Chapter Forty-three

"I'm not having this conversation with you anymore," Snape said firmly, his face cold. "You've been the one lying to him ever since you met him. Why don't you just tell him the truth, Lupin? Wouldn't it be better than lying?"

"Severus," Remus started calmly, shifting his position on the bed in the hospital wing, "Anything would be better than lying, but I can't tell Harry the truth yet. He isn't ready. When the time is right, though, I will."

"When the time is right," Snape echoed with a snort. "How clever, Lupin. When the time is right. Wouldn't the right time be now? Harry could come here anytime and find you here, then there'll be questions. Questions, might I add, that you'd be hesitant to answer. I don't want to be the one to tell him about you being a werewolf, but you do realize that it could just accidentally slip from my mouth that you are one—"

Remus sighed, closing his eyes. "Please, don't. I will tell him—soon enough. I'm really not in the mood to talk about this now, Severus. You should go back to Harry. He could wake up and find you gone."

"Exactly what I was going to do," Snape said coolly. "Yesterday I was so close to telling him. The time is now, Lupin, or never. Because if you won't, I will."

"Don't you think I know that?" Remus said, and then shook his head, emitting a sigh. "Just—"

"Go?" Snape guessed. "With pleasure."

With another look, Snape left the hospital wing, and back up to the chambers.

-

"Where were you?" Harry inquired as he found Snape in the armchair when he came out of his bedroom, sitting down in the couch near Snape. Snape really wasn't surprised to find that Slyther wasn't on top of Harry's head, nor coiled around his arm. The snake was probably still sleeping.

"Right here," Snape said easily. "Why?"

"Because you weren't a while ago," Harry said, his brow furrowed. "I came out here after I looked in your room, but you weren't there. I searched everywhere. Where'd you go?"

"Oh… out," Snape said, still as easy as ever. "Dumbledore needed to tell you that he still hasn't found Quirrel or Aureus yet, but that they're still looking. He wanted to tell you personally, but you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you."

"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Harry said cheerfully, looking more relaxed than what he was. "Well, at least they're still looking for them. That's good."

Then, Harry paused, glancing towards his bedroom. "Severus, have you seen Slyther when you came out? He wasn't in the room when I woke up, and when I was looking for you I was looking for Slyther, too, but I couldn't find him."

"No, I haven't," Snape said without any concern. Losing that snake wouldn't be much of a loss. It'd actually be for the better—you wouldn't hear the snake going on, anyway.

Harry bit his lip, trying not to let his worry show. "All right. He's probably just… out. Like you were. He'll be back soon."

-

"What are you doing?" Quirrel said to Aureus, his brow furrowed as he watched Aureus set the snake—which was surprisingly putting up a very good fight—on the floor. Well, it was actually more throw the snake on the floor.

"EW!" She cried, screwing her face up in disgust as she looked at the snake. "I can't believe I actually touched that thing! The things I do for Harry…"

"I will only repeat myself once," Quirrel said as calmly as he could muster. "What are you doing with that snake?"

Aureus looked down at the snake triumphantly. "It's Harry's snake. I was able to take it during the night, while everybody was asleep. But I had to make sure that everybody was asleep, especially that greasy git. Do you know how difficult it was? No, you honestly couldn't."

She smiled. "I might as well call myself invisible. I was able to get in and out of there so easily, but do you know what was the hardest part of all? Trying to guess Snape's password for his chambers. It took me a well two times to guess 'Slytherin', but that was kind of obvious in the first place. I mean,—"

"What are you going to do with that thing, anyway?" Quirrel asked sarcastically. "Hold it hostage? Sacrifice it?"

Aureus made a face. "No, of course not! But… this snake… seems familiar. I think"— Aureus looked down at the snake— "that this snake is actually an animagus."

Quirrel rose his eyebrows, casting the snake another glance. "Really, now? What gave you that impression?"

Finding no hint of sarcasm in Quirrel's voice, Aureus started to continue, but then stopped herself. With a slow smile, she looked around the room and then closed her eyes.

"Just give me a minute. God am I glad to be out of that dingy hotel and back into my real home!" She breathed in, and then let it out. "Ohh, I just had to let my happiness be known. You realize though, Quirrel, that we can't stay in this house long. No doubt the Ministry or whoever Dumbledore has looking for me… or us, even… will likely search this place, if they hadn't already."

Quirrel gave her an annoyed look. "I know Aureus, and it's a lovely home, yes, but can you continue with the animagus theory?" he demanded.

"Well, I knew somebody when I went to Hogwarts that was an illegal animagus, and could turn into a snake. That's why it seemed so familiar to me, but you see, they went missing while still in Hogwarts."

"So you think this is the missing person?" Quirrel guessed, and Aureus nodded.

"I do."

"But how will this help you? The snake could possibly be an animagus. How will that help?"

"It'll help us to get Harry here," Aureus explained. "You know. A lure…?"

When Quirrel didn't respond, Aureus let out an exasperated sigh and pointed her wand that she took from the nightstand at the snake. A light shot out from her wand, hitting the snake exactly, and as soon as that happened Slyther turned from a snake to a human.

"You insolent human!" Slyther, the ex-snake, continued to rant on, oblivious that he was turned into a human. "How dare you take me away from Harry and bring me here. You have no right—"

Then, he stopped, and noticed that things were much taller than usual. He looked up at Aureus, his face paling.

"What did you do to me, you insolent human?" he demanded, scowling. "I demand that you turn me back at once. No way am I going to be a human! I demand that you turn me back into what I was: a snake!"

