Chapter Two

Prediction

...

His thoughts were ringing noisily inside his head as he levitated Harry into the bedroom and placed him onto the bed, earning more groans of pain.

To hell, he'd known that Harry must've hurt himself while brewing this damned potion. Why hasn't he reacted earlier?

Damned...

As he searched for any sign where the boy has hurt himself, he noticed that his left trouser leg was soaked with blood as were his left arm and stomach.

My god...

...

A few minutes later three persons hurried towards number four, muttering quietly to each other in order not to arouse the attention of the curious neighbours, unnoticed from the two persons inside.

"Look! The boy is wasting our money", said Aunt Petunia in her typical criticizing voice.

"I see it, Petunia darling."

"Mommy, haven't you told him to be out of my room?", Dudley complained as he noticed the light in almost every room of the house, but at the same moment he'd complained the light turned out magically and he saw a tall man wearing a cloak closing the curtains of his cousin's room.

"Of course I have... Oh Vernon, there's somebody inside", shrieked Petunia.

"Wait, I'll teach the boy not to let freaks like him inside our house", Uncle Vernon barked, stormed inside, slammed the trunks aside and tramped upstairs.

...

He was in, what seemed to be, a cell, hearing someone crying quietly. Curious he walked towards what sounded like a young woman and tried to identify her face in the dark, but he couldn't. Suddenly he heard many powerful explosions and some men shrieking and shouting, followed by a hollow, maniacal laughter which froze the blood in his veins. Then he didn't feel anything else than pain, on his forehead, in his whole body, with the result that his legs weakened under his body. It felt like someone tearing him into pieces. The quiet crying stopped abruptly and as he forced himself to look towards the door he saw three dementors hurrying inside and, oh god, towards the woman. He heard himself yelling at them, telling them to let her alone, but they didn't stop. He saw the woman struggle against them, desperately and helplessly and the next he noticed was a man waving his wand at them, "Expecto Patronum!", and then...

...

One minute before the potions master was hurrying through the whole house, fetching a bowl filled with water and a flannel from the kitchen, some bandages and a cauldron, after filling the rest of the healing potion in some bottles, from the bathroom and from the living-room some blankets, as there had none been in the other boys' room, and hurried back upstairs turning out the light with one wave of his wand.

As he reached the door of Harry's room he heard the boy moaning followed by some cries and saw him struggle against his blanket, restless. Worried he placed everything aside, closed the curtains and knelt down beside the boy placing a wet flannel on his forehead, but without success. Harry was still struggling and didn't calm down.

Suddenly the potions master heard a loud bang, telling him that the boy's relatives must've arrived, followed by the noise of someone very heavy tramping upstairs. With a hiss of anger Snape rose to his feet but at the same moment the door burst open, offering him a look at a very angry muggle who must've been his uncle. Still furious the potions master hissed at the disturbing man:

"How dare you to make su...", but was interrupted by the uncle of the boy.

"Get... out... of... my... house... you... freak... or... I... call... the... police."

"You wanna call the police, how amusing", sneered the potions master, pointing his wand at the paling man. "I don't think so."

An evil grin crossed his face.

"As I've heard from the headmaster you're making Harry's life a hell and I think it's time for a little repayment, isn't it? Or am I wrong about that?"

The evil grin still didn't vanish from his face, but grew wider, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Behind the now shaking muggle appeared his wife with Harry's cousin, grumbling.

"Vernon, why haven't you thrown this freak out yet? I don't want filth like that in my hou..."

As she looked over her husbands shoulder her voice died.

"Good evening Madame. As you were so kind to call me filth I think there's something I can do for you, too", and after spoken this he waved his wand, muttering something under his breath and all turned to stone.

"I think it is much better this way", he jeered turning his head towards Harry again, who stared back at him, stunned.

...

As Harry awoke from an ear splitting noise, he was completely shocked about what he saw. There they were. Two of the three most hated men in Harry's life, frowning, sneering and shouting at each other, and he found himself wondering whom he hated most. Before him Snape was standing, his despised potions master, jeering at his detested uncle who grew smaller and smaller, paling with every word said by Snape. It was a really funny scene and Harry was totally enjoying it. For the first time in his life he saw his uncle sheepish and petrified with fear. And as if this wasn't enough, the boy noticed his aunt appearing behind her husband, calling Snape names, he was sure, which wouldn't be unpunished. But the woman's expression as she saw the wizard grinning evilly and derisive at her was the best Harry had ever seen on earth and he was sure he'd never forget this moment in his whole life. Therefore Harry felt great sympathy towards the potions master, even after his ungrateful, mean behaviour, but simultaneous was really shocked about what came next. Behind the now at him looking man they stand, his relatives, stoned. Even if he'd tried, Harry could never have described his feelings at that moment, but as if nothing had happened Snape said something to him, Harry's ears could hear, but his mind could barely understand.

...

"How are you feeling?", Snape asked, worry in his voice, but when he noticed that Harry wasn't going to answer, he started cleaning his wounds, getting painful groans from the boy.

"Why have you done this?", he heard the boy asking after a while, still bandaging his arm.

