Title:
Twenty-one days

Prequel to:
A few days more

Author:
evil minded

Date:
November, 20th 2009

Timeframe:
Fourth year at Hogwarts

Summary:
AU / Death Eaters besiege Hogwarts. A spell from Dumbledore is going astray. A cauldron explodes during potions class. And the old castle enfolds its own magic. Can some students survive for the next twenty-one days?

Disclaimer:
Did you see Severus alive at the end of 'The deathly hallows'? no?
Do you think I would have had him died if I had written those books? no?
Then you know that 'Harry Potter' does not belong to me … nor does Severus … regrettably …

Rating:
M – Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16

Author's Notes:
Uhm … alright … I have to admit … English is not my language by birth … so … please do not kill me while reading … neither for the – perhaps – sad language, nor for the subject of my writing …
Also, this is a story written for NaNo, a story written within thirty days only and even though I go over the chapters before uploading them – I do apologize if it might not have the same quality at one point or another than those stories of mine you are used to by now … thank you …

Warning:
Story contains bad language and swearing.
Don't ever use such, it's neither good manners nor proper use of language and never mind how 'cool' it might sound, it surely isn't a sign of intelligence. It won't get you anywhere and people will think less of you if you are unable articulating properly.
Story contains references to child neglect.
Child neglect is a really, really serious thing, and there are a lot of children in our world that are neglected, children that lack food, clothing, often love, and perhaps even a roof over their head – and closing our eyes, and pretending it does not exist – is no solution …
Story contains references to child abuse.
Child abuse is one of the most evil things, and there are a lot of children in our world that really would need help but have to live without hope – and again, closing our eyes and pretending it does not exist – is no solution … instead show sympathy, and understanding … and handle people, children as well as adults, which are showing any signs – whichever – of once having been abused … with understanding and with help …
What does not mean I am not as evil as I pretend to be … ^.~ … believe me – I am …

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

Previously in twenty-one days
"You can't even say the name, Harry." Snape gently said, pulling the boy closer up to his chest. "I do doubt that it really did not bother you, child. It just was that – you could not allow it to bother you. While your – relatives …" Well, he really couldn't bring himself to say 'your aunt and uncle' when addressing those monsters. "While they kept you in that cupboard, you simply had to endure it, never mind what. You had no time to be scared, you could not allow yourself to be scared, because then you would have gone mad a long time ago. And I do guess that protest would only have warranted further punishment. Am I right?"
The boy didn't look up, neither did he make any movement, nor did he give an answer away, he just continued to pick at his blanket and Severus took that as an affirmative.
"So, there was nothing you could have done about it and your mind pushed it away." He continued. "It, however, started bothering you now, because you now have the time to think about it, because now you have the freedom to think about it, and because slowly but surely, you do realize that it was just that – abuse, even if you are not ready to acknowledge it, or to speak out the word yet."

Chapter twenty
Day fourteen - Sunday, fifteenth of September
If we die …

After fourteen days, after two weeks, he honestly didn't think that anyone would come anymore. Something had gone wrong, badly wrong, and whatever had happened to lock them in, whatever had happened to keep the castle's wards up … he just doubted that anyone would come anymore. Not after two weeks. They would die down here, all of them, and he dreaded the day the first of them died, knowing who it would be.

He still didn't know how the boy had managed to work his way into his not existent heart so completely. He had worked with other abused children before, without allowing them to come as close as Harry had become, after all. Close yes, because they all needed him, but not that close – however, somehow Harry had managed, and he dreaded the moment the boy would die, knowing that he couldn't do anything about it.

Harry would die, and he would die soon, he would be the first one of them, and he knew that the only question was – how the boy would die. But even here – he knew that he couldn't do much, he knew that it would be a slow and painful death, a cruel death, and he would be just able to try and make it as bearable as possible with his limited possibilities. But in the end – Harry would feel the pain, never mind what he did to make it as bearable as possible, and in the end, Harry would feel the fear, never mind what he did to make it any more bearable to the child. It was a frustrating thought, one that scared the hell out of him, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything else aside from simply trying.

A soft sob got him out of his thoughts, and he looked over the students, noticing that all of them still slept – except for one, Finnigan, and he got up from the mattress he was laying at, carefully so he wouldn't wake Harry.

