Co-written with Stormypup

Beta'd by Carpet Diemon

Chapter Seven

Another failed attempt, banished. Severus slammed his hand against his worktable. He had been working for four days, and he had nothing to show for it. They hadn't heard anything else from Douglas' kidnapper, and he was beginning to fear that they never would.

Harry was becoming more depressed by the day, and Severus had no idea how to fix that either. As it was, he only slept a few hours at a time and only remembered to eat when Harry shoved food at him.

Although he'd never say anything, the look of hope in Harry's eyes each time Severus came out of his lab was like a silent accusation of failure. He'd failed to save Harry from his fate, and now he couldn't save their son.

The shattering of the glass he threw against the wall gave him a sense of satisfaction. The second allowed something inside him to unclench. Before he knew it, his lab was in broken shards all around him. Vials broken, pestle cracked, and various ingredients on floor mixed and mingled haphazardly.

They were going to lose their son, and it would be his fault.

Severus paid no attention to the mess. He couldn't even see it through the tears he finally let fall. His sobs wracked his whole body as he sat on the floor, his knees pulled up against his chest.

He didn't even hear the door open to his lab.

"Sever- oh-"

Shoes crunched over the shards of broken vials and a hand settled on his shoulder. Severus couldn't let himself see the disappointment again. Then, against all reason, Harry sat down beside him amidst the chaotic disarray and pulled him into a fierce embrace.

"Stupid, stubborn git," Harry muttered, rocking him like a small child. He tensed, making to pull away, but Harry only clung tighter. It took him a moment to realize that Harry was crying as well.

Severus tried to stop, he needed to be strong for Harry and for Douglas. He didn't have time for this. Yet, he found himself clinging to Harry like a drowning man, unable to stop the sobbing. Severus lost all track of time as he sat there in Harry's arms, he could have been there minutes or hours. All he knew was that he was embarrassed and exhausted.

He finally pulled away from Harry, looking as sheepish as anyone had ever seen him.

"Come to bed," Harry murmured, pulling back and standing. "It's late or early, depending."

Severus didn't have the energy or inclination to argue. He stood and looked around his wreck of a lab. Sighing, he pulled out his wand and repaired the broken class, restoring various vials and containers. A small portion of his stores were inevitably wasted on the floor, contaminated by shards of glass and other ingredients.

At least nothing had blown up. He studied the mess for a moment before banishing it all.

Harry took Severus by the hand and led him to the bedroom.

"You haven't slept at all in two days, have you?" Harry said, pushing Severus onto the bed. "It's no wonder you cracked."

"I didn't crack," Severus muttered, knowing perfectly well that he had. "And I have slept."

"Uh-huh." Harry poked him with a finger in the chest, forcing him to lie down.

Severus grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him down on top of him. He felt foolish for wanting Harry to stay with him.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked after some time had passed.

"No."

Harry sighed, resting his head on the pillow beside Severus' ear. "Good, neither am I."

"What if I don't figure it out?" Severus asked softly.

Harry rolled off Severus and cuddled into his side. "You will."

Severus said nothing, merely holding Harry tighter. A few minutes later, he was sound asleep.

The knock at the door startled Harry and caused him to drop his book to the floor. He wearily glanced across the room. At least once a day now Cadmus or Ariana came to check up on him, both knowing how obsessive Severus became with his work. But they had already dropped by earlier.

Standing, he wandered across the cool floor and opened the door a crack. A familiar figure stood on the other side with an impatient scowl.

"Malfoy?" He stepped back, watching the blonde brush past him into his home and cancel the bubblehead charm. "What are you doing here?"

Draco rolled his eyes, taking off his cloak and draping it over a chair. "Visiting."

Harry blinked. "You never visit."

Draco shrugged. "Severus needs help, he just won't admit it. I take it he's in the lab?"

"Where else would he be?" Harry asked, rubbing his face tiredly.

"You all right?" Draco asked, looking awkward.

"I've been better."

Draco nodded. "So where's the lab? I can't help the stubborn bastard from out here."

"At the end of the hall. It should be the only shut door. If you find yourself in a linen closet, you didn't go quite far enough."

