Silence reigned in the room. Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it.
"That's enough for today, I think..." Snape said at last. He flashed Lockhart a nasty look behind his back. "Mr. Potter. Stay here."
Hermione flashed him a concerned look, and then she dragged Ron from the room. Lockhart left the room last of all, muttering something under his breath. Snape flicked his wrist and the door slammed closed; he turned to Harry, but said nothing.
"Yes, Professor?" Harry questioned, unable to keep his voice from shaking.
"You're a Parselmouth," Snape said simply.
"I don't know what that is."
"Rest assured it's rare," Severus snapped. "And it's not good."
Harry didn't reply.
"Don't think I don't know you're hiding something," Snape hissed. His footsteps echoed as he stepped closer to the boy. "You had better start telling the truth."
"The truth of what, Sir?" Harry asked desperately.
"Why were you in the hallway on Halloween?"
Harry didn't speak. He was trembling, and Snape noticed.
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The child was on the verge of a panic attack, Severus saw. That was the last thing he needed.
"Calm down, Potter!" Severus snapped, which did nothing to help. The potions master rubbed his forehead in frustration and closed the small distance left between them, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Why would I tell you?" he said angrily. "Why would I tell you anything anymore than I'd tell Malfoy?"
Severus acknowledged the question. Why, indeed?
"Because I'm trying to protect you," Severus admitted. "I can't do that if you're holding back vital bits of information."
Harry looked up at him, mildly shocked. Severus squeezed the boy's shoulder in turn and then released it.
"Come. We're going to my office."
Harry followed Severus into the potions master's office. He closed it behind them and then turned to the boy. He pointed toward his desk, indicating for him to sit, and then took his own seat behind it.
"Start from the beginning, please."
"I was telling the truth about the Deathday Party on Halloween," Harry said quietly.
"I know," Severus confirmed. "What happened after that?"
"We were going back to the feast to get something to eat," Harry admitted, and Severus listened. This was not what he had originally said. "But then I stopped, because I heard a voice."
"Was it a student?" Severus asked.
"No," Harry told him. "I heard the voice. Ron and Hermione heard nothing."
"Did you hear the voice in your head?"
"No. It sounded like someone was calling from another part of the floor."
"And you followed it?"
"Yes," Harry murmured. "I followed it and found the writing on the wall and that damned cat."
Severus would have admonished the child for his language, but he knew the two of them weren't the only ones who would be celebrating Mrs. Norris's temporary dead state.
"I'm losing my mind, aren't I?" Harry's voice broke into his musings. "I'm hearing voices, talking to snakes! What next!"
"Don't raise your voice, Potter," Severus said calmly. "I'm trying to think."
"Well I understand why that might be hard for you!" Harry spat, and then he winced as he felt a sting on his arm. Severus was calmly putting his wand away.
"Maybe," Severus said at last, his voice slow, "You don't have two problems... rather... just the one."
"That I'm alive," Harry finished. He was getting more heated by the moment.
"Calm down, Harry," Severus told him. "I'm trying to help."
Harry obediently dropped his head and waited for his teacher to go on.
"Maybe it's not that Granger and Weasley didn't hear the voice, but they didn't understand it."
Harry looked up at him quickly.
"You think it was Parseltongue?"
"As logical as anything we could come up with."
Harry eyed the desk carefully, considering the prospect.
"So, basically, I've got an invisible snake following me around who is bent on petrifying Mrs. Norris and writing on the walls in blood."
Severus sighed.
"I'll do some research," he allowed. "In the meantime, I want you to come to me if anything else happens."
"Yes, Sir..."
Severus rose to his feet and walked around the desk until he was beside the boy. Watching him now, he saw him different. Not cocky, or rude, or bullying... he was vulnerable and silent and scared.
He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder: the second non-threatening physical gesture he'd made that day. He tightened his hand slightly and then carefully directed him to the door.
"Anything happens, and you come straight to me..." he reminded the child, and then he was gone.
I know. This took FOREVER to get out... but in my defense, NaNoWriMo started this month and I was planning for it for most of October. I didn't want to be distracted. Hope you like it! Thanks for not giving up on this!