Chapter Text
-Harry-
“He’s got Padfoot,” Harry said through gritted teeth. “He’s got Padfoot, in the place where it’s hidden.” His voice came out a desperate plea, as he stared into the dark eyes of his potions professor.
Please understand. Harry thought, anxiously. Please. He didn’t know who he was praying to, just that he hoped they were listening.
“What does that mean?” Umbridge hissed, turning her head sharply between Harry and Snape. “Where what is hidden, Severus, what is the boy babbling about?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Snape drawled cooly, still staring at Harry in that unnerving manner without blinking.
Harry swallowed drily, he just had to hope that his second most hated professor (seeing as the woman in pink had wrestled the position of least favorite from the potion master handily) would understand. He would help. He would know what to do…right?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Harry raced through the hall of prophecies, ducking and narrowly avoiding a burst of red light. The stunning spell missed and shattered a shelf of silver orbs next to him, sending a torrent of broken glass and misty figures outward. The different voices of the seers intermingled and overlapped creating a cacophony of white noise, like sitting in a crowded cafe, but not hearing a single word that anyone is saying.
Harry ran around the corner at the end of the aisle. He had split up from the others and he could hear shouts and spells and bangs coming from other parts of the hall. His heart pounded, his head ached and he hoped that his friends were ok. That they were fighting. That they were winning. They had achieved so much over the course of the year. They had become better, closer, fiercer and he was proud of every single one of them. They could stand on their own, and they didn’t need him right now. Right now, he needed to lead the death eaters away from them so they all had a chance of getting out of this alive.
Harry skidded to a stop at a doorway and wrenched the handle just as a blast hit the wall beside his left shoulder. Ears ringing and feeling a little singed he bolted through the doorway hoping that more than one death eater was pursuing him and not following his friends.
The room was not quiet, but compared to the mayhem of the previous room it was like a tomb. Clocks ticked away steadily, hundreds of them lining the walls and shelves. Tiny pocket watches dangled from chains and wrist watches ticked away all laid out nicely on glass topped tables, huge grandfather clocks took up an entire wall. The ticking was all synchronized. It beat in time like each timepiece was wound and set at the exact same moment. It felt like a beating heart in surround sound, coming from every corner of the room. Harry couldn’t move. He felt the ticking in the soles of his feet, it traveled up his bones and resounded through his blood. The beating of his heart began to pump in time with the room. Thud, tick, thud, tick.
Harry didn’t have to think about the time room too long though, the door he had just slammed shut behind him exploded. He was shoved off his feet as wood splinters and plaster rained down on him where he landed on his stomach. He groaned, rolling over and pushed up onto his hands and knees. One of the glass table tops had been caught in the blast and he felt the sting in his skin as pieces bit into his hands and arms as he struggled to stand up.
“Potter. Why am I not surprised that you are making this endeavor more tedious than it needs to be?” Lucius Malfoy said as he strolled through the crater in the wall where the door had previously been. “You do seem to be an expert in causing as much mayhem and destruction as humanly possible.” Malfoy grinned savagely as Harry backed away from him, wand held in his hand tightly, waiting for the death eater to strike.
“It’s a pity Dumbledore didn’t keep a tighter leash on his pet martyr. You were supposed to be their savior, dying for the cause, and yet, now, you will be the Dark Lord's plaything until he deigns to kill you. It will be a mercy by the end I expect, he has never been known to be kind to his toys.” The grin on Malfoy’s face was feral and Harry swallowed, dryly. Malfoy took a step forward, wand raised.
A noise caught both their attention as the one intact door on the other end of the room banged open. Harry gaped and Malfoy’s eyes narrowed as Severus Snape swept into the room as if he had every right to barge into the department of mysteries and interrupt this battle. Snape paused and reviewed the scene, as if gauging the situation thoughtfully before he said,
“Well done, Lucius. The Dark Lord will be pleased that you have captured Potter alive, as requested.” Snape cocked his head as if inspecting Harry, and his eyes were dark, blank pools as he added “although not unharmed it seems.” Harrys hands were steadily dripping blood where he’d crawled through the glass. His slick hand clenched his wand tighter as Snape moved into the room to stand beside Malfoy.
