A/N: Alright, I wanted to write more, but I also wanted to get this chapter out quickly since it was after a cliff hanger. So, it is a good stopping point, but maybe a bit of a shorter chapter for me. More to come as soon as possible!
Severus Snape was slogging through first year essays. It was headache inducing and frightfully both boring and frustrating. Really, he needed an apprentice just to make them grade for him, although that would probably be a whole other headache. He leaned back and ran a hand over his eyes to take a second of a mental break. He lowered his hand just to yelp in surprise, a sound that he'd never admit ever came from his mouth, as a ball of flame dissipated on his lap to leave the mysterious satchel Harry Potter carried around with him constantly.
"What?" Snape stared at the bag, dumbstruck. His hand reached for the clasp before he froze. If Potter had somehow sent him the bag, which was clearly the thing he cared about most in the world, then something must be very, very wrong with the man.
Not even considering his actions at this point, Snape flung the strap of the bag over his shoulder and stood, surprised at how lightweight the bag was, must be a lightening charm. He pulled out his wand. "Point me Harry Potter…" Nothing happened.
Did that mean he was dead…no, that was completely unacceptable and not even worth considering! "Point me Harry Potter!" He frantically ordered once more. Still nothing happened. He growled in frustration or desperation; he was not sure which.
Trying something different, he waved his wand towards Harry's room, hoping his roommate wasn't carrying his highly illegal map on his person. "Accio Marauder's Map!"
An old bit of parchment flew out of Harry's room and directly into Severus's outstretched hand. He opened the map on the kitchen table and stared at the blank paper with a sneer. He knew about the bloody map, had since he was a student, but that didn't mean he knew how to make it work. The one time he'd had it in his hands to actually try it had been in Harry's third year, and then it had only insulted him.
"Show me Harry Potter!" He ordered the map with a sharp jab of his wand.
Mr. Prongs wonders what Snivellus Snape is up to poking at an innocent bit of parchment.
Mr. Padfoot thinks he should keep his abnormally big nose out of other people's business.
Mr. Moony regrets that he's currently busy washing his hair and cannot help, something Snape might consider doing himself.
Mr. Wormtail believes that Snivellus…
"I don't have time for this," he growled at the paper. "I don't know what charms you have on you, but if there is any emergency safeguard on you at all, I need you to activate. Harry Potter…Prong's son, is in danger and needs help. Work, damn it!"
I solemnly swear I'm up to no good. Scrolled across the parchment to Snape's utter surprise. After the scrolled phrase, a detailed map of Hogwarts appeared with the occupants of the castle moving around with little banners to indicate where they were. If he wasn't so worried he would have spared a thought for both how unfair and ingenious the map was in the hands of his childhood tormentors.
Snape frantically looked through the map for Potter's name. It wasn't by Gryffindor Tower, the eighth years' common room, the Great Hall, it wasn't on the grounds…until it suddenly popped up, just where Snape had been looking. It hadn't been there a second before, but clearly it read Harry Potter now…right at the base of the Astronomy Tower. Severus grabbed the parchment and shifted the bag more firmly on his shoulder before running out of his chambers and towards the castle grounds.
"Severus! Really!" McGonagall tutted as he ran by the headmistress. "Decorum!" She yelled towards his retreating form.
Harry's hurt! Was all that kept running through his mind though. Not even in the midst of the war had Severus had cause to stoop to running flat out through the castle corridors, but now, it was as if he could not move fast enough. Damn, he wished that vampire speed was actually a thing and not a complete myth! It didn't help as he saw a crumped form lying still at the base of the castle's tallest tower, right where Dumbledore had lain when Severus had killed him.
"Harry!" He skidded to a stop, breathing erratically as he knelt over the teen who was clearly bleeding from multiple abrasions, but who looked much too good to have actually fallen off the tower. "Harry, can you hear me? Please answer!" He asked, sighing in relief when he felt a pulse in the man's neck. He sniffed deeply, trying to calculate how much blood the teen had lost, but it didn't seem to be much, although, concerningly, the blood smelt off…strange and unpleasant, not like food as it should smell to him.
