Previously in twenty-one days

He still had to ensure that neither of them would do anything foolish in order to find something to eat during the night and for a moment he watched Potter more closely, wondering if maybe that was the reason why the boy cleaned the shelves in the first place, trying to find a jar containing something to eat.

But then – no. Potter took jar for jar and cleaned it, just to place it back on the shelf without inspecting it any further.

Chapter three

Day two

Tuesday, third of September

It had been a rather irritating night and he was tired, he had to admit. It wasn't the first night during which he had not slept. A sleepless night was nothing new to him, honestly. If you were a spy in a dangerous war, acting for two madmen, a dark wizard on one hand and an old wizard that might seem to be a kind grandfather but was a mad old warrior in reality, then a sleepless night every now and then was inevitable. Not to mention that being a head of a house, and head of Slytherin at that, meant that you had to be prepared for settling scared first years at the beginning of each term, tend to nightmares, to injuries or – simply students who wanted to keep themselves from sleeping in order to avoid nightmares or needed to talk to someone – that too mostly during the night.

And thus – he'd had his good share of sleepless nights throughout the years. But never before had he had such a strange sleepless night. Well, never before had be been locked in the dungeons with an entire class of students either, he had to admit that. However, it had been an irritating and annoying night, that much was sure.

He had known that Theodore would not sleep. He had known the moment they had discovered that they would not be able to use any more magic and he thus would not be able to cast a silencing spell to keep the boy's nightmares from being acknowledged by the Gryffindors.

What he had not been prepared for however, had been Potter being up the entire night too. Not to mention the boy's annoying cleaning to keep himself awake. And nothing else it had been. First he had thought that maybe Potter tried to work himself into tiredness, but after a few hours however it had been clear that Potter had been tired enough to drop where he stood. And nevertheless he had not stopped his cleaning that was more than just irritating. During the early morning hours he even had wondered how Potter had managed to still find something left he actually could clean. The classroom definitely never had been as clean as it was right now.

Well, it had been this one night and by some time today they would be out of here.

'Maybe.' The small voice in the back of his head teased him and he growled darkly. He left the small kitchen that was attached to his laboratory, his arms folded over his chest while he leaned against the doorframe of the classroom and he watched the teenagers that were awake now. All of them, even Weasley, Crabbe and Goyle who had been the last ones to leave the land of the dreaming.

Somehow he wondered if the three of them were related somehow. All three of them had been snoring rather annoyingly during the night, all three of them had been the first to fall asleep and the last to get awake, and all three of them had been sleeping without moving once. Not to mention that all three of them had been the first ones yesterday to complain about being hungry.

Well, Draco had been sleeping rather restlessly but he had slept through. As had Longbottom and Granger. The rest of the students had been sleeping deeply, turning every now and then while he himself had read his monthly potions magazine to avoid sleep. And luckily none of the students had tried any stupid stunts like searching for anything to eat that most probably would have poisoned them.

Sometime during the morning he had begun mentally going through his ingredient stocks, trying to find something that would be fit for eating. Just in case. And it seemed this case was close now as neither during the night nor during the early morning hours now had anyone come to see them out of their prison.

He snorted. He had managed to avoid Azkaban due to Albus giving his testimony at his trial, and nevertheless now he was imprisoned. With the only exception that he would rather sit in a cell in Azkaban right now and alone than here with seventeen students locked in his potions classroom.

Well, if he had to be honest, then no. Nearly everything was better than Azkaban. Nevertheless it was an annoying situation.

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Taking out his transfiguration book from his bag Harry began to read, just so that he could get some time passed.

Snape had told them that hopefully the headmaster would find a way to get them out of here during the day, but honestly, the headmaster might be able to find a way, eventually, maybe. But it might as well be that they would be locked down here for days, even weeks, or even forever. That they would die down here.

Not the most pleasant thought, but honestly, it was possible. He knew it was. He had been locked in his cupboard for hours and hours, for days and days often enough to know it could be possible. His aunt and uncle could have forgotten him in there one day after all. And even if he would have called out for them before dying, they either would have beaten him to death finally or they simply would have ignored him until he would have been dead in the end nevertheless.

