A/N: OMG are you all staring at your computer screen with shock yet? Cause I would be if I were you. I actually managed to get out another chapter this month! And guess what? Chapter 14 is done and Chapter 15 is about 6 pages from completion! And do you know what that means? 1 epilogue and the story is done! Anyways, I'd like to thank you guys so much! 400 reviews and counting! I'm rather speechless right now, just so you all know.
Draco watched as Harry apparated with an uneasy feeling. He had to get back to his Slytherin's before they did something stupid. He shifted Severus in his arms, gently stroking a hand up and down his back as the little boy started to tremble. The ends of the small silver and green striped scarf that was wrapped tightly around Severus's neck flapped in the breeze, hitting the back of Draco's.
"Harwy," Severus whimpered, clutching Draco desperately, his arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's neck. Tears soaked Draco's shoulder as the little boy cried, "Dwaco, Harwy poppded."
Draco sighed, resting his head gently against Severus's. "He apparated Severus, he didn't pop." This didn't seem to do much for the tears but the trembling lessened. Draco waited a moment before pulling out his wand. "Hang on Sev," he muttered, praying he didn't splinch them. This would be his first time with two people, he could only hope it wasn't as hard as he had heard it was. After all Severus was still very small, it should be like apparating with a travel bag of sorts. His mother used to apparate with him all the time when he was little, the same principle had to apply here surely. He closed his eyes imagining the interior of the Slytherin common room and then with a loud crack disappeared from the grounds, the only sign that they had been there was one small empty white sneaker and a black sock.
Harry staggered as he reappeared in the dungeons of Hogwart's. Apparating in had been the single most disorienting thing he had ever done before. Aside from the knowledge the he shouldn't have ever been able to making him hesitant, the very idea of entering the potion's masters store room scared the piss out of him. He knew the types of wards and hexes that were on the door and knew that only the most desperate or insane student ever dared even go near it, let alone into it. It didn't help that he had gotten the permission to enter by the baby version of the Potions Master either. As a matter of fact the only thing that made him move down the corridors at a dead run was the sound of alarms echoing through the ancient castle.
His feet hit the ground, pounding in tandem with his heart. His thoughts flew in a thousand different directions only settling on one set route for a passing moment before it derailed. The cries of students shook him back together. It meant he was entering Slytherin territory, at a dead run, when there were announcements calling for everyone to retreat to their common room's immediately. It was with this unsettling idea that he pelted down the torch lit corridors, finally focusing in on the task at hand. Get the potion, drink it and get out. He didn't have the time anymore to worry about mundane things like the slurs that were bound to come out of some Slytherin's mouth.
Students were panicking and racing in all directions through the corridors. Harry felt odd since he wasn't running back to his common room like all the others. He ran full force down the emptying hallway towards the potion's classroom, undaunted by calls and jeers from the remaining Slytherin's straggling behind. He had known they were coming and pausing to retaliate would just be plain stupid.
"What part of the bloody alarms going off and returning to your common room do you people not understand!" He shouted, as he passed a group of frightened second years. Harry slowed down and sighed. He needed that potion, but he knew he had to get these students someplace safe first. They were staring at him with such terrified expressions that he wondered if maybe Death Eaters weren't charging up the halls towards them.
"Y-you're…" one of the girls stammered but clammed up immediately.
"Harry Potter," a brown haired, freckled face boy finished for her with a flabbergasted expression.
Harry squared his jaw wondering what the Slytherin's had to say about him now. What new rumor had reached the dungeons that they could coldly spit or whisper as he passed by them? He ran an anxious hand through his thick black hair waiting for another comment but none was forthcoming.
"Yes…and…?" he asked exasperatedly. He needed that damn potion and a plan. There wasn't an easy way out of this battle, but there were so many students left. But he wasn't the planner that had always been Hermione and right now he was one Hermione short of a plan. Perhaps always rushing headlong into danger had been a bad course of action. He was going solo this time around and it was an experience he wasn't enjoying.
"Why are you here?" the same boy asked, his face was pale making the dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose more pronounced.
With an exasperated sigh, Harry opened his mouth to answer the predictable question, when someone hailed him from down the hall.
"POTTER!"
