Day 13

12:01 AM

They had everything they needed, and they were prepared. Evelyn was sure of it. Severus had the phial of powder, which they would open once they returned to the house one last time. It was their meeting place, and they were to return there should they get separated. Protective enchantments had been put upon it by Severus so that in case their location was found out, and the tunnel discovered, they would have some defence while they waited. The charmed parchment and anything that might reveal magical secrets and lead to them had been destroyed. These things she went over in her head, trying to calm her nerves.

"Are you ready?" asked Severus, hand in hand with Evelyn as they stared down the trapdoor.

"I am if you are," said Evelyn, the plan racing through her head as she made sure she knew all that they had solidified in the last few hours.

(Disillusionment charms, down the tunnel, out of the catacombs, up to the third floor. Break into McTavish's quarters - either by knocking and putting him in a full body bind- or with a bombardment charm. The latter not preferred - silencing charms not foolproof. Vanish potions, ingredients, notes and everything in the lab - and hope that nothing was missed. At the same time determine Harry's location and confirm the names of those involved with potion via legilimency - Severus' job. Put McTavish under imperius curse and force him to summon his accomplices to an emergency meeting. Kill them. Transfigure bodies into something small enough to vanish easily. Prepare to get Harry out once main dangers have passed. Sneak out before anyone can notice what has happened. Seal the tunnel, leave no traces, use the powder, disappear off the face of the earth for the next three hundred and eighty-some years.)

"For luck," muttered Severus, and met her lips with his, and she could tell he too never wanted to pull away.

With no further words, they melted into the background with the aid of disillusionment charms. Severus went down into the tunnel first, and just before she descended as well, Evelyn cast a spell on the fire to put it out. The soft hiss of the light dying made her shiver slightly, the darkness reaching out for her as she slid down the ladder and closed the trapdoor in place above them. The fearful silence pressed in on them as they hurried along the tunnel, bent double and travelling from pool of light to pool of light, the small jars illuminating the way.

Evelyn's peripheral vision kept track of the thin pine boards holding up the tunnel in places, taking note of the point where the spacing grew wider, fearing that she would hear a fatal crackling, followed by the thunder of earth. Despite her worries, this did not happen, and after what had felt like minutes and yet years, Severus halted, and started to climb up. Evelyn snuffed out the jar closest to the opening, and above she could hear Severus mutter a spell to remove the board she had expanded to fill the hole. The smell of death poured into the tunnel, and Evelyn's eyes watered as she looked up the tunnel shaft to see the dim outline of Severus' boot disappear into the room above.

He was there, waiting for her to emerge, and helped her to fit the board back into the hole until the time had come for them to return, if they did indeed use the tunnel. Apparition was always a possibility if they were able to get outside of the Potioneer's Society.

Evelyn felt terror grip her heart as they ventured out of the little room, turning the way that Severus' ‘point me' spell had told them was west. She was greatly relieved to find that the catacombs were indeed mostly a straight line, as Harry said, and within fifteen minutes they had reached the set of steps that led to the fresh air. Cautiously, Severus led the way up them, his wand no longer emitting light so as not to give them away. Evelyn kept a few fingers clasped on the edge of his cloak to keep herself oriented. A shuffling noise echoed through the corridor, and they threw themselves against a wall, the disillusionment charms allowing them to blend in.

The two stood stock still, and after a moment or two a tiny house-elf carrying an enormous stack of laundry bustled down the corridor and into the laundry room a little ways ahead. He did not see the both of them, but only after they had crept past the laundry room did they breathe, for the silence in the building was deafening. Evelyn had to remind herself this was probably the norm, considering the age of many of the researchers. It unnerved her, however, and everything seemed to be going far too well when they arrived at McTavish's door, having met nobody on their way.

Severus prepared to subdue McTavish, and Evelyn knocked on the door, silencing charms already in place along the corridor. After a few repeated knocks a thin strip of light beneath the door appeared. A few seconds more, and the handle turned, the door swinging inward, away from them. There stood McTavish, looking wretched and annoyed in a dressing gown.

"What the bloody -"

With fire in his eyes and a snarl about his face Severus' wand cut through the shadows, the incantation sounding like the hiss of a snake.

"Petrificus totalus!"

McTavish hit the ground with a crash, and Evelyn prayed that their silencing charms were doing the trick. Severus levitated McTavish through the office and into the lab, the man's beady eyes staring angrily up at them.