"Snape?" Harry mumbled with a groan of pain when he slightly shifted his weight on the ground, emerald eyes only slightly visible through his squinted eyelids. "Bloody hell that hurt," he added onto his groan at the end. "I am wearing clothes, right?"
"Yes…why…? Whatever, can you move? What happened?" Snape asked, casting a quick diagnostic spell, obviously Harry was not thinking clearly.
"Erm…move?…Probably not," Harry groaned again. "I don't think anything's broken though. Could definitely be wrong."
"You have a couple cracked ribs, but no broken bones besides that…it seems that you have significant bruising to your internal organs, a concussion, and some nasty cuts on your arms," Severus summed up what he found from his spell.
Harry snorted humorlessly. "I probably tried to break my fall with my arms…should have known better."
"What happened?" Snape asked again, glancing up at the tower and immediately disregarding that fall as a possibility.
Harry shot up to sit with a sharp gasp of pain shooting across his features. "Where is it?! Where did I send it?!" The man frantically looked around him and behind his form, desperation and terror on his features.
"You sent it to me," Severus placed a hand on his shoulder to get the teen to stop moving. It spoke to how well he knew Harry at this point, but he knew exactly what he was worried about.
Severus took the bag from his shoulder and set it in Harry's lap. To Snape's utter horror, Harry broke down in tears, hugging and gasping into the bag. "I was so worried. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to put you in danger, Little Bit," he was saying into the bag. "Oh Merlin, what if I hadn't been able to send you to Snape?!"
Harry turned haunted eyes on the potions master and Snape saw a breakdown quickly building. "But you did," he said quickly. Not having any idea really what Harry was talking about or how he'd been able to send the bag to him. "You did and it's safe, and after some potions and sleep, you will be too."
"I don't matter. I'll be fine," Harry shook his head frantically. "Falling off the tower is nothing really, but what if it'd broken…what if it'd died?!"
Ok…something was living in the bag? Snape raised an eyebrow questioningly. And…did Potter claim to have actually fallen off the Astronomy Tower? He looked around quickly and noticed they were alone to his immense relief. Thankfully, it was still an unpopular place to congregate on the grounds after Albus's death. Still, Snape cast a silencing ward and a notice-me-not ward around them.
"Potter…Harry, look at me," Snape ordered the teen who was crooning unconsolably over the bag. "Are you telling me that you fell off the Astronomy Tower?"
"No…I was pushed," Harry answered with an unfocused look in his yes. Snape realized the teen was going into shock of some sort. "Little Bit was pushed," he bent over the bag, hugging it again, tears falling from his eyes onto the leather.
"Harry…you aren't making any sense," Snape did his best in his growing concern to get the man to focus in on him. "You trust me, right? You sent the bag to me…that means you trust me?"
"Of course, you take care of us," Harry muttered from where his face was almost planted in the leather.
"Good, then you need to tell me right now…what's in the bag?" Snape asked. He'd asked the question before, but this was too much. Whatever was going on with Harry and the bag was too concerning now to not address immediately. The teen was almost having a breakdown over whatever was in the bag just being in a position where it could have gotten hurt. That was frankly more concerning than Harry being pushed off the tower because that just wasn't possible anyway. He obviously wasn't thinking straight right now. There was absolutely no way he would have survived that fall.
Harry turned large, too green eyes up at the man, that unfocused look still in them. Snape's breath caught as Harry muttered almost too low for him to hear, "My baby…"
The older man really tried not to sigh in fearful frustration. "Harry, we really need to get you back to our chambers, and you desperately need a calming draught. There is clearly not a child in your bag."
"No, there is," Harry protested in a small voice while his fingers, shaking from the adrenaline undid the clasps and pulled back the flap on the bag.