So – all in all – it just was possible.

But well – at least he would not die in the Dursley's cupboard now. And that at least was something.

Ron watched him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Transfiguration?" The red head asked, blinking at him.

"Well, better than just sitting here." Harry answered him. "And that's the only book I didn't have changed into a mattress. That and the potions book."

"Uargh." Ron made. "Yes, then definitely transfiguration."

"Sadly we can't practice the spells as we can't do magic." Hermione sighed. "I just wonder why that is."

"Dunno." Harry answered, leaning with his back against the wall and reading. He just was tired and he hoped that he would not fall asleep upon reading. Not to mention that he was hungry and that he felt weak. It had been a few days after all since he last had eaten something that could be called a healthy meal. But luckily he had been able to sneak a piece of bread here and there out of the Dursley's kitchen during the summer. He'd had been able to do so the night before he had left for Hogwarts. And the night of their return, during the welcomeing feast, he had been able to stomach a piece of toast he had nibbled at. So – well, he knew he would be able to go without food for a few days longer. He was experienced in calculating about how much days more he would be able to go without before losing consciousness. He would manage a few days more. Even if he knew that it would not be pleasant. But he would manage.

"If just Dumbledore would find a way soon. I'm really hungry."

"Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley." Snape growled from behind, startling Ron. "And if you wait for an hour longer, then you will get something to eat."

"You have found a way out, Professor?" Ron asked, blinking at the Potions Master.

"Regrettably no, Mr. Weasley." Snape answered with a lifted eyebrow. "But I am sure you will be hungry enough to eat the cataneo roots I am about to cook at that moment."

"Cataneo roots?" Ron asked blinking, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration again.

"You won't be poisoning him, would you, Professor?" Hermione asked, having heard of them never before.

"Surely not, Hermione." Harry murmured without looking up, his thoughts rather absent with reading his transfiguration book and only vacantly answering. "Cataneo roots are not poisonous."

"Strange, Potter." Snape growled and Harry looked up at the man, only now realizing that he had answered Hermione's question and that Snape still stood there, having heard him. And he knew that the next comment would be a snarky one. "If I had known that a locked door would get you to actually pay attention to anything concerning potions, then I would have resorted to lock the classroom door three years ago. Your ability of answering a question correctly has increased since your first potions lesson in my classroom at least."

The Slytherins, who sat on the other side of the fireplace, huddled together just like the Gryffindors, began snickering silently while Ron and Hermione glowered angrily at the Potions Master. Harry however blinked for a moment at Snape in near shock before he sighed and forced himself to concentrate back onto the transfiguration book he was reading. As it seemed he was the only one who had realized that Snape had given him a compliment hidden within his scathing words.

For a moment he wondered why in Merlin's name the man had given him a praise in the first place. And he knew that it had been one, he had seen it in his teacher's face. There had not been the usual disgust and hate on his face that was just indifferent right now. Well, maybe Snape tried to keep the situation as calm as possible, he thought. The man surely would not want to deal with upset students added to hungry and locked ones. For a moment he wondered if Snape would feel as afraid as he was, but then he decided that if anyone would be able to handle the situation, then it would be Snape. The man always seemed to be calm, never mind if it was a melted cauldron, an exploded cauldron, or a student coming in contact with a dangerous potion, he never had seen the man losing his calmness and even now Snape seemed to have the upper hand of the situation.

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On his first impulse Snape had wanted to reprimand Potter not only because he had acted like Granger with her know-it-all attitude but also just because he was Potter and he always reprimanded him. But after his first words, after addressing Potter, the boy had looked up, seemingly startled at his own words and his green eyes had been far too open for his own good. And right then they had bordered on hurt, on mistrust and on fear. Just as if Potter knew whatever he would have to say would only hurt him once again.

And right then he had known that it would do no good to them if he gave a scathing remark to Potter's answer. The boy had been right at least, wherever he had gained that bit of information from. It wasn't as if the cataneo root was a potion ingredient taught in lesser years. It was only used in two potions and both potions he only had the seventh year students brewing.

