My apologies for the lateness, but I hope you like it, moving at a pace that will be consistent throughout. I only hope to make this story ten or so chapters long.
I own nothing you recognize from the originals.
There is a part in this that is Elvish, translation will be supplied below every time it is used.
Chapter two
It hurt. Everything hurt, his head was split, his eye ached and all he could think about was whether he was dead or not.
I have to be dead…
But this isn't what death is like…
How the hell would you know!?
Good point, but if I'm not dead then where am I?
Open your eyes and find out stupid.
"I wouldn't do that just yet," said a low voice. "I haven't finished the incantation." And sure enough Harry felt a cool wave of relief flow through his body. Circulating his system and coming to swell in his hurting eye, which soon became numb.
"That will take a few minutes to heal but you should be fine."
Harry's head was beginning to clear and rational thoughts were beginning to form as the pain subsided. His first thought was "Where the fuck Am I?"
His second was "Who the hell is next to me?"
And, "Wait… Where's Dudley?"
All he managed to say through his swollen lips was "Fere-em-eh?"
"I beg your pardon Mr Potter?" He asked, as he put a cool hand on Harry's burning forehead, "You have a fever… Shit, I'm not qualified for this."
"Where am I?!" Harry repeated, using what little energy he had left, noting the black cloak covering his body.
"In the alley, Mr Potter, not too far from the park. Your cousin attacked you."
"Yeah I remember," Harry replied testily, "Who are you?" There was silence for a few moments, the cool palm was removed, and as if the man was unsure he should answer, he said. "Mr Potter I am the man that was sent to look after you, it seems I failed."
Harry's heart stopped, the man? Lunging up from his lying position he clung to the body leaning over him, hanging on as if his life depended on it. "Oh God," He cried, "It's you!"
"How can you be so relieved?" The man asked. "You don't even know who "you" is yet."
Harry opened his eyes; His vision flowing in and out of focus he could see thick strands of dark hair in front of his nose and a slimy concrete wall beyond that for a moment before it all became a mush of dull colour. His fingers released the man's clothes ever so slightly as he shifted backwards to see the man's face, focusing hard, he was met with two glittering dark eyes that he was oh so familiar with. "Professor!" He gasped softly, quickly letting go and shuffling backwards to put distance between their two bodies. "I'm sorry sir I didn't realize."
Snape merely shrugged and replied with a hum as he raised his hand to Harry's eye, gently applying pressure to the soft tissue. "Are you in pain? How is your sight fairing?"
"I'm fine," Harry replied, he was still completely awe struck by the fact Severus Snape was in Surrey. "It takes a bit to keep focus, but I can see." He looked to the ground, surprised that he was lying on concrete; he couldn't feel the hard ground through the cloak he had been wrapped in. Silence met his words. "It's getting late," Snape finally replied. "I should be getting you back to Privet Drive."
"NO!" Snape was startled by the strong response. "I can't go back… I mean Dudley…"
Realization passed Snape's face; He mentally kicked himself for being so thoughtless. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder he said, "He won't harm you, nor will the others." Visibly shaking Harry nodded, and slowly stood. He leant against the concrete wall, glancing down at the kneeling man in front of him.
"How do you know that for sure?" He asked warily.
"Because," Snape said standing, he winced at the pain that shot through his back. "I cursed your cousin." Harry was shocked, this man, the man that had made his life a living hell for years, had saved his life by cursing his cousin in plain sight of at least seven other muggle boys. "The others, they would have seen you do it…"
"Yes.
Harry was at a loss for words, how? Why? But Harry's flustered musings were cut short by the look if utter exhaustion overcoming his professor, "Professor? Are you ok?" But the question was unanswered, Snape collapsed to the ground, slouching forward on his knees, landing at Harry's feet on the cloak. Harry swooped down over the man, checking for a pulse and breathing, he realized that he had passed out.
Not sure of what to do, Harry wrapped the man in the cloak, sat down and waited.
…o0O0o…
"Potter… Potter wake up! Now!"
Harry jerked awake, hitting his head on the cement wall. "OUCH!" He cried out, rubbing the back of his already tender head. "Hush boy! Do you want to kill us both?" Snape whispered. Harry's senses were slowly making a comeback, his eyes spinning in and out of focus.
"What time is it?" He asked, as he began to remember the day he'd had. Snape grabbed his wrists and hauled him up with surprising strength, flinging the cloak around the boy's shoulders.
"Late." Snape replied as he steadied himself against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose, his face contorted in pain. "We have to be careful." Taking Harry by the upper arm, he walked from the alley to the vegetation of someone's garden. They slowly made their way down the road, Snape making sure they were under the cover of darkness always. Harry was confused but followed silently, still in the grasp of the older wizard.
Suddenly Snape dropped one knee to the ground, dragging Harry down, "Did you hear that?" He whispered. Harry shook his head. "Listen…"
He heard it that time. A soft moan in the distance, deep in the shadows, then another and another... "What is that?" Harry hissed in the man's ear.
"They are why you can't leave the house at night. Come."
