Sorry for the long wait, had to get back into the country and everything. Thanks for all of your lovely reviews. Here is a semi-ling chapter for you all.
FYI: This story (atleast this part of it) is almost done. There are probably three more chapters left of this year. Now I do plan on continueing but not immediately. For now I plan to write a short prequel that is how Snape and Alex get together (less than 10 chapters) and then move onto the summer and fifth year. I want to give myself some time to think of a proper plot before I move on.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
It was very quiet. Not the normal peaceful quiet that fell over the castle this late in the evening. It was the noiseless shock that paralyzed every living creature and rendered the air still and heavy. The hospital wing was dark with only two beds occupied. In one was a young boy, breathing slowly and deeply in the depth of sleep. In the other the body was completely still, a sheet pulled up and over the head.
A lone figure was awake in the wing. He sat in the shadows created by the full moon. He didn't turn to look when rapid footsteps approached. The door opened and shut with only a whisper. The person who entered was not tempted to turn on the lights, instead walking over to the sleeping boy bathed in star light.
"How is he?" Alex Dawsen broke the silence. He wasn't whispering, just talking softly.
"He is fine. Physically, at least." The man in the shadows melted into view. The potions professor wasn't wearing a robe. Just a pair of black slacks and a newly donned white shirt, since his last one had been stained red with blood. He was standing with his arms crossed, not looking at the guest. "The effect that events may have on his mind. Well, that is another story all together."
"I got your letter. Is what you said true?" Alex asked, turning to look at his husband. In response Snape unbuttoned the left cuff of his white shirt, folding it until it passed his elbow. The mark was burnt black on the pale skin. The flesh around it throbbed an angry red, pulsing with heat and anger. Alex rested a hand on his wrist right under the marked skin. Never touching but incredibly close.
"So it is." He hummed. With a sharp movement he pulled down the sleeve, hiding the mark from view. "What will we do Severus?"
"There will be another war." Snape stated, not moving to rebutton the sleeve. "Of that I am very sure. The magic which brought the Dark Lord back is dark. I can taste it in the wound of his left arm." He motioned to the bandaged arm. "The creature that was reborn will be mad. No one can return from the almost dead with such magic and not be consumed by the corruption. It will soon be war. No doubt a bloody one."
Alex was mute for a moment. He stared out the window and into the sky.
"We should leave." He eventually said.
"Leave?"
"Yes. Go before the fighting starts. Wait for it to be done." Alex turned back to his husband who watched him expressionless.
"I have a duty here."
"A duty?" Alex stated sharply. "You have done your duty and then some. If there is one person that deserves to dismiss himself from what is to come it is you."
"I have paid my debts." Snape hissed. "This is not about that." He glanced down at Harry, quickly but not unnoticed.
"If you must protect the boy then we can take him with us. Him and your godson. Steal away in the night. The wizarding world has brought this on themselves. We owe them nothing."
"It is not about that!" Snape hissed, grabbing Alex by the shoulder. "Do you honestly think that we could just avoid this war by running? There is no hope for those on the light to win this war. You have no understanding of the man who is now about to come for this world. I do." He gave the shoulder a little shove.
"You have no understanding of what happened in the last war. No one on the light side does. There was no one who knew how close we were to losing but me. Even Dumbledore did not know the full magnitude of the Dark Lords powers!"
"We were months from damnation. In six months there would be nothing left but the smoldering remains of what we once knew. Had that man not been waylaid by that prophecy you would be dead, as would most everyone."
"We were that close to losing?" Alex asked, bottom lip caught in his teeth not quite willing to look into his husband's serious face.
"The Dark Lord was powerful. More powerful than Dumbledore by half. Willing to break down the boundaries of magic. More of a commander than the Headmaster ever was. Had he not been banished from his body he would have had the ministry under his control in less than three months, regardless of any interference by me or the Order. From there he would have decimated all those who opposed him without mercy. The paltry forces we had were no match." Snape sneered.
"And now the situation is more helpless. The number of witches and wizards fighting for our side that lived after the war has been more than halved. The ministry will be in denial for as long as possible. Leaving the Dark Lord the ability to move without resistance for a great length of time. The only advantage we have on our side is a fourteen year old boy, whose only real power is the ability to distract the man from his mission."
"You cannot go back to spying. I will not let you." Alex demanded.
"This is not a matter of you deciding for me." Snape replied, sharp and disdainful. "This is not even a matter of us. The entirety of British wizarding society has a year, two at best, before the Dark Lord will call it his own. And then what? You think that he will be content with just that? He has far greater plans than this little island. He will spread like that plague and surely be more deadly. There will be nowhere in the world that we could hide where he would not end up. It would only be a matter of time before I lay at his feet dead as a traitor. The Potter boy dead as an example and you dead as a half-blood."
