The Sleeping Spell
Fourth Year Student Severus Snape was called to the headmaster's office after his Defense against the Dark Arts class, his favorite.
He wondered what was going on as he tottered towards the gargoyle that marked the entrance to Professor X's office.
"Candy." He commanded to open the creature. It swung aside to reveal a staircase heading for the floor above.
He'd never ever been summoned to Professor X's office before. The only reason he could come up with was that somehow, someway, he'd managed to do something to be expelled.
Severus took one more breath before he started to climb the staircase. At the top there was a wooden door with something inscribed into the wood, but he wasn't in the mood for castle riddles.
He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes before he knocked.
Professor Dracus opened the door immediately. This conformed Severus's worst fears. Dracus was the Head of House for Slytherin; he had to be present for one of his students to be expelled.
Dracus didn't notice Severus steeling himself as he led the boy into the room by his shoulder.
Headmaster X was sitting behind a huge desk. There was a girl seated in front of him, with black hair from Gryffindor. Her head of house was also present along with Professor Torps, who taught curses and charms.
"Please sit," Headmaster X instructed him, "I imagine you're wondering why you're here?"
"Sir, have I been expelled?" Severus asked in a rush.
Headmaster X seemed taken back by this, "No, no we've called you here for another reason, have you done anything to warrant being expelled?"
"No." Severus answered quickly, with his fingers crossed.
"Very well then, I'll let Professor Torps explain."
Torps rose from his chair and went to stand beside the girl, what was her name? Katherine? Kathy?
"Someone, and we're not sure yet who, has placed a curse on this girl."
"I didn't do it." Severus denied positively.
"I didn't say you did. In fact, I know you didn't," Professor Dracus said with a sneer, "You're good in potions, but not that good."
"The nature of the curse is rather delicate." Torps began, trying to feel his way through this. The girl blushed most attractively and ducked her head.
"I can't sleep." She stated plainly, looking at Severus for the first time.
"So what's that got to do with me?" Severus asked, thoroughly confused what he had to do with a Gryffindor student that had difficulty sleeping. Katrina, Krista?
"We've found out most of the properties of the curse," Headmaster X said, "Basically, if she falls asleep without someone touching her then she stricken with nightmares of her worst memories and she can't wake up."
"That's terrible." Severus said, who had plenty of his own bad memories. Kristen? What was her name?
"Apparently the only way she can sleep without nightmares is if someone of the opposite sex, same age and of a different house is touching her skin."
Severus felt his blood run cold. "You. Want me. To sleep with her?" He squeaked out.
"It'd only be until we found out who did it and cure her." Professor Torps said hastily.
"Why me?"
"Because I picked you." The girl spoke for the second time. "It has to be Sytherin because that's the opposite house of Gryffindor and you're the only Sytherin that's not completely nasty."
"What? But I don't even know you!" Severus protested.
"I've seen you around since my first year, and you're a lot nicer then any of the other boys in Sytherin. Lucias for example. I'd rather have nightmares then be asleep with him in the room, but you, you're decent."
It was the longest speech any one in the room had heard from her in her entire four years at Hogwarts.
"But." Severus protested again.
"It's only temporary, just until we find a cure." Professor Torps said.
"Severus, you've always been a very discrete boy, you're going to have to keep this a secret." Dracus said.
"We can't rotate students because we want to keep this as quiet as possible." Headmaster X explained.
"Don't worry, it's only temporary." Dracus assured him.
"But," Now Severus blushed, "where will we sleep? I mean, there's four other people in my room and." he trailed off.
Maybe Gryffindors had separate rooms?
"This castle has hundreds of guest bedrooms. You'll meet each other there as soon as the other people in your rooms fall asleep, with a little help from a sleeping spell. Bring a spare robe and your books. If you're at breakfast before anyone else no one will guess."
Severus's mouth flapped up and down like a fish.
"You're both dismissed, to get to know each other. Torps will show you the room."
There really didn't seem to be anything to do but get up and leave.
