twenty-one days Chapter 24 - the bear and the rabbit, a harry potter fanfic

Title:
Twenty-one days

Prequel to:
A few days more

Author:
evil minded

Date:
November, 24th 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

"I knew you'd chose something related to food." Hermione smirked, getting the boy back for his library-comment a few minutes before.
"Yes, if we just got an idea that worked." Blaise sighed and Harry nodded at him.
"We'll think of something." The boy murmured, closing his eyes for a few moments before forcing himself upright, and never mind what exactly it was the boy had on his mind – he didn't really like the look on his son's face.

Chapter twenty-four
Day eighteen - Thursday, nineteenth of September
The bear and the rabbit

Severus again frowned at his son – and his new studiousness.

Yesterday afternoon Harry had asked for his permission to take his potions index, and then he had burrowed his nose in this particular book that contained nothing besides of registers over registers of potions, their effects, their ingredients and how to brew them. The boy had even taken the book with him to the mattresses, and he had fallen asleep with the book in his lap. And today – again, he sat at their 'common table', but not listening to the other's conversations, but to read the book.

And Harry was nearly through already, he noticed. He had watched the teen, and he had noticed that he had only skimmed through some pages while he had read others carefully – something that made it clear that the boy was looking for something. Of course, he had asked him what exactly he was looking for, he was a Potions Master after all and whatever Harry was looking for, he would, most probably, be able to give him the answer, he knew that particular index by heart after all.

But Harry had only frowned at him, and he had told him that he didn't really know what he was looking for – what had caused him, Severus, to frown in return.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

Harry was getting more and more frustrated.

There simply was nothing in this blasted book that would help him. What was this book good for, if he didn't find what he was looking for within it? It was an index of all known potions after all. There should be something inside that would help him!

Well, most likely he wouldn't have the chance to go through his plan anyway, never mind if he found what he was looking for or not, but alone the thought of searching something that might destroy Voldemort, it was a good thought. At least it kept his mind off his other troubles. Namely being hungry, and namely being tired.

And weak.

Sighing he turned the page.

He had written down three potions by now, but even if he had written them down – he knew that they wouldn't work anyway and he knew that he only had done so, so that he had at least something, so that he felt a bit better.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach and Harry wasn't able to keep the small whimper from escaping, wrapped his arms around his stomach for a bit of comfort while he tried to ignore the pain yet again. It always gnawed at his stomach anyway, so there was no reason to fret. And it wasn't as if it were like with the Dursleys. Nothing could be done about this situation here and no one was at fault for his hunger this time after all. It wasn't as if he were locked in his cupboard by the Dursleys without food for days and days.

The worst part of this all was, how much Snape, Severus, his father, had changed.

He knew the Potions Master for three years now after all, and he knew that Severus – again he couldn't help shaking his head at the thought that Snape really had given them permission to call him by his given name – however, he knew that Severus was a very proud man, a man that always, never mind in what kind of situation, displayed indifference and dignity, a man that always stood tall and straight, even refusing to sit down during classes. Merlin, he had never even seen him sitting down in Dumbledore's office either, or during any other sort of discussion, talk, whatever.

He only – and really only – had ever seen him sitting when being in the great hall for meals, or during detentions when he was sitting behind his desk, grading essays.

For a moment he couldn't help giggling at the thought of the Potions Master standing behind the staff table during meals, eating while standing. Of course, the man was sitting in the great hall during meals!

He, however, got serious rather quickly, a frown of worry appearing on his face.

He had seen how Severus was getting weaker, just like all of them, but it was worse with Severus, because now he could see some things on that man which he had never before seen, and which scared him. He could see how Severus had lost his ability to stand tall and straight. His shoulders nowadays were rather bent, and his voice had lost its bitter tone as well. Even his eyes didn't hold the fiery determination and glare they had always held, and his words had lost their coldness and harshness.

