Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters
Web of Lies.
Finally, ten minutes later, the first adult reappeared. It was a tall, strong man, dressed in auror clothes. He smiled gently down at them.
"Hello there, are you all alright?"
One of the older children nodded lightly after looking around. "We're fine."
The auror looked a bit surprised at the children; they had been very close to the dementors, and yet, they were all relatively calm. Then he noticed the empty packages of sweets and smiled slightly. "Ah, I see you ate some sweets, very smart of you."
One of the kids pointed towards Alec. "It was his idea, it really helped."
The auror looked down at the small boy. The girl next to him was looking at up at him in awe, but her companion was just curious. "Very well done, lad, I'm sure you've helped all of these children a lot."
Alec smiled a bit, warmth filling him in a way it never had before. He had not been out there fighting with the adults, but he had not been useless. Maybe it was time to learn that sometimes, he couldn't do everything, and that every bit helped. The auror smiled back at him and motioned for them to get up. "Your parents are all waiting outside."
Alec was a bit puzzled; he would have expected for them to rush inside once the dementors were gone to check on the children. His question was solved when he saw an auror standing in front of the door. It seemed the aurors had wanted to avoid causing even more panic and had been taking care of everything. The blonde girl, who had been walking next to him, rushed of as soon as they walked through the door. All the other children followed her example, rushing towards the concerned parents that had gathered around the street to wait for the auror to get their children. Looking around, he saw his professors trying to comfort a few people and decided to wait for them to finish.
The tall auror approached him and knelt in front of him. "Are your parents not here?"
Looking up startled, Harry shook his head slightly. The man looked curiously at the silent child, he was still pale and looked like he would gladly burst into tears any given moment. For his part, Harry felt like it; the dementors had affected him worse than before. With the knowledge that he couldn't cast his patronus and the fact that he needed to help all those other children, he had fought to keep his composure, but now it was slipping away, and he wished he were alone.
The man's soft voice startled him out of his depressing thoughts. "Who did you come with? You look like you're about to start Hogwarts, so someone must have brought you here."
Harry looked up at him and then let his gaze wander towards McGonagall. When the auror didn't get an answer, he looked towards where the child was looking. "Did you come with Professor McGonagall?"
The child nodded lightly, warping his arms around himself. The man was about to reach out and pick the small boy up when another pair of hands reached out first. Startled, the younger man watched as Professor Snape, the most feared teacher at Hogwarts, gently cradled the strange boy against his chest.
"Alec, are you alright?"
Harry nodded and buried his head against the man's shoulder, his arms firmly wrapped around his neck. Frowning, Severus looked first at the shivering boy and then at the auror who had just stood up.
"Professor Snape."
"Mr. Guiusad." Glancing once again at the child, he spoke again, his voice stern. "Did you give the children chocolate?"
The man smiled slightly. "It wasn't necessary, the little lad here made sure they had some during the attack." It was a bit amusing to see the proud glance in the professor's eyes. He never would have thought that was possible, and he couldn't help but wonder who the boy was. Looking once again at the child, he frowned. "Maybe you should give him some more, it seems the dementors have affected him worse than the others. Maybe you should bring him to the mediwizard."
Severus looked towards the man the auror was pointing to, but shook his head slightly. "No need, we're leaving for Hogwarts as soon as Minerva is finished. Madam Pomfrey will be able to make sure he's fine."
Nodding lightly, the younger man bowed a bit. "It's been good to see you again, Professor, but I need to go."
Snape nodded lightly towards the former Ravenclaw. "Be careful, Damien."
The auror looked up startled, what on earth had happened to the hateful man he had known for seven years?
"I will be, Professor."
Severus watched as the younger man left his side and turned his attention to Harry. "Come on, Alec, let's get you to Hogwarts, your grandfather has probably heard about this by now, and he'll be worried."
