I'm baaa-aaack!!! Sorry it's been so long but life hit the fan. This is a short one but I sure don't plan to let it take so long next time. I'm practicing a new word it's called "No". As in "no" I can't do three more programs and meetings this week… "no" I can't go two weeks without a full day off… "no" I can't do it all myself, do you think one or two other people could maybe cover say 1/8th or more of what I do? You know, like that :)

I want to thank everyone who emailed or reviewed to encourage me to write and finally get this done.

Cheers,

Alia :D

Green Eyed Monsters

'What's going on?!' Severus demanded, storming into the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Filch and Lockhart all turned toward the door as it slammed open, but Harry was on his feet instantly.

'Dad, I swear I didn't…' But Severus cut him off. He'd heard the talk in the halls as he'd made his way up from his dungeon lab and he no more believed that Harry had petrified a classmate than he believed that Voldemort would be reincarnated as a pacifist.

'I know,' he said for Harry's ears only as he moved to place himself between his boy and the rest of the occupants of the room. 'What's the meaning of this?' he demanded of the others.

'Severus,' Dumbledore began placatingly only to be cut off by Filch.

'He's done it again! Caught 'im red handed…'

'Argus!' Dumbledore overrode the caretaker's accusation, his eyes flashing. 'Severus,' he continued in a quieter voice. 'Another student has been petrified…'

'Well, it's obviously not Harry's fault, so I don't see how he could possibly…'

'He's the one who discovered the… uh, the situation…'

'So?'

'So?!' Filch spoke up again. 'He was found standing over the body! Wand in hand! He's also somehow petrified a ghost…'

'Argus!' Dumbledore interjected again before Severus lost his temper. 'I've told you, Harry did not do this. It isn't possible. There's no spell or charm Harry could produce to petrify a ghost.'

Argus snorted, his disbelief evident, but he withdrew, stating that he needed to clean up the hall where all the students had traipsed through when the incident had happened.

'Of course such magic is well beyond young Harry's skill.' Lockhart spoke up, moving toward Harry who was now standing next to Severus, but a dark look from the potions master stopped his advance. 'Uh, yes, of course. I knew instantly that Harry wasn't responsible.'

'Harry,' McGonagall interrupted with a sympathetic look on her face. 'What were you doing alone in that corridor?'

'I wasn't alone.' Harry sighed miserably. 'I was talking with the Grey Lady. We were heading for the kitchens…' He looked up guiltily at this last, but Severus merely smiled and motioned for Harry to sit back down and continue.

'She was floating backwards in front of me as I was walking and all of a sudden she like gasped I guess, like something startled her. I was going to ask her what was wrong, but I saw – and I mean I saw through the Grey Lady – I saw Hannah up ahead.' Harry shuddered briefly before going on. 'Hannah made this really funny noise and just… fell over! I – I ran up to help her and when I looked back… the Lady… she was just floating there, kind of listing to the side…' Harry faltered then in his explanation and Severus put a hand on his shoulder giving him an encouraging squeeze.

'And your wand?' the headmaster questioned gently.

'Well… I knew something was wrong, so…'

'So,' Severus spoke up. 'As he has been taught – in a potentially dangerous situation he had his wand ready.'

'Very brave thinking Harry!' Lockhart gushed, earning another glare from Severus.

'Did you cast any spells in that corridor Harry?' Dumbledore asked.

'Lumos,' Harry admitted. 'It was dark, and…' He sighed. 'Then the next second Filch came around the corner – er, Mr. Filch…' he amended quickly seeing the frown on the headmaster's face. 'He started screaming at me and… well you know what happened then.'

'Alright Harry. We believe you,' McGonagall assured him. 'Did you see anything? Any idea what happened?'

'No Auntie – er, I mean professor. No, there was nothing there. I don't know what happened.'

'Alright Harry,' Severus patted him on the back. 'I'm going to walk you back to your dormitory and I want you to stay in for the rest if the night.'

'Dad…' Harry frowned, standing as his father lead him toward the door. 'I can go myself…'

'No you cannot – and you will not be partaking of any more solitary excursions in isolated areas of the castle…' Severus said sternly as they headed out of the outer office. 'Harry, we don't know what's going on. Something in that corridor was certainly very dangerous…' He stopped abruptly at the bottom of the office stairs requiring Harry to stop on the second from the last step. When Severus turned around he was nearly eye to eye with his son. 'Harry…' He swallowed twice trying to bring his voice under control as he gripped Harry firmly by his upper arms. 'I'm not cross about you being down there alone today – except for the ghost,' he added quickly seeing Harry open his mouth to protest. 'You weren't past curfew and you've always been welcome in the kitchens… But until we catch… Until we figure out what…'

'I think…' Harry spoke nervously, fidgeting slightly when his father's speech faltered. 'I think it's a basilisk.' Harry's eyes widened almost comically at his father's reaction to his observation. His father rarely swore and it was only when he was really agitated that he even slipped out of English.

