Chapter Thirty-two

Harry had trouble falling to sleep that night. He was afraid to have more of the same dreams. He was also too excited about going to Snape's class in the morning that it was almost impossible for him to calm down and get some sleep.

Eventually, though, Harry was able to fall into a somewhat fitful sleep. He was especially happy the next morning when he realized that he didn't have any of his horrible nightmares (that he could remember, anyway).

"Slyther," Harry said as he sat up in bed and searched for Slyther in the mess of blankets. He straightened the blankets out, finally finding Slyther, who was tangled through those blankets.

"Slyther," Harry repeated. "D'you wanna come down to the Great Hall for some breakfast?" Slyther made a noise of protest. "Yesterday you were mad at me for not waking me up, now I'm waking you up and you won't get up." He picked the sleeping snake up and held him out in front of his face.

Put me down, Slyther said tiredly. Just… go without me. Don't forget about me, though.

"All right," Harry agreed, pulling the blankets off him. He set Slyther back down on the bed. "I'll bring you back some fish. But I can't promise anything, since Severus and I are going to have breakfast and then go to his class."

Yeah… yeah… Slyther mumbled while curling back up in the bed. In seconds Harry knew that the snake was once again fast asleep.

"Morning, Severus!" Harry greeted cheerfully as he stepped into the living room, not surprised to find Snape sitting patiently in the armchair. Harry sat down on the couch.

"My, my," Snape drawled, looking at Harry, "cheerful today, aren't we?"

"Well," Harry started with a smile, looking up at the Potions master, "today's a good day! Don't you think so? I think so. When are we going to go have breakfast? And then when are we going to your class?"

"One question at a time," Snape said, giving his head a shake. "I never knew anybody who could talk as much as you. Or ask as many questions, at that."

"But that's a good thing, right?" Harry asked, still looking at the Potions Professor. He took one of the matching pillows which was beside him and put it on his lap.

"Well, let's just say that we'll never run out of conversation topics," replied Snape dryly.

Harry just grinned. "That's good though." Harry didn't wait for an answer. He shot up from the couch and held his arms out. "Well, I'm all dressed, see? Let's go down for some breakfast now—I'm starving!"

Snape let out a chuckle. "I can see that. Well, are you ready?"

Harry frowned. "Didn't I just say that I was ready?" He walked over to Snape's armchair and grabbed onto Snape's hand, tugging on it. "Come on already, Severus!"

-

Harry walked by Snape's side as both made their way to the Great Hall. He tried not to let the thought of more people whispering about him make him become nervous about eating in the Great Hall. Soon, Harry told himself, the students wouldn't be whispering about him anymore. Soon the excitement of Harry being at Hogwarts would die away.

"I can't wait until I can go to your Potions class with you," Harry informed Snape as they entered the Great Hall, the students not arriving just yet. "Can I ask you how you treat your students, Severus?"

"What, are you Rita Skeeter now?" Snape joked with raised eyebrows as he glanced down at Harry.

Harry gave Snape a look, seating himself in his usual seat beside Snape. "I'm just asking, Sev'rus. Do you have a favorite student—or do you treat one House fairly and the other… not so fairly?"

"Well, I most certainly don't have a favorite student," Snape replied as the students started to fill the Great Hall. "But as you must already know, Gryffindor is my least favorite House—"

"And Slytherin is your favorite, right?" Harry interrupted, waiting patiently for the food to appear. "So they're your favorite House? Well, I don't mind Slytherin or Gryffindor, or any House really. Does it really matter what House you're put in, anyway? I mean a House is just a House, it's not like there's a difference to any of it, is there? I mean, it's a House with different names. It doesn't sound like it matters to me that much."

Harry stopped his chattering as soon as the food had appeared in front of him, but soon resumed his talking.

"Is it Potions with Gryffindor and Slytherins, or Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs, or Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, or—" Harry started to slide bacon into his mouth, cutting his words off.

"Gryffindor and Slytherin," Snape replied.

Harry only just noticed that some of the students were still blatantly staring at him, so he kept his eyes averted from them and started to become suddenly interested in the food that was piled on his plate.

After a while, Harry was about to tell Snape that he was no longer hungry and wanted to go back up to their quarter, but Snape was faster to talk than Harry.

