CHAPTER 5 - PROTECTOR

The whomping willow stood looking quite the same as Harry remembered it. Its gnarly branches were twisted menacingly around its thick trunk yet it was quite still. Harry had none of the human capabilities to think things through as humans do. So in one fell swoop he leaped towards the knot at the base of the tree and touched it. Before the old tree had a chance to responding Harry was through the passage and out of sight.

Harry was swift and strong and the run into Hogsmeade didn't take long. He soon found himself sneaking out of Zonko's storeroom and through the back door. He appeared in an alley and could sense he was quite alone in the immediate area. Harry continued along until he spotted what he was looking for: an open window, its torn curtains flying out into the night air. Inside was an older wizard snoring soundly. And across from the bed…

'Bingo!'

…there was an old fireplace. It was clear that this particular fireplace wasn't used for fires, as there was no ash or charcoal. It was used for flooing. And on the mantle piece was a large jar of floo powder. Harry couldn't believe his luck. He stood on his hind paws and toppled the jar over. The crashing sound was muffled by the moth-eaten carpet. The man gave a disgruntled lurch and turned over, mumbling about roasted duck.

Harry swiped some floo powder into the fireplace with his paw and positioned himself in the middle. He closed his eyes and thought as hard as he could: "Professor Snape's study! Professor Snape's study!"

And with a lurching feeling Harry was being whisked through the floo network. The feeling wasn't as bad as an animal. Then with a great crash Harry toppled out onto a rug, spreading soot everywhere. The soot stained his white stripes gray. He had soot in his ears and up his nose and in places he didn't know he had yet.

Harry wasn't certain he had flooed to the right fireplace until he saw Snape charging towards him.

"You're late, Potter!"

Harry wanted to defend himself. 'But I had to find another way in! The halls were packed with people.' But he had no way of saying it. So he looked into his professor's eyes, trying to wear his emotions on his face. Snape sighed.

Harry shook in an attempt to dispel of some soot. Snape merely waved his wand and Harry's coat was cleaner and glossier than before.

"At this very moment Dumbledore has assemble his entire staff. He stopped by the hospital wing and took notice of your absence. He will search every room and every crevice of this school until he finds you safe."

Harry gulped.

"However. I just informed him that I was already in the process of searching, as it was I who realized your absence first. I assured him that I would keep searching and report back to him if I found anything. Therefore, you are safe staying here. Dumbledore will not have my quarters searched, as he will assume I have done so myself."

Snape noted that Harry seemed relieved. The wolf-cross relaxed his ears and his body and looked thankfully at Snape.

Snape leaned against his desk and sighed. "Now I must define your motives. I have already assessed that if your ultimate goal was troublemaking you would have recruited your Griffindor lackies. As it is you are quite on your own in this endeavor. Therefore I surmise that you had a more technical goal. But seeing as you can't speak or write, and we have no way of communicating directly we are left in a sticky predicament, Mr. Potter."

Harry knew Snape was right and immediately became frustrated at the fact that he couldn't communicate as humans do. And it would be almost impossible to convey his intention to snape via indication, as dogs sometimes do. It was just too complicated.

Snape stood up straight. "But perhaps there is another way." Harry's ears perked in interest. "Though I have never tried it there is no reason why Occlumency wouldn't work on an animagus."

Harry's chest swelled. Occlumency? With Snape? This day couldn't get any worse.

"Are you willing to try, Potter?"

Harry took several moments to think. His animal mind went to work. He remembered the bad experience during his lessons with Snape the year before. Then he thought that this plan just might work, and that he could convey his message using specific memories. But then his mind trailed to the thought of deception. Would Snape take advantage of him in such a weakened state? Would he run off to Dumbledore with all his secrets? But this other part of him reasoned that if Snape's goal was to rat Harry out to the Headmaster, then he would have done it already. And besides, he had no other option.

Harry walked closer to Snape and sat down, indicating that he was ready.

"Prepare yourself."

'Wow,' Harry thought. Snape had never given him time to prepare himself before intruding into his mind. 'He's losing his touch'

Snape rose his wand, aimed it at Harry and said 'Legilimens!'

Harry immediately felt the pressure of the intrusion. He tried to let it happen, but his instinct was to try and push it out. He knew he had to let Snape in, but he was too scared to let go.

