This took so long to get out! Sorry!! I still don't have my internet access and then I got swamped and distracted by other things...

Anyway, we're nearing the end... But I'm seeing potential for a sequel here already. Do you all want one? Or should I just leave it at this story?

Please don't kill me too badly for this chapter. I made it extra long to make up for the doozy cliffhanger. And thank yo for the reviews! 111 so far!! THANK YOU!! Im glad you enjoy! And thanks to Harry for saving me from Hyper Princess. ::rubs throat nervously:: (Don't worry, I was laughing at the review. Was so hilarious.) And thanks for all that have been reviewing since chapter one!

Enjoy!

A shiver raced down Sirius's back as he watched the woman, Matilda Snow, fall to the ground in agony. Once down, she writhed there as the dark lord stood watching in glee.

Voldemort laughed a high pitched laugh that made Sirius flinch from both fear and the pain the laugh inflicted on his sensitive dog hearing. He noticed Wormtail shrink back against the high cliff wall and swallowed his sudden urge to rush the rat.

"You do not blackmail Voldemort, girl," Voldemort stopped laughing to tell Snow. Snow curled herself into and ball and moaned.

"Your parents were remiss to not teach you that," he continued before once again cursing her.

Snow's screams this time caused the urge to howl at the pain in his ears to rise in Sirius. It was an urge he nearly gave into.

"Where is he," the dark lord venomously asked after a minute. "Don't think to hide him from me."

Snow shrunk from the dark lord in fear. She shook her head jerkily as she tried to curl further into herself. Sirius could practically feel her fear as he watched her terror-filled movements.

The air crackled with hate and pain as Voldemort cursed Snow again. This time Snow's limp figure gave one horrible shake and then stilled mid-scream.

For one moment, Sirus thought she was dead, another victim to add to the list of Voldemort's kills, but then he saw her chest slowly rising and falling in shuddering, short breaths. Briefly, Sirius felt both relief and regret at this information.

"Rouse her," Voldemort ordered Wormtail, who was still busily hiding I the shadows of the cliff. "I want to know where Potter is and the identity of this traitor. If there is indeed a traitor."

Wormtail began hurriedly scurrying over to Snow and a wave of fear passed through Sirius.

As much as he wanted to kill Wormtail for what he'd done, Sirius did not want to be discovered by Voldemort. He knew he couldn't defeat him, and his life meant too much to Harry for Sirius to waste it so carelessly.

Sirius turned and ran quickly back up the path, hoping that Wormtail wouldn't notice him. He ran back along the side of the cliff to where he'd left Lupin and Harry. He only hoped Harry was alright.

He suddenly remembered seeing Harry dangling high above the cliff's edge and put on another burst of speed as a feeling of desperation began to set back into his heart.

'Be alive, Harry. Please be alive,' Sirius silently pleaded.

Soon figures kneeling on the ground came into view ahead of him and Sirius let out a happy yelp. He'd forgotten that Snape had also been there and thought that Harry and Lupin were simply sitting while they waited for him.

Sirius felt bile rise in his throat as he drew closer and saw that it was not Harry that was sitting on the ground with Lupin. It was Snape. Harry was between the two men on the ground, looking far too lifeless for Sirius's peace of mind.

Sirius skidded to a halt beside Harry's body and transformed back into his human. He reached out with a trembling hand to brush a lock of hair back from his forehead.

Harry's skin was hot, so hot that Sirius could feel the heat before his hand had even made contact with his skin. Harry's face was deathly pale with the only color coming from the slight fevered flush that tinted his cheeks. His eyes were closed with no evident eye movement that would be part of a normal sleep. His body was limp and soaked in sweat.

Sirius truly wasn't sure if his godson was breathing at first, but he soon let out a sigh of relief as he watched Harry take a shallow, shuddering breath.

"What happened," Sirius asked, turning to look at Snape.

"They did something to him before I was able to get to him. Probably before we even heard he was missing," Snape answered hoarsely.

Snape moved to stand and Lupin immediately moved to help him.

"Leave me alone," Snape growled and shook him off.

Sirius frowned, anger at his friend's treatment rising even more easily then usual due to his concern for Harry.

"He's trying to help you," Sirius told Snape hotly as he too stood. "You could at least pretend to be grateful."

Snape simply looked at Sirius with unfathomable dark eyes. The look couldn't even be considered a glare, it was so emotionless, but for some reason Sirius found that it disturbed him more than anything else could have ever done.

"What did they do to Harry," Sirius asked him, striving for a menacing voice.

"I don't know," Snape said quietly. "I thought he was only sick at first. I didn't realize it was as bad as it was until we escaped the cave. Still I thought he was only sick from the when he was with the Muggles and then from the cave -"

"Cave," Lupin interrupted to ask.

"I found him hidden in a cave at the bottom of the cliffs," Snape told them.

Sirius cursed loudly, which seemed to snap Snape out of his stupor as he gave a bit of a jump and shook himself slightly.

"Why are we dawdling here," Snape growled irritably. "Every moment we waste here trying to educate the mutt is another moment of Harry's remaining time wasted."

'Harry,' Sirius thought, surprised. 'Since when did Snape call him Harry?'

Sirius opened his mouth to voice his thoughts, but closed it when Snape used his wand to magically lift Harry on an invisible stretcher, reminding him of his godson's condition once more.

"I'll take him," Lupin said, moving to take Harry from Snape with his wand.

