CH26: Delusional Childhood

"Don't forget the eggs, Jenny!"

"I won't, Mother – Oh my!"

Hanging from the monkey bars, his arms protested loudly against the effort, begging him to let go. He dropped from the air, landing harshly in the sand far below.

"Oi, Potter!" It was a large boy. No, it was an extremely large boy; one that was running towards him. It was Dudley, followed by his friends.

Panic filled him and he sprang to his feet, already running desperately towards the gate. He could hear loud, heavy footsteps close behind him, hot in pursuit. He leapt nimbly over the fence that separated the school from the rest of the outside world, unluckily landing in a prickly bush. A bell rang tremulously in the distance and his would-be captors groaned in disappointment, shuffling back morosely into the school. He sighed, looking despondently at his scraped limbs, panting with relief. Dudley shot him a malicious grin that promised there would be more Harry-hunting to come later.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"Is he alright?"

"He's not breathing!"

"Quick, flip him over –"

"Wake up, you ungrateful wretch!" Harry listened to the loud rapping on his cupboard door. "There is breakfast to be made!"

Slowly, he stood from his small cot and pulled on a sweater. He walked slowly into the kitchen, wincing at the glare his aunt used to pin him in place for a moment.

"Get going," she snapped. Sighing, he walked over to the stove. "And don't burn anything!" Nodding mutely, he did as he was told.

"How long has he been this way?"

"I – I dunno. A couple hours, maybe …"

"And you just found him this way?"

He cautiously approached the ticket booth, pulling the lunch money he had been saving for as long as he could remember out of his pocket. His aunt would kill him if she knew what he was doing. But it was worth the risk.

"One, please," he said timidly to the lady at the counter. She handed him a ticket, smiling. "Thank you."

In the dark of the theater, he gazed rapturously up at the screen, becoming lost in a world of imaginary heroes and swashbuckling pirates that helped him escape from this horrid reality.

"Child, are you alright?"

He turned on his cot, hugging the stuffed bear tight to his chest, whimpering from the nightmares.

"Son, can you hear me?"

He sprinted through the woods, chancing a glance over his shoulders. He wouldn't be caught, he couldn't be … He hit the log, tripping face down into the dirt, the laughter of his captors echoing in his ears.

"Wake up."

"Worthless little freak. You don't deserve to even breathe in the same air as us and you argue when we ask you to do a simple chore? It's about time someone taught you a lesson."

"Wake up."

"No..."

"Wake up!"

In a small Muggle hospital, miles and miles away from Hogwarts, Harry Potter sat up in bed, shivering.

Voldemort fumed. Harry Potter had escaped him once again. He didn't know how, but the brat had shown him up again. He gritted his teeth, growling, and Lucius Malfoy backed away further.

"How did this happen?" he finally managed to spit out.

"I – I don't know, my Lord," Malfoy said, letting some fear escape his icy mask.

Voldemort turned his fiery gaze onto the blond man. "Find him. Now."

As Malfoy backed away and fled from the room, Voldemort turned to throw a glass against the wall. It shattered loudly, throwing jagged slices of crystal into the fireplace.

"Temper, temper," a cold voice drawled from the shadows, mocking him.

"I don't have time for this, Alesander," he snarled, raging eyes searching for something else to smash.

"So the boy got away." Voldemort snarled again, practically hearing the shrug that accompanied the sentence. "You'll have other chances to kill him. You just have to be patient."

Voldemort sank into his chair, his long, thin white fingers resting on his temples. He closed his eyes and could feel Potter, writhing in pain. The sensation brought a smile to his lips.

"Now," Alesander smirked, "we have work to do."

"Headmaster!"

Dumbledore looked up from his desk at the fireplace, startled. Minerva, Pomona, and Filius stopped arguing and glanced over as well. Severus Snape's head was floating in the flames, looking fairly distressed.

"Severus!" Minerva scolded. "You're a half and hour late to the meeting. Did you fall asleep?"

"Something has happened, Headmaster," Severus said, ignoring Minerva's teasing. "It's… it's something that needs your immediate attention." The other teachers knew the urgency of the situation right away; it was rare to see the Potions master look so distraught.

