AN: Thanks to Yen who cleaned this one up so that it made a bit more sense. She also told me that I better explain something in my AN. So, here it is.

This story is not based on Movie Canon. It is based strictly on Book Canon until canon just falls to the wayside. That said, according to the book, Beauxbatons and Durmstrung students did not arrive until 6 o'clock Friday October 30th. There was a sign in the Entrance Hall which stipulated that one week before the event. On the 30th during the Welcoming Feast for the other two schools, the Goblet of Fire was set out and everyone was informed of the rules. They were then told they had 24 hours to get their names in. So, the champions were named on Halloween.

Hope you enjoy!

Seldom All They Seem

ō.ō&ö.ö

"So, what did you do today?" Harold flung himself onto the green sofa and prepared to study for two days' worth of material once again. Ever since they had arrived at Hogwarts, Severus was ahead two days to Harold's one. It was easier now, since Severus had him doing so since the beginning of the school year.

Turning his head slightly, Harold took in Severus' expression and growled under his breath. "What did those idiots do today?"

Severus spun about so his back was towards Harold, his hands balled tightly at his side. "Those idiotic Gryffindors hexed my broom, and I didn't know the counter charm."

Harold had long since learned to ignore the tone Severus said 'Gryffindors' when talking about the idiots that seemed to live to torment him, just as he was sure Severus had learned to ignore the growled out 'Slytherins' when Harold was talking about the Blond Prat.

"Today was your first flying lesson?" Harold shot off the sofa, crossing his arms in an attempt to keep himself from storming out in a futile attempt to find the idiots. The one time he had done that, he discovered there was nothing outside of the common room door. He moved around Severus to see his face. "You were so looking forward to it! Did you at least get a chance to fly some?"

Green eyes searched the thin face, hoping the answer was yes.

Severus sighed before he answered, "Some girl giggled for a moment, but yes, I was able to get the broom up into the air. It was as hard to sit on as the seesaw when you are doing your best to knock me off."

"In other words, you weren't as elegant as you wanted to be, but you did it. That shows you are as good if not better than the idiots, you were able to control a hexed broom." Harold squeezed Severus' shoulder before going to drop back onto the sofa. "You had a bad flying lesson, how was the rest of your day?"

"Potions was fun, as was Transfiguration." Catching the look on Harold's face, Severus stopped. "What happened to you today?"

Running a hand over his face, Harold sighed. "I goofed. I know we discussed I should do my absolute best here, but it is such a habit to do just as much as I think my cousin can handle. I blew it in Potions today. The Professor is a complete git, first off. He hates me, you can see it in his eyes, but that was no reason for me to freeze. He asked these ridiculously hard questions – things that I only know the answer to because you insisted on studying the entire potions book – but I flubbed up and couldn't answer him. At least that seemed to make him slightly happy."

Severus sat onto the sofa next to Harold. "Him hating you is a good reason for you to freeze, to act as if you don't know. That is what you do with your uncle and it has saved you more times than not."

Harold immediately felt better. He knew Severus could explain it to him. "My friend, the redhead, I am thinking of matching him. I just don't want to stand out."

Severus searched the wide green eyes for a long moment before sighing. He then pulled the table towards them, his books already stacked on it. "As I said before, I don't care what you do awake, but here I am not going to have a dunderhead as a friend. Let's get busy."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"You know it is not fair that you are on Christmas Holiday and to me it is Halloween." Harold was lying on Severus' bed, staring up at the green canopy. The time difference between them was now almost two months.

Severus looked him over from head to toe before settling on the edge of the bed. "So, what happened tonight that you would rather be on Christmas Holidays instead of getting high on sugar at the Halloween feast?"

Harold searched his mind, trying to find a way to say what he wanted without worrying Severus or giving away anything that might actually make it to the news. "The feast was interrupted. A magical creature got loose in the school dungeons and we were all sent to the dorms. Well, Books … Red insulted her earlier today and someone told us she was still crying in the girl's bathroom when the announcement came through."

Severus broke in, frowning. "And being silly impetuous Gryffindors, you two headed off to go get her and ended up facing the creature?" He didn't know whether to smirk or glare when Harry nodded solemnly.

"That about sums it up. Books might not be as crazy as I thought though. She has something besides books jammed up there, it seems."

"And this makes you long for Christmas?"

"Yep, I wouldn't have to get up tomorrow and think about classes."

