Godrics Hollow

Chapter 4 Damn It

By Tracev

Harry woke with a cry, sweat dripped from him. He was on the floor having fallen out of bed. He looked at the darken room, "My god, where am I", he whispered. The curtains were green. The windows were set high in the wall with moonlight pouring through them.

"Potter" .

Harry turn to see who had whispered his name. Snape stood in the door way in his black boxers, and socks. "Can't we get through one night in peace" Snape rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he bent to help Harry to his feet.

"I'm fine..."

"Shut up Potter, I didn't ask how you were." Snape snapped yanking him to his feet, Harry crawled into the bed as Snape began to hurl the covers and pillows back on the bed. He stood there trying to work out the knots Harry had kicked the sheets into, finally wiggling out a shoe. He held it up, "Going some place in the middle of the night?"

"No" Harry replied quickly "must have just fallen asleep with them on." Snape tossed the shoe to Harry and leaned into the boy, "If you even make an attempt to leave this castle or sneak out, I'll kill you".

Harry could see the hate in the mans eyes, the pain, he was blaming him for the death of Lupin. The eyes tell such stories. Snape turned to leave the room, "Professor, I'm sorry about professor Lupin, I…didn't mean for this to happen. He..."

Harry stopped, he could see the rage building in Snapes face, the anger. Snape reached forward grabbing Harry by collar of his pajamas, pulling him forward, their faces mere inches apart, "Don't talk of things you don't know boy" Snape growl was so low, so dangerous, Harry only nodded this was the first time he actually fear Snape. Snape had scared him in the past, but this was fear, he could see the craziness, which coursed through those veins. Snapes desire to truly hurt him, kill him.

Snape dropped Harry back on the bed and left the room. "Damn kid" he muttered. The nerve of that boy trying to apologize to him for Lupin's death, as if that would ever be enough. That Boy, had takes so much from everyone he came in contact with. He took Lupin from him, Cedric Diggory from his parents, and who knows how many more he'll take from others. Falling out of bed, screams in the night. How had his Aunt and Uncle put up with this? It was going to be a trial putting up with Potter. The damn kid was wondering around all over the castle, falling asleep everywhere. The stupid kid was a mess. Unorganized, disoriented, and lost. Each day he had to hunt him down, all over the castle. Well starting how he would put a stop to that. Discipline is what Potter needed.

*****

Snape stood over Harry as he slept. The boy was clutching a shoe to his chest like a teddy bear. A picture clutched in his small hand. Snape bent over him to get a look at it, seeing it was a picture of James and Lupin and friends. He had pictures of Lupin? Snape had to repress the urge to tear the room apart looking for more pictures. He frowned, where the hell had he gotten that. The Potter house had been completely destroyed, he supposed Black could have sent it to him. Harry was curled up in a ball in the fetal position. Snape frowned again. Then prodded Harry awake with his wand. They were off to the woods today. Full moon tonight would mean that most of the flowers were ripe and ready to be picked. They also had another mission today, Silkweed was growing like crazy and it all had to be destroyed.

****

Harry came down for breakfast, sitting opposite Professor Snape. Snape eyed him, poured him some tea and then poured in a shot of Whiskey.

"A toast Potter, Happy 15th" he held up his cup as Harry picked up his cup, sniffed it and clinked his cup to Snapes. He sipped the tea and brew, not bad really, and finished it off. "Did the paper come yet".

"No"

"There's suppose to be article about me in it today".

"Yes, the life of a celebrity, I understand, want to make sure your name is spelled correctly and all" Snape smirked, he had to remain calm, composure. It had been a week since Lupin's death, a week, he would deal soon. Snape poured himself another drink, gulping in all. Harry watched with interest, as Snape poured another and then another drink. He had never seen anyone drink like this before and all before dawn.

It was slightly before dawn when they set off for the woods. Harry watched the sky. It really was an eerie time of day, the morning. To many shadows, animals were moving around. Harry follows Snape deeper into the woods. He didn't use the path but walked straight in as if he knew where he was going. Which Harry supposed he did.

Snape final settled on a part of the forest that Harry had never been to before. It was a type of farm really all the plants lined up in neat rows waiting to be harvested. He assumed that this was something that Hagrid usually did or that Professor Sprout over looked. Snape assigned him to a row to pick berries with his dragon hide gloves on. He was to keep his eyes open for Silkweed if he was to find it he was to set fire to it. Snape wandered off to another field down the way and out of sight.

