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A Different Life
Chapter 36 - Survival
"You two just sit there while I talk to Cornelius." Dumbledore watched as Severus and Remus sat stiffly in the two chairs that he had placed in front of his desk before he turned around and headed towards his fireplace.
Severus and Remus both watched as Dumbledore was whisked away and the fireplace was brought back to normal.
Severus immediately was on his feet and began pacing.
"I hate to think what both Harry and Draco must be going through right now." Remus shuttered just thinking about the horrors they would both be experiencing.
Severus growled. "When I get my hands on that man." Severus put his hands into balls, looking ready to strike. "I'll kill him, father or not, I swear if he lays one hand on Harry..." Severus punched the wall hard and then continued to pace, not noticing that he was now bleeding as he had broken the skin.
Remus snorted. "I think we have bigger problems then him."
Severus rounded on Remus and glared, obviously not knowing who Remus was talking about.
"Voldemort"
Severus' shoulders sagged and he looked away, and went back to pacing around the room. Surely if Voldemort had him, which was most likely true, then Harry would be dead by now. But wouldn't Draco have been returned then? Unless he had done something foolish and ended up in the same predicament as Harry, which was always a possibility.
"Voldemort would have killed him by now, and if Voldemort has kept him alive, then I imagine that Harry would be in more then a considerable amount of pain and then perhaps he would be better off dead." Severus muttered, wondering if perhaps he was suffering at the hands of one of his potions. His father's words still echoed in his head.
"Harry has always managed to get himself out of trouble before, maybe he's alright-"
"Oh grow up Lupin. Harry may be smart, and have a knack of getting himself out of trouble just as much as in, but facing Voldemort and escaping is a bit different then outrunning Filch as he chases you for changing his cat's hair blue."
Severus started to pace faster.
"You can't just give up Severus, not without some proof that Harry-"
"Well waiting for proof did a lot of good last time didn't it?" Severus snapped at Remus, referring to how Remus didn't believe Harry about Pettigrew until he could see some proof.
Remus sighed and looked at the ground. "No, I guess it didn't."
Severus growled again, he just wanted to be out looking for Harry, not stuck in this office.
***
"Ah Cornelius, I'm glad that you are still here."
"Yes well, as the muggle saying goes, no rest for the wicked."
Dumbledore smiled politely at Fudge and then his face grew serious again. He took a step closer to Fudge, who was looking carefully at a piece of parchment in his hands. "Cornelius, may I have word?"
Fudge looked up from his reading and stopped in the hallway.
"Yes, what is it?
"I believe a more appropriate area is needed."
Fudge looked like he would say that where they were was fine, but the almost dead look in Dumbledore's eyes was enough to make him agree. "Oh alright, into my office then."
Dumbledore followed Fudge into a large room where a woman was sitting at a desk, talking to someone through the fire.
Fudge ignored her and continued walking, taking a few stacks of parchment that was floating next to his door and then entering the office.
"Have a seat." Fudge said distractedly.
"Thank you Cornelius." Dumbledore sat.
"Tea?"
"No thank you."
"Now what was it that you wanted to discuss?" Fudge put the parchment away and looked at Dumbledore, showing him that he had his full attention.
"Cornelius, what I am about to tell you is a lot speculation, but I do have some proof to what I am about to say."
"Go on." Fudge said more then hesitantly.
"What I do know is that Hogwarts has been attacked, two teachers, and at least one student were at the end of that attack. Professor McGonagall is currently in the hospital wing, and in a very bad condition. She was exposed to the Cruciatus curse for a very long time and it is still unsure if she will make it." Dumbledore paused, not only to let Fudge take in what he had just said, but to also gather his own thoughts. "I also know that a Death Eater has kidnapped Harry Potter." Dumbledore held his hand up to stop the inevitable comment that was to come out of Fudge's already open mouth. "Yes I do have proof. Professor Snape witnessed Harry being taken by the Death Eater, before he could help he was too also attacked. Severus was just found an hour ago my Remus Lupin and has now been released from the hospital wing, but he was quite badly injured. It is still unknown where Harry is, but we do know that he is no longer at Hogwarts."
Fudge looked like a fish out of water, he just gaped at Dumbledore.
"Also another student is missing, Draco Malfoy, but it is believed that his father came and took him out, as a letter was found explaining to Draco that he would be picked up." Dumbledore paused. "Now this is where my speculation begins. I believe that Minerva was attacked by Death Eaters, as it is unlikely that any student would use an unforgivable. I also believe that Voldemort-" Fudge winced. "-is alive and has called a Death Eater meeting somewhere, and that is where Harry is now. I also think that that was where Draco's father took him tonight."
"Albus, do you know what you are saying!"
"Yes, Cornelius, I'm afraid I do."
"You-Know-who, Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy, he is a respected member of the wizarding com-"
"I would like to remind you to what happened almost 6 years ago that had him being dismissed from this very ministry-"
"So he made a bad choice, you can't expect everyone to be-"
"Yes, but what makes you so sure that that is the only bad choice he made?"
Fudge looked away from Dumbledore and looked to be doing some quick thinking. His shoulders' sagging was taken as a good sign by Dumbledore who was waiting to see if Fudge would help or not.