So he had settled on giving a comment that would not give him away of being not the usual bastard of a teacher in front of the students but held even a praise if Potter would be intelligent enough to actually listen between the words. And as it seemed, Potter had recognized it as what it had been. Alone the shock on the brat's face had been worth it.

He had handed the roots out as soon as they had been cooked and told the students to eat them while they were still hot. He had cooked seventeen pieces of them so every student would have one and neither would get ideas of asking for more than others had.

He didn't really know why exactly he had taken to safe rations. He at least had told himself during the entire night that they would get out soon, that the headmaster would reach them soon and that soon they would sit in the great hall for breakfast, or for lunch, or at least for dinner. But somehow he had felt the need to keep the few things down here rationed. He wasn't sure where it had come from, but somehow it seemed to be important that he did and at that realisation worry had settled into his stomach. What if his annoying little voice in the back of his mind was right?

He had seventeen students down here. And they were locked, would be locked for only Merlin knows how long. Maybe only for a few more hours. But maybe for days or even weeks. And he knew that he, maybe, by the end of this, would have seventeen dead students on his hands. Gritting his teeth with frustration he let his gaze wander over them and suddenly he was glad that he had not reprimanded Potter earlier when he'd had the chance to.

Speaking of Potter, he lifted his eyebrow at the Gryffindor who just now passed his root towards Weasley who complained about still being hungry and he silently scowled at them. At Potter for lacking any self preservation and at Weasley for complaining when every one of them was just as hungry. In the contrary. Potter already looked as if he hadn't eaten anything in days. And his scowl deepened. He would have to ensure that the brat ate his rations in future.

Hearing a soft sniffling sound he gazed back at his Slytherins and with a silent groan he noticed Tracy Davis silently crying. The girl was sitting alone in a corner again and apparently none of the other Slytherins noticed, too absorbed in their own worries and gloom or sleeping some time away. Well, he could not blame them. Nevertheless he closed his eyes, inwardly cursing. He never had been a man prone to giving comfort that had no meaning. Not like that anyway. Not in form of offering words of nothingness that most likely would be nothing but a lie.

He could offer comfort in form of a few reassuring words, in form of giving an advice or even in form of physical touch after a nightmare. At least to his Slytherins. He was able to give comfort in form of potions when they were ill or otherwise unwell in any means. But this – this situation was just …

Well, as it seemed it simply would be left to him to give this kind of comfort right now, if he liked it or not. And he definitely did not like it, not in front of the Gryffindors who would hold it against his Slytherins later on. Not to mention that he would have to give up his reputation of being an uncaring bastard of a teacher in front of the Gryffindors.

Again it was Potter who disturbed his musings and for a moment he was annoyed at the brat. Until he noticed where the boy headed to and he lifted his eyebrow in curiosity. Potter seated himself onto the mattress beside Tracy, without asking her for permission, just doing it, and softly touched her shoulder. Crabbe and Goyle cast curious looks over at them too, as did Weasley, Thomas and Finnigan, but neither of them reacted.

Tracy looked startled at Potter, but she didn't attack him for coming close while she already was miserable. Potter quietly said something he couldn't understand and the girl nodded. They sat beside each other for a few minutes, just whispering a few words every now and then, but he really did not want to interfere. As long as the girl did not seem upset at Potter, as long he would allow it.

Another few minutes passed during which Weasley, Finnigan and Thomas cast strange looks at Potter and stuck their heads together, Snape noticed, and then Tracy cried again. It wasn't a kind of crying that indicated that Potter had upset her and so Snape kept his seat, did nothing but secretly watching.

Again Potter said something, gaining a rather harsh shaking of the girl's head and a few hissed words into the direction the rest of the Gryffindors sat and after another few of Potter's words the brat stood up and left the classroom, walking into his office. And without asking him for permission no less, leaving an upset girl behind that stared after him dumbfounded.