'You must let me in, Potter,' Harry heard Snape say. Snape pushed a little harder but still countered more resistance. 'Potter is a more powerful Occlumens in his animal form,' Snape thought to himself. There was no way he was gaining access if the boy was so intent on pushing him out.

"Potter, you must open your mind. I will not hurt you."

Then Snape felt Harry's barrier go down and he pushed through the tiny opening.

Suddenly Snape was standing in a neat yet untasteful home. He assumed muggles must live here because there wasn't a speck of magic in sight. Then he heard the stomping of footsteps and muffled shouting above. Snape climbed the stairs and followed the noise. A door near the end of the hall burst open and Harry came running out. He was skinnier than he is now, his skin a sick wax colour. And his garments were oversized and tattered. This wasn't anything like the life of luxury Snape insisted Harry was living.

Then a corpulent man waddled out of the room and after Harry. The poor boy was clearly afraid of this man and shouted for him to stop. Snape tried to block the man from getting near Harry, forgetting for a moment that he was in a memory.

'Uncle Vernon, please stop!'

"Stupid Boy! You think I wouldn't notice the pudding you stole from the fridge?"

"But I never touched it." Harry insisted, cowering before his uncle.

Vernon raised a pudgy hand and brought it down against Harry's face. The sound of the impact made Snape's stomach tighten. Harry was bleeding from his mouth and nose, and his glasses had been knocked to the floor.

"You have no right, you freak!!! I've housed you and clothed you and taken care of you and this is the thanks I get!"

Vernon was recoiling for another strike. This time Harry tried kicking his uncle in a vain attempt to back the large man up.

"How dare you!!!"

There was another sickening slap of flesh against flesh and this time Harry cried out. Once again Snape had to remind himself that this was only a memory.

Then Vernon tried to grab his nephew and a small scuffle broke out. Naturally, Harry was overpowered. His uncle grabbed Harry's left forearm and wrenched it. There was a popping sound and Snape fancied he heard the ligaments tearing. Harry's face contorted in pain and he cried out, tears streaming down his swollen cheeks. Vernon then dragged the defeated boy to the room they had emerged from and locked him in.

Before Snape could digest what he'd just seen he was in the Hogwarts express watching Harry and Ron talking on the first day they met each other. Then he was with Harry and his friends when they were in 3rd year in Lupin's class. Harry was clearly happy and was enjoying learning about Hinkypunks.

Then Snape stood watching himself and the last of the marauders in the shrieking shack. He watched Harry as he was being told that Sirius Black was his Godfather. Then they were outside, looking at Hogwarts and Snape could clearly see the sparkle in Harry's eyes as Sirius spoke to him. He saw Sirius hugging Harry at Number 12 Grimauld Place, and then he watched as Harry wrote a letter to his Godfather, wishing him well, and wishing he was there with him.

Snape watched Sirius fall through the veil and how Harry tried desperately to save him. Images flashed in front of Snape's eyes: A broken mirror, a photo of lily and James on their wedding day, Harry crying, Sirius in his animagus form.

The potions master felt overwhelmed as he watched Harry gain access to the Room of Requirement. He saw Bo Breblan's book and Harry scrutinizing pages of various volumes, all on animagi. Then he saw Harry's transformation. He saw the boy's shock turn into excitement, turn into panic. Snape also noted how the emotions of the memories changed when Harry became an animal. They were simpler, less complex. And Snape sensed that Harry was more at ease in that way.

Then with an intense power Snape was thrown out of Harry's head. He staggered backwards. He looked at the animal before him. He looked lost, pitiful, scared. And Snape understood it all.

"I see," was all Snape could manage at that moment.

Later that evening Snape watched as Harry slept on a chair he had conjured for him near the fireplace. The boy had been exhausted and hungry. Snape had wondered when Harry ate the last. The animal was so hungry that he barely chewed the food brought to him. Then he fell asleep as quickly as if he's been given a sleeping draught.

Harry's head was resting on the thickly upholstered arm rest and his limbs were tucked neatly against his body. The flickering candlelight brought his coat to life. Snape watched entranced as his stomach rose and feel with every breath. Harry had certainly chosen a magnificent animal. Then again, this was an accident

All these years Snape had been treating Harry unfairly. The boy hardly deserved such treatment. Perhaps it was because Harry reminded him so much of James. Bullocks. Harry wasn't much like his father anyway. Maybe he was trying to put up a front of the greasy git potions professor. But he did that with all his students, even his Slytherins. Why was he more severe with Harry? Snape concluded that he was prejudiced against Harry from the beginning and was too proud and stubborn to admit he was mistaken.

