AN: As I said I would, I skipped over third year. It just wasn't necessary to this story which is already long enough. And so, I present to you, the beginning of Harry's fourth year! Enjoy!

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Harry woke up with a start. He was sweating and heaving from his nightmare. He kept having the same one over and over. If this continued he might have to bring it up with Severus. He didn't want to seem like a little kid crying over scary dreams but he was starting to lose sleep. Harry looked over at Ron who was still snoring. He envied his friends peaceful sleep. It had taken Harry so long to get to sleep in the first place and now he was awake again. He lifted his covers and looked mournfully at the warm bed that only held his body. This was the first time in almost two years that Euryale wasn't sleeping with him. Normally, she would be coiled up next to him, basking in his body warmth. He wondered how she was doing. Mrs. Weasley had requested that he not bring her with him to the Burrow. She had made up some elaborate excuse about using rat poison to get rid of rodents but Harry had a suspicion that she just didn't want a snake in her house but didn't want to say it.

Euryale had grown quite a bit and was almost an adult snake now. Harry had been concerned that this meant her life span would be short as well but Hermione assured him it was natural and that Euryale would most likely live longer than he did. She had grown to be about five feet but was luckily still skinny enough to where it wasn't a problem for him to carry her around his neck still. She was just wrapped around a few more times. Her bright green scales had darkened a bit. The only thing that didn't change was her personality. Although she seemed to understand things a bit more, she still never called anyone by their real name but Harry didn't mind since the names were often amusing.

Harry let out a loud sigh and got up out of bed. He could hear someone bustling around outside the room. He opened the door to see Hermione and Ginny exiting the bathroom. They were carrying brushes and make-up so it looked like they had gotten ready together.

"I don't know. Maybe I should start wearing my hair up? I could wear barrettes that way or maybe ribbons," Ginny said fiddling with her hair.

"I'm telling you Ginny, your hair's fine. It may not be like all the other girls but it's cute, and the color matches you well. Your hair is…well… you," Hermione assured. Harry tried to sneak past the girls without being noticed. He hoped he wouldn't be pulled into the conversation, he didn't understand girl's fascination with their hair.

"But it's so plain, and I hate this color. I know I'm supposed to have pride in it since it's a family thing but I don't think it's for me," Ginny whined. She gave a sad look that made Harry feel really bad for her. He knew he might regret it but he decided to say something.

"Your hair's not plain. It shines very well in the light and gives you a nice glow, and I agree with Hermione. You just wouldn't be Ginny without red hair."

Ginny jumped when she first heard Harry talking but after he was finished she lowered her head and her face became red. Was she really that embarrassed about her hair?

"You see Ginny? Even Harry agrees you look fine," Hermione finished.

"You really like my hair," Ginny asked.

"Of course. Why would I lie to you," Harry asked.

"That doesn't matter. Get ready and hurry up and eat. We'll be leaving in a bit so I'll wake up Ron," Hermione instructed. Harry refrained from rolling his eyes at her motherly tone. Hermione was as bossy as when he first met her but her heart was in the right place. Harry hurried into the bathroom to do as she said.

As happy as Harry was to spend this time with his friends, it was a bit of a hassle to go to the Burrow the night before the Quidditch world cup. His papa and Draco were going to be there as well but had their own tent. Papa had received an invitation from Fudge to attend and had been given excellent seats but that was after Harry had already agreed to go with Ron and his family. Fudge had given papa three tickets since he knew that Harry a son to the aristocrat but Harry didn't want to seem like a jerk by canceling on his friends, the extra ticket went to Sirius. Severus had opted to stay home despite being invited by Mr. Weasley to come along with them.

"It would be money wasted I'm afraid. The only quidditch games I'm interested in are the ones that Harry and Draco are in," he had said politely.

As fun as it would have been to have Severus with them, Harry understood the man's reasons. Plus it would have been awkward for everyone else since he was their dastardly evil potions professor and they probably would have felt uncomfortable sharing a tent with him. Harry had grown to really enjoy the older man's company. He always felt calm and warm in his presence so he would often find excuses to be with him. Severus didn't seem to mind and often let Harry help him make potions. It was probably weird for a boy Harry's age to want to spend so much time with an older man like Severus instead of hanging out with friends but Harry didn't care. He loved spending time with Severus.

