A/N: I don't own anything. I'm just playing with them! =)

Chapter 38

Severus was in a foul mood. Not only did Potter escape severe punishment, but Lockhart was an imbecile.

The man kept going on and on about some Phantom in Pledging he done away with. Severus was of the conclusion that if Lockhart had actually done it himself, he would eat a whole bag of Albus' sherbert lemon drops.

The headmaster had simply laughed at him.

It was at breakfast that an owl arrived. Blanking his face, he quickly and silently cast a couple of spells to make sure that nothing untoward was on the parchment.

Determining it was safe, he opened it.

What he read made him want to curse something.

Lucius was making a donation to the Slytherin Quidditch team in the form of Nimbus 2001's - in exchange for his son taking up as the Slytherin seeker.

During schedule handout, he informed Draco to come to his office before dinner.

Harry was sleeping soundly without any nightmares, the first time in a while actually, when he was suddenly shaken awake.

"Whassa-matter?"

"Up Potter. Come on. Get up!"

Harry opened his eyes and saw a very blurry Oliver Wood staring at him. "What's wrong Oliver?"

"Practice. Be down in the locker rooms in thirty minutes."

Squinting, Harry watched Oliver walk out of the room then rolled over to reach for his glasses.

Harry scowled at Malfoy when he realized that the blonde was the new Slytherin seeker.

"At least the Gryffindor's didn't have to buy their way onto the team. They got in on pure talent," stated Hermione.

"No one asked you, you filthy little mudblood."

Before Harry could figure out what that meant, Ron had tried to hex Draco, but with his wand being broken, it backfired. The result was not pretty.

"Let's get him to Hagrid's," said Harry as he and Hermione pulled the red head to his feet.

Harry grimaced as he accidently stepped on a slug that Ron burped up.

I don't know what's worse, trying to avoid Lockhart or trying to avoid Colin. Colin seems to have my schedule memorized, so I reckon it's easier to avoid Lockhart.

Ron finds the whole thing amusing.

Classes are okay so far this year. Having Astronomy at a decent time helps.

Snape still hates me. I can see the loathing in his eyes. I think he's still mad Ron and I didn't get expelled. I'm actually surprised that our detentions aren't with him.

I'd much rather have detention with Snape than with Lockhart, but it seems that Lockhart requested me specifically.

It starts in an hour. I need to go eat dinner.

-Harry

Okay, so detention tonight with Lockhart proved odd. My hand still aches from addressing all those envelopes - but that's not the odd part.

The voice I heard that didn't belong to anyone is what was odd. It kept talking about ripping and tearing and killing.

Lockhart didn't hear it, at least he said he didn't.

All I need now is for me to start hearing voices that talk about death. Aren't I abnormal enough as it is?

-Harry

Neville, Harry, and Ron were currently playing exploding snaps when a shadow loomed over them.

They looked up and saw Hermione.

"Going to do your homework some time this year fella's?"

Ron groaned. "We'll do it tomorrow. Harry deserves a day off with the way Oliver keeps following him around making practice happening as often as he can."

Harry snickered which caused the deck to explode.

"Come on Hermione. Play a game or two with us then we'll get started." Harry grinned up at her as he pulled out a new deck.

"We will?" Ron asked, slightly horrified.

Harry smacked him upside his head. "Yep! We've hardly done anything this week anyway."

Hermione thought about it and finally agreed as she sat down in the floor to join the game.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Harry sat up screaming in his bed, his clothes and sheets were tangled around his body and he was drenched in sweat.

"What's wrong?"

"What's going on?"

"Are you alright?"

All those questions blurred in Harry's mind as he tried to slow his heart rate down.

"Harry!"

Harry started and looked up. All four of his roommates were staring at him - concern written all over their faces. Evidently they had all scrambled up and pulled his curtains back.

"Sorry guys. I didn't mean to wake you. Nightmare."

They all looked at him like he was nuts but headed back to their own beds. Harry got up and headed to the shower.

He didn't go back to sleep that night, not with visions of green light and Voldemort haunting his mind.

Albus was taking a stroll through the courtyard with Minerva while conversing about the latest Transfiguration Daily issue when they came upon Harry and Ron playing chess in one of the seating areas.

From where they were walking, they could see that Harry was losing - badly. He scowled at Ron briefly before moving another piece.

Minerva raised an eyebrow then whispered, "Wow, he could give Severus a run for his money with that scowl."

Albus chuckled. "You should tell Severus that."

