grading them. The only time he had for himself was to sleep, eat and use the bathroom, and occasionally take baths.
Then the days started getting colder, with Autumn being here. There were also a few quidditch matches till late October, being busy with practices. Harry only glanced at Snape while in his class and at the staff table in the great hall and matches. At least this gave him the chance to stop his feelings for him or at least try to. He was able to visit Colin a few times, though. Mostly goes there when everyone else was asleep, going to the hospital wing with his cloak.
Christmas approached, and the potion was taking a lot longer to make, not to mention they had to wait till the ingredients they were after were back in stock. They were at their Gryffindor dinner table, away from the others, plotting a plan. Harry looked over at Snape while waiting for Hermonie to get her share of sweets. It seems his teacher was enjoying his cookies. He looked over at Harry, giving a nod before continuing to talk to Professor Lockhart.
Harry turned back to Hermonie sitting down across from him and Ron. "Everything is set," she whispered to them, "we just need a bit of who you're changing into?"
"Grabbe and Goyle," Harry replied for both him and Ron.
Hermonie keeps looking around to ensure no one is looking at them, "We also need to make sure that the real ones can't burst in on us, while we are interrogating Malfoy."
"How?" Ron wondered.
"I got it all worked out," their bushy-haired friend explained, taking out some cupcakes from her robe pocket, "I filled these with a simple sleeping draught. Simple, but powerful." She placed them on the table, "now, once they are asleep. Hide them in the broomstick cupboard and pull out a few of their hairs and put on their uniform." Ron wondered whose hair Hermonie was ripping out then.
"I've already got mine," Hermonie replied, holding up a glass tube, "Millicent Bulstrode. Slytherin. I got this off her robe." She wanted to check on the potion; while doing that Ron and Harry will give the cupcakes to Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry and his friend were hidden behind a statue by the hall entrance. Ron was about to give the spell when Harry stopped him, telling Ron that he should do it instead. His friend agreed after being reminded that his wand was broken.
Harry said the spell and the cupcakes were floating. Crabbe and Goyle came along, finding them, and started munching on the delicious dessert. A few seconds later, they fainted. Ron thought of them as total idiots.
They met Hermonie back in the girl's bathroom, who was pouring the potion into each glass. She tells her friends that they have precisely an hour before they turn back. She was handing them their cup while she got hers. They added the hairs as Ron gets grossed out. "Cheers," Hermonie said, clanking their glass together, and drinking the potion.
The taste was horrible, and Ron thought he would get sick. Same with Hermonie, running to the bathroom stall. Harry stayed, feeling unwell, bending over the sink while dropping his glass. Things started happening to his body and a few seconds later he changed into Goyle; Harry was amazed at the transformation. He turns around to see Ron turn into Crabbe.
"Harry?"
"Ron?"
"Bloody hell."
They still sounded like themselves, "You need to sound more like Crabbe," Harry suggested.
"Bloody hell," Ron tried again with a deeper voice this time. Harry approved of that.
They wanted to wait for Hermonie, but she told them to go without her for some reason. They did what their friend said, heading towards the dungeon area and over to the corridor; Harry guessed the Slytherin room was down the left-wing. They started walking over. Snape suddenly appeared in front of them. Harry tried not to panic and waver, "Professor, Snape? Good evening," he said.
"What are you two doing wandering the castle at this time of night?" he wondered.
Harry was just about to answer when they heard Draco coming in, "Crabbe, Goyle! Where have you two been?" he walked over to them, "pigging out in the great hall all this time?"
Draco looked at Goyle, "Why are you wearing glasses?"
Harry gaped at that, quickly taking them off, "Oh...ah reading."
"Reading?" the blonde said in surprise, "I didn't know you could read." He looked over at their teacher, "What business do you have with them, Snape?" Harry gaped at how he was talking to the professor and godfather. 'Why is he talking to him like that?'