'Have I ever told you that you're too smart for your own good?' Severus sighed finally.

'Once or twice… So I'm right? It is a basilisk?'

Severus regarded him very seriously for a moment before answering. 'Harry I don't want you sharing your suspicion with any students… or have you already?'

'No,' Harry assured him quickly. 'No, I just figured it out – I'm right aren't I?! I knew it! I heard it talking before right? And with the eyes... ' Harry's excitement was quickly subdued by his father's stern glare.

'It's a possibility we're considering,' he allowed, 'but only a possibility – and I don't want to hear a word about it – it's nothing for you to be thinking about.'

'But Dad,' Harry spoke quickly before his father could stop him again. 'Two students now – and if it's a basilisk I'm the only one who can…'

'Harry…' Severus growled warningly. 'I'm deadly serious here. You are a student and it's not for you to concern yourself with what is a matter for the teachers to deal with. No!' Harry snapped his mouth shut, obviously swallowing further objections with difficulty. 'You've still got an hour before curfew…' Severus continued, leading Harry down the hall. 'Which I want you to spend in your dorm or common room. You are not to leave those areas until you come down for breakfast in the morning.'

In the two days after the fourth year Hufflepuff student was petrified the students were hit with a barrage of new rules and restrictions for their safety. That first morning the headmaster had told the school of the incident and had announced that until the situation was resolved no student was permitted to be alone in the corridors regardless of the hour.

Students were escorted from their dorms to breakfast and from class to class by teachers. After dinner each evening they were escorted to their evening group study rooms and then directly to their dorms again. Students and teachers alike were on edge. Lessons were tense and tempers flaring.

Harry, who had enjoyed a bit more freedom to roam various areas of the castle (openly at least) before the restrictions, was feeling the loss perhaps a bit more than some. The only thing sustaining him was his father's promise that they would still be attending the Solstice celebration and ceilidh in Hogsmede that weekend on the first day of the winter holidays.

'So let me get this straight,' Ron whispered across the study table. 'Not only didn'tyou get in trouble the other night, but you – a second year student also get to go to Hogsmede this weekend?'

'Ron…' Harry whispered back – they were meant to be doing quiet study. 'Anyone can go to Hogsmede on any day off if their parents make arrangements to pick them up. It's Solstice weekend. Dad and I always go.'

'No way!' Ron was practically green with envy. 'Are you going to the party too?'

'What?' Hermione demanded. 'What's happening in Hogsmede?'

'It's Solstice weekend Hermione,' Harry explained. 'There's a fair, competitions, vendors and a ceilidh. Sixth and seventh years are allowed to go if they're here and their parents do a permission form.'

'Except Harry,' a seventh year Ravenclaw sitting nearby added with no small amount of Jealousy. 'He goes every year.'

'Oh stifle it Jolene,' Marc, a seventh year Slytherin sitting at the next table snapped. 'What's it to you if Harry's there?'

'Get bent LeBrey!' The girl huffed, rather too loudly because at her outburst Professor Flitwick, who was supervising the evening's study, cleared his throat loudly.

'Something the matter Miss Denton?'

'No, Sir,' she answered quickly, scowling at Harry.

'Mr. LeBrey?'

'No, Sir.'

'Harry?'

'No, Sir,'

'Very well,' Flitwick said sternly. 'Then back to quiet work please. It's nearly time to pack up.'

'Yes, Sir,' all three students answered quickly. Harry attempted to rededicate himself to his work, studiously ignoring Jolene's nasty look and pretending he didn't hear Marc calling Jolene an obnoxious cow under his breath – after all it wouldn't do to start laughing.

'Oh bugger it,' Severus mumbled, setting his book aside and accepting the incoming floo call from Remus. 'Remus…' His weariness showed in his voice but he didn't care. 'He's not available right now…'

'Is something wrong?' Remus demanded. 'He was to call me yesterday.'

'No – he's asleep. We were at the Solstice ceilidh last night. I will remind him to call you when he…' He frowned at Remus' worried look. 'What?'

'Did he tell you yet about the trouble he was having?'