Evelyn took his wand, and Severus waved his own so that ropes sprung up around McTavish. He then undid the body bind curse, and towered over him, wand trained on his head.

"Where is the boy?" Severus spat, hatred written across his face.

McTavish struggled, refusing to answer.

"Legilimens."

Evelyn watched in rapt fascination as Severus' brows furrowed with concentration, his wand flicking minutely. The spell lifted, leaving McTavish panting on the floor, swearing at Severus at the top of his lungs. His voice was silenced in an instant. This was of Evelyn's doing.

He's in the spare room," said Severus mutinously, panting a little, his voice softening as he looked to Evelyn. "The door is concealed behind the bookcase. Go to Harry, I can take it from here."

Evelyn rushed toward the bookcase, Severus' words to McTavish audible to her.

"Didn't like when I was in your head, did you?" hissed Severus to him. "Then tell me if the following people know of the potion. Geoffrey Waters - does he know?"

McTavish did not speak a word, but let out a yelp of pain when Severus stomped on his foot to prompt him.

"N-No," was the stuttered reply.

"Liar."

Evelyn succeeded in budging the heavy bookcase, which revealed a doorway. Severus' words were no longer audible to her when she entered the room. Clearly there was a silencing charm in place.

"Lumos maxima!" cried Evelyn.

The ball of light reached the ceiling, and Evelyn gasped. Harry was lying on the ground, his hair sticking to his face from sweat, his cheeks flushed. But it was his shoulder that drew Evelyn's attention. There was a yellowing gash that was oozing pus, and Evelyn put her sleeve to her mouth, for the room smelled awful, like urine, and the faint underlying scent of something rotting. Careful not to knock over the bucket by the door, she hurried to Harry's side.

"Harry, wake up," said Evelyn, holding back tears as her hand met his feverish forehead. "Please ..."

He did not stir, but he had to be alive. He was burning up.

"Harry honey, you have to wake up," she said, kneeling over him, letting the tears fall from her eyes. One landed on Harry's cheek and he stirred, and after a moment he opened his eyes. Beneath his glasses she could see that they were glazed over with fever, and he stared unblinkingly to his left side, away from where Evelyn sat on his right.

"Evelyn, who's that woman?" Harry asked dazedly, still not looking at her.

"What woman, Harry?" Evelyn whispered, terrified.

"The one across from you," Harry muttered. "She's real pretty. I think I know her."

"Shh," Evelyn whispered, her tears splashing down as she tried to keep it together. Carefully, she pulled from her pocket a set of potions phials Severus had suggested they bring. This one had a fever reducer, as well as Dittany, but Evelyn knew from experience some wounds needed more than Dittany to heal. The one on Harry's shoulder had been left untreated too long, and would require more complex magic to heal.

"Drink this, Harry."

She held the fever reducer to his lips, and he swallowed it obediently. He coughed and spluttered, but after a few moments he calmed down.

Evelyn knew it was working when Harry's eyes returned to her.

"What was that?" Harry asked tiredly as Evelyn felt his forehead. It had reduced his fever significantly, enough so that he would be well enough to get out of the Potioneer's Society.

"It was a fever reducer," said Evelyn tiredly. "Do you feel less dizzy?"

"Yes," Harry muttered, seeming to become fully aware of what was going on, unlike he had been before.

"Harry, what happened?"

"Don't tell Professor Snape, please," Harry whispered, his eyes filling with tears.

"I might have to, if we are to treat that shoulder of yours."

"He must be so d-disappointed in me."

"He feels guilty, actually," Evelyn said, brushing Harry's sweaty hair from his eyes.

"He does?" Harry asked, eyes wide.

She nodded.

"I followed McTavish," Harry told her suddenly. "I had plenty of time to get back to the Potioneer's Society, and I just had to do something b-because I didn't know what was happening to you two, because Snape just s-stopped writing and - and ..."

"And what?"

"And I wanted to impress him with lots of information when he came to get me, so ... so he would think I was worth paying attention to." Harry sighed. "Please, please don't tell him the last part!"

"Alright," said Evelyn, trying to calm him. "But I do not think he finds you disappointing, Harry. He feels very bad for the way he treated you. Just ask him. You'll see."

"Is he here too?" Harry whispered, closing his eyes as Evelyn ran her fingers through his hair.

