My Name's Severus!

Chapter 2: Something Disappears

Saturday ended pretty much as Friday had. Only this time Draco stayed awake actually reading his charms book in bed until he was sure that Severus was asleep and had not put another bucket on the door.

To their relief the boys woke the next morning without having been disturbed by any further pranks by Severus.

Draco was about to ask Severus why he had been brushing his teeth for over ten minutes now and Blaise had just entered the bathroom when Gregory was the first to turn on the shower. Both Draco and Blaise froze and stared as Gregory jumped out of the shower screaming his skin all red and burnt.

Then they heard Severus' familiar laughter. Draco groaned. While he had been guarding the dorm last night Severus had obviously been busy fixing up the bathroom.

"Severus! What did you do this time?" he asked once again trying to sound just as cold as Severus.

"I turned off the cold water pipes. They're right up there, see. That small wheel right there in the corner turns them off for all the showers in the room." matter-of-factly Severus once again.

"How did you get up there?" demanded Blaise.

"Climb onto the first shower."

Blaise regarded the metal frame of the shower dubiously. It didn't look all that strong.

"Well, get up there and turn'em back on! I want to have my shower!"

Severus grinned. "No! Do it yourself!"

"Look you little ..." started Gregory.

"You can beat me up, you know." Severus informed him pleasantly. "But you can't force me to climb up there."

Gregory looked at the shower, then at Blaise. Blaise looked at the shower then back at Gregory.

"Draco?" he ventured unsure. "This thing couldn't possibly support me. Could you?"

Draco stared at the shower. That really didn't look all that strong and it was rather high, too. But he couldn't admit that he was afraid. He looked back to Severus. Maybe there was a way to bring him to ...

"I'm afraid of heights." volunteered Severus promptly.

"But you had to climb up to turn them off." stated Draco dryly.

"Well, I'm not all that afraid when it's dark, you know."

Draco glanced at the window. Wait until nightfall and make Severus climb up then? He doubted his friends would see the justice in that. They would expect him to climb himself. If he didn't he would prove himself a coward. All right then, he would prove that he was more courageous then Severus.

He walked into the shower looking for things he might use for hand- and footholds. The water on the floor was still hot under his bare feet. He gave the plastic wall a quick shake. It really didn't seem to be all that tightly fixed. What if it came loose under him? 'Don't show that it bothers you!' He set his right foot into the niche for the soap, grabbed the metallic frame of the plastic wall and pulled up. His wet foot slipped from the niche and he almost fell. Blaise and Gregory raced into the shower to support him and with their help he managed to drag himself onto the metal frame.

Glancing back down he realised to his surprise that Severus too had jumped up and was now standing in the entrance of the shower clinging to the curtain with both hands and peering up at him. Could it be he was actually worried about getting one of them hurt now that Draco had almost fallen?

Draco tried to stand up slowly holding on to the pipes for support. The wall beneath him wobbled with every move he made and the higher pipe was scalding hot. He withdrew his hands from that pipe immediately and held still until it stopped hurting. At least he now knew which pipe to turn back on.

Slowly he edged forward until he reached the wheel and began to turn it. It seemed an eternity until it stopped turning and he could crouch back onto his wobbly perch. He turned until he was sitting on the wall facing his friends down in the shower.

How would he ever get back down without breaking any bones?

"Jump!" said Gregory and held out his hands.

Draco took them, pushed himself off of the wall and closed his eyes. Gregory caught him and gently set him down on his feet. Severus' relieved smile looked real charming. The little devil!

At that moment the door opened and Vincent walked in yawning. He stopped and stared at the four boys in one shower cabin.

"What are you doing?" he asked confused.

"Practising tree-climbing." answered Draco not willing to elaborate.

That afternoon Dumbledore sat in his office staring at Severus over his desk. What was he to do now? Whatever should he say? How could Severus have done that? He wasn't really a boy anymore. He knew better than to get into that kind of trouble. This had to be a nightmare! It just couldn't be true! But he had to say something.