"Say, what's your name?" Severus asked her as they followed Torps to the room.
"Kristy Hooch." She answered shyly.
Kristy rolled over and stretched. It couldn't be morning already. She glanced out the window; it was still dark with night. Still Severus was awake and staring at the ceiling.
She brushed his dark hair away from his face.
"Did you have a dream?" She asked quietly, hesitant to disturb the silence of the room.
"Yes." He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the palm. "I was just dreaming about the first time we met in Professor X's office."
"You looked so scared!" Kristy remembered.
"I thought I was going to be expelled. I don't think I was ever that scared of anything else when I was a student here."
"I can name one other boy that was and still is terrified of being expelled." Kristy said as she settled herself into his arms.
"Must Potter always intrude everywhere?" Severus complained, but lightly.
"It's too early." Kristy told him sleepily. "Besides, it's summer holidays, you won't be seeing Potter for another four weeks."
"For that I am eternally thankful." Severus groused. He rolled over and held Kristy close. "I didn't mean to wake you up, go back to sleep." He kissed the back of her head.
She didn't notice, she was already asleep. Severus looked down at her.
Professor Torps never did manage to find a cure. He himself had investigated Potions to the point of being the world's foremost authority on Potions. No cure. They never even figured out who did it, even Dumbledore with all his talents never managed to remove the curse from Kristy.
Since that night decades ago they had not spent a night apart, except for the nights to see if the curse had been lifted.
Always, Kristy had awoken at dawn, shaking with the nightmares of her parents being killed. They were Muggles, and one night when she was five years old thugs broke into their house and slaughtered her parents. They made her watch. They would have killed her too if the Ministry hadn't intervened.
He tightened his arms around her and forced himself to sleep.
When Severus awoke he saw Kristy's hair spread over the pillow, and beyond that on the bedside table a white bit of fluff was perched.
He raised his head. It was an owl. With a letter. She hooted at him and raised her leg.
Severus sighed and reached over Kristy to untie the letter. "Go up to the owlry, I'll come get you with the reply." He instructed the large white owl. She hooted at him again and flew off through the window.
He glanced at the letter. It was in a muggles envelope and it was address to Professor Hooch. Professor Hooch was currently indisposed as she was still sleeping and was not a morning person.
He sighed. If one of her students had written during holidays it was probably important.
"Kristy, Kristy wake up." He murmured in her ear.
She snuggled farther down into the covers.
"You've got a letter."
Her green eyes popped open. "From who?" She asked sleepily, more interested in going back to sleep then her mail.
He examined it. "It doesn't say."
She took the letter from him and opened it. He read over her shoulder.
"Professor Hooch, I'm writing to you because I heard that Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore would be out of the country this summer. Vondemort was here, he gave me a message to give to Dumbledore. He's going to attack the school this summer. The Dursley's saw him and the Death Eaters and they've locked me in my room. Uncle Vernon said he would break my wand if any more magic happens here. I tried to explain to him but he won't listen. Please let me spend the rest of the summer at the castle, I can stay with Hagrid. He won't mind. Please keep Hedwig there, they've threatened to poison her. I think they will.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
There was silence when they finished reading the letter.
"He will pop up everywhere." Severus said sourly, breaking the silence.
"Severus! This is serious! Vondermort could be following him, and threatening to snap his wand! They should be brought up on charges! And poisoning his owl!" Kristy leapt up and dragged on a clean robe, "Get up, we're taking this to Albus." She ordered Severus, who was currently lounging in bed with the quilt pulled to his waist.
"Why do I have to go?" He complained, but did as she asked. He didn't like the boy but every Professor at Hogwarts knew all about the family he was forced to live with when he wasn't at school.
Wands could not be replaced. If he had any other wand and Vondemort came after him again to kill him he would be killed. This day was just getting worse and worse.
He struggled into his robe and shoes and followed Kristy down the hall. She hadn't even bothered to pull her hair up into the bun she was so fond of.
