A/N: I do not own anything you recognize. I also apologize for the most likely unsatisfying chapters. I'm not good at writing long chapters, and since I've started putting stuff on the site, I feel pressured to update...yeah. *rubs the back of her head sheepishly...*
Reaching down, Poppy tapped Harry twice on the cheek, firmly. His hazy green eyes opened slowly.
~*~*~*~
Harry's eyes cracked open a sliver, his breathing and posture exactly the same as it had been while he was asleep. Realizing he was no longer in any danger, he sat up slowly, massaging his throat with one calloused hand.
"I apologize about the stunner, Mr. Potter." Harry scowled at Severus, venomous green eyes flashing.
"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is not Mr. Potter, nor is it Harry. I was raised as Itazuki, and Itazuki I shall remain, no matter who my parents were!" Severus nodded stiffly.
"My apologies, Itazuki. It will not happen again." He handed the teenaged assassin a glass of water, murmuring, "The potion residue is most likely sickening, at this point. The tube would have brought all the wonderful flavours right back up as Madam Pomfrey removed it." Itazuki scanned the water with a wandless charm used to detect poisons, both obscure and obvious. Satisfied, he gulped the cool liquid.
"Where do you go from here? You're inside the building. The walls have ears everywhere you go…they will not let you waltz into a dorm or private suite and kill a resident." Poppy sighed, looking at the boy inquiringly. "The Headmaster will know if you so much as sneeze in front of a portrait. He's very paranoid right now- he cannot afford to lose you again. It will ruin all of his hard-concocted schemes."
"But if I stay, he will integrate me into the school, something I cannot afford at this point. I have other missions that must be carried out in a timely fashion. I was ordered to get into Hogwarts, assassinate the target, and get out. Unless I receive new orders telling me that this has suddenly become a reconnaissance mission, and that the target is to be taken out at a different point in time." He coughed, then grimaced. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Itazuki stood shakily, cursing himself for his weakness.
"Itazuki, where are you going? There's no way you'll get out of here without being noticed! You'll get captured." Poppy stepped forward.
"I need to get out. They know who I am, what I've been doing. I am not safe here. Do. You. Understand. Me." He grabbed his handgun off the side table and clicked off the safety, aiming at Severus. His eyes were crackling with bright, crazed fire. When he spoke again, his voice was a tinge hysterical. "They cannot find me again. They will not. I will kill as many people as it takes- they are not getting their hands on me again." Severus stepped in front of the doors. "I am telling you, Snape. Get out of my way." When the spy didn't move, Itazuki fired.
The bullet bounced off a filmy blue shield. Aiming at the weak point of the shield, the assassin fired thrice more. One shattered the shield, while the second sank into Snape's shoulder. Three times hit his shoulder again, right at the joint. The man gripped the wound, falling to the side as he yowled in pain. Poppy watched the assassin, eyes troubled. She made her decision as Snape fell to the ground, out cold.
"Itazuki. Two left, three right. Four straight, one right, two left. Keep going down. Never go up or stop." He nodded his thanks.
"For appearances, it has to look like you fought…" he trailed off. Poppy cast strong numbing charms on herself just before Itazuki fired two bullets into her ankle and left wrist. "So you couldn't run for help or use your wand." He explained simply, flicking her a casual two-fingered salute then running. She watched him run for a moment, then felt herself drift off from shock. Her body knew something was wrong, even if her mind couldn't feel it.
Poppy played the scene of the salutation in her head over and over. Her lips quirked into a slight smile. She passed out seconds later.