Severus Snape was not a person who often felt surprised. He was a knowledgeable man who always strived to be one step ahead of everyone around him. No matter the discovery, no matter the revelation, he always had some inclination of how he expected events to happen, and he was normally correct. However, the handful of times in his life that he had felt genuinely surprised had been because of Harry Potter. The first when he'd found out whom the prophecy referred to. The second when the infant Potter had vanquished the Dark Lord. The third when he'd learned that the boy was not a clone of his father. And the fourth was occurring right in front of him.

The boy-who-lived-to-surprise-him was huddled on the dirty stone floor of the astronomy tower, apparently frozen in shock, as Sirius Black, the convicted murderer, stood over him, positioning a gun to the child's chest. They seemed to be locked in a staring contest, Harry gawking transfixed at Black, apparently too afraid to take action, and the convict, threatening to shoot the boy at the slightest sign of movement.

How the child had managed to get into such a situation, he hadn't the faintest clue.

About ten minutes earlier, when Severus had first received the message that Sirius Black had broken into the castle and Harry Potter was missing, he'd been overcome with worry. His heart, which was rumored by some not to exist, had seemed to skip a beat, and he'd felt as though the ground had been swept out from under his feet. The fact that he was genuinely concerned for the brat's well-being was disconcerting, but he hadn't had time to dwell on his mysterious, newfound feelings for Potter.

Albus had instructed all the staff members to place wards around the students' dormitories immediately, and then to search the castle for Harry. All exits to the castle had been locked down, and no one would be able to enter or exit Hogwarts. The Headmaster had made it clear that finding Harry was the top priority. The eyewitness students that had seen Sirius Black had insisted that Harry hadn't been with the murderer, and it was vital that Harry was found by the staff before Black found him.

The Head of Slytherin had wasted no time in ensuring the safety of his students, but then he'd been intent on finding the young Gryffindor. Severus had sprinted from the dungeons to the main floor to meet up with the other heads of houses, and they were alerted by a portrait who claimed to have seen something scurrying up the staircase which led to the tallest tower. Severus had volunteered to check the astronomy tower, while Filius and Minerva worked on the rooms near the portrait. Taking the stairs two at a time, Severus had hoped that the woman in the portrait had been right, and that he wasn't red-faced and out of breath for nothing. He exited the seemingly endless staircase and crept quietly down the short hallway.

Fortunately for him, the portrait had been correct in her assumption that Black had been on his way to the Astronomy Tower. Unfortunately, he found himself sneaking up on a very delicate situation that, if he acted incorrectly, could result in the death of a boy whom he was just beginning to care for.

Trying to keep his panting breaths silent and under control, Severus aimed his wand at the murderer. He hurled a wordless incarcerous at Black, hoping to catch him off guard. Black tendrils flew from his wand, ready to capture his target, but Black was prepared. In a flash, he rolled to the right and brought the loaded weapon up to point at the Potion Master.

Severus launched himself to the left, anticipating a bullet that never came. He was prepared to cast deadly spells at the murderer to prevent harm to Harry or himself, but Black, probably knowing that he had no chance, darted toward the door. Like a coward, the convict disappeared from view.

Torn between chasing down the convict and doing his duty to protect the boy who lived, Severus conjured his patronus and sent it to alert the other teachers and the headmaster before placing a protective ward around the room. By the time Black had made it down the lengthy staircase, several staff members would be waiting to apprehend him. As much as Severus wanted to be the one who was responsible for Black's capture, he found himself worrying more about the state of the Potter brat.

Harry was still hunched over on the floor, cradling his knees to his chest. His face was ghostly pale, and his eyes were wide as saucers. Several months ago, Severus would have been overjoyed to see Potter with that expression. He probably would have taunted the child, trying to get a rise out of him. But now, he had no malicious intentions toward the boy.

"Are you alright?" He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

Harry nodded slowly, but he didn't move from his position. The expression on the child's face was peculiar. He didn't appear relieved to be free from the murderer's presence. There was a strange emotion. Maybe confusion? Perhaps disappointment?

Severus moved toward the boy, offering him a hand. Harry seemed surprised by his gesture, but he took the man's hand and allowed help pulling himself to his feet. They stood in tense silence for several minutes, lost in the absurdity of the situation before Harry spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Who was that man?"

"That," he said pausing for a moment, "was Sirius Black."

"That was Sirius Black?" Harry said incredulously. "The murderer who wants me dead?"

"Obviously," Severus drawled, suppressing the instinctual eye roll.

How many Sirius Blacks did the boy know? Who else would break in to the castle with a gun to kill him?It was preposterous that the boy hadn't pieced together the man's identity already. Severus had to remind himself not to make a remark about the boy's stupidity; at least not to his face. Idiot child.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, his eyebrows furrowed in consternation as if trying to solve a difficult equation.

The Potion's master huffed but did not bother to offer a response. There were much more important things to discuss, and he wouldn't waste his breath for stupid questions.

"What were you doing out of your dormitory tonight?" Severus inquired.

"What?" the boy replied dully, as if he hadn't been listening at all.

"Why were you roaming the castle in the middle of the night?" Severus growled, irritated by the brat's actions. He could have been killed.

Harry seemed to be thinking over his reply, and Severus steeled himself, waiting for the lie that would surely protrude from the boy's mouth.