Albus Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, realised he still didn't know what to say and closed it again.

"Sorry, Albus!" said Severus.

It had definitely been a mistake to let this one go to Hogsmede. But just what was he going to do with a teacher who looked and acted like a naughty boy? Severus was his friend and he owed him, but he just couldn't tolerate this kind of behaviour. What to do? How to punish him without damaging their friendship? How to stop him from continuing such escapades?

Well, the last one was easy.

"Severus, I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave the school grounds ever again. At least not until we find the antidote, that is."

"Even if I promise not to get caught again?" - cute smile and big puppy-dog eyes.

"SEVERUS!!!"

"If I promise to TRY not to do it again?" - smirk a la Draco.

"SEVERUS!!!"

"OK, OK! I promise not to do it again." - downcast look.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I don't believe you. You're behaving just like you did when you were a child and I can't forget how much you lied to me back then." Dumbledore shook his head sadly.

"I thought we were friends!" Severus sounded as if he was nearly crying. Dumbledore couldn't tell if this was another act or not. With Severus these things were just so hard to tell.

"So did I. - Now about your punishment ..."

The door flew open and Minerva McGonagall burst in followed to Dumbledore's horror by a very angry Rosmerta, who was dragging Draco and Harry after her. Behind them appeared Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. All of them in torn robes, some bleeding.

Draco started when he noticed Severus.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked forgetting his own predicament for a moment.

"I got caught stealing." Severus announced matter-of-factly as if it were no big deal at all.

"You what?!!" gasped the Gryffindors and Slytherins in rare unison. The Gryffindors of course were even more surprised than the Slytherins who had already had the chance to get to know Severus.

"I got caught stealing." repeated Severus calmly.

"Oh no! But I warned you Albus. I told you this kid's a walking disaster. And he wasn't even in classes jet!" moaned Professor McGonagall.

"Calm down Minerva, please!" pleaded Dumbledore. "I'll handle that. Now what did these kids do, Rosmerta? From the looks of them I'd say they were fighting? In the Three Broomsticks perhaps?"

"Yes, indeed they were. They damaged furniture, broke dishes and scared away customers. These two started it." Rosmerta accused pushing Harry and Draco in front of Dumbledore's desk. "This one here to be exact." she added indicating Draco.

Dumbledore sighed rubbing his throbbing temples.

"All right Rosmerta, why don't you send me a detailed damage list so I can get their parents to pay for it and I'll see to their punishment."

Rosmerta nodded curtly. "If this ever happens again you will be forbidden to enter the three Broomsticks for the rest of your lives!" she told the children as she stalked out of the headmaster's office.

"Well now, that will be detention for all of you!" announced Dumbledore "Twenty points from everybody who joined in that fight, thirty from Harry for fighting back instead of avoiding a fight, forty from Draco for starting the fight and fifty from Severus."

"But sir, that leaves Slytherin with less than fifty points altogether!" protested Severus.

"Well, after your recent escapades you ought to consider yourselves lucky to have any left at all." explained Dumbledore.

It was a very downcast group of children that walked out of Dumbledore's office after that.

"Great, just great!" mumbled Ron Weasley to nobody in particular. "Thanks to that idiot Malfoy Hufflepuff is going to win the House Cup this year!

Draco gave him a nasty look, but noticing his house-mate's accusing stares decided it would probably be better to avert their attention from the fight. Now what might prove to be a suitable diversion?

"Severus!" he snarled. "Whatever possessed you to go stealing?"

"They didn't give me any pocket money." shrugged Severus.

"You lost us a full fifty points! Thanks to you we're now last. We're never gonna win the Cup now." Draco accused him.

"Well, you lost more than I did dragging everybody into that stupid fight!" Severus shot back. "Just why did you have to attack Potter anyway."

"He called my father a death eater!" complained Draco.

"So what's the problem? Your father IS a death eater." declared Severus turned on his heel and walked away.