In the beginning he had refused to lay down on the mattresses, had even refused to lay down on the sofa in the rest room. He had been sleeping in the chair in front of his desk, dozing off only, afraid to lose his dignity, afraid to lose control over the situation, afraid that anything might happen if he slept too deeply. But soon he had realized that not only wouldn't he be able to continue like that for long if he didn't want to suffer a breakdown himself, caused by insomnia, but that it wasn't about dignity and trust, but about giving and receiving comfort. So, he had planned to sleep in his rest room on the sofa, but it had come to sleeping at the mattresses with the children soon, and now? He didn't mind now.

Frowning he realized that the sobbing had grown louder and more frequent, had changed to crying, while he had tried to be as careful as possible so he wouldn't wake Harry, and so he hurried over to the other Gryffindor, kneeling down beside his mattress. As he lay at the outside of the mattresses that had been pushed together days ago, it was easy doing so without waking the other children and gently he stretched out his hand, placed it at the boy's shoulder to gain his attention.

The boy, however, shrugged him off and curled into a small ball, burying his head into his arms and his sobs grew louder once more.

"Calm down, Seamus." He quietly said, trying to sound calm and reassuring himself while he tried to unfold the boy, pulling his arms down from where he had them covering his head – in vain, as the boy had gripped his hair in his fists. "What happened? Come now, open your eyes and look at me."

He was sure that the boy had not been sleeping before his panic. He was too awake, even if not really responsible, and there were no tracks of sleep, no marks from the pillow in the pale face, and so he guessed that most likely Seamus had been laying there, awake for some time, and thinking.

And while he normally preferred students that were able to use their brains and to think, he knew that in this particular situation thinking too much – or too long – might not be the best course of actions, ending in depressions, a panic attack, or similar. Like with Finnigan right now.

"Calm down, Seamus and tell me what happened." He quietly said, again trying to disentangle the boy's arms from his head. "You will feel better afterwards, I promise. We will sort this out. Come now, calm down, Seamus."

But still the boy did not respond aside from jerking away and hitting his head against the wall in the progress, starting to give away a small and suppressed scream.

"Stop it, child." Severus finally ordered, wrapping his arms around the boy's thin body to keep him from hurting himself any further, pulling him close against his chest at the same time. "Stop it, calm down, Seamus." He whispered calmer then, and out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Draco getting up tiredly, walking into his potions laboratory, and immediately he knew that the boy would get a relaxing draught, while he wished he had still some calming draughts left.

He cast a quick glance over the other children, noticing that Theodore, as well as Harry, had woken boy now, were sitting at their mats, startled, their eyes wide with fear. Neville and Weasley who had been laying closest to Seamus were awake, too, but they were calm and just watched the scene unsurely.

"Easy, child." He continued whispering while holding the boy, knowing that he wouldn't be able to do anything else right now. "You will be quite fine, calm down. I will not leave you alone, I will not leave any of you alone." He added for the sake of all the other children that were awake right now and listened, knowing that they all needed this reassurance and those words of comfort, knowing that Seamus wasn't the first with a breakdown and knowing that he wouldn't be the last one either.

"I know that our situation is difficult, and I do understand your fears, but try to calm down." He whispered, running his hand through the boy's brown hair while trying to keep his hold on him whenever he tried to break free. "I will not leave you alone. I will be quite here. Breathe calmly, Seamus, take one breath at a time, slowly … slower … come now, Seamus, you can do this."

Well, to say that he was relieved the moment Draco came back with two vials of calming draught would be an understatement and he shifted the boy in his arms so that he had one hand free and then uncorked the vial with the thumb of one hand before placing the small glass container at the boy's lips and tilted its bottom up, pouring its contents into the boy's mouth.

He waited until the boy in his arms started to relax bit by bit, had released his tight grip at his own hair, so that he could pull the teen's arms down, the boy in the end simply sobbing in his arms, before he himself forced his body to relax.

"What happened, Seamus?" He then asked again, knowing that leaving the teen to his own wouldn't be a wise decision right now. The boy needed to speak about his fears, and the others needed to hear it, too, needed to hear his answer then. Down here, here was no hiding, here was no keeping such things secret and here was no sparing someone. They needed to know their fears, and they needed to know his answer to them, so they all could understand and learn, because his words of reassurance towards Seamus would reassure the others as well.

"We'll die!" The boy in his arms finally choked out. "We'll all die!"

"We do not know that, Seamus." He calmly said. "Perhaps we will, yes, perhaps we will not. None of us can say so."

