Snape and the classroom of toddlers// Harry Potter Fanfic

Chapter Forty-One - I don't need your help.

      first two paragraphs are extracts from Order Of The Phoenix, pages 719 and 741 (in that order)

    "To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up. Harry's insides plummeted sickeningly. They were trapped, and outnumbered two to one. "To me," said Malfoy yet again. "Where's Sirius?" Harry said.                                                                      Several of the Death Eaters laughed; a harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The dark lord always knows!"                                                                "Always," echoed Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."                                                        "I want to know where Sirius is!"                                                                                                                                     "I want to know where Sirius is!" Mimicked the woman to his left. She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling Harry's eyes. 

      It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. Harry saw the look of fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway.

     Harry hastily sat up, his eyes wide and frantic. "H-Huh?" He spluttered, clutching his bed sheet's tight. He had no clue what he had just seen, but whatever, he didn't like it. That man, the man who he watched fall limp and vanish in the veil, he seemed familiar. But he couldn't pinpoint why. "Are you okay?" Ron asked, from the bed next to him. Harry nodded silently. "Just a nightmare," he sniffled, pulling the sheets up over his head. 

    He heard quite footsteps on the hard wood floor. "When I have a nightmare my mummy always let's me sleep in her room. Maybe Sevvy will let you do that? It really helps." Muffled, Harry asked, "how does that help?" Ron pulled his blanket off of him, smiling. Harry wasn't as pleased, glaring at his friend. "I dunno. It's confusing. A lot of thing's confuse me." Harry shot him a concerned glance, before being yanked out of the bed. 

     "Hey I'm f-" Ron shushed him, putting his finger over the other's lips. "Shut up, or Herman will wake up," he warned, shivering at just the thought of it. Ronald led Harry out of the dorm, both as quiet as possible. "Where does Seveirus even stay?" Harry asked nervously, butchering his pronunciations. Sharp ers were still hard to him. Ron smiled, tucking his pockets into his maroon pajama-bottoms, which had been sent to Hogwarts by a worried Molly Weasely. The top half of these pajama's had a large yellow, trademark, 'R' on the front. Ron. "I dunno. But we'll find out, this place couldn't be too big! Could it?" 

      Approximately three hours later, the boys were still roaming the halls. "M-maybe it is a bit big," Ron sighed, as they turned what seemed like the seven-thousandth corner. It all looked the same. "I'm.. tir..ed," the green-eyed boy yawned, rubbing his aforementioned eyes. Ron pushed on with determination, dragging the sleepy toddler behind him. 

     After what seemed like years to the inpatient little toddlers, they heard voices. "I can do it myself," followed by a grunt, they continued, "I don't need your help!" Harry's face lit up. "Draco!" He gasped, recognising the voice. With sudden energy, Harry sprinted to the end of the hall, peeping round. Ron followed closely behind. "You don't understand," another voice gasped desperately. The two boys could make out the silhouette of two people, one pushed up against the wall, while the other clutched tightly to the first's chest. "I don't need your help," he repeated. The second man, suddenly, made a sharp movement, and roughly tossed Draco (the one against the wall) to the ground. Draco was still for a minute, before he began scrambling to his feet. 

     "S-Severus?" He spluttered, his voice shaky. Ron and Harry exchanged surprised looks. "I'm sorry." Severus ran a hand through his hair, sighing loudly. He quickly hugged Draco, before telling him, "I need you to hear me out. Your mother and I- we made an unbreakable vow." Draco pulled back in shock. "What's that?" Harry whispered to Ron, who looked equally as shocked. "Mummy's told me to never do one. It's like a promise -let me finish (Harry had began to open his mouth) -But if you ever break it, you die." 

     Harry, now understanding, fixed his attention on the scene infront of him. "B-but, why? What?" Draco mumbled, half to himself, completely bewildered. The professor chose not to answer. "I will help you. This- this mission, it isn't expected to be succeeded. You realise that, don't you? This 'mission' is just a death sentence," he said coldly, before quickly turning, his robes flying up behind him. 

    "Quick! He's coming this way," Harry whispered, pulling his friend back around the corner, and into the nearest room. The door slammed shut behind them, causing them to both freeze in their tracks. Surely the whole castle heard that. 

     "What was that?" Draco asked, rushing over to Severus and walking with him, while looking around for the source of the noise. "A door, somebody was spying," Severus muttered darkly, pulling his wand out of his pocket. It was around quarter to twelve in the night. Whoever would be out of their dorms at this time? 

     Harry and Ron tried their best to push a chair - one they had found in the room they stumbled into, which turned out to be the transfiguration classroom -against the door, without making the as much sound as they could. If they blocked the door, perhaps they'd think it was locked? Once the chair was pushed up against it, Ron rushed to hide in a cupboard. "What if they find us? We were listening in on their conversation," the little toddler whispered to his friend, as he slid down to the floor, against the cupboard Ron was in. "He'll probably be more mad that we're up this late." Ron pushed the door open, dragging Harry in. 

    There was a knock on the door. "Hello? If you're in there, just own up, okay?" Draco snapped. He banged on the door again, before Harry broke. "I'm sorry, Dray-Dray!" He wailed, shoving the cupboard open and rushing out, frantically moving the chair. Draco pushed the door open, and the boy-who-lived flopped onto him. Harry didn't like getting in trouble, and he had learnt from his Uncle that it was better to own up to it, rather than trying to hide. Although the punishment was as severe for either. "It was you?" He asked, a feeling of relief hanging over him. Harry nodded, deciding not to mention Ron. 

    "Why were you out of bed?" Draco asked, crouching down to Harry's level. Harry squeezed Draco's leg. "I had a nightmare.." Draco frowned, patting his 'enemies' head. Draco had always been envious of Harry. He had everything. He had attention, he was loved, he was famous, but seeing him in such a vulnerable state, it made his stomach twist - not in a good way, or anything. It gave him an odd feeling of despair, seeing Harry Potter in pain - regardless of him being a toddler or not.