Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 11 – An Unexpected Alliance

Harry hadn't really expected Snape to say yes to training him and neither of them appeared to know where to go from there, as the following days proved. Finally, however, Snape deemed the dawdling beneath him and sent Harry an owl commanding him to meet him in an abandoned classroom in a far corner on the fifth floor that Friday night. Harry read the letter again before setting it down and looking to Ron and Hermione. He'd not yet told them about his upcoming training with Snape, but he knew he needed to, and now that a date had been set, he couldn't hold off any longer. Standing, he motioned for them to follow him and led them outside into the warm May air. He found a spot by the lake with no one in sight and sat Ron and Hermione down before explaining everything, and they were glad they were sitting.

"You mean that Snape agreed to train you?" Ron demanded disbelievingly. "Snape?"

"Professor Snape, Ronald!" Hermione scolded automatically.

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"But…why?"

"No idea." Which was true, he had no idea why Snape had actually said yes to training him. All he knew was that it wasn't because he asked nicely.

"What is he going to be teaching us?" Hermione wanted to know, though her use of the word us threw Harry for a loop. "You did tell him he'd be training the three of us?"

"Uh…well…"

"Oh, Harry!" She said in that exasperated tone that she often used with the two of them. "We're in this together!"

"Yeah, mate." Ron agreed. "Hermione and I are going to be right by your side through it all, we're not letting you do this alone." Harry was speechless. It was one thing to tell them about all that was going on, but quite another for them to fight alongside him. He hadn't even thought to ask them if they wanted to train with him, and his instant reaction was to say no, that this wasn't their fight and they were far too young. However, as quickly as he had that thought, he just as quickly let it go. If he used either of those arguments with Ron and Hermione it would not go over well.

"Alright then." He said finally. "And thank you both." They returned the smile he gave them and for a moment they sat there in companionable silence. Until Harry realized a dangerous task they now had to undertake. "How's Snape going to react to training two more people?"

"Professor Snape, Harry!"

Snape reacted better than any of them expected when Harry showed up to his first training session with Ron and Hermione in tow. His scowl deepened and a vein began to pulse in his forehead, but he otherwise made no comment and Harry wondered if he'd expected that he'd actually be training the three of them. However many students Snape had expected to have, the first training session was a disaster. Snape was his usual cantankerous self and found fault with everything they did. Like in class, he belittled everything they did, called Hermione a know it all when she asked questions, and seemed to still have a particular hatred of Harry. This did not abate in the sessions to follow and the trio were getting quite frustrated that they'd added more class time with Snape. However, they could not deny that they were learning. Without the rest of the class present – especially the Slytherins for whom they now saw Snape had to put on a show for – he was able to focus on them and as time passed they saw how he geared the lessons towards their strengths and weaknesses. Oh he certainly still had little patience with them, and constantly had a stockpile of barbed remarks at the ready, but they could see that he was genuinely trying to teach them, and wasn't half bad at it. So far they had learned how to cast a shield charm – something usually not taught until third year, but that Snape deemed the most important – and he had begun them all on occlumency. At first he had penetrated their minds and simply told them to try and block him, but had quickly seen that that strategy wouldn't work. They were too young, their minds completely open as children's were. As a person grew their minds became naturally more controlled and closed off and it was easier to learn to discipline the mind and expel intruders. Even a teenager would have some rudimentary occlumency, not enough to guard against a skilled legilimens, but enough to have a basis to start training with, but children did not have that. So Snape had them begin some daily exercises to try and strengthen their minds and the control they had over them. Continuing occlumency lessons would be pointless until they had at least some control over their minds.

As the end of June neared their training with Snape did not abate even with final exams looming over them. It stressed Hermione out greatly, but even she could not deny Snape's logic: the Dark Lord would not put his plans on hold just because they had exams. The reminder of Voldemort's plans brought the trio's attention back to the Philosopher's Stone. They'd not forgotten about it completely and had been keeping an eye out, but with the school year nearing its end they were on high alert once more. It was likely the stone would be moved shortly after the students left for the summer break, so if a bid to steal it was being made it would likely be in the next couple weeks. Thanks to his foray into Harry's mind the night he'd agreed to train him, Snape knew about their activities surrounding the stone, but had not brought it up and so neither did they; none of them wanted detention after all, and thought it best not to remind Snape about the nightly wanderings. That all changed three days before the end of term, shortly after they'd sat their last exam.

"I always thought Hogwarts end of year exams were frightful, but I found they're rather enjoyable." Said Hermione as the three walked across the grounds from the greenhouses, their last exam having been Herbology.

