Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 02 : A Bit Of All Right
by I Got Tired of Waiting

Edited for FF.net--361 sexy words were sacrificed on the altar of the rating gods.

Remember, if you are of age, the full version is available at my site.

Part V : Together
Chapter Fifty Two : Waking Nightmares

6 September 2003 Pre-dawn

There was something odd about the Potions classroom. For one thing, it was too bright; for another, there were students in it. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws if the crests on their robes told the right story. Small and young, most probably First Years but certainly no older than Second Years and given that none of them were familiar, Harry could only surmise the former since he knew by sight some of the latter.

It was quiet, too quiet, and the motion of his sight swinging from side to side, the attention given keen, was too slow and disjointed for real life. So this had to be a vision. But not his; perhaps one of Severus'? It wouldn't be the first time they'd shared a dream; although rare, the perspective of looking out of Severus' eyes and hearing his thoughts was disquieting to say the least.

Severus' attention focussed sharply on two students in the back, the one a vacant-eyed, husky youth, his robe bearing the Hufflepuff crest, paired with a shorter, skinny lad of the same house, whose brow was furrowed in confused concentration. Even Harry could see where the synergy of the inattentiveness of the one combined with native imperspicuity of the other could be a volatile mix; he concurred with Severus' random thought that this pair needed to be separated in future sessions, each needing more competent partners.

Remembering his own studies, Harry knew the class was working on the simple cleaning potion every First Year learned, the extra watchfulness of the Potions Master due to the consequences if the potion was not made properly. He could feel Severus' almost perverse sense of satisfaction that at least one pair of the group, most probably these two, would fail, thereby giving the entire class a valuable reminder to always pay attention to the details.

As he strode to the errant pair, it happened. The smaller one added an ingredient out of sequence and the steam billowing from the cauldron turned a bilious chartreuse instead of the soft white it should have been. With mounting horror he observed that the other student, finally paying attention, tried to move the cauldron out of their way forgetting it was hot and with a startled yelp, let go, overturning the entire contents of the melting cauldron onto his partner, effectively covering him from chest to toes in a boiling sticky green potion. The boy screamed and Harry could feel Severus' hand pulling out of a pocket a bottle; without a doubt, Harry knew it was the counter-potion.

Running now, he could hear Severus telling the one covered in the smoking potion to move away from the table and remove his robes. While emphatic and authoritative, the tone was even and controlled. When the boy failed to respond, Severus' hand came out and grabbed the boy's shoulder, one of the few areas not covered by the potion, and he pulled him away from the sizzling mess all over the workbench. The boy flinched strongly as if Severus had struck him and started yelling, "No, I won't. Not anymore. I won't, I won't, I won't!"

Harry could feel Severus' perplexity coloured by his ire that the cretin was not doing as he was told and as a result his robes were now smouldering, the exposed skin of his hands raw and blistering. When the boy made to bring them up to his exposed face, Severus knocked them back down with a hard cut of his hands; the boy immediately stopped yelling and whimpered. The thought flitted quickly across Severus' mind that perhaps the boy was embarrassed to have his robes removed in front of his peers, but it was no excuse--they needed to come off. Steeling himself, Severus loudly exhorted the other students to leave the classroom immediately and to get help while at the same time he grasped the front of the potion laden robes to remove them, forcibly if necessary, from the boy they were burning.

Severus grunted with the pain melting into his hands as he firmly tugged the fasteners loose and yanked the robe off of the boy, throwing it well away to the side. With one hand on the youth's shirt trying to tell him to remove that as well since it was potion soaked, the other worked the stopper off of the counter-potion. He'd no more brought the bottle to the fore to use it when the boy went berserk. Hitting, biting, screaming unintelligible words, he fought him, the potion sluicing off of his body onto Severus' robes where they promptly began to smoke. His thrashing knocked the potion out of Severus' hands sending it flying where it crashed, breaking, against the wall, the potion now useless as it ran down the face.

If Harry thought Severus was angry before, it was nothing compared to the pain laced, white hot fury he now felt coursing through Severus with the antidote destroyed. He felt his lip curl as he exclaimed, "Goddamnit! I'm just trying to help!" He tried to grab the boy, but he wiggled his way free and tried to dart around Severus, full panic blooming on his face. Severus stopped him with an arm across his chest and none too gently pushed him back in front of him. "Stop struggling this instant!" The words had no effect and Harry could feel Severus make an effort to control his temper as the boy cringed, obviously terrified. Severus experienced a moment of his own horror and confusion as he realised the boy thought he meant to harm him. Holding him in place, and with less force, Severus tried to undo the shirt, his own hands blistering as he did so. But the youth was having none of it and began to strike out again, hitting the Potions Master in the face with a slimy fist, his silence eerie. The cheek, where struck, began to throb in agony as the potion started to eat through the skin.