"Mind your attitude, Malfoy before I deduct points," Snape said back. Draco glared at him before walking away. Harry looked over at his teacher, wishing he could say it was him, giving a light tap on Snape's shoulder instead while walking by.
In the Slytherin common room, Draco sat on a leather sofa. Noticing that his best friends aren't sitting, "Well, sit down." They sat on the other couch across from the blonde. Draco insults starts insulting the Weasley family, which Ron wanted to punch him for, bringing his hand into a tight fist.
"What's wrong with you Crabbe?" Crabbe explained he had a stomachache.
"You know, I'm surprised that the daily prophet hasn't done a report on all these attacks. I bet Dumbledore is trying to hush it all up," Draco accused, "Father has always that Dumbledore was the worst thing that happened to this place."
"Your wrong!" Goyle shouts at him.
This made Draco confused; getting up, "What? You think there's someone here who's worse than Dumbledore? Well, do you?"
"Severus Snape?" Harry thought quickly. Which made Crabbe nod in agreement.
Draco sneered at that, "Good one, Goyle. You are right. Horrible Snape, no idea why he became the head of this house? Another one who shouldn't be in this school is Potter," Harry kept calm throughout this ordeal, feeling bad that he used Snape in this. 'Least I know what he thinks of his Godfather.' "And people think that he is the heir of Slytherin?"
Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other.
"But then you must have some idea who is behind it?" Harry decided to ask.
"You know I don't Goyle," Draco walks over to a table, picking up a small present, "I told you yesterday," he leans against the wood, "how many times do I have to tell you?" he rattles the box, "is this yours?" Goyle shakes his head. Draco steals it. "But my father did say this, it's been fifty years since the chamber was opened. He wouldn't tell me who opened it, only that a mudblood died, only that they were expelled. The last time the chamber of secrets was opened, a mudblood died. So, it's only a matter of time before someone falls victim. As for me I hope it is Granger."
Crabbe gets up, wanting to crush Draco's head. Goyle stops him.
"What's the matter with you two? You are adding very...odd?"
"It's his stomachache," Goyle says, looking at Crabbe, "calm down," he whispered.
While Draco was distracted with opening the present, Harry and Ron were looking at each other, "Scar," Ron whispered as Harry's scar started forming.
"Hair," Harry whispered back to Ron's red hair resurfacing. They quickly ran from the common room while Draco asked where they were going.
Snape caught up with them outside; they gaped at him, "I knew it," he said. Harry told him he would explain while Ron headed upstairs. Their teacher was ok with this, telling Ron there would be detention tomorrow. "I was wondering where my potions went?" Harry explained it was for a good cause. Snape brought him to his office, ordering him to sit on his sofa. "What in god's name, are you doing, Potter?" Harry was about to speak, "I been dealing with a lot of things right now, Potter, and-"
"I was doing this to help you and the school. The more I sit here and do nothing, the more victims will be petrified or worse."
"By interrogating my house?" he leaned against his desk. Harry studied his dark feature before looking away, "detention with me as well, Potter," his student gaped, not wanting more time with his professor, knowing his feelings for him weren't right. "Unless you want the Head Mistress to know about this?" Harry shook his head, "Off to bed now before I deduct house points."
"Professor?" Harry said, going over, "you said you don't have any experience, right?" Snape was confused about why he was bringing that up, "Well, then..." his student takes a breath, kissing his teacher. After a second, he let go, "there, now you have some sort of experience," Harry said, looking at a dumbfounded professor, "goodnight," he quickly left his office.
Harry walked back to the main entrance at a fast pace and up the stairs. Realizing what he did, 'I kissed Snape!' he touched his lip, 'his lips were soft and cold. Probably from being in the dungeon.' 'Why did I kiss him?' went through his mind, 'and worse, why a teacher?' What if Snape tells Dumbledore what happened or the Head Mistress. Harry betrayed Colin as well while he was in the hospital. Deep down something stirred within him though.
