“We, and all others who believe in freedom as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees”
--Franklin D. Roosevelt

~*~*~*~

Severus dropped back slightly as they reached the door. Mentally, he applauded his students; they'd done what they came to do and gotten away. If he were a betting man, he'd bet that they were being guarded by Order members while the Dark Lord's imbeciles tried to get through the door. He pulled up his hood so that he wouldn't be recognized and moved further behind the other Death Eaters.

Severus had been lucky to be in on this plan—they were to have stolen the prophecy, captured the boy, and brought both to the Dark Lord, who would be waiting for them on the main floor. He had, of course, informed the Headmaster of the plan as soon as he had discovered it; he just hadn't known that he would personally be there. It was unusual for the Dark Lord to send him on raids. Bad tactics, that. One tended not to risk one's skilled labor in such ways.

Finally, using a blasting curse, the buffoons got through the door. Severus followed them, purposely staying in the background. They followed the children through the open door and out into the hall where they were met by a large group of Order members. Soon, the hall descended into chaos with duelers firing curses and hexes in every direction. He fired off some half-hearted curses for appearences' sake as he moved stealthily through the fighters.

“NOOOOOOO!” Severus heard the pain-filled scream. “SIRIUS!” He hurried his pace; the voice was all-too familiar. He arrived in time to see Bellatrix send a cutting curse at the boy. Blood streamed from a cut on the boy's side. He got as close as he dared before tuning into the conversation.

“Filthy nachzehrer,” Harry spat.

“Is itty bitty baby Potter comparing big, baaad me to a vampire?” Bellatrix cooed.

“Oh, I am,” Harry gave her a wolfish grin. “A vampire that only preys on rotted corpses; I need not have fear of the likes of you, nachzehrer.”

Bellatrix's face turned an ugly shade of purple. “Avada Kedavra,” she hissed.

Severus pointed his wand at her. “REDUCTO,” he yelled, and then without thought, yanked Harry out of the way. He didn't stop to look at the damage he'd inflicted on Bellatrix. Instead, he pulled Harry into a corner, ignoring his attempts to get free.

“Foolish child!” he said. “There will be time to mourn the dead later!”

“Death Eater!” Harry hissed. “Why do you care?”

Severus snarled to himself as he yanked down his hood and pulled off his mask. “You are not to get yourself killed!” he snarled. “We have a battle going on, and you are not yet ready for such things!”

He watched the boy fight down his anger. “Yes, sir,” he said finally.

“The others should already have got to safety,” he said in a quieter tone. “Come, let's get you out of here as well.”

“But Sirius,” Harry protested.

“He will be taken care of,” Severus promised. “Come.” He started pulling the child towards the lift. He got both of them in, up to the ground floor, and out of the lift before the mental attack hit. Because of the link, he felt ghost pains on his forehead. He looked up to see the Dark Lord standing not more than ten meters away.

“So you smashed my prophecy, boy?” Voldemort said softly.

“Yes,” Harry snarled. “I'd do it again!”

“And you, Severus, my little snake... you have betrayed me.”

Severus smirked. “I haven't been yours for eighteen years,” he said, then fired a curse at the bastard.

Voldemort fired one back. “All my planning, months and months of work, wasted,” he lamented. “All because of a child and a spy, my loyal Death Eaters failed!”

Severus bowed mockingly. “Glad to be of service,” he sneered.

He saw it coming; years of being a so-called loyal Death Eater prepared him for it. “Avada Kedavra,” Voldemort said softly.

As the green light raced towards them, Severus prepared to grab the boy and get both of them out of the way. But before he could, one of the statues from the fountain jumped out of its fittings and inserted itself between them and the curse. It shattered as Voldemort looked on in astonishment.

“What---?” Voldemort looked around wildly. “Dumbledore,” he breathed.

Severus inclined his head in a gesture of respect. “Headmaster,” he said quietly.

“Get him out, Severus,” Dumbledore ordered. “Take all the children back to school.”

“Yes, sir,” he said. Severus threw up the strongest shield he could manage, grabbed Harry's arm and started leading him to the evacuation point. They had to dodge a few ill-aimed killing curses, but it wasn't long before they reached the sheltered spot from which the children were being kept away from the battle.

