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Narcissa was tenacious in tracking down the minister. She finally found him at his summer home. She had been surprised that the minister had not yet heard from the Wizarding Child Protective Services. After a thorough search, it seemed that the document was yet to be filed.

Minister Fudge had been waiting for an opportunity to get control of Harry Potter for a very long time. It did not take much to convince him that it was only a matter of locating the document before Harry Potter was a ward of the ministry. He decided he would remove the boy immediately from the school and out from Dumbledore's control before the headmaster returned from the alleged meeting with Professor Snape. There would be time to worry about the document after he had the boy hero under his jurisdiction.

It had long been Fudge's dream to have someone as popular and famous as the "Boy-Who-Lived" under his authority. The famous boy would give him great influence in the Wizarding community.

He tried to floo directly into Professor Snape's apartment at the school but was stopped short by a series of stinging hexes. He fell back through the floo onto his oversized bottom!

"What the blazes is going on?!" Cornelius yelled through the floo at Narcissa Malfoy.

"Oh minister, I am so sorry! I should have known that Severus would have safeguards in place refusing any unauthorized guests from entering!" Narcissa nervously explained. She knew she was on thin ice with the ministry still and had thought giving him Harry would help her case. Now she needed to come up with a way to get the boy to him without Severus finding out that she had helped.

"Perhaps you could just come in with Aurors and take him away?" she offered.

"What about the boy? He would fight against being taken from the school."

"Harry is in no condition to fight anyone at this time," Narcissa knew exactly where she could find a bottle of dreamless sleeping potion. "I can assure you of that."

"I would be most appreciative if you could manage to get the boy ready. Most appreciative indeed."

Narcissa heard the underlying tone in the word "appreciative" and immediately understood the ministers meaning. Thoughts of her money being held up by the ministry came to mind. Yes, she understood exactly what the minister was implying. She wasn't exactly certain how she would manage the task but knew this would be her chance to get hold of her money once more.

"Very well then, Minister. I'll see to the task immediately."

"I suppose now would be the best time to take him without further interference," Fudge stated. He thought about which aurors would be most helpful in a situation like this and came to the conclusion that Alastor Moody would be his best choice. Although the crazed one eyed auror had once been under Dumbledore's thumb, the man seemed to be angry at the headmaster these days.

"Fine, have the boy ready to go within the hour," the minister said, barely able to hide the excitement in his voice. "I'll send Moody to pick him up. Another auror around that school shouldn't alarm anyone."

"You mean you're not going to come yourself?"

"I'll not deal with Minerva until I have the boy away from the school. She's almost as bad as dealing with Albus himself!"

As soon as the floo went out, Narcissa went to Severus' potion cabinet and grabbed a vial of dreamless sleeping potion.

Harry had been sleeping when he woke up to someone gently stroking the hair back from his forehead. At first he thought it was his dad but then the person spoke.

"Wake up, Harry. It's time for your potion," Narcissa whispered.

As soon as Harry became aware of who was in the room he fully woke up and jerked his head away from the mothering touch. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here?!"

"Tsk, tsk. Is that anyway to talk to your caregiver? After all, your father left me in charge of you," Narcissa didn't try to hide the amusement she found in the situation. She thrust a letter into the bewildered teen's hand.

Harry looked at it suspiciously. It was sealed shut and would only open with a touch of his own magic. He grabbed his wand off his nightstand and touched the corner of the rolled up parchment. Once the parchment opened he stuffed his wand up his sleeve for safe keeping. He recognized the writing as that of Severus'.

The letter clearly stated what had occurred with Sirius and how appreciative his father was when Narcissa had offered to stay as a replacement for Sirius. Severus also stated that Harry should stay in bed and take the potions Narcissa gave him without argument.

Harry tried not to feel wounded over Severus' disregard for his dislike of the obnoxious witch. His dad knew they didn't really get along, yet he chose to leave him in her care. He directed his anger at the witch standing before him with the vial of potion in her hand.

"You don't need to stay. I can take care of myself!"

"I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone. Take your potion, like a good boy and I may invite Draco over to keep you company."

Narcissa's condescending tone put Harry on edge. How dare the witch talk to him as if he were a child! He grabbed the vial from her hand and sniffed it. It smelt like the potion his dad had given him earlier. He swallowed it in one go.

"Good boy. Now lie back and rest."

