Chapter 24

"HARRY!" cried Severus over Sebastian's sobbing, catching Harry by the waist as he slumped over, unconscious. The shock wave was strong enough to get through the vibration barrier Severus managed to cast last minute along with Harry's unusually strong shield, and throw them off their positions.

"Papa!! Hurts!" cried the child firmly attached to his chest as the boy rubbed on his ears from the sound of the blast. Even through all their wards, the sound was still loud enough to irritate a child's ears. "No more, pwease! No more!"

"Shh... it's alright, you're alright... We're going to be fine, okay? The ringing will stop soon... Just keep your head down and hold onto papa," stammered Severus, clutching his son on one arm, making sure the little boy wouldn't breathe in any of the dust.

Harry's shield was down. Severus still couldn't see much of what was around them, as if they were under a huge chunk of a fallen wall. The ashes and dust were beginning to suffocate them, Sebastian especially. The three-year-old had asthma and a little more can trigger an attack. Severus felt he didn't have enough strength but had managed to put up another protective barrier around them.

Severus felt like crying. He had Harry's unconscious body, barely breathing, in one arm and a crying, hurt toddler in another, all while everything around them were rubble and debris.

Severus prided himself in his ability to keep a cool and calm demeanor when on life-and-death situations but this was a hundred times worse than being hit with cruciatus after cruciatus.

The three of them were already on the ground, Severus on his knees with Sebastian clinging on his neck and Harry's back pressed on his side. Severus had to check on Harry but he also could not let go of Sebastian. "Shh... Seb, love... papa needs to check on daddy, alright? Can you be a good boy for me and let go of papa for a minute?" asked the shaking father hoarsely, voice both fearful and anxious. Sebastian kept whimpering but slowly released his hold on Severus' neck.

Severus sighed and carefully settled Sebastian beside him, telling him to hold on to his waist if he's scared while he checks on Harry. The man gently placed Harry's head to rest on his lap, his body awkwardly slumped on the ground. Severus cast a lighting charm on his wand and waved it gently over Harry's form.

Aside from a few cuts on his face, Harry had blood pouring on his ears and nose, definitely a bad sign. He cast a diagnostic spell and quietly cursed at the results. Harry didn't just have a concussion, he had cuts, bruises, and broken bones littering on his body. He must have been hit through the shield or hadn't completed the shield before the bomb exploded. He quickly sent a Patronus to Kingsley informing him of the incident and their location. Their only hope was to wait for a rescue team. In the meantime, Severus needed to stabilize Harry. He didn't have the right equipment and potions with him. His episkeys can only do so much. Severus would have found a way out of their situation but he could not leave Sebastian with his unconscious father and he also could not bring Sebastian with him, leaving Harry on the ground.

A bright lynx appeared in front of the trio, "Severus! The auror's are coming, is anyone hurt?" Kingsley's voice cut through Sebastian's soft whimpering.

"Harry's hurt. He needs medical attention right now. And bring a calming and a breathing draught, my son has asthma," said Severus with a grave voice.

Kingsley quickly ordered someone over the Patronus and told Severus to stay put. Severus thought they didn't really have much choice anyway. He wasn't sure how much damage the explosion had on Prince Manor. When he looked around, he realized a bookshelf actually fell right on top of them and books littered around them, Harry's shield protecting them being hit. Severus would have been very impressed and proud of Harry for such a strong shield but he found that he couldn't think about it, not when Harry laid unconscious on his lap and Sebastian was whimpering on his side.

Severus held onto the back of Sebastian's head and pulled him closer to the crook of his neck, "Don't worry, little prince. Someone will come to get us very soon."

"Papa... daddy okay?" asked the boy between sobs, wrapping his little arms around Severus' neck.

Severus wasn't sure if he should lie to Sebastian. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Harry would be okay but Merlin, Severus hoped he was. "I don't know yet, my love... I hope so."

Severus needed Sebastian calm. He didn't think he could handle any more than this. Then he remembered, Harry used to sing to the boy when he had nightmares. "Do you want papa to sing you a song?" Severus asked through the eerie silence around them.

Sebastian nodded, face still buried on Severus' neck. Severus didn't know the lyrics of Harry's go-to song for Seb but began softly humming on the tune of a song called Sleeping Child by a muggle Danish rock band. It still worked, much to Severus' relief. Sebastian was no longer shaking on his side.