Severus just stared. He looked at the largest emerald he believed anyone would have ever seen in history that was currently being lovingly stroked by the teen sitting in front of him. It took several seconds before Severus's brain processed that he wasn't looking at an actual emerald, but a very large, magical egg.
"Harry…" he said with as much calmness as he could muster in the midst of his growing concern. "What kind of egg is that? Where did you find it?" Whatever creature the egg belonged to must be quite large, and there were many very dangerous creatures in the magical world. It would be just like Harry to adopt some extremely dangerous creature just because it was in a defenseless egg form.
"It's mine," Harry slumped sideways, leaning into Snape while still holding onto the egg.
"No, I know you're in pain and in shock, but you need to stay conscious just a little longer," Snape tried to sit the teen back up, but he was decidedly leaning into Snape's side now. "What kind of egg is that? What creature is in there?"
"It's mine," Harry said once more, his words slurring this time as he fought to stay conscious. "Keep…safe, please," he almost begged with a pleading look up into Snape's eyes.
"Sure, I'll keep your egg safe. I promise," Snape breathed out anxiously. "What creature is the egg from though?"
"Me," Harry said, eyes rolling back. "'m not human," barely made it past his lips before the teen collapsed more fully onto the man holding him.
"What the hell does that mean?!" Snape uselessly sneered at the unconscious savior of the wizarding world.
It was a bit of a struggle to get Harry back to their quarters. Snape had thought about taking the teen to Madam Pomfrey but remembered his strong feelings against seeing a healer over the summer. From his initial scans, Snape was certain he could heal most of Harry's injuries with potions, and then they could schedule an appointment with Healer Morris in a week or floo him if it was more pressing. In order to sneak the man into the castle, Snape once more put the bag, which he now knew held a massive creature egg, onto his shoulder before levitating and disillusioning Harry's unconscious body. It was a slow trek since he needed to make sure no one ran into the invisible, floating student, but they eventually did make it back down to the dungeons without incident.
"I don't know what happened. He'll be fine. No, it wasn't my fault. Just let me handle this," Snape exasperatedly answered what he guessed were the many questions being chirped and hissed at him from the worried creatures in his sitting room.
Snape hesitated before opening the door to Harry's room. He knew his roommate didn't want him in there, but he needed to be put somewhere to rest and heal. The couch wasn't comfortable enough when he was in the kind of pain he was clearly in. So, figuring he'd hear about it later and handle it then, Snape opened the door and continued to levitate Harry onto the bed, canceling the spell and the disillusionment. Harry's room was actually quite plain he noted while trying to remove the teen's shoes and outer robes to get him more comfortable. There were a couple pictures, one of James and Lily Potter, one of Teddy, and one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione framed on the nightstand with a book and a glass of water there as well. However, there really wasn't much decoration besides what Snape had already had in the room before Harry moved in, which wasn't much at all.
Snape frowned at the book on the nightstand, The First Year: Raising a Magical Child. He looked at the bag hanging at his side and at the book. It seemed that Potter really did plan to raise whatever creature this was as his own child…Snape really hoped this wasn't another dragon egg incident like Hagrid in Harry's first year. He about had a stroke when Draco had informed him of the incident and the resulting events of the detention after it had happened, and Albus had an earful about all that from him as well.
Pushing aside his concerns for now, the potion master went to his personal lab and collected a plethora of healing potions and creams. He brought them back to the room and lined them up on the table beside the bed where Fawkes was now sitting on the headboard and staring at the teen below him.
"Just be patient. I need to determine how extensive his injuries are," he told the bird that was giving him a concerned glare. "I'll send a patronus to Healer Morris if they are too extensive for my potions."
Deciding on his first course of action, he figured he needed to do more diagnostics, more spells, and he needed to get a better look at Harry's torso where most of the impact seemed to have happened. With a flick of his wand, he vanished the teen's shirt, knowing it would cause too much pain to even try to remove it manually.