"Get out of my room. I know you just did this to impress my dad," Harry was not the least bit appreciative towards the manipulative women. A moment later his head felt too heavy to stay upright and he succumbed to the potion. Unbeknownst to him, he had just digested twice the regular amount of dreamless sleeping potion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Draco stood in the doorway by the Great Hall under his invisibility cloak awaiting the arrival of Lavender Brown. They had agreed to meet after curfew to avoid any gossip that might occur. Neither one of them felt like dealing with the unwanted attention of their housemates.

Draco smiled to himself when he thought of last night and the party he had attended. When he had first arrived to Gryffindor Tower, he had thought all the Gryffindor were going to rip his head off, they had been so angry over the try outs. The only thing that saved him was the fact that he hadn't made the team either. It was clear to everyone that the Slytherins had somehow found a way to cheat, since they were the only ones who had made the team.

It had also helped that Weasley and Granger had stood up for him and even went so far as to call him their friend. He never thought he would see the day when he considered those three as his friends but after last night he definitely thought of them as more than just classmates.

A big group of them had made their up to the astronomy tower to have a few drinks. Draco had managed to position himself next to Lavender, with the help of Ginny. At first the conversation had been forced and rather awkward but after they got to know each other better it seemed that Lavender relaxed. It turned out that they actually had a lot in common. They talked about the different places they had traveled and the people they both knew. It wasn't long before they had loosened up enough to actually hold hands, much to Dean Thomas' annoyance.

There had been another tense moment when Sirius Black had caught the group with drinks in their hands. It shocked one and all when Black had joined them in drinking! Overall, it had been an entertaining night.

Draco could hardly wait to see the girl again. The front door had opened a few moments ago but no one had entered. He had thought it rather odd at the time but seeing as he was there after curfew he hadn't thought to investigate any further.

He spotted Lavender coming down the stairway looking around in the dim light. He threw the cloak back to reveal himself.

"Hi," Draco whispered out.

"Hi," Lavender blushed deeply at the sight of the Slytherin. "I almost got caught by Filch's cat. I had to hide in an empty classroom till she passed."

"I'm glad you didn't chicken out."

Lavender threw her shoulder's back, "I'm a Gryffindor! We never chicken out!"

Draco could hardly take his eyes from the beautiful Gryffindor. "Come on then, let's get out of here before Mrs. Norris comes back."

He threw his cloak over Lavender and they walked outside together. It had been snowing earlier that day but it was a clear night. Draco took advantage of the cold and wrapped his arm around the pretty girl. They made their way to the green house to keep themselves warm.

Draco had just leaned in for a kiss when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He walked closer to the window and spotted something rather odd. Mad Eye Moody was levitating a body towards the bridge.

Draco and Lavender decided it was such an odd sight, especially after what Moody had done to Harry earlier in the school year, that they felt compelled to investigate. They knew that the invisibility cloak wouldn't do them any good, with Moody's magical eye, so they just followed far enough behind to not be seen.

Just as Mad Eye walked under the lit torches on the bridge, they both took in sharp breaths when they noticed who Moody was levitating. Draco could clearly see the form of Harry Potter, still clad in pajamas without so much as a robe or cloak to protect him from the cold. He knew something was terribly wrong and knew he had to do something to help save his friend.

Without thinking of the consequences he drew his wand out an cast the most powerful freezing charm he knew. Mad Eye went down with a grunt. As soon as the auror fell so did the person he had been levitating.

Draco and Lavender ran to the still sleeping form of their friend and rolled him onto his back.

"Harry!" Lavender screamed. "Harry, wake up!"

Draco cast several spells to wake his friend but the Gryffindor continued sleeping.

"What should we do?" Lavender asked. "Why do you think Moody was trying to take him away?"

"I've no idea but you can bet Severus didn't know anything about it. There's no way Severus would let Moody anywhere close to Potter."

At the sight of Harry 's teeth chattering in his sleep, Draco decided to just get him to the greenhouse to warm him up. Draco left Lavender with Harry as he went back into the castle to find help.

After finding Severus' quarters to be empty he made his way up to the headmaster's office. He didn't know the password and the gargoyles refused to let him in. His next idea was to alert McGonagall but her rooms were also empty. Draco was sure that something big had happened. There was no other reason that everyone of authority would be missing at midnight on a Monday night.