Severus sat up and pulled his bag onto the bed. "Talking about class, we have holiday homework to finish, and we need to review your class material."

Heaving a sigh, Harold pulled out his homework and cast a grin at Severus. "I just learned Wingardium today."

Severus just shook his head and pushed a book over towards Harold. "That may be what you were doing in class, and I do hope you did a convincing job of acting like you had no clue how to cast it, but we are looking past that. You can work on your homework in a bit. I'm having problems with this concept in Herbology."

Looking over the material, Harry flipped the pages back a bit, dragged Severus' notes over to skim them before nodding. "Okay, this is what I get out of it."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"You may not stay. I will not agree to you sneaking sleeping draughts from the Infirmary just so you can sleep in the afternoons. I am going to go outside and visit Lils. I have to be seen by Mother and Father." Severus folded his arms over his chest, glaring at Harold who was currently sitting at his desk.

"I'm on Christmas break, you are on summer break... it isn't fair, Severus! This time stretching thing is getting annoying." Harold frowned while tracing his fingers over the scratches on the wood. If he was capable of staying in Severus' head for Christmas break, then he wouldn't have to research who Flamel was.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Harold, you have homework to write and I have summer homework to focus on. While awake. Just because we write them here doesn't mean they are written there."

Harold felt his eyes go round. "You are going into second year. I am going to be studying second year material now."

At Severus' smirk, he dropped his head to the desk. "Okay, I'll not spend all my time here."

"Let's get busy, Harold." Severus laughed at Harold's resigned expression.

ō.ō&ö.ö

Severus looked about, trying to determine what happened. Normally the semi-awake feel he had right now was associated with Harold's visits, but he wasn't in the Slytherin common room, which was where they would normally meet while at Hogwarts. His eyes widened when he realized he was in the Infirmary, and in the bed nearest him was Harold.

Striding over to it, he stared at his sleeping friend. His eyes darted over the pale face, for once missing the clunky glasses.

"Harold? What happened to you? Why are we here?" The words slipped out as Severus settled on to the edge of the mattress.

Eyelids fluttered and then dazed green eyes looked up at him, though not truly seeing him.

"Harold, what happened? Are you ..." Severus left the sentence unfinished, barely stopping himself from shaking his friend. It was clear that Harold was not alright.

Harold focused on his friend sitting on the edge of his bed, taking in the worried face in wonderment. "You came here."

Severus nodded. "Yes, I did. Now, what happened?"

"I … I was stupid, I guess." Harold searched his mind, trying to come up with some way to tell without giving away events that were certainly newsworthy.

Severus snorted at that and leaned forward. "Obviously, but how? And I don't care if this blows the whole future thing. Tell me!"

"A thief … yeah, a thief broke into the school, and well, I tried to stop him."

"You? Merlin! Of all the idiotic – why didn't you get help? Surely the professors would have helped, the Headmaster at the very least."

Harold shook his head. "I told the Transfiguration Professor, and she – uhm, she told me the Headmaster was gone. Books and Red came with me, but I faced him alone. I ..." Harold raised his hands and stared up at them.

When Severus tried to grab his hands to draw his attention back to the present. Harold jerked his hands away, half sitting up. He stared at Severus with haunted green eyes.

"Don't touch me! I – I touched him and he – he – died. Burned up or blistered or something. He didn't make it." Harold shrank back, wrapping his arms around himself.

Moving quickly, Severus wrapped his friend into a hug before Harold could react. "I'm not burning up, I'm not blistering. So, whatever it was is over."

Harold dropped his head onto the bony shoulder and let his tears soak into the worn green nightshirt. "I was so afraid, Severus!" he burst out as if he couldn't keep the words back anymore. "I wish the Professor had listened to me and got help. I wish I trusted the Potions Professor, I wish the Headmaster had been here, I wish the half-giant didn't reveal a secret to anyone!"

"And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, Harold. Though, honestly, I think they would rather eat them." Severus ran a soothing hand down the heaving back. He felt more than heard Harold chuckle.

Pulling back,Harold scrubbed his eyes and gave Severus a watery smile. "I think you are right. Poor horses."

Severus scrutinised Harold from head to toe, checking to see if he was okay. Spotting the school bag off to the side of the bed, he grinned. They both needed some normalcy, and there was nothing more normal than him bring up studying. "Ready to start on summer homework?"

Harold sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm injured! I'm in this," he waved a hand vaguely to indicate his surroundings, "place! I haven't heard what my assignments are. Don't I get a break?"