Harry jerked his head to the left at the familiar voice and felt nothing but relief. It was an interesting sensation to be sure and one he had never experienced when it came to the dark haired girl who was running towards him. There was something almost comforting about her fierce scowl that was hiding the fear that could easily be seen in her eyes.
"Parkinson, take these second years back to the Slytherin Common Room."
"Make me Potter," she sneered, folding her arms across her chest. Harry gave the girl a cursory glance, taking in her appearance in one look. It wasn't hard to tell how stressed she was with the situation. Everything about her stance screamed irritation and defensiveness. Her robe was hanging off her shoulders revealing the fact that the sleeves of the starch white button down collared shirt was almost completely unbuttoned underneath the gray sweater vest with green and silver trim and the sleeves were rolled up past her elbows. Her ponytail was falling out leaving stray black hair to frame her clenched jaw, her gold hoop earrings looked ready to fall out of her ears. Her knee socks were rolled down to her ankles and one of her shoes was unbuckled. The silver chain around her neck had the clasp by the teal teardrop pendant it held. Harry was certain she was breaking all the rules in the Slytherin dress code and he was also certain that she just really didn't care. As a matter of fact it looked like she had been very busy doing something else when the alarms had sounded. Harry shuddered internally. A sickening thought crossed his mind as to what she could have been doing.
"Pansy, please don't argue, you can't just leave them in the corridor alone," he reasoned, attempting to stay cool headed even as the same regurgitated sentence repeated echoing out the demand for all students to return to their common rooms. Pansy kept her sneer firmly in place, her lower lip curling in disgust. "Don't you get it!" Harry snapped, slamming a hand into the cold stone laid wall, the sound drowned out in the face of the alarms. "The ward's are down, and Voldemort…" He paused as he noticed everyone flinching, "is at the edge of the school ground's stripping away at all the defenses the castle holds and you're arguing with me as if we have all the time in the world! Woman, we're in a battle! People will DIE!" He gestured at the trembling second years. Their eyes were unnaturally wide and Harry began to understand that no one outside of him, Draco, Severus, and the rest of the staff understood the severity of the situation. "They will die, if you can't get them back to your common room!"
Pansy flinched, her stance still defensive and distrusting. Harry was breathing heavily, his eyes hard as jade. He knew she would come around, but he swore if she didn't he would have no qualms in hexing her pug face more hideous.
"Fine!" she spat. "Perkins, Liam, Adams, and Norton, follow me." She turned abruptly, her dark hair fanning out behind her dramatically and she stalked off, the four students following behind her like obedient baby ducks. "Potter!" she called, stopping suddenly but not turning around. Harry groaned wondering what the girl had to say now. "If you die, Draco will personally resurrect you and kill you." And then she rounded the corner and disappeared, the remaining second years racing after her.
Harry shook his head in annoyance, wondering if this day could be any weirder.
Draco looked around the dreary common room with apprehension. He knew this wasn't what Harry had meant, but he had been left alone with a five-year-old, who needed more supervision than he could manage by himself. He wished Harry had been a bit more specific, when he had told him to take Severus and run. At least a helpful go here and he wouldn't have been standing in the middle of the crowded room, clutching a frightened, probably traumatized, five-year-old to his person.
"DRACO!" He heard Pansy's shrill voice before he saw her and felt her coming towards him through the swarm of younger students. He turned towards the entrance with an unamused expression pasted on his face.
"Pansy," he said coolly as she went to wrap him in a hug. He sidestepped her attempt at clinging on to him like a leech with a disgusted expression. Severus's fingers were curling in his long hair again, the tiny fingers working through every silken strand on his blonde hair that fell at the base of his neck. It seemed to calm the child so Draco did nothing to dissuade him. A calm Severus Snape was better than a crying and quivering one. "Where were you?" he asked, eyeing Pansy's disheveled appearance with a grimace. He had never before seen the girl this untidy and he would keep it in mind for a later date when he could chew her out about it when she started in on him.
"Potter," she groused angrily, as if that explained it all. She gestured at a small group of twelve-year-olds with a positively livid expression.
"Wait, you saw Harry?" Draco questioned her, surprised by this news. He had thought Harry would have already made it to Snape's private storeroom but obviously he had been mistaken. "When?"