Draco rolled his eyes again and, to Harry's amusement, shook his head before disappearing out of the room. Harry couldn't say Draco's presence, though brief, didn't help. It did. A lot. If anyone would get Severus to cooperate, it would be Draco. The youngest Malfoy would have no qualms about using force.

Harry's eyes flickered to the family clock once again, hissing when he watched as Douglas' spoon swing from LOST to HURT. It had barely been a week and a half since Douglas had gone missing, but Harry wasn't sure how much time they had left.

"Can I have another bath?" Douglas asked, scratching at a dry spot on his arm.

"No. Now go sit back down on the couch and watch the telly, or I'm locking you up on the bedroom again."

"I don't feel good," Douglas whined, "I wanna go home."

"Do you want to be locked in the closet instead?"

Douglas shook his head. "No."

"Then sit still and watch the telly."

Douglas' eyes began to water. "But my stomach hurts."

"And I don't care."

"Can I please- maybe have water then?"

Douglas cowered at the hand that was suddenly raised in his direction. "You've already had three."

"I'm firsty."

"Nobody's that thirsty. I'm not going to tell you again, go sit down!"

Whimpering, Douglas went back to the couch and curled up in a ball. His head and his tummy hurt, and he wanted his papa to make it better. Why couldn't the mean man just let him have more water?

"I hafta pee," Douglas said softly.

"So go."

Douglas rolled off the couch and hurried to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He climbed onto the toilet, and from there, onto the counter. He turned on the water and cupped his hands beneath the flowing water, drinking greedily.

Harry felt his body go numb and knew that, if he didn't do something, he'd start to cry. He had been almost not okay seeing that his son was lost, but not in pain. It had made the ache less, he couldn't imagine what Severus was feeling.

He couldn't wait for Draco to come pry him away, he didn't want to be alone in the living room any longer. Without knocking, he entered the lab.

"Severus," he whispered, voice cracking.

"Yes?" he asked distractedly.

"Douglas, he-" Harry bowed his head, shooting an anxious glance at Draco.

Severus' head snapped up, and he was next to Harry in an instant, gripping his shoulders. "What? Has something happened?"

"I don't know, but he's hurting."

"Go on, Severus, I can follow your notes for now," Draco said, eyes full of concern.

Nodding curtly, Severus led a shaking Harry from the lab.

"When did it change?" he asked, frowning at the clock hand.

Harry gripped Severus' hand tightly. "Not even five minutes ago."

"He's been away from the lake for too long, he's too little," Severus whispered anxiously.

"Severus," Harry looked up at him with worried eyes. "I've never had to ask, but what will happen to him if he's away for too long?"

Severus didn't want to answer. It was the one thing he had kept from Harry, knowing it would make the waiting unbearable. "He is still too young to have developed the ability to be away from it for very long. It's never been an issue since he's never been away for more than a few hours."

"Severus," Harry snapped. "What will happen to our son?"

Severus stared at the clock hand. "He'll start to feel ill, thirsty. The stress of the situation will just compound matters, make it worse. His body will begin to ache. He'll lose his appetite until he can't eat at all. Oh God, what have I done to our son?" he asked, horrified.

"You didn't do anything to him," Harry hissed, squeezing Snape's hand to the point of pain.

"I haven't brought him home, either," Severus replied, hanging his head. He was running out of time.

The sound of a throat being cleared caused them both to lift their heads. Draco was standing in the doorway, holding Severus' notebook. He had a large smirk on his face. "Severus, I have an idea."

Two sleepless nights later, Draco and Severus were standing on the shoreline, watching Harry drink their latest alteration to Severus' original potion.

Harry swam to the shore and made his way out of the lake to stand on dry land. Severus watched nervously as Harry took a few more steps inland and stopped.

"How do you feel?" Draco asked excitedly.

"Alright, so far," Harry answered, taking a few more cautious steps forward. He got as far as the hillside before the dizziness set in, but that was farther than he had ever gotten before.

He stopped, gripping his chest as his vision began to blur. He took a step back hoping to ease the pain in his chest, but at least they knew now. Harry stumbled backward down the hill. He felt arms go around him before he fell flat on his back.

"Really, Potter, you're such a klutz."

Harry forced out a grin for Draco's efforts as he let himself be dragged back to the water.