"And have him hex me? No thank you."

Albus laughed out right as they headed back towards the castle. The last time Severus had hexed Minerva she couldn't sit for 3 days. He chuckled at the memory.

Slowly October approached - and it brought a lot of rain with it.

The rain, however, did not stop Oliver from still having practice every chance he could manage to book the pitch. This was why one evening after dinner - a week before Halloween - Harry was found soaking wet from the rain and mud walking through the entrance hall.

Severus was lurking along the shadows watching Potter come in. He was utterly drenched, leaving muddy foot prints everywhere. It actually looked like he had just emerged from the Black Lake.

He listened to him and the Gryffindor ghost talk for a few minutes then barely suppressed a grin when Filch caught him.

Filch was not known for leniency.

After letting Sir Nicholas float away, he un-melded himself from the shadows to head off towards his office to grade some essays.

Severus lightly clapped his hands for the dancing skeleton troupe that had just finished performing. They weren't bad but he wasn't in the mood. Albus had cornered him and forced him to the feast, which was the only reason he was there.

Eyeing the Gryffindor table, he saw that Potter, Granger, and Weasley weren't present.

'The boy must not have wanted to come and his friends must be keeping him company,' thought the potion's master.

Severus ended up eating all of 2 bites of his dinner. He simply had no appetite.

After what seemed like an eternity, the feast ended.

"Pomona, do you happen to have any -" He was cut off by the care taker's voice further down the hall.

"I'll kill you!"

"Argus!" yelled Dumbledore alarmed. They came around the corner where the traffic jam was and Severus' eyes nearly bugged out when he saw what was on the wall and who was standing in front of it.

Albus had felt his heart skip a beat or four when he had seen the message on the wall.

"Dammit Albus, you know he was lying as well as I do."

"There's not much that I can do Severus. I do believe that they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think they would have done anything to Mrs. Norris."

Severus sat down hard in the chair and just glared at the Headmaster.

"I'm aware that they didn't do it. That was magic way beyond anything a second year can perform. I just think you should have forced out the whole truth from them."

"Forcing out the truth will not help any. Now, I am going to go see Sir Nicholas. You're welcome to join me if you like."

"No thank you. I have paper's to grade." Having said that, Severus stormed off to his quarter's - not to grade paper's - but to ponder this new situation.

November 12th, 1992

People are looking at me like I have the plague ... again. Professor Binns explained about the Chamber of Secrets yesterday so I reckon everyone think's I'm Slytherin's Heir now.

And then to complicate things, Ron and Hermione said that if the hat had even considered them for Slytherin, they would have been on the first train home.

I never told them where the hat wanted to place me and now I'm afraid if I do, they'll stop being my friends.

We're going to ask Lockhart to sign a permission slip so we can get the Moste Potente Potions book from the Restricted Section tomorrow. I really hope I don't have to re-enact anything else of his. Each time he calls on me, I get a sudden urge to scream.

I've started reading some of those extra books I bought this summer. I will learn to protect myself and my friends since it appears that no one else wants me too. Merlin knows I've not learned anything from Lockhart.

I need to go study. I failed the transfiguration exam horribly that we had yesterday.

-Harry

Harry squinted in the rain trying to find the practice snitch. He was tired and numb from the cold but Oliver wouldn't let them go inside until he had caught the tiny golden ball.

"Look harder Harry!" he heard from somewhere below him. It vaguely sounded like Alicia Spinnet that had screamed at him over the thunder.

It was a half hour later when Harry finally saw a glint of gold near the goal posts. He dived and 20 seconds later closed his hand over it.

"Finally!" he heard the twin's chorus.

As they walked towards the locker rooms, Harry received pointers from Oliver on how to spot it sooner. If Oliver would have looked at Harry closer, he would have seen that the seeker's eyes were glazed over and that he wasn't listening.

Harry was beyond exhausted.

A/N: I'm fine tuning more of the book 3 plot (there's a lot that happens and a lot that I need to make happen ... lol) as I continue writing into the 4th. I've gone through like 4 or 5 notebooks. (I like to hand write before I type things up.) Towards the end of this book, there will be a revelation ... but what kind though ... who knows? Well, I do ... and you will soon b/c the retelling of book 2 doesn't have many chapter's, just a few long ones to cover the many months. As for more Severus and Harry interaction, the next chapter has some. When is it coming out? Hopefully I will have it up by this upcoming weekend if my proofing of book 3 goes well. =)