Your Protector ✦ A Snarry Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Nightmare

Chapter 2: Nightmare (Harry's perspective)

Harry kept quiet as he and Snape made their way to the dungeons that night. He had nothing to say to the professor that he despised, so instead he kept his head down and pretended that he didn't exist. Harry had known from the start that this year was going to be different, a foreboding feeling came from the letter he had received from Dumbledore about the changes made to the school this year.

Finally reaching the dungeon, Snape stopped in front of a large wooden door. "The password is Lírio," he said.

Harry watched as the door creaked open at his words. It was an odd word, one he had never heard before. Probably something Hermione would know.

He followed Snape inside, anger still filling his body. How could Dumbledore do this to him? But before he could finish his thought, the smell of wood smoke and vanilla hit his nose. It surprised him that the ex-potions master would live in a place that actually smelled good. It almost made him forget about the horrible situation, but only for a moment.

As Harry looked around he saw a fireplace in one corner of the room. A small, dusty couch sat across from it, looking as though it were not used often. There was a round dining table covered in papers in the center of the room, and two doors against one wall. Harry's suitcases and other belongings were resting against the wall, filling up much of the mostly empty room.

"I have ground rules Potter. Don't touch anything, don't bring anyone here, and absolutely do not disturb me whatsoever," Snape spoke in a sharp tone as he pulled off his outer robe and hung it up, leaving him in black trousers and a button down.

Seeing his professor in normal clothes surprised Harry and he felt as though he should look away. All of a sudden the situation became much too intimate for his liking. He knew that he would have to get used to seeing Snape in a different way, but that didn't mean that he would enjoy it.

"Put your things in that closet over there," Snape said, pointing to a corner of the room Harry hadn't noticed before. There was a small bed made up, and an empty closet next to it. "If you so much as make a sound, you'll be sleeping in the hall."

Harry nodded his head at once. If he was feeling uncomfortable before, it was so much worse now. He watched as Snape grabbed some papers off the table and disappeared through one of the doors, most likely the bedroom. A wave of exhaustion washed over Harry as he let out a breath, happy to not be in the presence of his professor anymore. He made his way over to the bed and undressed quickly, throwing on some pajama bottoms, but leaving his shirt off. The fire in the hearth was crackling away making the room plenty warm.

He quickly tucked away his things into the closet and then slipped into bed. Surprisingly it was more comfortable than the one in the Gryffindor dormitory, but that didn't help him sleep any. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours. It was strange not sleeping in a room with the other boys.

Images of Ron running around in the mornings looking for his books, and Neville tripping over his own feet as he rushed around the room flashed through his mind, making the anger he felt heighten even more.

As Harry tossed some more, he suddenly sat bolt-upright. There was screaming coming from the next room. At first Harry thought that he was dreaming, but as he pinched himself to make sure he was awake, he realized that it must be Snape. Heart pounding, Harry stood from his bed. Snape's warning flashed through his mind briefly, but then the yelling resumed once more. Finally Harry decided that it would not be considered disturbing Snape if something bad were happening to him. After all, the whole reason he was here in the first place was so Snape could "protect" him. What if he was being attacked?