Not to mention that he had become bony and pale. Well, yes – Snape always had been pale and skinny, but he had also always known that behind that man's skinniness was a lot of strength. Snape had caught him in the middle of the night once, wandering the halls when he hadn't been able to sleep, and he had grabbed his upper arm then, when he had taken a step back from the man. And back then, he had been sure that he had broken his arm. So – yes, he knew that Snape had always been strong, never mind how skinny he had looked. And he also knew that the Potions Master had been a very quick man.

How often had he prevented them all from throwing something into their cauldrons? Sometimes it had been as if he was at the front of the classroom at one moment, and then in the back of the classroom, gripping a student's wrist – more than once his, Harry's – in a painfully tight grip at the next moment?

But his grip had loosened his harsh tightness. Severus' fingers seemed to be much weaker nowadays.

Not that he wasn't glad that the grip the man had on his upper arm yesterday hadn't hurt as much as it could have hurt, he himself was weak enough so that Severus' weak grip had hurt really bad. And of course, he also knew that the older wizard had not intended to hurt him at all. But that was not the point! The point was, that Severus had become weak, as weak as he himself was.

And Snape was worried that he, Harry, might die. He knew that the man was worried about that.

But – if Severus was worried about him, Harry, dying, and if Severus was getting as weak as he, Harry, was, then what if …

What if Severus …

What if his father …

Severus couldn't die!

He had only just become his father!

And losing him now would kill him, too!

He couldn't go on without Snape now!

Because Snape was the only one who …

He couldn't …

He simply couldn't …

"Harry!" A worried voice forced itself through his panicking thoughts, trying to make itself noticed and trying to make itself listened to. "Harry! Breathe! Calm down! No, calm down, child! Take a deep breath and … no, calm down, child, stop this … Harry!"

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

He had watched Harry turning the last pages in the book, but he also had noticed the boy's eyes going distant, not really reading anymore what was written in the book he had searched for hours now, his concentration elsewhere. Well, of course Harry had become sleepy upon searching all those registers of potions. It wasn't too exciting after all.

But then he noticed the boy gripping the shirt in front of his chest, pulling at his shirt as if it would strangle him and he was at the child's side in an instant.

"Harry!" He called out, trying to keep his voice low enough so he wouldn't startle the already clearly scared child but loud enough so the teen would hear him through his attack. "Breathe, Harry, calm down! No, calm down, child!" He said, trying to pull the boy's hands away from his shirt, but he had to tighten his grip on the painfully thin wrists, and he was sure that he would leave bruises again if he continued like this.

So, he just wrapped his arms around the boy's upper body and pulled him off the chair he was sitting at, lowering himself to the floor with the teen in his arms, not releasing the tight grip he had on the struggling boy.

"Calm down, child." He continued telling the distraught boy. "Take a deep breath and … no, calm down, child, stop this … Harry!" He finally shouted when the teen just fought harder to get out of his grip. If he released him now, he would only hit his head on the floor or the table that was close by, or one of the last remaining chairs they had not burnt yet.

Well, at least it worked insofar that the boy stopped his struggling and he adjusted the small form in his arms into an easier to hold position. On the other hand, he didn't like the way Harry tensed up in his arms, as if fearing he would beat him at any moment, and he gave away a small sigh.

"Hush now, child." He calmly whispered. "Just breathe, everything is fine, I will not hurt you and I will not beat you either. Just relax and calm down, take a deep breath and calm down. That's it. You are doing fine. You are safe here and no one will harm you here. Take another breath, slowly, slower, good, very good. Just calm down and relax."

Carefully and slowly, he loosened the grip he'd had on the child's skeletal form, and he couldn't help taking one of the thin arms into his hand, not only for massaging the small amount of muscles but to feel for broken bones as well.

Of course, he knew that it wasn't that easy to break someone's bones, but Merlin – the child was so fragile and so thin and weak, and he … running his hand over his own face for a moment, and forcing himself back to calmness, he took a deep breath by himself before he continued massaging the child's other arm.

"What happened?" He then asked the meanwhile sobbing child that leaned with his back against his chest, his voice calm, and he wondered how he could sound so calm while he was so worried and upset that he felt the need to throw something against the wall.

