Never Alone by Julz
Summary: Severus Snape is a complicated man, but when it comes to protecting Harry Potter's life, there is nothing more simple than succeeding. When Severus finds himself caring for the boy after an attack, how will their relationship change? Snape-Harry mentor fic.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Arthur, Bellatrix, Draco, Dudley, Dumbledore, Fred George, Ginny, Hagrid, Hermione, Lucius, McGonagall, Molly, Neville, Original Character, Petunia, Remus, Ron, Shacklebolt, Sinistra, Tonks, Vernon, Voldemort, Wormtail
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Out of Character Snape, Overly-protective Snape
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
Media Type: None
Tags: Adoption, Animagus!Snape, Kidnapped, Pregnancy, Sibling Addition, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 6th summer, 6th Year, 7th summer
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Character Death, Neglect, Out of Character, Profanity, Rape, Romance/Het, Romance/Slash, Self-harm, Suicide Themes, Torture, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 62 Completed: Yes Word count: 397611 Read: 400105 Published: 24 Jun 2009 Updated: 10 Feb 2016
These Dreams: Part 2 by Julz
Author's Notes:
Here's the second half of chapter 35, These Dreams! This chapter was one of the hardest ones to write. I hope you all enjoy!

“Harry, are you still awake?” Severus asked incredulously through his son’s closed bedroom door. He could see a faint light underneath the door as if there was a candle lit. However, he knew he had snuffed the candle before he left his son alone mere hours before. Perhaps Harry had just lit one to read by due to his lack of ability to sleep properly.

After nearly a minute with no response, Severus figured that Harry had fallen asleep with a candle still lit. Not wanting to wake up to a burnt down castle, he opened the door to snuff out the candle as quickly and quietly as he could.

Two things became immediately apparent as Severus entered his son’s room; the glow he had seen was not coming from a candle, but from the dream orb he had given Harry, and his son was not in his bed at all. Severus knocked on the bathroom door – nothing. He checked the lab, his and Remus’ bedroom and bathroom, the sitting room (even though he had been sitting in it himself), and even went and woke Draco up, who had no idea where the Gryffindor was. Harry was missing.

“Severus?” Remus asked as he wrapped his dressing gown over his bare chest. He was blurry-eyed from just waking up.

“I can’t find Harry. He was in his room all night, and now he’s not there,” Severus said, trying not to panic as he thought of all the places his son could be. What worried him the most was the fact that he had not witnessed his son leaving his room or their quarters. Had he been that engrossed in grading, or was it something else entirely?

“You’re absolutely sure he was in his room, Severus?”

“I’m positive, Remus. I talked to him about the sleeping draughts, and he went to bed around half-nine. I’ve been sitting out there marking papers since then; I would have seen him leave. Something isn’t right, Remus. I can feel it,” Severus said in a pleading tone, trying extremely hard now not to go into a panic.

Remus’ expression steadily took on a more worried form. He took a second to think before grasping Severus’ hand in his own. “I think we need to inform the Headmaster that he’s missing.”

The Potions Master and the Defence Professor flooed straight into the Headmaster’s office, and were surprised to find the elderly wizard still awake.

“Severus, Remus; to what do I owe this late and rare pleasure?” the wizened old man asked, his blue eyes twinkling as ever.

“Harry is missing, Albus. I watched him enter his room to retire for the night, and then proceeded to mark essays in the sitting room until the time I realized he was gone. There’s no way he could have gotten passed me without my noticing.”

“Oh but there is, my dear boy. Harry possesses an invisibility cloak, does he not? He is quite infamous for using it to get himself into various levels of mischief, amongst other things,” the Headmaster said with a light shrug.

Severus took a deep, cleansing breath to calm himself before speaking once more, lest he snap at Dumbledore out of irritation. “I had a clear view of both Harry’s bedroom door and the door leading out of our quarters. Unless my son has acquired the ability to walk through walls as well, he did not utilize the cloak this time.”

“You’re absolutely sure that there was no possibility of you not noticing if either of the doors slipped open, even for a moment, Severus?” Dumbledore asked, the twinkle in his eyes dimming just so as his voice turned stern.