Resigned, and not wanting to get either one of them hurt further, Severus saw no choice but to let go of him. He pulled out his wand and before the boy could make it halfway to the door, spelled him into a full body bind. An "Accio, Long," brought the boy back to him, as he said, "Now that you've managed to destroy the only means to stopping the burning, the rest of your clothes have to come off." He'd raised the wand to spell the clothes off when Poppy came bursting into the room.

Taking one look at the situation with the two of them smeared with the smoking potion, a flicker of sympathy softened her face while she spelled the clothes off of both of them. Left in his skivvies, the perspective changed abruptly as Severus strode over to the locked cabinets and, with a muttered spell, he opened the left door, pulling another bottle of the antidote off the shelf. Without thought to his own injuries, he unstoppered the bottle and, reaching Madame Pomfrey and the boy, began to slather the counter-potion all over him. The effects were immediate and after he'd covered every inch, he poured some on himself; the cessation of pain left him dizzy.

Cleaning the potion off the boy, Poppy said briskly, "Happens every year, doesn't it? Well, I'm ready for him and have--" her voice stopped on a gasp and Severus looked up from his ministrations to see what the problem was this time. Seeing Poppy's horrified visage, Severus turned his attention to the boy. Harry echoed his inarticulate cry of shock.

While he bore mostly superficial burn marks from the potion, the worst being around his arms and hands, they were nothing compared to the physical devastation wrought by a third party over the rest of his emaciated frame. Bruises and fresh marks covered a multitude of new and older scars that told a terrible tale of long term abuse. An upper right arm, slightly askew, spoke of unattended broken bones; a scar running diagonally from one shoulder to the opposite hip indicated, at least to Severus' mind, of someone plying a whip or a switch.

"Good gods," Poppy whispered. Without another word, she cast a powerful sleeping spell over the boy, who was straining, with some success, against the strong spell Severus had cast. She made the preparations to transport him, wrapping him fast in a blanket Severus wordlessly handed to her after fetching it from another cupboard. "I'm taking him to the private room of the infirmary, Severus. If you would be so good as to notify Albus and have him join us there as soon as possible?" she asked, suiting actions to words as she levitated the boy through the doorway without waiting for a reply.

Just as Poppy left the room and Severus was heading for his office where he kept spare robes, Harry woke abruptly, his healing senses screaming at him that someone was seriously hurt. He lay there willing his pounding heart to slow to a more normal rate and bit by bit, the calm he normally occupied returned in stages until he lay limp, drenched in his own sweat.

Severus was mumbling to himself, still caught in the dream. With determination, Harry sat up and turning to face him on his knees, shook him awake, his hands on his shoulders. "Severus. Severus, wake up. It's a dream. Severus!"

In groggy stages, Severus climbed out of sleep. With a gasp and a cry he unexpectedly sat up, knocking Harry back into the bed. Rolling over and crawling over to him, Harry asked solicitously, "You awake?" When he got no reply, he murmured a spell and the lights came up, not too bright, but enough for him to clearly see his lover. Paler than normal, his eyes were wide and staring, his arms curled over his chest, the hands tucked into his sides. Breathing through his mouth in short puffs, Severus was still locked in some kind of inner vision, although Harry could sense he wasn't asleep.

Sitting across from him, Harry leaned over and put his arms around him, the hands firm against his back. Severus' forehead fell to his shoulder. Breathing hard as if he'd run a race, his arms unfolded to clasp Harry's waist. Harry held him, stroking his hair, while Severus' frantic heartbeat slowed, his breath resumed its normal cadence, his rigid body relaxing under his hands. After a little while, Severus sat back, separate, although his hands remained on Harry.

"Severus, how old was that dream?" Harry asked when the moment seemed right.

Startled, Severus asked him, "You saw it, too?"

Nodding, Harry ran his hand through the silky black strands still damp from their bath. "I saw up until Poppy left with him for the infirmary. Then I woke up. It was recent, wasn't it?"

Severus looked to the side. "Yes. It happened yesterday afternoon."

There was something in the dull quality of Severus' voice that prompted Harry to ask, "Is that why you asked me those questions up on the Astronomy Tower?"

Severus sighed and laid back down on the bed. He stared up into the canopy above. "Do you know Perrin Long?" Before Harry could answer, he shook his head, saying, "Of course you don't. How could you?" Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Perrin Long is a First Year Hufflepuff and I am convinced he has some Longbottom in him--first week of class and he's already managed to melt a cauldron. Maybe the culprit's the 'Long' part and not the 'bottom'."

While Harry was tempted to laugh at the sentiment spoken with such resigned exasperation, the look on Severus' face and the memory of the dream were so serious he forbore to even chuckle. Instead he waited.

It didn't take long for Severus to resume his tale. "Long's partner wasn't paying attention and didn't notice when he added the batwing powder a step too early and created the scourging potion, which as you know, eats through just about anything." Harry nodded and was inwardly pleased he'd guessed correctly--Neville had done exactly the same thing, although no one had been hurt. Severus continued, "Normally, this is not a problem. Someone always manages it and I always have a counter potion ready for the fool who fails." He shook his head.

