Chapter 14- 'trouble usually finds me'

It was March and Rose was already studying for her exams even though they were two months away. Of course, Albus and James expected nothing less of their cousin and consequently they didn't annoy her when she was doing her work. Although Albus, James and Rose had made friends in their own years and with their own gender, they never had more fun then when they were together. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny knew this and were thoroughly surprised, not so much by Al and Rose's close friendship, but with James. As the eldest, Harry was sure he would by dying to get away from his younger brother and cousin and although James still teases Al and hangs out with his friends occasionally, life in the Gryffindor common room wasn't the same unless all three of them were there. Of course, the adults had no problem with this and were happy that the children had each other for help and friendship.

Since the children went back to Hogwarts after the Christmas break, which let's face it, was eventful, there hadn't been another Dementor sighting. Although Harry and Ron always had the Dementors in the back of their mind, they didn't think about it much anymore; perhaps Greyback had stopped trying to get past Hogwarts' defenses? Snape was thinking along similar lines. Although he was still skeptical about the way Greyback was smiling at him and his seeming determination to cause havoc, Snape hoped that by some lucky chance, Greyback had lost his nerve.

Since the beginning of the new year, Minerva had several children begging her to invite Harry to give another speech in front of anyone who wanted to listen and not just fifth years. Minerva tried to say 'no', but after one hundred pupils asked her the same thing, there was little she could do but oblige. She wrote yet another letter to Harry requesting that he give another talk. Of course, Harry couldn't say no because he knew how much it would mean to his children and no doubt it would take a lot of pressure off Minerva's shoulders. But more importantly, Harry enjoyed talking to the students and would never say 'no' to another journey to Hogwarts.

Minerva announced to the students, after receiving Harry's reply that Mr. Potter would be coming in a few days to give another speech. The students were unbelievably excited and it was all they could talk about. But Albus noticed that although Scorpius was trying to appear interested, he also seemed a little worried about the occasion. Albus, Rose and James agreed that perhaps, after everything Scorpius' father had told him about Harry, Scorpius was worried that Harry may single him out because of his dislike of Draco. Although Scorpius enjoyed attention, they concluded that he wouldn't want to be embarrassed in front of the whole school. Nevertheless, it was clear that Scorpius was looking forward to hearing Potter's story because his father was never able to give him a complete recount of the events twenty years ago.

Snape had of course noticed the change in the school atmosphere when Minerva announced Harry's returning to Hogwarts and sneered; he couldn't believe how excited all these children were to hear about it. To be honest, Snape was getting sick of hearing about Voldemort, the Death Eaters and all the people that died. These children saw it as something exciting and entertaining whereas to Snape and to the staff, it was their life, not a story…

When Minerva announced that Harry was going to give his talk after dinner on Friday night the students went ballistic; they couldn't imagine a more perfect 'bedtime story'. Snape couldn't believe what he was hearing in the corridors and vowed that under no circumstance would he listen to Harry's talk again, especially because he didn't want to see how much the students were enjoying it; there was nothing to enjoy, only remember.

At six pm on Friday night, Albus was sitting in the common room reading his potions text book because he hadn't started his assignment for Professor Slughorn yet. Also he was waiting for Rose to arrive so that they could work on it together before Harry's talk; like his father, Al had realised the advantages of having a friend around to help.

Suddenly, Albus heard a tapping at the window. An owl was carrying a letter for him and staring at him and Albus had no doubt that it was for him. Opening the window, Al reached out and pulled the letter off the owl's leg and watched it fly away. Albus then closed the window and sat on the comfy chair next to the fire. He opened the parchment and read:

Dear Albus,

I am at Hogwarts now, but I am a bit early as I'm not meant to start my talk until after dinner. Anyway, before I do my talk, there's something I want to show you. I'm going to meet you just outside the castle doors so the other students won't see me, I wouldn't want to cause too much fuss yet.

Professor McGonagall knows you're coming with me for a short while.

See you soon,

Love Dad.

Excited, Albus folded the letter, put it in his pocket and exited the Gryffindor common room. Running down the many flights of stairs, Albus bounded for the front door and almost ran into Scorpius.

"Sorry," Albus said, moving just in time to avoid hitting his classmate.

"Where are you going?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"I can't tell you," Albus replied. "Anyway, I've got to go," Albus continued cheerfully and turned towards the door. Scorpius walked away, a little concerned, but Albus simply smiled; he couldn't wait to see his dad and didn't care if Scorpius was disapproving of his actions.