Pansy huffed, "About five minutes ago. He was jabbering on about a battle or some such nonsense. Honestly, how thick does he think I am? No one can enter Hogwarts with a Dark Mark without some sort of penalty. Every person with half a brain and a copy of Hogwarts, a History knows this!"
"Pansy," Draco tried, but Pansy wasn't finished.
"Then he had to make some speech about death and dying, scaring poor Adrienne, Jacob, Serena, and Lysander half to death. I swear, if I had stuck around another second to listen to his self-righteous prattling I would have saved our Master the trouble and killed him for him," she ranted, her brown eyes shining malevolently. Her gaze lighted upon the drowsy boy, Draco was holding. "And our dear Potion's professor is still a child," her voice oozed with sticky sweetness. Draco wanted to gag or maybe gag her. Either way, the situation didn't end in a favorable fashion.
Severus buried his face in Draco's shirt in fear. Draco immediately thought of what Harry would do to calm him down and gently brushed a kiss over the top of Severus's head. He had seen Harry do this a thousand times over the course of the past two weeks in order to settle the little boy and only hoped him doing it would have the same effect. The five-year-old peered up at Draco, his eyes still shining with tears. It tore at Draco's heart in a way he hadn't expected it to. He heard the muffled cry for Harry and mimicked the cry in his mind. He wanted Harry to appear as much as Severus did, but for different reasons. Severus just needed Harry nearby to feel safe, Draco needed Harry nearby to make sure he didn't lose his mind and do something stupid. Harry had become the single most important person to him in the span of two days and he wasn't entirely sure what he would do if something happened to the other boy.
It was amazing but he hadn't even thought of his father once during this entire experience, but now that he was feeling lost, he wanted his guidance. The ever-looming overprotective shadow of his father had vaporized and Draco was at a loss at what to do.
Draco wanted to put Severus down on the ground. His hip was falling asleep and despite his still tiny size, the little boy was heavy. Plus, it was slowly becoming harder to breath as Severus's arms were beginning to constrict all airflow to his lungs. Unintentionally of course, but no manner of jiggling the little boy could get him to loosen his painful hold on Draco's neck.
"And who dressed him, Potter?" Pansy continued to prattle on, tugging at the edge of Severus's sweater, before Draco could stop her or even noticed how close she had gotten.
Draco snorted, knowing she had a point, but was smarter than to agree. Certainly, Harry's taste in clothing was questionable, the plaid shirts over the baggy gray undershirts weren't exactly screaming out high fashion to anyone, but he knew the other boy hadn't dressed Severus that morning. The little boy was right at the age where he took pride in dressing himself in whatever he wanted. And today it appeared he had decided on a bright blue sweater with a pair of forest green corduroy overalls. Draco noticed that a sneaker was missing and furrowed his brow, wondering how he hadn't seen that before. Severus flinched in Draco's grasp. Pansy's sarcastic remark had to have hit the little guy pretty hard.
"I dwessed myself," Severus stated proudly, staring Pansy down with an angry expression, the likes of which Draco had only seen on the onyx-eyed boy when he was lost in a memory.
Pansy scowled, and stormed off. Apparently Pansy's comment still was upsetting the little guy because the moment she had vanished into the crowd Severus looked up at Draco with a pathetic expression that he must have stolen from Harry. "Dwaco? I looks good right?" he asked, his eyes wide with hope and trust.
"Of course," Draco lied through his teeth, knowing that the truth would probably crush Severus in a way Pansy's flippant remark hadn't. Severus seemed content with this and snuggled in Draco's arms.
Draco shook his head with annoyance. Well, at least Harry was still whole and well. He wasn't too sure how much longer the boy wonder would be able to hold it all together without flying apart.
Harry found the potion easier than he had expected to. The little bottle was unmarked but distinguishable amongst its neighbors and it gave him a bit of pause. How safe was this really? Trusting the word of the one professor in the entire school who hated him unaccountably and had been making his life a living hell since he set foot within the castle. He held the sky blue bottle between his thumb and his forefinger irresolutely. His brows furrowed in thought. Did he really trust the elder Severus enough to drink this without question? Was it worth the risk of poisoning himself?