The boy was silent. Severus spared him a look and frowned when he noticed that the boy's eyes were wide with shock. He swore slightly when he noticed the blood on the child's robes. Ignoring the others, he conjured a blanket and wrapped it around Harry. He brushed off the annoying werewolf as Harry's eyes started to change color.

“Traitor,” he hissed. “You will pay for betraying me and mine.”

Suppressing the urge to curse, he tipped the boy's chin up. “Come on, Harry, drive him out,” he coaxed. “I know you can do it, child. Put him in the cupboard and expel him.”

Severus could feel the child's struggle, and he wished he could help. The Dark Lord's ham-handed Legilimency wasn't fun, and he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. After several minutes, Harry finally managed to throw off the attack. The child's knees buckled, and he started to fall.

Severus caught him before he could injure himself, swung the unconscious boy into his arms, and moved closer to the others. “Severus?”

He scowled at the sound of the werewolf's voice. “What?” he growled.

“What happened?”

“If you must know,” Severus sneered. “The boy just fought off an attack from the Dark Lord and blacked out from the effort.” He smirked as an idea occurred to him. “If you're so concerned, Lupin, then you can carry the brat.”

Severus gave his burden to the werewolf, ignoring the man's words, and turned to the rest of the children. “Is anyone hurt?” he inquired.

“Why should you care?” Ron demanded.

Severus repressed the urge to snarl at the boy. It had been a difficult night, and such behavior would not obtain the information that he needed. “Unfortunately,” he said with a sneer, “you are still my students, and as such, I am responsible for your welfare. Now, is anyone injured?”

All five children shook their heads no. It was a miracle. Aside from getting himself hurt and possessed, and exposing the Order's highest-ranking spy, the boy had managed to follow the plan. Severus resisted the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. “There's a public floo over there,” he said.

Lupin must've caught on to his thought. “Come along, children,” he ordered. “Madame Rosmerta keeps her floo open, so we'll floo over to The Three Broomsticks and then walk up to the castle from there.”

None of the children objected overly much as they made their way to the floo. Severus handed out floo powder and sent Lupin through first, then his students, before following them. Absently, he nodded to Madame Rosmerta, ushered them all outside and up to the castle, then ordered all of them to the hospital wing before taking Potter from Lupin.

He followed the children, holding the boy tightly. “Foolish child,” he said, addressing the unconscious boy. “One of these days, you and I must have a talk about letting your heart rule your head and running off into situations that can get you killed.” He paused for a moment while he climbed the stairs.

“Sometimes, child, you have all the self-preservation instincts of a lemming.” Severus lapsed into silence until he reached the Hospital Wing. He laid the child on the bed, then turned around to search for Madame Pomfrey.

“Poppy,” he called.

She looked up from where she was checking one of the other students. “Yes?”

“Potter was hit by a cutting curse,” he informed her.

She gave him a short nod, then strode over. With a spell, she stripped the child, frowning as she noticed his collection of fresh wounds. With a muttered spell, she cleaned the blood off him, then mended the cuts. “Blood replenishing potion,” she requested absently. “Ennervate,” she said quietly.

Severus strode over to the potion storage cabinet, pulled out the correct vial, and gave it to her, then helped her feed it to the groggy boy. He also helped the child drink a vial of Dreamless Sleeping potion—Harry needed rest.

With another muttered spell, Pomfrey redressed Harry in pajamas. Without conscious thought, Severus tucked the blankets around him, then sat down by his bed. He refused to think about why he had done it. He didn't want to reason out why he felt he needed to sit by the boy's bed. Dimly he heard Poppy fussing over the others and giving them sleeping potions, but he was too lost in thought to pay it much mind.

It wasn't that the foolish child had almost gotten killed. It couldn't be; Potter had a brush with death almost every year. It wasn't that he cared. It couldn't be. The insufferable brat was still the bane of his existence. But there was something... comforting... about watching Lily's child still there and breathing. While Harry was alive, so was part of his friend. Severus reached over, took off the boy's glasses, and placed them on the bedside table.

He took the opportunity to study Harry's face. Strange, that. Looking at the boy without his glasses, he could see more of Lily's features than were usually apparent. He had her nose, and there was something about her in the shape of his jaw. Earlier that year, he'd already noticed that the boy had Lily's smile, despite having James's mouth.

