Lucius and Severus had a bad feeling and they headed out towards Hagrid's hut. They were even more worried when they caught sight of the half giant coming out of his hut and Harry was not with him.

Severus called out. "Hagrid, where is Harry? You were supposed to bring him back to us in a half hour."

Hagrid smiled. "He is out in the paddock with unicorns. It is just beyond the edge and I left Fang with him. He will be fine."

Lucius shared a look with his friend and their pulses were both racing. "There was more then one reason we did not want him alone. He has been in danger."

Hagrid paled. "I did not know. I have only returned to my hut for a few moments as I needed some more food for the foals. I am sure he is fine."

Both men hurried towards the paddock and they saw it was empty. They were desperately searching for some sign of what happened when they spotted something in the grass and Lucius' heart lurched when he noticed what it was and picked it up.

"This is my son's wand. What is it doing in the grass? He is out here some where with no way of defending himself?" Lucius was starting to panic.

Severus sent off a patronus to the school. "I have alerted Remus and the other teachers. We will get everyone we can down here and we will find Harry soon."

Both men though were going into panic mode and Hagrid was not much better but he sent word to the centaurs asking for their help. The centaurs did not like humans but they were usually good about protecting

Remus met them some time later. "I don't get this. I don't. He was supposed to be out here safe with Hagrid. He should have been safe."

Lucius put a hand on his husband's arm. "We will find him Remy. Who ever took him could not have taken him too far and we will find him."

They were starting to get more and more worried though as they were forced to go deeper for the ghosts and Filch and some students were searching the school and the grounds but they would not have thought Harry would have left the woods.

Suddenly a centaur came out from the woods. It was Firenze and he bowed. "I have heard from my scouts something was found. There is a dog there and barking."

Severus' heart lurched for he knew Fang would have stayed with Harry, not the bravest but definitely a loyal dog. "Can you take us to this?"

Firenze nodded and he called forth Ronan and Bane and thought it was not customary; Severus, Remus and Lucius were all permitted to mount the centaurs. Since Firenze had been permitted back into his herd, relations between the school and the centaurs had been some what better.

Before they got there though a scout stopped them. "It is pretty bad. We can't get him down from the tree. He had been stuck with spells."

Remus nearly fell off the back from hearing that. "You found out son? He is in a tree? Oh Merlin, they didn't..."

He couldn't finish his words but the centaur made it unnecessary. "He was not hung just attached to the tree and left for dead. He is in pretty bad shape."

They came into the clearing and when Remus saw his son when he was off the back of the centaurs, if it had not been for his husband he would have collapsed, nothing having prepared him. Harry was pinned to the tree by unknown magic binds, looking crucified, naked in the cold fall air. He had the words queer and freak written across his chest but they were relieved to see it was paint or perhaps make up, and not his blood. There was a massive cut though from where they realized he must have been struck in the head by something.

Bane pointed at the dog. "He is probably the only reason the boy is alive. He is close enough to the spiders that the smell of blood would eventually call to them."

Lucius had gone with Severus to see how to release him. "They knock him out, write on him and leave him bleeding to die of hypothermia or eaten by predators."

Severus wasn't sure. "They likely thought someone would find him first or they would not have made such a show of it. The position and the message..."

It was little comfort to either of his dads or to Severus that who ever had attacked Harry had obviously meant him to be found and not eaten, for he could have very easily been killed before they got to him. They realized as they were trying to get him down it was not a spell but some kind of trick used to keep him in place.

Severus touched the substance. "It is like that muggle sticky tack but so much stronger. Another prank product I presume?"

Remus knew a charm to work on the product and they were able to free their son. "We will speak to Fred and George and see if one of their creations."

As they bundled up Harry in Severus' robes, they knew that they still had no proof even if this turned out to be another Weasley product, that it was those four they suspected. Their threats did not prove it. Severus handed Harry to Firenze who carried him as the others road back. The centaurs did not stop at the edge but took them right to the school, word sent via patronus that Harry had been found.

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It was morning and Harry still had not woken and there was still no proof of who attacked him. Remus and Lucius as well as Severus and Draco had spent a night long constant vigilance at his side. They had been excused from their classes until Harry woke and was better.

Minerva came in. "Fred Weasley says it is one of his products and his siblings had access but there is no way of connecting them one hundred percent."

Lucius was livid. "In front of the entire school they have threatened him numerous times. This is the second time the twin's products have been used against him."

Minerva looked down on Harry. "Unfortunately they would argue it was coincidence. They'd not be stupid enough to use something they could be linked too."

There was of course not one person in the room including the headmistress who did not think they were actually that stupid but they knew if they wanted to bring such serious charges against the kids they needed actual proof. Harry could not go through another trial after this summer, just to have them get off on a technicality.

Minerva turned to leave. "We will have the ghosts and the paintings keep an eye on the four and hopefully we can catch them red handed some how."

When she was gone Severus sunk down. "I told Harry. I told him it would be good if they tried so they'd slip up and we could catch them."

Lucius squeezed his hand. "You did nothing wrong. You were not suggesting to him he should be bait. He should never have been left out there by Hagrid alone."

Severus was not getting over the guilt though. "He was so scared. He said he didn't want them to try something for he was worried it would work. And now..."

