Whelp II The Wrath of Snape

Grinning now, Harry settled into his pillows, having never felt happier in his life.

Father Nox'd the overhead light to turn it off, leaving only the small rainbow ball aglow beside Harry's bed to illuminate the darkness. The ball cast tinted shadows on the nearest wall, and Harry watched as the light cycled through its colors, until his eyes were too heavy to remain open any longer.

HPSSHPSS

After whispering a wandless Alohomora, Sirius Black flowed into Padfoot-form and nosed the back door open. The kitchen beyond the door was dark. Padfoot had heard reference made to a House Elf earlier -- he might have thought Snivellus was referring to Harry, except that the git used the name Dappin -- so he kept his ears pricked for any sound of anyone in the area.

Nothing.

No alarm had sounded, either, when he entered the house, as far as he could tell. But then, Padfoot had entered Hogwarts without any problems, too. He very much doubted Snivellus' home would be more safeguarded than the old school, which had generations of Headmasters and other professors adding to the wards each year.

Padfoot followed the scent of his godson through the small kitchen, the dining room, part of a sitting room lined with books, and then up a set of narrow stairs. His heart pounded. Harry would be safe soon.

At the top of the stairs, Padfoot hesitated. Should he deal with Snape first, or should he just take Harry and go? Unable to keep his fear and anger over the situation silent any longer, Padfoot let a low, rumbling growl emerge from his throat, even as he thought about ripping into the throat of his worst enemy, the man who had stolen James' son. He stopped growling as soon as he became aware of it, and stood absolutely still for several long minutes, listening to every creak in the old, run-down house in case he had disturbed anyone's sleep. Part of him, though, wanted to rush into the greasy git's room, which was just ahead of him, and tear everything in it -- including the bastard himself -- into shreds.

Only his desire to see Harry safe, before anything else, finally decided him. He followed the boy's scent into a bedroom a few paces away. He was momentarily startled to find the boy in an actual bedroom, instead of a cage of some sort, since he would put nothing past Snivellus' desire for revenge against his own enemy's son. But in a tall, comfortable looking bed, the boy slept peacefully. A ball of light near his head went through a series of colors like a rainbow, and gave some light to the dark room. The light also cast long shadows on the boy's thin face. His long lashes were like ink smudges against his pale cheeks, and he gripped his bed quilt in two tiny fists.

He's so teensy, Padfoot thought again. Neither James nor Lily had been particularly large adults, but they had certainly been above average for height. Harry was far too small for his age. He'd noticed outside, when Harry had been working, how skinny his arms and legs were; like sticks. It was like he'd been starved for years.

He pushed thoughts like that from his mind -- he would consider them later, and in great detail, but for now he had a job to do. Padfoot reared on his back legs, to put his front paws by Harry's hands, to get a better look at him before changing back into his man-form. No sooner did he do so than a white flash of fur launched itself at his face, with claws and hisses and teeth. A swipe of a paw full of needle-like claws caught him across the nose, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain before he could stop himself, and in the next the white and gray hell-cat was going for his eyes.

As fast as thought, Padfoot became Sirius and grabbed up the boy, who was starting to wake. The kneazle bit and scratched and yowled, and Sirius was bleeding in a dozen places before he had Harry secure in his arms. The yowling itself could have woken the dead, even without Sirius' cursing, so it was not surprising when Harry's blinked open and he murmured, 'Wha'? Daddy? Wazgoin' on?'

'Shh, Harry,' Sirius pleaded as he batted the kneazle away from his face with his free hand. This was all going badly, and he couldn't think what to do, how to calm the boy, or anything.

And Harry didn't seem to want to shh, and instead started wriggling in Sirius' arms, making him have to grip the boy tighter. 'Da!' he called. 'Daddy!'

Thundering footsteps had already sounded from across the hall, but at the boy's cry, the door slammed open to show Snivellus Snape, wand in hand. 'Harry!' he yelled, and his expression changed from one of worry to one of rage in an instant when he saw who was in Harry's bedroom.

With that look of rage, everything clicked into place. Sirius grinned at Snivellus, baring his teeth, and as the greasy git opened his mouth to cast some vicious curse at the two of them, Sirius spun on his heel and Disapparated, his godson hugged close to his chest.

Harry was safe now, with Sirius. They were both safe and happy and free.

HPHPHPHPHPPHHPHPHP

A/N: I know, I know, it's a terrible, horrible place to leave the story, but I will have a new chapter out ASAP, I swear. I honestly don't know if Sirius could wandlessly Apparate in canon, but decided he could, once, if he was as strongly motivated as this passage.

The quoted verse from A.A. Milne's Now We Are Six is not mine, obviously, and is taken without permission. Milne's poems are not in any way, shape, or form appropriated for personal profit, but merely out of my love for Winnie-the-Pooh . . . well, mostly Tigger, although he's not in this volume of Milne's. I figure Harry must have a spot of Tigger fondness, too, considering his love for Treacle Tart.

For all who read and review, a heart Thanks! And my gratitude, especially, for all those who have wished me well of late. You guys are the best, truly. A writer could not ask for truer friends.

*Chapter 21*: Chapter 21

Whelp II -- The Wrath of Snape

Chapter Twenty-one

By jharad17

Warnings for: Language

A/N: For all who read and review, a heartfelt thanks! And my gratitude, especially, for all