Waving that argument away, Severus leaned against the foot board. "You can just do mine from last year. I doubt it has changed much."

"I don't know. That Potions Professor of mine seems to like giving harder essays than yours."

"Do them anyway, and see if he will accept them. You have had a rough day, surely your Professor will be slightly sympathetic." Severus chuckled at Harold's snort.

"You have a lot of faith in him. Trust me, Severus, he won't care. If anything, he will be happy to give me more work."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"Hey, Severus!" Harold dropped onto his usual spot on the green sofa. "Guess what."

Severus pushed a book across the table towards Harold. "You're behind as normal?"

Harold laughed. "I will always be behind you, but I am ahead of the rest of my year." He flipped the book open and found a piece of parchment. "No, I am back! Thank you by the way."

"You're welcome, for what?" Severus looked up into the smiling green eyes. "And back where?"

"Hogwarts! I am back here after the summer holiday." Harold chuckled. "As for what? For making me study the second year material already. You know Uncle locked my books up, and then I went to Red's home, so I was barely able to get a moment to finish my summer homework. Having a working understanding of the material helped."

The gleam that filled Severus' dark eyes worried Harold just a bit and made him wonder if he had said too much.

"Good, since this is year three for me. We are going to be working on Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Herbology, Potions, History of Magic, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. Oh, and Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Severus grinned at Harold's loud and theatrical groan.

ō.ō&ö.ö

"They just attacked you out of nowhere? Where was a Professor? Surely you have at least one who always shows up when a wand is pulled to get someone in trouble. I have my Potions Professor, you have to have someone." Harold fumed as he tried to inspect the worst of the bruise that was blooming over Severus' back.

Pulling his shirt down, Severus turned about so that he could see Harold. "No, we don't have anyone like that. For once, I envy you your Potions Professor."

Harold snorted. "Not for once. You love his assignments. 'They make you think.' That is what you said last night."

"They do." Severus gingerly sat on the edge of the sofa.

"Have you taken anything for the pain? Have you gone to the Infirmary? The Idiotic Gryffindors, what happened to them?" Even as he asked, Harold knew Severus hadn't told any of his professors about the tripping jinx that was cast on him while he was on the stairwell.

ō.ō&ö.ö

"What happened this year?" Severus gently guided Harold to the sofa as he watched him carefully taking in the scratches on his face and hands.

Harold closed his eyes only to snap them open again. The image of the basilisk seemed to be burned onto the back of his eyelids. His body still ached from the fight despite the hot shower he had had, and all he wanted was to tell Severus everything that happened. Unfortunately, it once again fell into the future altering information.

"Well, you remember me talking about the idiot Defence Professor?" It was as good a place as any to start.

Severus nodded. "Even though I keep changing Professors, at least mine know what they are talking about. Yours are imbeciles. What did this one do?"

Harry rubbed his hands on his blue striped pajama trousers. The striped bottoms and top were the ones that he always seemed to appear in their dreams, just as Severus was always in a dressing robe covering a long night shirt.

"Well, you remember the spiders," Harold paused until Severus indicated he did, "they were afraid of a large snake that had invaded the school. The Defence Professor was going to run instead of facing the snake. When Red and I confronted him about that, he tried to cast a memory charm on us. I will say I am grateful the Potions Professor taught us that Expelliarmus charm."

"Harold, are you saying you, instead of the Defence Professor, went to face the snake?" Severus sank on to the sofa beside him and shook his head in disbelief. "One that the admittedly idiotic Professor was fleeing from instead of facing?"

"No." Harold grinned unrepentantly. He knew it probably wasn't a smart move, but Severus' concern warmed him. "We took him with us. Any rate it was a big fight and I was bitten by the snake." He decided not to mention Tom's memory or the diary.

"Was it poisonous? You must have gotten to the Infirmary on time." Severus' eyes were wide as he looked Harry up and down again, as if checking for a wound.

Harry just smiled, knowing he couldn't say anything about Fawkes. Severus seemed to guess as much for he just sighed and shook his head.

"Let me guess, Red and the Defence Professor didn't quite make it to the fight, did they?" At Harold's head shake Severus fell back against the sofa's back. "That means you are in the Infirmary once again. How are you going to study for exams?"

Harold shrugged and pulled out his school bag. "With you?"

"You are helping me with mine, right?" Severus opened the bag and glared at the hopeless mess that was inside.