Severus caught up with her just as she was opening the gargoyle to Dumbledore's domain.
"Twix," She ordered, "What is Twix anyway? No matter." She rushed up the stairs bellowing for Dumbledore.
He came out from the false bookcase into his office.
"What's going on? Is the castle under attack?" He asked annoyed at being awakened this early on his first night back at the castle. He was still in his nightshirt.
"It's Potter!" She waved the letter under his nose. He snatched it and begin to read as Severus leaned against the door to his office, watching his wife bounce on her toes in front of Dumbledore.
"We've got to go get him!" She stated.
"Hagrid loves Harry, he won't mind watching after him for a few weeks. Yes, you've got to go get him, and if Vondermort has managed to bypass the spells we put on Harry then I think both of you should go." Dumbledore decided.
"Now wait just a minute." Severus protested.
"Yes, both of you, if you have to fend off an attack then both of you will be needed and with your unique connect to the Dark Lord, you're the best two people for the job."
"But." Severus was suddenly reminded of that day long ago in this very office when he was protesting another duty.
"No buts. Get Harry here quickly." Dumbledore ordered.
"Leave Hedwig here, and teach the Dursleys a lesson they won't forget."
Snape had to smile at that. "All right. When do we leave?"
Kristy looked at him. "Right now." She bolted down the stairs, "Wait, how are we going to get there?" He shouted after her as she ran back to their bedroom.
"Disapperate. First we'll need Muggles money, and our wands." She stopped her bustling around to look at him.
"Brush your hair-Hair!" She grabbed up her wand and cast a quick hair spell on her self to tame her curly hair and pin it up in a bun.
Five minutes later they were hurrying across the grounds to find Hagrid.
"A' course I'll keep the boy!" He bellowed, "You get him back here double quick, You Know Who's after him you know!"
Now he was shouting at their backs as they raced to the edge of the school grounds.
"How are we going to play this?" Severus asked before they left.
"Let's just knock on the door and see how it goes."
They joined hands and disapperated, focusing very hard on a certain sidewalk on Privet Drive.
They could hear shouting from the inside of the house from ten paces away.
"NO! Don't you dare!" A voice they recognized as Harry screamed.
"I will! It'll put a stop to this magic nonsense once and for all!" A male voice shouted right back.
"You can't break my wand!" Harry shrieked, then was cut off with a loud thump. Exactly like a boy hitting a wall.
Hooch and Snape looked at each other. Snape blasted the door open and stepped through. The noise had been coming from upstairs. They raced up the stairs and stopped short at Harry's doorway.
The scene that met their eyes was astounding. Shredded schoolbooks littered the floor. Spilt potions compounds lay in shattered jars, some boiling holes in the floor. Robes had been sliced into so much black material.
There was a man standing in the middle of it all with Harry's wand in his hand. He was fat, with a dumb expression on his little piggy face. A woman, his wife, was sitting on the bed with half a destroyed schoolbook in her lap. There was a boy that resembled an overweigh calf holding a match to a scroll.
Harry was slumped against the wall, unconscious.
"Oh heavens," Kristy raced over to him and tried to wake him up. "Severus, I think he's got a concussion."
Even if he didn't like the lad, he did not hold with physical abuse of children. Or destruction of private property. Or threats toward owls.
"What is the meaning of this?" Snape hissed out.
Harry's uncles' eyes bulged out. "Meaning of this! Who are you bursting into my house and interfering with how I raise my nephew-" His voice was cut off because Snape reached out with a spell and froze the Dursleys where they were.
"Harry will be the first to tell you that we do not get along, and I care for him more then you do!" The outburst surprised him; he must be losing his cruel streak.
Absentmindedly, he made a mental note to get it back before the term started.
He kept his wand trained on the frozen muggles as Kristy cast every healing spell she knew on the boy.
"Is he waking up?" Snape asked tersely.
"Yes." As she spoke Harry blinked his eyes and focused on her face.
"Professor Hooch! You came! Vondermort was here." Harry passed out again.