Bright purple bruising was already starting to form across Harry's chest. It seemed that he had landed face-down on the ground. Snape cocked his head and stared at the wide, green line down Harry's sides. It was an odd tattoo if it was a tattoo. He reached out and ran a finger over the line, not being able to help himself in the moment. With a gasp, the potion master stepped back in surprise, it wasn't a tattoo; it was scales.
"Merlin," he breathed out with wide eyes. "He actually isn't human." Harry's words from the base of the tower actually sank in. Maybe he hadn't been delusional.
Snape quickly cast several more intensive diagnostic spells than what he'd already cast. The man in front of him was running much hotter than a human normally would, seemed to have some surprising additions to his anatomy like talons and fangs, and if Snape were right, was highly venomous with slightly acidic blood. All this was in addition to the injuries he'd sustained from what Snape was now actually willing to consider might have been a murder attempt by being pushed off the castle's highest tower.
Assassination attempt aside, Snape prioritized healing his…friend? He spelled several potions directly into Harry's stomach and started to rub Essence of Murtlap onto the cuts and abrasions covering his arms. It wasn't until he was screwing the lid back on the jar of Essence of Murtlap before it sank in what was actually in the bag that was still slung across his shoulder. Snape slowly put the jar on the bedside table and sank down to sit on the edge of Harry's bed.
He stared at the bag, trying to process what Harry had been trying to tell him. It just wasn't processing though. He pulled the bag into this lap and once more opened the flap. The emerald egg glittered in the low light of the magical lamps in the room. "You have a child…?" Snape's eyes widened as that fact finally sank in and his eyes cut to the unconscious form on the bed.
"Merlin…you actually have a child in here!" He gasped, finding that he was lightly petting the egg in awe. Now that he was actually paying attention to it, the egg was warmer than he thought it should be, and there also seemed to be a warming charm on the bag. Placing his palm flat onto the hard shell, he could almost feel life inside, like a pulse of magic steadily leaking through.
Snape couldn't help a gasp and a jump when Harry's trousers and pants unfortunately (yes, that's the word he was going with) seemed to disappear into nothing. "Merlin!" He jumped up and quickly threw a blanket over the teen, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
"Nothing from you," he glared at the bird that seemed to be chuckling in his odd chirpy way and sat back down. "Do you know what just happened to his clothes?"
The bird strangely enough seemed to roll his eyes and huff. It wasn't like Snape could understand him anyway. "Right, no help at all…I suppose you knew about the egg?"
At this, Fawkes did shuffle over and lay a wing lovingly over the bag still in Snape's lap. "So, that's a definite yes…do you know the mother? Where is she in all this?"
Fawkes gave an indignant chirp that Snape knew he had no hope of deciphering. "Right, I'll just add it to all my other questions like what kind of creature Harry is to start with and how? I really didn't think James Potter had creature blood, and Lily was muggleborn."
Fawkes settled on the bed more and seemed to be resolved to stay until Harry woke up. "Well, keep an eye on him and call if I'm needed. I'm going to floo Healer Morris and see if he can stop by and take a look. I think I've addressed everything major, but there should be significantly more damage if he was pushed off the Astronomy Tower."
A loud, angry squawk emanated the from the bird at that comment. "I really don't know what happened beyond that. He passed out too quickly," Snape answered what was clearly the question. "Call out if anything changes, I'll be back in a minute."
Snape stood and looked at the bag he was holding for a second. He wasn't sure if he was expected to keep it with him or leave it with Harry. After a second of thought and seeing that Fawkes didn't object, he ended up taking the egg out of its bag and setting it on the bed with Harry up against his side. He knew he made the right decision when the teen unconsciously curled around the egg as soon as he stepped back.
"Right…I'll be back," he stared at the bird, teen, and egg for a confused second before hurrying out of the room and to his floo.
"I need to use the floo," he told the next magical creature in his way when he took in the worried ashwinder looking back at him from the fire. With an understanding nod, the snake moved out of the flames but stayed on the stone hearth to keep the warmth and thankfully not set Snape's rug on fire.