Severus and Draco barely left the lab anymore, and for once, Harry was content to let them be. He brought them food and forced them to eat, but otherwise let them be. They were finally making progress, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness had begun to lessen for all of them.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up with a margin of irritation. Even though the thought pained him, Douglas' absence meant that he was actually finishing his book. He felt miserable just thinking that thought, but he knew it was true. What was wrong with him? Harry set the book aside and stood, following Severus as he led him through their house.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

Severus held up a vial. "Time for another test."

Harry grinned, reaching for the vial. They made their way to the surface and Harry drank down the potion.

"Are you coming with me this time?" Harry asked, feeling the familiar chill of the potion racing through him, but just as soon as the feeling came, it went.

"Yes. Does it feel any different this time?"

Harry pursed his lips in thought. "It didn't seem to take as long to work through me." At Severus' curious look, he continued. "I usually feel a rush of cold like someone's doused me in ice water, but normally it lingers. This time, I'm already warm again."

Severus felt a rush of excitement. "After you," he said, motioning toward the shores of the lake.

Harry walked out of the water confident in the fact that he could make it at least that far. He waited until Severus came up beside him and took his hand, dragging him along up to the top of the hill. Nothing had happened yet, and he was almost afraid to go further, if he could, it would be the farthest he had gone in a long time, and the view from the top was different.

When they reached the top of the hill, they could see students milling about, but thus far, nobody had noticed them standing there.

"Severus, I can still breathe."

Severus tightened his grip on Harry's hand. "Did you have any doubts?"

"Well, yeah! Why else would I have asked you to come with me?"

"Come on, we have to see how far you can go, and for how long."

Harry trailed along after Severus, staring up at the cloudy sky with a reminiscing smile. It had been so long since he had bothered to be above the water during the rain, and that was just what the sky was threatening. The air was thick and smelled damp- a sure sign that a downpour was about to start, whether people were indoors or not.

A droplet of water hit his nose and he laughed, tipping his head back.

"It's raining."

Severus watched Harry's face, the nervousness turning to sheer joy. Ignoring the curious looks of students as they passed, he pulled Harry to him and kissed him fiercely before pulling back.

"We're going to bring our son home," Severus said, smiling for the first time since this all began.

Harry couldn't keep the huge smile from his face as he let out a whoop of joy, tackling Severus in a hug.

"The other tests are to see how long it will last and how Apparation affects it."

"Doesn't matter!" Harry laughed even as the rain started to fall faster.

Severus grinned, delighted to see his Harry once again.

"Come on," Harry urged, tugging on Snape's calloused hand. "I want to go into the castle."

Smiling indulgently, Severus followed Harry up the steps to the castle, still marveling at the fact that this was his Harry… out of the lake and walking and breathing normally.

Harry paused at the entrance, the large wooden doors which had stood closed to him for so many years were about to open again.

"You do it," Harry mumbled, his hand just resting on the doors reverently.

Severus nodded and pushed open the doors, ignoring the gasps and whispers from students all around them.

"Can we go find Albus?" Harry asked, turning around with a hopeful expression. He wanted the chance to shock the hell out of the old man, although he doubted he'd be able to. Either way, he really just wanted to share how completely amazing Severus and Draco's skills were.

"Of course," Severus said, smirking. He then turned his attention to the gathered students who were watching them, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. He scowled. "Haven't you all got somewhere to be?" he snapped.

The students scattered.

"That felt good," Severus said, feeling pleased.

"Missed that, did you?"

"Yelling at you is no fun anymore," Severus admitted as they navigated the familiar corridors to the Headmaster's office.

"Why?" Harry asked, eyes glittering mischievously. "Because I always look hurt or because it doesn't really effect me anymore?"

"It may have taken me a number of years, but I can tell the difference between truly hurting you, and the hurt look you get when you want something."

Harry laughed as they began to ascend the stairs. "I do not look hurt when I want something. That's what your son does."

"Like father like son," Severus muttered. He then rolled his eyes when he saw Minerva rushing toward them. "I forgot how fast word spreads within these walls."

"No faster than it does in the lake," Harry reminded him with a minuscule frown.

Minerva reached them clasped her hands under her chin, her smile bright. "Severus, you did it," she said, looking proudly at the two of them.

