In the dungeon time seemed to come to a standstill. Man and cat stared at one another, frozen like statues.

"Potter!" Snape shouted.

The cat jumped. That name again? The Man In Black seemed furious, his expression darker than ever. The cat could read anger there, and something else like ...betrayal ?

The cat made itself even smaller on the armchair. The man had never hurt him, but he had also never looked at him like that.

Snape didn't know if he should feel relieved or furious. The stupid child had been there for two weeks and had not bothered to show himself! He had taken advantage of his appearance to fool him, and had let himself be treated like a cat, laughing up his sleeve, no doubt, at the naivety of his professor. Snape clenched his teeth as he remembered the last few days... the way he had talked to the cat, had cared for and comforted it... even petted it.

That said, he could never have imagined the boy looking at him in the same way the cat did. A mixture of respect and trust, both of which were unusual for him.

Snape snarled.

"That's enough, Potter, your disguise has been discovered, resume your usual form at once. You thoughtless idiot, do you have the slightest idea of the worry you have caused everyone? The Order and Voldemort have given you up for dead and have been searching for you night and day for the last fortnight!"

Looking lost and afraid, the cat watched him. Snape realised he was shaking slightly. All the anguish that had been building since Potter's disappearance transformed slowly but surely into rage. He was hard pressed to resist the urge to throw the first thing that came to hand.

"That's enough, you blasted coward, I'm taking you to Dumbledore, and certainly not with you as a cat. This farce has gone on long enough."

The cat's eyes widened, but it didn't move.

"Very well. If I have to carry you by the scruff of the neck, I will." And he moved with deliberate steps towards the cat.

Shadow panicked. The little voice murmuring that the man meant him harm returned with a vengence. Now, here he was, advancing menacingly.

Following his instincts, the cat leapt to the floor and fled to hide under the wardrobe.

Snape gritted his teeth. Shadow had never been afraid of him before... no, not Shadow, Potter, lousy Potter who had been slipping him the mickey.

"Potter! Stop this childishness at once! You are absolutely pathetic!" he hissed.

He couldn't quite believe that the Gryffindor had fled to hide under a wardrobe. Where now was the legendary courage of lions?

"You are nothing but a thoroughly spoiled brat, incapable of thinking of anyone but yourself. Have you thought for a single moment of the consequences of your behaviour, you little wretch?"

Shadow heard the words, and these words resonated in his memory. As did the tone of voice.

The Man In Black was very, very angry. And there was no doubt about the fact that he hated him.The cat didn't know what he had done, but had no intention of leaving his place of safety to find out. He pressed himself as far away as possible against the wall.

"Very well, Potter. If that's the game you want to play..."

Snape halfheartedly got down on all fours to look for the cat, swearing fervently that he'd make him pay for that.

What he saw surprised him.The cat was hidden as far away as possible from him, breathing rapidly, slightly trembling and watching him with wide, terrified eyes.

Nothing that he saw resembled the cowardice of a spoiled 16 year old boy. This was the terror of a beaten cat who did not understand what was expected of it.

Snape sat back on his heels to think. Potter would rather have spent his holidays with Voldemort than seek refuge with him. The way the cat had acted, seeking him out, not fearing his voice... the way the cat watched him and reacted... none of this matched the boy he knew.

Was it possible that Potter didn't know he was Potter? How could he transform into a human, then back to a cat, if he didn't know he had this ability? If he didn't know who he was?

There was only one way to find out.

He got up and cut a piece of fish, which he put in the cat's bowl.

"Shadow! Dinner time!" he called, forcing himself to use the tone he normally used with the cat.

He knelt down again and watched the animal. The cat seemed confused, looking from the bowl to the Potions Master.

"Come, Shadow, come here!"

The cat didn't know what to think anymore. First the man shouted at him and acted like an enemy, and now, for reasons he didn't know, he was offering him food and speaking softly again.

The cat hesitated for a long time, watching and listening to the man. His voice and face suggested a trap, but... this was the man.The one who protected him. He didn't want this to end, he still wanted to believe in him.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off the man, he left his hiding place and moved towards him.

Snape watched, trying to hide the turmoil he was in. Potter? Shadow? Was the boy once again making fun of him or did he really believe he was a cat?

He watched the animal cautiously approach to sit in front of his bowl without touching it, casting him a look that was both wounded and full of hope

Strangely, Snape felt his heart ache. A few minutes ago, he himself had felt betrayed, but now he was certain the cat felt the same way. Even Potter would not have been stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trick. He couldn't keep from stroking the animal's head. For the last time perhaps? All this was going to become very embarassing when Potter got his memory back, but for the present, he had in front of him an anxious and unhappy cat. He watched as the cat, reassured, dug into the fish.