"You're not allowed!" The boy sobbed and not only the fact that he actually got an answer from the stubborn child worried him, but his words as well. Normally Harry would bury his face in his, Severus', robes and refuse to answer for at least another two attempts by him to get an answer. And what did the child mean?

"What am I not allowed to?" He softly asked.

"To die!" The child sobbed and he sighed, now knowing what had brought the panic attack onto the teen that right now turned in his arms to bury his face in his robes.

"I won't die, you foolish child." He said, pulling the boy closer and wrapping the blanket that Vincent reached towards him around the shivering form. "I might have lost some of my harshness over the past two weeks, but not due to weakness, but due to the fact that all of you have grown rather close to me during that time. I have become weaker, yes, as have all of us and I won't deny that, but I am far from dying, child. I just do not see any reason to be harsh with you when all of you have behaved so well, and when all of you have become so important to me."

"Don' wanna lose you." The boy in his arms still sobbed, as if he hadn't heard his words – or as if he wanted to hear them a second time – and he sighed.

"You will not lose me, child." He said. "Neither down here nor after we are free again. I will be quite here with you. You will not lose me." Gently he pushed the child off his chest, held him at arm length, and looked into the troubled green eyes. "Is that clear now to you? You won't lose me."

The boy nodded and slowly he got to his feet, gently pulling his son with him. A moment later however he had to steady the boy again, who stumbled and then leaned against him, closing his eyes for a moment and the realization hit him full force that this last panic attack and the teen struggling as much as he had, it had done no good to the already so damn weak child.

Gritting his teeth, he seated the boy back onto the chair he had been sitting in earlier.

Merlin! He had already banned the boy from showering, had him washing himself in his office over a bowl of warm water he'd heated over the fireplace. And now this … at this rate the Dark Lord really would have to wait in line to kill the child.

But then a new determination hit him, and his dark eyes grew hard for a moment.

He would not allow the boy to die, not down here, and not at the hands of the Dark Lord either.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

"Alright." Ronald started and Severus lifted his eyebrow at the boy. He had not left their common table and he had not left Harry's side for the last half an hour. Harry had only calmed down slowly. Of course, he had calmed down in his arms already, but he had still been upset, and he had just slowly been back to calm and comfortable – at least as comfortable as it was possible in their current situation.

"Alright, what about today?" The red head asked, and Harry lifted his eyes at his friend, a scowl on his face.

"Nothing is today." Harry then said. "It's just a stupid game! We need more than a stupid game! We need something that can destroy him for real and not pink flowers or pink teddy bears!"

"Is it that what you have been looking for, Harry?" Severus asked, worried. Was that blasted boy really foolish enough to try something to destroy the Dark Lord before he was an adult? Before he was ready and prepared? At least as ready and prepared as one could be when facing that madman?

"Yes." Harry then answered, green eyes meeting dark black eyes. "I know what you're about to say, but … this has to stop. I mean … dunno … it's just …"

"Let me make this clear from the start, Harry." Severus sternly said, his dark eyes still piercing the green ones in front of him. "I will not allow you, a child, fighting a war that is the adults' to fight. This is theoretically, and theoretically only! So – what exactly did you find?"

"Too little." The boy sighed, his shoulders slumping even more. "And that what I've found is unrealistic in the end just as well. I've found a shrinking solution, but even if he's as small as an ant, he will still have his powers and I guess they wouldn't shrink with him."

"No, I guess they won't." He admitted, waving his hand for the boy to go on.

"Well, then I've found a de-aging potion, and for a moment I thought that might be possible, we could de-age him until he'd become a small baby, and raise him so he wouldn't become evil. But it won't work either, because the moment he learns about his older self, he would probably become evil just all the same, won't he?"

"Perhaps." He nodded his head in thought. "But as we can't know for sure, it might actually be an idea – for the adults to handle, not for you. What else?"

"Well, the last thing I've found, is the forgetfulness potion. But even if he forgot all his reasons why he's so evil – he would still be evil in the first place."