“Severus, I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you were ordered to remain at the school and maintain your cover.” Malfoy hissed, not taking his eyes off Harry for a moment. Harry could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Snape was here. Was he here to protect them, or capture them? Harry stared at his professor standing there in his black robes, long dark hair brushing his shoulders, pale skin almost eerie in the low light from the ceiling.
Who are you? Harry thought.
“Lucius, you sound stressed,” Snape intoned. A slight hint of mocking in his voice “why, have the fifteen year olds given you trouble? Oh, I believe the youngest Weasley is still fourteen, my apologies.” Snape grinned and Malfoy turned his head just a fraction to dart a glance at Snape through the curtain of his long blonde hair.
“Enough, Severus. We get it, you’re the moody sarcastic one. Shut up and help me subdue the Potter brat so we can get out of here before the cavalry arrives, or so help me I will end your pathetic life, you miserable half-blood!” Malfoy was seething, his last threat reverberating through the ticking room. Harry adjusted his wand where his blood had been making it hard to hold on to.
Severus chuckled, and it was low and throaty and there was not an ounce of mirth behind that noise. It sent a shiver down Harry’s spine.
“Tsk, tsk, Lucius, so violent.” Harry had never heard Snape sound like this before. It was like watching someone you’ve known for years suddenly remove a mask you didn’t know they were wearing. “Don’t you know,” He said slowly, turning his back towards Harry and pulling his wand from its holster on his wrist. “I am the calvary.” And then he shot a spell directly at Lucius Malfoy.
Malfoy cursed and spun narrowly avoiding the curse and Snape took no time to close the distance between himself and Harry, grabbing Harry’s arm and pulling him behind him. “Don’t move from behind me and don’t get in my way” he growled low and Harry could hear the command for what it was. Non-negotiable.
Malfoy had recovered from his narrow miss and was whipping his wand through the air in a spray of bright red sparks. Snape raised his wand in response creating a shield between them and the angry blonde death eater. Malfoy roared with anger.
“You traitor. You fucking coward!” He screamed, all decorum lost. He was spitting mad and his calm and collected visage had been stripped away. Before them was a monster in expensive robes. “Our master will be so pleased when I bring him both your heads.” Malfoys’ wand hand whipped through the air and the next spell blasted toward them and hit their shield like a bomb going off. The shield held, but they were pushed backward. Harry felt his back hit something hard.
“Alright?” Snape asked, and it sounded genuine. Snape’s eyes were still trained on the fuming death eater, but Harry felt his non-wand arm reach back and touch Harry’s elbow, looking for confirmation, or perhaps just to steady him.
“Yeah,” Harry said, though the pain in his right arm was starting to become unbearable. He turned his head to see that the blast had pushed them back into one of the large grandfather clocks that lined the walls. The long pendulum swinging inside the door was as tall as Harry was and the clunk, clunk, clunk as it beat out each second reverberated through his skull.
Snape took a step forward, releasing Harry’s arm and dropping his shield charm as he swung his wand in a large arc, purple streaks of light spilling from his wand and tunneling towards the blonde like a tornado. Malfoy growled and spun his own shields, blocking most of the spell, but getting clipped in the shoulder when he miscalculated the angle of one of the whirls. Snape moved slowly forward, putting himself between Malfoy and Harry and raised his wand high…
Suddenly a blast rang out from beyond the gaping hole in the wall behind Malfoy. Two more death eaters, both still wearing their masks, ran into the room and pulled up beside Malfoy.
“Fuck” Snape whispered. Harry didn’t know what was more surprising, the man defending him or the man swearing in front of him. He almost wanted to laugh. Almost.
Before either of the new death eaters could assess the situation, Snape moved to send another curse at the trio. They dodged, but one of the newcomers was too slow and took the curse to the gut, howling in pain he dropped to the floor, clutching his stomach. Malfoy sprang up screaming and sent a curse barreling towards them. Harry could tell immediately that the aim was off. It was far too high above them to do any good.
