Chapter Thirty-eight

Aureus's smile lit her face. This was finally going to happen. Harry was finally going to be her son—and the Dark Lord had agreed to everything. Quirrel wasn't as thrilled about the whole thing as she, but he was only a temporary thing, so it really didn't matter.

"My Lord," she said, bowing her head. She, Quirrel and Voldemort were in a muggle forest. That seemed to be the only place they could talk without muggles surrounding them. "My Lord," Aureus repeated, stand up straight once again, "I have something… a Potion—"

"Of what?" Voldemort's voice hissed, though it was muffled from Quirrel's purple turban.

"Well," Aureus started, "I don't actually have it, but I know how to make it. You see, it's a Potion to transport your—let's say soul— into another's body."

"That would require killing a muggle?"

"Well, no," Aureus admitted. "Their soul would still be in their body, my Lord, but soon their own soul would die, fade away to nothing, leaving just your soul in the muggles' body."

There was a pondering silence. "I think I see what you're talking about, Aureus," Voldemort finally said. "It would be very much needed. I don't expect to be living off Quirrel for all of time…"

"But it's not permanent," Aureus added. "You can't stay in the body permanently, unfortunately. You only have forty-eight hours, maybe longer, and then your soul leaves the body…then there's no soul in the body. The body would be soulless, if you will."

"No need to worry, Aureus," Voldemort replied, "If only I get the Philosophers Stone, then I can stay in the body…"

Aureus only stared.

-

"No!" Harry said firmly, keeping his face hard.

Yes.

"No."

Yes.

"NO!"

Ye—oh, to heck with this! I'm not arguing with you anymore. Let's just go. The greasy human won't know you're gone…

"No way," Harry said firmly, shaking his head until he started to have a headache. "Not again. He almost found out last time! Or weren't you listening?"

Exactly my point, Slyther argued. Almost. He almost found out—but didn't! Just a little bit suspicious, but really, it was only snow! What's to be suspicious about snow for?

"Why don't I just wait until next time?" Harry suggested, looking down at Slyther from the bed he was laying on. Slyther'd refused to come up on his bed. The only way Slyther said he'd go up on the bed, was for Harry to agree to go to Hogsmeade again.

Next time? Slyther repeated, sounding horrified. Why next time? Why not now? I am getting so tired of staying here all the time. I feel confined. How about we go to Hogsmeade, just to get outta here? Come on… what's it gonna hurt? Plus, not to mention, two days before Christmas. You have to start now, because it's now or never.

"I know that. I'm not stupid," Harry added, sitting up. "I don't want to get in trouble. Why not wait until tomorrow? That's when the third years are going. And if we do go now, the least we could do is tell Severus where we're going, and maybe also get an adult to come with us 'cause, you never know who may be out there…"

Are you thinking of Topaz Aureus? Slyther asked. The woman who kidnapped you? The very, very weird and perky one? Is that why you want to go with an adult? Are you scared that the weird and perky human will wake up from the Death Sleep and try to kidnap you again?

Amusement was fresh in Slyther's voice, but unfortunately for Harry, he wasn't the least bit amused.

"It's not funny!" He said with a frown. "It could happen, y'know. I mean, I never thought there'd be another world out there with magic. But there is. So, you could never know… And don't make fun of me, either."

Sorry, Slyther apologized, but he sounded the least bit apologetic. But you know what? Fine. Let's not go. I'm just going to go somewhere and make myself useful… so I won't be bored…

"You do that," Harry said. "I'm going to… count my fingers and toes."

Oh, come off it, Slyther said before he slithered out the door. Counting your fingers and toes? Isn't there something better you can do? Lunch is in a while, you know.

"Did you tell that by looking at the sky?" Harry asked, almost skeptically. "And don't even bother saying yes, either. I asked Severus if you really could tell the time by looking at the sky, and he said not exactly. You'd need a watch to tell the exact time… or somewhere around the exact time. Not just whether it's morning, afternoon or night."

Well, sorry! Slyther said. I won't try to help you anymore.

"How is that 'helping' me?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed. "I—"

Just count your toes, Slyther interrupted irritatedly, slithering towards the door.

"And my fingers," Harry reminded the snake. "Don't forget my fingers. Where're you going, anyway?"

I really don't know, Slyther admitted. Hopefully I can find somewhere to go. Or, you could just let me out…

"I will," Harry considered, "if you tell me where you'll be so I can find you later on. But, if you don't, then I suppose you can come up here and sit on the bed with me and talk."

I'll just be out and about, Slyther said quickly. Believe me, I won't go anywhere without your knowing. I'll tell you everywhere I go.

Harry let out a little groan before getting off the bed and bending down to pick Slyther up. As soon as he came to the doorway he set Slyther down.

"There. Don't get into any trouble."