"You didn't eat your toast," Snape pointed out, looking at Harry strangely. "Now that I think about it, you never eat your toast. The only things you seem to eat are rarely potatoes, and often bacon."

Harry raised his eyebrows, glancing at his plate before looking back up at Snape. "What about it? I just… don't like toast." He shrugged. "So?"

"Is there a reason that you don't eat toast? You should really try to eat everything on your plate, you're still a bit too thin—"

Harry started to laugh. "It doesn't matter. People don't like a lot of things, toast just happens to be one of my least favorite foods. I don't like that, or milk, or broccoli, or—other… things.

"I'm full anyway. Can we go get ready for your class now?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "Please?"

"Very well," Snape agreed. "If you say you're full."

"I am," Harry confirmed, standing up from the chair, causing several more pairs of eyes to follow his movement. "Let's go."

-

Harry sat in a stool near Snape's little desk, and he was amazed at the height of Snape's chair compared to the size of his desk. Harry was fascinated at how polished and shiny the top of the Potions masters desk was. He didn't even realize that the students all ready were seated in their seats, and that the class had already started.

Harry had seen Snape's classroom many times before, but to him it looked so different now that the students were present. The only thing that was familiar to Harry was the coldness of the classroom, but Harry suspected that that was because the classroom (including Snape's office and chambers) were located in the dungeons—the coldest part of Hogwarts.

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," Snape's voice thundered. "You're late." He uttered the last words so dangerously low that it gave Harry the shivers.

"We're sorry—" The first twin started.

"But—" The other twin interrupted, and this time was interrupted by Snape himself.

"No excuses. You're late—" Snape stopped and frowned, turning around to face Harry as Harry shyly interrupted him.

"Er—Professor Snape?" Harry spoke up from beside Snape's desk, his voice shy and timid. "C—can I take the, er, Weasley twins outside for a minute so you can teach your class? I won't take long, promise!"

The whole class had their eyes on Snape, waiting for his response. Harry's heart pounded as a few students looked as if they were bracing themselves for some loud yelling.

"Very well," Snape said in a calm voice. "But don't be long about it. The Weasleys still have a class to attend." And he left it at that.

Harry smiled inwardly as he got up from the school and led the Weasleys, who Harry caught exchange glances, outside of the classroom. He made sure to clasp his hands behind his back as he led them out as well, to make himself look more sophisticated.

As soon as the classroom door shut behind them, both Weasley twins in front of the door, Harry (hands still clasped behind his back) started to pace back in forth in front of them.

"Late to class," Harry said, more to himself than to the twins, shaking his head disappointedly. He stopped his pacing and stood in front of the twins, looking serious. "How long has this been going on for?"

The twins exchanged glances. "This was our first time. But the only reason is because George slept in late—"

"No, you slept in late," the other twin, which Harry suspected was George, interrupted as he looked at his brother. "Don't blame this on me, Fred. You are the one that slept in late."

"No," Fred debated with a shake of his head. "You did. And because you slept in late, you made me miss breakfast—"

"If I was sleeping in late, how could you miss breakfast?" George pointed out.

"Okay, so we both slept in late," Fred admitted. "But it was only our first time… Harry? And we were only three minutes late."

Harry nodded, resuming his pacing and saying nothing. He wanted to leave the twins in suspense—making them think that he was going to do the honors of giving them their first detention of the school year. He wasn't, really, but then a thought caught him. If he didn't give the boys a detention, Snape might be disappointed in him… but giving the twins a detention for being three minutes late was kind of foolish, Harry thought, so—

"So… can we go back to class?" One of the twins (who Harry thought was Fred) asked.

Harry was quiet for a while more, before saying. "I'm giving you a detention for… breathing too loudly."

The twins looked at each other in horror before saying simultaneously, "Breathing too loudly?"

Harry smiled triumphantly. "Yup. Your detention can be on Friday, December first. At five o'clock." When the twins didn't move, Harry gave them a look. "Well? Se—I, uh, Professor Snape is waiting for you two. Move it! Now, misters!"

Slowly, the twins (and Harry) walked back into the classroom.

"For breathing too loudly?" Harry heard one of the twins mutter to the other as Harry passed them. "He's worse than Snape himself."