"So when the cauldron melted and then overturned, even half-expecting it, I was too late." Severus closed his eyes, his hand clenched at his side. Harry reached over and covered it, the thumb stroking the back. "When he went berserk, I had no choice--the fool was his own worst enemy--I had to put him in a body bind. And his silence, his terrified silence--."

He pulled his hand away and put his arm over his haunted eyes. "It was horrible, Harry. Did you see what we found?"

"Yes, Severus. I saw it. And you're right. The whole thing was regrettable, but there was not much you could do to mitigate it." Harry laid down next to him and tugged on his arm. By slow degrees, he coaxed Severus into his arms, adjusting to his weight half on top of him. He tangled one hand in Severus' hair, dragging the fingertips of the other in random circles around his back.

His voice muffled, Severus eventually went on. "Poppy took him to the infirmary, of course. Albus and I arrived at the same time, and while he responded well to the Headmaster, he cringed from me and screamed like I was a demon from hell. Poppy gave him a sedative and 'suggested' I not come back until he's healed. According to Sprout, Perrin's still there."

Harry tried to reassure him. "Severus, surely you're not blaming yourself for his reaction. I saw what happened; you did nothing untoward."

"You viewed it through my eyes, with my prejudice. To me it was a normal reaction, but as you so ably remarked last night, my verbal assaults are 'most intimidating and quite frightening'."

Harry hoped to undo the damage his honest words had made; had he known how Severus was going to use them, he would never have uttered them. "At times they were, but not in moments like these. Severus, what little you said, you spoke with urgency, not sarcasm. It is most unfortunate the situation demanded some type of force--obviously your actions closely mimicked something that has happened to him in the past. It's the only viable explanation since you did nothing wrong. Besides, it could have been worse."

With a sigh, Severus rolled off of Harry to lay by his side. Harry turned so they were face to face, their heads only inches apart, but not so close they couldn't see each other. He was pleased to note the careworn lines fading from Severus' face. He raised a brow, saying, "Pray tell how it could possibly have been worse."

"It might not have happened at all. And then where would Perrin be?" Harry asked easily. "Granted, he would have not been harmed, but, as we both know quite intimately, there are hard, valuable lessons to be learned from injuries. But the main thing is that had it not occurred, no one would have known what he's been through. I can vouch, and so can you if you think about it instead of reacting to it, that it's not all that difficult to hide the problems from everyone and difficult as hell to talk about them to someone else--especially when one is eleven and scared in a new place. I can't imagine Albus will let him go back to his home without thoroughly investigating the circumstances. He might even be able to keep the boy from further harm. In any event, his life can only get better."

He hesitated, searching Severus' face. "And perhaps the Potions Master learned a lesson as well?" he ventured.

Severus leaned in and, placing his hand on his cheek, kissed him gently. Putting his head back on the pillow he asked, "When did you get so wise?"

Harry turned his head and kissed Severus' palm. Folding it in his own, he held it in the space between them. "Is it wisdom to know firsthand the hurt of others? If that were the case, we'd all be the wisest of men. I'm not a wise man, my love, but I do know when you're hurting when you shouldn't be."

Wordlessly, Severus removed his hand from Harry's and arched his arm over his head. Harry slid easily into his hollow, snuggling close, his arm sneaking around Severus' waist, the hand resting on his hip. He loved the way Severus' arms always folded him tight to his body, the way their legs tangled without thought--secure, safe, and loved--the steady beating of Severus heart under his head soothing, yet making him feel, oh so, alive.

Severus relaxed under him. He kissed the top of Harry's head murmuring, "You're probably right. I'll try not to be so hard on the boy, not that I'll be easy on him either, but I will try to temper my temper, so to speak."

Harry smiled and decided to try and lighten things up further with a little hyperbole. "So let me see if I got this straight--within a twelve hour time span--Mr. Long fulfilled your highest inexpectations by melting his first cauldron the first week of his first year, the Headmaster wants you to risk your life again (probably to steal him some crullers from Knockturn Alley), and you thought I was dead. Man, when you have a really shitty day, you don't do it by halves, do you?"

Harry was rewarded by Severus' tired chuckle. "That sums it up fairly succinctly. Isn't it grand to be me?"

Laughing lightly, Harry kissed his chest. After a few drowsy minutes he dreamily replied, "Could be worse."

Severus yawned, half asleep, his words slightly slurred. "At it again, Potter? How so?"

"You could be Dumbledore," Harry remarked dryly, his eyes closing.

"Don't make me hurt you," Severus growled, pulling him closer.

Harry blew a sluggish raspberry and, with Severus' chuckle rumbling under his ear, his last sound was a sigh of contentment.

:: SNIP :: One Delicious Scene Deleted : A Stretchy Severus Waking a Happy Harry ::

TBC