ME, get into trouble? Sorry, Harry, but I think you're mistaking me for another very good-looking snake. But it's definitely not me—I mean, I never get into any trouble. But the part about being very good-looking, well, I don't know if it's true or not but I must admit that I do look pretty goo—

"Okay," Harry interrupted with a snort of laughter. "I get what you mean. Just…go. And have fun, or whatever you do."

Oh, sure. That'll be easy, Slyther said, but then he paused. It's lunch isn't it? I can tell because I'm starving.

-

It was a weird feeling Harry got when he took a sip of his juice down in the Great Hall. Like a huge wave of sleepiness, just overcoming him until he was forced to fall asleep. His mind went foggy, until all the fog filled up every corner of his head.

He wasn't sure if he was the only one, but he soon found out when he awoke. His hair was streaked with potatoes and other food, and he looked down in disgust to find out that he had actually passed out in his food. Rubbing his eyes, Harry looked over at Severus—who was asleep too—and roughly nudged him.

"Come on," Harry muttered, still prodding the Professor until he awoke. "Back to the chambers... more comfy..."

It seemed the whole Great Hall was suddenly overcome by their own great wave of sleepiness. He found that he could barely even move as he and Severus (though he was practically dragging Severus along) went down to the dungeons, to the chambers.

"What's the password?" Harry murmured, swaying on the spot as he tried to keep his eyes open. When Severus didn't answer, Harry wracked his brain until he came up with it.

"Come on, we can't fall asleep right here," Harry shook his head, trying to clear it as he pulled Severus through the portrait hole. "Why is everybody so sleepy?"

"Potion," came the curt reply from Severus before he passed out in his armchair. Unsteadily, Harry walked over to the couch, and it wasn't long before he passed out as well.

-

"Where were you?" Quirrel demanded as Aureus came up to him in the same muggle forest, a triumphant flaunt to her movement.

"You know exactly where I was," Aureus said with a smile. "After all, we did talk this over."

Quirrel narrowed his eyes at Aureus.

"Who did you give the Potions to, Aureus?" Voldemort's voice asked, and Aureus stood a little straighter.

"Harry, Snape… Dumbledore—the rest of the staff and the studnets," Aureus replied slowly, her voice thoughtful as she tried to remember everybody that she had served the Potions to. She felt accomplished, slipping the Potion into the pumpkin juice. It was really quite easy to get by the House Elves.

All right, so maybe she lied about it being easy to get by the House Elves—it really wasn't. She just liked to think that she had completed her job without any difficulties.

"There are more people who'll remember that the… unfortunate traitor, Snape, had adopted Potter," Quirrel reminded Aureus.

"Oh, I know," Aureus replied airily. "But that'll just have to do, won't it?"

-

Harry felt his eyelids start to open, but he really didn't want to wake up. He wanted to lay asleep on this couch forever. But he knew he couldn't, since the Dursleys would get mad at him for sleeping forever.

He groaned a little as he sat up, and he rubbed his eyes sleepily. He really didn't want to wake up. Harry stifled a yawn and stood up, but then frowned. This wasn't the Dursleys' house, it was too different…and cold.

Then, Harry noticed someone in the armchair. It wasn't one of the Dursleys, he knew that for a fact, since the Dursleys had already left for Mexico. He let out an audible yelp and took a few steps backward, his eyes fixed on the very strange looking man that seemed to be asleep in the armchair.

That yelp seemed to be loud enough to wake that man up, since his eyes flew open, and he stared at Harry in confusion. Then that confusion started to change when he took sight of what Harry thought was his scar.

"Harry Potter," the man spat, jumping up to his feet. "How did you get to Hogwarts, and what are you doing in my chambers?"

"I don't know," Harry said, his body frozen on the spot. That man didn't seem as terrifying when he was sleeping, as he was when he was awake. "I really don't, sir. I just woke up on your…er…couch. Please don't hurt me!" he added quickly, putting his arms up in front of his face. "Just take me back to the Dursleys."

Snape came forward and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him towards the door. "You're coming with me, Potter."

-

Snape banged loudly on Dumbledore's office doors. No one answered. Then, he tried again, and that time when there was still no answer he decided to just go right in.

He and Harry found Dumbledore asleep in the Great Hall… along with everybody else. Snape took the scene in suspiciously as he made his way up to the staff table.

"Headmaster," Snape said impatiently, still gripping Harry's arm tightly. "Headmaster. Wake up."

Dumbledore seemed to reply to that request, since his eyes opened and he sat up in a confused way.

"Oh. I must have dozed off there… Do you need something, Severus? And who—" Dumbledore stopped, suddenly seeing Harry's scar. "Harry Potter. What are you doing here?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to know," Snape said. "I found him in my chambers. Can somebody explain how Potter got there? And why he's at Hogwarts? Potter isn't eleven yet."