"Are you sure?" Fudge looked like he very much wanted to dismiss what Dumbledore had just said, but the look coming through Dumbledore's eyes were enough to make people stop. Never had his eyes looked so lifeless.
Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"What is it that you want me to do exactly?"
"I would like Aurors to be stationed at Hogwarts incase another attack happens, the students shall not be put in any more danger. I'm sure the public would feel better knowing that their children and schools were safe, a fast acting Minister makes a good image Cornelius."
"Of course" Fudge wrote something down on a blank piece of parchment.
"I would also like to know if there have been any unusual occurrences or sightings that have happened in the last few hours"
"Minister" A woman, the same one that was at the desk outside Fudge's office rushed into the room and over to his desk, cutting off anything Fudge was about to say.
"What is it now Irene?" Fudge snapped at her, breaking his eye contact with Dumbledore.
"There has been a report of trouble from the Aurors at Azkaban." Irene said in a rush.
"Trouble? What type of trouble?" Fudge looked a bit alarmed.
Dumbledore wondered if Voldemort had already gotten the Dementors on his side, as it was bound to happen sooner or later.
"They noticed a disturbance, some fireworks I believe. They have asked permission to go and investigate."
Dumbledore sighed; he supposed he should be grateful that the Dementors were still at their post.
"Yes, yes alright." Fudge obviously just wanted to get her away, using his hands to shoo her off.
"There you have it Albus, that is the most unusual occurrence that has happened, so if you will excuse me-"
"Yes, of course Cornelius, I'll leave you to your work. But if you do-"
"Yes, yes, I'll be in contact." Fudge rushed off out of his office and down the hall.
Dumbledore watched him go and then lit a fire in the fireplace that Fudge had in his office, making his way back to his own office.
***
Dumbledore stepped through the fireplace and unsurprisingly found Severus pacing the floor and Remus sitting a bit less then calmly in the chair that Dumbledore had left him in.
"Did you find anything out?" Remus immediately asked as he stood up and looked at Dumbledore hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, but Fudge seems to be cooperating so far. We are to get Aurors to guard the school within an hour."
"Bit late for that now." Severus muttered bitterly.
"What are we to do now?" Remus asked, but inside he absolutely agreed with Severus.
"We need to make sure calm insures, we can not have the students worried. We shall set up patrols to secure the area, perhaps some responsible 7th years can help with that. I will round up some of the professors and we will start on those extra wards that we were talking about earlier Severus, and I want around the clock supervision on the students in the Great Hall."
"What about Harry?" Severus snapped, stopping from his pacing and standing directly in front of Dumbledore.
"You know Severus, that I would prefer to send you both out to look for him, but the fact is, is that would take too much time and you would more then likely find nothing. Our best bet is to leave it with the Aurors and in the mean time, help out here."
"I'm not just going to-"
"I am asking you as a friend Severus, you are better off in this castle, that way if any news comes through, you will be here to receive that information."
Severus looked away.
"Now, I would like you both to firstly go back to the hospital wing and get yourselves checked out."
"What? I was just there-"
"Remus, I have noticed that your shoulder doesn't quite look right and don't think I can't see that blood all over your hand Severus."
Remus tried lifting his shoulder and found that he couldn't. Why hadn't he noticed that before? It must have been like that since he found Severus.
After a few more minutes of instructions, Dumbledore watched as Severus and Remus both got up and left, heading towards the hospital wing.
***
Harry and Draco were running and they had been running for what felt like hours but was only actually an hour. They had started out fast and slowly they had begun to get slower and slower as their bodies tired.
Finally they both had to stop and catch their breaths.
Harry's body ached especially, having been thrown around and then the Cruciatus curse placed on him was causing his limbs to scream in protest to every step he was taking. He was glad when they started to walk through the forest instead as it wasn't as painful as running.
Finally after so much silence Draco couldn't take it anymore. "So do you want to tell me what happened?"
"What do you mean?" Harry replied, glad for the distraction.
"Well how did you start off at Hogwarts, but end up out here."
Harry shrugged. "Death Eaters"
"Man, I bet the professors are frantic right now looking for you. Can you think about how Ron must be taking this, Merlin, think about Professor Snape, your dad, I bet he's bloody pissed. I wouldn't want to get in his way."
Harry looked away from Draco.
"Harry what's wrong? I mean, I'm sure they aren't that worried" Draco started rambling, thinking that Harry must be upset that the professors would be worried about him.
"He's dead..."
"Who?" Draco asked, caught off guard.
"My Dad"
"Now Harry, you don't know that-"
"I saw him get knocked out, and then before I left, a Death Eater said he would take care of him. The next time I saw that Death Eater, he said that he was dead."
"Harry, I don't know what to- I'm sorry." Draco said sincerely.
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault." Harry felt a flash of anger towards Voldemort and his Death Eaters flare up, but he pushed it back down.
"I wonder what they were all doing back there when we left?"
"Well Voldemort-" Draco winced "- was looking pretty weak. I doubt he would be able to survive a full out duel. So he was probably getting them to set up Portkeys." Harry answered logically, something his father often did.
"Portkeys?"
"Yeah, well didn't you hear Voldemort? He said that the Aurors were there because of a shift change for Azkaban."