"But it's two weeks!" The boy sobbed, mirroring his own thoughts he'd had only moments ago.

"Yes, it has been two weeks." Severus answered honestly. "But we are still alive. Even Harry, Theodore, Draco, Tracy, and Parvati are still alive, Seamus. None of us can say what the future will hold for us, but we are still alive yet, and I will do all that is in my power to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"What'll happen when we'll die?" The boy asked, his voice frightened.

"If we die, then there will be a few very sad people we are leaving behind." He said, not sure what exactly the boy meant. It had been a question that could mean anything, but he was not willing to ask the child to specify his question, not before he had given him a chance doing so on his own. "They won't forget us, I promise you that."

"I mean, what …" The boy asked, his voice trembling. "What'll be after?"

Looking over the other children that were awake now, the Potions Master sighed heavily before he leaned back against the wall, pulling Seamus with him. Draco had placed the second bottle of relaxing draught at his desk, probably he had known that it would be needed at one point or another, and then he had seated himself back at the mat. Harry and Theodore were still sitting there, looking scared and startled and so much in need of him as was Seamus right now, but somehow, he knew that he couldn't risk releasing the teen right now. Not yet.

"Move closer, all of you." He said. "Theodore and Harry, take a blanket and cover you both with it. Hermione and – Ronald, do the same." With another deep sigh he noticed that they did as they were told, that Harry leaned against Theodore while Draco leaned closer to Harry's other side and he nodded his approval towards his godson who threw a blanket over the three of them. Most of the others had followed that example, and only a few remained sleeping.

"I cannot answer you that question." He then said. "No one does know what lies beyond death, and I personally think that it is a good thing that we do not know. We are able to await death because we do not know what lays behind. If we knew, then perhaps we would be so scared at the thought, so frightened, that we couldn't face death calmly and peacefully, or we would be so excited that we would kill ourselves before our time, just to make the experience sooner than necessary."

"But what could be after death?" Parvati asked, and he looked at her seriously.

"Anything." He finally answered. "Or perhaps nothing. Some people believe that we were reborn in another body. Others believe that nothing will happen at all, and that we are just no more after we have died. And others again believe that we will become something more important, something superior."

"That would make sense." Harry said and he looked over at the boy questioningly.

"Why do you think so, Harry?" He then asked. Perhaps it was important that they had this discussion right now. Perhaps he should have done so before, to … well, to somehow prepare them … perhaps.

"Well, you see, the moment we are born, life as we have known it, being in our mother's stomach, it ends and we become something more important, we are born and we become babies, everything changes with our birth and something new starts." The boy said and for a moment he had to smile, not only at the teen's wording, but at the boy's logic as well.

"Womb." Hermione said, not able to keep herself from correcting the boy. "It's womb, Harry, not stomach."

"Maybe." Harry said. "I don't think it's important right now. But we become something else. We have lived, yes, but when we were born, we became more somehow. And then we grow and learn, but nevertheless we're using just 15 percent of our brains or something like that. Maybe we cannot use more of it, and it's there nevertheless because we need it for what comes after death. I mean, it would be logical, wouldn't it?"

The boy looked at him nearly pleadingly, and he couldn't help but giving a reassuring nod.

"It does sound very logical." He said. "I do not know if it is true, no one does, no one will ever know. We will just know an answer to that question the moment we die. But your theory does make sense, and it could be, yes. That makes five points for you."

Well, the smile the boy gave him definitely was worth the discussion, even if he still could read the fear in the child's eyes.

"Mom once told me a story about a hall of souls and that little sparrows were living in there." Tracy quietly said. "And she said, whenever a baby was born, then it got its soul from this hall. But she also said that one day this hall would be empty, because people destroyed everything and she said, that then the first child without a soul would be born."

"That myth has its origin in the Jewish mysticism, yes, Tracy." He said, sighing. "The Chamber of Guf is the hall of souls, located in the seventh heaven, and it is said that every human soul is held to emanate from the Guf. It also is said that the Messiah will not come until the Guf is emptied of all its souls. But they say that first the Lord would send the seven signs, the seven plagues, as a warning. The mystic significance of the Guf is, that each person is important and has its unique role which only they, with their unique soul can fulfil, and that even a newborn baby brings the Messiah closer by simply being born. But here too, I cannot tell you if it is correct or not. I am not a theologian. I do however not really believe so, because we all have a soul, and I cannot imagine that we would be able to even live without a soul. But I cannot tell for sure. That will however be five points to you, too, Tracy."

