The castle had begun to breathe with unease.
It pulsed in its walls. In the way doors creaked open on their own. In how even Peeves had gone quieter, slinking through the air like he didn't want to be noticed.
It was as if Hogwarts itself was afraid.
And Harry could feel it.
So could Snape.
---
Potions Class
The dungeons were colder than usual. Damp clung to the stone, and the cauldrons bubbled with an almost malicious hiss. Snape moved through the rows like a phantom, cape swishing, black eyes scanning every student's hands.
"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley. That ginger root was chopped, not crushed."
Ron groaned and muttered under his breath.
Snape ignored him and turned to Harry and Draco's shared table.
That arrangement had surprised everyone.
Snape had made it happen.
Draco hadn't complained. Neither had Harry.
They stirred in silence now, barely speaking, but Harry noticed how Draco's hand hovered too long over the fire dial, and how Draco flinched at every loud pop from a nearby cauldron.
Snape paused behind them.
"Malfoy. Potter. Step outside. Now."
They looked at each other in surprise but obeyed.
---
Dungeon Corridor
The heavy door shut behind them, sealing off the noise. The corridor outside the classroom was dim, lit by a single torch and the soft glimmer of Snape's wand.
He faced them, arms crossed.
"What are you hiding?" he asked flatly.
Harry blinked. "We're not—"
Snape cut him off. "I am not the Headmaster. I am not your friend. I am the one who sees things others miss."
Draco swallowed hard.
"You know something about the creature," Snape continued. "You've heard the voice. Both of you. Haven't you?"
Draco glanced at Harry. The silence between them was answer enough.
Snape sighed, and for a moment, the harshness dropped from his face.
"Next time, you bring that information to me first."
Harry nodded slowly. "We will."
"I've walked this castle longer than either of you have been alive," Snape said. "And what's waking up down there… it isn't finished yet."
Draco's throat tightened. "What is it?"
"I don't know," Snape admitted. "But I intend to find out."
He turned to go back into the classroom, then paused.
"Potter. Stay a moment."
Draco hesitated before slipping back inside.
Snape waited until the door clicked shut.
Then he spoke quietly.
"You're letting your emotions make you reckless again."
Harry stared. "You mean—?"
"Malfoy."
Harry didn't answer.
Snape leaned in, voice almost a whisper. "I'm not telling you what to feel. But I am warning you—this is not a safe time to wear your heart so obviously."
There was no accusation in his tone. Just a strange kind of concern.
Harry's shoulders dropped. "He's not what I thought he was."
"No," Snape said. "But that doesn't mean he's ready to know who you are either."
He stepped back, his face unreadable once more.
"Now go stir your potion before Weasley turns it into poison."
---
That Night – The Pipes
Snape was in the second-floor corridor long after curfew, wand raised, eyes scanning the walls.
The voice hadn't returned. Not yet.
But he could feel something.
Behind the ancient bricks, behind the spells of protection layered over centuries—something old and angry twisted in its slumber.
He knelt and placed his hand against the floor.
There was no sound.
But a whisper bloomed in his mind.
Let me out.
Snape jerked his hand back.
He stood slowly, the tension in his spine sharp as a drawn blade.
It wasn't just a beast.
It was a voice with intent.
---
Common Room — Gryffindor Tower
Harry sat on the windowsill, legs curled up, watching rain streak across the glass. Hermione had gone to bed. Ron was still mad.
But Harry couldn't sleep.
His thoughts spun too fast.
He didn't understand what was happening with Draco. Why it felt like the coldness between them was dissolving into something raw. Why Snape's words hit harder than they should have.
And why the whisper in the pipes was growing louder in his dreams.
Open…
He pressed his palm to the glass.
It felt too quiet.
Too still.
Like something was about to happen.
And far below, deep under Hogwarts, a stone mouth began to stir.