Albus reached for the door and opened it expecting to see his father standing there. But there wasn't anyone on the stairs. Albus closed the door quietly behind him and walked around the grounds of Hogwarts calling for his father. But no response came and Albus was getting worried that perhaps something happened to his dad.

Finally he saw a Patronus through the bushes and into a clearing Albus had never been to before. He noticed that it was his father's Patronus, a stag. Albus ran over to it, shouting with excitement for he couldn't wait to see his dad again. But as he got closer, he realised it was simply a bright light been conjured by a wand and that up close it wasn't a stag at all, but a cloud of white mist. Albus looked around and realised that he didn't recognise any of the surroundings except the castle, which was behind him. The place was dark now that the white cloud had disappeared and Albus was extremely wary for any source of sound or movement. Turning around to run back to the castle, Albus stopped suddenly; he could hear a rasping noise like a corpse was trying to take a breath. Albus could feel goosebumps on his arms and he began to shiver, not only because he was scared but because he was cold. He couldn't see anything except blackness.
"Dad! Dad, help me!" Albus yelled as he continued to spin around sensing the breathing and the presence of another creature, but he didn't know what it was. Albus was starting to feel weak and helpless, like he'd never be happy again and as the half moon peered through the clouds, Albus saw the bony hand of a Dementor reach for him, but Albus scrambled away and continued to yell for help.

Harry was back where he loved to be- Hogwarts. He just arrived in the landing where he and Lily were on the 2nd of September the previous year. But the sound of yelling attracted Harry's attention more than anything had in so many years. He knew that voice- Albus!

Harry ran towards the castle, following his son's voice. Panic like nothing Harry had ever experienced rose up within him.

"Albus! Where are you, Albus?" Harry called and he continued to search the area. Finally up ahead, Harry saw six Dementors surrounding a crouched figure Harry knew to be his son and ran towards the boy. But suddenly another figure ran past Harry, knocking him over and although it was dark, Harry knew the person was Greyback. The figure reached Albus and bent over the boy.

Harry froze.

Never had Harry froze in such a situation, but as he looked at the Dementors surrounding his son and Greyback, Harry didn't even want to know how much damage Greyback could do to his son in such a short amount of time. But when Albus' hand shot up in the air, as if trying to fight back, Harry came back to his senses.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled, but only a cloud of silver came out of his wand.

Come on, master yourself. You've done this a thousand times, this time is no different.

And yet a little part of Harry knew that this time was different. His son could be gravely hurt- dead at any moment. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without Albus. But his son was still alive; he had to do his best or he'd never forgive himself.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled even louder this time, urging himself to think of a happy enough memory, but nothing was working.

Having heard Harry's second outburst, Greyback stood up from where he was struggling with a fighting Albus and told the Dementors to attack Harry. Harry watched as the dark, looming figures glided towards him. He tried again to produce a Patronus, but all Harry could focus on was the small body lying down on the grass some twenty meters away from him. He could only expect the worse. As the Dementors floated even closer, Harry started to feel clammy, weak and dizzy. He hadn't faced a Dementor in almost twenty years and still he couldn't believe just how much the creatures affected him. He could distantly hear Voldemort's high pitched laugh, but he tried to remain conscious; he couldn't black out because then his son would be dead without a doubt.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry whispered as he sunk to his knees; all he could think about was his youngest son and how he had failed him, failed as a father. The Dementors closed in around Harry; they were absorbing all of Harry's happy thoughts so that he had nothing left but his worst memories.

Harry passed out.

"Where's Mr. Potter, he's supposed to be here, isn't he?" One of the students asked his friend as they walked past Snape just outside the Great Hall. Snape knew for a fact that Potter would never be late for such an occasion, so Snape went out of the front doors and immediately noticed something was wrong. He could feel their presence, even from so far away and knew that only Dementors could create such a feeling of hopelessness in the air. Knowing that the Dementors couldn't have entered the school grounds, Snape wasted no time and ran towards the dark figures that were looming just beyond the boundaries Minerva had set up for the protection of the students. It only took Snape a split second to recognise both Harry and Albus' bodies lying on the ground, the Dementors surrounding the former before Snape yelled:

"Expecto Patronum!"

Snape watched as his doe gracefully leapt out of his wand and galloped towards the Dementors which backed off and glided into the forest. But Snape's worries didn't end there, for a figure was now running towards Potter, a flask of green liquid held in the man's hand. Snape recognised the man to be Greyback and was grateful that tonight wasn't a full moon. Snape watched as Greyback knelt down beside Potter and opened the cork of the vial.