The two adult magicians looked at each other again, they had to get out of here!
"Severus." Kristy began to say, 'you carry him,' but he stepped in and scooped Harry up before turning to face the frozen people.
"Let's turn them into something small, green and hoppy." He suggested with a smile. He mood was lifted considerably by the expression of terror that their eyes took on.
"We haven't time, we must get him back to the school. We'll come back for them." Kristy tossed a glance of pure hatred at the Muggles. Then she looked at the floor. The books were a total write off. Some looked burned.
He was going to need new fifth year books anyway.
"Can't forget this." Kristy plucked the wand out of the uncles hand. There was tension on it. If they hadn't arrived just then he probably would have overridden the anti-snap spells on it with brute force and broken the wand.
"Wait, Potter has a cloak of invisibility, better find that." Snape said with distaste. Just what he needed, to be the one that assured that boy the cloak for another year!
Kristy rummaged around in the broken litter on the ground before she stood up with the scrap of fabric and a few of the intact scrolls and a bit of parchment that had writing on it.
"Let's go." She said, releasing the Dursleys from the spell the instant they left.
"NO! Don't break it!" He screamed as he regained consciousness at Hogwarts.
"It's all right, you're here," Hooch took his hand and squeezed it.
"My wand, he was going to break my wand," Harry gasped.
"It's here, it's safe, and we got their just on time." Hooch assured him.
Harry slumped back into bed, relaxed. "Is Hedwig here?" He asked her.
"Yes but I'm afraid that they destroyed pretty much everything else."
Harry felt moisture building up in his eyes. Hooch noticed.
"What is it?" She asked quietly.
"It's a cloak, the only thing I've got from my parents, I guess the Dursleys destroyed that too." He wiped at his eyes.
"It's here. I forgot all about it but Severus remembered."
"Sever- Professor Snape? Yes, I remember hitting the wall and the pain and then he and you came bursting through the door, I was afraid Hedwig hadn't gotten to you in time. Voldemort gave me a message. I can only repeat it to Dumbledore.
"Harry, are you sure?"
"I'm positive! He said that I was to give Headmaster Dumbledore a message and only him, he put a spell on me so I could only tell him. They he said that the next time he sees me will be when he kills me.
"Really?" Dumbledore came in and heard the last part,
"how's he planning on doing that?"
"He didn't actually say." Harry told him.
"What did he say?" Dumbledore asked curiously, like this wasn't anything particularly unusual.
"He said that he was going to destroy Hogwarts and a generation of witches and the only ones that lived would be the ones that had sided with him! He's going to kill everyone in the school!" Harry struggled to sit up.
"Calm down now, he's tried this before and it didn't succeed. He won't succeed now." He gently but firmly pushed the boy back into the bed.
"You need to sleep some more." Dumbledore cast a quick sleep spell over the boy.
"What do you think?" He turned to the other two. There were the only people at the castle now; every one else had taken off for exotic vacation spots.
"I think we ought to keep him inside and guard him until school starts again." Hooch said firmly.
"Severus?" Dumbledore turned to him.
"As much as I hate to say it, we have to watch the boy. Vondermort still has it in for him for living. Until then perhaps we should teach the Dursley's a quick lesson in children."
"Good idea. I'll leave that up to you." Dumbledore bowed his head, "Until then we'll take turns watching Harry."
Kristy squeezed Harry's hand.
"I'll leave you to guard," Dumbledore said, "I have owls to send about this to the Ministry." He walked out of the room.
"Well, I guess the second honeymoon is off." Severus observed sourly."
"Oh, we'll get away at some point. We have been married for twenty years." Kristy kissed him quickly. "Now, what are we going to do about the Dursleys?"
Severus began to smile. "I have just the idea."
As they begin to talk they didn't notice that Harry's eyes had been shut by the spell, but not his ears. His ears were burning up with what he just heard. Married?
A/N The Dursley's don't get turned into frogs- instead, something better! The next chapter will be up tomorrow.
