Dark Red Roots

Chapter 10

Sorry it's short. The next few Chapters are short... I forgot that two pages on Word are a 1000 words not one and a half

Hades woke up to screaming the next morning. He tried to remember what happened last night because he was sure it had something to do with the screaming. Slowly he crawled from the blissful warmth of his covers to the cold air of the dungeons. Bare feet slapped over stone floors as he walked out of his Heir suit and into the common room.

Oh, now he remembered. Sitting on a conjured dog bed and three bowls piled high with raw steaks, was his new pet. If you could call a Ceberus a pet. The three headed dog wagged it's large tail, hitting a chair over and over. Three seventh year girls screamed once more, pointing wands at the large animal.

"He's not going to hurt you." Hades groaned, stepping forward and petting one of the heads, "He's got all he wants." The head pushed him to the next head as he was fawned over by now two of the three heads. With a sigh he sat down snuggling into the large mass of fur. The Ceberus was remarkably fluffy.

It wasn't long before other students started to trail in, looking for the comotion. Many ran back to their rooms after seeing the large three headed dog. Hades grinned and waved at them all as the dog curled up around him. It was cozy enough to go back to sleep and he was half tempted too when the door to Severus Snape's office opened.

This had to be a Slytherin first for everyone as they stared at their Potion's Professor and Head of House. The man's hair was tied back to avoid the bed head look and dressed in Black sweats with a tight red shirt. You wouldn't know under all those teaching robes that their Professor was so fit but in just the tight shirt, they all clearly can see the muscle he had.

Snape took one look at the Cerberus, saw Hades and turned around, slamming the door closed behind him. Hades gulped. Of all the people in Hogwarts it was only Severus Snape that frightened him. It wasn't long before the door opened again and Snape was back. This time with a large cup of coffee, Hades assumed was spiked with something.

They just looked at each other for a long while as Snape slowly slipped away his drink. Hades did not want to explain how he acquired the Cerberus because one; the teacher would know he broke a school rule and two; he would make him put it back. He was not putting Fluffy back into that small cramped room to be starved for guardian such a useless stone. A stone he now used as a paper weight on his desk.

"Care to explain?" Snape finally asked, the contents of his drink gone.

Hades shook his head, "Not particularly."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"Fluffy." Hades corrected, "I decided to name him Fluffy and I was hoping to possibly take it home." He pursed his lips, "I just need a way to get him home."

Severus sighed, "Do I want to know where you got it?"

Hades just looked at him, not saying a word.

"That's what I thought." Severus sighed, "You said he was staved?"

"Yup." Hades ran his fingers through the fur, "And it was so cramped for him. I had to physically help him move his legs fully enough for him to walk."

"Is there anyone who you would recommend to pick him up?"

"I could ask my account manager for any suggestions. I got one of those duo books."

Severus nodded, "Do that. For now," He waved his wand conjuring a sign to sit in front of the beast. Big enough for everyone to read clearly and hard to miss, "That should do." Standing up Snape brushed invisible dust off his sleepwear, "I'll see you in my classroom at eight tonight. You'll be cleaning Cauldrons."

Hades sighed, "Yes sir."

That evening after scrubbing out the muck covered Cauldrons, Hades flopped into his desk chair to finish off the Charms Essay they had gotten that day. He pulled his new stone over to sit atop the rolled piece of parchment so it wouldn't roll back up. Draco would probably call him crazy for doing such a thing to an object that he'd gotten out of a mirror, protected by such crappy safe guards.

He wasn't a fool that Draco or anyone else would call him. He could feel the power radiating from the rock but it was muted. The rock acting as a shield for the power resting inside it. Hades didn't think any form of magic he knew would be able to break into such a shield. So he didn't try. Hence it was now a paper weight.

He'd mull over what exactly it was in a week or two. No need to rush now. Pulse he had Fluffy to worry about first. Hookjaw was coming over tomorrow morning to get the beast and then working with Jace to set up an area for the dog. It would be the best guard dog for their new school. Hookjaw also said that if someone tried to claim the dog they could be trialed for the illegal harboring of a five X creature and its abuse. Hookjaw got the paperwork through to have a creature but they could not breed them.

It looked to be an interesting few weeks.