"I couldn't sleep, and I decided to take a walk," the boy replied slowly.

Severus believed that Harry couldn't sleep; that was obvious from the boy's appearance and recent demeanor. But there was still something the boy wasn't saying, something that he was keeping secret. Eventually, Severus knew that he would learn the truth, but he supposed that Harry deserved some time to relax after his most recent escape from death. The boy would be questioned more thoroughly by the headmaster after the castle was cleared anyway.

They waited for about an hour, staring silently up at the star-filled sky, until Albus's patronus arrived, delivering the message that the castle had been searched, no one had been injured, and Black had escaped. The headmaster requested for Severus and Harry to meet him in his office to discuss the night's events as soon as possible.

Severus was distressed to hear that Black had escaped, but he fought to keep his face cool and impassive. He wanted Harry to be calm enough to relay the story, and he couldn't afford to wind the boy up again.

Inside though, Severus was more than irritated. How the hell did Black escape? There was no way that the man could have made it down the stairs without being caught, as he knew Filius and Minerva had been near the staircase, and even if he had, all exits to the castle had been locked. There would have been nowhere for Black to run.

The whole night was one big mystery.

And Harry's explanations to Headmaster Dumbledore didn't make it any clearer.

"So, Harry, how did you come across Sirius Black?" Albus asked, after Harry and Severus had settled into the man's office for tea.

The boy hesitated for a moment and adjusted his position in the oversized armchair, as if deciding how much of his story to reveal. Then he raised his head, and in a failed attempt to appear honest, he replied, "I was just out taking a walk, sir."

"A walk?" The Headmaster said, raising an eyebrow. "You know it's against the rules to wonder the castle at night, my boy."

"Yes. I know," Harry said, hanging his head. "You see, I've been having some trouble sleeping, so I sneak out at night sometimes. It helps me…" he paused, as if searching for the right words. "Um… Clear my head I guess."

"And on this walk, you just so happened to run into Sirius Black?" The old man asked, a calculating look upon his face.

"Yes, sir. I was walking up the stairs to the tower, and he just appeared out of nowhere."

Albus threw a skeptical look at Severus, who gave him an equally exasperated expression. It was clear that the Headmaster didn't think that Harry was telling the complete truth either.

"I see," the Headmaster replied. "Could you tell me what happened next, Harry?"

The old man's twinkling, blue eyes, gazed intently at the small boy, who was fidgeting nervously in his seat.

"Well, it's just like I said," Harry continued. "Black saw me, and he pulled me into the Astronomy tower. I didn't really understand what was going on. And then he stared at me for awhile like he was waiting for something, but then Professor Snape came in, and he ran away."

The child was stumbling over his words, and his story came out like a badly rehearsed line in a play. Severus couldn't remain quiet any longer. He needed answers.

"What about the gun?" Severus inquired sharply.

"Huh?"

"The gun, Potter. Don't you think that it is a pretty important part of the story?" Severus said, sounding a bit angrier than he meant to. He saw the boy cower a bit at the use of his surname and decided to try again. "What happened when Black pulled out the gun, Harry?"

"Well… He just sort of stood there." Harry answered slowly. "He didn't shoot me or anything."

"Obviously," The Potion Master said. "Did he say anything to you? Did he try to harm you in any other way? Was there anything odd that happened that might help us find him?"

"No," Harry answered a bit too quickly, making his answer seem dishonest.

Why was the boy keeping his encounter with Black a secret? It made no sense to Severus, and he could tell that Professor Dumbledore was equally perplexed. The small Gryffindor with the unkempt hair refused to give them any clearer answers. Though they tried to get him to reveal more, his descriptions never got any better, and it became obvious that the child had decided to keep his knowledge to himself.

After a while, the Headmaster seemed to realize this as well.

"Alright, Harry, that's enough for tonight. I think it goes without saying that going on your night walks are forbidden for your safety. I also think it would be wise to make sure you are supervised between classes and trips throughout the castle. Professor McGonagill is waiting outside to walk you back to Gryffindor Tower. Try and get some rest, my boy." Albus told the child wearily.

Harry rose from his chair and tottered out of sight. Once the boy was out of earshot, Albus spoke again.

"He's hiding something, Severus."

"I know… I think he's been hiding many things." Severus replied, seriously. "Is there any reason that the boy would have to try and protect Black?"

"I don't think so. You said that the man pointed a gun at him. I seriously doubt that Harry would want to protect Sirius." The Headmaster said, emphasizing the word Sirius. The implication he made was clear.

"So, you think that the boy is lying to protect himself…" Severus said, agreeing with the man.

"Indeed," replied Albus. He seemed to be thinking something over, and then he said, "I've noticed that your relationship with Harry has improved this year."

"Yes. We have overcome some of our difficulties," Severus told him, wondering what he was getting at.

"Well then, I think you will be the perfect person to find out what really happened tonight. I want you to observe Harry closely, and try to get him to open up." Albus stated, a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"And how do you expect me to do that? As you know, I am not great with children," he grumbled. "My temper makes it especially hard to get through a conversation with brats, especially Potter."

"Oh, I think you'll do just fine, Severus," the old man said, smiling brightly at the man's sour expression.

Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review, and let me know what you think!