Disclaimer: If I owned HP, do you honestly think I would be posting it on a fanfiction site when I could be making lots of money off of it? Didn't think so...


The Lake


The tension in Hogwarts had stepped up a few notches over the first few months of Harry Potter's sixth year, what with the ever present threat of the Second War hanging over the students and teachers. It may be the safest place against outside attackers, but anything goes within the walls and grounds of the castle. Your peers can pose just as big a threat as Voldemort ever could.

It was a cold night, with a bright half-moon hanging overhead and a few snow flurries dancing their way to the ground. Harry and Ron were perfectly content as they strolled about the grounds in companionable silence, watching the snow fall. Ron was completely entranced with the way the moonlight looked on the fresh white powder when Harry spoke up.

"Why didn't you go back to the Burrow for the holidays?"

"Don't know..." Ron shrugged, "I guess I really didn't want to leave you here alone. I know you. You'd just let yourself get depressed and brood over whatever it is that's kept you up every night since the beginning of term. You're my best friend, and I can't let you do that, mate. So if you have to stay here, then so do I."

Harry was a bout to protest that he was perfectly fine, but stopped before he could form his mouth around the words. He was lucky to have a friend that cared so much, and he wasn't about to make himself seem ungrateful for it. Besides, it was too late for Ron to go home anyway, so what would be the point in arguing?

The two made their way back to the frozen lake and started making a circuit around it when they heard the rustle of fabric behind them. Before they could pull out their wands and turn around, both were hit with binding spells and thrown to the ground with brute force.

"Breakin' rules again?" a familiar voice asked gruffly.

"Doesn't the same go for you too, Goyle?" Ron asked with barely restrained fury, realizing he wasn't in the best position to say or do anything stupid. Goyle ignored him and picked up Harry, shoving him up against a tree and altering the binding spell to tie him there.

"It's dangerous to be out in the dark, you know. Late at night when no one knows you're gone... Something bad could happen."

"Goyle, Crabbe, don't do anything stupid. I know it's hard for you, but think about what would happen if you did anything to us. You could get in serious trouble, not only with the school but even with the Ministry." Harry tried to reason as he watched Crabbe pick Ron up and practically drag him to the edge of the lake, a malicious look spreading over his face.

"Don't worry Potty, we won't do anything to you. The Dark Lord would be most displeased if we did anything to break his toy before he gets a chance to play. But that doesn't mean we can't have other fun..."

Ron was about to make a snide remark on Goyle's correct use of such big words and whole sentences when Crabbe pointed his wand at the ice on top of the lake and muttered a spell that cracked the surface enough to make a small hole, then was thrown into the icy water. With his hands and feet still bound, he couldn't swim up to the surface and found himself quickly sinking down into the cold darkness.

Harry watched in abject horror as his best friend was thrown into the lake and struggled against the bonds that held him, trying to free his wand arm. It was no use, however. His arms were tied securely by his sides.

"With the temperature of the water and his arms and legs bound, it shouldn't be long before he drowns. No long painful death. Be grateful that your friend won't suffer too much, because what you will endure will be far worse." Goyle whispered in his ear, before he and Crabbe stalked off into the shadows, going around the back of the castle instead of to the giant front doors of the Entrance Hall. Harry yelled at their backs, pleading with them to at least free him so he could help Ron, and he wouldn't tell a soul. So long as Ron lived, anyway, but Harry tried hard as he could not to think of that. 'He has to live. This is ridiculous. We went for a bloody WALK! You can't just end up dead after a walk!' Harry mentally cursed as he strained against the bonds.

Two full minutes passed before he heard a silky voice from somewhere behind him curse and mutter something, causing the ropes that held Harry fast to the tree to disappear completely.

"What in the BLOODY HELL is going on out here! Why in Merlin's name are you tied to a bloody tree??" Snape asked furiously as he helped pull Harry up from the ground, but the raven haired boy ignored his questions and shoved past him, sprinting to the edge of the lake and trying to edge his way into the ice.