"Hey Harry," Ginny called from the bathroom doorway getting his attention. Harry put down his hair brush and looked over. "I suggest grabbing some breakfast before my brothers eat it all."

"Good idea. Thanks Ginny."

XxxxHeeheexxxX

It was amazing. Harry had never seen such a large crowd of people. They were all packed in the large stadium cheering and waiting for the match to start. Harry had seen papa, Draco, and Sirius on his way up to his seats and had waved to them. Sirius had enthusiastically waved back and tried to make a bet with Mr. Weasley on who would win the game. The twins had tried to join in but were pulled away by their father. The game was very tense and exciting. Harry didn't sit down in his seat the entire time. He didn't really care who won but that didn't stop him from yelling and cheering until his throat was sore. In the end the Irish won and everyone slowly dispersed to their own celebration parties.

Everyone was in good spirits, even those who had cheered for Bulgaria. Harry noticed a lot of people crowding around their mascots and shouting compliments and boasting achievements Harry doubted were actually true. The twins had told him about the mascots being veelas. They were supposed to be like the sirens in Greek mythology. To Harry that just made them sound dangerous. Beautiful, but dangerous. Still, Harry couldn't help but be curious so he peeked through the crowd at the creatures. They were indeed beautiful, but Harry didn't feel any powerful draw to them. Apparently Ron did because he too shouted out an obvious lie to impress the veela women and was pulled away by Hermione. Harry laughed and followed after them.

XxxxHeeheexxxX

Sirius grabbed another drink and gulped it down. How could Bulgaria have lost? He had lost a quite a bit of money on this game. Not enough to put him in debt or financially cripple him but just enough to be slightly depressed over. Lucius was busy talking to the minister of magic and Draco was out looking around at the other parties. He glanced over at Lucius who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Sirius guessed that Fudge was asking for his support on some kind of campaign or something. Sirius let out a sigh. He knew he should probably go out and party with everyone else but he would feel bad leaving his friend at the mercy of the dimwitted politician.

"Lucius," he called getting both men's attention. "I hate to interrupt but your son left a while ago to look around. Should we go fetch him before he gets into trouble?"

"Yes I suppose. We wouldn't want him to have too much fun and embarrass himself," Lucius replied coldly. As much as Sirius wanted to punch him whenever he had his political mask on, he had to admit it came in handy. Fudge didn't even try to stop him as Lucius bid him farewell and exited his tent.

"Thanks for that. Every time he asks for something he has to give me his entire life story up until that point. I swear I could be his biographer after I finish strangling him to death," Lucius muttered. He relaxed as they walked through the crowd. After almost a year of hard work, he had gotten more comfortable relaxing in public. Sirius had introduced him to a few places where he could meet people but in the end it always ended with him pulling Lucius away from men who he knew was either looking for a one night stand or just someone to play with until they got bored. Sirius couldn't help but be a little overprotective of the other man. He was his friend and he couldn't let him get hurt, right?

"No problem. I was getting bored but I was being serious about finding Draco. He's still a kid and people can get pretty rowdy at these kinds of things," Sirius pointed out looking around for the younger blonde. He had grown to care for Draco just as much as he did Harry and the thought of him getting caught by a group of drunks up to know good made his stomach turn. He was regretting his decision to let him walk around but in his defense there weren't nearly as many drunk people around at the time.

"Why don't we check where Arthur Weasley set up his tent? I'm sure that's where he went. I told him where it was," Lucius suggested avoiding two women who ran past them laughing loudly. The campground was total chaos.

"Great. Where is it? Lead the way my guardian angel," Sirius laughed. Lucius' face turned bright red. "Oh don't get embarrassed. No one can hear us over all this noise."

"Still, there are reporters everywhere and I don't want them getting the wrong idea," Lucius mumbled. Sirius was about to open his mouth to argue when a loud boom cut him off. He turned around to see flames from some sort of explosion. Did someone drop a case of alcohol onto a fire? There were loud terrified screams and people began running past them. Sirius instinctively pulled Lucius behind him and searched for the source of the commotion. His heart stopped when he spotted the first cloaked figure.