His heart skipped a few beats as he came to his final decision. A soft almost goofy smile graced his lips as he pulled the stopper off the potion. It was hard to deny it anymore. He loved the man. He cared about him more than anyone else including himself and trusted his judgment. He felt guilty for even thinking that maybe Severus would poison him. Harry hated himself in that moment; after all, Severus had saved his pathetic arse year after year for seven years, even when he hadn't been aware of it.
Carefully, he brought the bottle up to his chapped lips and tipped the contents into his mouth and swallowed. He waited a moment for any odd side effects but none were forthcoming, the potion didn't leave him with dry mouth, queasy, dizzy, or tingly in any manner. He didn't feel any different than before other than the slight taste of peppermint left on his tongue.
He didn't think much more on it. He hadn't fallen down dead and that was good enough for him. He glanced around the storeroom one final time, tucking the little bottle in his pants pocket. Brandishing his wand, he left the dungeon with a pop.
"SILENCE!" Severus thundered, his eyes gleaming with anger.
Draco placed the irate five-year-old onto the ground immediately as if Severus's skin burned to the touch. He took a step back joining the circle that had formed around them the moment Severus had barked out the order. Draco wasn't sure what to do with himself. He had been there when Severus had told Harry that he wouldn't be a child by the end of the battle but he hadn't expected the sudden switch in personalities. As a matter of fact, he was still getting over the shock of it happening the first time. He had been around during the memories, but seeing Severus directly address Harry and not Harry's knees had been a disturbing sight. And it was still creepy now as he observed the way Severus's fists clenched rhythmically at his sides.
"I expected better of you," Severus sneered, his cold gaze penetrating the crowd of dumbstruck students. "You are all acting like a bunch of sodding Hufflepuffs."
Draco choked back a snort at that remark because it was true. The sirens were still blaring filling the empty space in the room as everyone waited on baited breath. It was truly amazing that even in his current state Snape could still command an audience.
"I need the seventh years to step forward." Snape's gaze swept the room irritably as no one moved forward. Draco could almost see the aggravation visibly pouring off the Potion's Master. "NOW!" he barked.
Everyone jumped at the harsh order. But slowly Zabini, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Bullstrode, and Draco moved forward. Draco stood behind the five-year-old on the off chance he reverted back to the correct age for his body. He figured it was safer to be within holding distance.
Snape frowned as he took in the pathetically small group of students now gathered around him. Draco waited on baited breath wondering what his head of house could possibly have planned for this occasion, because if he dealt with them the same way he had dealt with Harry then it was obvious that he had known about this invasion long before now. Which led to one very important question, why hadn't he told anyone else about it? The state of disorganization the school was in told him that Severus hadn't even told Dumbledore about this possibility. It could have meant a number of things, and all of them were unpleasant and formed knots in Draco's stomach. His pale blue eyes watched the proceedings shrewdly, waiting for one student to step out of line and do something completely stupid.
"Parkinson," Snape said sharply. "I need you to gather the sixth years and take roll call, come to me immediately if someone is missing." Pansy nodded, fiddling with her necklace. She didn't look pleased with the situation, but even she was bright enough to not go against a direct order from their Head of House.
Severus rounded on Draco with an almost amused expression. It seemed strange to Draco that he would be following orders from a five-year-old even if he were only five in body not spirit. "Malfoy, I need you to round up the first years."
Draco nodded, not bothering to wait around to hear the others assignments. He turned towards the milling students and strode through them determinedly, till he was beside the fireplace. His narrowed gaze swept the room looking for all the 1st years, glad for once that being a prefect made him learn everyone by name and face and year.
"Professor!" Harry yelled, banging on the aged oak door to the headmaster's office. "Professor, I need to speak with you!"
Draco grunted as one of the first years practically clung to him. He sneered down at the younger girl and stopped, checking himself. They were frightened and they weren't the only ones. Now wasn't the time to be cruel or slip back into his Malfoy persona. Now was the time for patience. But even then his patience was beginning to wear thin. With no news of what was going on and Harry still running around Draco was beginning to wear thin at the edges. The only thing that kept him together was the thought that if all went well, he might finally be able to redeem himself in society's eyes.
"Lauren," he grumbled, reducing his glare to the minimum. "Are you all right?"
"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore greeted, from a pile of parchments. Harry could see the strain around the aging man's eyes, the ever-present spark of life dying like a cooling ember. It was disheartening to see, because despite the older man's age he had always given off an air of youth. Now, it looked like he was ready to fall down dead at any moment.
