Title:
Twenty-one days
Prequel to:
A few days more
Author:
evil minded
Date:
November, 17th 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
"And now go to sleep." He said while cradling the boy close. "You look like a ghost rather than a fourteen year old boy. You soon will rival the bloody baron."
"You too you would break a mirror if you looked into one, sir." The boy said, smiling while leaning against him, closing his eyes and Severus emitted a soft chuckle while running his hand over Harry's face lightly.
"Just go to sleep brat." He softly replied, but Harry already had his eyes closed and there was no response from the relaxed form except even breathing.
Chapter seventeen
Day eleven - Thursday, twelfth of September
The wards have fallen
They had not been able to use magic to strengthen the adoption, to give a basis to it they could build on, but he knew that there were other ways and even if Severus Snape had never believed in those ways, he was now ready to try it. Automatically his eyes went over to the child in question, watching him, and while lightening a candle on his desk he tried to imagine the boy sitting on his table in his quarters, doing his homework, eating his meals, drinking tea with him, and playing games.
He tried to imagine the boy laying in the bed in his guest room, sleeping, imagined that room being the boy's room, not even grimacing at the red and gold that decorated the walls, and he imagined the child sitting there on the bed, reading, playing, resting, and a warm tingling crept over him, like a blanket that wrapped itself around his shoulders.
Startled, knowing for sure that it was magic he felt, he lifted his head and looked over at the boy in question, at Harry, at his son, and seeing that the child had his eyes open, was looking at him, he quickly left his desk and went back to the mattresses, to his son.
The boy's eyes were bright, a bright green he had rarely seen, neither in Harry's eyes, nor in the child's mother's eyes, in Lily's eyes, a green that promised … he didn't know what exactly it did promise, but for one moment he had the overwhelming feeling that nothing else mattered than Harry being his son, that nothing else mattered than loving and caring for this particular child, than keeping this particular child alive, never mind the cost, and his chest actually hurt, physically hurt, while looking into those bright green eyes.
"Harry …" Severus whispered in an almost broken voice, lifting a hand to place it onto the boy's shoulder, still not able to break eye contact with the child, with his son, and in that particular moment he knew that the adoption had been successful, in that precise moment, while he lifted his hand from the child's shoulder to touch his face, he knew that Harry was his son now and that no one, not even the ministry, would be able to take the child away from him.
That only death would be able doing so.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
Harry woke from a feeling that definitely felt strange, at least strange for their current situation. He had gotten used to the fact that they were locked down here in the dungeons, in the potions classroom, long ago, had gotten used to the fact that here they couldn't do magic and that right now he couldn't feel the usual magic that normally was humming through the castle. He had stopped waking up, nearly panicking because he couldn't feel the normal flow of magic that seemed to be coming from deep within the castle's walls, anymore.
But right now, he could feel just that. He could feel magic, and opening his eyes he saw the Potions Master, having lit a candle, looking through the classroom as if deep in thought, before his eyes fell on him, Harry. A moment later the man was coming over, and for the life of him, he couldn't say if he was running over to him or if he moved slowly and carefully. He just knew that a moment later the older wizard, his father, was beside him, kneeling beside him, watching him intently and the dark eyes seemed so startling dark, so pitch black, that for a moment he held his breath.
Of course, he knew that Snape had black eyes, he had always had black eyes, but right now they seemed to be blacker than black. And so deep, he feared he would get lost in them if he looked into them any longer, and yet he couldn't avert his eyes. He didn't even want to avert his eyes. Those dark black eyes suddenly gave him an anchor, an anchor which he knew he would never find again, never mind where he would go looking for it, and the safety they spoke of, was overwhelming.
And he knew, never mind what, Snape was his father now. Snape would be there, always, would care for him, always, would provide him with anything he needed, would keep him safe and alive, never mind what, always, and automatically he knew that Snape would die to keep him alive, and he could feel tears running down his face.
He heard the man calling his name, not Potter, not Mr. Potter even, but Harry, in a way he never before had said his name. He could feel Snape placing his hand on his shoulder and at first, he nearly gasped at the feeling of safety this gesture gave him. He wasn't sure if Snape repeated his name, but he could feel the man's hand moving from his shoulder to his face, long and rough fingertips running down his cheek, and he more felt than saw that the older wizard wanted to say something more but didn't seem able to.
'It's okay.' Harry wanted to say. 'I trust you.' But he didn't know how to form the words, didn't know how to get those words out, didn't dare to break the moment between them.