“I am never oblivious to my surroundings, Albus. I am simply too paranoid not to notice if doors started opening and closing seemingly on their own,” Severus snapped, his patience quickly wearing thin. The longer they stood and discussed things, the further away his son could be.

“That makes it also true, then, that you would have noticed somebody else entering your quarters, so abduction seems unlikely,” the Headmaster mused, stroking his long beard slowly in thought.

“I would not rule out abduction, Professor. We must not forget our enemy has been very resourceful in the past. There was no disturbance in the castle’s wards? If he is outside of the castle, the wards would have set off an alarm to notify staff that a student was out on the grounds,” said Remus, gently grasping Severus’ arm to help keep his bond mate calm in the face of panic.

“There is one weak spot in the wards that I discovered just today by catching a student there. The Astronomy Tower is set as part of the internal castle wards, but it does technically lead outside. If one were to carry a broomstick with them, it would be fairly easy to leave the castle’s protection.”

“Albus, my concern at the moment is not how Harry could have left or been taken. My concern is finding my son as soon as possible. Raise the alarm, or I will go to every staff member and do it myself,” Severus warned, crossing his arms over his chest, masking how bad his hands had begun to shake.

The Headmaster nodded slowly, looking behind Severus and Remus. He lifted a hand, the one that wasn’t black and decayed, and snapped his fingers. Fawkes rose from his perch and flew over in two quick flaps of his large gold and scarlet wings. “I would like you to raise the alarm please, Fawkes. Two flashes for a missing student.”

The large Phoenix crooned a high pitched sound, a bright flash flaring twice as he vanished.

“The search will begin within the castle, then progress to the grounds. If the search within the castle is fruitless, I will call the Aurors in,” Dumbledore said quietly in explanation.

“I want the forest searched right away. Harry’s recurring dream took place in the forest. I have a bad feeling that, once again, Harry’s nightmares are coming true,” Severus said, taking as much comfort as he could in Remus’ hand trailing up and down his back.

“I’ll go with you – ”

“No,” Severus snapped, giving his husband an apologetic look as the man raised an eyebrow at him. “In his dream, I’m almost sure you were the one being targeted, not me. Help with the search within the castle.”

“Severus, I – ”

“No, Remus! I do not want you out there. Please, just stay in the castle. I’m sure Draco will be panicking when he realizes the alarm has been raised. Take him to search the castle with you.”

Remus looked torn between worry and anger at being told that he couldn’t search for Harry in the most likely place the boy could be. “He is my son too, Severus.”

“Yes, Remus, he is, but you are my husband and I want you safe inside the castle. You will recall another man who did not listen to the same advice from you, and it cost him his life?” Severus thought that perhaps reminding Remus of his dead ex-lover was a low blow, but if it made the werewolf stay safely in the castle, then it was worth it.

Remus had began to protest, but his jaw snapped shut with an audible clack as he remembered the utter panic he felt when Sirius insisted he go to the Ministry. If that was how Severus felt, he knew he couldn’t join the search in the forest. Nobody deserved to feel so helpless.

“Alright, I’ll take Draco to search the castle,” said Remus. He was surprised by the amount of relief shining in his bond mate’s eyes. He pulled the Potions Master close, kissing him firmly on the lips. “Be careful, Severus. I’ll not lose you, too.”

Severus gently brushed Remus’ hair out of his eyes, placing another chaste kiss on the man’s lips. “You won’t. Keep Draco in the castle, even if you have to tie him down.”

Remus nodded, hugging Severus close to him for a few seconds. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Severus watched as Remus left the Headmaster’s office, hopefully heading down to the dungeons to collect Draco, where he was supposed to be.

“Will you not call the Aurors and put them on stand-by so that they may be ready if we need them?”

“Already done, Severus. Fawkes raised the alarm with the Order as well. Kingsley and Tonks will know by now,” the Headmaster said with a short nod.

“Thank you, Albus. Will you be joining the search within the castle, or out on the grounds?” The Potions Professor asked, eager to get on with his search already.