It was almost as if it happened in slow motion. Snape tracked the spell, and then dismissed it, the same as Harry had done, and then whipped his head around quickly to stare at Harry. Harry was surprised Snape had taken his eyes off of Malfoy, but he didn’t get to be surprised for long. Snape was shouting something at him. His mouth was moving, but with everything happening all at once, Harry didn’t know what he was saying. Snape lunged toward him just as Harry looked up to where Malfoy’s curse had struck the grandfather clock looming above him. The face shattered, Snape was screaming again, the clock wobbled on its wooden feet and began to tip forward. Glass rained down and Harry flung his arms over his face to try to shield it. The clock groaned as it tipped over, Harry tried to move, but the stinging glass shards in his hands and face were making it hard to think. Instead he moved his arms just in time to see the massive clock face come crashing down on him.
His world exploded with sound and color, he felt pressure all around him, and then everything went dark.
^^^^^^^^^^
-Severus-
The sun was just rising over the tops of the trees, the black lake glowing in the soft dawn light, as Severus quietly pushed open the castle's front doors, letting them fall closed silently behind him. He adjusted the satchel slung over his back and swiftly made his way down the path leading from the castle to the forbidden forest.
The night had been cool, but the clear blue sky promised a warm June day. Severus entered the shade of the trees at the edge of the forest and bent his head to scan the ground in search of the potion ingredients he needed. He had gotten up early in order to avoid the scrutiny of the rest of the student body. He could not always afford to purchase ingredients he needed, but he could count on finding some of the more common ingredients in the forest surrounding the castle. Considering how much brewing he did outside of the school curriculum, it wasn’t surprising how quickly he ran out.
Severus stayed near the edge of the forest. He was unwilling to travel too far into darkness, even if it promised more ingredients. After walking for a while, he spotted a little patch of herbs and bent down. He set his bag down gently and carefully harvested them, laying each sprig lightly onto a cloth before he folded it closed. He was so focused on his task that when a loud boom echoed through the forest his head whipped towards it so quickly he felt his neck crack with the force. The noise echoed off the trees and seemed to roll through his bones and rattle his teeth. The air felt electrified and he smelled hot ozone on the breeze. It was followed by a quiet so unsettling, Severus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The forest seemed to still, no breeze rustled the treetops, no morning birdsong floated overhead. The earth held its breath.
He stayed on his knees, eyes straining into the darkness of the forest before him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see what made the sound or if he was too terrified of knowing. A moment passed, and then another. Soon the noises of the forest began again, slowly, like someone turning the volume back up on the world one degree at a time. Severus rose to his feet, lifting his bag back onto his shoulder and swinging it behind him gently so he didn’t crush the precious ingredients nestled in the bottom. He was no Gryffindor, running off to investigate the mysterious noises. That was idiotic. He turned and took a step towards the tree line, towards the sunshine that was now streaming onto the grounds just beyond the edge of the forest.
That was when he heard the sound of someone crying out. It was quiet, but the voice sounded so sad and hopeless as they moaned out a pained cry behind him. Severus froze mid step and turned his head to look, once again, into the dark void of the forest. The cry came again and Severus felt the pull of that distress in his gut and turned fully and began to walk towards the sound.
“Stupid, stupid, Gryffindor behavior,” he said to himself as he followed the stifled cries. “Hello?” Severus called gently into the darkness. The cries continued and he heard rustling coming from behind a copse of trees directly in front of him.
Severus peeked behind a tree and stopped dead. On the ground by the base of a large fir was a boy. He was dark haired and dirty. He appeared to be wearing muggle jeans and a long sleeve shirt. The arms on his shirt were ripped and covered in blood. He wore round frame glasses that were currently pushed up on his forehead as he used a non ripped piece of sleeve to scrub at his face. He was crying.
Severus took another step forward and the boy’s head snapped up as he whipped out his wand and pointed it directly at Severus so quickly it was almost impressive. The boy's eyes were puffy and red from crying, but they were hard and serious as he glared at Severus. Severus stepped forward slowly with his hands held in front of him in what he hoped was a non threatening manner.
“Are you ok?” Severus asked calmly, stepping fully around the tree and into the clearing so the boy could see him properly and know he wasn’t trying to sneak up on him. “I am not going to hurt you,” he said. The boy’s eyes widened as he watched Severus. He looked shocked and confused, but mostly he looked hurt. There were scratches covering his face and the cuts on his arms were leaking a steady drip of blood onto the forest floor.