Draco stared after him. Nobody could know that! His father would go to Azkaban if he ever admitted that! He couldn't let Severus say that.

"He is not! No he is not!" he screamed after Severus, but he knew he had waited to long. He had to find a way to convince Severus that he was wrong.

Draco didn't get a chance to talk to Severus alone until that evening in the bathroom. Severus was under the shower. Everybody else had gone to bed. Draco sat in front of the shower cabin staring at the wall. How to go about this? Severus did seem slightly more approachable when they were alone together, but he still was a wretched little rat that got them all into trouble and called him 'blondie'.

"Um, Severus?" he ventured testing the water.

"Yeah? What?"

That sounded rather neutral. Maybe it would work.

"What makes you think that my father is a death eater?" Draco asked carefully.

"I don't think he's a death eater, Draco. I know. Everybody suspects. I know. And Dumbledore knows, too."

Draco swallowed hard. That wasn't what he had expected. Not that calm conviction. Oh, what to do!

"How can you know? How can you be so sure?" 'Please, please make it something I can explain away!' he thought.

"Because I ..." Severus broke of and Draco heard a muffled bang from inside the shower. Silence ensued.

"Because you what?" probed Draco. He needed an answer!

"Because I just know. I can't tell you how I do, but I do. The ministry won't accept my proof though so you have nothing to worry about. But I do know. So don't pretend with me!" Severus practically jumped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and began to dry himself of hurriedly. He stopped only once gazing motionless at his left arm for a few seconds. Then quickly slipped into his pyjamas, again pausing to look at his arm and practically raced from the room.

Draco followed him out of the bathroom startled at his sudden hurry and saw him run down into the common room barefoot and his hair still wet from the shower. Whatever was he doing? - Had he had an idea how to turn himself back into an adult?

"Now that would be a relief for all of us." he said to himself as he went back into his dorm to sleep.

Severus slipped out of the common room through the secret door ran out of the dungeons and up into Dumbledore's office.

"Albus! Albus it's gone!" he shouted as he burst into the room. "It just simply vanished!"

Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall who had been discussing the day's chaos over a cup of tea stared back at him startled.

Severus suddenly remembered his attire. He should have at least put shoes on. The floor was pretty cold, but it was to late for that now. So he just stood there staring wide-eyed at Dumbledore.

"What's gone, Severus?" the headmaster asked gently.

Severus glanced at Professor McGonagall. Then walked over to Dumbledore and pulled him close to whisper something into his ear.

Professor McGonagall stared at the two. Whatever was going on?

"What!" shouted Dumbledore, grabbed Severus' left arm and pulled back the sleeve. Then stared at the boy's arm.

Minerva leaned over and stared, too, but she couldn't see anything there. She looked up first at Dumbledore then at Severus, who were both still staring at Severus' arm in amazement.

"But how?" asked Dumbledore.

"I have absolutely no idea." answered Severus.

"Excuse me, but there isn't anything there." said Professor McGonagall.

"That's the point, Minerva." said Dumbledore distractedly. "That's the very point. There's nothing there!"

Professor McGonagall stared back at him confused. Whatever could there possibly not be on Severus' arm?

"Could this be a side effect of Neville's potion?" Dumbledore asked Severus. "Was it still there after that?"

"I never thought to check. Only when Draco asked me how I knew that his father's a death eater. I thought that maybe I ought to show him and realised it was gone."

Death eater? Something on his left arm? Minerva McGonagall suddenly remembered how Severus always wore long sleeved robes never showing his arms, how sometimes at the mention of certain things he would suddenly walk out of the room in the middle of a conversation. And she also remembered odd looks passing between Dumbledore and Snape when discussing certain events.

She sank back into her chair as realisation dawned upon her.

"The dark mark?" she gasped.

Severus shrank away from her then stood staring at his naked toes. That was as good as an admission. But how could Dumbledore of all people? If he knew about this?

"Now, Minerva, before you go start any rumours: Severus worked for me! Undercover, you might say. And we'd much prefer if that didn't become common knowledge. Understand?" Dumbledore's voice sounded unusually grave. Even with the pupils he rarely took that tone.

