Previously...
They waited.
And waited.
Nothing happened for the next twenty minutes, and Severus was starting to get antsy. Not that he'd ever admit it, but it was true. Where were the Dark Lord and his followers?
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The raid never happened.
Everyone waited for about three hours for the attack to begin, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. All through the stakeout, Severus was questioning what he experienced in the Forbidden Forest. The Dark Lord never forgot about something unintentionally. A sudden knife of dread stabbed through him. What if-
Was it possible that the Dark Lord truly suspected him of treason?
Severus mentally shook himself. If that were true, he would have been struck down without a moment's notice. The wizard didn't care who he disposed of, once they showed even a hint of reluctance to do something - no matter the rank. Severus had seen this time and time again. Every time the Dark Lord called a meeting, Severus worried that he'd be the next one to have a beam of green directed at him, so this was nothing new.
But isn't this a new situation? a small voice whispered.
Silence, he answered. Then, his brows furrowed. Why was he responding to a voice in his head? Was he going mad?
He didn't have time to ponder this further until something creeeaked in the back of the shop they were in, Hogsmeade. Immediately, they spun around to start casting spells at the intruder.
A trap door on the floor opened slowly, and it seemed that nothing was getting out of it. Not once lowering his wand, Severus tiptoed over to the hidden door.
It was empty.
Severus ran ideas through his head about what on earth could have caused the door to open seemingly on its own. Someone with a disillusionment charm? An invisibility cloak? A strong draft?
He cleared his throat, that was clogged with disuse. "Accio invisibility cloak," he whispered. An invisibility cloak was the best guess, even though they were rare and very expensive.
A silvery substance rushed toward him, and he batted it from the air. He quickly shot an "Immobilus!" at whoever was revealed.
The person ducked, and then Severus realized that the mop of hair he uncovered was awfully familiar. The red beam of light soared over his head, and Severus held his hand out to stop Vance, Diggle, and Tonks from cursing the person. The person's head whipped up, showing telltale pale marks on his face.
Harry. Without Nagini.
What was the young man even doing in Hogsmeade? Severus thought he had been secretive enough while planning this 'event.' Not to mention the fact that Harry even knew there was a passage there. Of course, Severus had his suspicions, but he never had concrete evidence.
He glanced down at the invisibility cloak on the ground and drew a mental line between it and Harry. So, another theory he had about the young wizard was proven right.
Severus crossed his arms. "What do you think you're doing here, young man?" he asked testily.
Harry grimaced, white scars twisting. "Sorry."
"You didn't answer the question. And, I doubt you are truly sorry."
He looked chastened. "I just heard you... speaking about it," he said quietly.
Wait. When had he spoken of this around Harry's ears? Then, he had to repress a flush from crawling over his face. He had a bit of a bad habit - talking to himself. When he truly thought he was alone, he responded aloud to that little voice at the back of his head. Gah.
Severus sighed slowly, and he picked up the invisibility cloak from the ground. "Until further notice, this will be in my possession." Harry opened his mouth, looking a bit angry. Then he seemed to think better of it, and his jaw clicked shut.
"Since you're here, you might as well stay. Crouch behind that stand - yes, right there. Now stay still." Severus slid back into the spot he was in before they were disturbed.
He glanced over at Tonks, who had recovered from the disruption. She was grinning at him in a slightly terrifying way. "What is it?" he hissed.
Her smile deepened evilly. "I just think it's so cute that you and Harry have finally bonded. I mean, it's like you're a father and son!"
Severus's face twisted into something he hoped was a terrifying snarl. "If you were still my student, Hufflepuff would be fifty points short."
The bad part was, it was very true. Harry and he seemed to have more and more of a filial relationship as time passed - and the young man had been in his care for only a bit over a week. Maybe you aren't too different? the Voice said.
Severus decided to ignore it for the time being. After all, he had to dissuade Tonks of the notion that she was so intent upon.
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Severus decided that he'd ignore - for the time being- that the Dark Lord hadn't arrived like he said he would. He would open that can of worms once he got there.
After the uneventful, all night long stakeout, he had gone to the infirmary to inform the headmaster of the unexpected events. As expected, the wizard had been worried. He had the same concerns Severus did - what if his cover had been blown? Although the headmaster may have been anxious about the general welfare of the potions master, Severus had a feeling that he was more troubled about the fact that he would lose the best spy they had. Sometimes the headmaster was so cunning and ambitious, it was a wonder he wasn't in Slytherin.
Severus had confiscated Harry's invisibility cloak for the time being. Harry had been nearly mutinous when he locked it away in his room, but Severus thinks that he understands why he had to do that.
Now, it was time to truly begin to pack for the move to the Haven. He had made plans to floo there tomorrow, and everything should be ready for them. Granger and Weasley were scheduled to appear a few hours after lunch for another visit. Severus had warned Harry not to tell his friends about his Parselmagic. Only select members of the Order and the headmaster needed to know about this particular branch of magic. The more people that knew of it, the more likely the Dark Lord would hear about it. Then it wouldn't become an asset any more than Lily's blood magic. In other words, useless.