“You’re hurt,” Severus said, “I can help heal those. I promise you can trust me.”
The boy lowered his wand cautiously, and the shock on his face slowly transformed back into grief.
“Isn’t that exactly what someone who would want to hurt me would say?” he asked. His voice was low and breathy and he sounded tired.
“Probably. I want to help you, though. Will you let me?” The boy nodded slowly, tucking his wand into his pocket as he began to stand up. “Stay seated, please.” Severus said as he walked forward and lowered to his knees beside the dark haired boy. He reached out slowly, grasping the boy’s wrist gently. The moment Severus touched him, there was a sharp shock of static that sent a small wave through his fingers. He could feel the energy run over his skin and up his arm, dissipating into his chest. A moment later and the feeling was gone. The boy’s wide staring eyes meant that he most likely felt it too, but Severus didn’t want to waste time wondering what had happened when the boy needed medical attention. They could figure out the odd shock later. Severus moved the sleeve of the ruined shirt back and assessed the still dripping wounds. There were several shallow scratches and one long clean gash splitting the soft forearm in a 3 inch line of red.
“It’s deep but clean,” Severus said, mostly to himself. The boy nodded solemnly and only hissed a bit when Severus pulled his wand out and muttered an antiseptic cleaning spell over the wounds. “Sorry,” Severus murmured. “I know from experience those spells hurt. Can’t risk it becoming infected though.” He wished he was in his room with his pre-made stash of healing potions, but he would have to make do with his wand for now.
“You’re good at this,” the boy said matter-of-factly. He was watching Severus intently. Severus looked up from his ministrations momentarily and caught the boy’s gaze. Green. So very, very green. His eyes were piercing and Severus lost his focus, gripping the boy's wrist tightly as he stared into those emerald depths. “Do you…” the boy started, “do a lot of healing?” he asked.
“I…do. I had to learn to heal myself, so most of my knowledge is trial and error.” That was more than he meant to say, but the boy’s eyes were looking straight into his soul and he didn’t think he could lie to him if he tried.
“Why do you need so much healing?” the dark haired boy asked, cocking his head slightly in a manner that made Severus’s heart beat faster. For some reason.
“Doesn’t matter,” Severus said, quickly. “I’m glad I know for occasions like this, though.” He murmured a spell over the wound and the blood slowly stopped dripping from the open gash. “What’s your name?” Severus asked as he waited for the blood to coagulate enough to begin closing the wound.
The boy paused for a long moment, staring at Severus in an unnerving manner. Severus wanted to squirm under his gaze, and he was subjected to the scrutiny of pureblood Slytherins and haughty Gryffindor’s on a daily basis so he thought his tolerance for scrutiny was quite high. Either he was incorrect or this boy was capable of getting under his skin in a way he wasn’t previously aware was possible.
“Harry.” The boy stated.
“Harry,” Severus said, feeling it out. Harry nodded and Severus squeezed his wrist a bit. “Nice to meet you, Harry.” he said, and then he murmured the skin stitching spell he learned from a book in the restricted section of the library and Harry’s eyes widened as he sucked in a pained breath.
“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Severus said as soon as his spell was done. He continued to hold Harry’s arm up so he could monitor the progress as the delicate veins and layers of skin re-knit before his eyes. “I’ve never had to test it on a laceration so big, but I know it hurts. I should have warned you, I apologize,” he looked up and Harry was watching him again. Big green eyes intent and focused. Severus swallowed thickly.
“As soon as the skin is healed I will clean it again and wrap it, and then I will look at your other injuries, alright?” he asked. “Do you…are there any more major wounds like this that I can’t see?” Harry shook his head.
“No, this is the only one, thank you.” Harry looked at him long and hard again. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. The question surprised Severus. It seemed too normal and out of place in this odd interaction.
“I was gathering herbs.” Severus gestured to his bag on the ground beside him. “Some healing herbs are most effective when picked at dawn, and since school will be ending soon and I will be home, unable to brew, I am stocking up on potions I’ll need for the summer holiday,” Harry was watching him intently. He seemed to absorb every word. No one had ever listened to Severus like that, even Lily’s eyes glazed over when he spoke about potions. Harry seemed to be hanging on to every word he said, though. A lightness filled Severus’ chest at the thought of being interesting enough to hold the dark-haired boy’s attention.