"So?" Draco asked, not seeing his point.
"So! So that must mean that we are really close to it."
"Okay, but what has that got to do with anything?"
"I read in a book somewhere that you can't Apparate or Disparate in or around Azkaban. It's sort of like Hogwarts. That is why the Aurors were walking to the docks, they couldn't Apparate there."
"So why didn't they just use a Portkey?"
"They probably did, and they would have only been able to get to a point where they would have to check in. And now they have to walk to their next point. The ministry is very cautious."
"You know what Harry; I'm too tired to care right now." Draco closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, so he could see if he was about to walk into anything.
They continued in silence for some time, they didn't stop to rest once, only for a break every once in a while.
"Potter..."
"Yeah?"
"You smell"
"What?" Harry looked at Draco tiredly.
"I'm serious, did you throw up recently or something? Cause you really-"
"Draco" Harry sighed.
"Yes?"
"Shut up"
Draco smirked at Harry.
Once the sun had risen and they had been walking all night Draco finally collapsed.
"Draco, are you alright?"
"No I'm not alright. My feet hurt, I'm hungry, I'm tired and I'm stuck in the middle of a bloody forest."
Harry sighed and looked around. He saw a large bush a few metres away and he walked over to it. Pulling away some of the thick leaves he saw that the inside of it was clear. It was almost like a water fountain, the trunk being the water going up, and the leaves falling around it being the water as it fell.
Harry walked back over to Draco. "That looks like a good place to rest Draco"
"No, that looks like an uncomfortable place to rest."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on"
Harry helped Draco up and they both walked over to it and went in. It was a bit small but it was going to have to do. They settled on the ground and made sure that all their body parts were hidden from any onlookers on the outside of the tree. They huddled close together as it was still freezing, the fact that it wasn't snowing was a miracle as it normally was always around Christmas time.
"You don't snore do you?" Harry asked as he laid his head on the hard ground, already beginning to fall asleep.
"I take offence to that." Draco mumbled, he too falling asleep fast.
"Good..." Harry got out before he was completely gone.
***
Severus was angry, it had been several hours since Dumbledore had spoke to Fudge and still there was no word on Harry. Nor had the Aurors shown up.
Severus had since then cleaned his office and classroom, watched as students slept, most soundly, prowled the hallways and even helped Dumbledore with setting up extra wards, but as he was a potion master he couldn't help too much. The only useful thing he had done was slip Ron a sleeping draught.
Even making potions to calm his nerves wasn't helping, he had gotten halfway through making the Wolfsbane potion when he had spotted the spoons Harry had given him for Christmas and the potion was instantly thrown against the wall in anger. He hated feeling like he was, he hated feeling so helpless.
Severus had since stormed out of his office and into his personal rooms, but that had lead to seeing Harry's room, where he collapsed on the ground and just sat staring at the door, almost hoping to see Harry come through it. And that was where he had remained until now.
This was why he hadn't wanted to take Harry in the first place, besides having the responsibility that he felt he couldn't handle, and Harry being James' son, he also hadn't wanted to let him get close to him. Letting Harry into his heart had left a trail that was easy to follow, and therefore now a lot easier to break his heart.
Severus sighed and wiped away a couple of tears that had gotten loose.
He almost jumped through the roof when the door opened, seeing it shut for so long and convincing himself that it wasn't going to be opened made it all the more a shock when it was opened. But when he saw that it was only Dumbledore he sighed and felt his heart rate go back to the pace it had been at before, slightly beating faster then it normally would, but all things considered, it was relatively calm.
"Severus, I was just talking with Cornelius, it turned out that a disturbance at an abandoned house by Azkaban turned out to be more then just kids playing."
Severus looked up and into Dumbledore's eyes, waiting for what he wanted to hear.
"It turns out Death Eaters were swarming the place, it is believed that is where Harry is, or at least was. There has been no sign of him yet, but the fight is still going, unfortunately most seemed to have gotten away using Portkeys, and it is possible that they could have taken Harry with-"
"I want to go there now." Severus got up quickly, ignoring how that made his head spin and he walked past Dumbledore and outside, to where Remus was standing.
Dumbledore followed, and then stood and looked at both Remus' and Severus' determined faces. "Very well, follow me."
***
A few hours later Draco woke up. He looked over and saw that Harry was already awake. All he felt like doing was going back to sleep, but it seemed that he had slept with a twig digging into his back and it was starting to become unbearable. He moved and as he did he also alerted Harry that he was awake.
"Draco, you finally woke up."
"How long have you been awake?" Draco asked, lying back down.
Harry shrugged, taking a peak outside.
"Did you have any...dreams?" Draco asked hesitantly.
Harry shook his head and then looked seriously at Draco. "We have to get a move on, I'd say we have been here for at least four hours, and it is not a good idea to stay in one place for too long."
Draco sighed but sat up, realizing that Harry was probably right.
They set back to walking, none of them having the energy to run. Harry gave Draco a couple of chocolate frogs which he gratefully took.
"Don't eat it all at once, eat it slow and it will fill you up more." Harry had learned that from being with the Dursleys, one thing that actually came in handy.