“Forgive me, Severus, but my reflexes are not what they used to be. I fear I would be more harmful than helpful with the search out on the grounds,” Albus said quietly, flicking his sleeve back so that his black and decaying hand was more visible. The black now stretched halfway up his pallid arm.

“Albus, it is spreading,” Severus said in shock, moving forward as if to grasp the Headmaster’s arm.

“Yes, but that is not your problem to be concerned about at the moment. Go find your son, Severus.”

The Potions Master was shocked to discover that his worry for the Headmaster had momentarily eclipsed that for his son. Manipulative and secretive as Albus was, Severus still felt for him like a son would feel for their father. He gave a curt nod before leaving the Head’s office, heading down to the Entrance Hall to meet the other staff members.

S~S~S~S

“Professor Lupin? What in Merlin’s name is going on? Severus woke me up half an hour ago and asked me if I’d seen Harry. It’s past three in the morning, why would I have seen anyone, let alone Harry?” Draco asked with an incredulous expression as Remus led him into the Potions Master’s main quarters.

Remus paused and turned towards the young Slytherin, taking a deep breath as he prepared for panic to reign. “Draco, Harry has seemingly gone missing at some point. The alarm has been raised and a castle and grounds-wide search has begun. I need you to stay calm, and stay with me, alright? I may have a way of finding out exactly where Harry is.”

Draco’s face drained completely of colour as he swayed where he stood. He was glad for the Defence Professor’s quick reflexes as he was saved from falling to the floor by the man’s strong arms.

“Come now, Draco. Stay with me. You cannot help if you are unconscious.”

Draco shook his head to clear the fog of worry that had taken over his brain, still clutching tightly to the werewolf’s arms as he righted himself and got his emotions under control. Harry was missing. Harry was gone. Harry had been taken. Harry could be dead for all he knew. He swayed again.

“Dear Merlin, do Slytherin’s always faint in the face of panic? Sit down, take some deep breaths and try to get a hold of yourself. I’ll be right back. Do not move,” Remus instructed the blonde as he led him over to the sofa and deposited him onto the cushions. As soon as he was sure Draco would not go into anaphylactic shock, Remus made straight for Harry’s room and his school trunk. He opened it and began rummaging around, looking for a very specific, aged packet of parchment. He made a noise of discovery as he uncovered the map.

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” Remus muttered as he touched his wand to the yellowing parchment. He watched impatiently as the ink spread and flowed, creating a detailed map of Hogwarts castle and it’s grounds.

His eyes began skimming everywhere, checking in even the most unlikely of places. Even as he searched he could see half of the dots labelled with professor’s names exiting the castle to search the grounds, and the other half spreading out to search the castle. He skimmed the entire grounds twice, four times, ten times, and still he could not find a dot labelled Harry Potter. Another skim of the castle came up fruitless as well. A deep sense of panic stole over Remus as the possibility of Harry being somewhere else entirely seized him, making him feel quite faint as well. He needed to get the map to Dumbledore or Severus, lest they waste their time searching Hogwarts when it was apparent that Harry was not there at all, inside or outside of the castle.

“Draco, we need to – ”

The words died on Remus’ lips as he looked up from the map upon entering the sitting room, only to find it abandoned, Draco nowhere to be found. “Shite!” He unfolded the map once more, skimming the dungeons to locate the Slytherin. He couldn’t have gotten that far, right? Upon discovering that Draco was not in the dungeons at all, Remus decided he had a duty to his own son at the moment, and his concern needed to be getting the map to Severus or the Headmaster as soon as possible.

S~S~S~S

Harry was freezing. He was sure he had covered up pretty well before he fell asleep, but there even seemed to be a frigid breeze. All at once, Harry realized that something was terribly wrong. He slept in the dungeons, there were no breezes down there, and his room had never smelt like damp earth before. His eyes flashed open as his stomach plummeted; he was in the Forbidden Forest, and this time, it wasn’t a dream.

“He’s awake!”

