Last time:
It didn't take much more bullying from her to get him to agree to her help, though it galled him to need it. Honestly, he was a grown man and should be able to take care of himself. When he said such to Minerva, she merely smiled and led him to her office.
After the first Quidditch matches, the weather turn bitterly cold. Especially deep in the dungeons. The First Year Slytherins discovered that, even next to the fire, it was still frigidly cold. That was why the teachers were unsurprised to see that all the Slytherin Firsties had signed up to go home for the holidays. All, that is, except Harry, who had nowhere to go besides Hogwarts. Draco had immediately offered to ask his parents to let Harry come home with him, but Harry had declined. Though he would be slightly lonely, and would miss the other boy, he would be okay alone. Besides, he didn't wish to intrude, though he didn't tell Draco this. It just wouldn't do to have Draco know that Harry was nervous about going to someone else's house. He had never done so before, and wasn't sure how to do so now.
As the end of semester tests were being taken, Harry found out that a few Hawks and Badgers, as well as the Weasley family from Gryffindor, were also staying at the castle. It seemed as if this year was particularly cold, though for some it seemed perfectly fine. Harry, however, often woke up half frozen, and bundled in as many clothes as he could before putting his school robes on. This still wasn't enough, and he often had to hide his hands while in the dungeon just so no one would notice they were almost blue. The only time Harry felt his hands were properly warm, in fact, was during Potions. The flame under the cauldron provided just enough heat to warm the cauldron slowly, which then emanated heat for Harry to absorb. This kept his hands from freezing, and allowed him to finish making whatever potion they had been assigned to do.
Help for this awkward circumstances eventually came, however, in a very strange form. Ron Weasley, who barely paid any attention to Harry except to discuss homework during the multi-house study groups, had noticed how cold Harry was. Instead of sneering, as Harry had expected him to do, Ron had given him a bunch of catalogs. He told Harry that many shops had mail-order, and some of the catalogs came from Hogsmeade, the wizard village down the hill from Hogwarts. This meant that anything he ordered from there, would arrive sooner then most. Other shops usually took about two weeks to reach Hogwarts, sometimes longer if ordered from shops very far away. That made sense, and Harry thanked Ron before pursuing the catalogs.
He found several shops that sold winter clothes, one of them indeed being in Hogsmeade. He ordered the clothing, including gloves and a scarf (he already had a winter cloak for outdoors), then proceeded to look at Christmas gifts. He wanted to get something for Hermione and Draco, and as he thought about it, something for Ron as well. After all, the boy had been kind enough to show Harry how to get winter clothing. The least he could do was to give a Christmas present in return. Something that the boy would really appreciate. Though it took awhile, he finally managed to find something for all of his friends. He sent the order out the day before the Winter Holidays began.
The next day he went to say goodbye to Draco and Hermione at the train station. He would miss them, but being alone gave him the perfect chance to explore the castle. He hadn't been able to with Draco constantly shadowing him. But now that the castle would be all but empty, he felt safe enough. He didn't suspect that anyone would wish to hurt him during the Yule season. It would be the utmost of cruel on the instigators part. However, that's what evil people are known for being, and someone was plotting another attempt on Harry's life at the same time that Harry was innocently exploring the upper reaches of the castle.
***
Quirinus shuddered slightly, thinking over plans only to have them discarded. His master was not happy that he had been stopped again and again each time he neared one of his two goals. While he was pacing, his boot fell on the tail of what appeared to be a rat. The squeak was enough to startle him, and he nearly had killed the creature before he was stopped by an inner voice. It said "Wait. Do not kill needlesssssly. Watch" His master was right, as the rat began to transform into a short, rat-faced man. An evil grin began to spread on Quirinus' face. This could be a potential ally, and tool.
***
Severus shivered deep in his dungeon office. He felt like someone had walked over his grave. Something was not right; and yet, the charm he had placed on Quirinus Halloween night said that the man was in his office and not hunting down the boy. What, then, could be causing this disturbance? He had sensed something off, something evil, for awhile now. The cold weather was part of it, as it just didn't feel right. Could that be what was causing the chill up his back? Mind plagued with questions, he attempted to get back to grading tests. Unable to concentrate, he decided to wander the halls instead. It was still early enough in the day, though, that the few students who had remained at Hogwarts were stunned to see the dungeon bat out of his dungeons. Severus barely suppressed a smirk at this attitude. His reputation hadn't been ruined yet.
***
Harry looked hard at the tapestry he had found just below the Astronomy Tower. It was a picture of a large snake, almost resembling a basilisk. But that couldn't be right, not up here. He could have expected a tapestry such as that in the dungeons, but up in the highest reaches of the castle? He decided to try opening it. He hissed a few different words, finally getting the door he had expected to open on 'Regina' in parseltongue. Going to the door, he looked down. It was a long staircase, disappearing into the depths of the castle. The smell emanating from the doorway reminded him of the Regina's chambers.
Though it was probably a very foolish thing to do, Harry stepped onto the staircase and closed the door behind him. This, of course, blocked out any light there might have been. Harry cast Lumos, a spell he had found in a charms book, and began walking down the stairs. If this was indeed a passageway to the bowels of the castle, he would be rather safe. Indeed, he wondered if the Regina would not be happy to see him. He hadn't had time to visit her lately. His thoughts were interrupted as he tripped on the beginning of a chute that he hadn't noticed. He fell face first into it, and began sliding the rest of the way down on his stomach. He covered his head with his arms, praying that he would make it to the bottom safely. This little adventure had turned more dangerous then he cared, and he resolved to be a bit more cautious from then on. If he survived this, that is.