There was not one of them in the room who did not share in his guilt for they had been thinking the same thing. They had actually thought perhaps if he was out with Hagrid the prats would try something and the half giant would catch them. Never in a million years would they have ever wanted to use their son as bait though.

Severus leaned down and kissed his head. "I hate dogs but I will cook Fang a hundred steaks. If that dog had not stayed with him, he may never have lived."

Lucius watched as Draco began to stir as he had been asleep finally in the chair. "We don't need to talk around Draco like this. This has been hard enough."

Remus agreed with his husband. "I can't believe after this summer that Harry went through this again. I'm just glad it was paint and he was not raped or..."

So many scenarios had run through their head when they had seen him naked and in a crucifixion form. They had been worried that the words were blood and had been carved into him. They had worried he had been hexed. They thought he might have been raped since he was naked. Thankfully other then a concussion from a blow from what they presumed was a rock right now, the only thing wrong with him was hypothermia from being out there.

Hagrid came in some time later. "I am so sorry. I never thought he would be at any risk. I did not know his friends had been threatening him."

Remus nodded. "We know Hagrid. You should have been told that there were other risks then the forest. You're not to blame for what happened."

Hagrid motioned to his dog. "Fang has been whining and restless. I think he has been anxious to see Harry and check he was fine."

Though some of the others in the room almost laughed at the thought of that, the dog jumped up with his feet on the bed and seemed to be taking a look at the buy and then settled down by the edge of the bed and did not seem to want to budge.

Poppy was not happy. "I can't be having any dogs or other animals in the hospital wing. You know that Hagrid."

Lucius shook his head. "We owe the dog our son's life. He protected him in the woods and got him help. I think he can stay."

Poppy looked ready to argue but she nodded. "Harry's vitals have stabilized since he entered. It might be a coincidence but the dog does seem to calm him."

Harry was out from the head injury and all the potions he had been given for his head and for the cold, and would likely not be awake for another day. There were monitoring spells all over him to keep track of his vitals and sure enough they had improved slightly since the dog entered.

Hagrid nodded. "I need to get back to teach but if Fang if helping Harry and he is welcome to stay here, I will leave him with you."

Lucius thanked him. "I don't know why but it seems he does. I'd appreciate if the dog could stay, at least until our son awakes and is out of the woods again."

The others cringed at the term for it brought back flashes of the night before but Hagrid left. The family was alone for some time after those two visits and eventually Poppy insisted they should take turns for they needed rest. Severus agreed to stay so his dads could get some real sleep as they had not slept at all since he was found and Draco was reluctantly convinced to join his friends for dinner at the very least. He had slept but he needed to get out for a bit.

Lucius kissed his son as he shooed him out the door. "Sev will send word if he wakes or something happens. You need a bit of a break."

Remus agreed. "It will be hard enough for the two of us to get some sleep worrying about one son without worrying after you as well. Please."

Severus watched as his godson left for dinner and the two fathers headed to their apartments for some sleep. He had ordered sleeping draughts added to their tea for he intended for them to take more then a simple nap. Harry would need all of them when he woke up and he would need them all to be strong for him as well.

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Blaise, Vince and Greg all were worried sick about him and when Hermione and Luna with Neville joined him at Slytherin they were not much better. No one really knew what happened to Harry other then he had an accident and was in the infirmary. The dads didn't want word getting around for now of what he had suffered.

They all wanted answers so after dinner he took them to the room of requirements, Katie with them and told them everything. "And now he is still out."

Hermione was in tears and Greg was doing his best to comfort here. "How could anyone do this? I know they taunted him but after this summer, this..."

Draco agreed. "Even without this summer no one deserves what happened to my brother. We all know who it is but we need to find a way to prove it."

There was not one person in the room who had any doubts it was the four Gryffindors who had attacked him, even without hearing about the Weasley product that had been used on him. The constant threats and cornering of him, and the incident with the broom, was more then enough to convince them.

Blaise spoke. "We keep an eye on the four of them any way possible and we catch them red handed. I'd think Fred and George could help us with some products."

Hermione agreed but turned to Draco. "We can contact them but we can have help from Harry as well. You know where his invisibility cloak is?"

Draco smiled and nodded. "He keeps it in his trunk always. It would help us keep tabs on them without being seen."

Her other idea of course was the marauders map and Draco promised to help her find it for though Harry had shown it to him and how to use it, he had no idea where the thing was. The fact that it looked like a piece of normal parchment did not help.

"Dad can probably find it easy enough. He helped create it, I'd assume he knows some way of tracking it." Draco thought.

Neville spoke up. "I don't know what I can do but you know you can count on our help. We all want to make sure they pay for what they did to Harry out there."

Draco had never been so happy his brother was so popular for everyone in the room agreed with Neville and he knew when he went to the rest of his house and people like their quidditch team, they'd find more aid if needed. Though his so called best or closest friends of the past save Hermione, had the loyalty of wood, Harry did have numerous loyal friends and between them and his dads and Severus, they'd prove who did this and make them pay for this.

Blaise kissed his boyfriend as the others left, Hermione remaining as they were going for the cloak and map. "We will prove this. I promise Draco."