Severus looked down at the arm he still held clutched in his pale hands. The skin seemed to have finished knitting together, with only a small angry red line to show there had ever been a wound.
“It will most likely leave a scar. I’m sorry I’m not better at this,” Severus said, shaking his head and inspecting the skin around the closed wound again. To his surprise, Harry began to laugh. Severus lifted his gaze and found Harry staring at him with a lopsided grin on his face. It was confusingly adorable.
“Sorry, Sorry,” Harry breathed through his laughter, “it’s not really funny. I am not a stranger to scars though, I likely will not even notice this one. Thank you for being so nice about it though. I think you’re doing a great job.” Harry grinned up at him and Severus swore his heart stopped beating for a moment. Is that what they mean by ‘skipping a beat’. He always thought it was overly-romanticized drivel, but the evidence of the stutter in his chest was incontrovertible.
“I’m sorry,” Severus said after a pause in which Harry’s smile began to fade. “I wish there was more I could do. I’d take away all of your scars if I knew how. Maybe there is a spell or potion I can find in the library…” He drifted off as he realized that he was rambling. He also realized, worryingly, that Harry’s face was looking very pale.
“Can…” Harry began, softly. “Can I ask you a question, and promise you will just answer it first without asking why?” Harry was looking into Severus’s eyes as if begging him to comply. How could Severus say no to those big, beautiful green eyes? He couldn’t.
“You can ask. I promise,” he said without hesitation. Harry nodded once.
“What, er…What is the date? ” Harry asked. Severus raised an eyebrow at the question, it was so bizarre. Harry chuckled softly, seemingly at the face Severus was making which was odd, but Severus set aside his multitude of questions momentarily to answer Harry’s question.
“It is June 24th,” He said. Harry shook his head.
“What year?” He asked.
“What…year?” Severus repeated, slowly. Harry nodded and Severus looked at him hard, but his face was open and honest. He was being serious.
Severus swallowed hard. “1976,” he said.
Harry’s eyes grew comically wide as he stared up at Severus from his seated position on the forest floor. The shock in his expression was quickly overshadowed by grief. The sadness in Harry’s eyes and the set of his mouth sent a shockwave of compassion through Severus. Without thinking he reached out and brushed Harry’s cheek with the back of two fingers. That little shock went right up his fingertips once again, although not as strong as the first time.
“Are you alright?” Severus asked, withdrawing his hand from the soft skin of Harry’s face. Harry reached up and brushed the place Severus had just touched.
“No,” he said simply.
“What can I do to help?” Severus scooted closer so their knees were touching where they sat on the ground. He worried that Harry would move back, rejecting the comfort of closeness that Severus was offering. He was terrified for a moment of this boy treating him with the same disdain that he had received from almost everyone else for the whole of his life. But Harry didn’t move away, instead he seemed to lean forward, and Severus held his breath at the small, but meaningful movement.
“I…I don’t,” Harry stammered, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in a moment of what Severus could only see as panic. “I don’t know if anyone can help me.” His face looked pale and he swayed slightly and that was all the warning Severus got before Harry’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Severus lunged forward, catching Harry around the shoulders with one arm and his waist with the other before he could fall to the ground. Severus shifted them so he had Harry pulled into his lap, cradling the boy’s slight body against his own.
“Harry,” he said, shaking him slightly, but there was no reaction. Severus moved his hand up to feel the pulse point at Harry’s neck and was beyond relieved to feel a steady thump under his fingers. He sat back on his heels, holding the limp boy closer to his chest.
Severus carefully removed Harry’s glasses and tucked them into his pocket. Absently he began to card his fingers through Harry’s hair as he worried about what to do next. He could try to wake him magically, but the cause of his faint was likely exhaustion or blood loss (or both) and so waking him would do no good if he didn’t treat those first. He needed his potions. He needed to be in two places at once, because he was NOT going to leave Harry passed out and alone in the middle of the forest while he sprinted back to the dungeons to get the potions.The idea of leaving him now that he was holding him so closely was abhorrent.