Minerva McGonagall suspected that he wasn't telling her everything. 'You might say.' he'd said. It likely meant that he'd chosen his words very carefully not telling the entire truth without lying. But she trusted him and he trusted Severus. That was good enough for her.

"Of course, Albus. But don't you think he ought to be in bed?" she said indicating Severus. "He has classes tomorrow, after all."

"But ..." Severus tried to protest but Dumbledore cut him of:

"You're going to catch a nasty cold running around the castle after bedtime all wet! Trust me I know what I'm talking about. I've got experience!" (Madame Pomfrey had cured his cold with a very nasty tasting potion in the meantime, but his ears were still smoking slightly.)

"It's only my hair that's wet!" grinned Severus.

Professor McGonagall sighed and quickly turned a paperweight that Dumbledore wasn't using into a hairdryer.

"Sit down! I'll handle that." she ordered indicating the empty chair next to her.

Dumbledore opened the bottom drawer in his desk and after a little digging around produced a pair of thick woollen socks from it that were several sizes too large but nice and warm. (Only Albus Dumbledore would keep socks in his desk at his office! - Well, maybe so would Dobby if he had a desk and an office.)

Once Severus' hair was dried Dumbledore insisted on taking him straight to bed. Mineva McGonagall reminded the protesting boy once again that he had classes to attend the next morning.

"Mine among them!" she threatened. "And please promise not to turn anything green!"

"Not on purpose." Severus promised with a sheepish grin. "I never did do that on purpose!"

Walking down stone steps in thick woolly socks several sizes too large proved to be a rather slippery undertaking. When Severus nearly fell for the third time after ten steps Dumbledore simply picked him up and carried him. Good thing he was so small!

Severus put his arms around Dumbledore's neck and looked up at him.

"Albus, are you very angry with me? For stealing again, I mean."

"No, just very disappointed. I don't understand why you did that. You have to know better by now."

"Well, you didn't give me any money. There isn't much to do in Hogsmede without money. So what else could I have done?" explained Severus.

"Come and ask me?" suggested Dumbledore. "I've got a lot on my mind, Severus. There's my job as headmaster, minister Fudge always asking for advice, plans to fight off Voldemort to make, I suddenly got potions to teach and a horde of mischievous, distrusty Slytherins to take care of, I'm trying to coordinate the rather chaotic search for an antidote for you and Harry's always getting in trouble, too. You can't expect me to think of everything! I forgot about giving you money. That was my mistake, but it's your fault that you didn't remind me. You have to come and ask me, when you need things! - That doesn't mean I'm gonna give you just anything you ask for though." he added as an afterthought.

"I'm sorry! I'll remember to tell next time, promise!" said Severus. "Can I go on the next Hogsmede trip, now?"

"No! You're old enough and should have known better. Now suffer the consequences!"

"I'm only fifteen!" protested Severus.

"On the outside." specified Dumbledore.

"You treat me like fifteen!"

"Because you behave like fifteen. Now shush we're about to enter your dorm! We don't want to wake up all your friends, because they really are fifteen and need their sleep!"

"They're not my friends! They don't even like me!" whispered Severus, but hoped that Dumbledore hadn't heard.

"Nonsense, they're just not sure what to make of you yet." answered Dumbledore just as softly.

Draco slowly sat up in bed and watched as the headmaster gently laid Severus in his bed and pulled the covers over him. That done Dumbledore turned, noticed Draco, put a finger to his lips to indicate 'Silience!' and tiptoed out of the room.

What had Severus done this time? It couldn't have been another prank. Not the way Dumbledore had just acted.

"Severus?" he asked softly.

"Go to sleep. I'm tired." mumbled Severus into his pillow.

Draco let himself drop back and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't gonna get an answer to his questions. Not from Severus. This much was clear. He just wished he had somebody to talk to! Somebody whom he could tell all that he really thought and felt.