"What do witches and wizards believe in anyway?" Hermione then asked. "I mean, I never have heard a witch or wizard calling out 'oh my God!' or 'oh, dear Lord!'. They say 'Merlin!' or something else relented to Merlin. Why? What do magical folks believe in?"

"In the same as do muggles, Hermione." Severus answered. "Some believe in God, some believe in Allah, some believe in Jesus, some believe in Manitou, some believe in Buddha. Others believe in nothing, or in money, or in nature, in power – and yes, some do believe in Merlin. But do not mistake Merlin for a God. He only had been a very, very great wizard, and a lot of witches and wizards do respect his memory. But yes, some do even believe in him, and that will be five points to you, too, Hermione, for asking a very good question."

"What do you believe in, sir?" Harry's small voice was heard, softly enough so he could have chosen to ignore it, but the question had sounded so desperate, somehow, he couldn't, and he regarded the child with a long and thoughtful look.

"Come here, Harry." He then said, feeling that this was very important for the boy, and he wanted to have him close by. The teen hesitated for a moment, looking at him unsurely, as if he didn't know if he were in trouble for asking that question or not, but he waved him over, and finally the boy scrambled forth from underneath the blanket and over to him. He still had one arm around Seamus' shoulder, and with his other he pulled Harry closer.

"This is a very difficult question and the answer to that is not easy." He started. "I definitely do believe in our Lord. And I do not mean the Dark Lord, but God. And I do believe in him, because I think that the way life functions, human beings, the way we are able to move our limbs, our body functions, our brains and our hearts, the way we feel, the way animals are living, plants, our planet – this all would not be possible in its entire fineness, if there were not a much more powerful force at work than what we can grasp with our limited understanding. But it is, life in its entire fineness does exist, and so – yes, I do believe in our Lord. I however do not believe in any kind of churches, because in the very beginning there had been no churches either. People had been praying without a church and people had been talking to our Lord without having a building they went into. I am sure that if there is someone like our Lord existent, then he surely will not mind if we are praying in a church or if we are praying in the toilet. I believe that he will be very satisfied if we talk to him wherever we are, as long as we do."

The boy was quiet for a while, looking thoughtfully, as did the other children and he wondered what was going through that child's mind.

"What do you believe in, Harry?" He then asked.

"I don't know." The boy then said, nearly whispered, averting his eyes. "I've never … I mean, no one ever talked to me about that. My aunt always said I'll rot in hell anyway."

"That is not true, child!" Severus seethed angrily, and the boy looked up at him, startled, as did some others. "That is not true." He repeated a bit calmer then. "You are a child, and our Lord surely will not have any child going to hell. What have you done, Harry, to deserve being punished like this? No, Harry!" He protested when the boy started to open his mouth and to say something, most probably some ridiculous notions his blasted relatives had been beating into him for years until he had believed them.

"You have done nothing that would warrant a stay in hell, child." He said, piercing the boy with his dark eyes before doing the same with the others. "Nor has any other one of you. 'And he arose from thence and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan, and the people resort unto him again. And, as he was wont, he taught them again. And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them, and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.'"

"You are versed in the bible?" Hermione asked startled.

"Of course, I am." He growled darkly. "My mother had taught me some things after all, you foolish child!"

At that, Harry beside him started giggling, and with a raised eyebrow he looked down at the child that leaned against him, knowing well what had caused that giggle, namely the words 'foolish child'. A moment later however he noticed that the giggles started to change into sobs and another moment later Severus felt Harry pulling him down to wrap his thin arms around his neck, silently crying as the realization of true freedom, of support, and caring, and relief sank in, and with a sad sigh he pulled the boy closer, wrapped his own arms around the horribly thin body of the child.

Harry had long since given up the hope of having parents with which he could talk about anything, ridiculous things as well as such serious things like right now, just as he had accepted being alone long since as well … until recently, when he had dared to hope again, first with Sirius and now with Snape. Snape, talking to them without hesitation, sharing such private things as religious beliefs and what could come after death, talking to them like a parent did, and he simply couldn't help starting to cry.

Damn those blasted tears that couldn't remain in their normal place where they belonged to!