"Of course. Fourth year material. Me, a little second year, will be very helpful with that." Harold laughed at the look he received. It felt good to laugh after the huge fight he had had with the basilisk… the very close call he had had and the things he had learned.

ō.ō&ö.ö

"The Divination Professor saw a Grim in my teacup. At least that is what she said it looked like. To me it looked like an ink-splatter." Harold spun about, his gaze ghosting over the familiar furniture of the Slytherin common room.

"A Grim?" Severus flipped open Harold's book, looking for the meaning. "An omen of Death? Harold, you are not going to die." He absolutely forbade it, he told himself silently.

"You don't know that." Harold tried not to huff out his answer.

"I know because she said you were. Divination is a complete fraud. Why did you take it?" Severus leaned back watching the emotions play across the other boy's face.

Harold pressed his lips together, refusing to let Severus see the relief he felt at those scathing words. "Why? Because you need to learn something, too."

"Harold, I am studying for my OWLs, I am learning something."

"And now you get something new. At least I didn't pick Muggle Studies."

Huffing as he grabbed his books, Severus settled down into his normal spot. "At least."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"Severus? Severus where are you?"

Harold walked around the Slytherin common room and finally spotted him hunched in a high backed chair with a low seat near the fireplace. One look at the emotional face had Harold dropping to his knees in front of Severus and pulling him into his arms. "What happened? It wasn't the Idiotic Gryffindors, was it?"

Severus' voice was muffled when he answered. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't care, talk." Harold pulled back just enough to look into Severus' face. "If it messes up the future, who cares? You are more important. Now, what happened?"

Moist black eyes met searching green before shifting to look at the fireplace behind Harold. "I… I did something stupid."

Harold waited. By this time, he knew that waiting was the only way to get the complete story.

"I finished the DADA OWL exam, and was out looking over the material in the shade of the bushes near the lake." Severus' voice faltered.

Harry waited again, rubbing small circles on the bony back. He saw the black eyes close and Severus licking his lips before speaking again.

"I should have been on my guard, but I wasn't. The Idiotic Gryffindors attacked me as I was leaving – used my own spell against me, 'Levicorpus' – and then proceeded to - to humiliate me. I thought that was bad enough, but then Lils came over and… the worst part was when she defended me and I… I – I called her a-a mudblood. She won't forgive me. She has washed her hands of me, and I am sure you are going to do the same."

A single tear slipped out from one of the tightly closed eyes and trailed down a pale cheek. Harold tracked its progress as he held still, keeping his arms right where they were. What did he feel about this?

He felt mad at the Idiotic Gryffindors.

He felt upset at Severus for falling back on a term that was clearly derogatory and one that he himself despised.

But he also felt sympathy for Severus, since he did know what it was like to be humiliated and made fun of. The silence stretched between them as he thought his way through his feelings.

"You can leave. I understand why you wouldn't want to remain."

Severus' hushed voice shook Harold out of his contemplation. "Are you kidding me? I am not going anywhere. You were mad, upset that they embarrassed you and that Lils saw you when you couldn't protect yourself. You wanted to lash out at something, anything and you took the most hurtful way to do it. Makes sense to me. Lils should understand too, just give her sometime to cool off."

Severus opened his eyes and took in the sincerity that filled his friend's face. He took a tentative breath, feeling a tiny wellspring of hope melting a bit of the icy despair wrapped around his heart. "You are sticking around, even though it is clear that I am 'heading down a dark path, mixing with the wrong people, and becoming evil incarnate'."

"Evil incarnate?" Harry repeated in disbelief. "Not even my Potions Professor is that, though he is close. No, that would be someone like a … Dark Lord or something. You aren't there yet, Severus."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"It is Christmas break! I am not taking the tests you just did. No, Severus, I am still in third year - I Do Not Have To Take OWLs yet." Harold stormed about Severus' room, glaring at the taller teen who was on summer break.

"You said you would do them if Lils didn't forgive me." Severus folded his arms, blocking the hurt that still sat deep within him. "She hasn't. The parchments await you on my desk. You can do two each day until you are done."

Dropping into the desk chair, Harold looked at the parchments waiting for him and pushed his fingers through his hair. "She didn't? But, she's your friend. Friends don't drop someone just because they said something when they were mad."

"No? Obviously they do when you are a Slytherin who knows too much about the Dark Arts." Severus waved the topic away. "Get writing, and I expect you to do as well as I did."

