Severus Snape and Harry Potter

Chapter 29

A/N: In the previous chapter everyone tried to figure out who the fifth marauder was, but no one figured it out. I'm sure you will get one of the biggest shock in your lives. Tell me if you did!

It was a few moments before Hagrid could make sense of what the terrified Neville and Ron were saying. "What do ya mean, there was a vampire drinking unicorn blood?" Fang began to bark loudly. "Fang, quiet!" the big man snapped and the dog ceased, whimpering.

"We . . . we were following Fang . . . an' he led us right to the unicorn . . ." panted Ron. "And then . . . and then . . . the vampire came . . ."

"It turned and looked at us!" Neville added, his eyes huge in his moon round face. "I was . . . never so scared in my life, Hagrid! I . . . I couldn't move! Then Harry yelled run . . . and I did . . . I ran and ran . . ."

"Fang dragged me outta there," Ron added. He mopped sweat from his brow.

Hermione was peering about the trees anxiously. After hearing what the two boys had encountered, she was more afraid than ever. She resolved to never be caught out of bed again if this was the standard punishment McGonagall gave out! Abruptly, she realized something the others had forgotten in their mad dash to find Hagrid. "Um . . . where's Harry?"

Everyone gaped at each other as they suddenly realized Harry was not among them.

"He . . . err . . . I thought he was right behind me," Neville stuttered in alarm.

"What if he got lost?" Hermione gasped. "What if he's still out there and the vampire's hunting him?"

"All o' yeh, follow me. I'm going ta lead ya out of the forest and onto the school grounds. Then yeh go back an' tell Professor McGonagall that Harry's missing." Hagrid instructed. "I'll go back an' search for Harry with Fang. Let's move!"

"What about Professor Snape?" Draco queried as he ran quickly after the gamekeeper. "He needs to know too, he's Harry's guardian."

"Uh, yeah, right," Hagrid sighed. "He oughta know . . . even if he's gonna skin me an' hang me out t'dry."

"It wasn't your fault, Hagrid," Neville consoled the big man. "Nobody ever expected a vampire to be in there."

"Or that Harry wouldn't have sense enough to run away from it," Draco added, snorting. "Gryffindors! You show your bravery at the stupidest times."

"Harry's not stupid!" Ron snapped. "He probably was trying to distract it so Nev and I could get away."

Draco made a dismissive gesture. "Whatever, Weasley."

"Hush yer quarreling now," Hagrid ordered bluntly. "Got enough trouble brewin' without yeh adding to it."

The two subsided after that reprimand, and hurried in Hagrid's wake down the path leading out of the forest. Their hearts were cold in their chest wondering what had happened to their friend.

Snape's quarters:

Skullduggery awoke feeling a strange sort of magic quivering through him. He fluffed his feathers and shook himself, gliding from his perch in Severus' bedroom over to the cherrywood four-poster where the professor slept. The posts were intricately carved with vines and magical plants and the headboard bore a raven in flight, which Severus had added after bonding with his familiar. The bed was large enough to hold three, a fact that had always amused the raven, and he often teased the solitary Potions Master about having a bed large enough for a wife and kids, if he ever allowed himself to get close enough to a woman to fall in love. "You're not exactly a dried up old man, Sev," Skull usually pointed out. "You still have plenty of years of loving in you, if only you'd quit hiding down here surrounding yourself with cauldron fumes and dried newt's tongues. That sort of thing might put a woman off."