Just a short one today. But I'm happy with it. I think it caught snape's care/worry and irritability well.This chapter is dedicated to all of my amazingly kind and supportive reviewers. Thank you for you patience and understanding.
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Severus Snape woke from a fitful sleep with a start, leaping out of bed wand in hand ready to attack. It took him a moment to work out that it was not the wards around his rooms or even his office or storeroom. They were classroom wards. Old classroom wards. The little dunderheads! He hurriedly yanked robes over his head, shoved his feet into his boats and bolted out of his rooms.
Hekate help them! He prayed that the little blighters hadn't blown themselves up.
Instead of heading up to the higher dungeons and to his main classroom, he went deeper into the lower dungeons. They were from an older classroom. He was surprised they were still active. Though he was glad they were, he thought as raced down the corridors. The ward had stopped blaring in the back of his mind now. But he didn't slow his pace. Something had exploded, and there were students there.
He sprinted into the classroom only to find it empty and clean. There were signs of use, the wards on the desk were worn, and still glowing faintly from their activation. And there were scorch marks on the desk that were still fairly warm to the touch. He could also smell fouled potion. He let out an irritated snarl.
So Potter was using one of the lower dungeon labs to brewing elicit potions in the middle of the night. The brat!
It had to be Potter. His Slytherins wouldn't dare and other Gryffindors hated the dungeons. He thought he'd seen Potter haunting the dungeons. But could never catch him. Potter was the only one so supremely good at avoiding him. It had to have been Potter.
Shite, he hoped the boy hadn't hurt himself. He drew his wand again and cast a quick point me spell. They weren't meant to use searching spells on students. And you had to have someone's true name for it to work. But Severus really was worried, the explosion had felt nasty if the ward alert was anything to go by. But the wand just spun aimlessly. He tried another searching spell that just provided the same results. Severus had been there when Lilly had settled on a name. He knew the boys true name, unless he'd changed it. Severus let out an irritated, worried sigh. The boy must be very good at hiding.
Too good a hiding.
"I need to speak to a House-Elf about Harry Potter please," Severus said in a soft, urgent voice.
To his surprise, a very oddly dressed house-elf popped in and bowed.
"What is Professor Potions wanting with Mr Harry Potter sir?" The elf said with narrowed eyes. It was a little odd seeing such a protective and suspicious look the face of a house-elf, especially one dressed so outlandishly. It must be the boy's house elf. The thief.
At least the boy had someone on his side.
"Please check your master is unharmed." Severus said, watching closely as the elf twitched slightly. So he was right, this was the boys elf. Good for the boy.
"He was working on here, and a potion exploded." Severus continued "I need to know if he needs medical attention."
"Dobby has no idea what professor Potions is implying sir," Dobby said airily, "but if Dobby did know, which Dobby doesn't. Then Dobby would be telling Professor Potions that he is not needing to worry about Mr Harry Potter tonight's sir. Not that Dobby is confirming anythings sir."
The elf then popped away before Severus could press the little blighter for the boy's location, so he could check on the brats himself. Because he had no doubt that if Potter was brewing down here, Granger probably was too.
Severus scowled, and tried unsuccessfully to call the elf back.
He guessed that would have to do. Short of spending all night scouring the castle for the boy. And failing to find him. As always.
He was torn between being worried, furious and impressed. Worry and fury seemed to win out though, and he cursed the brat black and blue for still being out past curfew and brewing potions alone on top it to boot. Curse the child who he was trying to keep safe!
Then he sighed. At least the boy was brewing. He and Lily had done the same thing... And he had more sense than he and Lily had at his age. They hadn't used an old potion classroom that was had wards up. They just used any old forgotten corner of the dungeons. And the boy even had the sense to activate the wards that were old enough that they would have been been dormant.
Still, Severus was angry enough to give the boy detention for a month for this stint, he could be seriously hurt! Hekate help him, that boy was not making it easy to keep him safe.
And just what on earth was the brat doing up at this ungodly hour of the night anyway! It was so late it was early!