The air in the tower seemed more strained and tense than anytime before. And Harry couldn't pinpoint exactly why this was. He had been in this office before and after major crisis's before and never had he felt like such an outsider.
"Professors." He nodded towards McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinastra, and Hooch. His eyes flicked back over to the headmaster with an impatient look. "Sir," he began but was cut off when a wooden chair banged into the back of his knees forcing him to sit down.
"Patience, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said wearily, signing his name at the bottom of a document. There was a moment of tense silence and the only sound in the room was the scratching of the quill against the parchment. Scanning the other professor's pinched faces, Harry realized they hadn't gotten much further than he had with him.
Draco couldn't isolate exactly when Snape reverted back to Sev again, all he knew was that he suddenly had his arms full of an upset five-year-old and his hands tied by orders to keep the first years calm and safe. He felt like a bloody house elf, but there was always a reason for everything and he knew that his Head of House strangely trusted him. It was a tender trust and Draco knew it was as well, but it hadn't existed before the potion incident. Somehow something about Draco's more open personality with Harry must have struck a cord deep within Severus. It made him wonder what else had stuck and what hadn't.
He ran his hand through Severus's fine black hair. It was getting long and was hanging in the five-year-olds face, casting shadows around the boy's eyes. Severus tilted his head all the way back staring up at Draco pitifully huge tear-filled onyx-eyes.
"Harwy's unhappy," he whispered with a strangled tone. "He's weally mad, Dwaco."
"What do you mean we have no plan!" Harry yelped, leaping to his feet, furious. He slammed his palm against the large desk, ignoring the tremor of pain that raced up his arm. "Sir, you always have a plan! ALWAYS!"
"Potter," McGonagall warned but Harry just ignored her his eyes glittering menacingly. A vase of orchids that had rested peacefully on the desk shattered, scattering the flowers and drenching the desktop. Dumbledore waved his hand and the vase restored itself back to its previous state as if nothing had happened in the first place.
"Minerva." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully a troubled look on his face. He gazed at his deputy over the edge of his glasses. "I need you Pomona and Filius to go check on your students."
McGonagall nodded resolutely and threw some floo powder into the fireplace and called out "Gryffindor Common Room" and vanished in a swirl of green. Flitwick went next, the diminutive man's face was white as freshly fallen snow and he looked about as cold as well. He was followed closely by Sprout, who seemed to be having trouble remembering where she was going as she stepped into the fireplace with the floo powder leaving Professor Sinastra and Madame Hooch in the office with one sorely disgruntled Harry Potter.
"Sir?" Harry asked with a deeply confused expression. "How could you not have been at least a little prepared for this situation to happen?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily and stared at Harry with an apologetic expression. "The wards have been in place since Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Helga Hufflepuff set them and have been strengthened over the decades by each headmaster as the job was passed onto them. No one, Mr. Potter, has ever broken through them all. There have been those that have found alternative routes around the wards, but those have all been fixed and warded against Death Eater's and those with evil or malicious intentions."
Harry sputtered, his face turning a disturbing shade of puce. "Why haven't the Death Eater's launched there attack if the wards are down?"
"There is one barrier they haven't broken through yet."
Madame Hooch stepped forward with an aggravated expression. "Albus, the children, they can't remain here."
Dumbledore steepled his fingers with a grave expression. "I'm afraid," he said, "we can't allow them to leave."
"He's comin' here," Severus told Draco in a matter of fact tone. Draco's mind was spinning. He didn't understand how Severus could possibly have known that. Or why he even thought it, but it was scaring the piss out of the eight first years surrounding them and he just hoped if Harry was in fact coming to them right now, that he would be able to calm Severus down so Draco could attempt to regain control over the first years.
The common room fell into a deafening silence the moment the alarms stopped sounding. Draco knew it wasn't a drill, but the lack of sound was more frightening than any other sound he could hear. Being in the dungeons left them all vulnerable. They were the hardest to defend and the easiest to attack.
Behind him the fire grew bright and colossal and green and suddenly Harry Potter was stumbling out of it looking outraged. Draco took a few steps backwards, protectively holding Severus's head, knowing better than possibly anyone what could happen when Harry pissed off. He half expected the clock on the mantel to shatter into a million pieces.