"Oh, no," Aureus said with a chuckle, trying to keep her eyes averted from the… human, since he was—well, to put it simple, he had absolutely no clothes on. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, you aren't a snake. You're a human that can transform into a snake. An animagus, and you're going to help me get Harry."

"I am not a human," the animagus debated. "I am a snake, I always have been. How dare you put such twisted things into my mind! Now take me back to Harry!"

"Nathaniel," Aureus murmured. "Nathaniel Jacobs."

'Nathaniel' started to pale, and looked absolutely terrified. "What are you doing to me? Y—you're putting scenes into my head, you human! I demand you stop at once!"

Aureus laughed. "I'm not doing that. See, Nathaniel, you've been a snake for absolutely too long. You forgot that you were a human once before, but now that I've changed you back you're starting to remember everything that happened while you were human again."

She waited for a minute, studying his horrified features. "What happened? Can you tell me why you turned into a snake and never turned back?"

Nathaniel, looking dazed, shook his head. "I don't—I don't remember. I just… wanted to stay a snake… never to turn back… and I did."

Aureus smiled and turned to look at Quirrel, who was sitting in one of the seats in the corner looking amused.

"Well, I think that when you stayed a snake you lost a lot of knowledge about humans. You have been a snake for quite a long time—you went missing around our fifth or sixth year of Hogwarts, you know."

Nathaniel's dazed look soon turned into a scowl. "Now turn me back into a snake and bring me to Harry!"

Aureus's shoulders sagged and she let out a breath through clenched teeth. "Not that again! When are you going to stop? You're not going back to Harry, you're going to help me get him. Understand?"

Nathaniel slowly turned around and tried to walk towards the door, but kept falling every time. So, he had to crawl to the door, and when he got there he had to get up on his knees and try to fiddle the doorknob until the door would open, but it didn't.

"You shouldn't bother," Aureus said airily, walking to the bed and laying down, looking relaxed. "No one can get in or out. I made sure of that."

Nathaniel scowled at Aureus's smile.

"You… you… HUMAN! Let me OUT!"

"Not by a long shot," Aureus said, glancing up and down at Nathaniel. She turned back to Quirrel. "Oh, and Quirrel? I'd appreciate it if you could lend Nathaniel some clothes to wear."

-

Aureus walked down the steps into the kitchen. Oh god, she couldn't get over the fact that she was finally home again. No more dingy hotel room. She walked down the hall and opened a door, down into the basement.

"Lucy, I'm home," she called in a sing-song voice. She smiled sweetly at the man who cowered in the corner of the room. "Did you miss me? Aw, well I'm home now."

"Please, just let me go," the muggle begged, trembling. "I have a wife and a kid—at home, please—"

"Oh, quiet now," Aureus scolded. "Your pain will be over soon. Believe me. It's all working out... perfectly, if you ask me."

-

"That's it," Harry said, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. "It's almost been the whole entire day, and Slyther hasn't been anywhere. I looked in the classroom after classes, he wasn't there. I looked in the chambers—everywhere—he wasn't there. I looked in the Great Hall after breakfast, lunch and supper: not there! I asked all of the Professors if I could search for Slyther in their classrooms after their classes were over, and they let me, but he wasn't there!"

"Just calm down," Snape instructed. "He's here somewhere."

"He can't be out basking in the sun because it's winter!" Harry continued on, sitting down on the couch in the chambers and then burying his head in his hands. "It's hopeless. I keep trying to talk to him but he's not talking back."

"And you've checked everywhere?"

Harry looked up at Snape. "Yes, I have. Everywhere."

"Don't you think things would be a lot calmer without that snake here?" Snape suggested. "Wouldn't it be a good thing? Anyway, somebody needs to talk to you down in the hospit—"

Harry glared at the Potions master. "A good thing? You think losing Slyther is a good thing? It's not! He's my best friend, even though he's not exactly… human. He's still my friend, and I am still going to find him, no matter what."

"I just think that something's up with that snake. You know I do."

"Yes, I do," Harry replied. "You've always hated Slyther. You've hated me too."

Snape gave Harry a warning look, but Harry continued on.

"And you see? I'm not so bad. You don't hate me anymore—at least, I don't think you do, but still, you know what I mean! I have to find Slyther, Severus."

"I know," Snape said, "but why not try tomorrow? Just take a break from all this worrying."

"Take a break?" Harry repeated, looking shocked. "How can I take a break? I can't."

"You can," Snape corrected. "Just sit down and relax. Try to calm down."

Harry shook his head. "Not while Slyther could be hurt. You just don't understand."

"Somebody actually needs to talk to you," Snape started. "It's very important."

"Who?" Harry said, looking up at Snape but still looking worried. "Is it about Slyther? Is he hurt? Did they find him? What happened, where'd he go? Did they not find him? Is he in trouble?"

"It's nothing about your snake," Snape replied. "It's more about…"

Then, he stopped. He should wait at least until Harry finds the snake, since he really didn't need to know about Lupin just yet. Not while he was in the state he was in already.

"Well?" Harry demanded, looking impatient. "It's more about what?"

"Just relax," Snape said instead. "Try thinking of places you didn't look for your snake in, and then tomorrow you can look there."

Snape watched as Harry's body relaxed, and he sunk into the couch looking exhausted.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I just don't want anything bad to happen to Slyther. He was my very first real friend, and I should've been keeping a better eye on him."

"You were sleeping when your snake left," said Snape. "How could you have kept a better eye on the snake if you were sleeping? It wasn't your fault that this happened. It's not."

"Maybe," Harry reconsidered. "But maybe it is my fault."

-

A/N: Next three chapters will be up tomorrow; thank you to everybody who's been reviewing!