"Where do you think I will end up?" Draco asked as he took a small bite.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I doubt that my father will want me back now, and if he does, I would hate to think what he would do to me..."
"Would he beat you?" Harry asked, truly interested.
"I don't know...He would probably kill me"
"Has he ever hit you before?"
"No, not really. I sometimes thought he might, he was close a few times."
"What about your mother?"
"What about her?"
"Would she take you in?"
"She would never leave my father, never." Draco said bitterly.
"Well I'm sure Albus will know what to do." Harry answered confidently, having no doubt in Dumbledore.
"What about you?" Draco asked a bit hesitantly, knowing that this was a delicate subject with Harry.
Harry sighed and looked away and at the ground.
"I'm not sure, maybe Remus, or perhaps Sirius Black if he gets free"
Draco stopped walking and stared at Harry as if he were crazy.
"I know, I can't believe it. To think he spent all those years in Azkaban and he was innocent."
"Innocent?" Draco gasped, not believing what he was hearing.
"Yeah, but I'm not to clear on the whole story. Pettigrew didn't go into much detail with his little tale." Harry said sarcastically.
"If not him, then I bet you Ron's family would." Draco said, going back to the original topic.
Harry smiled a bit at him. "That's true." Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sometimes I think that maybe it would be better just not to go back, just start new here. But then the logical part of my brain kicks in, and tells me that I'm only eleven, and there would be no way I could survive alone in this world, not now anyway."
"How bout we just concentrate on getting out of this forest."
Harry snorted. "That's easier said then done. We don't even know where we will end up when, no, if we get out of here alive."
"Can't be much worse then what we face if we went back."
"I don't know Draco, maybe the fact that we haven't run into any trouble is that they are waiting for us on the other side."
Draco shuddered at that, realizing that it was a statement that could very well be true.
***
Severus, Remus and Dumbledore Portkeyed to a large building, unmistakably a ministry building, and they set off straight away towards where the shouts and bright lights were, no doubt they were curses being thrown.
Once outside the not so abandoned house, they were forced to wait until they got the signal of all clear. A few minutes' later red sparks could be seen and they all ran inside.
Severus could see stunned and dead Death Eaters everywhere; even a few dead Aurors could be spotted.
They ran into a room that was considerably larger then the rest and Severus stopped in his tracks.
A few meters away lay the dead body of his father; next to him on the ground was his dead mother. Except she looked to have died from the killing curse, and not from the cancer she had all those years ago.
Severus walked over to them both and kneeled down in front of his mother.
An Auror walked over to him.
"Did you know her?"
Severus didn't say anything, he didn't move.
"We asked her to move, to duck but she just remained standing, she didn't even look scared or nothing. We couldn't get to her in time; she was hit by the killing curse." The Auror said gravely.
"She was alive?" Severus gasped, finally looking up and at the Auror.
"She was when we got here-"
"Impossible, this woman has been dead for over 20years."
The Auror looked shocked but he didn't say another word, just nodded his head at Severus and walked away. Severus got the feeling he hadn't believed what he had just said.
Severus stood up and walked over to the cauldron where Remus was standing.
Severus looked at what was in it and tried to figure out what it was.
Remus took the vial that was next to it and looked at the red substance.
"Blood" Severus said, looking at it too.
Remus looked at it closely and agreed with Severus. He brought it to his nose and smelled it.
"Human blood, and fresh too." Remus gulped down a nauseous feeling that was making him feel uneasy and he put the vial back down, not wanting to think about how the blood got there. He could smell pain, fear and hate in the room, in the whole building, but it was mostly radiating from the room that he was in. He had no doubt that the blood that was smeared all over the vial was most likely taken without consent.
Severus walked back over to his father and emotionlessly searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for, which was his wand that his father had taken off him earlier.
"Mr. Dumbledore, sir." A young Auror walked up to Dumbledore and looked more then nervous.
"Yes Mr. Berkley?" Dumbledore replied, briefly remembering the man that stood in front of his from being a Ravenclaw once.
"We have searched everywhere Sir; there is no sign of either of the young boys."
Dumbledore nodded at him. "Thank you Adam."
The Auror smiled at him and then walked off.
"I suppose we should take that as a good sign right?" Remus asked Dumbledore.
"What? That Harry and Draco are gone?" Severus snapped at him.
"Why would Voldemort take Harry with him if he was already dead?"
Severus realized that what Remus had just said was true, Voldemort wasn't the type of person who would just take Harry with him unless he wasn't finished with him yet.
"Come now, we shall go to the Ministry and see if any of the caught Death Eaters have any information to give." Dumbledore said, heading back out the door.
With one last look to his dead mother and father, Severus followed.
***
Harry and Draco were walking when Harry heard a voice coming towards them.
"Draco" Harry whispered, pulling his wand out and signaling for Draco to be quiet.
Listening intently Harry could hear the voice growing louder as it came closer.
Draco was turning around in circles, not knowing where the voice was coming from and therefore not knowing what way to face.
Finally Harry saw where the voice was coming from, and so did Draco, as they both took steps backwards, both pale faced. Their wands were out and pointed, but both were shaking and neither knew any spells that would be able to defend themselves fairly with, they were only eleven after all.
Suddenly the attacker attacked.