"Exactly." Severus said. "And I am glad that you are realistic enough to see for yourself that it won't be so easy to overcome the Dark Lord with a simple potion. If there were a potion that would do that, then I would have found it already. I am a Potions Master after all, and I am the best Potions Master within Great Britain, not to mention."

"Show-off!" Draco snickered, but the boy had enough sense to quickly duck and leave the chair he was sitting on, approaching the other end of the table, and sitting down beside Hermione.

"Coward!" Severus shot back, the moment his hand that had intended to cuff the back of the boy's head hit sole air, his dark eyes following his godson's retreat with amusement hidden beneath a scowl at the boy's snickering. "If there had been a potion then I would have found it."

"I know, I know." The blond boy laughed. "But what about a spell? Or a potion combined with a spell?"

"Do you not think that the headmaster and I have tried finding such a combination that actually could be done successfully and safely?" Severus asked, frowning at Draco. "And do not mistake me, Mr. Malfoy – and that goes for you, Mr. Snape as well as for anyone else here – if I find one of you trying to set any foolish plan in motion to destroy the Dark Lord, then you will find yourself in more trouble than you are able to handle. You are children, all of you, and it is not your place to fight a war that is the adult's to fight. You can do so the moment you come of age and are prepared, but not while you are children. You would be dead before you had even the chance to face the Dark Lord, his Death Eaters would kill you the moment you just came close to any hideout. Your deaths would be meaningless then, pointless, lives taken on the light that might have become brilliant wizards in adult years, brilliant enough to perhaps even succeed in defeating the Dark Lord. Do not rob yourself of those chances by foolish and rush decisions."

He made sure to have eye-contact with each student for a moment before he looked back on Harry.

"However, I haven't thought of the de-aging potion in that way you thought of, Harry, and it is at least something for the adults to think about, for the adults, mind you – I will write the idea down for Albus to read – just encase." And everyone knew what case Severus was speaking of.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

'Thursday, 19th of September 1994, day 18

The jokes became serious discussion and I fear that the children might do something stupid and end up getting killed before their time. Not that this situation here is any better, it might lead to their death before their time just as well, but at least they are not to be blamed for this particular situation as it was an accident.

Harry is getting weaker by the day, visibly, and I fear that he might not last for much longer now if a solution isn't found soon. He dropped twice yesterday, and he had a panic attack today, an emotional breakdown that has eaten up most of his last remaining strength, something that not should have happened and that I have tried to avoid.

Draco, Theodore, Tracy, and Parvati do not fare much better, they, too, are getting weaker by the day, but they have a chance to survive for a few days more. They definitely will need a strengthening potion immediately upon being freed, light and small meals six or seven times a day, and they will need nutrient potions over a time span of a few weeks, but they do have a chance after all.

The same goes for the rest of the children, even if they do fare a bit better still. A strengthening potion surely won't be necessary right now, considering that the strengthening potion would give them a short energy push only. An immediate nutrient potion surely will do for now. The trickiest part will be keeping them from playing Quidditch for at least two or three months, at least until they have regained some weight and strength. They surely won't like it.

Another important point: never mind what – I have promised them to walk out of these dungeons on their own feet, and I have promised them to get them to the great hall straight away for a long needed light meal, air, and a known place they feel comfortable in. I know that you will not be pleased about this, Poppy, but it will be necessary for their mental health. They have to do this on their own, and I ask you to allow them this display of dignity. It is imperative that they do so on their own. You might lead them, you will have them resting on their way, but you will allow them doing so or I will haunt you from the afterlife!'

For a moment he paused, remembering their discussion just this afternoon. A discussion that had been so unlikely him, a discussion that had been so bizarre in the first place, it had nearly been startling, promising them something that he wouldn't be able to meet. He wasn't a person that made empty promises. He ordered, he threatened, he warned, and he carried out his threats – but he didn't promise, at least nothing that he could not keep. Never!

And yet – he had done just that.