“Fuck,” he intoned quietly, and gave the small body in his arms a reassuring squeeze to calm himself down. Harry was breathing quietly and when Severus brushed the hair away from his forehead, he was relieved that the boy wasn’t running a fever. He was a little concerned with the scar above his right eye that extended from his hairline above his temple and streaked out like a web of crackling lightning, with the longest line bisecting the corner of his right eyebrow. It was mesmerizing, but obviously an older injury since it was well healed and white against Harry’s bronze skin. Nothing to worry about at the moment. This must have been what Harry had meant earlier about not being a stranger to scars.
Severus picked up each of Harry’s wrists in turn and gently turned his arms and hands over, inspecting the rest of his injuries. None of them were as deep as the first one, but a few still leaked blood at a steady drip. Severus waved his wand over them, casting the antiseptic spell and the blood clotting spell to keep them from causing more harm. He noticed several more older scars littering the boy’s arms and hands as well.
Severus rose as best he could while holding Harry’s dead weight in his arms. He was tall, yes, but not an athlete, so it was a bit disconcerting that he was able to lift the boy so easily. Harry was small. Thin and wiry, and Severus was sure that if they stood side by side, Harry would barely make it to Severus’ chin in height. Severus shifted his weight and began to walk towards the edge of the forest, with no plan yet in mind.
He walked in the direction of the castle, while staying hidden in the tree line. The sun had risen and was baking the lawn in warmth. Bees could be heard droning in the field and the soft lapping of water at the edge of the black lake was a gentle lull.
Suddenly Severus stopped dead. He heard voices, shouts echoing over the sounds of the waking grounds. The yells were jovial yet they sent a shiver down his spine, because he recognized them.
“Come on, Moony, come swim with us!” James Potter's voice was as loud and grating as ever to Severus’ ears, although he may be biased. Lupin’s response was too quiet to hear as Severus leaned against a tree, hiding from view of where the quartet had commandeered a part of the pebbly beach around the lake to lay out in the sun.
“Leave him be, if he wants to pout then let him.” That was Black, his voice sounding harsh in the morning quiet.
“You two fighting again?” Pettigrew said, although it was harder to hear since it sounded like he wasn’t fully awake yet.
“No.” Black and Lupin said at the same time and Potter laughed at them.
“Just apologize, Padfoot. I’m sure Moony’ll forgive you for whatever stupid thing you’ve said or done this time,” Potter said. Black could be heard sputtering out a response about how he was always blamed and always in trouble for something or other. Pettigrew and Potter were laughing and saying that was because he was always fucking up and asking for forgiveness. Lupin grumbled something Severus couldn’t hear, but a moment later his heart flew into his throat as he heard the sounds of footsteps walking up the path and into the shade of the trees.
“Fuck, fuck fuck,” Severus whispered, he tried to adjust Harry in his arms so that he could pull his wand out, while simultaneously trying to move behind the tree and out of sight of Lupin, who was walking angrily up the path. He froze, however, when he realized that moving behind the tree would put him in line of sight with the beach, and when given the choice he would rather be discovered by Lupin than any of the other three.
Lupin froze on the path as Severus held his breath. Lupin was looking at him with a piercing stare and he seemed to…smell the air? Severus shifted Harry’s weight where he had begun to slip down and Lupin immediately looked down and saw the boy Severus cradled in his arms. Scratched and bloody and unconscious. Yeah, Severus could admit that this didn’t look great.
“Lupin,” Severus whispered, almost pleadingly. He didn’t care how he sounded though, he only knew that he needed to get Harry healed, keep him safe and, for now, keep him secret. He was not going to go barging into the school with a half dead teenager in strange clothes who appeared in a forest that no one can apparate into without speaking to Harry more.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Lupin said, voice low and deadly in his anger. At least he wasn’t yelling and calling in the irritating calvary just yet.
“I found him like this,” Severus hissed. “He appeared in the forest and he was hurt and confused. I swear I did not do this to him.” Severus was desperate for Lupin to believe him. He held Harry pulled tight to his chest, as if Lupin’s anger might somehow rip the boy from his arms.
“You found him…in the forest?” Lupin’s face paled and his eyes swept over the boy quickly before he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. “He wasn’t attacked here.” He said simply before walking slowly toward Severus. A loud whoop from the three at the lake had Lupin’s eyes moving behind him warily.
