Petunia raised the rifle so it was equal with her eyes. She had obviously never handled a rifle before, but had probably observed Vernon using one before.
She pulled the trigger, and fell backwards as the bullet flew across the room.
The bullet flew across the room in a nanosecond, and came in contact with Severus' left side, around the area were his kidneys were. For a moment, he didn't seem to react. He then spun around and looked Petunia in the eyes. She looked satisfied, if a little shaken. Severus looked at the floor, then at his hand, which was clutched to the bullet wound.
"Apparate. Dammit, apparate."
Severus repeated over and over in his head, but he wouldn't vanish.
"APPARATE!"
He had to shout this out loud before he would vanish, and end up in mid air outside in Privet Drive, in the dead of night, were rain was falling heavily from the heavens. He looked up - the rain felt pleasant on his face. It even seemed to distract him fro the pain in his side. He started to take a step forwards, but slid of the kerb and into the road. He quickly managed to pick himself up, and looked around - from the ground, he had no idea where he was going, and the broomstick he used to get there was gone.
"...I am so screwed."
- - - - - - - -
"Remus?..."
Remus spun around - Harry was standing in the doorway, looking a little shaken, but some colour had returned to his face.
"Harry!"
Bother Molly and Remus sprung forward and gave him huge hugs, which Harry returned.
"Remus, where's Proffesor Snape?"
"Severus? He went upstairs to see you, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but then he went out and...you...didn't see him leave?"
Remus shook his head slowly, and looked up towards Molly, who also shook her head.
Harry suddenly had a thought - What had Severus said earlier....'I've got some things to do...'
Harry suddenly grabbed Remus' shoulders and shook them violently, "Remus, he's gone to the Dursleys house! He's gone to get revenge for me, I'm sure of it!!"
Remus looked utterly confused.
"He did? Well, he's a very powerful wizard, he should be-"
Remus suddenly remembered how they had both been caught off guard - though cruel the Dursleys were, they always had something up their sleeves.
"Molly - we need to get to Surrey, now. Can we apparate there?"
Molly looked around frantically, "Well, it would be faster, but what if we got lost? And-"
Molly never had a chance to finsih her sentence, as Remus grabbed both Harry's and Molly's hands, and apparated. A split second later, they were in front of the Dursleys home.
"Remus, how - how did you get us here in one go?"
"I don't know, don't care, we just need to find Severus, now. Harry, you go - Harry?"
Harry was already off sprinting down the road, drenched from the rain, in only a too-big t-shirt, baggy trousers and no shoes.
"Harry, come back here!"
"REMUS! MOLLY, REMUS, HE'S OVER HERE!!"
Remus ran as fast as he could to where Harry was pointing, with Molly bringing up the rear. Harry whimpered, as he pointed a shaking finger at a man in drenched black robes, clutching a hand to his side feebly, with laboured breathing.
"Oh my god...Molly...Molly, call Madam Pomfrey, now. Use this owl, it's a pocket owl, very useful, very fast..." in his worry Remus hadn't been noticing that he was rambling slightly.
Harry had knelt down next to Severus, his tears mingling withe the rain falling onto his cheeks.
"Proffesor?..."
Snape's head looled to Harry's side. He opened his eyes, slowly, blinking from having salt water fall into his eyes. His face held no exxpression, but his lips turned up at the corners, into a weak smile.
"Harry."
With that, Severus' full weight fell to one side, and he stopped moving.
"Proffesor..." Harry choked, before pressing his head to Severus' chest.
- - - - - - - - - -
In the nights that followed Harry didn't sleep, and neither did Molly or Remus. They were all so equally worried about him that they barely spoke above a whisper at all times, and refused to eat alot. Severus' condition had been getting steadily worse, but Poppy kept reassuring them that his condition would worsen before it improved.
They had all rushed to the Hogwarts hospital wing via a fireplace in Mrs Figg's house (who handily kept a batch of Floo Powder with her) when Severus had stopped moving. For a few minutes, he had stopped breathing, but his pulse had come back after some basic first aid manouvers.
No one spoke during the day. They all seemed to be transfixed to the table or some distant object, obviously in deep thought. Of course, none of this had helped Harry's trauma. He had always seemed to wake up screaming and in a cold sweat when he had dozed off in the hospital wing. In fact, the three of them never left it.
Remus had been scratching at a table for hours on end - Molly was so distraught she was usually seen pacing up and down while dabbing her eyes, and Harry just refused to eat.