Please Review.
Fourth Year Student Severus Snape was called to the headmaster's office after his Defense against the Dark Arts class, his favorite.
He wondered what was going on as he tottered towards the gargoyle that marked the entrance to Professor X's office.
"Candy." He commanded to open the creature. It swung aside to reveal a staircase heading for the floor above.
He'd never ever been summoned to Professor X's office before. The only reason he could come up with was that somehow, someway, he'd managed to do something to be expelled.
Severus took one more breath before he started to climb the staircase. At the top there was a wooden door with something inscribed into the wood, but he wasn't in the mood for castle riddles.
He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes before he knocked.
Professor Dracus opened the door immediately. This conformed Severus's worst fears. Dracus was the Head of House for Slytherin; he had to be present for one of his students to be expelled.
Dracus didn't notice Severus steeling himself as he led the boy into the room by his shoulder.
Headmaster X was sitting behind a huge desk. There was a girl seated in front of him, with black hair from Gryffindor. Her head of house was also present along with Professor Torps, who taught curses and charms.
"Please sit," Headmaster X instructed him, "I imagine you're wondering why you're here?"
"Sir, have I been expelled?" Severus asked in a rush.
Headmaster X seemed taken back by this, "No, no we've called you here for another reason, have you done anything to warrant being expelled?"
"No." Severus answered quickly, with his fingers crossed.
"Very well then, I'll let Professor Torps explain."
Torps rose from his chair and went to stand beside the girl, what was her name? Katherine? Kathy?
"Someone, and we're not sure yet who, has placed a curse on this girl."
"I didn't do it." Severus denied positively.
"I didn't say you did. In fact, I know you didn't," Professor Dracus said with a sneer, "You're good in potions, but not that good."
"The nature of the curse is rather delicate." Torps began, trying to feel his way through this. The girl blushed most attractively and ducked her head.
"I can't sleep." She stated plainly, looking at Severus for the first time.
"So what's that got to do with me?" Severus asked, thoroughly confused what he had to do with a Gryffindor student that had difficulty sleeping. Katrina, Krista?
"We've found out most of the properties of the curse," Headmaster X said, "Basically, if she falls asleep without someone touching her then she stricken with nightmares of her worst memories and she can't wake up."
"That's terrible." Severus said, who had plenty of his own bad memories. Kristen? What was her name?
"Apparently the only way she can sleep without nightmares is if someone of the opposite sex, same age and of a different house is touching her skin."
Severus felt his blood run cold. "You. Want me. To sleep with her?" He squeaked out.
"It'd only be until we found out who did it and cure her." Professor Torps said hastily.
"Why me?"
"Because I picked you." The girl spoke for the second time. "It has to be Sytherin because that's the opposite house of Gryffindor and you're the only Sytherin that's not completely nasty."
"What? But I don't even know you!" Severus protested.
"I've seen you around since my first year, and you're a lot nicer then any of the other boys in Sytherin. Lucias for example. I'd rather have nightmares then be asleep with him in the room, but you, you're decent."
It was the longest speech any one in the room had heard from her in her entire four years at Hogwarts.
"But." Severus protested again.
"It's only temporary, just until we find a cure." Professor Torps said.
"Severus, you've always been a very discrete boy, you're going to have to keep this a secret." Dracus said.
"We can't rotate students because we want to keep this as quiet as possible." Headmaster X explained.
"Don't worry, it's only temporary." Dracus assured him.
"But," Now Severus blushed, "where will we sleep? I mean, there's four other people in my room and." he trailed off.
Maybe Gryffindors had separate rooms?
"This castle has hundreds of guest bedrooms. You'll meet each other there as soon as the other people in your rooms fall asleep, with a little help from a sleeping spell. Bring a spare robe and your books. If you're at breakfast before anyone else no one will guess."
Severus's mouth flapped up and down like a fish.
"You're both dismissed, to get to know each other. Torps will show you the room."
There really didn't seem to be anything to do but get up and leave.