Flashback

"And do not mistake me, Mr. Malfoy – and that goes for you, Mr. Snape as well as for anyone else here – if I find one of you trying to set any foolish plan in motion to destroy the Dark Lord, then you will find yourself in more trouble than you are able to handle. You are children, all of you, and it is not your place to fight a war that is the adult's to fight. You can do so the moment you come of age and are prepared, but not while you are children. You would be dead before you had even the chance to face the Dark Lord, his Death Eaters would kill you the moment you just came close to any hideout. Your deaths would be meaningless then, pointless, lives taken on the light that might have become brilliant wizards in adult years, brilliant enough to perhaps even succeed in defeating the Dark Lord. Do not rob yourself of those chances by foolish and rush decisions."

He made sure to have eye-contact with each student for a moment before he looked back on Harry.

"It's pointless anyway." Harry sighed, slumping in his chair, and leaning forwards, placing his arms onto the table and his head atop his arms. "You don't have to worry, dad. We won't get out of here in time anyway."

Again, the determination he had felt just moments before grasped his being and he stood, placing his hands onto the table and leaning close to his son, just like he had done once during defense last year, when he had covered Lupin's class during the full moon – the only difference was that back then, he had used this pose to intimidate the boy, to frighten him and to put him down. Now, he used this pose to make his point.

The thin and pale face that looked up at him startled right now, with a hint of fear and uncertainty even, indicated that Harry, too, remembered that particular defense lesson.

"You will listen now, Harry – all of you – and you will listen closely!" He slowly and softly said, but his voice – for once – held the same threatening tone people were used to when dealing with him. "You will leave these dungeons …"

"Yes, in a coffin …"

"You – will – leave – these dungeons!" He darkly growled, slowly, intoning each word and ignoring Ronald Weasley's remark, only throwing a menacing glare at the red head. "And you will leave these dungeons on your own feet …"

"And straight to the hospital wing – what a pleasant thought!" Draco threw in.

"… and you will go up to the great hall – on your own feet, by your own strength – for a much needed meal, as light as it might …"

"What strength?" Tracy quietly asked, whispered, but he heard it nevertheless – and chose to ignore it.

"You still have strength left! And you …"

"We haven't …" Even Neville whispered – but again, he chose to ignore it.

"You will leave these dungeons …"

"We're barely able to keep upright!" Harry murmured, about to lean his arms back onto the table in front of him, about to lean his head back onto his arms.

"SILENCE!" The Potions Master shouted, slamming his hand onto the tabletop in front of him and leaning forwards again, causing Harry to rear back against the backrest of his chair startled, and watching him with frightened large eyes.

"You WILL – leave these dungeons by your own strength and you still HAVE strength left for doing just that …"

"We haven't, and you know it, sir!" Vincent said, louder than the others had, and quickly he went towards the boy and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him up from his chair until the boy stood in front of him.

Well, he knew which child of his house he could intimidate like this, and Vincent was one who would neither be too startled, nor too scared like Theodore or Harry would be, and angrily he looked down his nose and into the boy's own angry eyes.

"You have no idea, Mr. Crabbe, what a human body is capable of surviving." He slowly and darkly, angrily, growled, nearly whispered. "You seem to have learned nothing from your father – luckily. And you – WILL – survive this! And do not mistake me on this, this is not a request – it is an order. You – will – survive this! And you will – leave – these dungeons – on your own feet – and with your own – strength. Is – that – absolutely – clear?"

End flashback

Vincent had nodded, quickly, knowing that he was deathly serious if he whispered like this, and the moment he finally had released the boy, had pushed him back into his chair and had looked over the other children, they, too, had nodded, just as quickly as had Vincent. And despite the fear that had been clearly written over Harry's face, those green eyes had held a new determination that had been missing for some days now, and that was all he had planned giving them. Something they could take a hold at.

He had been harsh, yes. And he had startled the Gryffindors, especially Harry, yes. But he had seen in the eyes of his Slytherins that they had been calmed by his actions, knowing that they had their teacher back, the one that would not coddle them, and he had seen in the eyes of his Gryffindors that they had been calmed by his actions then as well, knowing that they had their greasy git back, the one that would be harsh upon them to make his point – and to keep them safe.