They darted from the greenery, crossed the road and made for Privet Drive one block away; Harry could see the front door of his relative's house. Relief filled his stomach only to be extinguished by a roar from behind.
Dark figures were coming toward them with great speed; Snape took Harry by the hand and ran toward the house, "Quickly Potter!" He called over his shoulder as they sped down the street. Harry could practically feel their breath on his skin, their footsteps a second behind their own.
Leaping over the low wall, they landed in a heap on the perfectly manicured grass of number four Privet Drive. Harry scrambled to his feet spinning around to see the horrid figures on the other side of the wall. They began to leave, melting into the darkness, all but one.
It stood, every breath a gasping whoosh, making its entire body heave in the exertion. Its flesh was neither liquid or muscle, but an oozing, bubbling mass of slime of black and grey. It stood seven feet tall, legs bent like an animal's, clawed and scaled. The head of the beast was indistinguishable from the body mass, only a mouth that would be lost in the slime unless ripped open by its own jaws. It had arms, but they also would be lost until lifted from its sides, merely lengths of the putrid flesh ending in long sharp claws, the sludge dripping on the ground.
Harry did not notice that he had begun walking toward the monster; he did not see that he was inches away from the beast, hand up and about to touch it until he was thrown back by strong arms and snapped from his reverie.
"Auta n'alaquel huan en' angamandu nala lle kena gurtha!" Snape cried, the strange words flowing from his tongue like silk. "Gad il har sina yamen!"
The creature roared, its rancid breath filling the air with its putrid scent before it turned away and disappeared like the others.
"What was that?" Harry asked for a second time, shaking violently. Snape turned to face the boy reaching forward and pulling the cloak tighter around Harry's lithe form.
"Ilmen ana e Kaleanae."He said softly, looking over his shoulder to the road. "Watcher to the Night in translation, more commonly called Draugr in Magical European history."
"You spoke to it… I couldn't understand you." Harry said quietly as Snape led him to the front door. "Yes, Elvish. Not very common nowadays but a powerful tongue none the less, it's respected by all magical creatures."
They reached the front door and Snape gave a snort at the ghastly door bell, a flower, it was bright yellow petals surrounding a button. "What are you going to do?" Harry asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Snape asked, looking away from the appliance.
"You can't go out there again." Snape looked over his shoulder with a sigh. "Stay here." Harry said, opening the door.
"Your relatives…" Snape began.
"Just get upstairs quick, they're watching T.V."
Snape walked through the door, and sure enough to his left was the door to the sitting room, two large men sitting on the settee with their backs to them, silhouetted by the television news, the reporter as calling a London wide emergency.
"News has come in that there will be a violent and unprecedented drop in temperature tonight between the hours of one and three A.M. The temperature is predicted to fall as low as negative 23 degrees, specialists say to rug up make your homes as warm as possible and do not sleep alone if at all."
A shrill voice from the kitchen called out. "Dudders, Vernon! What do you want for dessert? I have trifle or pudding!"
Snape looked back at Harry who motioned him to follow, they made their way upstairs and into a small room with little more than a bed, desk and cupboard. There were few personal possessions and no magical artifacts to be seen. Sitting awkwardly on the bed as Potter closed the door, Snape began to wonder why the hell he had stayed.
Harry walked over to the bed and sat beside his professor, feeling the tension from the man. "Are you ok?" He asked timidly glancing sideward's. Snape sighed, and turned his head to look at the boy. "My back aches, I have a migraine coming and I am magically exhausted… You?"
Harry smirked, "My head hurts, I'm still scared shitless about those things outside, but I can see… without glasses I've just realized, I'll probably start dancing tomorrow cause it's that important to me, I hated those things… but now I'm too tired."
Snape stood, and stretched, "I'll sleep on the floor, and you get some rest."
"No." Harry said defiantly. "You can't sleep on the floor, it will kill you! You heard the news; it's going to be below freezing tonight."
"Won't your family make some other sleeping arrangements for you?" Snape asked, getting a bit annoyed by his choice to stay.
"No." Harry laughed, making Severus feel rather unsettled.
Severus, pinched the bridge of his nose in thought, he was too exhausted to cast even the simplest of spells right now let alone something powerful enough to warm them from such temperatures. He sighed for the third time that night. "Fine," He conceded, "Take off your shirt, it will only insulate cold air, it's easier to share body heat if there is skin to skin contact."
Harry nodded and obeyed as he watched Severus remove his own white buttoned up shirt, remove his shoes and climb in to the small single bed with Harry, he flung the cloak over the blankets and placed his surprisingly muscular arms around him.
"We speak about this to no one." The potions Master growled, resting his chin on the raven haired boy's head.
Resting his forehead on the man's firm chest Harry grinned.
He loved erratic weather patterns…
…o0O0o…
Lol!! I'm so funny!!
Oh I wonder what will happen…?
Moo ha ha!
Elvish
-Auta n'alaquel huan en' angamandu nala lle kena gurtha! Gad il har sina yamen!
(Go back hound of hell before you see death! Stay not near this place!)
-Ilmen ana e Kaleanae
(Watcher to the night)
