Chapter 10
Snape and Buffy walked on toward Hogsmeade. As soon as he knew they were clear of the grounds, he stopped.
"I can Apperate us from here."
"Apperate? Okay, what do I have to do." Buffy had read about Apperating over the past few days, but still wasn't sure exactly how it worked.
"Nothing, just er, here, hold my hand."
Buffy complied saying, "Why Severus, I didn't know...." She never finished her flippant remark, as they were already at their destination.
She looked around, they seemed to be standing in a cookie cutter suburb. Nothing made one house stand out from the rest. She hoped Severus knew the address.
"Ahem." Severus looked down at their still linked hands. Guiltily, she dropped his hand and blushed.
"Sorry."
"Never mind, here, it's number four."
They walked up to the front door and Snape banged the gleaming silver knocker.
Both wizard and slayer where unprepared for the corpulent boy to open and subsequently slam the door in their faces. From inside, Buffy could hear the man from her dream ask, "Well, who was at the door?" She didn't hear a reply, but quite suddenly the door was thrown open again and the fat face of Uncle Vernon poked out. He eyed Severus' midnight robes and scowled.
"You lot have no right to harass hard working people like us, go away, whatever you're selling, we're not buying!"
Severus, who had many years of scowling on this man, gave him a nasty one.
"We're here to see Harry Potter."
"He's not here, he ran away." The man lied with an amazingly straight face.
"We know he's here, now, Let... Us... In."
Vernon shrank back from the menace in the other man's voice, which was just enough room for the tiny slayer to squeeze past him.
"What! Hey! Come back here!" Vernon turned to grab her, which then gave Snape the opportunity to enter the house as well.
He called, "Potter! Harry Potter, come out, it's Professor Snape! Potter!" Be brushed past a thin woman and the fat boy, who both stood silently, wide eyed and staring. All of them waited a few moments, and when nothing happened, Vernon cried out.
"Ha! See! I told you he wasn't here. Now, if you'd be so kind as to leave..."
But of course they had no intention of leaving. Snape looked at Buffy curiously. She was utterly motionless. This wasn't Hogwarts, and with no constant flow of magic, she could clearly feel Severus standing next to her, but she could also feel, something....
Moving gracefully across the now familiar living room, she moved up the stairs, passing three doors, she opened the last one at the front of the house. Severus following right behind her was shocked at what he saw. Bars on the windows, and a lone bed with dingy covers being the only furniture in the small room. She turned to the wizard.
"He hasn't been here in while, but he's here, in this house, I know it." She brushed past Snape wanting to get away from that room, something about it just gave her chills.
They descended the stairs, and Buffy stiffened, remembering her dream, she went down the hall to the kitchens. She stopped in front of a cupboard with several locks hanging on it. This was it, Harry was here. Not looking at Severus, she didn't see his eyes widen as she simply tore the locks off. She threw the last one away, and opened the door.
Both of them almost gagged. Severus could smell the sweat and odor, but Buffy was treated to the full array of sweat, vomit, and blood, courtesy of slayer senses.
She hesitated about going into the dark hole before her, and seeing it, Severus lit the tip of his wand and handed it to her.
Buffy entered and was almost sick, propped in the corner was the boy, Harry. She mentally catalogued his injuries and was seeing red by the time she was done. She lifted him as best she could, the pain, momentarily making him lucid.
All the poor boy could manage was a weak, "Help me," before he slid out of consciousness.
Emerging from the tiny closet, she handed the boy and wand to Severus, who could only stare, silent. They walked to the living room, where Vernon was sitting, looking very nervous indeed. Before either professor could speak he was defending himself, saying the boy had fallen down the stairs.
Buffy stalked over to him, fists clenched in anger. Severus was taken aback at the fury coming off of the tiny girl, but looking at the bloody boy in his arms, he felt his own rage build. He was reminded briefly of the headmaster's words. Before he could say anything, Buffy had punched the fat man, laying him out on the carpet.
He glared at the woman and boy, who could only be Harry's aunt and cousin. They both froze like rabbits, their eyes darting between slayer and wizard.
Severus stood silently while the man got back up, only to be laid out with another punch. Kicking and punching, Snape watched and realized, she was inflicting blow for blow the punishment the man had given Harry.
The silence was only broken by the sound of flesh on flesh, until Severus said, "Don't kill him."
Buffy was done with that piece of filth anyway. Standing down, not even breathing heavily, she and the wizard shared a look. Severus understood in that moment the fear and rage the slayer felt. She'd spent most of her life protecting humans from evil, demons and vampires, that one human could do that to another with relative impunity, was inconceivable.
Still in silence, she moved over to them, and put her hand on his shoulder. In a pop, they were back at the edge of the school. Severus started to walk quickly, but Buffy stopped him, taking the boy from his arms. Breaking the silence, she explained.
"I can run up there faster than you can, he needs medical care." Severus nodded, and she turned and sprinted up the path, seemingly not impeded by Harry's weight.
Snape sighed and trudged up the path after her, all of a sudden feeling very very old.
End Chapter 10
A/N: yeah, that was a short one, but it was where my brain had to stop. Thank you to all who reviewed. I will try and take all the good suggestions people are giving me, but don't hurt me if I can't.