"Potter, eat. Severus wouldn't want you to be starving yourself for his sake."
Harry reluctantly swallowed a mouthful of bread, with ached his throat from his crying.
Poppy had had enough after a few days, and decided to spite their drink with a simple sleeping potion. They all fell for it, and went into a dreamless sleep that lasted a whole day.
Harry was the first to awake - he found himself flat on his back in a hospital wing bed (a feeling he knew far too well), with light shining onto his face. He sat up and looked around, and saw Severus in the bed opposite him. To his amazement, he was sitting up and reading a book. Harry's heart jumped - he rushed out of bed and over to Severus.
"Proffesor! How're you feeling?"
Severus put his book down and stared at Harry contently.
"Alright. You?"
"Yeah, fine, totally...I gotta borrow some of that dreamless sleep stuff from Madam Pomfrey."
"Once I'm out of this bed, I could whip some up for you. Not too difficult."
"Sir, I already told you, I don't want to be a bother."
"And I've already told you, you're not. Now go to breakfast, you look famished."
Harry was so happy he followed Severus' order without hesitation.
"Harry seems to be getting attached to you," came a warm voice from a corner.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and possibly the greatest wizard alive, stepped out from the far corner of the hospital wing. He was dressed in casual but elegent dress robes, will Fawkes was perched on his left shoulder.
"Holy hell, Albus, I wish you wouldn't do that." Severus said, putting his book down for a second time.
"Forgive me, Severus. But I needed to observe some things."
Severus raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed - he only wished ot get back to his book.
"Like what?"
"Well, Severus...I have been observing Harry's behaviour as of late. Depsite all the trauma he's been through, he seemes to be slowly, but surely, warming up to you. You saved him, you comforted him, you even seemed to want to get revenge on his behalf. Despite being the son of the man who gave you quite a bit of trouble at school, you are certaintly showing some signs of starting a good friendship with him," (Severus winced uncomfortably - he had a good idea of what was coming) "And, I now know it was a slightly bad idea to send Harry to live with the Dursleys, even if it was for the best, to keep him away from our world until he was ready...and now, of course, he'll need looking after. He's still only fifteen, sixteen in three days."
Albus broke off. He was sure Severus knew what he was about to ask him.
"Do think about it, won't you?"
She pulled the trigger, and fell backwards as the bullet flew across the room.
The bullet flew across the room in a nanosecond, and came in contact with Severus' left side, around the area were his kidneys were. For a moment, he didn't seem to react. He then spun around and looked Petunia in the eyes. She looked satisfied, if a little shaken. Severus looked at the floor, then at his hand, which was clutched to the bullet wound.
"Apparate. Dammit, apparate."
Severus repeated over and over in his head, but he wouldn't vanish.
"APPARATE!"
He had to shout this out loud before he would vanish, and end up in mid air outside in Privet Drive, in the dead of night, were rain was falling heavily from the heavens. He looked up - the rain felt pleasant on his face. It even seemed to distract him fro the pain in his side. He started to take a step forwards, but slid of the kerb and into the road. He quickly managed to pick himself up, and looked around - from the ground, he had no idea where he was going, and the broomstick he used to get there was gone.
"...I am so screwed."
- - - - - - - -
"Remus?..."
Remus spun around - Harry was standing in the doorway, looking a little shaken, but some colour had returned to his face.
"Harry!"
Bother Molly and Remus sprung forward and gave him huge hugs, which Harry returned.
"Remus, where's Proffesor Snape?"
"Severus? He went upstairs to see you, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but then he went out and...you...didn't see him leave?"
Remus shook his head slowly, and looked up towards Molly, who also shook her head.
Harry suddenly had a thought - What had Severus said earlier....'I've got some things to do...'
Harry suddenly grabbed Remus' shoulders and shook them violently, "Remus, he's gone to the Dursleys house! He's gone to get revenge for me, I'm sure of it!!"
Remus looked utterly confused.
"He did? Well, he's a very powerful wizard, he should be-"
Remus suddenly remembered how they had both been caught off guard - though cruel the Dursleys were, they always had something up their sleeves.
"Molly - we need to get to Surrey, now. Can we apparate there?"
Molly looked around frantically, "Well, it would be faster, but what if we got lost? And-"
Molly never had a chance to finsih her sentence, as Remus grabbed both Harry's and Molly's hands, and apparated. A split second later, they were in front of the Dursleys home.