A Different Life
Chapter 36 - Survival
"You two just sit there while I talk to Cornelius." Dumbledore watched as Severus and Remus sat stiffly in the two chairs that he had placed in front of his desk before he turned around and headed towards his fireplace.
Severus and Remus both watched as Dumbledore was whisked away and the fireplace was brought back to normal.
Severus immediately was on his feet and began pacing.
"I hate to think what both Harry and Draco must be going through right now." Remus shuttered just thinking about the horrors they would both be experiencing.
Severus growled. "When I get my hands on that man." Severus put his hands into balls, looking ready to strike. "I'll kill him, father or not, I swear if he lays one hand on Harry..." Severus punched the wall hard and then continued to pace, not noticing that he was now bleeding as he had broken the skin.
Remus snorted. "I think we have bigger problems then him."
Severus rounded on Remus and glared, obviously not knowing who Remus was talking about.
"Voldemort"
Severus' shoulders sagged and he looked away, and went back to pacing around the room. Surely if Voldemort had him, which was most likely true, then Harry would be dead by now. But wouldn't Draco have been returned then? Unless he had done something foolish and ended up in the same predicament as Harry, which was always a possibility.
"Voldemort would have killed him by now, and if Voldemort has kept him alive, then I imagine that Harry would be in more then a considerable amount of pain and then perhaps he would be better off dead." Severus muttered, wondering if perhaps he was suffering at the hands of one of his potions. His father's words still echoed in his head.
"Harry has always managed to get himself out of trouble before, maybe he's alright-"
"Oh grow up Lupin. Harry may be smart, and have a knack of getting himself out of trouble just as much as in, but facing Voldemort and escaping is a bit different then outrunning Filch as he chases you for changing his cat's hair blue."
Severus started to pace faster.
"You can't just give up Severus, not without some proof that Harry-"
"Well waiting for proof did a lot of good last time didn't it?" Severus snapped at Remus, referring to how Remus didn't believe Harry about Pettigrew until he could see some proof.
Remus sighed and looked at the ground. "No, I guess it didn't."
Severus growled again, he just wanted to be out looking for Harry, not stuck in this office.
***
"Ah Cornelius, I'm glad that you are still here."
"Yes well, as the muggle saying goes, no rest for the wicked."
Dumbledore smiled politely at Fudge and then his face grew serious again. He took a step closer to Fudge, who was looking carefully at a piece of parchment in his hands. "Cornelius, may I have word?"
Fudge looked up from his reading and stopped in the hallway.
"Yes, what is it?
"I believe a more appropriate area is needed."
Fudge looked like he would say that where they were was fine, but the almost dead look in Dumbledore's eyes was enough to make him agree. "Oh alright, into my office then."
Dumbledore followed Fudge into a large room where a woman was sitting at a desk, talking to someone through the fire.
Fudge ignored her and continued walking, taking a few stacks of parchment that was floating next to his door and then entering the office.
"Have a seat." Fudge said distractedly.
"Thank you Cornelius." Dumbledore sat.
"Tea?"
"No thank you."
"Now what was it that you wanted to discuss?" Fudge put the parchment away and looked at Dumbledore, showing him that he had his full attention.
"Cornelius, what I am about to tell you is a lot speculation, but I do have some proof to what I am about to say."
"Go on." Fudge said more then hesitantly.
"What I do know is that Hogwarts has been attacked, two teachers, and at least one student were at the end of that attack. Professor McGonagall is currently in the hospital wing, and in a very bad condition. She was exposed to the Cruciatus curse for a very long time and it is still unsure if she will make it." Dumbledore paused, not only to let Fudge take in what he had just said, but to also gather his own thoughts. "I also know that a Death Eater has kidnapped Harry Potter." Dumbledore held his hand up to stop the inevitable comment that was to come out of Fudge's already open mouth. "Yes I do have proof. Professor Snape witnessed Harry being taken by the Death Eater, before he could help he was too also attacked. Severus was just found an hour ago my Remus Lupin and has now been released from the hospital wing, but he was quite badly injured. It is still unknown where Harry is, but we do know that he is no longer at Hogwarts."
Fudge looked like a fish out of water, he just gaped at Dumbledore.
"Also another student is missing, Draco Malfoy, but it is believed that his father came and took him out, as a letter was found explaining to Draco that he would be picked up." Dumbledore paused. "Now this is where my speculation begins. I believe that Minerva was attacked by Death Eaters, as it is unlikely that any student would use an unforgivable. I also believe that Voldemort-" Fudge winced. "-is alive and has called a Death Eater meeting somewhere, and that is where Harry is now. I also think that that was where Draco's father took him tonight."
"Albus, do you know what you are saying!"
"Yes, Cornelius, I'm afraid I do."
"You-Know-who, Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy, he is a respected member of the wizarding com-"
"I would like to remind you to what happened almost 6 years ago that had him being dismissed from this very ministry-"
"So he made a bad choice, you can't expect everyone to be-"
"Yes, but what makes you so sure that that is the only bad choice he made?"
Fudge looked away from Dumbledore and looked to be doing some quick thinking. His shoulders' sagging was taken as a good sign by Dumbledore who was waiting to see if Fudge would help or not.