He just had not thought that Snape really would answer his question, as to what he believed in. But Snape had. And he had asked him back. But what did he believe in? What could he believe in? No one ever had talked to him about such things! No one ever had told him anything else than that he would rot in hell after death, until he had believed it. And now Snape had reassured him with a few words that such would not be the case, that he would not rot in hell, that he would not have to … how was he supposed to keep his tears at bay now? How was he supposed to … how …

Wrapping his arm about the child tightly and pulling him even closer against his chest he sighed.

How could those monsters have told a child something like that until he believed it? How could those monsters have told a child he would rot in hell anyway? Startling and frightening the child out of his wits? How could they misuse a bible text like this just to hurt a child that had been placed in their care?

He was not an overly believing man, he was a bastard even with no affection for children in the first place, but not even he would have done such a thing ever! How could they …

And now the situation finally took its toll on the boy, too, he realized, the boy knowing that he would die, and he was sure that the boy knew that very well, that he knew he would even die soon, and the boy realizing that he would not rot in hell after he had died. What kind of emotional pain had the child been in? Knowing that he would die soon and believing that he would rot in hell? How horribly scared must this child had been at that thought?

It really was no wonder that this situation, this new realization took its toll on his son, considering his upbringing, considering the bad condition he had been in, in the first place, and he wondered how the child had managed to not being one of the first who broke down.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

Harry had been crying for a long time, but Severus had known that this time it had not been tears of grief and pain or fear he had shared, but that this time they had been tears of relief and so he had not tried to calm the boy down, but had let him cry, only running his hand soothingly over the child's back, trying to comfort only.

How much other fears slept within this child? How much other pains had been ingrained into this child? Fears and pains that could be taken away with a few words, and fears and pains that would linger there forever, never mind what he would do or say?

Carding his fingers through the boy's hair, he looked down at the child that now lay in his lap, sleeping. Harry's breath still hitched in his sleep every now and then, a remnant of his hysterical crying earlier, and nevertheless he didn't regret having allowed the boy those bitter tears. This particular child surely had rarely had a reason to cry tears of relief within his short life.

"Sir?" An unsure voice asked, and he looked over to look into Weasley's pale face.

"Yes, Ronald?" He asked, his dark eyes watching the boy calmly.

"I wondered …" The red haired Gryffindor asked. "Well, you have started to call all of us by our given names, even me. And I wondered why. I mean, I know that … well, you see, you are much nicer than you used to be, and I guess I know why, but … I just don't understand! I mean, you hated Harry!"

Sighing Severus looked down at the child he still held in his arms, before he looked back at Weasley, knowing that some of the other children watched them with bated breathes as well.

"First, hate is a strong word, Ronald, and one that should not be used lightly." He finally answered. "I did not hate Harry, nor do I hate children generally. I have no affection for children in the first place, yes, and only the older they become the more bearable they become. And while I do care for all of the students, I have to admit that I do not overly like the students from other houses than mine, what however is based on the fact that the students in my house are often handled unfairly by not only the student body but other teachers as well. Therefore of course I do protect the students in my house by preferring them. I also do admit that I even held a great dislike towards Harry. But the reason of why that had changed, is between Harry and me alone. If Harry is ready to share it with you, then he might, but I will not do so."

He waited for a moment until he had a timid nod from the Weasley boy.

"Second, I have started calling all of you by your given name, because of the same reason I have changed my classroom persona into a less acerbic and intimidating one, namely, to provide you with the comfort and freedom all of you not only need but deserve right now." He then continued. "All of you have behaved very well during the past two weeks despite the fears, hunger, pain and weakness all of you feel, and despite the knowledge that perhaps death might await us. And that is more than I could have expected of some adult wizards. You all have shown much bravery and you all have shown strength in a dire situation and therefore you all have deserved the right of being called by your given names. I do respect that and I am proud of you."

He ignored the open mouth the boy regarded him with, and he ignored the startled looks some of the Gryffindors regarded him with, as well.

"And third, I do call you by your given name as well, because you are not only part of this group, but because you are also my son's best friend, even if you sometimes have a strange way of showing him your loyalty." He finally said.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

"Drink!" He ordered when Harry finally woke. He had started stirring in his arms a few minutes ago, but he had not fully woken, had buried his face in his, Severus', arms as if trying to snuggle closer and he frowned at the thought. How dare this blasted brat snuggling – snuggling! – against him!

Yet, he couldn't keep his lips from twitching upwards traitorously. He really would have trouble if they made it out of this alive somehow, trouble regaining his meanwhile destroyed reputation. And yet, he didn't really mind. Those seventeen children had become important to him during the past two weeks, more important than he had ever thought possible. Those children were his – his! – fourth years Slytherins and Gryffindors!

