A/N: I'm happy for every feedback and constructive criticism but I will not respect straight out hate or trolls in the comments.

DON'T LIKE DON'T READ! This is an M/M story with mentions of infidelity, violence and abuse (all of which I don't condone).

Thank you for all the reviews, follows and faves!

Kits and Kats: Thank you for pointing it out. Since this is not a german saying I had planned to look it up but obviously forgot. I know what Morphine is and I really did mean Morpheus. I had read it in some fanfics and thought it had a nice ring to it.

thephoenixandthedragon4ever: Huh...Haven't thought of that yet. Still have a week of school to go through before that will happen anyway ;)

foxywolf4321: I'll try. I plan on there being some but I'm not yet sure how lemony it will get. I wanted a different pairing than Draco/Harry and I explained part of my motivation behind Ron/Harry in the last chapters. Ron is Harry's protector. The only person Harry doesn't have to protect in a world that expects him to protect everyone.

mizzrazz72: As late as possible. Marvolo, Severus and I don't trust him not to do something stupid. Hopefully he will only find out when it is too late for him to react. :)

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling - I just played a bit in her universe.

Thanks to miu-sama95 for prereading, betaing and helping with the storyline ;)

Chapter 12: Facing the School

Words: 3145

While the whole castle was asleep one meddling, old wizard was pacing in his office, muttering to himself. He needed to talk to Harry who seemed to have vanished from the castle altogether. After what happened on Saturday it was of utmost importance that he talk to the boy. He needed Harry to be in his control. Otherwise none of his plans would work out the way they should. Up until now everything had always worked just as he had planned but now he wasn't so sure. He had hoped that the polyjuiced Moody would have used Harry to resurrect Voldemort but he couldn't be sure until he asked - or better legilimensed - the boy.

The fake Moody was also still in the castle and he would need to get rid of him and free his friend Alastor soon, otherwise people would get suspicious. And that wouldn't do. It was hard enough to calm Fudge and the Diggorys after their son turned up dead at the end of the Tournament. And then Poppy wouldn't let him see Potter and question him and although he was able to get into the infirmary on Sunday, Harry was not there. All Poppy would say was that he was resting somewhere safe.

Neither the castle nor Fawkes could tell him where the boy was and Fawkes could even flash into the Chamber of Secrets! He needed to find him. The Minister and all the other officials would only leave the castle after Mister Potter had been officially declared the winner of the Triwizard Tournament and given his prize. He needed them out of his castle so he could set his next plans into motion. If not there would be a chance of Harry slipping out of his control and that wouldn't work with any of his plans.

After forming a plan, Albus sat down to pen a short note to his resident Potions Master requesting a meeting tomorrow. It was far too late for one tonight and he could only give him the note tomorrow at breakfast. Severus had a thing for finding wherever Harry was hiding and he hated him so it shouldn't be hard to convince him to help in the search. He just had to formulate it the right way. Yes! Severus could also tell him if Voldemort was back at last. It would have taken him long enough in Albus' opinion. His plans would only work if Harry and Tom faced off in a duel and Albus could save the day again by killing the winner stating that he was a Dark Lord and then he would be the most popular wizard again and everyone would only listen to him again. His popularity had been dwindling since the last war and he needed Potter to secure him his power. He would rule their world one day.

With thoughts of the power and prestige he would have again even Albus Dumbledore finally went to bed.

In the early hours of Monday morning a scream tore through the quarters of Hogwarts' Potions Master, ripping Severus Snape out of his pleasant dreams. It took him a mere few seconds to locate the source of the noise before he jumped out of his bed - wand in hand - and raced into his son's room. ready to curse whoever dared to harm his son.

By the time he arrived in Harry's room, his mind had finally awoken as well and reminded him that ther couldn't be anyone foreign in his quarters without his wards alerting him. After turning on the lights he found Harry thrashing around on his bed obviously caught in the throes of a nightmare. The young boy seemed to be fighting against his blanket that had wrapped around his legs during the night all the while mumbling. 'NO! Not Cedric! Please!'

Severus quickly stowed away his wand and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed and tried to gently wake his son.

'Harry. Harry, son! Wake up. Come on, you are having a nightmare.'

After not getting a reaction he slowly used his hand to push a few strands of hair out of Harry's sweaty, tear stained face only to have the teen react rather violently to his touch. Harry immediately grabbed his hand to shove it away but somehow touching his father finally brought him out of his dream and he slowly blinked his eyes open.

'Dad?' he asked in a teary voice.

'Yes, Harry. I'm here. You had a night…' before Severus could finish his sentence Harry had launched himself at the older wizard, clutching at his shirt and crying into the crook of his father's neck.

'Shhh… it's okay, son. Everything will be alright, Snitch.' the Potions Master tried to soothe the teen in his arms but after a moment he resigned himself to simply hold his son while stroking calming circles on his back. He settled back against the headboard with the teen in his arms to wait it out.

After a few minutes harry's sobs subsided into heavy breathing and the eventual hiccup.

'Better now?' after feeling rather than seeing the boy nod he continued 'What do you need, son. I am new to this so you have to tell me, okay? I want to help anyway I can.'