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You might be wondering if Severus is going to go back to the Dark Lord once he inevitably calls his followers again. You might think that he would be certain that he will be killed once he comes back into the spell range of Voldemort. But, he can't be certain. Severus IS under the impression that he had nothing to live for other than to be a spy for the Order. Hopefully, that mindset will change.
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Harry grinned at Ron while Hermione buried her face in her hands. Ron had finally plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date a few nights before, and had not hesitated to tell his best mate the news. Hermione, of course, was mortified, for reasons that both young men were bewildered by. Nagini was watching everything, curled up around Harry.
"Hermione, this is normal!" Harry said in a patronizing way, patting her shoulder. "This happens to everyone!"
The witch chuckled, pulling an extremely red face out of her hands. "I know, I know!" She huffed out a breath. "It's just so hard to believe, myself."
Harry laughed. He hoped that one day, he'd find someone to truly love - and not like that fiasco with Cho. He didn't want something like that to ever happen again.
"I'm happy for the both of you." Harry thought back to what Hermione told him a few days before. About how he could tell them anything. He didn't know how she did it, but she seemed very perspective of problems or things that were weighing heavily on the mind.
Although, seeing how they both were so happy, cuddling close to each other... he didn't want to spoil this instant. There was a war coming, and fast. They might not get many more moments like this, and he didn't want to mess it up with a bombshell like the Dursleys.
He had just made up his mind to not yet tell them what happened at No. 4 Privet Drive when Dudley rounded the corner of the hallway.
"Harry, do you know where the..." He trailed off when he noticed Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch. He quickly retreated back to his room, eyes widening especially when he noticed Ron's red hair. He was probably still traumatized by the Ton-Tongue Toffee the twins gave him.
Harry, amused by this memory, turned back to his friends to see them looking at him strangely. "What?" he asked.
"Harry, was that your cousin?" Ron asked, no doubt remembering the summer of fourth year as well.
Then he remembered - neither of them knew that Dudley had taken up residence with him as well. His good mood fled. "Erm... yeah," he answered, hoping desperately that he wouldn't have to explain.
"What is he doing here?" Hermione said, suspicious.
Harry sighed, noticing that the 'moment' he had been thinking of earlier had dissipated completely. He guessed that he could say that the reason that both Dudley and he was there was solely because of the Death Eater attack, but he didn't want to lie to them.
He decided to go with the truth, and the whole truth. "I think I have a lot to tell you." Hermione immediately looked gratified, while Ron seemed apprehensive. Harry threaded his hands in his lap, suddenly nervous. He had never willingly told anyone about this. He took a deep breath before he started, preparing his words.
"Remember when Mad-Eye warned my uncle to be nice to me earlier this summer, because Sirius had died?" They both nodded. "Well... the only thing keeping Vernon from... er... laying hands on me... in a violent fashion... was the threat of a mad serial killer that had my back."
Hermione looked sad, and Ron just looked a bit confused. Harry felt embarrassment creeping down his spine.
"If I had my way, I would have never told my 'family' that my godfather had died. If I did, I might not have... suffered as much as I had." Hermione placed her hand over her eyes, her shoulders shaking. Ron still looked befuddled, so Harry had to put it in blunt words.
"I was physically abused, Ron."
As realization crashed down upon his friend, Harry remembered Severus's reaction to his situation. He had seemed a bit bewildered at the fact that someone would willingly hurt their kin in such a wanton way; maybe it was a wizarding thing. Everyone had been raised to believe that children were precious and were to be treated as such. Why should Ron be any different?
He looked horrified as the full implications of this hit him. "Harry... did he hurt you... badly?"
Harry looked down at his hands, still on his lap. He picked at his bandage, overwhelmed with emotion. "Yeah." His voice broke, and he tried again. "Yeah, he did." Shame colored his neck and the tips of his ears red.
"Mate... do you have any..." Harry could fill in the rest of the sentence. Do you have any more scars? He desperately wanted to tell them about his cognitive patronus that had extreme healing powers, but he'd have to settle with a half truth. He completely understood Severus's thoughts about how he had to keep his parseltongue abilities a secret.
"No, thankfully. Se- Professor Snape made a great salve that healed them when he retrieved me from the Dursleys." Harry tensed up at his near slip-up, hoping that neither of them noticed. Hermione was still trying to repress tears, and Ron wasn't perceptive enough to discern the slight stumble of his speech.
"You mean, Snape got you from that place?" Ron sounded disbelieving.
"That's Professor Snape to you," said a voice from the hallway.
All three of them jumped a mile. Hermione hastily wiped her eyes clean of the evidence of her sorrow, and said, "Sir!"
Severus stepped from the hallway. He wasn't wearing his billowing teaching robes, which seemed to throw both Ron and Hermoine for a loop. Mind you, they were still a bit billowy, but not as bat-like as what they typically saw him in.