His eyes swept over them with not a small amount of pride.

They really had not only behaved well, but they had been brave and strong, and they had acted with as much dignity as possible in a situation that would have upset any adult wizard. So – yes, he had reason to be proud of his children.

Shaking his head over his own thoughts he looked down at the small form in his arms and noticed that the boy was finally awake, and that the green eyes regarded him with a still tired but perceptive look at the same time. They all were tired meanwhile, exhausted, hunger and fear gnawing at them.

"Drink!" He ordered when the boy finally was fully awake, reaching him a cup of water Vincent had placed at the mantelpiece earlier. "You have been drinking too little today. It is important that you drink as much as possible."

"I know." The boy sighed, sitting up and taking the cup. He could hear what the boy did not say. Namely 'but I don't feel so well.'

Taking the cup, the boy got up and went over to the table, sitting down in one of the chairs and he followed.

"Drink, Harry!" He repeated when the teen just placed the cup at the tabletop without taking a sip.

With a sigh of defeat the boy took the cup and did as he had asked of him, before placing it back at the table and running his hand over his neck, and with a frown he got off his chair and stepped behind the teen.

"Let me help you with that." He said and placed his hands on Harry's neck, feeling the boy tensing up immediately. "Relax. You know I am not going to hurt you." He said, beginning to massage Harry's neck and shoulders. "If it feels uncomfortable, just tell me."

Of course, he knew the reason as to why Harry tensed upon at each and every unexpected touch, and he knew that two weeks of reassuring him that he would never hurt him were nothing compared to thirteen years of cruel abuse, of being beaten, and starved, and locked away in a small cupboard. And nevertheless, it hurt that the boy still flinched when he touched him. The child was his son now, he was the child's father now, as strange as this thought still was to him, and a son should not flinch away from his father's touch.

"Sir?" The boy asked when he moved to sit back beside him and started to massage the boy's arms.

"Yes, Harry?" He asked, lifting his eyes from the frightening thin arms to look at the boy for a moment before looking back down at them.

"Do you … I mean, do you like us?" The boy asked and for a moment he, again, looked up into the green eyes that watched him unsurely. "I have dreamed … I have dreamed that you said you were proud of us."

So, the boy had not slept as deeply as he had thought, and his words had entered his dreams. Well, at least it had not been nightmares this time.

"Actually, you not only have dreamt this, Mr. Snape." He said sarcastically. "I indeed have said those words."

"So, you do like us?" The boy asked, his voice hopeful.

"No, I do not like you." The Potions Master answered with his eyebrow lifted. As Harry however stared at him with a hurt expression on his face, he gave in and a small smiled tucked at his lips. "I love you. I do like the others … at times … perhaps. But I do love you, Mr. Snape, and now drink!"

The smile that broke free on the boy's face before he took the cup and took another sip of the water, the smile that lit up the boy's face, was worth being driven mad by thousands of the brats.

A moment later however he frowned when the boy bent over, the pale face going nearly white and bony fists gripping the shirt over his stomach.

"Harry?" He asked, startled.

"Sick." Was the only word the boy was able to force out between teeth that were pressed together tightly, and quickly he grabbed the boy on his upper arm, ignoring the flinch and the startled, nearly scared look on the chalky and bony face. Slowly and carefully, he pulled the boy along towards the bathroom, hoping that the movement would help ease the nervous stomach a bit. They all had the same problems, being ill, having stomach cramps, cramps in their limbs, headaches … the list went on and on.

Well – one could hope. But hope alone got you now where and Severus just had managed to open the bathroom door for the boy when Harry bent over in his grasp again and nearly dropped to the floor, throwing up onto the stony tiles, gasping for breath between dry heaves after he had gotten rid of the water he had drunk just moments ago, and Severus gently lowered the boy to the floor before he would be hurt further.

He knelt beside him, placing his hand onto the child's forehead, supporting his head while at the same time rubbing calming circles over the boy's back, waiting patiently, and murmuring calming words until the dry heaves finally stopped and the boy relaxed a bit, leaning back. A moment later however he felt Harry tensing up again and he feared that the boy would heave dryly again, while his empty stomach didn't have any more water to dispel, but a glance down into the child's pale face showed him that the boy wouldn't be ill again.

The pale face showed pure horror, and a moment later the teen started murmuring apologies in a way that was too frantic for his liking.