"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, concern seeping into his words.

Severus took a deep breath, steeling himself for the blow he was about to deliver.

"It's about Harry. Albus, Voldemort has Harry."

Silence. Then, all hell broke lose without warning.

Minerva fell backwards in horror, Filius barely catching the distraught woman. Tears streamed down her face as she imagined the pain befalling one of her most beloved students. Pomona sat down, staring ahead, mouth moving in silent disbelief.

Albus closed his eyes tightly. "How do you know that?"

"Draco Malfoy was with him. Weasley as well. They went after the book, into the Riddle House. The other two made it out alright, but Harry… we have to find him."

"We will, Severus. We will." Albus stood shakily, leaning against the desk top for support. "I have to go tell Sirius and Remus now, before they hear it from someone else."

Severus nodded slightly and pulled his head out of the fireplace.

"What did he say?" Edge asked anxiously. She looked more worn down than Severus could ever remember seeing her, except for…

No, Severus said quietly. I won't think of that now.

"He's going to do whatever he can." Severus settled into the couch next to her. "Now we just have to wait."

Draco stood up, face looking wane and pale. "I'd better break the news to the twins, Neville, and Cho," he murmured softly, walking out. The door banged loudly in his wake as it slammed shut. Edge broke into noisy tears.

"Oh, Severus," she sobbed. "This can't be happening."

"It's alright, Anna." He rubbed her back as she cried into his robes. "We're going to find him. Harry will be fine."

Holding her in his arms brought back so many memories he longed to forget. Marianna – Anna, for short – had been his first real friend. She had grown up in the small village his own family manor was located in. Severus could recall the day he met her: he had been running through the woods, trying to escape the fights his mother and father were having …

A seven year old Severus Snape threw himself down at the base of an old oak tree, head buried in his arms as he tried to forget the screams. He couldn't remember a time when his parents hadn't argued, but it had never been as bad as this. Never.

Thunk!

He looked up abruptly, rubbing his head in irritation.

"Sorry about that. Can you toss that back up here?" A small girl was resting in the branches, laughing at his obvious discomfort. Severus stood and handed her the book she'd dropped. "What a strange coat," she commented, staring at his robes in amusement. He crossed his arms over his chest to hide them and blushed. She laughed again. "Not much of a talker are you? What's your name?"

"Severus," he said quietly.

"Mine's Marianna. Where are you from? I've never seen you in town before."

"I live up there." He pointed towards the hill his manor was on.

"In the haunted mansion? Cool!"

"Haunted mansion?"

"That what all the older kids say. Have you seen any ghosts there? I live in a boring cottage, right next to the library…"

Severus and Anna had met several times a month in the years following until his father had discovered their meetings. Ramses Snape would not allow his only heir to associate with a Muggle and had forbid any further contact between the two. Severus used to sneak out to the village to see her anyway, she'd been worth it.

Severus threw a small stone against the window of Anna's room. He had been waiting outside for almost ten minutes and was growing worried; Anna had never kept him waiting this long before.

The house before him lay dark and deserted. A feeling of dread lay heavily in the pit of his stomach, causing him to abandon his fruitless task of speaking to her at the house. He wandered into the woods behind her house, quickly finding himself at the oak tree where they had first met. And there she was, lying at the foot of the tree.

He immediately rushed to Anna's side. "What's wrong?" he asked fearfully, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his worried face, tear streaking down her cheeks.

"It's – it's Daddy," she cried, voice breaking. "Oh, god, Sev, he's dead. They killed him. He's dead. He's dead and he's not coming back. He's gone." Severus wrapped the small girl in his arms and let her weep out her grief.

That had been the last time he had seen her. She'd disappeared the next day, leaving naught a trace behind. And now, she was here again.

"I can't lose him, Sev," she whispered almost inaudibly, tears filling her eyes. "I can't afford to lose someone else…"

"It's going to be alright, Anna. I promise." Severus closed his eyes, hoping that Harry's stupid luck would continue, if only for the woman who sobbed so desperately out of concern for the boy.