"Death Eaters," he hissed. He felt a hand grab his arm with bruising strength. He winced and turned back to Lucius.

"We can't fight them now. We need to find Draco and Harry," Lucius cried. Sirius nodded and the two men took off running. People screamed and loud explosions tore through the air as Sirius followed Lucius. They stopped after they departed from the main crowd. Lucius ran into a tent only to reemerge before Sirius could even get close to its entrance.

"They're not here. What if the death eaters caught them," he panicked. Sirius grabbed him and gave him a light shake.

"Calm down. I'm sure they escaped to the woods you should go too," Sirius said quickly scanning the area.

"What about you?"

"I'm going to help people who were left behind. Don't worry about me I can take care of myself. Go find your sons," he ordered. Lucius took a deep breath and nodded. He ran to the woods and Sirius turned towards the loud noises. He put away his wand and transformed into his dog form. It would be easier to find people that way. He ran off stopping to smell the ground and air. He came across one death eater pointing a wand at a younger boy. He let out a fierce bark and lunged at them. He bit down savagely on the death eater's arm and tore through skin. The other man took out his own wand and used it to disarm the foe while he was distracted. Sirius let go and picked up the discarded want with his mouth and broke it in his jaws. The now wandless enemy fled the scene holding his injured arm.

"Sirius!"

Sirius turned at hearing his name and saw Draco walking up to him. He had been so focused on the death eater he hadn't even stopped to look at who he was saving. He quickly changed to his human form.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you," he asked frantically. He looked over Draco's body but didn't see any signs of blood.

"I'm fine, but for a moment it felt like that person was going to kill me. Have you seen my dad or Harry?"

"I don't know where Harry is but your father's in the woods looking for you. Can you go there by yourself," Sirius asked feeling somewhat guilty for even thinking of leaving the boy by himself after what had almost happened to him. Draco simply put on a brave face and nodded.

"I'll be okay. Others might need your help. I'll look for father so he calms down. I'm sure he's going insane with worry by now," Draco smirked before taking off for the woods. Sirius scanned the area surrounding the boy's path for any signs of danger before turning back into a dog and continuing his search.

A familiar scent reached his canine nose and he took off after it. His heart beat wildly. He knew who it was. The rioting sounds had all but completely died down and everything was still. A bright flash of a spell caught Sirius' eye and he looked up. He skidded to a halt. That evil mark, his mark, stared back at him. Sirius growled at the symbol of the man that had taken one of his best friends from him.

Loud yelling noises caught his attention and Sirius again took off. The sight before him triggered his protective instincts and he ran even faster. Harry and his friends were huddled together as other wizards had their wands pointed at them. Sirius wasted no time jumping in between them and growling savagely at the idiots who dared to threaten his godson. Several of them let out startled gasps but no one fired their wands.

"Calm down Sirius. This is all just a misunderstanding, they're not going to hurt the kids," Mr. Weasley assured coming from the side. Sirius took a closer look at the group and recognized several ministry officials. He morphed back into his human form but still stood protectively between them and Harry. Barty Crouch Sr. was the first to speak.

"They did it! They were discovered at the scene. I demand to know which one of you cast it," he accused. He was shakily pointing his wand at the scared students behind Sirius.

"If you can't get ahold of yourself, I suggest you lower your wand before someone else gets hurt," he growled.

"You were also discovered at the scene of the crime. You'll have to be taken in for questioning."

"Barty, stop jumping to conclusions. These are kids, they couldn't have possibly cast the spell and I believe it has already been proven that there is no evidence linking Sirius to any death eater activities," Arthur reasoned. It seemed that Barty agreed with the redhead and lowered his wand.

"Um," Harry said getting everyone's attention. "I saw a man, over there."

Harry pointed to where Sirius had seen the flash of light from the spell. The group of ministry officials ran in the direction he indicated.

"A man? Who," Arthur questioned.

"I don't know," Harry answered sounding shaken. "I didn't see his face."

"Are all of you alright? Any injuries," Sirius asked.

"I broke my glasses again but otherwise I'm fine," Harry answered. Sirius repaired them with a charm and looked over the other children. They all looked fine, scared, but fine.