"Hush, child." He said, frowning worriedly and ignoring the mantra of "I'm sorry". "There is no reason to apologize, child." But when he tried to pull the boy closer, to physically comfort him, the child flinched away from him, violently, the fear in the green eyes bordering at panic, and again he cursed the boy's relatives, not for the first time since he knew what they had done to the child.

"I'm sorry." Harry repeated, his voice trembling as much as did his fingers, his hands, his entire form. "I didn't mean to … really … I'll clean it up … I'm sorry … really …"

"Hush, child." He said, ignoring the flinch when he took the boy's pale and damp face between his hands and forced it up, so he had to look at him, not allowing the child to break away again. "Look at me! You are not back with your relatives! You are here at Hogwarts, Harry, it's me, Severus, calm down, child, you are safe. There is nothing to be sorry for … no, Harry! Look at me!" He commanded, keeping a strong grip on the child's face when again he tried to break away. "Look – at – me! You are safe here! Nothing happened and I will not harm you! Do you understand? Look at me! Do you recognize me?"

"I'm sorry." Came the answer in a small voice, the glazed eyes just slowly coming back to reality. "Yes. I'm sorry, sir. I …"

"There is no reason to be." Severus said, releasing his breath which he didn't know he had been holding. "Everything is just fine. Do not apologize. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes." The boy whispered, trying to avoid his eyes. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I said do not apologize." He quietly repeated. "Let's get you back to bed. Come now, up with you." He said and gently pulled the boy into a standing position on his upper arm before leading him back to the classroom. He laid him down onto his mattress and went over to the sink to get a wet cloth, wiped it over the child's still damp face.

Again, the boy's eyes displayed fear the moment he approached him with the wet cloth, but he forced himself to ignore it, and again the boy flinched the moment he run the wet cloth over his pale face, but he forced himself to ignore this, too.

"Close your eyes and try to sleep a bit." He quietly said. "Or to at least rest a bit if you cannot sleep. I will be back in a moment."

He stood up, ignoring the creaking of his joints as he did so, and went back towards the bathroom, taking the mop and starting to clean away the mess while his worried thoughts ran havoc in his mind, knowing that this was just the beginning.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

When he came back, he realized immediately that Harry had tensed up to a point until his muscles must hurt again, and the scared look had not left his green eyes.

"You do know that I surely would not punish you for being sick, you foolish child, do you not?" He asked while sitting onto the mattress and leaning back against the wall beside the fireplace, pulling the boy into his arms until he rested with his side against his chest.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir." The boy murmured, not daring to look at him and he sighed.

"Look at me, child." He said. "I know that I am a harsh person, that I am demanding, and that I am anything else than kind. But not even I would punish a child upon being sick. That simply is not done, and the fact that your relatives had done so, only shows what freaks they are. And yes, they had been the freaks! Not you, but them! And now close your eyes and go to sleep for a while."

For a while there was silence in the classroom until Gregory's voice was heard.

"Where is sleep?" The boy asked and the Potions Master lifted his eyebrow at the teen. Had his young Slytherin lost his mind now completely? Gregory never had been overly intelligent, but had he lost his mind now completely due to hunger, tiredness, and exhaustion? Due to fear and …

"What do you mean?" Neville asked, curiously looking over at the Slytherin boy.

"Well, everyone tells you to go to sleep … but, where exactly is sleep?" Gregory asked, trying to keep a straight face, and the Potions Master had to admit that for once, Gregory had used his brain well.

"You are an idiot!" Draco murmured sleepily, shaking his head. "Shut up, Greg, and go to sleep!"

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

To be continued

Next time in "twenty-one days"
Takk skal du ha

Added author's note
thank you for reading - and yes, I would be glad if you took the time to review this chapter, thank you
also, like in the past, I have installed the house cup – with each review, please state your house, so that your house can get points. There won't be loss of points, only gains … may the best house with the most reviews win …
welcome to the first member from a different school, by the way ... and hey guys, were's Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff ?

Please also note that I have installed a new category: Hogwarts, as one reader or another (Jostanos, just for example) prefers to review for Hogwarts itself instead of one of her houses … and who knows, perhaps one day a reader might come from another wizarding school to add their review … thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing …

House Cup:
At the present time it looks like this:

Slytherin 74
Gryffindor 36
Ravenclaw 27
Hufflepuff 09
Hogwarts 21
Durmstrang 01