Harry jumped at the sudden shout and looked around in panic. It was too dark to see who had shouted, and he was near blind without his glasses. He shuddered as he felt a cold hand grasp his wrist, too tight, and yanked him to his feet. The crazy mess of hair and tinkling laugh that sent chills up his spine told him exactly who had a hold of him.

“Little baby Potter is growing up, aint he. So handsome...” Bellatrix leaned closer to her prey, taking a deep sniff, her nose trailing from Harry’s collar bone, up his jaw and cheek and into his hair.

“Get away from me!” Harry snapped, trying to pull his wrist out of her firm grasp and searching his pockets with his other hand for his wand. It wasn’t there. He had expected that, but it didn’t make the shock and renewed panic any easier to handle.

Bellatrix’s leer began to turn into a sneer, and she tightened her grip on Harry’s wrist, surely leaving bruises. “Now, now, Harry; there’s no need to be so disrespectful. Your father would be so disappointed to hear how much of a brat you’re being to poor little Bella,” she pouted overdramatically.

Harry felt the bile rise in his throat, hoping that the insane Death Eater was referring to his dead birth father, not his adoptive father or Remus. If they knew, they would go after Severus and Remus. They had figured it would get out soon enough, what with the junior Death Eaters in Slytherin reporting back to their parents about everything at the school. They never thought the Death Eaters would be able to enter the castle, however. Harry paused at that thought. How on earth did he get from his bed to the forest floor without waking up at all?

His musing was interrupted by a horrible smell coming from behind him, and he cringed as he felt a rough hand with sharp claws digging into his shoulder. “Frankly, I’m surprised that your new daddy isn’t here yet. Surely he smelt us coming. He’s probably sniffing you out now,” Fenrir hissed, his hot and putrid breath wafting over his cheeks and making him gag.

“Fuck you,” Harry spat, really confused now. He wasn’t going to let them see his confusion, however. He needed to stall, to distract them. He had no idea what he was going to do, but the more time he stalled, the more time he had to figure out a plan.

Harry gasped as Bellatrix’s palm made stark contact with his cheek. The bitingly cold air made the slap sting that much more, but Harry just grit his teeth and turned his face away from the werewolf, who had circled around to face him.

“Patience, Bellatrix! You heard our orders; kill the wolf and bring the boy,” Greyback growled, literally. Harry’s eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, and he could make out the scraggly, hunched over shape of the werewolf, and the petite, slender form of the evilest of the Black sisters.

Bellatrix pouted and drug a long, sharp nail across Harry’s cheek, drawing blood as she dug her nail in. “Our Lord never said anything about not harming him, though. What’s a little blood, eh? His blood is no longer a safe-haven for him. The only person who shares his blood now is our Master himself,” Bellatrix cackled, slashing Harry’s other cheek with her nail as well.

The half-man, half-wolf surged forward and ripped Bella’s hand away from Harry, though her other hand still held firmly and painfully to his wrist. “We do not know how the wards will react to him being harmed! You can take out your masochistic pleasure after our Lord kills him, I’m sure. I might even let you play with the wolf a little, if you stop antagonizing the boy!”

“Hypocrite,” Bellatrix snapped, though a very unpleasant smile stretched across her face, transforming what was once beautiful into something deformed and hideous.

“What are you waiting for? Why haven’t you just taken me to old Snake Face already?” Harry asked with a sneer, hoping to anger Bellatrix with his slur on Voldemort. If she hurt him again, they would argue amongst themselves once more, giving him more time. Hopefully he would be able to get some answers as well.

He knew they must be talking about Remus, but he didn’t understand why they were talking about the wards. Only Severus was connected to the wards; killing Remus wouldn’t affect them at all.

And then he finally understood, though he was still confused on some details. They thought that Remus had adopted him, and that he was bonded to Remus for the wards. Wouldn’t they know better, though? Greyback was a werewolf himself, he had to know the Umbridge Laws prevented Remus from adopting him. Things weren’t adding up, but Harry was more concerned about getting away from the Death Eaters and making sure Remus stayed far away from them as well.

Harry’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt as every cell in his body exploded in sharp, hot pain. He screamed as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground, curling in on himself in an attempt to stop the pain.

