Title: Cruel Summer

Summary: see chapter one

Disclaimer: see chapter one

A/N: Still AU any reviews ae welcome, flames shall be burned to keep me warm.

To the reviewers! You keep me sane and smiling!

opal: One they are kids, and two people do not tend to think straight when upset.

Kaorethien: yessssssss Harry needs to be safeguarded from his own self sometimes.

Ymmas Sirron: Thanks again for the review I LOL!

rosiegirl: Here it is! It is short but it is an update!

Elwen of Imladris: YAY! you reviewed and liked it thankies! more of your charries now!

athenakitty: Hmm will they return hehehehehe as for Margie no, Vernon is dead, but Harry still does not know that Petunia and Dudley are house elves.

HecatDeMort: thanks!

Thanks again for taking the time to review! Once again it is short but the next chapter is long and I will update in umm 4 days!

Chapter 28

Ron was running ahead of Harry, but when he stopped to look back he saw Harry was sitting down. "You alright there Harry?" he asked coming to sit beside him.

"Yeah I am just a little winded" Harry choked out.

I would say more than a little winded mate, you look like hell."

Harry looked up at that comment and saw the leaves on Ron's sweater, and the thorns stuck to his pants, not to mention the mud on his shoes from the puddle earlier. "You don't look much better" he said dryly.

Ron looked down at his clothes and pulled a few leaves from his hair. He then looked at Harry. "I guess neither one of us are quite handsome at the moment."

This brought a chuckle to Harry. "Come on we need to find somewhere to sleep for the night."

He and Ron walked for two more hours before exhaustion made Harry stop. Sitting down on the dry leaves of the forest, the day's events came rolling back to him. With a quick hand, he swiped away the few tears that fell before Ron could see them.

Ron had seen them though, and he sat down and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "They will see that you are better off with Professor Snape mate, and we can stay here until they do. I for one do not wish to face mum now anyway." Ron was trying to make him feel better he knew, but his choked sobs gave him away.

They sat in silence for a long time, and Harry fell asleep there on the bare ground. He was shaken from his dreams by Ron, and almost screamed out.

"Come on Harry, I have found a safe place to sleep."

Harry got up and staggered after Ron who walked over to a huge tree. Underneath some animal had burrowed a huge space. "What if whatever made this place comes back?" Harry asked groggily.

"It's the best we have right now, and I don't want to be in the open with the spiders."

Harry shook his head in understanding, and laid down in the little hole. It was cramped, but Harry was used to it. Ron however took longer to fall asleep, but finally even his fears succumbed to sleep, and he curled into a ball and drifted off.

"Look Remus, It is night and we haven't found them yet, and the grease ball is just sitting there." Sirius ranted pointing at Severus who seemed to be staring off into space.

Normally Severus would have turned and attacked Sirius, but for now he was lost in his own thoughts. He was the most feared wizard in all of Hogwarts next to Dumbledore, he was a death eater, and yet somehow he was changing. How could one boy break down the walls he had put up? How could he melt the stern potion master's heart. Severus did not have all the answers, but he did know that his son was out there, alone and afraid in the dark. Severus got up his eyes burning from years of hatred.

"You will be silent or you shall spend the night stunned."

"How dare you! You insufferable git," Sirius yelled. These were the last words he spoke as Severus pulled his wand and pointed. "Petrificus Totalis"

Sirius' body went stiff and he fell down. "Severus how could you. He cannot spend the night that way." Remus lectured.

"I find him much more pleasant this way, truth be told." Severus walked over to the rigid form of Sirius. "I shall release you from the spell granted you can keep your big mouth shut. If you had even an ounce of sense, you would know all that yelling is sure to bring about some unsavory forest dweller."

As Severus released him from it Sirius acted as if he were going to choke Severus. Remus stood between them yet again. "He has a point you know. We have enough to deal with. We do not need to add fighting off some troll, or other creature to it."

Sirius glared at Remus, but sat back down. Severus and Remus conjured them some blankets, and each laid down on the ground. After a few minutes of grumbling about a root sticking into his back Sirius drifted off to sleep. Severus however laid there watching the leaves sway in the trees. He could not sleep knowing Harry was out there somewhere. He grasped his wand firmly, and waited for dawn.