Harry felt proud of himself as he walked back to Snape's desk, sitting in Snape's high chair instead of the stool. He knew that Snape would congratulate him on doing well with the twins' punishments, because Harry reckoned that Snape would've gave the twins the exact same punishment for the exact same reason.

"Well?" Snape asked Harry as he approached his desk while the students were busy writing something down from off of the board.

"Detention at five o'clock on Friday, the first of December," Harry informed Snape, while Snape raised his eyebrows.

"In December? Isn't that a long ways away for a detention?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It was the first date that came to mind. Oh, and Severus? I didn't give them a detention for being almost three minutes late—I gave them a detention for breathing too loudly."

Snape raised his eyebrows again. "Breathing too loudly, hm? I must keep that in mind." He sounded impressed.

Harry had a hard time concealing his smile as Snape walked away to observe the rest of the class and making sure they were doing what they were suppose to be doing. Harry knew he did a job well done.

-

So? Slyther said as Harry returned to his bedroom later that day. Harry was surprised that Slyther was still there. Did you bring fish? I've been so starving—next time bring me with you!

"I tried to," Harry replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Slyther. "You wouldn't come with me. You wanted to stay here."

Oh, me, me, me, Slyther started. Why do you blame everything on me? Why don't you just for once admit that you did something, and not me.

Harry was quiet for a moment. "I gave twins a detention for December first for breathing too loudly," he finally offered.

That's not what I meant! Slyther paused. Wait, you gave twins a detention for breathing too loudly? Are you crazy?

"It's the only thing that came to mind!" Harry argued, looking down at Slyther with a frown.

You don't give humans detentions for the fun of it, you idiot human! Slyther debated with an exaggerated sigh. When will you learn? Only when humans are inconsiderate in the education-place, then you give them detentions. At least, that's what I got out of this whole thing. Hey, I could be wrong, you never know.

"Well, if I didn't give Fred and, erm… Oh yeah, George Weasley a detention then Severus would've been disappointed in me," Harry explained, and for a second he almost forgot the twins' names. "And really, they were breathing just a bit too loud. I could even hear them!"

Well, what did you expect? Slyther asked ironically.

"Uh… I dunno," Harry replied, giving his shoulders a shrug after a moments thought.

That was a rhetorical question, Slyther pointed out.

Harry looked at Slyther oddly. "What does 'rhetorical question' mean?"

Slyther gave an exasperated sigh, but Snape appeared in the doorway before the snake could answer.

"Are you and that snake of yours coming down for lunch?" he asked.

Harry looked up to where Snape was standing and nodded. "I am." Harry turned to Slyther. "Are you?"

Hmm… Slyther mused. I should, so… I think I will.

"All right," Harry said, picking up Slyther and walking towards the door.

-

Wow, it looks like there's more students than the very first day of Hogwarts, observed Slyther.

Harry looked up from his plate of food to look at the students, who were thankfully not looking at Harry.

"Not really," Harry replied slowly. "It's kind of the same as always."

Well, that's your opinion, Slyther responded, and turned back to his fish without another word.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the little dish that was beside his own plate for Slyther. The dish was just the right size for Slyther, and held the fish perfectly. It was a funny sight to watch a snake eat fish out of a bowl, Harry found as he watched the snake eat the food.

"Stop staring into space," Snape's voice interfered with Harry's thoughts, "and eat your food. You need to get some fat on you—you are definitely underfed. What did the Dursleys possibly feed you when you lived with them?"

Other than burnt toast and other things, like sour milk? Nothing, Harry replied in his mind. That was exactly why Harry disliked toast and milk. The Dursleys did feed him, like very black, crisp, burnt toast and gave him sour milk to drink. Dudley always gave Harry is broccoli, and at first Harry enjoyed it. But he had eaten so much of the broccoli that he couldn't help but become tired of it.

"Well?" Snape asked, annoyance visible in his voice. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

Harry snapped out of his trance and looked up. "What? Yeah, I did. Eat more; I am." As if to prove his point, he took a spoonful of potatoes and shoved them in his mouth with a smile. "See?" He said while his mouth was still filled with food. "I'm eatin'."

Snape curled his lip in disgust, but said nothing else as Harry forced the lump of potatoes down his throat, flashing Snape another innocent smile.

-