"Sectumsempra!" Snape yelled, as he pointed his wand directly at Greyback. But Greyback knew Snape was watching him and knew he would attack and consequently leapt to his feet just before the curse reached him. The werewolf knew he didn't have much time to get the job done, so he took the risk and knelt down next to Potter again, forced Harry's mouth open and tipped the potion down his throat. He left Harry choking on the liquid as he Apparated, yet another thing the man had learnt in the last twenty years. But Snape didn't care that Greyback got away. He looked over at Albus, who had his eyes open filled with both tears and fear. But Snape could tell that apart from a few gashes and bruises, the boy was physically undamaged. He then turned to the boy's father and used a spell to ease Harry's choking, but had no way of forcing Harry to regurgitate the potion; it was too late- whatever that potion was, it was going to affect Potter. Snape ran over to Harry and bent down next to him and placed his finger tips on the man's wrist. There was still a pulse, which was a good sign. There were several things Snape could do to try and wake Potter, but he didn't have the supplies and because he didn't know what Greyback had forced Harry to drink, he didn't want to risk causing any more damage.

Sitting down on the grass, it took Snape a couple of minutes to realise what had just happened. Thinking about Minerva and the students who were waiting for Potter, Snape decided that for the first time, he was going to reveal his Patronus to Minerva. He used the enchantment Dumbledore had taught him to vocalize his message in his Patronus:

I have found Albus and Potter. He will not be able to give the talk. I have it under control. Keep all the students inside the castle.

Snape hoped that not too many people would hear the message, but such worries were not preoccupying his mind at present, for the main concern was that the students remained indoors and that no one distracted them until Snape knew for sure what potion Harry had consumed. After sending his Patronus off, Snape conjured a blanket with his wand and placed it over Harry, hoping the man would become conscious soon. He then walked over to Albus who was still lying on the ground, curled up and clearly afraid.

"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, bending down so that he could get a good look at Albus.

Albus simply nodded; there was nothing else he could say as he continued to stare at his father's motionless body.

"Your father is not dead," Snape whispered to the boy, hoping that that would comfort him in some way. "He'll be okay, we just have to wait until he wakes up," Snape continued, wondering if Albus was hearing him at all.

Albus nodded again, but continued to stare blankly at his father.

Snape stood up from Albus and walked back over to Harry, just as he heard Potter groan- he was awake.

"Potter, can you hear me?" Snape said urgently for he had no idea what potion Greyback could have possibly created and hoped it wasn't some nonsense, self-created concoction.

Harry didn't open his eyes and continued to moan; he couldn't hear Snape at all.

Snape was about to ask for a second time if Harry could hear him, when Harry yelled:

"Mum! Dad! Run! He's coming! Voldemort's coming! Stop playing with my toys and run! Get out! He's going to kill you!"

Snape froze to the spot as he watched Harry's face change from panic to sadness and fear.

"He will kill you and then Dumbledore's going to send me to the Dursley's and I hate it there! They'll abuse me and never tell me the truth about Voldemort. Please please please get out of here! I don't want to do this all over again!" Harry pleaded and Snape could see tears sliding down Harry's face despite his eyes remaining closed.

Snape then turned to look at Albus who was now sitting up and yelling.

"Dad? Dad, are you okay?" Albus sobbed. Hearing his father in so much pain was just torturing the boy.

"If you live then I'll continue living with you, my parents and I'll be happy! Together we could fight Voldemort and perhaps then Sirius and Dumbledore wouldn't have died. But please listen to me! I don't want to do this alone!" Harry yelled between his sobs.

"Why can't you hear me? Listen to me! It's me, Harry! Look out the window; Voldemort is coming! Please get out of the house or hide or do something! Don't keep playing with my toys, Dad!" Harry screamed in panic. Snape couldn't remain silent anymore; he had to do something.

"Potter!" Snape yelled over Harry's cries of anguish. "Potter! It isn't real! Wake up!"

"Dad, wake up!" Albus pleaded with his father, who couldn't hear either of them. Wanting to get closer to his dad as if hoping to comfort him, Albus stood up and walked towards them.

"Stay where you are, Mr. Potter," Snape yelled, wanting to make sure Albus didn't get too close incase something went wrong.

"No! I want to be with my Dad!" Albus yelled at his Professor with tears in his eyes. "I don't care if you give me detention! I want to be with him!" Albus continued as he began to sob.