Harry nodded slightly and buried himself deeper into the man's arms, basking in his warmth. A gentle hand came to rest on his back and he saw Minerva standing next to them. With a silent nod between the two teachers, they apparated together towards the edge of Hogwarts.
None of them were very surprised when they saw a pale Dumbledore pacing in front of them. The old man immediately rushed to their side and picked up Harry out of Severus' arms.
"Are you all alright?"
Severus and Minerva nodded lightly while Harry hid his head against Dumbledore's chest. The old man motioned to the two teachers to follow him and quickly made his way towards the infirmary.
"What happened?"
After sharing a look, Minerva began to speak. "There was a fairly large attack, there were about fifty dementors. As far as we can tell, there were no Death Eaters. Severus thinks it was just a distraction manoeuvre, I'm not so sure. The dementors managed to kiss about twenty people; luckily, we were able to gather together, and someone was smart enough to warn the aurors. It took us some time, but in the end, they fled."
Dumbledore nodded, his face a hard mask while he clutched Harry against him. They reached the hospital wing in no time. Madam Pomfrey was already waiting for them. Dumbledore put Harry down on one of the beds, noticing the boy was half asleep, and turned to the two teachers while Madam Pomfrey looked over him.
"Did Alec get close to the dementors?"
The adequate question should have been if the child had fought against them, as he feared. After all, to have an eleven-year-old produce a corporeal patronus would draw too much attention, no matter to whom he was supposedly related. He was relieved and startled when Severus spoke.
"Not really close, no; he stayed with the other children in the back of Flourish and Blotts. The auror who found them there told me he had given sweets to the other children. He has a good head on his shoulders."
Dumbledore smiled fondly down at the small boy. He could not have been prouder of him had he fought against the dementors himself; he knew that staying back was often even more difficult than to fight. That Harry had felt confident enough that the older wizards would protect him showed that they were making some progress after all.
Madam Pomfrey joined them, stating that Alec was alright, and then insisted on checking the two younger professors out too, much to Severus' disgust.
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.
Web of Lies.
Finally, ten minutes later, the first adult reappeared. It was a tall, strong man, dressed in auror clothes. He smiled gently down at them.
"Hello there, are you all alright?"
One of the older children nodded lightly after looking around. "We're fine."
The auror looked a bit surprised at the children; they had been very close to the dementors, and yet, they were all relatively calm. Then he noticed the empty packages of sweets and smiled slightly. "Ah, I see you ate some sweets, very smart of you."
One of the kids pointed towards Alec. "It was his idea, it really helped."
The auror looked down at the small boy. The girl next to him was looking at up at him in awe, but her companion was just curious. "Very well done, lad, I'm sure you've helped all of these children a lot."
Alec smiled a bit, warmth filling him in a way it never had before. He had not been out there fighting with the adults, but he had not been useless. Maybe it was time to learn that sometimes, he couldn't do everything, and that every bit helped. The auror smiled back at him and motioned for them to get up. "Your parents are all waiting outside."
Alec was a bit puzzled; he would have expected for them to rush inside once the dementors were gone to check on the children. His question was solved when he saw an auror standing in front of the door. It seemed the aurors had wanted to avoid causing even more panic and had been taking care of everything. The blonde girl, who had been walking next to him, rushed of as soon as they walked through the door. All the other children followed her example, rushing towards the concerned parents that had gathered around the street to wait for the auror to get their children. Looking around, he saw his professors trying to comfort a few people and decided to wait for them to finish.
The tall auror approached him and knelt in front of him. "Are your parents not here?"
Looking up startled, Harry shook his head slightly. The man looked curiously at the silent child, he was still pale and looked like he would gladly burst into tears any given moment. For his part, Harry felt like it; the dementors had affected him worse than before. With the knowledge that he couldn't cast his patronus and the fact that he needed to help all those other children, he had fought to keep his composure, but now it was slipping away, and he wished he were alone.
