Chapter Fourteen - To make some special instant special-blest
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Harry awoke suddenly from his drugged slumber and he was half way across the room with his wand in hand before he heard the voices. Hermione and Ron's tones intertwining with the deep melody of Severus "He wasn't in the Gryffindor dorms last night" Ron's exasperation and accusation were loud even as he stepped out into the main room, wand still out but relaxed at his side. "Harry" Hermione's voice was light, clear and somewhat, relieved? After the prickling hostility of Ron.
It came to him then that he was siding with Professor Snape of all people against his very best friends and it felt so natural. He leant back against the very handily placed wall to support his shaking knees, his eyes wandered across his two friends to Severus, and again colours swirled across his vision, red, purple, gold, all complimenting the darkness that was his potions professor. He needed to ask Hermione about that, he realised then that they were staring at him, no, not quite Ron and Hermione were staring, Snape was watching, obsidian eyes finely tuned with, was it, concern?
Slowly he pushed himself to a more upright position, his knees, much to his surprise, stayed under him without collapse "Hi Ron, 'moine" his voice didn't tremble but there was something he didn't like about it, the echo's of vulnerability perhaps or a slight flatness, and it came to him that he didn't really want them there, interrupting the precious silence that he had built up with Severus Snape. Very carefully he re holstered his wand inside his sleeve and stepped towards them, he tried to force his mouth into a welcoming smile but it didn't want to go, so rather than forming a rictus he allowed it to fall into its naturally more sombre lines.
Hermione wrapped her arms around him and he flinched, and not just from the pain in his newly healed ribs, he didn't want to be held by anyone, well, maybe one person. He looked up and found Severus busily arranging chairs into a conversational grouping, before claiming a large leather wing chair for his own. Harry gently detached Hermione, allowing her to retain her almost feverish grip on his hand (his non wand hand) before taking a seat himself.
"So mate, where were you last night" Ron's voice was relaxed but somehow heavy with menace, or at least that's how it felt, for a moment Harry could almost see his own nerves, as thin as winters first ice across puddles. He didn't know how to answer so his eyes fled across the room to Severus.
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He met Potters panicked gaze and very nearly smiled, he'd been feeling unsettled all morning, dreams of a much bolder Harry Potter had haunted his sleep and were still disturbing his mind, phantoms to add to his collection "Mr Potter was here Mr Weasely and here he shall remain until I deem him well enough to return to school" there was a moment of the utter stillness that he would have appreciated in his classes and then Weasley's voice erupted "Not with you!"