"Run! He's coming through the front door. Please save yourselves; I need you!" Harry begged as he sobbed still harder.

"Stay away from my parents!" Harry yelled, presumably at the Voldemort only he could see in his mind. "Hey, Voldemort! Listen to me! Why can't anyone hear me?" Harry demanded of Voldemort who apparently didn't hear or answer him.

"Dad!" Harry yelled as he sobbed. "No! No! I told you to run away, I told you! Mum! Save yourself! Don't worry about me. Don't go upstairs to my room! He'll catch you, you know he will and then you'll die and I'll have no one!"

Snape shook Harry hard, trying to get the man to wake up from the terrible vision he was having.

"Potter! Wake up! It isn't real!" Snape yelled again, hoping against all hope that the man would hear him.

"Wake up, Dad!" Albus yelled as he ran towards his father.

"Mr. Potter! I told you to stay where you are!"

"But my Dad is sick and I want to help-"

"Mr. Potter, it may be dangerous I need you to stay away until your father comes out of this trance."

"What if he never wakes up? What if he stays like this forever and it's all my fault?"

Snape looked into Albus' eyes realizing that he didn't know exactly what happened before he arrived. Is it possible that the boy walked out of the school grounds and was then attacked by Greyback and the Dementors? Did Harry come to save his son just in time?

"He's going to be fine, Mr. Potter," Snape asserted, though he didn't know if what he was saying was in fact true.

"But you don't know that! Mum will kill me, my brother and sister will hate me and I won't have my dad anymore! I'll be expelled- I could have killed my dad!" Albus cried, hysterical as he fell to the ground and began crawling towards Snape and Harry.
"Albus, please stay where you are. I know you are upset, but I need you to listen to me," Snape said in a calm however commanding voice. He didn't need Albus' worries to escalate the anxiety Snape was already feeling. He needed to concentrate and figure out what possible potion could be affecting Potter.

"No, Mum! Listen to Voldemort! He really will spare your life! Don't die for me, please don't die!"

"POTTER!" Snape yelled out of desperation and pain as he realised Harry was currently reliving Lily's death; Snape's conversation with Albus caused him to lose track of what exactly Harry was seeing.

Suddenly, Snape realised something so terrible and so traumatizing and yet he was glad he had finally worked out what potion Greyback forced Harry to drink, though how the man obtained it, he had no idea.

Snape turned to Albus and said to the boy: "Mr. Potter, I need you to hug your father."

"What?' Albus sobbed. "Why?"

"It should force him to come back to the physical world and not relive the past- for now," Snape said, silently begging the boy to do as he asked. Albus stood up and walked slowly towards his father's writhing body: "Mum? Mum! No! Please stand away from me- save yourself! I'll be okay!" Harry continued to yell and the longer Albus stared, the more he began to fear his own father. Harry sounded out of control and distraught and the eleven year old boy didn't think a hug could possibly help.

"I can't…" he whispered.

"What? You wanted to approach him not so long ago. Why can't you hug him?" Snape replied aggressively out of panic rather than anger.

"He's scaring me," Albus whispered as he watched his father continue to yell and cry out in emotional pain as he was watching one of the many horrors of his past.

But Snape could understand what Albus meant as he too watched Potter and noticed just how pathetic a hug would seem when Potter was experiencing something that could never be healed with a hug. Although Snape didn't fear Potter or his state, now that he knew what potion Greyback had given the man, he could only curse himself for ever creating such a potion as he bent down and hugged Harry.

Albus was so shocked that Snape actually did such a thing, he sat there watching the two men remain in the embrace for a good thirty seconds before Snape let go of Harry, who had stopped screaming, though his breathing was quick and his eyes were still closed.

"Potter, can you hear me?" Snape asked quietly, now that there was no yelling to talk over.

"Mmm, Dad?" Harry asked, obviously not completely back to his senses as of yet.

"No, Potter. It's Snape," Severus answered.

"Oh… Snape…" Harry replied as he tried to sit up.

"No, Potter. Stay where you are; you're not well."

"Why? What happened?" Harry asked, confused.

"You don't remember?" Snape asked, looking worried.

"Umm- oh my god! Albus!" Harry exclaimed as he sat bolt upright to be confronted with Snape's concerned face.

"Lie down, Potter," Snape ordered as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder to push him back down.

"No! Where's my son?" Harry yelled, forcing himself against Snape's force.