Draco slung the invisibility cloak over his head once more and went back down to the greenhouse. He noticed that Moody was no longer lying in the snow by the bridge. In a sudden rush of panic he realized what he had done. He had attacked an auror and not just any auror but friggin Mad Eye Moody! Bloody hell, what had he been thinking?

He rushed into the greenhouse to find that Lavender had wrapped her own cloak over Potter.

"Lavender, quick, go up to Gryffindor Tower and get the Weasley's and Granger. Something's going on and I'm not sure what to do," Draco tried to keep his voice calm but by the end of the sentence he was clearly in a panic.

Lavender wasted no time in getting the three Gryffindor. She simply said one thing to get them to come with her, "It's Harry."

All four teenagers huddled awkwardly under Draco's invisibility cloak. On their way to the greenhouse they saw several aurors approaching the school with Minister Fudge in the forefront.

When they entered the greenhouse they found Draco with a bloody rag in his hand.

"He's been bleeding out of his nose and eyes. What happened to him?" the Slytherin asked. He explained everything that he knew about the situation so far, right down to the detail of when he knocked Mad Eye Moody out cold.

"Blimey mate, I'd hate to have him on my wrong side," Ron said.

"Thanks Weasley," Draco sardonically answered, "As if I didn't already know that."

"Okay, so what do we do now? The aurors are already searching the school so we can't take him back in there. It's only a matter of time before they come out here," Hermione said. She kept watch at the greenhouse door for anyone coming their way.

Ginny lifted Harry's head, then slid onto the bench to cradle his head in her lap. His pale complexion and fever scared her. "We have to keep him away from Fudge and that lot. I know he wouldn't ever willingly go anywhere with Mad Eye, so he must have been kidnapped."

"No, not kidnapped," Hermione said, "The ministry is here so it must have something to do with the professor or the adoption. Where did professor Snape go? He never would have left Harry alone like this."

Almost every window in the castle was lit up by this point.

"Let's get him out of here," Ron finally decided. "Let's get him off the school grounds before someone finds him. The Shrieking Shack has a tunnel by the Whomping Willow. We can take him there and then try to find the Professor or Sirius."

"Maybe a few of us should go back. They might start to search the rooms and find out we're missing," Hermione suggested. "Ron and I know how to get there so we can take Harry."

"Hermione, you're mad if you think I'm leaving him!" Ginny sharply retorted.

"Yeah, I'm staying too," Draco added. "Those aurors are probably looking for me anyway, since I was the one who attacked Moody." The Slytherin's hands shook so he stuffed them in his pockets to hide them.

"Dray, no one knows you did it," Lavender offered as she wrapped her arms around him. "Maybe it is best if we head back. That way we can find out what's happening and bring Harry some clothes and food in the morning."

The other Gryffindor agreed. Hermione gave them a long list of things to do and told them how to get past the Whomping Willow and into the shrieking shack.

It took both Ron and Ginny to hover Harry safely to the Whomping Willow and through the long tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. He remained unconscious the entire way. Hermione followed behind, erasing their tracks from the snow.

Once they got to the shack they went to the same room they had been in when Sirius had chased after Ron's rat, two years ago. It felt like a lifetime ago though. Hermione used her best scourgifying charm to clean off the musty bed before Ron hovered Harry onto it. All three Gryffindor were worried by the looks of the teen. Ginny slid next to him to keep him warm and used her best warming charm on the tattered old blankets.

"Now what do we do?" Ron asked. "I wish I knew what was going on. Why do you suppose all those aurors were here? I hope Malfoy doesn't get caught." He went to the fireplace to see if he could warm up the place.

"Maybe we should take Harry to Grimmauld Place or the Burrow?" Ginny said.

"How? Harry's the only one who knows how to side along apparate," Hermione was doing her best at helping Ron get a fire started in the old hearth. "Besides, if the aurors are looking for Harry, they'll be able to track it if we try to apparate out of here at this hour."

"What do you reckon has been happening to him?" Ron asked. "He looks worse than two days ago."

"I know," Ginny quietly admitted as she brushed the hair back from Harry's face with her fingers. "I think him and the professor haven't been getting along as well as they used to."

"I can attest to that," Hermione alleged, "Professor Snape's been on his case in potions. Poor Harry can't do anything right, as far as the professor's concerned."

"Yeah, but they looked like they were getting along fine yesterday on the Quidditch pitch," Ron said. "Besides, we all know how over protective Snape has become of Harry."

