Title: Past, Present, Future

Summary: The past will come back, the present will change them, now what will the future hold?

Disclaimer: I do not own them, sad but true

A/N: Yes this is an AU fic. Reviews are welcome, flames are shared with friends for amusement.

Chapter 27

Severus Snape had not slept a wink all night, and promptly at seven in the morning, he went to make sure Harry came straight to breakfast and did not wander back to the third floor. Hiding behind one of the many tapestries, he watched all the Gryffindors run out.

"What is the meaning of this!" Severus said, as he stepped from his hiding place. Percy Weasley stepped forward to answer.

"Neville Longbottom is petrified in the common room. I was going to undo the spell, but thought Professor Dumbledore should be alerted first."

Severus sneered. I was just like Longbottom to end up petrified. The boy attracted mishaps like flies to honey. "

Step aside," he snarled, and he found that, sure enough, Longbottom was frozen stiff on the common room floor in his pjs. He shook his head that it had not dawned on the Gryffindors to move him to a more comfortable place. When he reversed the spell, he saw indeed that Neville had not been petrified, but instead only stunned.

Neville began stuttering and held his fists up again, clearly not recognizing who was sitting beside him. "I will fight you before I let you leave." he said before he caught his first glance of Professor Snape.

"You shall fight whom, Mr. Longbottom, and for what reason?"

Neville could feel his tongue growing two sizes too big and his nervousness shined through as he stuttered. "Harry... Ron... and Hermione... and she stunned me... tried to fight... but couldn't."

Even through the jumbled up mess he had uttered, Severus could make out that neither Harry nor his friends were there, and he knew of only one place the boy could be. He jumped from the couch, throwing Neville to the floor in the process, and made his way to the door.

"Someone please notify Professor Dumbledore and have him meet me on the third floor," he said as he was making his way through the portrait hole.

"Professor McGonagall said he just arrived back and she went to fetch him. I shall deliver the message, sir." Percy Weasley said, not looking at all like his usual pompous self. In fact, he had grown pale with the thought that his brother was missing.

"Very well. Tell him I have already departed and to join me there," Severus said, and in two seconds he was all out running toward the third floor corridor. He did not care for decorum, nor did he care that he left a trail of students staring at their passing Potions' master. His only thought was Harry and what may have happened to him. As he bolted up the stairs and flung open the door, he came face to face with Albus. Severus often wondered if there were passages the old man knew that he did not.

The three-headed dog was fast asleep, thanks to a renewal of the spell to keep the harp playing, and Albus was leaning over the trap door. "It seems the three of them have been here, Severus," he said, holding up the invisibility cloak.

"Well, what are we waiting for? There is no telling how much peril those three are in," and without saying anything else, Severus jumped down into the hole. Right behind him came Albus, and one would wonder how he could land in a pit of Devil's Snare and not even knock his hat askew. It would have been quite a funny scene to see the Evil Potion Master and the head of Hogwarts wrapped up in vines, if the situation had not been so dire. Soon both had relaxed and were standing on the floor beneath.

"Do you think they got this far?" Severus asked.

Albus, looked at him in wonder. "Ms. Granger was with them, Severus. Surely she could figure out Devil's Snare."

Severus hated to admit it, but he was right. Ms. Granger was quite adept at handling such a thing. Pressing on, they walked into the room with the keys, and Severus was about to mount the broom when the door opened and out came Hermione, dirty and pale, hovering Ron behind her. When the door opened, it sent the keys hurtling towards them in a fury but one quick flick of his wand, and DUmbledore and vanished all of them but one.

"Ms. Granger, where is Harry? And what has happened to Mr. Weasley here?" Albus tried to pry from the girl, who was shaking.

Hermione quickly recounted for them all she could remember, and when she told them that Harry had gone on ahead without them new tears streaked down her face.

"That will be all, Ms. Granger. It seems that you and your fellow student are in need of Madame Pomfrey. Please go out to the exit and your head of house should be waiting for you."