They waited what Severus thought was about 15 more minutes before two Aurors managed to locate them through the rubble. Things happened so fast. A few more Aurors came to help and the medical personnel took Harry from his lap, carefully lifting him to a stretcher while Severus was helped out of the demolished area, cradling Sebastian to his chest.

He soon found himself sitting on their front lawn, a healer checking over major injuries and then being portkeyed straight to St. Mungo's in a matter of minutes. It was like the events finally caught up to him. In his shock, he let himself be manhandled by strangers all while he had his son in his arms, probably scared of everything that's been happening around him. He hadn't even noticed Sebastian was being pulled from him until the boy screamed.

'"PAPA! No!"

Severus instantly got to his feet, a bad decision as he suddenly felt lightheaded. Black spots started appearing on his visions and it was like all the blood rushed out from his head. An arm came to hold him from behind, helping him stand back up and he could hear faint whispering around him.

"Sebastian... Harry... Where are they?" asked Severus roughly when he was finally made to sit back on the bed. He glanced at the person who helped him and was surprised to see it was Arthur.

"Hermione has him. They needed to look over Sebastian and make sure he didn't inhale any smoke or had ear damage from the explosion. Harry's in intensive care. We still don't know anything yet," said Arthur.

This was the first time Severus was ever in the position where he had someone in the hospital to worry about. He didn't know what to do. Should he go and demand to see Harry? Should he get to Sebastian first? What exactly should a fiance and a parent do at a time like this?

"Arthur... my son... get me my son..." Severus whispered, grabbing the man by his sleeve, no longer caring if he wasn't acting like the composed ex-professor that he was.

"Severus, you're in shock. They will bring you to Sebastian as soon as the healer finishes checking on you, too," consoled Arthur, only then did Severus realize they weren't alone in the room. There was a healer on the other side of the bed waving his wand over him steadily and Bill standing on one corner with a concerned expression.

Severus wanted so badly to check on both Sebastian and Harry. His son would have been very scared right now without either of his fathers around. Harry was in intensive care. He needed Severus. But Severus' body wouldn't cooperate, and in a few more seconds, he finally let his exhaustion get ahead of him.

When Hermione heard the Head Healer announce there were three incoming patients, two adults and a child, from an explosion that occurred in Prince Manor, she felt like collapsing.

She knew she should leave the other healers to handle... things but Hermione could not just let Harry, Severus, and Sebastian be taken into St. Mungo's without even checking on them personally. Hermione needed to know they were going to be alright.

She inhaled sharply when her best friend arrived on a stretcher, unconscious, covered in dirt, witb bruised, dried blood on his shirt and face. She had no time to take a closer look as Harry was immediately taken into Intensive Care. As much as she wanted to follow, she was not allowed. Hermione had the pediatric rounds for the day. She needed to wait for Sebastian and hoped to Merlin nothing bad happened to her godson.

About 5 minutes later, an ash-covered Severus with a blank look on his face was maneuvered to an empty room. He was cradling his crying son on his arms, the boy's hair and clothes equally covered in ash. Arthur and Ron followed closely behind.

"Mione!" called her frantic boyfriend. "Where's Harry?!"

"In the Intensive Care, go and wait for updates. I need to check on Sebastian," said Hermione, trying to keep herself act as professional as possible.

Arthur followed her into the room where Severus and Sebastian were taken. Severus was in shock, there was no doubt, and wouldn't let go of Sebastian even after he was settled in a bed.

Healer Frazier had Terry about to get Sebastian off Severus so he could cast diagnostic spells on the man. When the older Healer saw Hermione, he ordered her to have Sebastian on a full-body diagnostic scan. Sebastian still wouldn't let go, though, and Severus still had the same blank look on his face.

"Sebbie, darling. I need to check on you so Healer Frazier can check on your papa, okay?" pleaded Hermione, coming over to brush her hand on the boy's back.

Sebastian shook his head and kept sobbing. Hermione really needed to get Sebastian off Severus so she had no choice but to gently lift him from Severus' arms.

"PAPA! No!" cried the boy, one hand grabbing onto his father's dirtied shirt.

Everyone could see the sudden change in the man's expression when he tried to stand up and take Sebastian back. His action was so abrupt and his body already weak that Severus was seriously going to fall back if it wasn't for Arthur catching him from behind.