Softly, nearly carefully, Severus ran his fingers over the boy's cheek and for the next few minutes he just watched as a million emotions flashed across Harry's pensive face before he slowly wrapped his arms around the child, around his son. For a moment he could feel Harry instantly tensing up, like he always did, but only for a moment and then he could feel the child relaxing, could feel the child leaning his head against his shoulder, leaning against him completely, while he started to cry, and he brought up his hand and stroked the back of his son's head. His son.
And once again Severus Snape felt his world tipping precariously. He took several deep breaths through his nose, and then, when he was sure he wasn't going to faint anymore, he reached out and placed his hand on his student's shoulder – on his son's shoulder – and pushed him away a bit so he could look back into those bright green eyes.
And Harry smiled shyly at him, like the child he was, and yet, there was still something hard in those eyes, something that didn't belong into the look of a fourteen year old.
"I belong." He heard the faint whisper of the boy, not sure if Harry really had whispered those two small words that seemed to have such a big meaning.
I belong.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
A few floors upstairs, in Albus' office, a soft alarm was ringing, a soft buzzing that grew louder and louder with each second that passed until it filled the office with a nearly deafening noise and a moment later the portrait that led to the headmaster's private chambers opened, the old wizard stepping into his office, standing there, as if paralyzed for a moment, before he finally waved his wand, and the alarm went off.
He stood there, stock still for another few moments before he sank down into the chair behind his desk, his face ashen and his hands shaking.
"Dobby." He quietly called the house elf that had been so loyal to the boy since his second year at Hogwarts, and he couldn't stop the tears that stung in his eyes when he looked at the small creature Harry had freed back then.
"Yes, Master headmaster, sir?" Dobby asked with his usually squeaky voice, his ears flapping enthusiastically. "What can Dobby do for Master headmaster, sir?"
"Please, Dobby." Albus rasped, his voice shaking as did his fingers. "Go and fetch Minerva and Poppy, this instant. And best you fetch Filius as well."
"Of course, master headmaster, sir." Dobby squealed happily, and with a soft 'pop' he was gone, leaving back an old and grieving man who had lost a boy he had seen as his grandson.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
"Mistress deputy headmaster ma'am should wake up, ma'am." Dobby said, shaking Minerva's shoulder as if he had to wake a troll out of its hibernation. "Master headmaster sir is asking Mistress deputy headmaster ma'am to come to his office immediately, ma'am."
"Oh, you tenfold blasted creature, would you cease this infuriating shaking this instant?" Minerva cursed loudly upon opening her eyes and trying to figure out what the racket was about. "I didn't come to Hogwarts to endure being shaken until the whiskey I've had a few hours earlier comes up again. So, get your hands off me and tell me in clear terms what the meaning of this is. And you better have a good explanation as to why you are waking me in the middle of the night or you might find yourself … for Merlin's sake, just tell me what you want!"
"Master headmaster sir is asking Mistress deputy headmaster ma'am to come to his office immediately, ma'am." Dobby repeated and then vanished with a soft 'pop' before Minerva even could ask a question as to why Albus would …
Merlin!
Albus never would … not in the middle of the night … except for …
Throwing her blanket aside, she swung her feet off the side of her bed and got up quickly. It was in the middle of the night and if Albus had felt the need to wake her during such an hour then, surely, they had found a way to get them out of the dungeons, or maybe they even were already out of there and …
Quickly she threw her bathrobe over her nightshirt and without even caring for her hair that fell over her shoulders loosely, she opened the door and left her quarters hurrying along the corridors towards the entrance hall, towards the stony gargoyle that guarded Albus' office, towards the headmaster.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
It was the first day since long that she didn't have one of the smaller children in her ward and so she had retired an hour ago. She had been reading the medical files of those children and of Severus again and again during the past few days, and yet – she couldn't resist going over them again, trying to judge whom of them had a chance and how long they would have a chance in the first place.
Harry Potter surely hadn't. And neither had Theodore Nott.
Ronald Weasley would last longer, as would Neville Longbottom, if that boy didn't manage to either get a cauldron exploded and killed himself in the act or to annoy Severus so much that the man finally would snap and kill the boy.
Shaking her head, she sighed. Of course, Severus would never kill the students, not even Longbottom or Potter, and those two surely would be the first one to get the Potions Master annoyed enough to at least think of doing just that.
A house elf popping into her office where she had placed a cot, so she could rest for a few hours here and there, startled her out of her thoughts and she looked up into the large eyes of Dobby.
"What is it, Dobby?" She asked. "Does any of the Lions need assistance?"