"BLOODY DUMBLEDORE!" Harry screamed, his chest heaving as he fought his own temper. "Damn him to hell," he muttered, gazing around the tense room. He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging soot and he adjusted his glasses that had been knocked askew in the short travel.
He grunted as someone firmly attached themselves to his side and his hand reflexively went down and ran through Severus's hair in a soothing motion even as his eyes fixed on the tall blonde gazing at him apprehensively.
"Meeting with Dumbledore didn't go well?" Draco asked amicably.
Harry snorted. "He can sod off for all I care, because he certainly doesn't care about any of us."
"Harry…"
"No, Draco," he silenced his friend harshly. "I'm sick of his condescending bullshit. If he's not even going to attempt to protect his students, than it's up to us to take care of ourselves."
"What are you going to do Harry?" Draco asked, resting an elbow against the mantel of the fireplace with an uneasy expression. "You can't expect us all to fight this battle."
"I don't," he said shortly, picking Severus off the ground. He breathed in the sweet scent of the child, loving Madame Pomfrey for giving him the spell for cleaning younger, more stubborn children, especially those who were afraid of water unconditionally. "He hasn't been giving you any trouble has he?"
Draco shook his head slowly. Severus for the most part had been the best-behaved child in the room. He decided that telling Harry about Snape's reappearance again would only serve as a bad distraction. Harry probably wouldn't want to leave the little boys side knowing that he would probably become an adult within that day.
He stared around the room at all the apprehensive and disgruntled faces. "Then what do you expect us to do?"
Harry frowned thoughtfully as he bounced Severus gently. "We evacuate the school."
"To where? It's not like the parent's are aware of the current situation and the muggleborns won't be able to go anywhere."
"We aren't splitting anyone up," Harry said decisively. "Draco, do you still have your floo powder in your room?"
"Yes, and so do all the sixth and seventh years."
"Good." He gazed around the otherwise silent common room with a speculative glance. "Is everyone accounted for?"
"All but three," Draco answered in an undertone. Harry nodded his emerald eyes lighting on each group of students. They were all watching him, wondering what he was doing there, and more importantly wondering what was going to happen to them. Harry wished he could reassure at least the first and second years but he knew even that would be too much to ask. They didn't trust him and they each had their reasons for this distrust.
"Dray," Harry murmured. "We're getting them out of here, but I'm going to need at least four pieces of scrap parchment and a quill."
"What for?" Draco whispered leaning in closer, sensing Harry's urgency and need for secrecy.
"Just go get them," he said forcing a smile onto his face. Draco rolled his eyes and moved away from the fireplace grudgingly.
"Keep an eye on these first years, they're a needy bunch." And with that he took off to his room. Harry eyed the first years uncertainly, wincing when all he got in return was a bunch of gob smacked awestruck faces looking up at him. At least it wasn't hate or distrust, but still, what was his appeal? And why were the Slytherin's looking at him like that? He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. He hated being stared at and right now almost everyone was staring at him and those that weren't were whispering about his sudden authoritative appearance.
"Put me down, Potter."
Harry nearly yelped, the sound getting lodged in his throat. His eyes widened with shock as he hastily put Severus onto the ground. He stared at his professor awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. The first years were giggling at his panicked display and he tensed waiting for the harsh words to come tumbling from Snape's mouth, but none came, instead it appeared as if he was lost in thought.
"Sir?" Harry ventured, rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt. His skin felt like it was on fire and he wasn't sure if it was from the actual fire or from the potion he had ingested earlier. He scratched at his flesh idly waiting for the Slytherin head to say something.
"You're feeling it aren't you, Potter." Came the terse answer. Harry was sweating. His hair stuck to the back of his neck as the tiny droplets beaded and rolled down his spine. Heat lanced through his body and he couldn't make it stop and it hurt. "Don't fight it boy."
Harry gasped. He was sweltering. He tugged on the collar of his shirt with a distressed expression. This couldn't be normal and it burned him from the inside out. And nowhere was in more pain then his scar. He swayed, tearing at his scar. It was throbbing, pounding and… Harry's mouth fell open as the pain doubled. Blood, he was bleeding. Harry collapsed to his knees in shock.
"What…did you do to me?" he breathed, staring at his professor in horror, but he only got a horrified expression in return.