Dimly, he heard Poppy's voice gabbling about the others staying overnight, but he wasn't really paying attention. He had almost failed in his vow to Lily; it had only been luck that had placed him in the right place to pull the boy out of the way. Black was dead. The options that they'd discussed during the meeting at Headquarters were not quite viable anymore.

He didn't know how long he spent lost in thought, contemplating the child's situation before he was interrupted. “Severus,” the Headmaster's voice interrupted.

Severus inclined his head. “Headmaster,” he said quietly. “What happened after we left?' he asked.

“The Ministry showed up,” Dumbledore began. “Fudge saw Voldemort with his own eyes, and most of the Death Eaters were captured, including Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.”

Severus leaned back slightly. “Good,” he said. “Did they catch Pettigrew?”

Dumbledore nodded. “Sirius's name will be cleared,” he said. “And Harry?”

“He was on the wrong end of a cutting curse,” Severus explained. “And he was possessed briefly. He blacked out after he got rid of the Dark Lord; Poppy gave him some Dreamless Sleep.”

Dumbledore nodded and spent a few minutes watching Harry. “I wish she had not,” he said softly. “There are some things that I should have told him before that he needs to know now.”

Severus gave the Headmaster a sharp look, his hackles rising. “No,” he said. “Are you aware what happened to Black?” he demanded.

A brief look of pain passed over Dumbledore's face. “Yes,” was the short answer.

“Give him a few days, Headmaster,” Severus said. “He has spent most of the last six months having his world rearranged without his consent. Let him find balance before you knock him over again with revelations.”

For a moment, Dumbledore looked as if he were about to object, then nodded. “We have many things to sort out before end of term for young Harry,” he said, as if half to himself.

“He will not be sent back to the Muggles,” Severus said with a scowl. “You have the guardianship papers, do you not?”

After a few moments, Dumbledore nodded slowly.

Recklessly, without thinking it through, Severus plunged ahead. “I am sworn to protect the boy,” he began. “I will keep him safe—it has recently occurred to me that the best way to do that is to take him into my care.”

Dumbledore looked shocked to say the least. “But your spying!” he objected.

“Is over,” Severus replied calmly. “I will still be your spymaster, Headmaster, but I was seen saving Potter tonight. I can no longer be your main spy on the Dark Lord.”

Dumbledore bowed his head for a moment. “I see,” he murmured.

“I will teach him everything he needs to know to defeat the Dark Lord,” Severus said quietly. “I will teach him what he needs to know to stay alive and give him damn better care than the Muggles ever did.”

Dumbledore looked at him. “Are you sure about this, Severus?” he asked.

Deep down, he wasn't, really. But he wouldn't let his doubts stop him. He would protect Lily's child. He would make sure that the boy survived the war intact. “Yes,” he said briefly. “I have the means to provide for him in ways that would make Malfoy jealous,” he reminded the old wizard.

“I have the means to hire tutors to teach him what I cannot, and you know as well as I do that my country estate is under Fidelius and neither Voldemort nor any of his followers know of its existence, let alone its location.” Severus propped his left ankle on his knee.

“I'm not sure this is a good idea,” Dumbledore murmured.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “And yet you thought leaving him with the Muggles was a fine one,” he said. “You should have listened to Minerva and found somewhere else to place him.”

Dumbledore inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I admit that my decisions have not always turned out for the best,” he said.

“Neither have mine,” Severus said. “But this one will. I will protect Harry, Headmaster. Bring me the papers.”

Dumbledore seemed to study the pattern in the stone floor for a few moments. “Very well,” he said. “You shall have them first thing in the morning.

Severus nodded. “Thank you, Headmaster,” he said. “Now that the floos have been unblocked and are no longer monitored, I must make a call.”

“Might I ask whom to?”

Severus favored him with a wolfish grin. “Why, Tonks and Shacklebolt, of course. They should be... visiting... the Dursleys soon, and I wish to be there when they do.” With that as a parting shot, he stood and swept out of the room, leaving six sleeping children, a matron fussing over her charges, and a slightly bewildered Headmaster.