Scooping up the quill, Harold shook his head. "Not expecting much, are you? I mean...I haven't attended these classes, I only worked on the material with you."

"You'll be fine, Harold, get busy."

"What about summer homework?"

"After you've passed your OWLs."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"I always knew one of them was a monster!" Severus whipped about, his steps carrying him to the common room door before he spun about and continued back to the fireplace.

"I thought all four of the Idiotic Gryffindors were monsters, Severus." Harold wrote the next line on his essay, scanning over his book, hoping to find something about the potion that would keep Snape happy with his work, enough to pass him at least.

"A werewolf, Harold! One is a werewolf. He tried to kill me." Severus growled out as he flung himself down onto the sofa. Grabbing Harold's work to distract himself, he scanned it over, shaking his head. "You need more information on how the different ingredients interact with each other. This Professor of yours grades stricter than mine does."

Harold grabbed the parchment and ran an accessing eye over his friend. "You were almost killed?"

Pulling the parchment back, Severus spread it out on the table between them. "Yes, but I don't want to think about it anymore. The Headmaster said I wasn't allowed to discuss it, so I will not do so. Let's get this up to an 'A'."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"You just bring your wand up like this and then say 'Expecto Patronum'." Harold held his wand aloft showing the motion before turning about to look at Severus. "You have to think of and hold in your mind a really happy thought. One that is so bright that there are no shadows left inside you when you think of it."

Severus raised an eyebrow at that. "And I am supposed to have a thought like that?"

Laughing, Harold shook his head. "I guess no one does. Just a really happy thought or memory. Now, give it a try."

"Why are you learning this spell? I looked it up yesterday, and it is one that you don't learn until after NEWTs. Most people can't even cast it. You, as you like to point out, are a third year." Severus searched Harold's face looking for a clue to see if there was some reason.

Dropping his wand arm, Harold sighed. He had spent all day today trying to come up with a reason he wanted to practice the Patronus charm with Severus, and he couldn't come up with one. 'Wait – his NEWTs … I can use that!'

"I thought it would bring in extra points on your tests. I was trying to find something that would be different but useful. I asked my current Defence Professor - you know the one that is actually good - to help me, and he agreed."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"It is the end of your school year, so what big event happened this time?" Severus watched as Harold settled on the floor and leaned back against his chest of drawers.

Harold shot a frown towards Severus who just flopped back on his bed. "Hey! It isn't as if I try to get involved in these things."

"Chasing thieves, tracking down venomous snakes... what was it this year?"

Harold sighed. "Almost capturing a serial killer with a vendetta and freeing that magical creature the Blond Prat got sentenced to death. I did well on my exams, though."

"Harold..." Severus took in the tired look and sighed as well. "Doing all of those should tell you why you are in Gryffindor, and it had nothing to do with convincing the Hat."

ō.ō&ö.ö

Harold sank onto the sofa, his green eyes wide with shock.

Severus looked up from the parchment he was scribbling on, NEWTs were this year. "Harold? What happened? Too many sweets at the Halloween feast?"

"I wish." Harold shook his head and stared at Severus. "You remember I mentioned that some big game was happening at the school, right?"

Severus nodded. "And that only seventh years could participate. As it is Halloween, and we both know that that day gives you the worse luck out of the whole year, I am going to assume you are now somehow involved?"

At Harold's slow nod, Severus' eyebrows went up.

"You're competing?"

When Harry nodded again, Severus growled lightly under his breath. "So, we have our NEWTs to study for and you have a competition to get through."

Harold jumped up from the sofa. "I am a Fourth Year! No NEWTs for me."

Severus jumped up as well, leaning close to Harold's face as he enunciated clearly, his tone low and menacing. "You are in a competition for upper years. You will be studying and understanding NEWT material. I am not going to have you dead when I could have stopped it from happening."

He waited for Harold to reply but all the other teen did was stare up at him in shock. "Good, now let's get started."

With a gentle hand, he pushed Harold back onto the sofa and then sat down next to him, pulling his books closer. "I think we should continue with Charms. They tend to be useful and you don't have to track down that Potions Professor to watch you brew them. Transfiguration will be next."

Harold looked down at the book, his teeth worrying his lower lip. Taking a settling breath, he looked back up at Severus. "Thank you. Thank you for staying with me."

"Who left?" The question was sharp.

"Red. Just like Lils..."