Harry suppressed a grin at their gobsmacked expressions. Severus had probably been listening in on their conversation, scheming about the right time to make his grand appearance. Harry was grateful for this, because he wasn't sure about how to lighten the mood after the information he had just dropped on their shoulders. He appreciated the gesture.
"I thought you were going to be spending the day brewing" Harry said, feigning surprise.
The man shook his head, coming over to sit down on a cushioned chair. Crossing his legs, he shook his head. "It got quite dull down in my potions laboratory." Silence reigned. "Well, don't let my presence ruin your conversation," Severus snarked.
"Never," Harry replied sarcastically, horrifying Hermione, who put her hands up to her mouth.
"Harry!" she hissed between her teeth.
He grinned at her and Ron's twin expressions of terror. "It's fine, guys. He's harmless, I promise."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Mr. Potter." Severus was obviously just as entertained as Harry at the predicament his friends. "I have spent years sculpting my reputation as a heartless git."
"Whatever you say, sir," Harry replied. He turned his head back over to Ron and Hermione. They both looked stricken, absolutely sure that Gryffindor would be in negative points even before the school year started.
Severus just humphed, and pulled a book out of nowhere.
Harry laughed. "So... how exactly did this date go?" he asked.
Hermione turned an alarming shade of red again. "Harry," she protested, obviously not wanting to talk about that in front of their mean potions professor.
Harry grinned. Man, would he have a fun time with this...
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It took almost an hour for Harry's friends to realize that Severus really meant no harm. He just sat in the chair next to them, reading his book. Harry could bet that it was one on potions.
After Ron and Hermione had left, Harry turned back to Severus and said, "That was really mean of you, you know?"
"I haven't the faintest idea what you're speaking of."
Harry just chucked, and sat back down with Nagini. "Sssso... what did you think of my friendssss?"
"I am guessssing the one with the bright red hair was Ruler-Adviccce, and the one with the bright red face was Boundary-Marker." The serpent lifted her head. "Right?"
Harry nodded, smiling broadly. "You got it!" he hissed.
"Issss Boundary-Marker'ssss faccce alwayssss sssso red?" Nagini asked.
"No, I wasss jusssst embarassssing her."
Nagini looked confused. "Sssso, what you are ssssaying, isss that when humansss get embarasssssed, they turn sssscarlet?"
"Ssssoundssss about right," replied Harry, shaking his head humorously.
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Lucius Malfoy stumbled down the hallway to the infirmary. The pain in his arm had increased exponentially, and it had been impossible to keep from his wife. He didn't have Severus's impressive pain tolerance. Narcissa, worried about his health, had immediately sent him down to get a stronger pain potion. As far as he could tell, Draco knew nothing of his situation.
He'd rather keep it that way.
The head of the Malfoy family entered the hospital wing silently. He took a quick glance at Dumbledore, who was sound asleep on his bed. It was close to dinnertime, and Madam Pomfrey should be waking him up soon.
He sat on the chair next to the old man, and waited for the matron. As he settled down, he started rubbing his left forearm. He thought of why he left the Dark Lord for the Light side. He honestly wasn't sure the exact reason - it was hard to put into words. He had seen the Dark wizard do many inhumane and gruesome things before, so why did the torture of Potter in particular make his stomach roil?
He didn't know.
As expected, the mediwitch came out of her office and into the infirmary at about six o'clock. She blinked as she noticed the wizard, and rushed over.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, slightly prickly. No matter the situation, the woman always seemed exasperated with everything.
"Yes, in my opinion. But, my wife seems to have other thoughts." He pushed back his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark, which was puffy and inflamed. The Mark itself was vivid and bright, seeming almost... alive.
Lucius remembered the night when he was accepted into the ranks of the Dark Lord's followers. He had to prove his loyalty to the wizard on more than one occasion, doing terrible, unspeakable things in the process. He remembered how proud he had been to have the man's brand on his skin. Now, he felt nothing but revulsion concerning the tattoo.
Madam Pomfrey's nose scrunched up. "Yes, this does seem bad. You should have come earlier."
Lucius sighed. "Not you, too," he groaned. The witch had been the matron of the hospital wing even when he had been in school, and she had not changed one bit.
"I'll have to give you a nerve blocking potion that you will have to apply directly to your arm twice every day, along with a salve to help with swelling. If you had come to me sooner, we wouldn't be having this conversation tonight!" She waved her wand, and the concoctions she needed came zooming toward her hands.
Lucius took the bottles gingerly. "Hold out your arm," Madam Pomfrey said. She demonstrated what he was supposed to do, rubbing the swelling reducer directly on the Mark, while only applying the nerve blocker around the Mark. Almost immediately, the puffiness reduced substantially, and he felt relief from the pain that had been plaguing him for days.
"Now, get yourself out of my infirmary before I do it myself," she snarked.
Lucius didn't need to be told twice.