"Severus –" Alex cut himself off, unsure what to say. Snape pressed a hand to his cheek, letting the other man nuzzle into his palm.
"There is no option. Not for me, not for you and not for the boy. Our fates have been set and carved deep. I will go back to spying. Do what I can to stall. Hopefully enough time that the side of the light can build itself up to a fighting chance. Potter will be trained, some way or another."
"And I? My part in all this?"
"Willful ignorance." Snape muttered. "When this war is ready to be fought you might take up your wand. For now, though, you know nothing. You were not part of the resistance the first time. No one will come looking for you to join."
"So I sit back while you fight a war all by yourself?" Alex sneered.
"There is naught more that you can do. The world will remain quiet yet for some time. Best that we enjoy it while we can."
"Quiet but not peaceful." Alex leaned his shoulder into the rock that was his husband. "I'm not done with you. There will be reckoning."
"There most assuredly will be."
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
The light burned his eyes even when they weren't open. Harry could feel the soft blankets and hear the easygoing clatter of things moving in the hospital wing. He threw his right arm over his eyes, pausing at the harsh scraping that went across his nose. With strain he opened his eyes, looking at the cream colored bandages that covered his arms.
"Oh, you're up." A voice said from his side. He turned his head to look at the speaker. Mr. Dawsen was sitting there, book in hands and reading glasses on the tip of his nose. He was in one of his suits but the jacket was unbuttoned and open. The book closed with a soft thud and fell to rest on his knee.
"Mr. Dawsen. What-?" Harry was forced to stop when a scratching in his throat turned into a full coughing fit. Mr. Dawsen floated a cup in front of him full of water. His body seared with the dull ache of pain. His chest burnt, the after effects of cracked ribs that Harry knew so well.
"Please don't force yourself Harry. You have been through quite a lot." He smiled softly. Harry took a moment to glance around. There wasn't much to see, since they were the only ones in the wing. The only unusual thing was that one of the beds had the curtains pulled all the way around it.
"I suppose," Mr. Dawsen started, turning his attention away from it. "That you would like to know what happened after you returned?"
"Yes." Harry nodded and then paused. "You aren't going to ask me what happened?"
"I know enough for now. There will be a time for you to tell your story soon enough."
"Oh."
"I wasn't there when you arrived. Severus was though."
"Where is Professor Snape?"
"Gone to talk with the headmaster and others. It would seem suspicious if he were sitting by your bedside. There is plenty of reason to keep your involvement with him a secret. Especially now." Mr. Dawsen gave him a pointed look.
"Severus told me what happened. You arrived in the middle of the field covered in blood. You had disappeared two hours before. Everyone was in a panic. Suddenly you showed up. You brought Diggorys' body with you, in fact you were collapsed upon it. You managed to stand. You grabbed onto Severus and told him that He Who Must Not Be Named had risen again. Then you said there was a traitor. Then you passed out."
Harry nodded along. That much he at least remembered, even if it was just a fractured blur in his mind.
"You were immediately transported here to the hospital wing. It took a lot to save you. You had lost a significant amount of blood. There were cuts covering both your arms. One of them severed the tendon in your thumb. You might lose a little mobility in that hand because of it. There was still a large amount of dark magic in you, resulting in interference with the healing spells. It took a while but Madam Pomphreys' medical knowledge and the basics that Severus knew did eventually stop the bleeding and the dark magic.
"You were right about the traitor." Alex continued on, taking away the cup of water and pushing him back into the bed.
"Who?"
"Professor Moody. Or Bartimus Crouch Jr as we would know him. He tried to sneak into the Hospital wing after we had placed you here. It seems he wanted confirmation that the Dark Lord has risen. Severus had the forethought to remember what you said and restrained him when his attempts became more desperate. The polyjuice potion that he was under eventually wore off. They found the real Moody in a trunk in the mans office, alive thank goodness."
"Professor Moody?"
"Yes, the man you knew as Professor Moody was the one. He was the one who sabotaged the cup. He was also watching outside of the maze when you were there. He cursed Krum to hurt Fleur and clear the way."
"He put me under the imperious curse." Harry admitted.
"Really? Well that would explain a lot. I wish I could offer you justice but there is not much to be had. They had attempted to give him the Kiss but the man was not mentally sound. He bit his tongue and died."
"Oh." Harry didn't quite know how to feel about that news. Alex moved on when he didn't say anything.
"After that it was just letting you rest until you woke up. There are a great many people who are looking for answers only you can give. I decided that it be best that I am here while you do." Alec hummed, tapping his fingers lightly on his book.