ō.ō&ö.ö

"I am not going to take the NEWTs, I am not ready for those – no matter what you think, Severus." Harold dropped into a convenient seat in the room he had found himself in. There was a narrow bed, a chest of drawers that looked to be in as bad a shape as the one at Severus' childhood home, and a long table. Harold was certain that it was there to practice potions on and doubled as a desk.

Severus shook his head. "I really think you can, but I won't make you do it yet. How is your competition going?"

"I got through the first part, am figuring out how to do the second and also worrying about the third. How is the apprenticeship?"

Severus sank onto the small bed and smiled while absently stroking his left forearm. "It is good. Tough with lots of rules and regulations. Master Dankworth is an interesting person, with a lot of knowledge that I wish to understand."

Harold barely heard all that. Eyes narrowing, he moved with lightning speed, pushing Severus' left sleeve up before the other could stop him; Severus was known to hide an injury. Harold felt his eyes widen as the blood drained from his face. There, on his friend's arm, was the Dark Mark – black and menacing, the flesh around it swollen and red.

He sank to the floor, ripping his gaze away from the mark to look up at Severus' face. Dark eyes were scanning his face as if trying to read his thoughts and feelings.

"I take it you know what this is? And you do not agree with it." Worry and defensiveness was palpable in Severus' tone.

Harold nodded slowly. "It is the mark of the Dark Lord … the one who killed my parents." He felt his eyes go even wider as Severus paled. "No - I shouldn't have said that! Severus – forget I said that."

In a tight voice, Severus answered. "No, I would rather know. Are you positive he was the one who did it? There have been many Dark Lords in history."

Harold stared at the mark he had only learned about this past summer. Grasping at straws, knowing that he was most likely wrong, he replied. "True, it is a unique mark, but it might not be his." Shaking his head, he let the sleeve drop back down, covering the skull and snake. "Why did you join up with the Dark One?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at the name, but let it slide. "Muggles, Harold – look at your Aunt and Uncle, look at my Father. I think there needs to be more separation between the two societies. No matter what he calls himself, he isn't truly dark. He just wants to protect us from the worst Muggles by separating our worlds even more."

Harold pulled his legs close to his chest and rested his head on his knees. "What about Muggleborns, like Lils and Books? Should they just die, or vanish, or not be allowed to use magic?"

Severus frowned slightly and then shook his head. "No, the Dark L – One wants them to be fostered by a magical family. I think it would be best for them. They will not be at as much of a disadvantage when they come to school or when working in the Wizarding world."

"So, kidnap them from their families, possibly use a memory charm if he is being nice, and then put them with someone else to raise?" Harry could hear the anger he was trying to keep from showing in his voice.

"Harold." Severus folded his arms against his chest and compressed his lips together for a long moment before continuing his thought. "If this change is too much for you, if you can't handle who I am..." He trailed off as he stared off into the distance.

Harold rested his forehead on his knees and trembled, internally railing at the wrongness of it all. 'How could Severus do this?! How could he go dark like this, evil? How could he be so Slytherin?'That last thought caused an old memory to pop up. 'The Sorting Hat said he was like Salazar, and this is definitely like him. That old snake left the other three based on a Muggle disagreement.' The conversation they had held, the assurance he had given Severus at that time, resounded in his head. 'Once he sees what Voldemort is really like, he won't want to be a part of it. He will leave them, or find some way to escape. I know Severus, he isn't evil.'

Lifting his head, Harold gave Severus a resolute look. "I can handle it. You are you. If this is what you have to do, then it is what is to be done."

Severus felt his insides sag in relief.

Harold continued, purposefully changing the subject. There was no way he could continue hearing the lies that Voldemort – yes, he knew it was him - had fed his friend. "I am not studying for your mastery. Nope, Potions is just not my passion. So, you are stuck helping me figure out where to get some Gillyweed. Red, Books and I looked all night for another way."

Blinking slowly, Severus wondered why Harold needed it. "You could ask your Potions Professor. I am pretty sure he has some in stock. And Red is back?"

"My Potions Professor, remember? He wouldn't lend me a stirring rod unless it was to save my life, and then he would chuck it at me. Yes, Red is back." Harold smiled, feeling a tiny bit happier at the one piece of good news he had. "The first part of the competition showed him I didn't want to be in this thing – proving that some redheads are better than others."

Severus frowned slightly before banishing it from his face. "I am glad that he returned. You could mail order from an Apothecary."