While they helped the man back to bed, Terry and Hermione quietly stepped out of the room, a whimpering boy in her arms, trying to get Sebastian to another room. She passed by Bill and gestured him to the room she was just in.

"Sebastian, be a good boy for me and Healer Boot, and sit on this bed, okay?" said Hermione, making sure her voice stayed controlled and calm. When Sebastian nodded and let go of her neck, Hermione praised him, "That's a good boy. Healer Boot would be casting a diagnostic charm on you and I need you to be very still for this one, like the 'red light, green light' game I taught you. Do you remember?"

At the boy's nod, Hermione motioned to Terry to start scanning. A few minutes later, Hermione finally breathed a giant sigh of relief when nothing was amiss. Sebastian wasn't in danger of any hearing loss, had no bruises or broken bones, and hadn't triggered his asthma. While she still did not know what exactly happened, Harry and Severus really had protected their son.

When Kingsley ordered a rescue team to head to Prince Manor ASAP, Ron instantly felt the blood draining from his face.

He was the only person in the room aside from Kingsley who knew the exact location so the two of them had to apparate two Aurors at a time and return for the others. Ron probably had to apparate six times in the past 30 minutes until there were enough rescuers in place, just in time for one Auror medic to portkey Snape and Sebastian to St. Mungo's.

Ron glanced at Kingsley who gave him the go signal to follow his friends. Ron quickly apparated to the hospital and even bumped into his father on the way to the lift.

"Have you heard?" asked Ron.

Arthur sighed dejectedly and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Yes, I was with Kingsley when the Patronus appeared. I sent the message to Minerva and your mother before coming straight here. Had you seen the damage?"

"Half of the right-wing collapsed. I still don't know how they survived but gods... as far as I can tell, Harry got the most of it," said Ron, his hands slightly shaking on his sides. He thought when the war was over, they wouldn't have to experience anything like this. Sure, he worked as an Auror and been through the same thing many times but to be targeted again was a huge bandage ripped out of their wounds.

"I'll check on Severus and Sebastian, you check on Harry. Bill and your mum will be coming over soon," said Arthur as the lift finally opened.

They met with Hermione for a minute before he dashed to the ICU, hoping to get something out from the healers.

Ron must have paced back and forth outside the room for a few minutes before his mother arrived, frantic.

"Is there any news? Bill went to check on Severus and Sebastian," said Molly, pulling Ron into a hug.

"We don't know yet. I just got here a few minutes ago," replied Ron.

The two of them waited for about an hour, Ron going back to pacing back and forth halfway through it, before a healer finally stepped out.

"Is he alright?!" Ron half-asked, half-demanded.

The healer glanced at them through his glasses, "Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, we're still stabilizing him. Physically, we believe he's going to be fine, he had a concussion, some minor bruises, a fractured leg, and two broken ribs but we had them managed. Magically, though, we're not sure what exactly happened but he almost had a complete magical exhaustion. The best thing to do now is to wait."

Severus could hear faint discussions around him though he wasn't exactly sure why in the first place. Was he asleep? It must be Harry reading Sebastian a story.

Harry... Sebastian...

Severus suddenly woke up, grabbing the attention of the people around him.

"Seb... Harry... where are them?" He asked hoarsely, vision still slightly blurry from the unexpected light exposure.

Someone sat on the chair by his bed whom he soon recognized as Minerva. "Mr. Weasley took Sebastian to the cafe. Harry is on the bed next to you."

Severus softly turned his head to the side and saw Harry's motionless frame only a few feet from him. With all the strength he could muster, Severus carefully pushed himself off the bed in an effort to get closer to his fiancé.

There was no use though as Bill stepped in to stop him, "No, stay there. We'll just move the beds closer."

Severus sighed and waited until his bed was levitated a few more feet towards Harry's, close enough for him to hold onto Harry. Severus gently brushed his fingers over Harry's face before clutching on his still hand.

He looked around, trying to find someone to ask how Harry and Sebastian were doing and what had happened to him. He didn't exactly remember being hit by anything during the explosion and hadn't felt anything wrong after, until he lost consciousness.

Aside from Minerva and Bill, Arthur, Hermione, and the Weasley twins were also in the room. Severus kept his eyes on the only healer inside the room and finally asked, "How long was I out? How is Harry and Sebastian? What happened to me?"