“How dare you talk that way about my Master?! He is more of a man than you’ll ever be, bitty baby Potter!” Bellatrix shrieked as she pushed more and more force into her Cruciatus curse. Her eyes were blazing, and her hair practically crackled with the amount of magic she was pouring into her wand.

A lot happened all at once, and Harry couldn’t have been sure what had happened first, as he had been curled up on the forest floor with his eyes clenched shut and his ears pounding with the sound of his own blood. He felt the curse lift and lay there limp for a few seconds to try to recover. In that time, he realized it was much too quiet. Harry blinked open his eyes and sat up slowly, gasping when he saw the form of someone with long blonde hair kneeling beside him, holding out what he originally thought was a wand, but was actually...his glasses?

Harry snatched his glasses up and shoved them onto his nose, glad to finally be able to see his attackers. He recognized Lucius Malfoy immediately, and tried to stand up so he could run. He had no idea what the man was playing at by giving him his glasses, but he certainly wasn’t going to stick around to have a little chat and find out. As he looked around him, the benefit of sight a Godsend now, Harry saw Bellatrix and Greyback stunned and tied up in so many ropes and chains, he was sure they weren’t breathing.

“They won’t be getting away, Mr. Potter,” a rich voice said from behind Harry, making the teen whirl around to defend himself, though he didn’t think fist fighting was going to be the best method of getting away from one of the most infamous Death Eaters there was.

Lucius Malfoy hardly looked like an escaped convict, except perhaps for some weight loss. His robes were still crisp and graceful, and his blonde hair – so like Draco’s that Harry shuddered – was shining and luscious as ever. His piercing gray eyes narrowed as Harry took a step back, but he didn’t make any moves towards him.

“Why did you stun them? So you can get all the glory from your Master when you take me to him?” Harry egged on, having lost any ideas for escape that he might have had before.

He was wandless in the middle of a forest with three Death Eaters, given that two of them were indisposed, but that wasn’t the biggest problem. This man was his boyfriend’s father, someone he knew that Draco loved, despite all of the things the man had done. If something were to happen to the older Malfoy, Harry wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, but Draco would be devastated. As little as he wanted to admit it, Harry knew he had to make sure that, whatever happened, Lucius Malfoy would make it out alive.

Soft laughter escaped the tall, lean man, disconcerting Harry even further. Lucius spread his arms out, displaying that he wasn’t aiming his wand at the Gryffindor. In fact, he didn’t have his wand out at all. “You’re very far off the mark, Potter; though I don’t blame you for your attitude, given all of our prior encounters.”

Harry felt his blood boil as he remembered the last time he saw Lucius Malfoy in the flesh. It was the last time he had seen his godfather alive as well. “Forgive me for assuming that our next destination would be a visit with old Voldemort. You see, usually when I’m surrounded by Death Eaters, Tom comes along eventually.”

“You’re much feistier, I must say. Less dumb bravery and more spice. It must be my son’s influence on you,” said Lucius, a cross between a smile and sneer gracing his aristocratic face. He reached into his robes slowly, lifting the edge to show Harry that he wasn’t reaching for a wand, but something that looked like a packet of parchment. It unfurled as he held it out, and Harry blushed as he recognized the issue of the Daily Prophet starring him and Draco during a quite private moment.

“Right, so you’re just here to kill me yourself, then. I get it,” Harry said as he ran a hand nervously through his already dishevelled hair. Why hadn’t he been stunned and tied up like the other two? And for that matter, why had Malfoy attacked his fellow Death Eaters?

“No, I do not plan on killing anyone tonight, or contributing to anyone’s murder, either. What I want is to see my son, and I know that you, of all people, would be able to take me to him.”

Harry snorted, knowing he was tempting fate but pretty much out of options at that point. “What makes you think I’m going to believe anything you say? And why would I lead you to Draco, when I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you?”

There was a slight blush on the older man’s cheeks as he glared at Harry, an obvious attempt at controlling his anger. “I stunned and bound two Death Eaters who were trying to kill your step-father and kidnap you. What else would you like as proof?”