"No, Mistress madam Pomfrey, ma'am." Dobby said, flapping his ears. "Master headmaster sir is asking Mistress madam Pomfrey ma'am to come to his office immediately, ma'am."
"I'm coming." She said, getting off the cot she had been laying down only minutes earlier, knowing that either Albus had finally managed to get a heart attack or a breakdown with all his worries, or that the headmaster had finally managed to find a way down into the dungeons. She hoped it was the second.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
Growling darkly with frustration Filius threw the quill onto the table, leaving ink spots on the parchments that scattered all the space that once had been free for essays to grade but now were filled with books, parchments, and any other sources of information on wards. Even a copy of 'Hogwarts, a history' was laying there, open, the pages filled with not only the original words of the book but with his small and thin crawl he called his handwriting as well, notes he had taken over the past few days.
He was so close, he knew it, but each time he thought he had the answer to the riddle, he had to learn that in the end he was still wrong. And being wrong in this case, simply meant a death sentence for seventeen children and a teacher. He couldn't afford being wrong, not now, not with this – and yet … he still was. He still couldn't find a way down into the dungeons, he still couldn't find a way to overcome the wards, to lover them, or at least to evade them.
He rarely had slept the past nights, and neither had the others, he knew, especially not Albus and Minerva, but how could he sleep if he had so much reading material to go through? He had even excused his seventh year students from all classes, and instead he had handed them all reading material he could find to go through, hoping one of them would find some mentions of Hogwarts' wards, something, anything, which he might have missed.
"Merlin!" He gasped, nearly falling off the chair he had been kneeling on, in his rash to back away, holding both his hands pressed onto his chest.
"I'm sorry, Master Flitwick, sir." The house elf, Dobby, if he was correct, squealed. "Dobby didn't want to startle Master Flitwick, sir. But Master headmaster sir is asking Master Flitwick sir to come to his office immediately, sir."
Paling at the elf's words Filius hopped down the chair and without even throwing his cloak over his shoulder he hurried along the charms corridor towards Albus' office, knowing that if the headmaster called him at this hour, this only could mean one thing – one of them were dead, maybe even all of them.
He just knew that if he hadn't found a way to undo the wards, then most likely the headmaster hadn't found a way either – in other words they were still imprisoned, and if the headmaster called him at this hour, then it must mean death, not freedom.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
"The wards have fallen." Albus gasped, his pale face shocked on his three colleagues.
"What!" Filius gasped in shock. "But that is great! How did …"
"But then what are we doing here, Albus?" Minerva asked exaggerated. "We should go down …"
"What are we waiting for then, headmaster?" Poppy asked, already turning to leave the office and to head down into the dungeons.
"No!" Albus shook his head. "No! Not the wards down in the dungeons." He led his head fall into his hands. "The wards around Private Drive." He murmured devasted. "The wards around Harry's home. They fell. Ten minutes ago."
"But … what does it … what does this mean, Albus?" Minerva asked, her face now pale, too, her hands shaking, and Poppy had to guide her to one of the armchairs or the woman would have fallen, she was sure of that.
"That means, Harry's dead." She whispered.
"How can you be so sure, Poppy?" Minerva gasped, looking up at her.
"Because I've been going over the medical files of them over and over again, and Harry's the worst of them. I knew he would be the first to die.
"If the wards fell, then they had become useless because the one person they had to keep safe is dead." Filius whispered, sitting down into another armchair. "Wards only hold as long as they need to keep the person they had been cast for safe, and if Harry is dead, the wards would recognize it and they would lower themselves as they have become useless. Otherwise, we would have thousands and thousands of wards all over the world, and barely an area would be approachable anymore."
"Is it true, Albus?" Minerva asked, her voice shaking, as if she needed the headmaster's confirmation to really believe the words her colleagues had spoken. "Is it really true?"
"I fear it is, Minerva." Albus answered. "Harry has died."
"And the others?" Filius dared to ask the question they all wanted to know an answer for but didn't risk asking, fearing the answer.
"I don't know." Albus said, his voice old, older than he ever had sounded, defeated. "Only Harry had wards around his house that would alert me if they fell. I can't tell for the others."
"If Harry died, then maybe Theodore has already died as well." Poppy whispered, not able to bring herself to use the sure name of the children, as she normally would do. "They both are the weakest and the thinnest. And I fear for Draco and a few of the girls on both houses."
"Albus, what do we do now?" Minerva asked, desperately.