TTFN,
Peri
Snape and Buffy walked on toward Hogsmeade. As soon as he knew they were clear of the grounds, he stopped.
"I can Apperate us from here."
"Apperate? Okay, what do I have to do." Buffy had read about Apperating over the past few days, but still wasn't sure exactly how it worked.
"Nothing, just er, here, hold my hand."
Buffy complied saying, "Why Severus, I didn't know...." She never finished her flippant remark, as they were already at their destination.
She looked around, they seemed to be standing in a cookie cutter suburb. Nothing made one house stand out from the rest. She hoped Severus knew the address.
"Ahem." Severus looked down at their still linked hands. Guiltily, she dropped his hand and blushed.
"Sorry."
"Never mind, here, it's number four."
They walked up to the front door and Snape banged the gleaming silver knocker.
Both wizard and slayer where unprepared for the corpulent boy to open and subsequently slam the door in their faces. From inside, Buffy could hear the man from her dream ask, "Well, who was at the door?" She didn't hear a reply, but quite suddenly the door was thrown open again and the fat face of Uncle Vernon poked out. He eyed Severus' midnight robes and scowled.
"You lot have no right to harass hard working people like us, go away, whatever you're selling, we're not buying!"
Severus, who had many years of scowling on this man, gave him a nasty one.
"We're here to see Harry Potter."
"He's not here, he ran away." The man lied with an amazingly straight face.
"We know he's here, now, Let... Us... In."
Vernon shrank back from the menace in the other man's voice, which was just enough room for the tiny slayer to squeeze past him.
"What! Hey! Come back here!" Vernon turned to grab her, which then gave Snape the opportunity to enter the house as well.
He called, "Potter! Harry Potter, come out, it's Professor Snape! Potter!" Be brushed past a thin woman and the fat boy, who both stood silently, wide eyed and staring. All of them waited a few moments, and when nothing happened, Vernon cried out.
"Ha! See! I told you he wasn't here. Now, if you'd be so kind as to leave..."
But of course they had no intention of leaving. Snape looked at Buffy curiously. She was utterly motionless. This wasn't Hogwarts, and with no constant flow of magic, she could clearly feel Severus standing next to her, but she could also feel, something....
Moving gracefully across the now familiar living room, she moved up the stairs, passing three doors, she opened the last one at the front of the house. Severus following right behind her was shocked at what he saw. Bars on the windows, and a lone bed with dingy covers being the only furniture in the small room. She turned to the wizard.
"He hasn't been here in while, but he's here, in this house, I know it." She brushed past Snape wanting to get away from that room, something about it just gave her chills.
They descended the stairs, and Buffy stiffened, remembering her dream, she went down the hall to the kitchens. She stopped in front of a cupboard with several locks hanging on it. This was it, Harry was here. Not looking at Severus, she didn't see his eyes widen as she simply tore the locks off. She threw the last one away, and opened the door.
Both of them almost gagged. Severus could smell the sweat and odor, but Buffy was treated to the full array of sweat, vomit, and blood, courtesy of slayer senses.
She hesitated about going into the dark hole before her, and seeing it, Severus lit the tip of his wand and handed it to her.
Buffy entered and was almost sick, propped in the corner was the boy, Harry. She mentally catalogued his injuries and was seeing red by the time she was done. She lifted him as best she could, the pain, momentarily making him lucid.
All the poor boy could manage was a weak, "Help me," before he slid out of consciousness.
Emerging from the tiny closet, she handed the boy and wand to Severus, who could only stare, silent. They walked to the living room, where Vernon was sitting, looking very nervous indeed. Before either professor could speak he was defending himself, saying the boy had fallen down the stairs.
Buffy stalked over to him, fists clenched in anger. Severus was taken aback at the fury coming off of the tiny girl, but looking at the bloody boy in his arms, he felt his own rage build. He was reminded briefly of the headmaster's words. Before he could say anything, Buffy had punched the fat man, laying him out on the carpet.
He glared at the woman and boy, who could only be Harry's aunt and cousin. They both froze like rabbits, their eyes darting between slayer and wizard.
Severus stood silently while the man got back up, only to be laid out with another punch. Kicking and punching, Snape watched and realized, she was inflicting blow for blow the punishment the man had given Harry.
The silence was only broken by the sound of flesh on flesh, until Severus said, "Don't kill him."
Buffy was done with that piece of filth anyway. Standing down, not even breathing heavily, she and the wizard shared a look. Severus understood in that moment the fear and rage the slayer felt. She'd spent most of her life protecting humans from evil, demons and vampires, that one human could do that to another with relative impunity, was inconceivable.
Still in silence, she moved over to them, and put her hand on his shoulder. In a pop, they were back at the edge of the school. Severus started to walk quickly, but Buffy stopped him, taking the boy from his arms. Breaking the silence, she explained.
"I can run up there faster than you can, he needs medical care." Severus nodded, and she turned and sprinted up the path, seemingly not impeded by Harry's weight.
Snape sighed and trudged up the path after her, all of a sudden feeling very very old.
End Chapter 10
A/N: yeah, that was a short one, but it was where my brain had to stop. Thank you to all who reviewed. I will try and take all the good suggestions people are giving me, but don't hurt me if I can't.
TTFN,
Peri