"School hasn't started yet, either," Dumbledore added. Then he seemed to take sight of the students that were asleep. "Or perhaps it had." He looked back at Harry gently. "Do you know how you came to be here, Harry? Did somebody bring you here?"

Harry shook his head, gulping. "I don't know sir. T—the Dursleys are in Mexico… I really I think I should get back." He paused. "Can you tell me what the date is, sir, please?"

Dumbledore seemed to be lost at that. "I don't know," he admitted, looking at Snape. "Do you know the date, Severus?"

Snape shook his head.

Dumbledore stood up. "Well, we'll just have to figure that out. If you'll follow me…"

-

Harry followed the 'Headmaster' and 'Severus' to wherever Dumbledore was taking them. He really had no choice to follow, either, since Snape still had a good hold on his arm. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a bruise there by tomorrow, or perhaps earlier than tomorrow.

Harry then found himself in what Dumbledore had introduced as his office. Harry was awed by the calendar they went over to, but not because of how nice it looked, but that the pictures were actually moving. They were moving pictures of people on brooms.

"Oh, my," Harry heard Dumbledore say. "It's… December twenty-fourth, 1990."

"Wow!" Harry breathed, his eyes getting wide. "That means I'm already ten years old!" A pleased smile came across—and stayed—on Harry's face.

"I could've sworn it was the summer of 1990," Snape said, more to himself than anybody in the room.

"Me too," Harry added, finding that he was no longer scared by Snape, but that he was being hurt by him. Harry managed to squirm his arm out of Snape's grasp, and throw a man a quick glare along the way.

"I can't remember anything that's happened," Harry added. "I only remember that the Dursleys left for Mexico, and I was to stay and take care of the house… but even I forget what date that was." Then, Harry's face paled with realization. "Oh, no. This isn't good—they're probably already back from their vacation! Unless they decided to stay for Christmas, too."

"We should take you back to your Aunt and Uncle's," Dumbledore said. He turned to Snape. "You take Harry back, Severus. I have to deal with everything that's going on here. Either it's just us that still thinks it's the summer of 1990, or the whole staff does, possibly even the…students." Dumbledore shook his head and headed out the door of his office.

-

Harry stood on the Dursleys' threshold, along with Snape at his side. He didn't know why he was so nervous. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen the Dursleys for almost six months.

The door swung open, and Harry wasn't surprised that Vernon answered the door. He now knew that the Dursleys had returned from their vacation in Mexico.

"It's you," Vernon said, his voice think with dislike. He glared at Snape, who kept his face expressionless. "What, did you get too sick of him? Came to bring him back? Well I'm sorry, but we're not taking that freak back any day!"

Though Snape's face was expressionless, Harry knew that he was also confused. Just the same as he was.

"Excuse me?" Snape said, his voice cool. "I didn't take Potter. He's your responsibility—"

"Hasn't been for a while," Vernon interrupted, looking impatient and angry. "You're the one who found us 'unfit' to care after the freak, and you're the one who took him in. He's your responsibility now."

The door slammed shut, but Snape wouldn't leave. Instead, he started banging on the door once more.

"No way would I adopt Potter," Snape said out loud as he continued banging on the door. "I must have been out of my mind. I don't even know if what that muggle says is true."

The door opened again, and Vernon continued looking as angry as ever. "We are not taking him back. So if you'll just go back to your freak-world and leave my family alone—"

"You will take Potter back," Snape said menacingly, thrusting the boy forward. "I have no recollection of ever adopting that… Potter!"

"Well, you did," Vernon said, pushing Harry back again, towards Snape. "Now take him and get off my threshold, and leave my family alone while you're at it!"

Again, the door slammed shut, but Snape didn't bang on the door again this time. Instead, he sneered at Harry.

"We are going back to Hogwarts, and you are not to make a sound."

-

"Adopted?" Dumbledore repeated, his hands folded on his desk as he looked at Snape and Harry. "That doesn't sound like something you'd do, Severus."

"Exactly," Snape agreed. "But the Muggle won't take him back."

"For now, the least you could do is look after Harry," Dumbledore said. "Just until we got some things sorted out. Then we'll know what really happened." He cleared his throat, a sign that he was changing the topic. "If you two want to go down to the Great Hall to have lunch, I presume, the students have already begun to eat."

"I am hungry," Harry said, glancing up tentatively at Snape.

"Very well, just go," Snape said.

"I don't know where the 'Great Hall' is," Harry said. "You're going to have to show me."

"Just get going," Snape snapped as Harry started towards Dumbledore's office doors.

-

Harry tossed some of his peas back and forth with his fork, feeling completely confused. He had no idea where he was, only that he was at a school called 'Hogwarts', he had no idea who the man next to him was, only that his name was 'Snape' and he was mean, and also a Professor at this school.

For the first time, Harry wished that he was back at the Dursleys—a place that he actually knew and recognized.

-