Hermione, in her professional tone, answered, "They brought you here yesterday afternoon. It's currently around 9 in the morning. Sebastian is perfectly fine, no wounds or internal damage. You were in shock and over-fatigued but physically, you're fine, just exhausted. Harry had a concussion, scattered bruise on his chest, arms, and legs, and a few fractured bones... We're not sure when he'll be able to wake up. His magical core was almost completely depleted," Severus could feel the lingering fear and worry in the witch's voice.

Severus schooled his expression to remain cool and collected. There was no point in panicking. Harry would be alright. Harry should be alright. He had no choice but to wake up. Severus won't accept anything else.

Of course, his fiancé just had to sacrifice himself again for the safety of others. "Magical depletion..." mumbled Severus quietly, clutching tighter on Harry's hand.

"What happened, Severus? All we knew was a bomb exploded in Prince Manor and Harry was hurt. The aurors are still investigating the damage in your home," said Arthur.

Severus began to fume in anger, the furniture around them except for his and Harry's bed began to shake. "The Lestranges!" He spat, "Rodolphus and Rabastan managed to intercept our mail-redirecting ward and sent a package directly to my office. I was teaching Sebastian the basics of reading when Harry informed me of a package signed RR on my desk. There wasn't enough time to get as far as we could before the bomb exploded, a muggle bomb of all thing... Harry placed a shield around us strong enough to deflect most of the blast and I managed to set a vibration repelling ward on instinct but there were still debris that got through and hit him."

Arthur who, like the rest of the people in the room, had his jaw dropped on the sheer amount of magic Harry exerted to be able to ward off a blast big enough to destroy a quarter of Prince Manor, one of the largest manors in Britain. Add to the fact that the Lestrange brothers were considered dead by the Ministry after being missing for three years without a single sighting, Arthur immediately sent a Patronus to Kingsley and inform him of the development.

The tenseness of the air in the room instantly vanished when the door creaked open and the little figure of Sebastian came running.

"Papa! You awake!" cried the toddler, Minerva helping him climb into Severus' bed. "Daddy still sleeping," his son whispered loudly to his ear.

Severus let himself bask in the presence of the three-year-old. He felt a whole lot better having Sebastian next to him. "Yes, daddy is still sleeping. You need to be a very good boy and behave."

The boy nodded gravely and let his head rest on Severus' chest. "Sebbie scared," mumbled the toddler, looking at Harry's body.

The father sighed sadly and pressed a soft kiss on top of his head, "I know you are, my love. It's over now. Daddy will wake up soon. He's just tired." He had his arm around Sebastian, holding him close to his body while he still clutched on Harry's motionless hand.

Severus gazed back to Arthur and said, "Tell Kingsley to find those bastards as soon as possible or else I shall go look for them myself... and I cannot promise it would not be bloody."

Arthur understood completely where the man was coming from. If it had been Molly and one of his kids, he would probably think the same. "Sure, Severus. We should probably get back to work anyway, though Bill will be here if you need any help with Sebastian."

Bill actually volunteered to help with Sebastian. He just returned to the UK from visiting Fleur's family in France, Fleur opting to stay with the kids until the weekend, when he received his father's patronus.

The rest of the group started to leave but not before the Weasley twins handed Sebastian a stuffed elephant. They thought the little boy might want some company since none could go to Prince Manor and get his bun-bun.

"Thank you, Unca Gorge, Unca Fred," said Sebastian, smiling and hugging the blue elephant.

"It's Uncle, Sebastian," corrected Severus mindlessly, a little habit he formed the last few days.

Sebastian sighed with exaggerated exhaustion, "Uncle," imitated the toddler before peering up at Severus, "See, papa? Sebbie can do it."

"And I am very proud of you," drawled Severus yet amidst everything that happened, a small smile still formed on the corner of his mouth.

The twins chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair before bidding Severus goodbye, Bill excusing himself to get them some breakfast.

"Papa, Sebbie stay with daddy now," announce the boy, crawling over Severus' body to get to Harry's bed.

Severus managed to hold the boy safely as he transferred to his daddy's bed. Sebastian settled beside Harry, burrowing himself gently and placing his tiny hand over Harry's chest.

Severus felt his heart constrict when he heard Sebastian whisper to Harry's sleeping form, "No more scary, daddy. Wake now, please"