Enough was enough and he would interfere now. At first he would have to calm Miss Davis and then he would have a word with Potter. If he just knew what exactly had been said between the two students. The girl had seemed to be calmed by Potter, as strange as it might sound. A Gryffindor, and a Potter at that, and a miserable Slytherin never boded anything good after all.

Sighing he was about to get up when Miss Davis did so by herself, got up from her mattress and followed Potter into his office.

Now really feeling worried Snape silently followed the girl and stood in the doorway, leaning with his shoulder lazily against the doorframe and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

He doubted that Potter would pull any stupid stunts, but he told himself better being safe than sorry and he would be damned if he would allow the Gryffindor to hurt one of his snakes.

Lifting his eyebrow he noticed Potter sitting at the floor in the middle of the office, facing the wall to his left and Tracy just now was sitting down too, her back to Potter's back, facing the other wall.

"This really will stay between us, Potter?" The girl softly asked.

"Yes." Potter answered and Snape nearly huffed. As if Potter would stuck to his word. It would be a first time a Potter would do so. He never would have trusted James Potter and Tracy should not trust Harry Potter. "I promise." Potter added.

"Me too, then." The girl answered and Snape shook his head.

"Night or day?" Potter suddenly asked and Snape lowered his head to hear better. What exactly had the blasted brat in his nearly none existend but otherwise insufferable mind?

"I personally prefer the night." Potter continued. "Because during the night everyone is sleeping and then I can have a bit of freedom for myself."

There were a few moments of silence but then Tracy answered, her voice rather small and still shaking from her crying earlier. "Day." She said. "Because I don't like the dark."

Again there were a few moments of pause before the girl asked a question.

"Winter or summer?" The girl asked. "I like winter. When everything is white and mum decorates the Christmas tree. And in the evening we would sit in front of the fire and dad reads a story."

A smile tucked at the girl's lips and suddenly Snape knew what Potter was about to do. But why in Merlin's name would Potter do such a thing? To comfort a Slytherin with a diversion? Potter on the other hand did not look so happy right now and Snape narrowed his eyes at the Gryffindor. The boy nearly looked like crying by himself now.

"Summer." Potter finally said with a strange choking noise. "Even if summer might not be such a good choice as well, but I never had a Christmas tree to look at."

That was strange and Snape inched closer a bit, leaning against the wall in his office. He now had a better view of both teens and he still wondered why in Merlin's name Potter did this.

"Inside or outside?" Potter asked. "I'm rather outside, you can run faster then."

His eyes still narrowed at the two teenagers Snape wondered for a moment why Potter would want to run if he could fly on a broom that would even be faster than running, but then Tracy gave her answer.

"Outside. I like the wind on my face and the birds singing and the sun shining. Homework or housework during the holidays? I rather would help mum cooking than doing homework."

There was a moment during which Potter laughed instead of answering the question. Yet, Snape noticed that it was a rather harsh laugh, one that actually made him shivering.

"Homework." Potter finally said. "Because I never have the chance to do them during the holidays."

"Why not?" Tracy now asked curiously, turning her head backwards to have a glance at the Gryffindor and for a moment Snape could only see the back of her head.

Potter again laughed and this time Snape recognized that it indeed was a bitter laugh.

"Because I have to do the entire housework during the summer and just once I would like to rather do homework instead of scrubbing floors and windows and cooking or doing the laundry. Reading or writing?" Potter asked quickly enough so the girl could not ask further questions on that particular subject. "I personally like reading. I can enter a different world then, be whatever I want to be instead of being what everyone expects me to be."

"Reading. I like to read new books and get lost in them, dream of what is written there." His Slytherin said. "Spaghetti or pumpkin cake? I just love spaghetti and each holiday my mother would cook them the evening I come home from school."

"Uhm." Potter made. "I don't know what spaghetti tastes like, so I guess better being safe than sorry and I say pumpkin cake."

That was strange, Snape thought. Potter lived with a muggle family. Surely he knew what spaghetti were. But then, well, Potter had not said he didn't know what they were. He rather had chosen a strange wording and said he did not know what they tasted like.