"He's right here," Snape said not turning around to check.

"I don't see him," Harry said, panic rising in his voice.

"What?" Snape turned around. Harry was right; Albus was not standing behind Snape like he was only moments ago. Cursing the boy for disobeying him, Snape stood up and yelled for the boy, but there was no reply.

"Where's Albus? Is he okay?" Harry asked, staring at Snape, wanting answers.

"Physically, yes he is fine, but emotionally… perhaps not. I need to get you to hospital wing-"

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not-"

"I feel fine, they were just Dementors-"

"Unfortunately, it wasn't just Dementors, Potter," Snape replied procuring a stretcher for Harry.

"I am fine, Snape!" Harry yelled when he saw the stretcher. "I am perfectly capable of walking and besides, I want to find my son!"

"I will find your son, you need to rest-"

"I'm fine!"

"If you keep denying it, I will have to stun you," Snape said. He hated threatening Harry, but he knew the man needed medical attention and he also wanted to find Albus before the boy got himself into any more trouble.

"I have my wand. I'll duel you if I have to!" Harry exclaimed, realizing that nothing mattered more to him than finding Albus; he had to make sure his son was safe.

"You are too weak to duel," Snape asserted, starting to get frustrated with Harry.

"Then let me find my son and then I'll let you take me wherever you want to-"

"You are in no position to argue with me, Potter! You are not well. I will find your son and you will go to Poppy this instant! Or I will stun you- I don't give empty threats!" Snape yelled, wanting Harry to understand just how serious he was being.

Harry paused, staring at Snape. Harry could tell Snape was concerned. He knew that Snape wouldn't want to hurt him or his children, so Harry agreed to go with him, but not on the stretcher.

Snape helped Harry stand and assisted him as they walked towards the front door of Hogwarts.

"My god, Severus! What happened?" Minerva exclaimed as she saw Snape and Harry walking towards the hospital wing.

"In a minute Minerva, Potter needs to lie down and get some rest."
"Where's Albus?" Harry asked of Minerva. "Is he hurt?"

"What? Albus is missing?" Minerva asked, turning pale.

"No, Potter, he isn't hurt and don't worry yourself, Minerva, I will find him, just give me a moment," Snape replied, trying to calm the woman down as he laid Harry on a bed in the hospital wing. Thankfully no one inhabited the wing and the teachers had been ordered to ensure all students remained in their common rooms, so no students were looking in on the situation which Snape greatly appreciated.

"Potter, you need to rest," Snape said quietly to Harry who was looking up at him, wanting nothing more than to look for his son.

"I want to find Albus," Harry replied through clenched teeth.

"I know, and I promise that I will find him for you," Snape replied.

Harry stared at Snape as if trying to detect if the man was lying. Finally Harry realised the man was being serious and truthful in his assertion.

"Once you've found Albus, please bring him to me," Harry requested in a resigned voice.

Snape nodded.

"What happened after I blacked out?" Harry asked Snape, realizing that he had no idea why Snape was so worried about him.

"I'll tell you once I have found your son," Snape said calmly but it was difficult as he began to remember exactly what did happen. What puzzled Snape was that he noticed only a few scratches on Albus' face; the boy sustained no serious injuries. This was so unlike Greyback that it worried Snape immensely. He had to make sure the boy was okay.

"Poppy?" Snape asked the matron who had just entered the room. "Please give Potter a potion for dreamless sleep. I will be back once I have found Mr. Potter," Snape said as Madam Pomfrey nodded her understanding.

"Are you sure you don't want me to find Albus for you Severus? You look tired," Minerva asked concerned.

"No I insist upon finding the boy and I believe I know where he could be. What's the password to Gryffindor tower?" Snape asked the Headmistress.

"Bravery," Minerva replied, shocked that Snape even considered going into the Gryffindor common room, but she soon realised that Snape had changed since she last saw him twenty years ago. He had changed for the better.

Snape ran from the Hospital Wing and sprinted to the Gryffindor common room, hoping against all hope that Albus would have gone to his brother and cousin for comfort. If he was still in the grounds, Snape didn't even want to imagine what could have happened to Albus by now.

A/N: I hope you liked the chapter! For those who have been waiting for a conversation between Al and Severus, keep an eye out for the next chapter: 'Of love, loyalty and innocence…' which has already been completed. I will post it up shortly. Happy reading and please, please, please review; I'd really like to know your opinions about this chapter and if you like/dislike the way the story is going.