"Are you sure?" Fudge looked like he very much wanted to dismiss what Dumbledore had just said, but the look coming through Dumbledore's eyes were enough to make people stop. Never had his eyes looked so lifeless.
Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"What is it that you want me to do exactly?"
"I would like Aurors to be stationed at Hogwarts incase another attack happens, the students shall not be put in any more danger. I'm sure the public would feel better knowing that their children and schools were safe, a fast acting Minister makes a good image Cornelius."
"Of course" Fudge wrote something down on a blank piece of parchment.
"I would also like to know if there have been any unusual occurrences or sightings that have happened in the last few hours"
"Minister" A woman, the same one that was at the desk outside Fudge's office rushed into the room and over to his desk, cutting off anything Fudge was about to say.
"What is it now Irene?" Fudge snapped at her, breaking his eye contact with Dumbledore.
"There has been a report of trouble from the Aurors at Azkaban." Irene said in a rush.
"Trouble? What type of trouble?" Fudge looked a bit alarmed.
Dumbledore wondered if Voldemort had already gotten the Dementors on his side, as it was bound to happen sooner or later.
"They noticed a disturbance, some fireworks I believe. They have asked permission to go and investigate."
Dumbledore sighed; he supposed he should be grateful that the Dementors were still at their post.
"Yes, yes alright." Fudge obviously just wanted to get her away, using his hands to shoo her off.
"There you have it Albus, that is the most unusual occurrence that has happened, so if you will excuse me-"
"Yes, of course Cornelius, I'll leave you to your work. But if you do-"
"Yes, yes, I'll be in contact." Fudge rushed off out of his office and down the hall.
Dumbledore watched him go and then lit a fire in the fireplace that Fudge had in his office, making his way back to his own office.
***
Dumbledore stepped through the fireplace and unsurprisingly found Severus pacing the floor and Remus sitting a bit less then calmly in the chair that Dumbledore had left him in.
"Did you find anything out?" Remus immediately asked as he stood up and looked at Dumbledore hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, but Fudge seems to be cooperating so far. We are to get Aurors to guard the school within an hour."
"Bit late for that now." Severus muttered bitterly.
"What are we to do now?" Remus asked, but inside he absolutely agreed with Severus.
"We need to make sure calm insures, we can not have the students worried. We shall set up patrols to secure the area, perhaps some responsible 7th years can help with that. I will round up some of the professors and we will start on those extra wards that we were talking about earlier Severus, and I want around the clock supervision on the students in the Great Hall."
"What about Harry?" Severus snapped, stopping from his pacing and standing directly in front of Dumbledore.
"You know Severus, that I would prefer to send you both out to look for him, but the fact is, is that would take too much time and you would more then likely find nothing. Our best bet is to leave it with the Aurors and in the mean time, help out here."
"I'm not just going to-"
"I am asking you as a friend Severus, you are better off in this castle, that way if any news comes through, you will be here to receive that information."
Severus looked away.
"Now, I would like you both to firstly go back to the hospital wing and get yourselves checked out."
"What? I was just there-"
"Remus, I have noticed that your shoulder doesn't quite look right and don't think I can't see that blood all over your hand Severus."
Remus tried lifting his shoulder and found that he couldn't. Why hadn't he noticed that before? It must have been like that since he found Severus.
After a few more minutes of instructions, Dumbledore watched as Severus and Remus both got up and left, heading towards the hospital wing.
***
Harry and Draco were running and they had been running for what felt like hours but was only actually an hour. They had started out fast and slowly they had begun to get slower and slower as their bodies tired.
Finally they both had to stop and catch their breaths.
Harry's body ached especially, having been thrown around and then the Cruciatus curse placed on him was causing his limbs to scream in protest to every step he was taking. He was glad when they started to walk through the forest instead as it wasn't as painful as running.
Finally after so much silence Draco couldn't take it anymore. "So do you want to tell me what happened?"
"What do you mean?" Harry replied, glad for the distraction.
"Well how did you start off at Hogwarts, but end up out here."
Harry shrugged. "Death Eaters"
"Man, I bet the professors are frantic right now looking for you. Can you think about how Ron must be taking this, Merlin, think about Professor Snape, your dad, I bet he's bloody pissed. I wouldn't want to get in his way."
Harry looked away from Draco.
"Harry what's wrong? I mean, I'm sure they aren't that worried" Draco started rambling, thinking that Harry must be upset that the professors would be worried about him.
"He's dead..."
"Who?" Draco asked, caught off guard.
"My Dad"
"Now Harry, you don't know that-"
"I saw him get knocked out, and then before I left, a Death Eater said he would take care of him. The next time I saw that Death Eater, he said that he was dead."
"Harry, I don't know what to- I'm sorry." Draco said sincerely.
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault." Harry felt a flash of anger towards Voldemort and his Death Eaters flare up, but he pushed it back down.
"I wonder what they were all doing back there when we left?"
"Well Voldemort-" Draco winced "- was looking pretty weak. I doubt he would be able to survive a full out duel. So he was probably getting them to set up Portkeys." Harry answered logically, something his father often did.
"Portkeys?"
"Yeah, well didn't you hear Voldemort? He said that the Aurors were there because of a shift change for Azkaban."