Harold sighed. Too bad that he didn't have time for that, the next task was in the morning.

ō.ō&ö.ö

"Harold?" Severus watched as his friend curled up into a small ball, rocking back and forth on the floor.

"Go away, Severus." The words were spoken without heat. There was barely any inflection at all.

Severus crouched onto the ground, looking at the dark head that was buried into the knobby knees. Every line screamed of defeat, of sadness and depression.

"No." He answered with a tone filled with a quiet conviction. Harold had not left him, even over things that they didn't agree on. Well, he was not going to leave Harold, even if the younger man ordered him to.

Severus watched as Harold's head shot off his knees, green eyes glaring at him. "Now, tell me what happened. Every end of year gets worse, so I am now going to assume that someone either died or was seriously injured."

Harold stared long and hard at him, his arms trembling with the force that they were being clamped about his knees with. His lips were pressed thin, and Severus could read the struggle in the pinched face. Whatever happened was definitely on the don't speak about list, but as usual, he knew that they would, and in a manner that he would not know the particulars. He did his best not to look up any of the things mentioned. He didn't want to lose Harold.

Severus rocked back on his heels when Harold shot up to his feet and stormed about the room. He watched his friend and waited for the explosion; his patience was soon rewarded.

"You assumed right. Someone died. To make it worse, a Dark Lord was the one who ordered it." Harold spat the words out as he glared at Severus' left arm for a moment. The tone quickly changed, self-recrimination filling it instead. "I stood there and watched it happen! I should have done something, shielded him, pushed him out of the way… something besides stand there like an idiot." The last words were sobbed out.

Severus felt like someone had punched him in the gut. A Dark Lord, his Dark Lord if Harold's glare meant what he thought it meant, had killed one of Harry's fellow students. The horror of the things he had seen happen, things he wasn't supposed to see, things that were hidden from the lower ranking Death Eaters, caused his stomach to twist and his gorge rise. He had tried to turn a blind eye, but ever since Harold had commented that a Dark Lord – his Dark Lord – killed his parents, Severus couldn't. Now, this was just another thing that added to the evidence that Voldemort was not who he professed to be.

Pushing his rising doubts aside, Severus concentrated on the issue at hand. Harold thought it was his fault that this person died and he couldn't be more wrong. "No. The Dark One killed – or ordered the death of someone and you witnessed it."

When Harold continued to glare at him, eyes shining with angry tears and fists balled up, Severus waited for the blow to land, sure he deserved it if for no other reason than being fooled into making a mistake. It didn't come.

"I am assuming the Killing Curse was used?" It was one of the Dark One's favourite curses behind closed doors. Ones that Severus was not supposed to see behind. A tight nod was his entire answer. "I know you have not seen this curse thrown, at least I hope not."

Harold snorted. "The newest Defence Professor made the Unforgivables our first lesson. He killed a spider with that curse. Right in front of us."

Severus waved that away. "It is not the same as seeing it thrown at a person. Harold, it isn't your fault that this death occurred. There is no way you could have shielded against it, no way to have moved fast enough to knock the other out of the way and still remain alive. Just no way it is your fault."

Bleak green eyes looked at him. "I am the reason they killed him. I am the reason he was even there. We tied ... and so I made sure both of us got the prize. If I had known it was to face the Dark One, I would have made sure both of us accepted defeat."

"Someone else had to make it so he could be there." Severus shot to his feet and leaned as close to Harold as the teen would let him. "It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. Get that through your thick Gryffindor skull."

Harold stared at Severus, belatedly realizing that his friend was not amongst those Death Easters in the graveyard that night. Was Severus the faithful one who came when he was summoned, was he the one lost, was he the one who ran, was he in Azkaban, was he dead, or was he one of the ones that Voldemort didn't bother to talk to? He didn't want him to be any of those. Severus had to survive and become someone who had won. Who had lived in spite of the Voldemort. 'If I had to choose, I want him to be a silent one. One that is so far in the background that Voldemort doesn't even notice him.'

Blinking, what Severus was saying finally sank in. "It isn't my fault? You honestly do not think it was my fault?"

Severus shook his head as he pulled the now calmer teen into his arms. "There is no way it was your fault. The Dark One is a nasty bugger. It was his fault and don't you forget that."

Resting his cheek against the thin warm chest, Harold felt the first true smile in days pull at his lips. Severus just called Voldemort a nasty bugger. His friend was on the road to getting out.