The man's soft voice startled him out of his depressing thoughts. "Who did you come with? You look like you're about to start Hogwarts, so someone must have brought you here."
Harry looked up at him and then let his gaze wander towards McGonagall. When the auror didn't get an answer, he looked towards where the child was looking. "Did you come with Professor McGonagall?"
The child nodded lightly, warping his arms around himself. The man was about to reach out and pick the small boy up when another pair of hands reached out first. Startled, the younger man watched as Professor Snape, the most feared teacher at Hogwarts, gently cradled the strange boy against his chest.
"Alec, are you alright?"
Harry nodded and buried his head against the man's shoulder, his arms firmly wrapped around his neck. Frowning, Severus looked first at the shivering boy and then at the auror who had just stood up.
"Professor Snape."
"Mr. Guiusad." Glancing once again at the child, he spoke again, his voice stern. "Did you give the children chocolate?"
The man smiled slightly. "It wasn't necessary, the little lad here made sure they had some during the attack." It was a bit amusing to see the proud glance in the professor's eyes. He never would have thought that was possible, and he couldn't help but wonder who the boy was. Looking once again at the child, he frowned. "Maybe you should give him some more, it seems the dementors have affected him worse than the others. Maybe you should bring him to the mediwizard."
Severus looked towards the man the auror was pointing to, but shook his head slightly. "No need, we're leaving for Hogwarts as soon as Minerva is finished. Madam Pomfrey will be able to make sure he's fine."
Nodding lightly, the younger man bowed a bit. "It's been good to see you again, Professor, but I need to go."
Snape nodded lightly towards the former Ravenclaw. "Be careful, Damien."
The auror looked up startled, what on earth had happened to the hateful man he had known for seven years?
"I will be, Professor."
Severus watched as the younger man left his side and turned his attention to Harry. "Come on, Alec, let's get you to Hogwarts, your grandfather has probably heard about this by now, and he'll be worried."
Harry nodded slightly and buried himself deeper into the man's arms, basking in his warmth. A gentle hand came to rest on his back and he saw Minerva standing next to them. With a silent nod between the two teachers, they apparated together towards the edge of Hogwarts.
None of them were very surprised when they saw a pale Dumbledore pacing in front of them. The old man immediately rushed to their side and picked up Harry out of Severus' arms.
"Are you all alright?"
Severus and Minerva nodded lightly while Harry hid his head against Dumbledore's chest. The old man motioned to the two teachers to follow him and quickly made his way towards the infirmary.
"What happened?"
After sharing a look, Minerva began to speak. "There was a fairly large attack, there were about fifty dementors. As far as we can tell, there were no Death Eaters. Severus thinks it was just a distraction manoeuvre, I'm not so sure. The dementors managed to kiss about twenty people; luckily, we were able to gather together, and someone was smart enough to warn the aurors. It took us some time, but in the end, they fled."
Dumbledore nodded, his face a hard mask while he clutched Harry against him. They reached the hospital wing in no time. Madam Pomfrey was already waiting for them. Dumbledore put Harry down on one of the beds, noticing the boy was half asleep, and turned to the two teachers while Madam Pomfrey looked over him.
"Did Alec get close to the dementors?"
The adequate question should have been if the child had fought against them, as he feared. After all, to have an eleven-year-old produce a corporeal patronus would draw too much attention, no matter to whom he was supposedly related. He was relieved and startled when Severus spoke.
"Not really close, no; he stayed with the other children in the back of Flourish and Blotts. The auror who found them there told me he had given sweets to the other children. He has a good head on his shoulders."
Dumbledore smiled fondly down at the small boy. He could not have been prouder of him had he fought against the dementors himself; he knew that staying back was often even more difficult than to fight. That Harry had felt confident enough that the older wizards would protect him showed that they were making some progress after all.
Madam Pomfrey joined them, stating that Alec was alright, and then insisted on checking the two younger professors out too, much to Severus' disgust.
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.