At the moment his thoughts were confusing.

He thought that he hated Severus. He wanted to get revenge for the kicks he had gotten in their fight (one of them still hurt), for calling him blondie, for getting him detention, for calling his father a death eater in front of a bunch of those 'perfect' Gryffindors, for making him climb the shower, for loosing Slytherin points when he didn't really belong there at all, for being better at intimidating stares and delivering insults than he was and for just being generally annoying. He wanted Severus the boy out of his life and Snape the teacher back.

All that he could tell Vincent or Gregory or Blaise or anybody else, of course. Well maybe not the part about wanting Snape back. But there were the things he definitely couldn't tell any of his 'friends' and he felt he needed to talk about those too. Maybe if he could talk about them he'd come to understand them. But he couldn't tell anybody.

He couldn't tell them that he actually liked Snape, the teacher. He couldn't tell them that he wanted to know what he had been like as a boy. That he somehow liked to watch him. That he thought his pranks funny. That he wanted to sit down and draw dragon pictures with him. That he'd like to just talk to him like any other boy. That he'd have liked to be around when Severus really had been a boy. That he kind of felt sorry for him, because he had been thrust out of the life he'd known and didn't know when he could have it back.

What did it feel like for an adult to go back to being a child? What was it like when you had to stay with a horde of cruel, rough boys and nobody liked you? Was that why Severus had run of? Because he too wanted somebody to talk to? Somebody who could understand? Somebody his own real age? Did the teachers talk to him the way they used to or did they just treat him like any other pupil? Did his adult friends shun him because he was caught in the body of a child? Why would a teacher go and create such a load of mischief? As revenge because everybody treated him like a child? To prove himself trustworthy to the real children? To annoy everybody? Or just for the heck of it? Was that what Severus had been like when he really had been a child? Or what he would have liked to be like and hadn't dared?

'Too many questions!' Draco decided 'And there won't be any answers! Gotta accept I'm not gonna find out!'

Monday morning! Classes with Severus! None of the teachers were looking forward to that. Some fifth year pupils dreaded making fools of themselves in front of him in other teacher's classes. Some were curious to see what was gonna happen.

The Slytherins were definitely in the first group. Unusually quietly they walked into their first class of the week: History of Magic with Professor Binns.

At least it wasn't likely that there would be any trouble in that class. Binns never had any interaction with his pupils anyway. Just sit still, take some notes and don't fall asleep! No problem!

Severus was last to arrive, closed the door behind him and sat down in the last row. Curious stares followed him from the Ravenclaw's side of the room. The Slytherins had mostly gotten used to what he looked like by now.

Professor Binns walked into the classroom through the closed door. He had no choice in the matter since he was not substantial enough to turn the handle and open it. Several pupils giggled. Severus grinned. Binns looked annoyed and started to read out their names getting them all wrong as usual. Some of the pupils still corrected him every time but most had long accepted the names he made up for them and just answered 'Here!' or 'Yes!' or just raised their hand, when he called out something remotely familiar. Sometimes Draco wondered how Binns managed to get their names wrong even when reading them from his list. Well, same old, same old. He stifled a yawn and sunk deeper into his chair as Binns read on. 'Don't fall asleep! There's a teacher watching! And I don't mean Binns!' he reminded himself just before the impossible happened:

"Snape!" read out Binns.

Clonk! Clatter! Thump! it went all over class as everybody started. Professor Binns had gotten a name right!

Even Severus looked surprised as he raised his hand. Who'd have thought that Binns had even heard of the accident in potions class, much less that he actually knew the names of his fellow teachers!

Binns of course didn't acknowledge the class' reaction. He went on finishing the list of names and began to drone about some goblins who'd done something, somewhere in 1346.

The class returned to it's half sleep. Draco was bored. He turned in his chair to see what Severus was doing. He seemed to be writing something. Was he taking notes? Nope, stared out the window in between. Didn't seem to acknowledge Binns at all. Maybe he was drawing again.