"Hermione, you should go back and find Professor Snape. If you can't find him, get a hold of Sirius or Professor McGonagall or even Pomfrey. I think Harry's getting worse," the worry in Ginny's voice was easy to hear.

Both Ron and Hermione stopped what they were doing to look closer at Harry. His nose was bleeding again and now he looked as if he had a fever. This cold musty air couldn't be good for someone in his condition.

"Alright. I suppose we can't hide him out here forever," Hermione gave Harry a kiss on the forehead before following Ron out to the tunnel. He walked her as far as the Whomping Willow then kissed her before she climbed out the tunnel and into the cold night air.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Harry fought to wake up out of his potion induced stupor. When he cracked an eye open he was shocked to see Ginny sleeping by his side. A small magical fire in the hearth helped to light the room up a bit as the early morning sun was just beginning to break. He knew where he was but he couldn't figure out how he had gotten there or why he was there. His head felt too heavy and his throat was parched.

"Gin?" Harry said in a raspy voice. His girlfriend stirred by his side.

"Mmm."

"Gin," Harry whispered. His arm felt too heavy to lift and his head ached worse than ever. The room swam before his eyes before finally standing still again. The potions in his body were making him feel miserable, almost as if he were depressed.

Harry's voice broke through Ginny's slumber and she immediately sat up. "Harry!"

"S'okay. I'm fine." But no, that wasn't true.

Ginny touched the side of his face, "You're hot."

"Water?"

Ginny jumped out of the bed. Ron had been sleeping in an old decrypted chair and she kicked his leg to wake him up, "Wake up, Ron! Harry needs water."

Ron bolted upright. "Harry's awake?"

"M'okay, Ron."

Ron found an old cracked glass on the ground and took it outside to scoop up some snow. He came back and held it over the fire until the snow melted. Ginny took the glass from him and held it to Harry's lips.

The warm water felt good on his parched throat, "Thanks. What am I doing in the Shrieking Shack?"

"Moody was taking you away and Draco stopped him. Where was Moody taking you?" Ron asked. "We were hoping you'd be able to tell us."

Harry shook his head, then wished he hadn't as it pounded, "The last thing I remember is my dad leaving me with Mrs. Malfoy. She gave me my potion…then I fell asleep."

"Draco caught Mad Eye Moody hovering you out of the castle. Draco hexed Moody and came to get us. The place is crawling with aurors so we brought you here," Ginny explained.

"Bloody hell! The document! They must have gotten the document!" Harry tried to sit up but he fell back against the headboard. "My head feels like it's going to explode."

"Hang tight, Harry, Hermione's going to get your dad or Sirius," Ron grabbed an old rag and handed it to Harry when he saw his friend's nose start to bleed again. "Harry, what's going on with you?"

Harry wiped at the blood. "I-I …can't tell you right now, but Severus and Dumbledore are not going to be coming. They're busy with other stuff." Ginny took the rag out of his hand and pulled her wand out to cast a scourgify charm.

There was a noise outside the door followed by a big black dog racing through the doorway.

The dog leapt up onto the bed, suddenly turning into the man, Sirius. He grabbed up Harry by the shoulders and looked him over. "Harry what's been happening to you? You look like hell!"

Harry couldn't take any emotional outbursts by his godfather right now. The potions were pushing his emotions too close to the surface. He pulled out of Sirius' grasp, "I'm okay. Have you heard anything about Severus or the Headmaster?"

Sirius looked at the other Gryffindor in the room before saying, "No, nothing about Snape or Dumbledore yet. But, things aren't going so well up at the castle."

"What do you mean," Harry asked, trying not to think of the worst.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, "There are aurors all over the place … searching for you and Snape. Why'd you sign the document, Harry? Minerva told me Fudge said you signed a release."

"What document?" Hermione asked, as she came through the door, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She held a rucksack filled with food and potions she had swiped from Poppy's stores.

Harry looked down in shame, he couldn't face the looks of pity he knew his friends would give him when he explained. "I was so stupid! I thought maybe my dad would be better off without having to deal with me and all my problems. We haven't really been getting along so great this past week," he quickly added, "but it's not his fault. I can't explain right now but just believe me when I say it's not his fault."

"What sort of document was this," Ginny asked.

"It was a document releasing Severus from being stuck with me."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione whispered as Ginny grasped his hand tighter.