'I… I want Ron.' came Harry's timid voice, unsure if his father would be offended by this request.

'Hmm….difficult but doable. I can go and fetch him from the dorms for you. Can you get back into bed for me so I can get out of bed and collect him?' Severus tried to get Harry to release the iron grip he had on his shirt only to have the teen's grip tighten. 'Harry?'

'NO! Don't… Don't leave me alone. Please.' Harry was ready to burst into tears again at the prospect of being left alone for any amount of time. His breathing quickened and Severus was afraid he would have a panic attack.

'Harry. Look at me please, son.' he coaxed his son to look him in the eye. 'I can only do one, son. Either I go up to the tower and get Ron for you or I stay here with you. Which do you want?'

That made Harry think for a moment and he forgot his panic completely. Usually Ron was there for him when he had nightmares but tonight he had his Dad. That was something new and he should get used to it as well. Also if his Dad went to get Ron he would be alone for at least twenty minutes and he hated being alone after having bad dreams.

'Stay. Please, Daddy?' Harry murmured his decision while snuggling even further into the embrace, needing to hear his father's heartbeat to calm him.

'Of course, son. Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it will help?' Severus had had his own fair share of bad dreams but after becoming a Master Occlumens it was easy to suppress the bad memories. He decided to teach Harry the basics over the summer. He would need it against Dumbledore anyway.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence Harry finally felt ready to talk, knowing from experience that it actually helped a lot to talk through the dreams.

'It was the spider and stuff from the maze and then all that happened in the graveyard. Cedric's death.' at the end Harry's voice had gotten thick with tears again. Cedric's death weighed heavy on Harry's conscience. Severus simply tightened his hold on Harry and pressed a kiss onto his raven hair to let him know he was not alone.

Father and son spent the early morning cuddled together on the bed, getting to know each other better since they both knew that sleep was not an option anymore. After a long time Severus broached a topic that had been on his mind since yesterday and needed to be addressed.

'Harry? You know today is Monday, right?' he started tentatively and only continued after seeing he had his son's full attention. 'I have to work again. Although your term is over there are still the OWL and NEWT exams taking place this week and since Poppy declared you healed you should join your friends again as well. It is after all the last week before the holidays. Enjoy the week free of classes you get to have with them.'

'I'd like that. But what do I tell them and what about Dumbledore and the press and… ' Harry's rambling was interrupted by Severus placing his hand over the teens mouth to shut him up.

'One after the other, son. You tell them what we said. That there was a bunch of Death Eaters and they killed Mr. Diggory but you were able to escape. The headmaster will most likely ask for a conversation in his office and it will most likely include the other officials from the Tournament. Tell them the same as your friends. You could also let it slip that you had spider venom in your blood and everything was a bit clouded. Anything else?'

'Can I still come back here?' Harry asked so quietly that Severus would have had trouble understanding him if it weren't for his exceptionally good hearing.

'Of course, Harry! You are always welcome here, Snitch. This is YOUR room in OUR quarters. I will introduce you to Sal when we go up for breakfast later on. He guards my door and the password is "Lilium amabile".'

'Thank you, Dad. I feel better knowing I have somewhere to hide if everything gets too much today.'

'Always, Harry.' Severus was getting rather emotional himself - which he hated - so to distract himself he cast a silent tempus only to see that it was time to get up anyway. 'Oh, it's already ten to seven! Harry we need to get up if we want to get breakfast in the Great Hall before the exams start.'

'Okay, Dad.' was Harry's reluctant reply even as he started untangling himself from the comforts of his father's embrace. Just as Harry started towards his bathroom his father halted him with a fand on his arm.

'Harry, do you have clothes that are nicer than jeans? I believe it would be good for your image it you weren't on the front page of the Daily Prophet in jeans and a hoodie or your school uniform.'

'Erm… not really.' the teen admitted uncomfortably 'I only have my uniform that fits. Everything else are just cast offs from Dudley, my big as a whale cousin.' Harry was staring down at the floor. Although he knew it wasn't his fault that his clothes weren't new he still felt responsible and it was an embarrassing subject for him. He hoped his father wouldn't hold it against him.

Seeing how uncomfortable it made his son Severus made a quick decision while putting clothes shopping on his mental to do list, right under Gringotts.

'Okay. How about I give you some of mine and then I'll use some charms to make them fit you better? Just hop in the shower and your clothes will be here when you get out.'

'Thanks, Dad!' the teen was happy to escape to the bathroom. He was happy that his father had not made a big deal out of it.

Meanwhile Severus called for Dobby to get some of Harry's undergarments and his nice shoes from the dorms before he went into his own closet. Contrary to popular believe he did in fact have clothes in other colors than black in his wardrobe. Granted they were still darker colors and mainly his shirts differed in color but it would do for his son. After depositing everything on Harry's bed he went back into his own room to get ready himself.

Half an hour later found both wizards in their living room. Severus was nursing his first cup of coffee while Harry had a milky cup of tea. The older wizard surveyed his son over the rim of his cup. The colors he picked suited Harry's complexion but he looked rather like a child that played dress up in their parents closet, which was kind of true.

