Kitten Troubles

Chapter 3

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on Severus's face. Soon enough, the man was in front of him, bowing yet again. "Yes, Lord Viper? What can I do for you?"

"Find out what plant Voldemort was hit with. I watched Neville Longbottom throw something in a pot at him, but I couldn't see what it was."

"Yes, Lord Viper. I shall find out as quickly as I can." He turned promptly and Harry knew that his mind was spinning with questions as to why it was clearly one of the most important things that was on his mind.

"Oh, and Severus?" He turned and looked at him quizzically. "Make sure suspicions and questions about my health are avoided if possible and brushed off if not." Severus nodded and left with a swish of his robes.

Harry could see the confusion in the kitten's face and decided not to explain what any of it was about. He was tired enough as it was, he wouldn't be able to even imagine what he would feel like after explaining his entire upbringing and why he had two forms and names and all the other things he knew he'd need to explain at some point. Instead of thinking about it any further, he plopped into the chair gracelessly and put his head in his hands.

"No sleep is going to kill me sooner or later." He got up without another word and picked Voldemort up, carrying him to his room before putting on his pajama bottoms and collapsing into his bed. He was asleep before he got the chance to say anything to the feline.

When he woke up, it was still dark out, and quickly realized that he had slept through the entire day. He laid back down and slept until four in the morning. The next time he woke up, he got the kitten up with him and went to make breakfast. He was famished and the cat had to be as well.

Breakfast was simple, milk and sausage for the two of them. He wasn't up to cooking much more and they both enjoyed the simplicity more than either one of them thought they would.

The day was spent with Harry writing more on his maps and Voldemort sitting on the corner of his desk. He could feel the questions and curiosity rolling off the furball in waves, crashing over him and breaking his concentration.

"OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH! Here, read this." He went to his bookshelf and grabbed the oldest looking book that he had been looking at with such an intensity that both were surprised that the book hadn't disintegrated in front of them a few days before. He put it on the floor and opened it to the first chapter.

He watched as the kitten hopped off the table and went to read the giant tomb, glad that he wouldn't be staring at him anymore and that he'd finally be able to figure out what Harry was.

Because Harry wasn't human. It was one of the reasons that he could be as cunning and secretive and powerful as he was. He was clearly inhuman and it astonished him that no one had been able to figure that out. People knew he wasn't normal, but they all chalked it up to being the 'boy-who-lived' and all that garbage.

Harry focused on his maps once again, putting another charm on another dot with another town name.

Eventually he told a house elf to get them something to eat for lunch. He wasn't too hungry, but he knew that Voldemort had to be. When the food came, the ball of fur started to devour it.

Harry felt someone walk through the wards to his property and he quickly released his glamours that made him look like the innocent little boy that stood for the light. Having to use the glamours for so long, the energy needed to keep them up no longer affected him. He was now himself, not quite entirely, but as close as he'd get when he wasn't declared separate from Dumbledore.

Severus walked through the door and they went through overly-proper pleasantries. Soon afterwards, Severus confessed that he would do as much research as he could to find out what Longbottom had thrown at the Dark Lord, as the boy himself couldn't remember.