That was an idea! Draco sunk even deeper into his chair until he could reach his bag, slipped a hand in and felt around. There! A piece of parchment and his pencils. Slowly carefully he pulled them out and onto the desk.

Now, what should he draw? A dragon of course.! A big green dragon raised on its hind legs with it's large wings unfolded and it's mouth opened to breathe fire.

The lesson passed all to quickly for Draco.

The second class of the day was charms with Professor Flitwick. Flitwick was rather nervous. Dumbledore had warned him that Severus might be trouble so he'd better be very strict with him from the beginning. Professor Flitwick usually preferred to stay on Snape's good side.

The beginning of the lesson went well. Severus again sat alone in the last row. Draco suspected that he was doing something under his desk, but he couldn't really tell.

As Flitwick began to explain the new charm they were supposed to learn that day, Draco opened his bag to pull out his book. There was the parchment, with the picture of the dragon on it. It was nearly done. It wouldn't take more than half a minute to finish. He could afford half a minute of inattention in charms. Draco pulled the parchment out along with the book.

He looked at his dragon. The mouth wasn't quite right. It looked more like it was singing than preparing to breathe fire.

Draco stifled a giggle and started to draw a harp between it's front paws. Yes, that was better! A dragon bard!

Now what was the dragon singing? Draco began to draw lines for the notes to a dragon song onto his parchment. A fierce battle song? Or maybe a love song for the sweet dragon maiden?

"Severus, hand over that parchment!" came Flitwick's voice suddenly from the back of the room. Draco had never heard him sound that harsh before.

Severus pulled a piece of parchment out from under his desk and held it out to Flitwick with a sheepish grin.

Flitwick took it and stared at it for a moment.

"Do you think that this is the right time to write poetry, Severus?" he asked sternly.

"They're not poetry!" protested Severus obviously feeling insulted.

Draco giggled. Poetry! Yuck!

"Then what are they? Definitely not your notes on my lesson, I'd say!"

"They're song lyrics." Severus admitted looking sheepish once again. "Sorry!"

'Song lyrics! O-oh!' Draco quickly thrust the dragon-parchment back into his bag. Song lyrics!

"Well, poetry or songs or whatever, they don't belong in my class! That'll be five points off Slytherin!" Flitwick announced.

Oh, no! They couldn't afford to loose any more points! They just couldn't!

Flitwick continued with his lesson and Draco realised with a start that he had no idea what the teacher was talking about. And they'd have to do it before the end of the lesson! How could he find out what they'd been learning in time?

Draco leant over to his neighbour.

"Greg! Pst, Greg!" he whispered.

"What?" Gregory asked nervously. He wasn't very good at charms and hated attracting Flitwick's attention.

"Can I borrow your notes, Greg?"

"What?"

"Your notes on this lesson. Please ..."

"Mr. Malfoy! Could you please repeat what I just said!" shouted Flitwick.

Draco blushed.

"I ... I ...I'm sorry sir." So that was what Severus must have felt like a minute ago! Draco wished he could turn himself invisible. What could he say? Anything that had something to do with topic of the lesson. If only he knew what that was!

"No? Well, maybe you could tell us what I've been talking about for about half an hour?" Why was Flitwick so mean today? He sounded almost like Snape when talking to the Gryffindors.

"I'm sorry! I, sort of, wasn't paying attention!" Maybe he could hide under his desk and Flitwick would forget he was here? Somehow that didn't seem likely. Draco hung his head and waited for the inevitable.

"Another five points off Slytherin!" pronounced Flitwick.

Oh no! Ten points lost in just one lesson! How many did they have left? 37? Oh no! What would Professor Snape say? Than Draco remembered that Snape was right here. He glanced over at Severus. Their eyes met. Severus shrugged helplessly. Well, at least they were both equally guilty.

Still to come: Dumbledore teaches potions!, a green hedgehog, Draco and the Slytherins get angry, what happens when you loose more points than your house has got, Filch has a new pet, and Severus sits in the rain!