'Come and stand in front of me so I can alter your clothes, Harry.' the Potions Master spoke only after he had finished his cup and settled it on the coffee table while he got his wand out of it's holster and silently started casting spells.

Harry watched in amazement as the dark gray trousers shrunk to fit his narrow hips and shortened in length so he wouldn't trip. After a few more charms the bright green shirt that his father had picked because it matched his eyes fit his small frame perfectly.

'That should do for now.' Severus said, finally satisfied with his work. 'We'll go shopping as soon as possible.'

'Thank you, Dad.'

After Severus had introduced Harry to his guarding portrait of Salazar Slytherin they started the trek up to the Great Hall under a Notice-Me-Not spell.

'Harry, I think it were best if you waited a few minutes so we wouldn't enter at the same moment. It would also be better if you didn't come from the dungeons but I can't do much about that.' Severus strategized quietly after a while of silently walking next to his son.

'Okay, Dad.' after a quick look around to orientate himself the teen surprised his father 'I can actually do both. There is a secret passage a little way up ahead that leads to the second floor near the library.'

'And how pray tell do you know that, son?'

Harry just flashed his father a knowing smile and with a quick wave jumped behind the suit of armour that hid the entrance to the secret corridor.

Severus just smirked at his son's antics before donning his usual scowl when he reached the Entrance Hall. After taking one last fortifying breath he swept into the Great Hall in his usual manner and after passing between the mostly empty tables he took his place next to the headmaster.

'Good morning, Severus. How are you doing this fine morning, my boy?' Albus said cheerfully, too cheerfully for the Potions Master.

'Morning, Albus. I am just grateful that there is only a week of term left with no more classes to teach and then I'll be rid of these stupid dunderheads for the summer.'

'Now, now, Severus. No need to be insulting.' while admonishing Severus, Albus slipped the note he had written last night over to the sour man. 'I haven't seen you all weekend. At least not since the last task of the Tournament. Has something happened?'

Great, just what Severus needed - an inquiry from the headmaster. He quickly opened the note and nodded his consent after reading it. He knew the old man didn't want to attract the attention of the officials still in the castle, so he played along.

'I have been in my lab most of the weekend. Poppy needed some special potions and she couldn't wait so I spent Saturday night in there as well as all of Sunday.'

Before Albus could reply there was a murmur going through the students in attendance, making the two wizards interrupt their talk to see what had happened. The Great Hall was nearly full by now and all heads were turned to the entrance where a certain green eyed boy was standing. After a quick glance to the head table he made his way to Gryffindor table and sat next to his best friend, his boyfriend was probably still asleep and thus missing breakfast.

Hermione being Hermione of course understood that yesterday's meeting had not happened so she wrapped herself around Harry and hugged the life out of him.

'Harry! I was so worried! We all were! What happened? We only saw you arrive with Cedric and then Madame Pomfrey took you away and wouldn't let anyone see you.'

Harry's gentle smile turned into a sorrowful look at the mention of the late Hufflepuff but after a coveted look to see everyone's attention on him he sighed and answered his friend.

'I don't remember exactly. Madame Pomfrey said I had been bitten by a spider and that the venom made everything a bit foggy. The Cup was a portkey and after I had rescued Ced- Cedric from said spider we decided to take it together. We arrived in an old graveyard and I fell down while Ced managed to stay upright. You know how bad I am with portkeys, add to that that my leg was hurt pretty bad and I didn't stand a chance. In the end that was what probably saved my life. There was a bunch of people in cloaks with skeletal looking masks standing around. I think they were performing some kind of ritual but my sight was blocked by some headstones. The second they noticed Cedric they started shooting spells at him.' Harry had to stop talking for a moment to get his emotions under control and wipe away a few tears. He knew he needed to finish his story for everyone listening here. But it was easier to just talk to his best friend and ignore everyone else.

'He didn't stand a chance, Mione. Before I knew it he was lying next to me and wouldn't react anymore. I could hear the people starting to move forward so I knew they wouldn find me soon. I crawled over to him and accioed the Cup to me, hoping it would at least transport us back to the maze. I don't remember anything after that.' Harry didn't want to see any of the looks sent his way so he simply hid his face in the crook of Hermione's neck while seeking comfort in her embrace.

'I'm so sorry, Harry.' she said aloud while whispering in his ear 'Sorry you had to tell that again. They believe you it seems.'

After a few minutes the usual noises of breakfast started up again and after the two best friends disentangled themselves they found a note sitting on Harry's plate. He quickly took it and opened it so they both could read it.

I would like to see you in my office after you finish your meal.

There are some people who wish to talk to you and you will get your winnings handed over.

A.D.

P.S.: My favorite sweet of the week are Caouldroncakes.

After a quick glance at the head table and a nod in the headmaster's direction, Harry turned back to the table to enjoy his breakfast. Thankfully everyone around him left him alone and didn't pester him for details or where he was all weekend.

The headmaster's inquiry would be bad enough. How Harry wished to be back in the dungeons with his father.

TBC

First posted on: 21. May 2017

Next update planned: 28. May 2017