"Flying or flooing?" Potter then asked. "I prefer flying. Whenever I travel per floo, then I end up with my face on the floor."

"Flying, for the same reason, I hate the floo. A brother or a sister? I would like to have a little sister. That would be nice, I guess."

Potter huffed for a moment before he answered. "Honestly, you got me now. I can't answer that one. I have a cousin and that is enough for a live time. I surely would need neither a brother nor a sister."

"Ok, but then it's my turn again to ask." The girl said and Potter nodded.

"Sure. Ask another question." He said and turned his head to face her. His gaze instead fell on him, Snape, at the same time as the girl asked her question "a lake or a river?" and the boy seemed to be startled out of his wits, stiffening and something akin to fear crept into those damn green eyes. "I like a lake because it would be too dangerous to swim in a river and we have a small lake near our home where I can swim in during the summer months."

Potter didn't answer but kept staring at him and Snape gestured to him to answer the question, to continue the game and at seeing that he wasn't angry Potter nearly seemed to relax. Nearly. His body language still screamed 'fear'.

"A river." He slowly and carefully said, his eyes still on him, Snape. "Because you could drift away with the tide." Again there was a pause and still Potter watched him as if he did not dare leaving his eyes off of him and again he motioned the boy to continue. What was it with Potter? He surely wasn't that intimidating that he would stun the brave Gryffindor into silence.

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"You've been in the Professor's office with Potter?" Draco asked. The boy had been sleeping earlier and right now Crabbe and Goyle filled him in of what had been happening while he had been in the land of the dreaming. "Why? Has he hurt you?"

"No, he hasn't." Tracy answered and Snape could see the curious look on the blond boy's face. "He has done nothing. We only played a game of questions and answers. And it really helped. I felt better afterwards."

"Why in Merlin's name would Potter comfort one of us? He's a Gryffindor." Blaise said while shaking his head.

Theodore had a strange look on his face while he cast a glance towards the Gryffindors, again, just like he'd had the night before when he'd had called Potter over, Snape noticed.

"And why did no one of you notice Tracy being miserable?" Draco growled at the other Slytherins. "We're Slytherins and we stuck together. Remember that one?"

"What the hell have you been doing, mate?" He heard Weasley asking at the same time, glaring at Potter, his face nearly twisted in disgust and Snape looked over at the Gryffindors. "Davis is a Slytherin!"

"Really?" Potter asked. "I wouldn't have noticed if you wouldn't have pointed it out, thanks for that bit of information."

Snape, who right now tried to listen to two conversations at the same time, nearly snorted at the sarcasm Potter displayed. The brat definitely showed some talent when it came to that, even if this was new to him. To his knowledge Potter never before had shown such traits that were more Slytherin than Gryffindor.

"Well I've been sleeping." Millicent and Daphne answered at the same time.

"You know how Greg and I are with girls." Crabbe growled.

"I do not care how you are with girls, Vince." Draco answered. "This situation is an emergency and if one of us is in need of comfort then each of us should be ready to give it. Even the two of you."

Well, Draco definitely had a point. That it was at least what he taught his Slytherins from their first year on. Slytherins stuck together as no one would aid them outside of their own house. At least that was what had been normal up to now. As it seemed, Potter made an exception – once again.

"What's wrong with you, Harry?" Weasley shook his head at Potter, sounding angry and Snape knew that the red head was close to snap. "Why do you not stick to us Gryffindors but go and mix over with the Slytherins?"

"Because right now it's not important which house you are from." Potter answered, sounding nearly as angry as Weasley, but more in control of his anger. "I already have told you, right now they are sitting in the same boat as are we."

"Maybe, but honestly, mate. They are Slytherins!"

"Just stop it, Ron. Davis was miserable and if I could help her, then why not doing so? You're a right prat right now, you know? I would do the same for each of you too."

"Well, I guess, all in all, Potter had been trying to help then." Draco's thoughtful voice reached through the words of the Gryffindors. "As strange as it is."

"Well, maybe he just knows that maybe we will die down here too." Theodore answered quietly. "And maybe he doesn't want to die with a fight against us. We're all in the same position, aren't we?"