“It could be a trap. I...wait – did you just say step-father?” Harry asked, his heart beat pounding so loudly in his ears that he was sure the elder Malfoy could hear it where he stood nearly ten feet away.

“Yes, I did. And this is not a trap. My wife was murdered because of me and my foolish decisions. I will not see my son suffer the same fate. Name your terms; what do you want in order for you to take me to see my son?”

“How do you know about Remus being my step-father? These two kept calling him my father,” Harry pointed out, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he started to become even more suspicious, if that was possible.

“That was my doing as well, Potter. I overheard the mission that the Dark Lord was sending them on; they were to kill Snape and bring you back to Him. I had seen this paper already, and knew that you were close to my son. I confunded them and modified their memories,” Lucius explained as he folded the Prophet back up and placed it back into his inside pocket.

Harry began to get the feeling that he had missed a crucial step in a long puzzle, disorienting him as he tried to determine whether or not he should believe the older man. Something still didn’t add up, however. “How did I get here from the castle?”

“Time-release portkey. You will recall about two weeks ago when a young man named Blaise Zabini happened to accidently run into you and knock your glasses off? When he picked them up to hand them back to you, he put a charm on them that would turn them into a portkey that would activate at a specific time. However, Mr. Zabini managed to bollix up the Latin, and instead caused you to have, I’m assuming, very vivid dreams about just this situation?”

Harry smacked his forehead, his cheeks burning in embarrassment and shame. He should have known better, especially after the Slytherin had threatened Draco. “Yeah, it gave me vivid dreams alright,” Harry muttered.

He studied the older man’s face carefully, trying to detect any dishonesty. He was frightened to feel pity for the man, seeing his son in him much more now than before. “My terms are this: I want your wand and a Wizard’s Oath that if I lead you to Draco and the castle, where my family and friends are, you will not do anything to bring any harm to any of them. Do you agree?”

There was a long pause as they simply stared at each other. After what felt like years, the blonde haired man bent down and pulled his wand out of what looked like an ankle holster, holding it out to Harry, handle first. “I Vow to bring no harm to anyone residing in Hogwarts castle; staff, student, or otherwise.”

Harry didn’t have his wand to seal the Oath, but as soon as his hand touched the handle of the other man’s wand, a bright light encased his hand and soaked into his skin, sealing the Oath with his magic instead. He gripped the wand tightly, stunned that Lucius Malfoy had willingly given up his wand to him, Harry Potter.

“What are you waiting for, Potter? We had an agreement,” Lucius said after a nearly three full minutes of Harry just standing there, holding the elder Malfoy’s wand so still that he could have been petrified.

“The Apocalypse. Surely it’s coming soon,” Harry answered in a monotone voice, shocked out of his reverie when Lucius began to laugh. It sounded almost carefree; relaxed. This could not be the same man that chased him around the Ministry, contributed to his godfather’s death, and tried to kill him and his friends.

“You might want to hover them along with us, Potter. I’m sure you’d love to take the credit for putting them in Azkaban,” Malfoy said, nodding his head at the two stunned and bound Death Eaters lying on the forest floor.

“You can have all the credit, Malfoy, I don’t mind. I’m sure they’ll be trying to make you join them. Just because I bring you with me, doesn’t mean you’re safe from prison yourself,” Harry pointed out as he pointed Malfoy’s wand at Bellatrix and Greyback and charmed them to hover behind them as they walked.

Lucius’ steps paused as he turned back to look at Harry. “I know that, Potter. I said I wanted to see my son, not gain clemency.”

Harry gave the blonde man a strange look, not sure if he was hearing things correctly. “You’d go back to Azkaban willingly?”

“It’s what I deserve, and I know no amount of running from it will save me in the end. I’ve lost everything that I care about, Potter, except for my son. I wish to see him one last time. Is that too much to ask?”

Harry shook his head as they began walking towards the edge of the forest. “No...no, it’s not.”

 

The End.
End Notes:
The cliff hanger is quite evil, yes, but also necessary! Please review and let me know your opinions!


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