'Trouble?' Severus sat up straighter, feeling alarmed. 'What trouble?'

'Damn,' Remus muttered. 'Well, I said I'd tell you if he didn't call me yesterday to say it was resolved. He begged me not to tell you and since he swore it was only minor…'

'Remus…' Severus growled, genuinely angry if Remus had helped Harry keep something from him. His apprehension was only increased when Remus uttered the privacy spell he and Harry usually used – Severus followed suit, glaring daggers.

'He said there'd been no major incidents since the parselmouth thing came out…'

Severus nodded. 'But…'

'A certain prankster was arranging to have snakes show up frequently around Harry, though never when a teacher or most of the prefects were around.'

'Which 'certain prankster'?' 'He said he couldn't prove it…'

'But…? Damn it Remus!' He fairly snarled when he hesitated.

'The Malfoy boy.'

'Damn.'

'You're not surprised?'

'Only that Harry didn't tell me. I told him to…'

'Severus,' Remus interrupted with a sigh. 'He said he couldn't prove it and even if he could he said he didn't want anyone else getting in trouble over him being a freak. I told him,' Remus added quickly to Severus' dark look, 'that he's not a freak and if this Malfoy boy gets in trouble it'd be because of his actions not Harry's. He also didn't want to be a snitch or known for running to his father to get kids in trouble for bothering him.'

'But…'

'Severus, try to remember what it's like to be 12. It doesn't make sense to us, but to him…'

'Damn,' Severus grumbled. 'I'll murder him.'

'Who? Harry or the Malfoy boy?'

'If I catch him at it, Malfoy. But in the meantime, Harry.'

'Well…' Remus chuckled. 'If you decide to let him live, tell him to call me.' He was still chuckling when Severus closed the floo connection.

His first instinct, as was too often the case, was to lock Harry in his room until he was thirty. He knew this was a ridiculous idea though – and impossible on so many different levels.

Next he wanted to haul Malfoy through the school by his collar and show him what a real bully was like. But he knew he wouldn't. For one, it wasn't his way to terrorize children – well, at least only verbally in class, and then only as far as he knew the child could handle (whether they knew it or not themselves). Besides, he still held out some hope that Draco would outgrow his father's influence and getting himself sacked and Draco pulled out of Hogwarts and sent to Durmstrang wouldn't help that.

This also brought him back to thinking about Harry. Harry wouldn't thank him for making sure that Malfoy was caught and disciplined if he was continuing to flout school rules. That was precisely what he'd been trying to avoid by not telling him about it. And honestly, as he thought about being 12 years old, he truly could understand Harry's feelings on not wanting to be seen as a 'fink'.

'Harry…' Severus' thoughts were disrupted when Harry walked into the room obviously having just woken up, looking crumpled and frowning as he seemed to pick up on his father's mood. He's still so young, Severus thought. I wish I could protect him from everything. But at the same time he knew he couldn't. And it was natural for Harry to be trying to prove he could handle everything himself at this age.

'What's wrong? You're looking at me funny – I'm gonna change before I go out…'

'Remus called.'

Harry paled. 'Uh…' he stuttered eloquently, glancing nervously at the fire.

'As his professor and head of house I can't ignore his behaviour Harry.' Severus didn't beat around the bush. He knew that Harry knew exactly what – and who he was talking about.

'I know, but…'

'He's been told several times – warned.'

'Yeah, but…'

'But – you don't want it to be because of you.' Harry didn't answer but his guilty look spoke for him. 'Of course, it'd be because of his actions but I can understand your not wanting to be involved.' Severus stood, smoothing out the creases in his robe with a sigh. 'Go, take a bath and get dressed and I'll take you down for something to eat.

'Dad…' Harry fidgeted, not letting the subject drop.

'Harry…' Severus held up his hand to quell any further questions. 'I can't let it continue. What will become of him if he continues to believe that he is exempt from rules? And what of those students seeing him get away with breaking rules? What sort of message does that send?' He gripped Harry's shoulders, waiting until he looked up. 'There are a number of reasons why I must act, quite apart from not liking him harassing you alright?'

Harry nodded, but Severus could still see the upset look in his son's eyes. 'Don't worry about it.' He gave his shoulders one last squeeze. 'I'll see to it that it's clear you didn't tell on him. Trust me.' Severus smiled and even winked for good measure, finally getting a slight smile from Harry. 'Good. You should call Remus too, he was expecting to hear from you yesterday.' And with that he gave Harry a gentle nudge toward the bathroom before turning to head out into the common room to wait.