So – all in all – they all had learned something today, even if it had not been in a way he had planned.

'I know that I have promised them something that most likely I won't be able to keep, so spare me the trouble of a reprimand, Albus, but it was what I felt at the time that it was needed. Hope is something that might do wonders, and even if I never have believed in hope, those children have the right to. They have the right to believe in hope and that is what I gave them today. Hopefully it will last and hopefully you will hurry with getting those blasted wards down.

One last note: the moment you get the children out of here, do not give them a calming draught. They will need to release their relief, even if it will be with tears. Do not try to calm them, comfort them, yes, but do not try to calm them, allow them to relieve their relief and the strain that has built since their imprisonment.'

Placing the quill aside and closing the ink pot he put the parchment atop the stack of parchments that already lay on his desk. A stack that was his … 'journal' … that was his – last wish – to Albus. Parchments over parchments, about thirty or thirty-five pieces, including the letter Harry had written to him ten days ago and including the last wish the boy had written just the night before.

His eyes wandered over to the boy and for a moment he huffed.

Despite the grave situation – and the situation was grave, it was deathly meanwhile – they still had managed to joke around the moment all had calmed down again.

Flashback

"You know, we could learn how to become animagi, and then we could try getting out of here." Ronald said, a frown on his face. "I'm sure that as a bug or something like that we'd manage."

Well, he was just about to say that it wouldn't work, that they would need the ability of doing magic to become animagi, not to mention that it took weeks and weeks to learn this particular skill, and even then not every witch or wizard could even do it at all, but then Harry shook his head at the red haired teen.

"Wouldn't be possible, we can't do magic." The raven haired boy said, and he frowned. "However, even if it were possible, then you better be glad that we're down here together with Severus and not with Lockhart, because if HE taught us how to become an animagus, we only would manage to end up as an animal without a brain, like the bear that was befriended with the rabbit."

"What happened to that bear?" Ronald asked, curiously.

"Well, it wandered through the woods together with the rabbit, peacefully, and then they met a faerie." Harry started, and Severus huffed. A bear and a rabbit, wandering the woods, peacefully, and then meeting a faerie! That was just ridiculous! But well, the child was joking again, even if he did so in a weak voice, speaking slowly and softly, but he did joke.

"And the faerie granted them three wishes for their display of harmony." Harry continued, causing him to snort at the very idea. "The bear, always eager, immediately said: 'I'd like, that all the bears within these woods were female, except for me, of course.' The rabbit blinked at the bear, but then shrugged, and the faerie waved her wand and then said: 'Your wish is granted, all bears within these woods are female now, except of you.' Then she looked at the rabbit expectantly. 'I'd like to have a helmet.' The rabbit simply said. The faerie waved her wand, and the rabbit had a helmet. She looked over at the bear who rubbed his paws. 'I don't know what you would like doing with a helmet, rabbit, but if I think it over, I'd like that all the bears within Great Britain are female, except for me, of course. I'm still young after all and I'll live for a few more years, yet.' The rabbit blinked at the bear again, but then shrugged and the faerie, again, waved her wand and then said: 'Alright bear, all bears within Great Britain are female now.'"

"That bear's stupid." Draco snorted. "He could have had this wish in the beginning."

"Course he could." Harry said, shrugging his shoulders and grinning. "But wait! The faerie looked over at the rabbit who said: 'I'd like to have a motorbike.' The faerie waved her wand, and a motorbike stood beside the rabbit. She looked over at the bear again, who scratched his head. 'Well.' The bear then said. 'If I think it over, I'm VERY young actually. Well, I'd like that the bears all over the world are female, except for me, of course.' The rabbit again blinked at the bear, shook his head, but then shrugged, and the faerie again waved her wand. 'Alright, bear, the bears all over the world, except for you, are female now.' She then said, looking over at the rabbit that put on the helmet, climbed onto the motorbike, and started the engine. Then the rabbit grinned, looked at the faerie and said: 'My third wish is – that the bear becomes gay.' And with that he drove away quickly."