No, all the evidence suggested that Potter had no clue of the situation he had got himself into.

Snape headed for hearth, then threw a handful of Floo powder into the fire.

"Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts!"

He put his head in the flames and met the questioning gaze of the headmaster.

"Albus. Call the Order to Grimmauld Place immediately! It's about Potter. I'll join you there in ten minutes. Gather all who can join us."

Dumbledore raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Severus?"

Snape forced a smile.

"Ten minutes, Albus. Let everyone know."

And he pulled back into the dungeon, rather satisfied and more than a little relieved.

After two weeks of reproachful, furtive looks and sly remarks, he was going to deliver their precious Potter on a silver platter. Potter wasn't dead after all. He had been here since the beginning, right under his nose... but what could have happened to the boy?

Snape was convinced he couldn't have become an Animagus at Hogwarts, but in a month, on his own, living with Muggles? Absolutely impossible. He thought back to the injuries of the cat when it'd first arrived. Had they happened before or after his transformation into a cat?

He sighed. Only Potter could answer that... still he had to remember who he was.

"Shadow," he murmured to the cat, which had emptied its bowl. "Come here," he said, tapping the arm of the chair.

Happier now, the cat jumped up close to the man, who picked him up and held him up in front of his face.

"Listen to me well, Shadow. I don't know what you've done, how you managed to get yourself in such a situation, here of all places, in my house. But you're going to have to work on getting your memory back. You aren't a cat at all, which incidentally explains a lot. You're a boy, a completely human one, at least that's what everyone claims; a complete disaster, yes, a pain in the neck, absolutely, with an enormous propensity to jump head first into trouble and not respect the rules. But, an adolescent who responds to the name Harry Potter, when he feels like it. An adolescent with huge responsibilities, an important part to play in this war and who, in any case, cannot allow himself remain curled up next to the fire. Have I made myself clear?"

He felt the cat's heart beat faster during his little speech, and noticed a strange glimmer in the depth of his eyes. Defiance? Fear? Understanding? Something small, but which reminded him more of the boy he'd known.

Shadow had listened carefully to all that he'd said. The words then formed sentences that made sense somewhere in the depths of his consciousness. Something seemed to be knocking at the door of his memory, a small hesitant sound that wanted to be understood, and that made him afraid. He didn't want to open up, not yet! He wanted to stay here, in the dungeon, with the Man In Black.

He looked at the man, searching his face. He found there something akin to pity or a hint of affection, but now the eyes were hard. The man had called him Shadow, then Potter. No more Shadow.... he saw it clearly in the man's eyes.

Something broke in the cat's heart.

Very well. It couldn't have lasted forever anyway, could it? That dark cloud was still out there somewhere, and he couldn't escape it.

He let his muscles relax. What was to come would come.

Snape watched the cat, as its gaze suddenly became blank..

"Potter... you're going to have to resume your normal form. I'm taking you to Grimmauld Place where everyone is waiting for you. One way or another, you know you cannot avoid this."

The cat gave him a resigned look, which only scarcely resembled Potter. Something was deeply wrong with this cat.

Snape stood up, the animal in his arms.

"Well. I suppose I'll have to take you like this? No need for a cat carrier, no? Hold on, then."

With a heavy heart, he threw a handful of powder into the fireplace. He no longer had any desire to be furious with Potter. And he did not want to say farewell to Shadow.

At Grimmauld Place he found the members of the Order of the Phoenix waiting for him impatiently and with outright curiosity. .

"Severus, I managed to contact the majority of the members. What have you learnt?" asked Dumbledore quickly, his eyes shining.

"I've done better than to bring you information. I've brought you your famous deserter, slightly changed, I'll grant you."

He put the cat on the table amidst loud exclamations.

"I present to you Harry Tomcat Potter!"

Several cries rang out around the table, then silence. Everyone was watching the cat, not knowing how to react.

"Is this a joke, Snape?" barked Moody

"Not in the slightest," he responded in a silky voice. "For the last fortnight, I've been sheltering this flea-ridden animal. This, Albus, is the reason why I asked you if Potter could possibly be an Animagus."

Dumbledore nodded in comprehension.

"Having been assured this was not the case, I investigated no further. The cat had no real distinguishing features, apart from a rather suspect attitude regarding personal hygiene.... up until the moment I found a sleeping adolescent in place of the cat, and said adolescent then transformed into a cat, right before my eyes. I'll leave it to you to guess the identity of the boy in question," he finished with a sardonic little laugh before releasing the cat.