But all these revelations had come too late. The damage had already been done. There was no doubt in Snape's mind that all his taunting and punishment had not helped the boy. Yet he still managed to trust his professor after all this time. And for that Snape was impressed, though he'd never admit it.

Snape didn't know what made him hide Harry. He was always the first one to fault him, even when he had done nothing wrong. Perhaps it was a feeling he had. Snape always followed his gut feeling. And right now his gut was telling him that what he was doing was ultimately the right thing, even though it might cost him his job. Lying to the Headmaster and harboring an illegal animagus is enough to get thrown out of Hogwarts. But for some reason Snape was more worried about what would happen to Harry if Dumbledore ever found out. Surely even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to ignore such an offense.

Snape had to admit that Harry's plan had been cunning and well thought out, worthy of a Slytherin. Becoming an animal would make one's emotions simpler and easier to deal with. Therefore Harry would be better equipped to handle his abnormally stressful life as an animal, but surely not permanently. Snape was not afraid to admit to himself that Harry possessed many Slytherin qualities. But that hadn't helped him when his plan backfired. Snape had never read of a case like this one. And he doubted very much that anything like this had ever happened.

Becoming an animagus is a very difficult process and requires much control from the part of the wizard or witch in question. Potter must have been planning for weeks, if not longer. And he almost succeeded. But why did he become an animal hybrid? In animagus families relatives will often gravitate towards animals of the same type. Therefore it was only natural that Harry was to become a zebra, a hoofed animal like James. It certainly worked, but the DNA of a zebra was mingled unmistakably with that of a canine, more specifically a wolf.

Snape figured that Potter chose Hallowe'en because he'd have a greater chance of succeeding with the strong magical forces that were present. And indeed it was a smart idea. Then Snape remembered seeing Sirius Black in his animagus form briefly while he was in Harry's memories. Black had been a large black dog, a canine, just like Harry was now. Perhaps Harry missed his Godfather to such a degree that he had been influenced by it. It may have been possible that, although Harry's animal of choice was a zebra, the canine aspect of Black overpowered Harry and it was enough to botch the whole thing.

The search had been postponed until early the next morning. Every student, every teacher, every ghost, portrait and house elf was on the lookout for Harry Potter. It was ironic that Harry should always be a magnet for attention, even when his intent was to escape from all that. Harry's wand was locked safely in Snape's drawer. When Dumbledore realizes that Harry's wand is missing as well, he will assume that Harry has it with him and that he is capable of defending himself.

Snape knew that no matter how hard Dumbledore tried to keep this from the rest of the wizarding community, something always managed to leak out. And sure enough Snape sighed as he bit into his French toast and read "Harry Potter Missing! Hogwarts in a Frantic Search! Mininstry Inquiring," on the cover of the daily prophet the following morning.

Snape read:

Harry Potter, 16, was found missing from the hospital wing of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardy last night following a Qwidditch accident. Ministry investigators attempted to enter the school but were stopped by Albus Dumbledore. "If Harry is in the school we will find him," he stated assuredly.

Ministry officials do not have much information at this time, but they urge the public to stay alert. Harry Potter is armed with his wand and may be dangerous. Should you spot him, please contact…

Snape snorted

"Dangerous indeed." Snape said, looking at the peaceful creature flopped along his chair. 'They're speaking of Potter as if he's some deranged, rampaging Death Eater."

Harry woke up to the smell of breakfast. His canine mouth watered and his stomach growled. He stretched and moseyed, rubbing his face against the fabric of his chair. He saw Snape reading the Prophet and went to greet him.

"Good morning, Potter. I daresay you slept well. French toast?"

Harry accepted the plate that Snape placed in front of him and he ate it all, licking the crumbs off the plate.

"They're all looking for you." Snape indicated the front page of the Daily Prophet. Harry read it. But he wasn't scandalized by what they wrote about him like he usually was. He simply knew that it wasn't true. Then Harry got up and walked away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Harry just kept walking until he arrived at the bathroom and closed the door. Thirty seconds later Snape heard a flush and Harry walked out looking relieved. Snape gave him a look of disgust.

'What? I had to go!'

AU: Plz R&R I don't know what you think of my story if you don't! I love feedback. Thanks for reading:)