"We go on with our research." Filius growled darkly. "And we have to find a way to get at least the others out, to get at least as much as possible out of there." He didn't dare using the word 'alive', but they all knew what he meant, the word hanging in the air like a thick cloud of smoke.
"I will have to inform the ministry first thing tomorrow morning." Albus said. "Maybe they will now listen and give us a time tuner."
"I highly doubt it, Albus." Filius shook his head.
"Maybe if you … I wouldn't like to betray Harry like this, but if you told them that they have lost the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the one to defeat Who-Know-Who once and for all …"
"It would be in vain, Minerva." Albus sighed. "Fudge doesn't believe that Voldemort will come back one day. And right now, I do not care about the prophecy either. Harry is dead and I will not speak of him in that way."
"You will have to go to the Dursleys, Minerva." Poppy finally said. "And inform them of their nephew's possible death. They should know about it, and they should be given the chance to grieve. Or would you prefer if I go and inform them?"
Minerva sighed for a moment, realizing that those words made it so much true. Harry was dead. Harry Potter, her student, the boy that had gone through so much since he had arrived at Hogwarts, the boy he had baby sat from time to time, back, when Lily and James had been still alive.
She had fed him back then, had changed the boy's diapers, and she had carried him around, bouncing him in her arms until he had fallen asleep.
Those thoughts reminded him at the other person that had been close to Lily.
Severus.
Admitted, Severus disliked Harry, but she also knew that Severus had often been a guest at Lily's when James had been out of the house, and she even remembered Severus taking Harry from her arms when she hadn't been able to calm the hysterically crying baby. A few minutes of walking around, a few minutes of quiet words from Severus, and little Harry had been asleep – until the moment Severus had tried to lay him back into his small baby bed.
Nearly laughing between her sobs and tears she remembered Severus walking up and down the hall the entire night to ensure that the infant had a good night's sleep.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
Down in the dungeons Harry realized that he had been alone for so long – aside from Ron and Hermione of course – but alone in the sense of … without a family, without an adult, without someone who really cared, who took responsibility for him, who … and now … now he really belonged, not only to the magical world, but also to the dark dressed man that was not only their Potions Master, but that was his father now.
They had been quiet for a long time, simply laying there, resting, basking in the feeling of simply holding and being held, but at one point or another during the night Severus lightly stroked through his son's hair.
"Thank you, Harry." He said.
Harry looked up at him, craning his neck since he lay with his back resting against his father's chest. "What for?" He asked, confused.
"For giving me another chance." Severus quietly said, running his fingertips over the boy's forehead. "I did not deserve it. I do not deserve you, and yet – you have given me just that. Another chance."
"That's not true." Harry said, wiggling in the Potions Master's grip so he could turn, and he knelt beside the man. "That's not true! You … you … just don't say that … you do deserve this! You're a good person!"
"Hmm …" Severus made. "I'm sure you would have argued over this particular statement with yourself only a few days ago, you foolish child!" He added with a smile.
Well, a smirk would perhaps be a better description of the lip that curled in a strange way, but he had seen several versions of Severus' definitions of a smile meanwhile, and he just knew that he had never seen this one before now. So – maybe it meant that Snape finally was happy? Maybe even as happy as he, Harry, was?
Finally noticing that all the others were still asleep he blinked and then looked over at his father.
"What time is it?" He asked, startled. It couldn't be too late if they all were still sleeping from their nap. How Snape had managed to get all of them asleep he still wondered. Normally at least a few of them were awake even if some others took a nap during the day.
"It's nearly one in the morning." Severus said, smirking again. "You have overslept the entire afternoon and evening."
"Merlin!" Harry groaned. "But I wasn't that tired!"
"The adoption potion has been working in your system, Harry." Severus said. "It has worked all its way through your veins, through your heart, all your body parts, and that is an exhausting process, child. I knew that you would be out for the most part of the day, what is the reason I told you to lay down."
"So – now it's through all my body parts?" Harry asked. "The potion?"
"Yes." Severus answered. "The fact that you are awake now, and the magic we both have felt earlier, proves as much. The potion has worked, and the adoption is valid. You are truly my son now."
"I wondered about that." Harry mused, getting off the mattress to get a glass of water from the sink. "The magic. It's not possible for ten days now, and now we felt the magic, and … well, I'm not sure, but it felt so powerful … I mean, I have never felt anything like that before … and … dunno …"
"It was powerful, child." Severus seriously said, getting off their sleeping place and coming over to his son, taking the glass from his desk and taking a sip of the water, too. "It was ancient magic you felt, magic that is responsible for creating families, for care, love and responsibility. Of course, it was powerful, child, what is the reason as to why the ministry won't be able to interfere, never mind if the adoption is valid in their eyes or not, they won't be able to take you away from me. No one will be able to take you away from me now."