Professor Snape parked him self on a large rock. He had no intentions of picking berries or anything else that would be considered work. He instead pulled out the Daily Prophet and begun to read, to try and focus his eyes finally feeling the effects of the alcohol. True to their word they had indeed run an article on Potter, Voldemort and theories of how he could be stopped. They also had run a picture of the Potter family and the house in Godric Hollow, from back in it's heyday. Snape frowned. After reading it he did what he promised Dumbledore and destroyed the paper. Potter was not to see it under any circumstance.

***

Harry and Snape headed back to the castle late in the afternoon. Professor Flitwick stood in Snapes kitchen and was icing a birthday cake. "When did you get back" Snape growled.

"Just this afternoon." Snape sent Harry upstairs to freshen up. As soon as he was out of sight, he started in on Flitwick.

"Look Filius just take him for a few days get him out of my hair. There are things I have to deal with for a few days, things I need to tie up."

"Yes Severus, I heard about Remus and I'm so sorry." He hesitated to go one with the subject Snape was always shy about his relationship with Remus. It's not that it was a secret, Flitwick knew that any relationship Snape had he would be shy about, he was such a private person. He chose his word carefully, "Dumbledore trusted you with Harry and he's been bounced around so much and it's just another month".

"Look, he's not that hard to take care of, it's just that he wakes up in the night screaming. He keeps disappearing all over the castle. I'm not good with this sort of thing."

"Severus, just use your head, we're teachers after all, you have to have some understanding of children, don't you?"

"No" Snape flinched at this, childern indeed.

"You were a child once, don't you remember, give him a hug after he falls out of bed, tell him it will be ok and then go back to bed. Isn't that what your mum would have done?"

"No, she wouldn't have."

"I'm sorry, Severus. Where is he? The cakes ready"

"I'll get him," Snape yelled for Harry. Damn he hated birthdays. "Harry" he yelled again. Got no response and stomped upstairs. Harry sat in a crumpled heap on the floor, wrapping paper littered the floor. "Potter, get a move on" Snape stood in the doorway snarling.

Harry didn't move he held his knees to his chest rocking, his face buried in them. "Potter?" Snape came into the room, "Potter"? He asked again. Then he noticed the owls sitting on the desk, the open packages that had come from friends. The small presents, wrapping paper, ribbons, cards, a small cake, and a tin of fudge. The newspaper clippings on the floor, Harry rocked clutching one in his hands. Snape bent down next to the boy looking at the article, the photo, it was of the house pre destruction and post, the graves of lost parents.

A small noise escaped the boy, it wasn't a cry but something deep in him, a growl. Hatred ready to escape. "Potter"? Snape reached for the clipping. Harry suddenly sat up "Where's the paper from today, the whole thing." His eyes were wild with rage and fury.

"It didn't come today".

"I bet it did and you hid it from me".

"Why would I?" Snape snarled.

"Because you or maybe Dumbledore didn't want me to see it. To see all the reasons Voldemorts after me. To see how big my family was? How Voldemort slowly wiped out each Potter? To see who I really am. I want to see this house, to see where my parents are buried." Harry was now screaming. He jumped up pacing the room, like a caged animal, wishing to escape, "I want to see it NOW" his fists clenched it tight knots. He looked around, the owls took flight, in the shouting.

Snape stood and as calmly as he could muster "Sirius will take you. He is your Godfather".

"And if I never see him again? Then who will take me? I want you to take me NOW".

"Then owl Dumbledore and he will take you" Snape said getting equally mad. Harry raced from the room, down the steps, where professor Flitwick stood "Harry" he calmly raised his hands, "Please this will be much easier when Dumbledore is here".

"Take me to my families house." He hovered over the small Professor. Harry was almost pleading but the angry was still in his voice.

"There's nothing there Potter" Snape said coming down the stairs "it was reduced to rubble. It's just a empty lot now."

"I want to see this empty lot then" Harry backed up, they didn't understand, their parents weren't killed like this. His eyes scanned the room. He needed away out of here. Snape blocked the stairs and Flitwick stood in front of the door, he thought of knocking him over and grabbing his broom from his room. But he knew what he had to do, the fire was already burning and always was in a potion masters house. He grabbed the bottle off the shelf and threw the Floo Powder in "Godrics Hollow" and jumped.

"Son of a Bitch" Snape sprang across the room. Grabbed the Floo Powder "Get Dumbledore" he yelled at Flitwick and jumped himself.

TBC

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