"Say, what's your name?" Severus asked her as they followed Torps to the room.
"Kristy Hooch." She answered shyly.
Kristy rolled over and stretched. It couldn't be morning already. She glanced out the window; it was still dark with night. Still Severus was awake and staring at the ceiling.
She brushed his dark hair away from his face.
"Did you have a dream?" She asked quietly, hesitant to disturb the silence of the room.
"Yes." He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the palm. "I was just dreaming about the first time we met in Professor X's office."
"You looked so scared!" Kristy remembered.
"I thought I was going to be expelled. I don't think I was ever that scared of anything else when I was a student here."
"I can name one other boy that was and still is terrified of being expelled." Kristy said as she settled herself into his arms.
"Must Potter always intrude everywhere?" Severus complained, but lightly.
"It's too early." Kristy told him sleepily. "Besides, it's summer holidays, you won't be seeing Potter for another four weeks."
"For that I am eternally thankful." Severus groused. He rolled over and held Kristy close. "I didn't mean to wake you up, go back to sleep." He kissed the back of her head.
She didn't notice, she was already asleep. Severus looked down at her.
Professor Torps never did manage to find a cure. He himself had investigated Potions to the point of being the world's foremost authority on Potions. No cure. They never even figured out who did it, even Dumbledore with all his talents never managed to remove the curse from Kristy.
Since that night decades ago they had not spent a night apart, except for the nights to see if the curse had been lifted.
Always, Kristy had awoken at dawn, shaking with the nightmares of her parents being killed. They were Muggles, and one night when she was five years old thugs broke into their house and slaughtered her parents. They made her watch. They would have killed her too if the Ministry hadn't intervened.
He tightened his arms around her and forced himself to sleep.
When Severus awoke he saw Kristy's hair spread over the pillow, and beyond that on the bedside table a white bit of fluff was perched.
He raised his head. It was an owl. With a letter. She hooted at him and raised her leg.
Severus sighed and reached over Kristy to untie the letter. "Go up to the owlry, I'll come get you with the reply." He instructed the large white owl. She hooted at him again and flew off through the window.
He glanced at the letter. It was in a muggles envelope and it was address to Professor Hooch. Professor Hooch was currently indisposed as she was still sleeping and was not a morning person.
He sighed. If one of her students had written during holidays it was probably important.
"Kristy, Kristy wake up." He murmured in her ear.
She snuggled farther down into the covers.
"You've got a letter."
Her green eyes popped open. "From who?" She asked sleepily, more interested in going back to sleep then her mail.
He examined it. "It doesn't say."
She took the letter from him and opened it. He read over her shoulder.
"Professor Hooch, I'm writing to you because I heard that Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore would be out of the country this summer. Vondemort was here, he gave me a message to give to Dumbledore. He's going to attack the school this summer. The Dursley's saw him and the Death Eaters and they've locked me in my room. Uncle Vernon said he would break my wand if any more magic happens here. I tried to explain to him but he won't listen. Please let me spend the rest of the summer at the castle, I can stay with Hagrid. He won't mind. Please keep Hedwig there, they've threatened to poison her. I think they will.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
There was silence when they finished reading the letter.
"He will pop up everywhere." Severus said sourly, breaking the silence.
"Severus! This is serious! Vondermort could be following him, and threatening to snap his wand! They should be brought up on charges! And poisoning his owl!" Kristy leapt up and dragged on a clean robe, "Get up, we're taking this to Albus." She ordered Severus, who was currently lounging in bed with the quilt pulled to his waist.
"Why do I have to go?" He complained, but did as she asked. He didn't like the boy but every Professor at Hogwarts knew all about the family he was forced to live with when he wasn't at school.
Wands could not be replaced. If he had any other wand and Vondemort came after him again to kill him he would be killed. This day was just getting worse and worse.
He struggled into his robe and shoes and followed Kristy down the hall. She hadn't even bothered to pull her hair up into the bun she was so fond of.