For a second, everyone seemed paralyzed, until they digested the information. Then everything happened very quickly: Tonks started to laugh hysterically, Mrs Weasley began to cry, Moody shouted at the cat, and Mr Weasley started to ask questions no one could make heads or tails of, while Dumbledore tried to calm everyone down.

Satisfied with the reaction, Snape laughed softly as he leant against a wall and watched.

Until the frightened cat sought refuge behind his legs. Snape stopped laughing at once ; it was one thing to have kept the cat without knowing it was none other than the Precious Potter, it was quite another to see him turn to Snape for protection, in front of the entire Order.

Clearly, the movement escaped no one's notice.

"So, Severus, it appears that Potter has adopted you," Kingsley said, smiling.

"The cat only recognises the hand that feeds it," Snape grumbled..

There were several outbursts of laughter. Around the table the relief was palpable : Molly and Arthur supported each other, as though they had just escaped a sinking ship, and Dumbledore's face relaxed for the first time in two weeks.

Tonks got down on all fours to try to get the cat.

"Harry, Harry, come here!" She made kissing noises.

"Don't bother, Miss Tonks. Here's a second piece of critical information for you: your dear Mr Potter has not the slightest memory of being the boy who lived. As far as he is concerned, he is the 'cat', he likes fish and sleeps on a sweater near the fireplace. In other words, what you have is a stubborn cat with amnesia."

His words elicited a gasp from all those gathered.

"By the way, he loves sardines," ended Snape in a smug and sure tone of voice.

A shocked silence followed his declaration.

"Are you sure, Severus?" asked Arthur Weasley in a trembling voice.

"Practically certain. The cat has, in any case, never behaved like Potter in my presence. The mere fact that he came and sought refuge with me bears this out. In addition, he doesn't seem to understand half of what I say. Though, given this is Potter we're talking about, such facts have little value."

All eyes were on the cat, still hidden behind the Potions Master's legs.

"Of course, there's still the possibility that Potter is nothing but an arrogant, pretentious and completely ungrateful brat who feels no appreciation for those who care about what happens to him.. I haven't ruled out this option."

"Don't be stupid, Snape, anyone can see that this cat is terrified. Poor Harry must have no idea what's happening to him," exclaimed Tonks indignantly.

"And I must admit I would find it difficult to reprimand him for it," said Dumbledore. "I myself am having difficulty understanding what could possibly have happened. Severus, you say the cat arrived at your house the day Harry disappeared?"

Snape nodded

"I found him a short distance from my door the morning after the wards were destroyed. He was injured and obviously lost, but allowed me to catch him without trying to escape or fight. I don't know if he'd already habituated himself to being a cat by then."

"Injuries?"

Snape nodded again.

"Cuts, from what I could see. Rather difficult to see on a black cat, but there were many of them, and were fairly deep. I thought he had been beaten or caught in a trap. Whatever the cause, they are for the most part healed now. What I don't know is whether he received them in human or cat form."

Mrs Weasley let out a cry of horror.

"The Dursleys?"

Dumbledore shook his head uncertainly

"Such a thing never happened before... at least that I know."

"The cat is easily frightened, Albus," said Snape after a moment's thought, "He is wary of sudden movements and raised voices. I would prefer to think that this behaviour is that of a frightened cat with amnesia, but the reflexes seem well entrenched... I don't really know what to make of that."

"Well, the only thing to do is ask him, then!" bellowed Moody. "For Merlin's sake, we've found the boy. We'll have Harry return to his normal form and ask him the question to his face!"

"Don't count on him to cooperate, though," said Snape. "Mr Potter is very much at home in his new skin.You will have to force him."

He looked at Dumbledore in question, who nodded. Putting a few steps between himself and the cat, Snape raised his wand.

" Animagus revelio!"

A blue streak of light hit the cat, who transformed quickly into a black-haired teen-ager, right in front of the dumbfounded Order members. The boy had lost his glasses, and his torn and bloodied clothing hung pitifully on his body.

"Harry!" exclaimed Tonks, rushing towards him.

The boy jumped backward, his hands raised to protect himself. As one, Moody, Tonks and the Weasleys moved forward to comfort him. Without his glasses, Harry could only make out a confused mass of dark figures coming toward him. He tried to retreat but fell with his back against the wall. He looked around desperately and...

An instant later, a black cat dashed under an armchair, hidden from view.