Good question, Snape thought trying to find a reasonable answer for himself.

"What do you mean? Me still being here or me making these annoying muggles become silent?"

It was completely clear to him that the boy meant the last, but he wanted his true opinion of the first, too.

"Both!", Harry answered simply.

"To your information Potter, Dumbledore had killed me if he'd found out me letting you die here and besides this, no one is going to offend me without an appropriate reaction of mine, and to be true, this was exactly what was needed."

Wonderful, Snape was really satisfied with his answer. He didn't have lied to the boy, but haven't told him the whole truth, either. He'd stayed because he'd really wanted to care for the boy, he confessed to himself at last, but it was easier and better for the boy to stay the old, selfish potions master he knew. It was better for him, too, Snape thought while trying to go on with bandaging.

Damn, this looks terrible.

He even wanted to clean the boy's wounds on his leg as his answer hit him hard.

...

"Great!", snapped Harry frowning at his teacher whose eyes flickered to his.

That was exactly what he'd wanted to hear from the old, greasy and selfish git. Really great... And he'd hoped something could've changed. How stupid he was... This feeling pissed him off truly.

Still frowning Harry noticed the man's sharp look.

Oh, I'm sorry I've annoyed you and disturbed you at your work. I'll never do this again, promised..., he answered the reaction of Snape in his mind. Couldn't you've said that wanted to do this for your own will? You're really such a heartless bastard!

Without having noticed, Harry had spoken the last sentence aloud.

...

"Thanks, Potter. That means a week detention, even if the term hasn't started yet", he snarled seeing the boy's protest, but that doesn't matter to him. He was deeply hurt. Could the boy be such an arrogant idiot? Really, he was like his father, interested in his feelings only. How he hated that man...

But it's your fault that the boy has reacted this way. If you'd have told him the whole truth, then...

What then, Severus snapped back to his mind. Do you think he'd liked me after telling him the true cause?

It's your own fault then! You've treated the boy like his father has you. Is this the way you repay everything? To repay it to the son, 'cause you can't repay it to his father anymore. You can be proud of yourself, his mind sneered, and therefore Severus felt guilty again.

It was right, even when he didn't like to confess that to himself. During the last four years he'd been horrible to the boy, trying to make himself feeling better by humiliating the boy in every way he could, even trying to get him expelled. He'd wanted to hurt the father by mistreating his son and with it satisfied himself. Yeah, Harry was right. He was a selfish, heartless bastard, but he couldn't say that to the boy. No, no way.

As Severus had finished the quarrel with his mind, he noticed that Harry was barely conscious, but fighting to stay it, not willed to show weakness towards him. It was time to do something, but he didn't know what.

Finally he was finished with fixing his injuries and therefore tried to force the boy to drink his own healing potion, but this ranged rather difficult as the boy wasn't willed to drink it.

"Potter, don't be silly. Drink this blasted potion."

But this didn't work. Why was the boy this stubborn? Ok, then he has to do it this way.

"Drink it, or I'll make you tell me a few secrets I ever wanted to know. I think it'd be rather interesting to know who'd stolen the boom slang skin, for example", Severus sneered in his usual way, getting a frightened glance from the boy.

"You wouldn't.!"

"Be sure, I would and I will!"

Then he drank the potion, finally.

"Fine, good boy. This wasn't that difficult, was it?"

~~~

Several hours later Harry was struggling against his blanket again, speaking, moaning, begging during his sleep, while Snape was brewing a potion, listening to Harry and glancing over his shoulder, worried, praying that Harry would calm down within the next minutes, but the begging became louder.

"No, don't. Please don't him, kill me instead... Please don't him... Nooo...!"

Suddenly Harry jerked. Sitting in his bed he looked around him, frightened, while breathing heavily.

It'd been a nightmare about Voldemort's rising, Severus was sure. The boy seemed to feel guilty for Diggory's death. But why? It wasn't his fault. There's nothing what can be done against the killing curse. Nothing, as he'd seen it by himself. Even the greatest wizards of the century have failed their lives fighting against it.

When Harry noticed that there was only the potions master in the room apart from him, he calmed down and tried to rest, not willing to talk to Snape of whom he was sure that he'd heard him begging during the nightmare, but Severus' attention was focused on the silvery liquid inside the cauldron.

It's ready, finally, he thought while touching its' surface with his wand and muttering something under his breath, producing a whirl.

What he saw next held his attention completely.

...

Long time Harry was lying on his back, trying to sleep till he saw that Snapes' attentiveness was forced on something before him, noticing the sweet scent into the air. Suddenly the potions master jerked, turning round his heels, waving his wand, saying that they've to leave immediately, not willed to say something more in detail.

"Where are your belongings?", he asked in a hurry, almost down the hall as he heard Harry's response, then at the next second upstairs again, levitating Harry's trunk behind him.

"I've to talk to Dumbledore and I'm afraid that you've to accompany me to Hogwarts, 'cause it's impossible to stay behind at your own!"

Harry himself was already at his feet, shaking violently. As Snape noticed Harry's helplessness, he hurried to his side supporting him downstairs and then they left Privet Drive.

...