A New Story

Chapter 33

Madame Pomfrey came rushing in and began to check over Snape. 

'What happened?' she asked the two other adults in the room.

'He was in the kitchen and collapsed.' Regulus said while looking at his shoes, scared that Summer and he might be the reason that he fainted. 

'He's just overworked.' Madame Pomfrey gave him a couple of strengthening potions and Snape woke up in a snap. 

She helped the pregnant man sit up, 'Take it easy, Severus.' 

'Are you okay?' Regulus asked, quite scared and shaken. 

Summer didn't want to intrude. Especially not after the conversation she and Regulus had in Severus' quarters. She turned to leave after she made sure Severus was okay.

'I'm going to go,' 

Regulus looked at her, 'It's fine, you can stay. Sorry for the things I said just now.'

'What happened?' Severus asked, dizzy from being passed out for so long. 

'You just collapsed in the kitchen. You're alright now, right?' Regulus questioned. 

Snape nodded. Then, he saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron beside the bed next to him. They all seemed like they were trying to disappear. Harry was relieved to see his dad awake but he was also scared.

He saw who was on the bed they were standing next to and knew they were in deep trouble.

'Harry? Why are you here?' Severus said in a strict tone. 

Harry shuffled, 'I'm sorry...'

'I asked, "Why are you here".' Snape would not let him go just because he said sorry.

The three kids hung their heads and avoided the adults' gazes. 

'Professor,' Hermione spoke up, 'We were trying to give Professor Lockhart a potion... to turn him into a chicken.' 

Madame Pomfrey, Regulus, and Summer all knew the children were in trouble. 

Severus raised his eyebrow, 'Is that so?' he said in a dangerous tone.

'You have to understand-' Harry started.

Snape cut him off sharply, 'No excuses. Whatever your reasons, it is still a grave misbehavior to poison someone, no less a professor. What were you thinking, Potter?' He unintentionally switched to Potter which everyone in the room noticed except himself. 

'I'm sorry,' Harry didn't know why but hearing his dad call him that in that tone made him want to cry. 

'Detention for the rest of the semester with Filch.' Snape said harshly.

Ron and Hermione gave out a huge groan internally while Harry was still fixated on how disappointed Snape was in him. He was not used to someone he loved to be mad at him. They were always saying how proud they were of him or how great a kid he was. He got a load of shit from the Dursleys but they had always been like that. This did not sit well with him.

The next few days, Lockhart recovered from his chicken situation and went back to teaching DADA while Snape went back to potions with Summer. 

The semester continued rather boringly until one day Harry started to hear voices. Voices in the walls in particular. At first, he thought he was going bonkers since Ron and Hermione didn't seem to be affected by the sounds. Then, something happened. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were strolling back to their common room when they, iconically, ran into some trouble. They found Mrs. Norris, Filch's old cat, frozen and hung upside down. They were trying to get the cat down when someone saw them and notified the professors. 

They immediately rushed to the scene, Filch cried over his frozen cat and McGonagall started questioning the trio about everything as Snape just watched their every move carefully and silently. They had to repeatedly deny the accusations from Filch that they were the ones that petrified the cat in some ill prank to get him back for all the horrid stuff he made them do in detention. 

'What a coincidence you three are here in such good timing to find Mrs. Norris first.' Snape said, walking around the trio, stopping behind their backs, and making them turn around to face him.

'I promise we didn't have anything to do with this. You've got to believe me.' Harry pleaded desperately. Severus and Harry had patched up after he found Harry trying to slip a potion to Lockhart but now, it seems like this has opened a new wound. 

A crowd of people has been drawn in now. Suddenly, a person saw a message scribbled on the wall,

'LOOK. UP THERE.' 

Draco was up for some taunting of Potter so he read the message out loud, 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.'