"Potter in all his glory," concluded Snape, but his heart wasn't in it. The boy's eyes had looked too much like Shadow's, even more than they did Lily's: the look of a trapped animal, a look he'd have preferred to never see on the face of the famous, arrogant little Potter.

The boy who had lived... to become a cat. Snape shut his eyes. What could've possibly happened to Potter? This new ability, this distrust? To what extent was he truly amnesic?

Without a word, the others sat down again wearily.

"I don't understand...Harry has never, ever, had any reason to be afraid of us!" sniffled Molly Weasley.

"Molly, it would appear that Harry has undergone a very traumatic experience," said Dumbledore comfortingly. "What's more, he wasn't able to recognise you at that distance without his glasses."

"Where are the bloody glasses, by the way?" growled Moody

"I don't know," replied the headmaster, "I found no sign of them at the Dursleys'. Severus?"

Snape shook his head.

"No. But the cat seemed to be able to see all right. Perhaps not as well as he should, but adequately enough for a human."

"Should we try to repeat the experiment?" asked Arthur Weasley, looking at the armchair uncertainly.

There was silence as everyone contemplated the new situation: Harry Potter had been found, but was there cause to celebrate?

"Kingsley, Alastor, Arthur, Tonks... could I ask you to leave the room for a moment? I would like Harry to feel as unthreatened as possible when we force him to resume human form again," Dumbledore instructed.

"In that case, I think it prudent for me to leave as well," said Snape, stepping towards the door.

"Not to contradict you, my boy, but you seem to be the only one Harry trusts at the moment. It would be better if you stayed."

Snape scowled.

"If Remus could hear that..." scoffed Tonks

"If Remus were here to hear it, Miss Tonks, half our problems would be solved," replied Dumbledore gently.

The young woman bit her lip. Remus had a lot of experience with Animagi and with Harry...Yes, she missed the werewolf more than ever. Off on a mission amongst his own kind, it would take too long to reach him.

She followed Kingsley out, taking care not to make any abrupt movements. Under his armchair, the cat tried to make himself inconsequential, aware of the commotion around it.

As soon as they'd arrived, he had known he didn't like this place. It was gloomy and filled with memories of a presence which made him sad, though he didn't know why. And all these people...Too many people, What did they want with him ? The Man In Black was tense too, he could feel it. And then, he'd cast a spell at him, which had made him grow...All of a sudden, so many pictures and feelings had crowded his head and made him feel sick. He had a flash of a man lifting a hand to hit him, a familiar face, and bars... When the hazy figures suddenly came towards him again, he'd panicked, without knowing how, he'd resumed his cat form and hidden himself.

For now.

He heard the door close again and knew that several people had left the room. Not enough, though; he had to be careful, all this felt like an out and out trap...

"Harry... Harry, my boy?"

A woman's voice that he recognized... It was synonymous with comfort, tenderness and food... and it seemed sad, worried, perhaps.

He would've liked to leave his hiding place and reassure her, but he couldn't manage to move. If he wanted to talk to her, he would have to use his voice... a different voice....in a different way. He didn't want to go through what he had felt when he'd transformed a few minutes before. He didn't want to remember.

But he had to try to do something...

He took a few, hesitant steps, pulling half of his body out from under the armchair. .

"Oh Harry, yes, that's very good! Come a little bit closer!"

He tried to say that he couldn't, but the sound that came out of his mouth, a sort of strangled meow, surprised even himself.

On the other side of the room, the Man In Black watched impassively, a hint of surprise in his eyes. The cat would've liked to run and hide behind his legs, but he couldn't. He didn't know what would happen if he took one more step... the woman, Mrs Weasley, he suddenly remembered, reached out her hand and he couldn't decide if he should be afraid or not.

A voice said that she was a safe refuge, but she seemed huge and unfamiliar. The Man In Black, on the other hand, seemed hostile and distant. As for the man with long grey hair who was at his side, he couldn't decide if he was imposing or reassuring.

The only thing he was sure of was that he had a splitting headache.

He heard someone murmur a spell and he felt himself pulled forward. When he opened his eyes, he was in the middle of the room.

"Animagus revelio!"

Once again, he felt his body transform against its will. In the next instant, he was standing on two legs and his vision was blurred.

"Harry! Don't be afraid, no one here wishes you harm!"

He wanted to believe Mrs Weasley's familar voice, but the images spilled over in his memory, making him want to scream. Vernon hitting him. Sirius's death, the Ministry. Bellatrix. Voldemort.

The black cloud engulfed him again. He seized his head with his hands and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.