Sorry this took so long! Had to get ready for school, get settled back in school, correct my class schedule, go to class, get my work schedule, go to work and all the other fun stuff a misunderstood college student gets to do... Not to mention my college network isn't talking to my comp so it's like pulling teeth to get online at the moment.

Thanks for all the reviews! I hope to have the next chapter out sometime this weekend... Not sure though. Have a lot of work to do... Ahh.. The joy of being an overworked college student...

Enjoy!



The night was beautiful with a plethora of stars making up for the lack of a moon. A breeze breathed through the trees and land, smelling of the ocean it came off of. A few night creatures could be heard scurrying through the undergrowth of the near-by trees and bushes. Hoots could be heard from hungry predators as the smaller animals ventured out farther than they should from their protection.

Unfortunately, neither Snape nor Harry could enjoy the beautiful summer night. Harry had still not awakened from his last faint and Snape was too worried about his young charge to even remember to watch his path. It was therefore only surprising to him that he had walked all the way back to the cliffs.

"How did I manage this," Snape mused angrily. He was half tempted to blame Harry, since the boy seemed prone to trouble, even when in an unconscious state.

Snape sighed, frustrated. Now he had to turn around and try to make it all the way back to the inn again without meeting with a certain wanna-be deatheater.

"You had better be worth all this trouble you've caused, boy," Snape growled at Harry. But it was only half-hearted.

Normally Snape would resent Harry for everything that had happened, for his being unable to claim a good night's sleep, but tonight, Snape found he didn't have a heart to blame him. Harry hadn't asked for any of it to happen and Snape knew that he had been trying his best to help. However, Snape would always credit him with the ability to draw trouble from places others couldn't, so he wasn't too worried about his change of heart. Snape knew he'd always be able to find a way to blame the boy later.

'If he survives, that is,' Snape thought to himself as he brushed a lock of Harry's hair from his forehead.

Snape was still standing near the cliff's edge and so he turned to look out at the sea one final time, as though asking for strength for the both of them to survive the night, before turning back to the path he'd chosen to take back to the White Wizard Inn. He started, bringing his wand up and back, sending Harry closer to the edge than was wise, as he found himself facing the dark figure.

"Professor Severus Snape. Who knew a traitor like you could be so loyal and unwavering," the dark figure asked rhetorically.

Snape scowled and let Harry slowly drift to the ground.

"If you want a duel, you may have a duel, fool," Snape growled at the figure. He was in pain from both his wrist and a headache, worried sick over Harry, and tired of running. He was ready to fight, even if it meant he had to pretend to be Hagrid and rip this idiot apart. Especially if he could rip this idiot apart.

The dark figure laughed and raised its wand, "Duel? Why? I already have you right where I want you." It murmured a few words that Snape couldn't hear in his anger, then it raised its wand.



"See," and Snape could hear the evil glee in its question.

"Harry," Snape breathed, realization setting in, terror on its heels. He slowly turned, knowing what he'd see.

Harry floated high above the cliff's edge, still unconscious and looking more than ever like the little boy he still was.

"Drop your wand," the dark figure told him triumphantly.

Snape let the wand slip out of his suddenly cold fingers, eyes never leaving the floating boy.

"Let him go," Snape told the dark figure in a soft voice. The voice was one that would have surprised even Dumbledore, it was cold, emotionless, as though he'd let all hope and faith float away on a breath before speaking.

The dark figure eyed Snape for a moment, long enough that snape had turned pleading eyes on it, before it began to laugh.

"And risk the dark lord's wrath? Never," it cried.

"Besides, he won't survive, even if I did. Seems one of my partners got a little carried away..." it continued, bouncing Harry's body a little.

Snape's eyes darted over to Harry, but only for a moment.

"What do you mean? What did you do to him," Snape asked in a similar voice to before, only now a bit of cautious wariness had crept in.

"You -" the dark figure began, but never finished as an explosion knocked it back, its hood falling down to reveal long brown hair and the round face of a woman that looked suspiciously familiar to Snape.

But only for a moment and the he was leaping for Harry.

"Harry," Snape screamed as he leapt, his arm stretched out in a desperate attempt to reach Harry before he could disappear over the cliff.

For that one brief moment, nothing but himself and Harry existed. He did not notice the pain his body screamed at his movements. He did not notice the large black dog that chased after the woman towards the path down the cliff. He did not notice a very wide-eyed Remus Lupin as he ran down the path towards Snape. All he knew was that Harry was about to finally die.

Harry began to disappear over the cliff's edge, his head down and body still limp. Snape made a last effort with the remaining courage he had and grabbed...

And caught Harry's foot.

For a moment, Snape did nothing, then he began to pull Harry back up. Snape jumped and almost dropped him as Lupin dropped down beside him to help.

Lupin pointed his wand at Harry and, with a quick spell, lifted him into the air to land gently behind them.

"What happened, Severus," Lupin asked him as he crawled over to Harry.

Snape didn't answer him. He was too busy attempting to get to Harry so he could check him over for damage. Unfortunately, he tried to put weight on his broken wrist again, and fell on his side.

"Severus," Lupin said, alarmed.

"How is he," Snape managed to hiss through the pain.



"Unconscious," Lupin answered with a sigh as he tried to coax Snape onto his back as well.

Snape wouldn't have anything to do with the werewolf's endeavors and merely continued to crawl towards Harry, saying, "They did something to Harry..."



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Sirius chased the deatheater woman down the cliffside, but he stopped before he could reach the beach.

As much as he wanted to punish the woman responsible for his godson's pain, he was calm enough to remember that he could not face the dark lord alone. Unfortunately, for the woman, she had no choice but to face him, alone and now unarmed, as she had lost her wand sometime ago.

"L-L-Lord," she stammered out, falling to her knees in fear. Sirius could see her shaking and thought vaguely hat she looked as though Hagrid were shaking her awake.

The dark lord smiled evilly as he looked at her, his crimson eyes taking in her dark robes and not missing her address of him.

"So you are the one..." he said in a low voice.

"Y-y-yes-s-s, L-L-L-L-Lord," she stammered again. "I-I-I-I a-a-am M-M-Matilda S-S-Snow."

He grinned at her, sending visible chills up both her and Sirius's backs, "I remember Snow and his wife... He was a loyal deatheater who died in my service. His wife was as well."

Voldemort lifted his wand and screamed, "Crucio!"



Next Chapter: The Hogwarts Escape