"Let's regroup back at the tent. I'm sure everyone's in desperate need of a small rest. We'll be going straight home after I get everyone together. Your mother will want to make sure you're all right," Arthur said gentle herding everyone away.

Sirius looked back over the now quiet campground. It seemed like only a minute ago it was filled with drunken partygoers and loud music. Now it looked like a battleground after all the fighting had stopped. The only thing Sirius could think of was why? Why would death eaters attack now? Why a place filled with just as many purebloods as there were halfbloods and muggleborns? It made no sense. It was senseless destruction. A hand wrapped itself around his and Sirius was pulled out of his thoughts. He looked over to see Harry looking up at him.

"Is papa and Draco okay," he asked. Sirius still felt conflicted about hearing Harry call someone besides James papa but in the end he felt it was okay as long as Harry remembered who his real father was.

"Lucius was with me when everything started. I sent him to the woods to wait for you. I found Draco while I was running around. He had a close call but he's safe and unharmed," Sirius assured. Harry looked relieved.

"Come on. Let's get your stuff and go home. I doubt there's no way Lucius will let you out of his sight for a while," Sirius smiled.

XxxxHeeheexxxX

Narcissa couldn't help but feel annoyed. Now she was going to have to sneak into Knockturn Alley to get a new wand. She unwrapped her still bleeding arm. Vigo was wetting a small cloth to clean her wound. That damn dog. She internally vowed that if she ever saw it again she would skin it alive. She had been so close to ridding herself of that no good, treacherous son. It had been perfect. She had him on the grounds and cowering like the little weasel he was. She let out a hiss as the cloth touched her wound. Vigo apologized and returned to his work.

"Um, Miss Black," came a weak stuttering voice.

Narcissa looked to the doorway where Pettigrew was cowering. It was amusing how the man always looked like he expected to get hit. He looked just as frightened as he did the night she stole him from the Weasley brat. She had recognized the rat in a picture that was taken of the Weasley family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet. She had been enraged that he was hiding by pretending to be some over groomed vermin instead of searching for a way to help his master like she was. Narcissa simply couldn't have that. She had wanted to remain under the radar at the time so she refrained from slitting the boy's neck in his sleep when she broke into his room. She switched Pettigrew with a normal dead rat to avoid any suspicion and took off. Since then he had proven himself quite capable after applying the proper motivation.

"What is it you useless rat," she snapped.

"Our Lord wants to know if the raid succeeded," the cowering mass relayed.

"Tell him yes. We have gained our loss brother and I will begin briefing him on his mission immediately," Narcissa answered in a sweet tone as if she were talking to the master himself. Pettigrew nodded and scurried off.

"I'm done cleaning the wound love. I'll have a house elf wrap it properly since I'm afraid I'm not skilled at wrapping wounds," Vigo apologized giving a shy smile.

"Nor should you be my darling," Narcissa said stiffly. "It's servants work."

"Are you alright love? You sound stressed. Is there anything I can help you with," Vigo asked.

"Not at the moment. I'm afraid I have several things I must do before I can rest. You just go on to bed but don't forget to send that house elf with the bandaging."

Vigo nodded and stood up. He lent down and gave Narcissa a quick peck before leaving the room. Looking up at the clock, Narcissa sighed. It was already morning.

"So much to do," she mused. "So little sleep."

XxxxHeeheexxxX

Severus took another swig of his drink. It was quiet in the manor with everyone gone. It was peaceful and lonely at the same time. It had been weird enough with Harry being gone the day before but with everyone else being gone for the night as well it was somewhat depressing. Severus found himself almost wishing he had just gone with them. He absently stroked Euryale's scales. She was currently coiled on his lap on the verge of sleep. Looking down at her he let out a long sigh. It was very early in the morning. He should probably go to his room and allow himself and the poor reptile some sleep. The snake seemed to stick to him when Harry wasn't around. Harry said it was because she was more comfortable with him than with anyone else in the manor. Severus had been shocked at first since animals normally hated him but after thinking about it, he figured it only made sense that a snake would be the one creature that tolerates him.