He grabbed a handful of floo powder before sticking his head into the flames and bullying Healer Morris's receptionist into immediately going to find the man even if he was on lunch currently. Thankfully, he had only taken food back to his office instead of going out and Harry's healer was in front of his floo in just a couple minutes.
"Mr. Snape, is everything ok? Are you feeling unwell? Or is it Harry?" He concernedly asked.
Now Snape had already thought the healer was very competent and admired his professionalism, but he was moved up even further in his esteem with the genuine worry in his voice and prompt response. "Harry was pushed off the Astronomy Tower," Snape informed him, eyes still wide in shock at that. It was too outlandish to believe, but it was the only conclusion he could draw from the evidence provided.
"Oh," the elderly healer lowered himself to sit on the floor at that, clearly stunned. "Well…I'm sure you've realized that it will take more to kill him than that…may I ask…was his bag with him…?"
The healer looked about as haunted and terrified as Harry had been when he had woken up. Snape felt something break just a little inside of him…suddenly it sank in that there was a baby in the bag…yes, he'd realized it before, but now, he actually processed that a baby was in the bag Harry had been carrying around! Someone had pushed not just Harry but a baby off the tower!
His breath caught and he couldn't help what felt like a little sob, and he thought there might have been some moisture in his eyes, but Severus Snape did not cry for anyone. No, that was not it. "No, thankfully, he was able to send the egg to me somehow before he hit the ground," Snape said, ignoring the hitch in his voice and the moisture that now seemed to be leaking a little. He was not crying, damnit!
Healer Morris let out a deep sigh of relief and clutched his chest. "Merlin…that's such good news!"
"Indeed," Snape gasped, not trusting himself to try to say more. Something was clearly wrong with his emotions, and he did not like this!
"Now, can I come through your floo to look him over or will I need to go to Hogsmeade?" The healer turned to his receptionist. "Joyce, grab my medical bag for me," he called out.
"You cannot come through here with the wards, but you can go through the headmistress's floo. I'll send her a patronus and have her open the connection to St. Mungo's," he sniffed and forcibly pulled himself together. "Actually…wait. I have a better idea."
Snape leaned out of the fire for a second as the healer waited on him. "Kreacher!" He called out.
Kreacher appeared with a loud crack, still holding a sharp, silver knife from where he'd presumably been taking apart a giant, almost mythical basilisk. Snape still felt like he would have a panic attack imagining Harry standing as a twelve-year-old in front of the alive version of the decomposing carcass he'd seen in the chamber. "How can Kreacher help Potion Master Snape?"
"Kreacher…first of all, Harry's egg is safe," Snape began, finally realizing what was going to be everyone's first question. "Harry was pushed off the Astronomy Tower though."
The elf's eyes narrowed, and he spun the knife in his hand. "Potion Master Snape will immediately tell Kreacher who pushed his master…then Potion Master Snape will tell Kreacher where the master and the egg are…"
"I don't know…they are in Harry's room, and Harry will be fine, but I need you to go get Healer Morris from St. Mungo's. I'd rather not have to explain all of this to Minerva…I frankly couldn't answer any of her questions," he sighed, also hoping he would find out who did this before Minerva or the aurors, because he, or possibly the elf, would be much better equipped to handle them as they should be handled.
"Kreacher will find out, but first, Kreacher will get Master Healer," he slid the knife into what appeared to be a little scabbard at his side before immediately popping out of the room.
Snape turned back to the floo only to be interrupted with another pop behind him. "Merlin!" Healer Morris almost stumbled from where Kreacher had suddenly grabbed him and apparated.
"Right," Snape just deactivated the floo and stood. "Follow me. I don't know what creature he is, so I don't know what is normal for his body…I guessed at the potions."