"Professor, please help- I don't think I can pull Ron out on my own! Oh Merlin- I can't see him!" Harry cried frantically, nearing a full blown panic attack. Snape stared at him incredulously for all of ten seconds before he sprang into action, pulling Harry off of the ice an practically throwing him onto firm and safe ground, then cracking the ice around the hole to make it larger and plunging in. Harry hugged his knees to his chest and noticed detachedly just how cold it was that night, his limbs numb and shaking. He sat and waited, growing more and more terrified with each passing second, until finally Snape came back up, pulling a blue-lipped Ron with him.

Harry shot up and helped his most hated professor drag his best friend onto the snow blanketed ground, away from the lake and ice. Snape quickly got rid of the bonds and checked for a pulse and breathing. He cursed under his breath several times before beginning CPR on the boy, glancing at Harry every so often to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, like get too close to Ron when he would need breathing room or go into shock or anything. He was surprised to see tears glistening on the Gryffindor's face.

Time seemed to pass agonizingly slow, torturing both black haired men as they waited for the red head to cough up water and take a breath. Snape audibly let out a large breath of air he hadn't realized he was holding when Ron finally did, retching onto the soft white powder. Harry nearly collapsed with relief, and when Ron was finished emptying his lungs, (and stomach), he pulled him into a tight embrace, surprising everyone present, including himself.

"Merlin, Ron! Are you alright?!"

"Mister Potter, let him breathe!" he and Snape exclaimed at the same time. Ron chuckled and pulled away from his friend, nodding to indicate he was fine.

"C-cold, th-though." he managed to stutter. Snape cast a quick drying spell on the both of them, then took off his own cloak and wrapped it around the Gryffindor's shoulders.

"We need to get the both of you to Madam Pomfrey immediately." Snape said impassively, and helped his two students tot heir feet, Harry keeping an arm around Ron's shaking shoulder to steady him as they walked up to the castle. Ron looked at harry suspiciously at Snape's comment, and before he could ask, Harry muttered,

"I'm fine, you prat." and smiled reassuringly.

As they were walking through the halls of the school, something occured to Harry.

"Sir? Why'd you come outside tonight? D-did you see what happened?" he asked.

"Yes, I saw. However, I'm ashamed to admit I knew it was going to happen in the first place. Their fathers told them to do it, and Merlin help us they did." snape answered, sounding genuinely upset with himself for not doing anything to prevent it rather than provide help after the fact. He muttered a simple apology under his breath, and the two boys acknowledged by nodding to their teacher and not saying a word about it. They weren't stupid enough to believe Snape would want a big fuss made over it.

Once Ron was sleeping in a hospital bed after a dose of dreamless sleep, slowing warming up under the charmed blankets, Snape escorted Harry back to Gryffindor tower, not hurt himself and hence not needing to spend any time under the Medi-witch's care. They walked in silence until they got to the port-hole, and finally Snape cleared his throat and asked a question of his own.

"What happened back there, Potter? You froze. I've heard some amazing things about what happened between you and the very Dark Lord himself, but your friend very nearly died tonight. I'm not accusing you, just merely... curious." He stated quietly, respecting the boys rattled nerves and being as civil as possible, even gentle, though he'd poison anyone who cared to point it out.

Harry looked at his teacher through dazed eyes and answered,

"That's just it, Professor. With Voldemort, I knew what he would do. I knew to expect him when he wasn't expected at all, and that he'd hurt and kill without hesitation. But this is Hogwarts. Voldemort's not here, and I guess I sometimes forget that even though this is the safest place in the Wizarding World, it's not safe from those that are inside it. I mean, you just don't expect your own classmates to do that to you, and it took me by surprise. Maybe I was just being naive, but I honestly didn't think I had to keep my guard up so much all the bloody time. Not here.... You know what I mean? Probably not... I can't get it to come out right in words...." he trailed off, looking embarrassedly at the floor. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Snape squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture very uncharacteristic of the surly Potions Master.

"No, I understand perfectly. School is one place you should always feel safe. You did nothing wrong, and you are far from naive. Anyone else would have been just as helpless and unsuspecting as you. Don't be ashamed of something you couldn't help. Get a good night's sleep. I'll deal with Crabbe and Goyle immediately." And with that, the two smiled at each other- Harry Potter and Severus Snape smiled at each other, and walked their separate ways.

A/N" So, do ya' like? I'm actually kinda' proud of this one, so I wanna' hear what you think.

Thanks for reading!