"So?" Draco asked, not seeing his point.
"So! So that must mean that we are really close to it."
"Okay, but what has that got to do with anything?"
"I read in a book somewhere that you can't Apparate or Disparate in or around Azkaban. It's sort of like Hogwarts. That is why the Aurors were walking to the docks, they couldn't Apparate there."
"So why didn't they just use a Portkey?"
"They probably did, and they would have only been able to get to a point where they would have to check in. And now they have to walk to their next point. The ministry is very cautious."
"You know what Harry; I'm too tired to care right now." Draco closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, so he could see if he was about to walk into anything.
They continued in silence for some time, they didn't stop to rest once, only for a break every once in a while.
"Potter..."
"Yeah?"
"You smell"
"What?" Harry looked at Draco tiredly.
"I'm serious, did you throw up recently or something? Cause you really-"
"Draco" Harry sighed.
"Yes?"
"Shut up"
Draco smirked at Harry.
Once the sun had risen and they had been walking all night Draco finally collapsed.
"Draco, are you alright?"
"No I'm not alright. My feet hurt, I'm hungry, I'm tired and I'm stuck in the middle of a bloody forest."
Harry sighed and looked around. He saw a large bush a few metres away and he walked over to it. Pulling away some of the thick leaves he saw that the inside of it was clear. It was almost like a water fountain, the trunk being the water going up, and the leaves falling around it being the water as it fell.
Harry walked back over to Draco. "That looks like a good place to rest Draco"
"No, that looks like an uncomfortable place to rest."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on"
Harry helped Draco up and they both walked over to it and went in. It was a bit small but it was going to have to do. They settled on the ground and made sure that all their body parts were hidden from any onlookers on the outside of the tree. They huddled close together as it was still freezing, the fact that it wasn't snowing was a miracle as it normally was always around Christmas time.
"You don't snore do you?" Harry asked as he laid his head on the hard ground, already beginning to fall asleep.
"I take offence to that." Draco mumbled, he too falling asleep fast.
"Good..." Harry got out before he was completely gone.
***
Severus was angry, it had been several hours since Dumbledore had spoke to Fudge and still there was no word on Harry. Nor had the Aurors shown up.
Severus had since then cleaned his office and classroom, watched as students slept, most soundly, prowled the hallways and even helped Dumbledore with setting up extra wards, but as he was a potion master he couldn't help too much. The only useful thing he had done was slip Ron a sleeping draught.
Even making potions to calm his nerves wasn't helping, he had gotten halfway through making the Wolfsbane potion when he had spotted the spoons Harry had given him for Christmas and the potion was instantly thrown against the wall in anger. He hated feeling like he was, he hated feeling so helpless.
Severus had since stormed out of his office and into his personal rooms, but that had lead to seeing Harry's room, where he collapsed on the ground and just sat staring at the door, almost hoping to see Harry come through it. And that was where he had remained until now.
This was why he hadn't wanted to take Harry in the first place, besides having the responsibility that he felt he couldn't handle, and Harry being James' son, he also hadn't wanted to let him get close to him. Letting Harry into his heart had left a trail that was easy to follow, and therefore now a lot easier to break his heart.
Severus sighed and wiped away a couple of tears that had gotten loose.
He almost jumped through the roof when the door opened, seeing it shut for so long and convincing himself that it wasn't going to be opened made it all the more a shock when it was opened. But when he saw that it was only Dumbledore he sighed and felt his heart rate go back to the pace it had been at before, slightly beating faster then it normally would, but all things considered, it was relatively calm.
"Severus, I was just talking with Cornelius, it turned out that a disturbance at an abandoned house by Azkaban turned out to be more then just kids playing."
Severus looked up and into Dumbledore's eyes, waiting for what he wanted to hear.
"It turns out Death Eaters were swarming the place, it is believed that is where Harry is, or at least was. There has been no sign of him yet, but the fight is still going, unfortunately most seemed to have gotten away using Portkeys, and it is possible that they could have taken Harry with-"
"I want to go there now." Severus got up quickly, ignoring how that made his head spin and he walked past Dumbledore and outside, to where Remus was standing.
Dumbledore followed, and then stood and looked at both Remus' and Severus' determined faces. "Very well, follow me."
***
A few hours later Draco woke up. He looked over and saw that Harry was already awake. All he felt like doing was going back to sleep, but it seemed that he had slept with a twig digging into his back and it was starting to become unbearable. He moved and as he did he also alerted Harry that he was awake.
"Draco, you finally woke up."
"How long have you been awake?" Draco asked, lying back down.
Harry shrugged, taking a peak outside.
"Did you have any...dreams?" Draco asked hesitantly.
Harry shook his head and then looked seriously at Draco. "We have to get a move on, I'd say we have been here for at least four hours, and it is not a good idea to stay in one place for too long."
Draco sighed but sat up, realizing that Harry was probably right.
They set back to walking, none of them having the energy to run. Harry gave Draco a couple of chocolate frogs which he gratefully took.
"Don't eat it all at once, eat it slow and it will fill you up more." Harry had learned that from being with the Dursleys, one thing that actually came in handy.