As if by magic, which was a pun that sat sourly in Harry's mind, the hospital doors opened. A group entered, softly bickering between them. The headmaster lead the way, Minster Fudge just a half step behind him. Madam Pomphrey marched next to McGonagall and one other person who Harry didn't know donned in auror robes. At least three paces behind them Snape stalked, turning when he entered the doors so that he would walk along the wall at the opposite side of the room. He stopped so that he was distinctly out of the way but still in Harry's line of sight.
"Harry my boy." Dumbledore started. "I am pleased to see that you are awake. How are you feeling?"
"Fine." Harry mumbled, looking down at his bandaged arms. Dumbledore hummed in agreement.
"I was just speaking to the minister about what happened. I would like to hear the whole story from you." He was interrupted from going on by Fudge sputtering.
"That is hardly necessary! What you and the boy are implying happened is simply preposterous. There is no way that He Who Must Not Be Named is back from the dead. I don't believe it."
"Minister really-" Dumbledore started.
"Minister how dare you-" McGonagall began at the same time. Both were interrupted by a not so polite cough from Mr. Dawsen.
"Who are you?" The minister demanded.
"I am Alexander Dawsen, Mr. Potters legal counsel." Everyone, save the three who knew the truth, look surprised. There was a moments pause as they stared in shock at the man who now stood at the end of his bed.
"There is no need for legal counsel." McGonagall said, confusion colored her tone.
"Perhaps not, but I thought it best all the same. Mr. Potter has no legal guardians to come and make sure that there is no inappropriate actions on anyones part. The school cannot act as In Locum Parentis in this instance because they are one of the parties involved in the incident. It is best that someone be here fully in the interest of the boy." Mr. Dawsen said.
"It is alright." Dumbledore said in his normal placid tone. His eyes glittered in curiosity. "There is no one here who is trying to hurt Mr. Potter. However, if you feel it necessary please remain." Mr. Dawsen nodded, slipping back into his seat and waiting patiently.
"Now Harry. Would you please tell us what happened."
"Um, sure." Harry gulped, trying not to feel uncomfortable at all the people waiting on him. "Well it was the third task. I was waiting for it to be over when someone, I guess Crouch, cursed me. Confundus and then imperious. He told me, well he told me how to get to the cup. Then he told me to tell Cedric to take it at the same time as me. When we touched the cup we realized it was a portkey." Here he paused. He glanced around at the looked around at the curious faces. He finally looked at Snape who nodded his head to keep him moving.
"When it landed we were in a cemetery. Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew, was there with Voldemort." There was a hiss at the name. "They tied us up to tombstones. They gagged C-Cedric. Then they started making this potion . . . First a bone and then Wormtail cut off his hand. Then . . . then they took my blood." He waved his left arm where the knife had cut him.
"When it was done they put the thing that was You Know Who into the potion. Then he was . . . reborn I guess. He . . . He killed Cedric then. He wanted his wand and said it was the only way to make it loyal." His hands were shaking and his voice was tight. He took a deep breathe . . . and then another.
"He called all of his Death Eaters. He . . . he waited until they were all there. There were about two dozen of them, wearing masks and black robes. He wanted to kill me but he wanted it to be in a duel. Soo he untied me and let me have my wand. We fought . . . something happened to my wand. And to his. I was able to get close to cup. I grabbed it . . . and Cedric. But I was hurt. Then I was back at the school."
"That is preposterous!" Fudge shouted. "I refuse to believe this. That You Know Who is back."
"I'm telling the truth!" Harry shouted.
"I am not going to believe the words of a little boy. Especially one that lies."
"Minister!" Mr. Dawsen interrupted. "I believe that you and I have had this discussion before. You claim that Mr. Potter is a liar when there is no proof that he is. You heard Crouchs' confession yourself. He was not the one who put his name in the cup. In all other areas he has been more than honest."
"I knew I recognized you!" Fudge shouted, pointing an accusatory finger. "You were at that thing with him." He swung his finger around to Snape. Snape didn't respond, merely raising an eyebrow.
"Minister. Surely you must realize the seriousness of the situation. Something must be done to stop Lord Voldemort before he becomes too powerful." Dumbledore started.
"He has not risen!" Fudge was turning purple. As quick as a viper Snape was on the move. He was standing before the minister, his large frame rendering the man lilliputian in comparison. He revealed the dark mark.
"The mark only burns black when the Dark Lord is alive and calling. There is no firmer proof that the boy is at least truthful on that part." He sneered, shoving it closer to the man. Fudge jolted, stepping back. He stuttered, shoving his little bowler onto his head.
"I will not listen to this foolishness. Not from a child and not from an ex-Death Eater. I refuse. Good day Albus." He said, stalking out with the auror behind him.
"Severus, I would like to speak to you in my office after this." Snape nodded, stalking off. Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, waiting if there was going to be anything for her. When there wasn't she flashed a comforting smile and left.