"Remus, how - how did you get us here in one go?"
"I don't know, don't care, we just need to find Severus, now. Harry, you go - Harry?"
Harry was already off sprinting down the road, drenched from the rain, in only a too-big t-shirt, baggy trousers and no shoes.
"Harry, come back here!"
"REMUS! MOLLY, REMUS, HE'S OVER HERE!!"
Remus ran as fast as he could to where Harry was pointing, with Molly bringing up the rear. Harry whimpered, as he pointed a shaking finger at a man in drenched black robes, clutching a hand to his side feebly, with laboured breathing.
"Oh my god...Molly...Molly, call Madam Pomfrey, now. Use this owl, it's a pocket owl, very useful, very fast..." in his worry Remus hadn't been noticing that he was rambling slightly.
Harry had knelt down next to Severus, his tears mingling withe the rain falling onto his cheeks.
"Proffesor?..."
Snape's head looled to Harry's side. He opened his eyes, slowly, blinking from having salt water fall into his eyes. His face held no exxpression, but his lips turned up at the corners, into a weak smile.
"Harry."
With that, Severus' full weight fell to one side, and he stopped moving.
"Proffesor..." Harry choked, before pressing his head to Severus' chest.
- - - - - - - - - -
In the nights that followed Harry didn't sleep, and neither did Molly or Remus. They were all so equally worried about him that they barely spoke above a whisper at all times, and refused to eat alot. Severus' condition had been getting steadily worse, but Poppy kept reassuring them that his condition would worsen before it improved.
They had all rushed to the Hogwarts hospital wing via a fireplace in Mrs Figg's house (who handily kept a batch of Floo Powder with her) when Severus had stopped moving. For a few minutes, he had stopped breathing, but his pulse had come back after some basic first aid manouvers.
No one spoke during the day. They all seemed to be transfixed to the table or some distant object, obviously in deep thought. Of course, none of this had helped Harry's trauma. He had always seemed to wake up screaming and in a cold sweat when he had dozed off in the hospital wing. In fact, the three of them never left it.
Remus had been scratching at a table for hours on end - Molly was so distraught she was usually seen pacing up and down while dabbing her eyes, and Harry just refused to eat.
"Potter, eat. Severus wouldn't want you to be starving yourself for his sake."
Harry reluctantly swallowed a mouthful of bread, with ached his throat from his crying.
Poppy had had enough after a few days, and decided to spite their drink with a simple sleeping potion. They all fell for it, and went into a dreamless sleep that lasted a whole day.
Harry was the first to awake - he found himself flat on his back in a hospital wing bed (a feeling he knew far too well), with light shining onto his face. He sat up and looked around, and saw Severus in the bed opposite him. To his amazement, he was sitting up and reading a book. Harry's heart jumped - he rushed out of bed and over to Severus.
"Proffesor! How're you feeling?"
Severus put his book down and stared at Harry contently.
"Alright. You?"
"Yeah, fine, totally...I gotta borrow some of that dreamless sleep stuff from Madam Pomfrey."
"Once I'm out of this bed, I could whip some up for you. Not too difficult."
"Sir, I already told you, I don't want to be a bother."
"And I've already told you, you're not. Now go to breakfast, you look famished."
Harry was so happy he followed Severus' order without hesitation.
"Harry seems to be getting attached to you," came a warm voice from a corner.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and possibly the greatest wizard alive, stepped out from the far corner of the hospital wing. He was dressed in casual but elegent dress robes, will Fawkes was perched on his left shoulder.
"Holy hell, Albus, I wish you wouldn't do that." Severus said, putting his book down for a second time.
"Forgive me, Severus. But I needed to observe some things."
Severus raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed - he only wished ot get back to his book.
"Like what?"
"Well, Severus...I have been observing Harry's behaviour as of late. Depsite all the trauma he's been through, he seemes to be slowly, but surely, warming up to you. You saved him, you comforted him, you even seemed to want to get revenge on his behalf. Despite being the son of the man who gave you quite a bit of trouble at school, you are certaintly showing some signs of starting a good friendship with him," (Severus winced uncomfortably - he had a good idea of what was coming) "And, I now know it was a slightly bad idea to send Harry to live with the Dursleys, even if it was for the best, to keep him away from our world until he was ready...and now, of course, he'll need looking after. He's still only fifteen, sixteen in three days."
Albus broke off. He was sure Severus knew what he was about to ask him.
"Do think about it, won't you?"