"Where do you think I will end up?" Draco asked as he took a small bite.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I doubt that my father will want me back now, and if he does, I would hate to think what he would do to me..."
"Would he beat you?" Harry asked, truly interested.
"I don't know...He would probably kill me"
"Has he ever hit you before?"
"No, not really. I sometimes thought he might, he was close a few times."
"What about your mother?"
"What about her?"
"Would she take you in?"
"She would never leave my father, never." Draco said bitterly.
"Well I'm sure Albus will know what to do." Harry answered confidently, having no doubt in Dumbledore.
"What about you?" Draco asked a bit hesitantly, knowing that this was a delicate subject with Harry.
Harry sighed and looked away and at the ground.
"I'm not sure, maybe Remus, or perhaps Sirius Black if he gets free"
Draco stopped walking and stared at Harry as if he were crazy.
"I know, I can't believe it. To think he spent all those years in Azkaban and he was innocent."
"Innocent?" Draco gasped, not believing what he was hearing.
"Yeah, but I'm not to clear on the whole story. Pettigrew didn't go into much detail with his little tale." Harry said sarcastically.
"If not him, then I bet you Ron's family would." Draco said, going back to the original topic.
Harry smiled a bit at him. "That's true." Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sometimes I think that maybe it would be better just not to go back, just start new here. But then the logical part of my brain kicks in, and tells me that I'm only eleven, and there would be no way I could survive alone in this world, not now anyway."
"How bout we just concentrate on getting out of this forest."
Harry snorted. "That's easier said then done. We don't even know where we will end up when, no, if we get out of here alive."
"Can't be much worse then what we face if we went back."
"I don't know Draco, maybe the fact that we haven't run into any trouble is that they are waiting for us on the other side."
Draco shuddered at that, realizing that it was a statement that could very well be true.
***
Severus, Remus and Dumbledore Portkeyed to a large building, unmistakably a ministry building, and they set off straight away towards where the shouts and bright lights were, no doubt they were curses being thrown.
Once outside the not so abandoned house, they were forced to wait until they got the signal of all clear. A few minutes' later red sparks could be seen and they all ran inside.
Severus could see stunned and dead Death Eaters everywhere; even a few dead Aurors could be spotted.
They ran into a room that was considerably larger then the rest and Severus stopped in his tracks.
A few meters away lay the dead body of his father; next to him on the ground was his dead mother. Except she looked to have died from the killing curse, and not from the cancer she had all those years ago.
Severus walked over to them both and kneeled down in front of his mother.
An Auror walked over to him.
"Did you know her?"
Severus didn't say anything, he didn't move.
"We asked her to move, to duck but she just remained standing, she didn't even look scared or nothing. We couldn't get to her in time; she was hit by the killing curse." The Auror said gravely.
"She was alive?" Severus gasped, finally looking up and at the Auror.
"She was when we got here-"
"Impossible, this woman has been dead for over 20years."
The Auror looked shocked but he didn't say another word, just nodded his head at Severus and walked away. Severus got the feeling he hadn't believed what he had just said.
Severus stood up and walked over to the cauldron where Remus was standing.
Severus looked at what was in it and tried to figure out what it was.
Remus took the vial that was next to it and looked at the red substance.
"Blood" Severus said, looking at it too.
Remus looked at it closely and agreed with Severus. He brought it to his nose and smelled it.
"Human blood, and fresh too." Remus gulped down a nauseous feeling that was making him feel uneasy and he put the vial back down, not wanting to think about how the blood got there. He could smell pain, fear and hate in the room, in the whole building, but it was mostly radiating from the room that he was in. He had no doubt that the blood that was smeared all over the vial was most likely taken without consent.
Severus walked back over to his father and emotionlessly searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for, which was his wand that his father had taken off him earlier.
"Mr. Dumbledore, sir." A young Auror walked up to Dumbledore and looked more then nervous.
"Yes Mr. Berkley?" Dumbledore replied, briefly remembering the man that stood in front of his from being a Ravenclaw once.
"We have searched everywhere Sir; there is no sign of either of the young boys."
Dumbledore nodded at him. "Thank you Adam."
The Auror smiled at him and then walked off.
"I suppose we should take that as a good sign right?" Remus asked Dumbledore.
"What? That Harry and Draco are gone?" Severus snapped at him.
"Why would Voldemort take Harry with him if he was already dead?"
Severus realized that what Remus had just said was true, Voldemort wasn't the type of person who would just take Harry with him unless he wasn't finished with him yet.
"Come now, we shall go to the Ministry and see if any of the caught Death Eaters have any information to give." Dumbledore said, heading back out the door.
With one last look to his dead mother and father, Severus followed.
***
Harry and Draco were walking when Harry heard a voice coming towards them.
"Draco" Harry whispered, pulling his wand out and signaling for Draco to be quiet.
Listening intently Harry could hear the voice growing louder as it came closer.
Draco was turning around in circles, not knowing where the voice was coming from and therefore not knowing what way to face.
Finally Harry saw where the voice was coming from, and so did Draco, as they both took steps backwards, both pale faced. Their wands were out and pointed, but both were shaking and neither knew any spells that would be able to defend themselves fairly with, they were only eleven after all.
Suddenly the attacker attacked.