Snape scowled darkly at Lupin so that Lupin backed quickly off and Sirius wondered how Lupin could still be alive after such a venomous look. Anger spread through Sirius at the look, but he simply changed back into a dog.

This was no time to start petty quarrels, they had to save Harry. They could argue later.

They walked the long trip back to the inn in relative silence, with only an occasional stop to check on both Harry and Snape. Sirius hadn't noticed before, but Snape was also badly injured. But he never allowed Lupin to take Harry from him.

Sirius wasn't sure what disturbed him more, Snape's determination to rescue Harry himself or the fact that Harry was still unconscious. And this disturbed Sirius more than anything else.

Why should he be bothered that Snape was protecting Harry so fervently. It was probably just a matter of pride for him. Everyone knew Snape hated Harry, that wasn't going to change in one night. Was it?

Tension marred an otherwise beautiful night, with hacking coughs from Harry puncturing through to add some more blatant concern and little while. When they had finally reached the door of the inn, it was only a short while past dawn, but they all felt as though it had been years since they had last rested.

Lupin stepped up to the door and knocked loudly. A loud "THUMP" was heard followed by a vehement curse in the unmistakable irate voice of the sleepy innkeeper. A few moments later, the voice was followed by his very angry face as he swung the door open.

"You again," he growled. "Couldn't you have at least waited until a decent hour?"

"No," Snape snapped before Lupin even had a chance to open his mouth. Snape was using a voice that if he had ever used in any of his classes, poor Neville Longbottom would have finally died of fear.

"Can't you see we have a sick boy here? Move out of the way, you idiot. We have to get him help," Snape continued just as fiercely.

The innkeeper's eyes widened in fear as he stared at Snape. It began to seem as though he would never move, when suddenly he was shoved out of the way to reveal his wife.

"A boy? You found the poor child," the large woman cried, her eyes screaming with concern. "Where is he?"

"Here," Lupin told her, "but he's extremely ill. We have to use your fireplace to get help quickly."

"Oh, of course, of course," the woman exclaimed and turned to start running into the main room. "I'll go stoke the fire for you."

Sirius followed Lupin and Snape in while giving an unforgiving growl to the innkeeper. He snickered a doggy snicker as the already jumpy man nearly leapt a foot in fear and rushed to close the front door.

"Stop scaring the poor innkeeper, Snuffles," Lupin told him idly as he watched Snape lower Harry to a table.

"I'll take him," Lupin told Snape, when the fire was ready. "I'll be able to keep a better hold on him than you will with your broken wrist."

Snape looked like he was about to argue, but then stepped back and allowed Lupin to pick up Harry's body. The woman threw floo-powder in the fire and Lupin stepped in, cradling Harry's body against him and adjusting him for better travel. Once he had Harry securely against him, he called, "Hogsmeade," and was off.

The woman threw some more powder in the fire and smiled at Snape, "Now you take care of that boy and yourself."

"Thank you," Snape told her as he stepped into the fire with Sirius.

Sirius allowed Snape to wrap an arm around his collar and closed his eyes as Snape hoarsely called, "Hogsmeade."



They barely stopped long enough to acknowledge Madam Rosmerta of The Three Broomsticks before they started off for Hogwarts, Snape in the lead with Harry on the magical stretcher again.

"Your very protective of Harry lately, Severus," Lupin said as though to thin air.

He might have been speaking to thin air for all that Snape acknowledged him. Snape simply continued climbing the path towards the dark, comforting shape of Hogwarts.

Finally, when they had almost reached the castle, Snape said wearily, "I won't let anything harm him while I can stop it, werewolf."

So startled were Sirius and Lupin that they missed a step and stumbled behind Snape for a moment. Sirius sat down even as Lupin continued on. His mind was a whirlwind of thought as he watched the castle doors open to admit Snape and Lupin.

Sirius knew that something had changed with Snape, but he couldn't figure out what yet. All he knew was that it scared the life out of him.

Snape and Lupin were inside now and only Dumbledore was left standing in the doorway. He stood watching Sirius with sad, serious eyes. That, even more than Snape's strange behavior, brought out a sense of terror in Sirius's heart. It was as if he'd been thrown back in Azkaban, only without the knowledge that he was innocent to protect his sanity.

Sirius stood and ran as fast as his paws would carry him inside and to the hospital wing. Once there he skidded to a stop beside Lupin, whining at the sight of Snape sitting on the bed next to Harry's.

Sirius walked over to Harry's bedside, making sure to remain as close to Harry as possible, as though claiming him, while allowing room for Madame Pomfrey to work on Harry.

Snape snorted at his behavior, but Sirius was horrified to also see something close to fear in the man's hardened dark eyes.

'Harry is safe,' Sirius began chanting to himself. 'I will not lose him. I will not lose my godson. James's son will not die.'

It seemed to be an eternity, but must have only been another hour of Madam Pomfrey's bustling, Sirius heard her sigh and step back. He opened his eyes and turned their worried gaze on her face, as though searching her own eyes for hope.

"Poppy," Dumbledore asked, startling Sirius for the umpteenth time that day. Sirius, for his part, did not even flinch.

"It's bad," Pomfrey said shaking her head.

'No,' Sirius silently pleaded desperately. 'Say he'll be okay. Say he'll just sleep for a little while. Say he'll have a limp for the rest of his life. Say anything but-'

And then a tremor of horror moved Sirius's body as a wave of such anguish took hold of his heart and squeezed out a long, loud howl of despair. She'd said the one thing he had not wanted to hear.

"Harry's been poisoned and I don't know the cure."



Next Chapter: The Poison