Severus caught up with her just as she was opening the gargoyle to Dumbledore's domain.
"Twix," She ordered, "What is Twix anyway? No matter." She rushed up the stairs bellowing for Dumbledore.
He came out from the false bookcase into his office.
"What's going on? Is the castle under attack?" He asked annoyed at being awakened this early on his first night back at the castle. He was still in his nightshirt.
"It's Potter!" She waved the letter under his nose. He snatched it and begin to read as Severus leaned against the door to his office, watching his wife bounce on her toes in front of Dumbledore.
"We've got to go get him!" She stated.
"Hagrid loves Harry, he won't mind watching after him for a few weeks. Yes, you've got to go get him, and if Vondermort has managed to bypass the spells we put on Harry then I think both of you should go." Dumbledore decided.
"Now wait just a minute." Severus protested.
"Yes, both of you, if you have to fend off an attack then both of you will be needed and with your unique connect to the Dark Lord, you're the best two people for the job."
"But." Severus was suddenly reminded of that day long ago in this very office when he was protesting another duty.
"No buts. Get Harry here quickly." Dumbledore ordered.
"Leave Hedwig here, and teach the Dursleys a lesson they won't forget."
Snape had to smile at that. "All right. When do we leave?"
Kristy looked at him. "Right now." She bolted down the stairs, "Wait, how are we going to get there?" He shouted after her as she ran back to their bedroom.
"Disapperate. First we'll need Muggles money, and our wands." She stopped her bustling around to look at him.
"Brush your hair-Hair!" She grabbed up her wand and cast a quick hair spell on her self to tame her curly hair and pin it up in a bun.
Five minutes later they were hurrying across the grounds to find Hagrid.
"A' course I'll keep the boy!" He bellowed, "You get him back here double quick, You Know Who's after him you know!"
Now he was shouting at their backs as they raced to the edge of the school grounds.
"How are we going to play this?" Severus asked before they left.
"Let's just knock on the door and see how it goes."
They joined hands and disapperated, focusing very hard on a certain sidewalk on Privet Drive.
They could hear shouting from the inside of the house from ten paces away.
"NO! Don't you dare!" A voice they recognized as Harry screamed.
"I will! It'll put a stop to this magic nonsense once and for all!" A male voice shouted right back.
"You can't break my wand!" Harry shrieked, then was cut off with a loud thump. Exactly like a boy hitting a wall.
Hooch and Snape looked at each other. Snape blasted the door open and stepped through. The noise had been coming from upstairs. They raced up the stairs and stopped short at Harry's doorway.
The scene that met their eyes was astounding. Shredded schoolbooks littered the floor. Spilt potions compounds lay in shattered jars, some boiling holes in the floor. Robes had been sliced into so much black material.
There was a man standing in the middle of it all with Harry's wand in his hand. He was fat, with a dumb expression on his little piggy face. A woman, his wife, was sitting on the bed with half a destroyed schoolbook in her lap. There was a boy that resembled an overweigh calf holding a match to a scroll.
Harry was slumped against the wall, unconscious.
"Oh heavens," Kristy raced over to him and tried to wake him up. "Severus, I think he's got a concussion."
Even if he didn't like the lad, he did not hold with physical abuse of children. Or destruction of private property. Or threats toward owls.
"What is the meaning of this?" Snape hissed out.
Harry's uncles' eyes bulged out. "Meaning of this! Who are you bursting into my house and interfering with how I raise my nephew-" His voice was cut off because Snape reached out with a spell and froze the Dursleys where they were.
"Harry will be the first to tell you that we do not get along, and I care for him more then you do!" The outburst surprised him; he must be losing his cruel streak.
Absentmindedly, he made a mental note to get it back before the term started.
He kept his wand trained on the frozen muggles as Kristy cast every healing spell she knew on the boy.
"Is he waking up?" Snape asked tersely.
"Yes." As she spoke Harry blinked his eyes and focused on her face.
"Professor Hooch! You came! Vondermort was here." Harry passed out again.