"Only death." Harry whispered, voicing his earlier thoughts, and he turned towards the boy, took both his shoulders into a harsh grip, and peered down into the pale face of his son.
"Yes." He said, his voice rough. "Only death, but I won't allow that to happen, child, is that understood? I won't allow that to happen, and you will fight death with tooth and nail, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." Harry answered, swallowing heavily at the man's determined words.
"Good." Severus growled. "And now you go back to sleep, you silly child! Your body needs rest!"
Turning so the Potions Master wouldn't see the smile that spread over his face at the man's use of the term 'silly child', he was almost back at his mattress when he glanced back. He might as well try it, he thought, nothing to lose now …
"Good night, dad." He quietly said, half hoping the Potions Master hadn't heard his words.
Severus, however, reached for his quill to finish his last entries in his journal, he would have to take notes about the magic they had felt, the potion settling in their systems, and without looking up, he said. "Good night, son."
And somehow Harry made it to his mattress without dying from complete shock. Not only had Snape not gotten angry at his words, but he had answered them, and he had answered with the word 'son', not to mention that he had done so in a way as if it would be the most normal thing for the older wizard to do.
Snuggling into his pillow and blanket he couldn't stop his mind from working. He was fourteen now, and he would have another four years until he graduated. Well, he would of course be of age if he was seventeen, but didn't children live with their parents until they graduated? And he would graduate in four years!
That meant, he still had four years left to enjoy life within a family, to … maybe even more. Some children stayed until they had finished an apprenticeship, so, until they were … about twenty, twenty-one. And surely, he, too, could stay until then? Or would Snape …
No, somehow, he doubted that his father would throw him out with seventeen, or even with eighteen. He had been so protective earlier, and so … so possessive even.
Of course, he knew that there would be no real reason for him to … well, why would he be staying with Snape, once he was of age? He would have his own house then, maybe a flat in London or a cottage in the country. And he would marry, and he would have his own children then. And Snape surely wouldn't want him around until he was of old age …
Yet – as Harry snuggled into his pillow for the third time, he didn't understand why living on his own as an adult did not excite him as much as did the thought of living with Snape as an adult.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
Half an hour later Severus sat beside Harry's makeshift bed and the child was almost asleep, looked up at him, smiling, the same smile the child had tried to hide while going back to his mattress, after he had used the term 'son', and he looked into the sleepy and tired green eyes, looking for something without knowing what exactly he was looking for. But he had no doubt about his decisions regarding Harry. He loved that child, his child.
"What spells have you woven over me, Harry?" He asked, leaning down, and running his hand over the child's soft cheek, allowing himself a small smile at the contentment sigh from the boy that was about to fall asleep at that precise moment. How Harry had managed to worm his way into the depths of his soul so quickly – and so deeply, he would never know, but that was his Harry.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
A cold hand settled over his wrist, taking it in a nearly painful grip, and Harry turned hastily, a word upon his lip. But the word – whatever it had been – froze at the sight that greeted him and suddenly he knew why the hand holding his wrist was so damn cold.
He looked into the dead face of Severus, waxen, the eyes open and glassy, empty, lost, whatever, and he knew that the man was dead.
"No!" He gasped. "No!"
That just couldn't be! Snape had been fine a moment ago! Snape had adopted him only a few hours ago. He couldn't lose him so soon! He just … that couldn't …
"No!" He screamed at the man, trying to shake him awake, trying to get him back to life, trying to do anything to have him back! Snape just wasn't allowed to die! Not now! He needed him! He had promised …
He didn't notice the tears that ran down his cheeks, he didn't even notice the cold hand releasing his wrist and neither did he notice the heavy hand on his shoulder, shaking him, a deep voice calling his name, and a moment later he found himself in the arms that were not cold, that smelled of lavender and tangerine and something he couldn't place, that wrapped themselves around his body in a way that made him feel safe and that held him there, telling him that he was not alone.
Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine
To be continued
Next time in "twenty-one days"
cupboards, drawings, and because you cared
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 …
Please also note that I have done a 'go over' concerning the house points as I have lost track over the years. I have them now saved in a chart where I can keep them easily updated – I have also 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 64
Gryffindor 34
Ravenclaw 25
Hufflepuff 07
Hogwarts 19