He hadn't been able to keep from laughing out aloud at that, followed by the others.

"You're stupid." Ronald claimed the moment the laugher had died down a bit.

"I know." Harry answered, grinning.

"And yes, I am glad that we're not down here with Lockhart!" Ronald then growled darkly. "Imagine! He would drive all of us into madness!"

"Because he didn't get any fan mail down here." Harry laughed.

"And because he couldn't change his robes twice a day." Draco snickered.

"And because he couldn't have his favourite blend of tea each day either." Vincent growled.

"We couldn't have learnt anything from him!" Even Hermione, who'd had a crush on Lockhart back in their second year like all the other girls, had to admit now.

"I am glad that you consider it a lucky thing, being locked up for more than two weeks with me instead of Lockhart." Severus huffed. "Even if I am the evil dungeons bat."

"You're not that bad, dad." Harry answered, blushing. "At least you're not stupid."

"And you don't drive us mad." Draco still snickered.

"Not yet." Severus couldn't help answering, smirking at their horrified looks.

End flashback

He had given Harry as much hope as he had given the other children, yes, he had seen it in the boy's green eyes, yes, and the joke he'd made later had been proof of that just as well, yes. But the harm that had been done earlier with the child's panic attack that had eaten away a lot of the child's remaining strength, that had been little to begin with, all the hope he might have given him had not countered the damage this blasted panic attack had caused.

Harry hadn't even been able to get off the chair alone later, without his help. He hadn't been able to walk back to the mattresses alone, without his help, without him leading the boy either, and nevertheless he hadn't been able to sleep the moment he had lain at his 'bed', had curled into a small ball, his fists clutching the shirt over his stomach, and he knew that the boy had been in pain. In pain hunger had caused.

He had lain down behind his son, like he always did when Harry was unable to sleep, and he had cradled the boy to his chest, had taken the small fists into one of his own hands and with the other he had started to massage calming circles over the boy's stomach. And yet – where he normally fell asleep rather soon while being held, he hadn't been able to fall asleep for a long time tonight, the boy being as restless as he had been the night before.

Was this restlessness the storm before all would end? Was this restlessness a last rearing up? Did the child feel that the end was near? That he would die soon?

Harry hadn't been able to get up by himself later, when he had needed to use the loo. He hadn't had slept before, even if he had lain still in his arms, only turning once in a while. He had brought Harry over to the mattress at eight, like always, and the teen had started struggling at about half past ten. He had waited for a few minutes, forcing himself to wait and see if the boy would manage alone, knowing how the fourteen year old might feel if he couldn't get up by himself, but in the end he had pulled the boy to his feet and had led him towards the bathroom.

He had given him the privacy of using the loo himself, had left the bathroom the moment the boy was inside and had a grip on the sink, and he had waited until he had heard the boy calling out for help when he had been unable to get off the loo by himself. He had ignored the startled and pale face, the scared look, and the trembling limbs while he had pulled him to his feet again, and he had pulled up the boy's trousers, and had closed the buttons while the boy himself had had a death grip on his, Severus' arms – and again he had wondered if there had been more to the Dursley's abuse.

And if there was – then how might the child have felt in this moment? Merlin!

Again, his anger at those monsters rose to unknown limits.

If they made it out of here, then he would pay them a visit, he promised to himself.

Slowly he got off the chair behind his desk and slowly he went over to the mattresses where Harry finally slept, having fallen asleep just moments after they had been back, allowing him, Severus, the freedom of writing down his daily notes to the headmaster, and then he lay down behind his son, again wrapping his arms around the fragile and bony body, gently, without waking him, but sleep refused to come for a long time, until he finally fell into a restless dream-like state.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

To be continued

Next time in "twenty-one days"
nightmares and Slughorn

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 on ff, I'll install the house cup – with each review, please state your house, so that your house can get a point. There won't be loss of points, only gains … may the best house with the most reviews win …

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

Slytherin 83
Gryffindor 41
Ravenclaw 27
Hufflepuff 13
Hogwarts 21
Durmstrang 03