“We can’t be here. They’ll come looking for me eventually.” Severus was surprised by the ‘we’, but Lupin motioned for him to follow as he moved further into the forest and the dark, cool cover the trees provided. After a while Lupin stopped and turned to face Severus again.
“You swear you did not hurt him?” Lupin looked murderous as he asked, eyes sweeping over Harry, his nose, once again, sniffing the air between them. Severus didn't have time to worry about Lupin’s oddities, however.
“I swear on my magic I did not hurt him.” Severus said. “I found him while I was gathering potion supplies early this morning. There was a concussive sound accompanied by the smell of something burning, the forest went deathly quiet after. Unnaturally so. Then I heard him cry out. When I found him he was alert and responsive with a large laceration on his forearm. I healed the wound as best I could, but I believe blood loss and exhaustion may have caused him to lose consciousness. I was trying to find a way to get to my healing potions in the castle without leaving him alone in the forest when you came.” Severus rushed through all of this information.
“Why not bring him to the castle? Lupin asked, cocking his head to the side in an odd manner.
“I’m worried.” Severus breathed, allowing the emotion he was feeling to display on his face, which he normally took great pains to avoid. “I found him crying, alone, and injured. His arrival was obviously magical in nature, but it should be impossible to enter the Hogwarts wards in such a manner. He is distressed, afraid and…” Severus paused here, unsure if he should tell Lupin the rest of his concerns, given their antagonistic relationship up until this point.
“Snape, I promise not to tell the others anything you tell me. What has got you so worried?” Lupin’s voice was soft and reassuring in a way Severus knew the boy could not feign. He was not that clever a manipulator. He was no Slytherin.
“He asked me what the date was. He specifically asked me what year it was.” Severus breathed out heavily. He pulled Harry tighter to his chest, he needed to get this done. He needed to get Harry the healing potions that would help him.
Lupin’s eyebrows came together in a puzzled expression and then shot into his hairline in surprise. He breathed out heavily.
“You think he is, what, some kind of time traveler?” he asked. Severus only nodded, too unsure of his hairbrained theory himself to voice it out loud.
“Maybe he’s just a regular boy who got lost in the forest. Maybe I’m reading too much into the question and his strange appearance.” Severus eyed Lupin hard before he added, “but I believe that the best course of action is to keep him secret until we know more. I will not risk his safety by rushing into a decision. Especially when he is like this.” He nodded down to the unconscious form in his arms. He would not make a decision for Harry while he had no input.
Lupin nodded once and firmed his face into one of determination. The Gryffindor planted his feet and looked Severus in the eye as he said, “I will stay with him while you go and get your potions.” Severus wanted to cry with relief, but he was still a bit wary of the sudden helpfulness. It was only a few weeks ago this boy had watched his friends throw Severus’ belongings into the black lake, laughing that now the ‘greasy git’ would have to take a bath to fish them out again. And while Lupin was never an instigator in the pranks or ridicule, neither was he outspoken against it. He watched from the sidelines as his friends made Severus’ life miserable.
“I swear on my magic that I will not harm him in any way.” Lupin’s eyes flashed gold for a moment, so fast that he almost missed it. Probably just a trick of the light, he thought. Severus breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. Lupin stepped forward hesitantly and Severus moved to place Harry in the other boy’s arms.
“He’s so light,” Lupin said, adjusting Harry so that the boy’s head was resting against the taller boys’ chest.
“I know,” Severus breathed out. “I will be as quick as I can. I don’t want to leave him here in the forest, but I don’t have any better idea of a place to keep him safe.” Severus reached out his hand as he said this and moved Harry’s hair back, tucking a lock behind his ear.
“I have a place,” Lupin said, watching the movement of Severus’ hand. Severus jerked his head up to look at the other boy. Light, sandy brown hair framed his face, more than a few scars on his nose and cheek looked recently healed, and for the thousandth time Severus briefly wondered why the boy was constantly injured.
“Where?” Severus asked.
“Go. Get the potions, and meet me by the whomping willow on the east side of the lawns.” Severus was confused, but Lupin was giving him a severe look so he simply nodded and turned on his heel towards the castle.