Chapter Forty-one

"No, don't you dare!" Aureus screamed, her face turning red. "Quirrel, don't you dare! You stick with the plan, and don't go anywhere near Harry or his dreams. Do you hear me?"

Quirrel smirked, obviously enjoying seeing Aureus so. "Who said anything about that, dear Aureus?"

Aureus jumped up from the chair and scowled at Quirrel. "You just did. Don't you dare kill Harry while he's sleeping. Understood? You wouldn't want to disobey the Dark Lord… would you?"

"I would hope not," Voldemort's raspy voice said.

Quirrel's body visible straightened, and he glared at Aureus. "Very well."

Aureus smiled. "Thank you, Quirrel. Now, what am I to do with all of these ingredients? Throw them out?"

Quirrel looked annoyed as he sat down in another chair. "What else? Just make sure Snape nor Potter are able to get to them."

Aureus hesitated for a second. "You do realize, though, that Snape can get more ingredients? I can't keep going to Hogwarts and stealing the ingredients every time he gets them. Who knows, Harry could know that I lied to him about being a Professor at Hogwarts! Argh—I feel like killing that greasy git!"

"That can be arranged," Quirrel said with a malevolent smirk. "But… perhaps… Snape can just give you Potter?"

Aureus's brow furrowed. "Repeat that? Give him to me, just like that?" she snorted. "Now that would be something."

"Well, Snape obviously hates Potter, which is no surprise. He's obviously sick of him. So why wouldn't Snape just give him to you if you asked? It'd be taking him off of Snape's hands, anyway."

Aureus shook her head. "He most definitely wouldn't do that. Besides, he knows my past. He wouldn't just give Harry to me, no matter if he hates Harry or not, he still wouldn't."

"I still think you should go along with my idea and just kill Potter. It's the most sensible thing to do, not bring him up as your son. I mean—" Quirrel sighed as Aureus interrupted him, looking highly irritated.

"I don't care what you mean," Aureus interrupted with a frown. "Just keep your comments to yourself!"

Then, Aureus turned her head away and decided to just ignore Quirrel from then on.

-

"So, what?" Harry said, while eating breakfast the next morning down in the Great Hall with Snape. He had decided to go that morning, since he really was hungry. "I have to stay in your chambers or can I come too?"

"I think that I should get Albus to look after you until I can get the ingredients for the Potion," Snape replied, while Harry turned his head to look at the Potions master and frowned.

"What? I want to go with you. It's my memory your… your…" Harry couldn't think of the word he was looking for. "It's my memory your… trying to bring back, too!"

"Potter," Snape started dangerously, "you'll do as I say. I don't want you to get in the way while I'm getting the ingredients."

Harry glared at Snape. "I wouldn't get in the way! I know I wouldn't get in the way." For a minute, Harry stopped his talking to wonder why Snape acted this way towards him, and why he acted the same way back. He hardly even knew the man to be making assumptions about Snape's attitude, but that was just his first impression of Snape. But Harry knew that sometimes first impressions were wrong… but he got a feeling that this impression wasn't.

"Well, I imagine you will, Potter. So no arguing—you're staying here with Albus to look after you," Snape said firmly in his no-nonsense voice.

Harry, realizing that he could no longer argue with Snape because in the end, Snape would get what he wanted, just pouted and turned back to his food without another sound. As he stared at his food, he wondered where that snake was, since he hadn't noticed the snake hanging around Snape's chambers that morning. Harry had a feeling that Slyther was tangled up in the blankets on the bed.

"Fine," Harry finally said to Snape. "I won't come with you. You don't have to be so mean about it, either! I jus' wanted to come with you… that's all."

Harry stood up from the table, causing some eyes to follow that movement. Harry had forgot about the students that couldn't seem to take his eyes off him. He still wondered about that.

"And you can go get your ingredients without me, for all I care," Harry added as he made his way down the Great Hall. He didn't care how many people heard, or if Snape even heard him at all. He was just angry.

-

Where have you been? Slyther demanded angrily as Harry came into the bedroom looking huffy and fuming. I have been waiting forever for you to come back from wherever you were. When I woke up I couldn't find you, and then I thought that you'd be out somewhere and just didn't bother to wake me up, so I decided to just patiently wait until you returned. But it seemed like you took forever to come back!

"I'm not really in the mood to talk, snake," Harry muttered as he fell onto the bed and buried his face into the silk green pillow. "So just leave me alone. Go find something to do, 'kay?"

Ooh dus eeve eee ah-own? Slyther repeated, sounding bewildered. Is that French?

"No," Harry said, lifting his face from the pillow. "I said 'so just leave me alone'!"