Harry looped his arm through Severus' and leaned against him with a brilliant smile.

"I take it, you're here to see the Headmaster?"

Harry nodded.

"Come along then," she said, sounding every bit a professor. Harry and Severus traded amused smiles and followed behind her.

"You'd think she was more giddy about this than us," Harry said.

"Impossible," Snape replied, his dark eyes sparkling.

Minerva said the password allowing them into Dumbledore's outer office and then excused herself, leaving the two of them alone outside the door.

The door opened before they could knock, and Harry stumbled backwards as a mass of red hair nearly bowled into him.

"Sorry," Ginny Weasley said distractedly.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, and her head shot up.

"Harry? Oh Harry, I'm so sorry!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

Harry staggered under her sudden weight, and then slowly wrapped his arms around her, helpless to do anything else. He stroked her red hair gently until she had calmed down. She pulled back flushing, and looked at Severus nervously and Harry didn't really blame her.

"Sorry for what?" he finally asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"I think Justin has Douglas, and it's all my fault. I never should have brought him here."

Harry gripped her shoulders, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "What do you mean you think Justin has Doug? Why the hell would he take him in the first place?"

"I don't know, but I think he has him."

"Calm yourself and explain," Snape ordered.

"Harry, Severus, perhaps you'd like to come inside?" Dumbledore asked mildly.

Severus scowled, but the three of them entered Dumbledore's office before Ginny began speaking.

"I've been trying to get a hold of Justin since Doug disappeared. I wanted to ask him if he'd told anyone anything, any of the things I had told him." The words came out in a rush. "He never answered any of my owls or floo calls, and apparently, he hasn't been to work in quite awhile."

"But why? There's no reason for him to take Doug," Harry answered, shaking his head.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know anymore than that, Harry. I'm so, so sorry."

At first, Harry thought the tightening in his chest was due to the sudden flood of emotion at the knowledge that they finally had a lead of some sort. But then he realized that it was more than that.

He gripped Severus' hand tightly. "Severus, it's wearing off," he whispered, eyes wide with fear.

His feet were suddenly off the floor and he was being carried. He barely heard the curt, "Albus", before the world started blurring.

Severus rushed down the stairs, striding through the corridors with Harry in his arms, ignoring the students watching in horror.

"Out of the way!" he snapped at two Ravenclaws too busy gawking to get out of the way.

He headed straight for the dungeons, intent on getting Harry to the water as soon as possible. Glancing down, he saw the grey face of his mate and began to run despite the awkwardness. He had to get to the tunnel to the lake before it was too late. He burst through the door and into the water, letting the current carry them back towards their home.

"Severus?" Harry croaked, finally opening his eyes.

Severus let out a sigh of relief. "It's about time you woke up," he groused, the tender way he was stroking Harry's cheek taking any sting out of the words.

He leaned into the touch. "How long was I out?"

"Too long," Severus answered, frowning.

Harry grasped the hand that was cupping his cheek and just held it. "How long is too long?"

"Over an hour. I couldn't get you to respond."

"I'm okay now, though," Harry murmured, letting his fingers trail up and down Severus' arm.

Severus took Harry's hand and kissed his fingers. "You had better be. I can't lose you," Severus said, almost choking on the words. They were so close to getting Douglas back. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Harry too.

Harry struggled into a sitting position, his limbs ached and his body was heavy. He managed to wrap his arms around his mate's stomach and pulled him down on top of him, unable to do much more than that.

Severus shifted most of his weight off of Harry. "I'm going after Finch-Fletchly."

"You can't!"

"If he has our son..."

"No!" Harry tried to sit up, but his body wasn't cooperating. "The note said I had to go get him."

"You are not going anywhere near him."

"You can't keep me locked up here!"

"Without the potion, you'll go nowhere."

Harry struggled to sit once again, and only ended up wanting to cry. "We don't know what he'll do to him."

"I'll kill him before he has a chance to do anything," Snape growled.

"Severus."

Severus rolled to his feet. "What would you have me do? He has our son!"

"Yes he does, but we don't even know where he is."

Severus sat down heavily on the bed. "What would you suggest then?"

Harry ran a hand over his face as he thought. "I don't know."