Hermione nodded, and she slowly took off walking back through the door with Ron. Before she exited out she looked back at Severus. "I want you to know that Harry is the bravest wizard I know."

"I shall remember that, Ms. Granger, now go before you collapse where you stand."

Severus knew the obstacle which stood between him and Albus and thought Harry would never have been able to get through it, for he was not a great chess player. It was then that it dawned on him that Ronald Weasley had indeed shown his merit and played them through this obstacle. If it had not been for him, Harry would not have made it across. Severus was making a mental note to thank the boy in private when he saw Albus staring at him. "What is it?"

"I see you have mixed feelings about proceeding, Severus, and you have learned that some of the Gryffindors you so readily insult have their merits as well. If you are ready, we shall proceed through the door, but linger back, just in case Voldemort is in there. We would not have him learn that you are a spy."

"I do not care of what he learns. All I care about is Harry, and we are wasting time here. If you wish I stand back, then fine, but let us at least go in there, now."

Dumbledore said nothing else as he pushed open the door behind the mangled pieces of chessmen. The draft coming from the stairs left a strange feeling. As Albus stepped further down the long flight of stairs, the gasp he gave out sent Severus hurtling past him. At the bottom of the stairs lay Harry, and when Severus went to pick him up, he noticed there was no warmth in the boys skin. Cradling Harry as if he were a small child, Severus began rocking him back and forth, tears flowing from his eyes. Tears not seen in decades by anyone now came unbidden as if a great damn had burst.

Albus picked up the stone that lay carelessly on a step and placed it in his pocket. Sitting down opposite Severus, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come, Severus, we need to get back."

"Leave me alone, Albus. Can you not see that Harry is gone? Leave me to my grief."

"Severus, stop this at once! It is true that Harry may not recover from this, but if he is to have a fighting chance then we must get him to the hospital wing. He is a strong boy and has survived this curse before."

Severus wiped the tears from his eyes and stood, still holding on to Harry. The child felt limp in his arms, cold to the touch. How did Albus think he would survive it? Making their way past the obstacles again, they found McGonagall and Hagrid at the last opening. McGonagall looked as if she had been crying; Hagrid was still blubbering.

At the sight of Harry, the wails from the half-giant grew worse, and Dumbledore led him to the side. "Hush now, Hagrid. We need you to keep a smile on your face on for the rest of the students." Hagrid sniffled, and Dumbledore then turned to Minerva. "Could you keep all the students in their dorm rooms until I get return? I have to get Harry here to the hospital wing, and I have to make a firecall."

Minerva nodded her head, and she and Hagrid departed. Severus was already half way to the hospital wing when Albus caught up with him. Both walked in with Harry and found a distraught Ms. Weasley hovering over Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked fine, with the exception of being tired, and Ron's head had a nice new bandage on it as he swatted at his mother's attempts to smother him. When Severus placed Harry down on the bed, Ms. Weasley quickly went into a fit. She was near tears, and when she saw how lifeless Harry was, she lost it. She would have been a total wreck had Albus not intervened.

"Molly, Ronald and Hermione need you right now. This is a trying thing for them to see. Please, there is nothing you can do for Harry for now. Go and help them."

Molly nodded her head and wiped the tears from her face. Harry was like one of her own boys, and to see him like this made her heart skip a beat.

Severus ignored all the chaos around him. Madame Pomfrey had tried to pry his fingers from Harry to check him over, but Severus glared at her through his teary eyes, and she backed off. He would not be parted from him, not now.

Hours on end Severus sat by the bed. Everyone else had been ushered out by Madame Pomfrey. Hermione and Ron, with strict instructions to go straight to bed, had been released. Normally Madame Pomfrey would not have allowed him to leave, but she did not wish Ron to be here should Harry pass away in the night. She had done all she could for the boy. She had wrapped his cuts, healed his bruises, and given him potions. Now it was a waiting game, and wait Severus did. He fell alseep that night with his hand grasping Harry's. Damn the students who might see! Damn all who thought him heartless! He no longer cared what they thought, only Harry mattered.