Oh, fine, Slyther said, sounding offended. Now, if you actually knew who I was and didn't have this amnesia-nonsense or whatever it is, you wouldn't of told me to 'leave you alone.' You would've wanted my help, not push it away. You would've confided in me. You would've—

"Just… go," Harry said irritably. "It's bad that I don't know who anybody is, or where I am, but it's worse for people to get mad at me for no reason at all when I don't even know them!"

The greasy human, eh? Slyther guessed. No surprise there, Harry. When you two first met you were the exact same way with each other, except as soon as you two started to 'bond'—no, wait, that's not the right word to describe it… well, let's just say when you and the greasy human were around each other longer you decided to try to give the greasy human a 'chance'. But… I dunno… things changed, I guess.

"You guess?" Harry repeated, sitting up, and instead of putting the pillow on his face he set it on his lap. "Shouldn't you know? Anyway… how'd things 'change'?"

Oh, I don't know! Slyther said. You two got more used to each other, I suppose. Then there was Quirrel that helped, and Aureus—

"Helped?" Harry repeated. "How'd they help?"

Well, not exactly help, Slyther admitted. But Quirrel did attempt to kill you. And then Aureus kidnapped you, but then she ended up in a coma. I think maybe she even died. Hopefully in hell. You know, that's the perfect place for somebody like her. Oh, and the way you described her daughter, Caoimhe—absolutely horrible! You know, I am surprised somebody like her helped you escape, nonetheless try to kill her own mother.

"Wait!" Harry exclaimed, holding up his hand to stop the snake from continuing on. "Aureus died? She died? How's that possible? Didn't she just go to prison or something like that?"

Slyther looked at Harry oddly when he noticed the boys color start to pale in his cheeks. No, she died. At least, I'm pretty sure… maybe…why, what's the matter? I know this is a cliché, but you look like you've seen a ghost. Anyway, you should know I'm just guessing that she died. She might still be in a coma. Who really knows?

"Aureus… she came by to get ingredients from Snape, but then after that Snape told me that Aureus lied to me, that she wasn't a teacher at Hogwarts. I—I didn't know she was in a coma."

Yeah, she was, Slyther replied after a moments pause. But… you saw her? When? It wasn't today, was it? Wow.

"I know!" Harry exclaimed, shaking his head. "But I'm not joking. I did see her. I swear I did, because she pushed—"

Your bangs back? Slyther guessed, finishing Harry's own statement. Yeah, she usually always did that.

Harry swallowed, trying to push down the sudden feeling of nervousness.

Are you all right? Slyther asked tentatively when Harry's body started to sway slightly.

Harry's eyes came level with the snakes, as if just waking from a trance. "Hmm? Yeah… I'm okay… y'know, just—thinking. About things, and stuff—"

Should I respect your privacy and leave? Slyther asked, though he really didn't want to. Because, well, you know I can. I'm not like that—I do respect humans (sometimes) and their privacy, so I can leave if you want me to. You know, if you need to think all this through or something.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Snape was on the other side, still looking very angry.

"Potter," he started from deep in his throat, "no arguing this time. You're staying here, Albus is going to watch you, and I am going to go get the ingredients. Do you understand?"

Harry bit his tongue to keep from debating with the man. He slowly gave his head a nod, and hugged the pillow in his lap tighter. Maybe he wouldn't be as nervous with Albus around, other than being alone and worrying that the ghost of Aureus would come back.

Snape seemed surprised—though he didn't show it—that Harry agreed to it so easily.

"You don't look too well," Snape said slowly, studying Harry, though his face showed no concern for the boy. "Should I take you to Madame Pomfrey?"

"No, I'm fine," Harry replied in a quiet voice. "Just… tired, I guess. Go get the ingredients."

"You've been tired a lot lately," Snape said. "Is there a reason to that?"

"No," Harry said with a shake of his head, looking up at Snape. "No. Just go already."

You should tell him, Slyther said. Tell the greasy human what happened. I suppose since he has the amnesia-nonsense, that he wouldn't know either. Sheesh, what is it with this education-place these days? Everybody seems to be having amnesia lately. Where can I sign up? You know the saying, 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em'? Or something like that? Well… you know… I wanna have amnesia too…

"Tell me what?" Snape asked suspiciously, eyeing Slyther and then Harry. "Is there something I should know about?"

Yes, there is!

Harry narrowed his eyes at Slyther, then looked up at Snape. "Nope. Wait—you can hear him too?"

"Don't change the subject," Snape said warningly.

Harry, Slyther said, just as warningly, remember what I told you about the Web of Lies? Oh, never mind, of course you can't remember. You have amnesia. Well… just TRY to remember about the Web of Lies. TELL HIM.