"Maybe." Draco nodded and Snape was nearly proud at the boy. "You might have a point."

"Me? A right prat?" Weasley glared at Potter unbelievingly. "You are the one conspiring with the Slytherins! They are the enemy. Even Dean and Finnigan said so."

"Hey, leave us out of this, Ron." Finch-Fletchley said.

"But you agreed earlier!" Weasley said accusingly.

"We only agreed that Harry acted strange." Thomas answered. "Not that it was wrong what he did."

"They are students like we and they are miserable like we." Potter said and Snape couldn't help but seeing a point in what the brat said. "Just stop this, Ron. They are the same like we."

"They're not!"

"No?" Potter now asked, getting to his feet, staring at Weasley, shaking his head too now. "Do they not breathe the same as we do? Do they not eat and sleep and walk the same way we do? And do they not bleed the same red blood as we do? They were born the same way we were and they will die the same way we will. And as it seems right now, it is in the truest sense of the word."

"Yes." Weasley admitted. "But they don't feel like we do."

"They do, Ron." Potter huffed. "They feel the same fear, they feel the same hunger and they feel the same tiredness as we do. They are not different."

"Harry's right, Ron." Granger said and Snape nearly rolled his eyes. It surely was a first time that Granger admitted someone else than herself being right.

Draco walking over to the Gryffindors caused the Potions Master to leave his desk and walk over to the ingredients cupboard to inspect what was stocked in there. He was closer to them this way and he didn't trust the situation when his Slytherins and the Gryffindors came together. Even if it didn't look like a fight Draco and Potter might pull.

"I heard what you did with Davis, Potter." Draco said upon reaching the table the Gryffindors were seated around. "And I wanted to say thank you for helping one of us."

Potter actually blinked at Draco stupidly for a few seconds before opening his mouth, closing it, and then opening it again, looking like a fish on the shore before he actually got an answer out.

"You're welcome, Malfoy." Potter said. "But right now, I guess one of us means one of us all. Does it matter right now which house we are from?"

This time it was Draco who gasped for words while blinking stupidly at Potter and Snape shook his head. The boy normally had a better control over himself than what he displayed right now. On the other hand, well, Potter's words really would startle him too if he had not heard the Gryffindors' conversation earlier.

"Yes, I guess you're right, Potter." Draco finally said. "So – no fights, as long as we're down here?"

"A truce? Yes, of course." Potter answered, a mixture of a barely recognizable smile and an amount of mistrust on his face. "Until we're out of here."

"Yes, in the long run it would be boring." Draco agreed and Snape only could be grateful for the two boys. He would not have to deal with fights right now as it seemed.

"Indeed." Potter said. "I guess that are two points to Slytherin then." The brat actually got up and took a piece of chalk, and then began to draw a list on the black board, containing a column for Slytherin and one for Gryffindor, which he wrote on the top of each. And he placed two dots into the Slytherin column.

"Had it not been you, Potter, who had implied that houses would not be important in this situation?" Snape couldn't help but asking and the brat flinched for a moment before turning towards him, looking up at him with startled and frightened eyes, as if he feared he would be angry for a Gryffindor making a truce with one of his Slytherins.

"Uhm. Yes, sir." Potter slowly answered. "Sorry for that, sir."

The Potions Master kept quiet, his eyes studying the boy intently and the Gryffindor soon began to squirm under his gaze, fidgeted with the hem of his robe. So, Potter did not worry about the truce, but about the mentioning that houses were not important right now. And he was the head of Slytherin house after all. So – as it seemed, Potter feared he might be feeling offended by that.

"There's no reason to be, Potter." He finally said, taking a rug and wiping out what the boy had written on the blackboard. He noticed the disappointed look that crossed Draco's face for a moment and the look on Potter's face that bordered on hurt, before he took the chalk and wrote Draco's name on the board, drawing two points behind the name.

Underneath Draco's name he wrote Potter's, followed by two points too. He gazed back at Potter and actually noticed a small smile on the brat's face. Growling he turned and went back to his desk.