The two adult magicians looked at each other again, they had to get out of here!
"Severus." Kristy began to say, 'you carry him,' but he stepped in and scooped Harry up before turning to face the frozen people.
"Let's turn them into something small, green and hoppy." He suggested with a smile. He mood was lifted considerably by the expression of terror that their eyes took on.
"We haven't time, we must get him back to the school. We'll come back for them." Kristy tossed a glance of pure hatred at the Muggles. Then she looked at the floor. The books were a total write off. Some looked burned.
He was going to need new fifth year books anyway.
"Can't forget this." Kristy plucked the wand out of the uncles hand. There was tension on it. If they hadn't arrived just then he probably would have overridden the anti-snap spells on it with brute force and broken the wand.
"Wait, Potter has a cloak of invisibility, better find that." Snape said with distaste. Just what he needed, to be the one that assured that boy the cloak for another year!
Kristy rummaged around in the broken litter on the ground before she stood up with the scrap of fabric and a few of the intact scrolls and a bit of parchment that had writing on it.
"Let's go." She said, releasing the Dursleys from the spell the instant they left.
"NO! Don't break it!" He screamed as he regained consciousness at Hogwarts.
"It's all right, you're here," Hooch took his hand and squeezed it.
"My wand, he was going to break my wand," Harry gasped.
"It's here, it's safe, and we got their just on time." Hooch assured him.
Harry slumped back into bed, relaxed. "Is Hedwig here?" He asked her.
"Yes but I'm afraid that they destroyed pretty much everything else."
Harry felt moisture building up in his eyes. Hooch noticed.
"What is it?" She asked quietly.
"It's a cloak, the only thing I've got from my parents, I guess the Dursleys destroyed that too." He wiped at his eyes.
"It's here. I forgot all about it but Severus remembered."
"Sever- Professor Snape? Yes, I remember hitting the wall and the pain and then he and you came bursting through the door, I was afraid Hedwig hadn't gotten to you in time. Voldemort gave me a message. I can only repeat it to Dumbledore.
"Harry, are you sure?"
"I'm positive! He said that I was to give Headmaster Dumbledore a message and only him, he put a spell on me so I could only tell him. They he said that the next time he sees me will be when he kills me.
"Really?" Dumbledore came in and heard the last part,
"how's he planning on doing that?"
"He didn't actually say." Harry told him.
"What did he say?" Dumbledore asked curiously, like this wasn't anything particularly unusual.
"He said that he was going to destroy Hogwarts and a generation of witches and the only ones that lived would be the ones that had sided with him! He's going to kill everyone in the school!" Harry struggled to sit up.
"Calm down now, he's tried this before and it didn't succeed. He won't succeed now." He gently but firmly pushed the boy back into the bed.
"You need to sleep some more." Dumbledore cast a quick sleep spell over the boy.
"What do you think?" He turned to the other two. There were the only people at the castle now; every one else had taken off for exotic vacation spots.
"I think we ought to keep him inside and guard him until school starts again." Hooch said firmly.
"Severus?" Dumbledore turned to him.
"As much as I hate to say it, we have to watch the boy. Vondermort still has it in for him for living. Until then perhaps we should teach the Dursley's a quick lesson in children."
"Good idea. I'll leave that up to you." Dumbledore bowed his head, "Until then we'll take turns watching Harry."
Kristy squeezed Harry's hand.
"I'll leave you to guard," Dumbledore said, "I have owls to send about this to the Ministry." He walked out of the room.
"Well, I guess the second honeymoon is off." Severus observed sourly."
"Oh, we'll get away at some point. We have been married for twenty years." Kristy kissed him quickly. "Now, what are we going to do about the Dursleys?"
Severus began to smile. "I have just the idea."
As they begin to talk they didn't notice that Harry's eyes had been shut by the spell, but not his ears. His ears were burning up with what he just heard. Married?
A/N The Dursley's don't get turned into frogs- instead, something better! The next chapter will be up tomorrow.
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