"Harwy? Harwy, whas a matter?" Severus cried, his tiny hands grabbing Harry's head unsteadily. "Whas wong?"
Harry convulsed as he tore at his scar furiously. It hurt like a thousand sharpened pick axes chipping away at his head. Blood trickled down his nose and ran into his eyes, blinding him.
"Shit Harry, what the hell happened to you?" Draco yelped, pushing through the crowd that was pressing in close to see what was happening to their savior. He shoved a few hapless students out of the way with single-minded determination. He needed to get to Harry, he had to get to Harry. He threw himself down on the ground in front of the raven-haired boy, brushing Severus away, wondering why no one had been wise enough to remove the five-year-old. He was too young to see this.
"Dray," Harry croaked, clutching Draco by the shoulders. He grabbed the quill and parchment scribbling onto it an almost illegible address. He could barely… "I…I need you to get…ge AAHHH!" he screamed, panting heavily. He had to stay awake. "Take them to…to… 5 Godric's Hollow." He grit his teeth as pain funneled through his scar. Wave upon wave until he was sure it was tangible enough that it would split his head in two.
"Harry," Draco murmured, rubbing a finger over the bleeding lightening bolt even as Harry finally succumbed to the pain and passed out. He closed his eyes and exhaled shakily. Harry wasn't dead, but he could no longer help him. "ALL RIGHT YOU LOT!" he shouted out across the common room. The hushed whispers that had been racing through the room stopped abruptly and all eyes landed on the blonde. "I need all the first and second years to line up in front of the fireplace!" he called out, watching with satisfaction as they complied with his order. "Sixth and seventh years, I need you lot to go get your personal stash of floo powder. And I mean all of it!"
"PEOPLE THE CASTLE IS UNDER ATTACK! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" He sneered as they moved reluctantly.
"Foolish boy."
Draco turned his head to see Severus lifting Harry's head with his hands clumsily. He watched in disbelief as Severus slapped Harry hard across the cheek without remorse. It was weak by most standards but it could still be heard even over the clamoring of students trying to do as Draco ordered. He watched in stunned amazement as Harry slowly came around. His eyes were glassy and unfocused as he stared somewhere over Severus's shoulder. Severus grumbled, snapping his fingers in front of Harry's dull emerald eyes.
"Sev…?" Harry groaned, shutting his eyes again and for a moment Draco swore he had passed out again, but then he heard the soft. "Wha happened?"
Draco felt oddly detached from the situation as Snape mimicked his earlier movement of brushing his fingers over Harry's famous scar, but he did a double take. It was fading rapidly. The bleeding had stopped and it was fading till he could barely make it out anymore.
"You dunderhead, I told you not to fight the potion!" Snape groused, taking a step away from Harry allowing him to sit up.
"You bloody poisoned me," he muttered, cradling his head in his hands. His thick hair stuck out between his fingers, as he glared weakly out through his glasses. "I felt like I was dying."
"Felt like is not the same as actually dying, Mr. Potter, now get up!" Snape snapped angrily.
Harry grunted, rising tremblingly to his feet. He gripped the mantel with both hands, nodding to Draco who was now laden down with about ten pouches of floo powder. He bowed his head breathing in deeply as he tried to get the world to straighten out.
"Some savior you're turning out to be," Snape muttered. "Can't even handle one potion without collapsing. Pathetic."
Harry weakly glared at his professor, giving Draco the silent go ahead to start sending students through the floo. The dizziness was slowly leaving him, but something else was missing as well and he couldn't quite place it. He rubbed his forehead, collecting his thoughts and trying to make sense of the curiously empty feeling he had.
"Here," Draco said, handing the first girl in line the slip of parchment, "Memorize it." The girl nodded, scanning the very short address before handing it back to Draco. She took the handful of floo powder offered to her and stepped into the fireplace and threw in the powder and vanished from sight.
"I…I can't feel him," Harry murmured softly, screwing his face up in bewilderment. He jolted when he felt a tiny hand pat his arm awkwardly.
Severus looked so damn smug it was unsettling. "Good," he said shortly. "You shouldn't."
A/N: So, what did you think? Did you like it? Because I suck at suspense and battle scenes. So this chapter and the next may seem a little erm…when you read it.