"It's just… Aureus…" Harry muttered. "It's nothin'."

"What about Aureus?" Snape asked. "Did she come here again? Potter, Aureus isn't the type of person you want to befriend. Stay away from her."

"No, it's not that," Harry said with a shake of his head. "It's just, well, you know how that snake—"

Slyther! You named me, you should remember! Oh, wait, never mi—

"—doesn't have amnesia?" Harry continued, as if Slyther never interrupted at all. "Well, he remembers everything. And he told me that Aureus was in a coma. One that people said she'd never get out of."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "How do you know that that snake isn't lying? You don't even know it."

Uh, well you may not know me, but I know you! Slyther pointed out.

"I just know he isn't," Harry tried to explain. "He said that she kidnapped me? And her daughter killed her. Or tried to. Uh, I think Slyther said her name was Clairice? Cascadia? Um… Clementine?"

NO, it's Caoimhe. Kee-va, the snake pronounced, sounding exasperated, Caoimhe. Kee-va. Get it? Not Clementine, Caoimhe!

"Yes, that," Harry said, still holding onto the pillow tightly. "And I believe him, S—Professor Snape. So… I think you should leave and get the ingredients now. I wanna have my memory back."

Snape didn't say anything for a moments time. Then: "Very well. When you're ready you will come down to the headmasters' office with me, and then I will go get the ingredients. Understood?"

Harry nodded, stood up, picked the snake up and followed Snape out the door.

-

Harry had waited patiently for Snape to return. He and Dumbledore actually didn't do much while Snape was out, other than talk, which was fine with Harry. He liked to talk—just, not as much as the snake did. It was pretty hard to keep up two conversations: one with Slyther, the other with Dumbledore.

And because he got confused every time with the conversations, he had actually told Dumbledore to 'Stop talking!' when he really meant to say that to Slyther, and then he had to explain how he meant to say 'stop talking' to Slyther; not him. It was a very confusing process.

When Snape did return, he returned with all the ingredients for the Memory Potion. Harry, though he was a bit hesitant on drinking the concoction of a 'Potion', was only a bit excited on getting his memory back. That'd mean he'd remember everything… the good and the bad.

Now, Snape, Harry and Slyther were in the Potions Classroom, which was thankfully empty since it was a Saturday and the students had the weekend off. He watched as Snape added in the ingredients, but then he said that the Potion had to cool. So, Harry decided to sit in one of the chairs and wait for the Potion to cool.

"Is it ready yet?" Harry asked, blinking a few times to keep himself awake. He didn't know how many minutes went by—or hours. Perhaps even seconds.

Snape peered into the cauldron. It didn't seem to be as hot as it was when he last checked.

"I suppose," Snape said. "Go get some vials for me to put the Potion in."

Harry obeyed. He soon found a whole pile of empty vials that they could put the Potion in. Good, he thought as he picked up as many as he could carry. I think we can give the staff this Potion so they can get their memory back, too. Maybe we could even find some way to give the students their memory back by using this Potion.

"I found a whole bunch," Harry announced, bringing the vials over to Snape. "We can give the staff a vial to take too, right?"

Snape nodded as he started to fill one bottle up. As soon as it was up to the top, he handed it to Harry.

"You go first."

Harry furrowed his brow and looked at the Potion that Snape was holding out in disgust.

"No, you go first," Harry said. "I don't wanna go first. What if it turns out wrong and you poison me?"

Snape looked annoyed, and thrust the Potion out again. "I do not make my Potions wrong, Potter. Now take it. It'll probably work the same as the Forgetfulness Potion that was most likely given to us to make us forget everything. So, that means you'll fall asleep. So you take this first, then you fall asleep, I can take you to the chambers, fill the rest of the vials with the Potion, give it to everybody else and then I take it."

"What if there's no more left?" Harry asked.

"Then I make more. I still have to make more anyway, Potter, for the students. Now take it."

Harry eyed the Potion hesitantly before taking it out of Snape's hand. He slowly tipped it into his mouth and drank the contents, then handed the vial back to Snape.

"It tastes like nothing," Harry said with a smile, but then his face suddenly reflected worry. "It doesn't work, Professor! I'm not tired. I don't feel anything. I feel normal."

"Give it time," Snape replied, still annoyed. "You don't give things time, Potter."

Harry scowled. "I do, too! I give things lotsa time—" Then he stopped in the middle of his sentence. He started to sway, and had to grab onto one of the desks for support.

"I don't feel good," Harry muttered, sitting down on the cold ground. "I feel funny."

"It's the Potion taking effect," Snape explained.

Harry's eyes started to feel heavy, like he couldn't keep them open any longer… then, he didn't know what had happened next, because everything had gone black.

-