"Harry, you don't believe that Snape would ever give you up, do you?" Sirius leaned in close, taking hold of Harry's shoulder. "As much as we may loath each other, I can honestly say the bastard loves you and considers you as his son. Even with the recent problem he's been having. He still acts as if he sired you himself!"

It took Harry a moment to realize that Sirius was actually sticking up for Severus. He looked his godfather in the eyes, "I feel like an idiot for starting this whole mess."

"Harry, all I know is that Snape has changed. He's not going to let you go," there was a small bit of bitterness mixed in with Sirius' statement. "Document or not, Snape would still consider you his son."

"I know that now," Harry whispered, "he found out about the document and made it quite clear that he was sticking around."

"Harry, why would you ever think that Professor Snape would be better off without you?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged, "He just seemed so happy with Mrs. Malfoy and Draco around. I sort of thought I was just in the way."

Ron came to sit on the bed with all the others, "Harry, you're pretty lame when it comes to fathers. Snape wasn't about to throw you to the side just because Malfoy and his mum came into the picture."

"You should see them together, Ron. They just look …I don't know, I guess they look like a family's supposed to look. I'm just some freakish orphan with a whole lot of problems messing up the perfect picture." He could see the looks of pity in his friend's faces and felt bad. He should just keep his mouth shut until the potion wears off.

"That is the dumbest thing you've ever said," Draco said as he came striding through the doorway. He walked up to the far side of the bed, "The only reason Severus was even willing to date my mum was because of you. You didn't really ever know Severus before this past year. He was like a different person before he adopted you. You changed him from the inside out, Potter."

Harry shrugged, knowing how annoyed Severus would be if he knew people were talking about him like that. He tried to change the subject, "Where do you think Moody was planning on taking me?"

Sirius laughed, not his easy going chuckle but a harsh guffaw, "Fudge wanted to get you away from Snape and Dumbledore now that you're a ward of the ministry. I think he actually wants you to go live with him!"

"Hah, when hell freezes over," Harry exclaimed bitterly. He looked into his godfather's eyes. "Sirius, how am I supposed to fix this? Or maybe I should just let everything happen. It might be for the best," His gaze unfocused and he pressed his head back on the pillow.

"Don't say that!" Sirius hated seeing his godson so depressed. "I think we need to concentrate on getting you well again. At this point you need to stay put. The ministry is tracking everyone apparating in or out of Hogsmeade. There isn't a safe place at school to hide you." Sirius stood up and stretched his legs. He wished he could offer his godson something more concrete. He looked at the teen surrounded by friends and felt a touch of melancholy for the marauders.

"I wish I could examine a copy of the document," Hermione said, "There might be loop holes to stop Fudge from coming after you."

"My dad can probably get a copy," Ron offered.

Harry continued to stare at the ceiling.

"That's a good place to start," Sirius said, studying his godson. Harry looked disconnected. He couldn't blame the kid for being sad but he couldn't shake the feeling that something more was bothering Harry. "Don't you think it's a good place to start, Harry?" The teen didn't answer.

"Hey Harry," Sirius prompted. "Look at me."

Harry closed his eyes.

"I said, look at me."

A feeling of dread washed over Harry. At first he thought he was imagining it, but now he was sure of his scar pulsing with pain. Scenes of a forest flashed before his closed eyes. He felt cold and hungry, hungry for something alive to sustain him.

"I said look-at-me!" Every head turned to look at Sirius, except Harry's. Sirius knew he sounded like Snape at his worst but something about Harry was starting to scare him. He went to the teen and pulled him up by his shoulders, shaking him with a harshness too fierce for a sick boy. The other teens yelled at him to stop but he didn't. He shook the boy until Harry finally looked back at him.

"Harry! Where were you?" Sirius continued holding his godson at arms length.

Harry came out of his trance to find his godfather staring at him intensely. He pushed back away from Sirius and sucked in a deep breath.

"Harry, what happened?" Sirius calmed down enough to lighten his grip and help Harry lie back on the pillows once more.

"Sirius, I … it was so weird,…oh, …but no!" Harry slapped a hand to his scar, wishing desperately that his dad was there. It couldn't possibly have been Voldemort. No, Voldemort was dead, he wouldn't be in a forest, he was dead! Oh Merlin!

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Would you like another chapter on Friday?