Severus stood up and began his journey to his room. He hadn't realized how tired he was until the moment he saw his bed. It looked so inviting. He made sure to be gentle with Euryale when he placed her on the bed. He didn't even bother physically changing his clothes. Severus waved his wand and quickly transfigured his robes into pajamas before collapsing on top of the silk sheets. He could hear Euryale slither over so she could sleep with her body pressed against his. Severus didn't even move and just let the snake do as it pleased. Once she was comfortable, Severus felt his eyes start closing and a world of sweet unconsciousness crept closer.

"Master Snape?"

"Dobby, the manor better be under attack," Severus heard himself growl.

"Everyone seems to have come back early. They said there was a riot at World Cup."

Severus didn't even realize he had moved his body until he was already halfway down the hall. He should have known something like this would happen. Hell, a simple picnic could to turn into a life threatening occurrence once Harry got involved. He quickly spotted a very wary looking Lucius with two equally tired looking boys wrapped in his arms making their war to their rooms.

"What happened," he demanded.

"Death Eaters," Sirius answered coming up behind them. "They came out of nowhere and attacked the campground but we're all alright."

Severus breathed a sigh of relief. That was all that mattered right now.

"Can we have this discussion tomorrow," Draco mumbled as he stumbled away from his father and into his room without even waiting for an answer.

"Yes I believe I've had far too much excitement for one night. Good night Harry," Lucius said giving Harry a tight hug before retiring to his room as well. Sirius bid everyone goodnight as well before leaving Harry and Severus alone together. Harry rubbed his eye and looked over at him.

"So how have you been," he asked politely. Severus couldn't help but chuckle. Even with him being as tired as he was, Harry still made an effort to be courteous to others.

"You don't have to make small talk with me Harry. I know you're just as tired as I am if not more. Are you sure your fatigue is your only ailment after yet another brush with death?"

"Hey I wasn't in that much danger," Harry defended. "And I'm fine."

"Yes of course. Euryale is in my room right now. Do you want to get her before you go to sleep or wait until tomorrow?"

"Now, she's probably anxious since this is the longest we've ever been apart."

Severus nodded.

"I may not be a parceltongue but I can see she is out of sorts. She reacts to almost every noise and she refuses to let me out of her sight for more than a few minutes."

Harry walked as if he was dragging a half ton weight behind him all the way to Severus' chambers. Severus felt a little guilty for not just brining Euryale to his room for him. The more the boy walked the more exhaustion seemed to take over him. Harry opened the door to Severus' room and walked straight to the bed where the snake raised its head expectantly. Harry murmured something in parceltongue and the snake hissed back a little. Severus watched the interaction but said nothing until he noticed Harry climb onto the bed.

"Harry? What are you doing," he asked moving closer.

"Going to sleep," Harry muttered quietly. He began to pull the covers over himself. He still had his normal clothes on but at least he wasn't wearing shoes.

"In my bed?"

Harry ceased his actions and looked around the room. It took Severus to realize that the boy had simply climbed into bed on instinct. Looking at the clock he understood. It was almost three in the morning and no doubt he had been up since the crack of dawn the previous day.

"It's okay. I'll sleep somewhere else. You just rest," he sighed as he transfigured Harry's clothes into pajamas.

Severus stiffened. Share a bed with Harry? Would that be considered inappropriate? Harry was a fourteen year old boy after all and they weren't related.

"Are you sure? Won't you be uncomfortable with that," he asked cautiously.

"Why would I be? I've never felt uncomfortable when I'm with you. Or are you talking about the bed. I think it's big enough. Or will you be too hot?"

"No that's not what I meant. Never mind, it'll be fine," Severus said more to himself than Harry. It shouldn't be a problem, he thought to himself. It's not like they were doing anything perverted. The boy was simply too tired to walk back to his own room. There was absolutely nothing wrong with sleeping together, just sleeping. Right? He approached the bed and sat down. Harry scooted over to give him more room. Severus pulled the sheets over both of them and maneuvered himself so he would be comfortable. Harry snuggled up next to him and let out a happy sigh. Severus had to admit that having someone lying next to him like this was nice. It felt warm and almost sweet.

"Goodnight Harry," he whispered.

"Night Severus."

"Nox."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

AN: Just to clear up any worries, Severus is not a pedophile in this story and will not be laying his hands on Harry while he's still so young. Just thought I'd let you know. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next time. Heehee