The healer snorted, causing Snape to stop and raise a questioning eyebrow. "We haven't quite figured out normal for him yet either. We're still trying to stabilize him from his changes, injuries, and long-term malnutrition."
"Through here," the vampire held the door to Harry's room open while the healer and Kreacher both hurried in, promising to ask Harry himself about how he came to have a problem with long-term malnutrition.
"Little Bit! Kreacher was so worried!" The elf cooed over the egg beside Harry, clearly refraining from touching it.
"We all were, Kreacher," the healer nodded while already casting diagnostics.
"Can you tell me what creature Mr. Potter is?" Snape rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little useless as he stood at the end of the bed and waited.
"Not without his consent," the elderly man shook his head. "You did really well with healing him though. He does not regenerate as much as he should…I think part of that is because of his current state of health."
"Regeneration," Snape nodded his head dazedly, already making notes in his head to include in his journal. There were not many creatures that regenerated, but that would explain surviving a fall from the tower…and also why he didn't immediately show up on his point me spell or on the map.
Snape sank into the one chair in Harry's room when his thought finally sank in…Harry had actually died! He had fallen from the tower, died, and regenerated! He was supposed to be safe now that the war was over…how had this even happened?!
"Deep breaths, Mr. Snape," Healer Morris was suddenly in front of him and miming for him to breathe…why was he doing that?
Oh yeah, he wasn't breathing, Snape realized as his vision started to black out for a second and he sucked in a deep breath. "I'm fine," he gasped, motioning for the healer to go back to the teen on the bed who actually needed him.
"He will be fine as well, his body heals quickly," Healer Morris assured him. "He should stay in bed today and maybe tomorrow too if you can convince him. He should definitely take it easy for the next week though."
"That's it?! He was pushed off the tower! Even I can't survive that!" Snape gasped out…maybe breathing was something he actually should focus on a bit.
"Well…I think it's safe to say, he's not a vampire," the man actually chuckled. He was infuriating and Snape wanted to yell at him if he just had more air in his lungs.
"At least tell me the egg's mother," Snape finally got out, knowing it was something that needed to be done even if he really didn't want to do it. "Someone needs to tell her what happened."
Snape frowned deeply as the healer turned to look at the elf and the bird questioningly. Apparently, he was not sure if this was something he could tell or not. "Well…out with it?! Did she leave him or something?!" He sneered, now adding another person to his list to seek revenge on if that were the case.
"There is no mother, Potion Master Snape," Kreacher finally spoke up since it seemed the healer had decided that was outside of what he was allowed to say. The bird chirped in agreement and shook his wings.
"What does that even mean?" Snape was exceptionally confused. Yes, the magical world was very odd and contained so very many species, but for humanoid creatures at least, the laws of biology were mostly very similar, and a baby would need a biological woman to be born.
"Er…it seems that Harry's particular type of creature can…well…" Healer Morris made a shrugging motion. "Well, he can reproduce all on his own. You can imagine how surprised he was, but it's just Harry…no one else. I truly believe he handled it much better than I would have, especially at his age."
"Merlin be damned," his jaw actually dropped open at that. Snape was certain he'd never felt as shocked and confused and terrified as he had the past hour. Once Harry was well, he was already planning on consuming an entire bottle of Ogden's finest all by himself.
"If I could only write him up as a case study," the healer chuckled again and picked up his bag. "I feel that will never be welcomed though, so I can just be fascinated all alone for now. I'll stop by again tomorrow evening just to check on him. Send Kreacher…would you take me back or should I walk to the gates?" He asked the house elf that was very clearly wiping some tears from his eyes.
"Yes, Master Healer, sir. You takes care of the master and the baby. Kreacher will always helps you," the elf held out a little hand and immediately apparated the elderly man away as soon as he took it.
Snape sank even lower into the armchair, posture be damned. "Well…I think life has just gotten a hell of a lot more interesting," he told the bird who began to sing a calming song over the injured teen and the egg.
Up Next: Snape's chambers get overrun by Gryffindors...the horror!