"Of course you did." Ron muttered under his breath and Harry tried not to laugh. As Hermione continued to talk about the exam, going over each question and how well she thought she did on them, Harry's attention was drawn towards Hagrid, who was standing a short ways off with a third year Hufflepuff.

"There now, I'm sure Professor Kettleburn will let you retake the practical." Hagrid said, handing a creature Harry didn't recognize back to the boy. "Just remember, the trick with any creature is to know how to calm him. Why, I know a Cerberus that falls right to sleep if you just play it a bit of music!" Harry stopped walking and stared at Hagrid. It couldn't be, could it? As he sent the Hufflepuff on his way, Harry approached, followed by a perplexed Ron and Hermione.

"Hagrid!"

"Hello there, Harry!" He beamed.

"What you just said about the Cerberus," Ron and Hermione's attention was now firmly on the conversation. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Oh, well, I suppose I might have." He seemed taken aback, but was at least really trying to think back. "There was a tradesman I met at the pub last week. He said he could get a dragon's egg you know. Blimey I'd love a dragon." He trailed off, but Harry kept him focused.

"And what did he ask?"

"Well he asked what kind of creatures I look after, wanted to see if I'd be able to handle a dragon. I told him all about Fluffy, said a dragon would be no problem."

"Fluffy?" Ron asked.

"The Cerberus has a name?" Hagrid didn't seem to catch on that they somehow knew about the three headed dog.

"Of course he's got a name, he's mine!" He sounded affronted, as if all dangerous creatures should have names. "I got him off an Irishman I met in the pub last year." Ignoring the fact that Hagrid seemed capable of getting any dangerous creature from someone in a pub, Harry asked the question they needed an answer to.

"And you told him that to get Fluffy to go to sleep you just had to play it some music?"

"Well, of course. Like I told Ben, I told him the key with any beast is to know how to calm it." The trio looked to each other with mounting dread. Without another thought about Hagrid they took off at a run heading back to the castle.

"What do we do?" Ron asked as they went.

"We have to tell Dumbledore, he's the only one who can stop Voldemort!" However, as they only saw the Headmaster at meals, none of them knew where his office was and so they ran down to the dungeon, intent on telling Snape. They banged on the potions master's door for a few minutes and when he didn't answer they changed course.

"Professor McGonagall will know." Said Hermione. "She's Deputy Headmistress, after all." They ran back up the stairs and headed towards the transfiguration classroom, thankful to find the professor there at her desk.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately!" Harry said when the professor looked up, startled as they barreled into her classroom.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's gone?" Harry's fear grew. "But this is important. This is about the Philosopher's Stone." If McGonagall was startled before, it was nothing to how she looked now.

"How do you know-"

"Someone's going to try and steal it." McGonagall looked at them for a moment before her mouth formed into a thin line and she turned her sternest look on them.

"I don't know how you three found out about the stone but I assure you it is perfectly well-protected. Now would you go back to your dormitories?"

"But-"

"Quietly!" The trio looked like they wanted to argue but knew from experience that that would not go over well given this particular look on the professor's face.

"That was no stranger Hagrid met in the pub." Ron said as they walked back out into the corridor.

"It was Voldemort." Harry agreed. "Which means he knows how to get passed Fluffy."

"And with Dumbledore gone…" Hermione's insinuation was clear.

"Good afternoon." They were interrupted by the voice of the man they had originally been looking for. "Now what would three young Gryffindors such as yourselves be doing inside on a day like this?"

"We've just come from seeing Professor McGonagall." Harry said, aware that there were many students milling about and they couldn't talk openly as they could in private. "Apparently Professor Dumbledore's gone to London and we just learned that Fluffy likes music." It was an odd sentence to anyone who was listening, but they saw immediately that Snape understood their meaning. Before he could respond, however, McGonagall came striding swiftly out of her classroom.

"What are you three still doing here? I told you to return to your dormitories!"

"But Professor-" Harry tried again, looking to Snape as much as McGonagall this time.

"But nothing, Potter! Off with you. Now!" Harry stared Snape in the eye for a moment before they turned and did as instructed.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked as they climbed the grand staircase.

"Let's return to the common room in case McGonagall asks the Fat Lady if we went back or not." Said Harry. "We'll sneak out afterwards and wait for Snape in the training classroom, he should come and talk to us once it's safe."

"And if he doesn't?" Ron asked and Harry sighed.

"Then we go through the trapdoor ourselves. We can't let Voldemort get his hands on that stone!"

A/N - Sorry for the delay!

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