"I'm sorry, my dear boy. We will make him see reason eventually. For now please rest. We will talk again." Dumbledore patted him on the hand before he left. With a large amount of tutting Madam Pomphrey made her presence known.
"Lay back Mr. Potter, you need your rest. I told them, yes I did, that you were in no condition to be doing this. Lie back." She demanded a second time, using her wand to force him back onto his pillow. "He is needing his rest. I want no more reason that he doesn't." She glared at Mr. Dawsen. He just gave a smile in return, raising his hands in surrender. He made a show off raising his book to cover his face. Slowly Harry relaxed enough to fall asleep. Vaguely he hoped that the next time he woke he would realize that it was all a horrible dream.
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O
It was dark when Harry woke again. This time he was being shaken by an insistent hand on his shoulder. He started awake, desperate to find the cause of his discomfort.
"Potter! Wake up!" A voice called insistently.
"Draco?" He groaned, focusing as his glasses were forced onto his face.
"Ah good, your awake." The Slytherin said, sitting back in his chair.
"How could I not be?" Harry groused. Draco didn't even look the least bit apologetic as he leaned back in the chair.
"How are you?" He asked. Harry shrugged, lifting up his still bandaged arms.
"Okay considering."
"That's good. No permanent damage?"
"Not really. May lose some mobility in my thumb. Why? You concerned about me?" Harry smiled.
"Well one does tend to ask those type of questions when visiting a friend in the hospital wing. Plus, Granger will no doubt be bombarding me with questions when I get out of here."
"How is Hermione?"
"Frantic. Apparently McGonagall has been making a point of making sure that she doesn't bother you. She made me promise that I tell her everything when I sneak in."
"Oh." Harry said, slightly glad that Hermione cared so much. "Draco about your dad . . ."
"He was there, I know. Voldemort has risen again in all his glory. My father was there when it happened. He managed to curse you. He thought he had killed you. He was quite angry that you survived."
"How?" Harry queried. Draco leaned forward to rest his elbows on the bed.
"He told me. When I went to visit him at St Mungos."
"St. Mungos?" He wrinkled his nose in confusion. Draco laughed heavily.
"Oh yes. His entire pelvis was shattered. Everything from his right femur to his coccyx was all but dust. Ruptured a few arteries as well. He was lucky to be living."
"I'm so sorry."
"Why? Because you were the one who hit him with a Bombarde curse when he was trying to kill you?" Draco asked, tone heavy with derision.
". . . Yes?"
"Well I'm glad you did." Draco patted him on the leg. "My father has been deserving of a good curse for decades now. Hell I've been dreaming of cursing him myself for years. I just wish I could have been there to see what happened!"
"But he is your father." Harry acknowledged.
"Father or not it was far less than he deserved. Though I must congratulate you on your aim."
"My aim."
"Oh yes. You managed to do something much crueler than kill him. You all but destroyed his groin region. He's impotent now. Probably won't be able to get it up for the rest of his life!" Draco quaffed. Harry couldn't help a chuckle but felt a little bad about it. What a horrible fate.
"Mums happy too." Draco continued.
"Why?"
"Because that means father won't be out cheating on her anymore." Draco smirked. "She doesn't have to watch him flaunt those trollops around the mansion or pay off reporters that catch him in brothels. She has always kept her extramarital affairs quiet while he never bothered to. Now she can flaunt it in front of his face. And she doesn't have to worry anymore about illegitimate heirs or any type of public shame."
"Illegitimate . . . Is that really a problem?" Harry asked, trying to take it all in.
"Oh yes. I actually have two half-sisters somewhere." Draco sighed. "I've never gotten to meet them though. Father refuses to tell me who they are. I suppose I'll have to wait until his cops off to find out." He shrugged as if it were a normal thing. To Harry it sounded like one of those soap operas that aunt Petunia was always watching while he was doing the chores. Harry couldn't imagine living in a home where both parents were cheating on each other or knowing that he had siblings somewhere and know nothing about them. Meanwhile Draco shrugged it off as if it were a normal thing.
"Draco . . . your family is really fucked up." Harry said after a full ten seconds of silence. He smiled brightly and Draco returned it.
"Don't I know it!" He smirked. "Any way. Mother may be tempted to send you a nice box of chocolates for your service to her. I'm considering it to, as a thank you."
"Well you are very welcome." Harry joked in a formal tone. "Happy to do it again any time!" They both laughed again, Harry tried to enjoy the moment of levity without thinking of all the bad it implied. Draco stayed and chatted for a few more minutes. Mostly gossip and other things that were floating around the rumor mill. Eventually he said his goodbyes and Harry was left to settle down to sleep once more.