"Yes. He is just outside, getting McTavish to summon his accomplices.

"What are you doing to them?" whispered Harry.

Evelyn's hand wavered, but she continued to stroke his hair. She did not answer, and did not have to, for Severus came barrelling through the door. He slid to a halt by Harry and fell to his knees on his left side, across from Evelyn.

"Oh hell, what did they do to you?" Snape croaked, the blood draining from his face as he looked at the infected wound. Evelyn looked at him questioningly, and he seemed to read her mind. "McTavish is unconscious. I put him under the imperius to get him to send letters to his accomplices. Harry, what happened?"

"I followed McTavish, and one of his friends grabbed a knife and cut my shoulder," Harry said simply, shaking slightly. "I had to sneak out anyway to meet you, and I was sure I'd have time to get back to the Society."

"That was an idiotic, stupid, foolish thing to do!" Severus said sharply. Though it was clearly worry that made him say it, Harry did not react well.

"I'm sorry!" Harry said with a sob, tears running down his face.

"I had better go make sure McTavish stays put," said Evelyn, sensing it was her time to leave.

Harry paid hardly any attention, but sat up gingerly and put his face on his knees, crying because he had had enough. Days of being in pain and locked in the darkness had finally caught up to him.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Snape said, sounding stressed as he put his arms under Harry's armpits and dragged him to his shaky feet. He brushed him off slightly, and fished in his pocket for a rather dirt-streaked handkerchief. "I waited hours for you to show."

Harry just shrugged and suppressed another sob, taking the handkerchief gratefully.

Snape knelt down slightly, so that his eyes were level with Harry's. Snape's hand, which rested on Harry's good shoulder, shook slightly when Harry looked up at him.

"I thought you were gone for sure," croaked Snape. "I am getting you out of here as soon as I can, alright?"

Harry nodded, and Snape's eyes left his, and he walked to the door.

"Come on, Potter," said Snape gruffly.

Harry looked at his feet and stumbled after Snape, wondering if Snape's hands had shaken because he had seen James Potter's son staring back at him.

When they left the spare room they found McTavish lying on the floor in the lab, and Snape led Harry over to a chair, which Harry took gratefully, for his shoulder was throbbing and despite the fever reducer he felt rather weak.

"Alright Potter, stay."

Harry was not tempted to move from the chair, and the three of them waited in silence, not daring to speak. Evelyn brought Harry a glass of water to sip on.

There was a knock on the door, and Harry stood up on instinct, having been the one to get the door at the Dursley household for years.

"Stay," hissed Snape, and Harry threw himself into the chair, suddenly annoyed he could not see what was going on.

He watched as Evelyn and Snape went into the small office, and opened the door. Harry heard the soft rattle of the handle, and then a thud. Wide eyed, Harry watched as they dragged in the man who had caught Harry.

"That's Geoffrey," said Harry suddenly. "He was the one who cut me."

Snape waved his wand so that ropes bound Geoffrey as well, and then released him from the body bind. Evelyn stood back for a moment, and Harry continued to watch Snape. His shoulders were oddly squared, and before Harry knew what was happening Snape had hauled Geoffrey up by the collar and slammed him against the wall, holding the struggling man with strength Harry had not known he had. Snape did not say a word, but stared into Geoffrey's eyes. Geoffrey let out a low chuckle. He was stopped mid laugh by Snape's fist delivering one quick, sharp blow. Harry and Evelyn stared open mouthed as Snape pitched Geoffrey back to the ground. Geoffrey spluttered, and he spat out a tooth on the floor. Not looking at him, Snape cast the body bind on Geoffrey again, and then wiped the blood off his knuckles. Before Harry or Evelyn found any words, he had marched out of the lab as another knock on the door sounded, acting as though what he had done was as ordinary as asking someone to tea.

Stunned, Evelyn hurried after him, and when they had returned with the unconscious form of another man, and tied him up too, Harry had regained the power of speech.

"Sir -"

"Later, Potter."

So Harry fell silent, amazed at what had happened, staring at the dribble of blood leaking from the side of Geoffrey's mouth. Perhaps Snape did not dislike him as much as he had thought.

Three more men joined McTavish and Geoffrey on the floor, having ended up there in the same manner as the others that had been ambushed.

"Look what I found," said Snape gratefully, holding up a small phial of clear liquid from a cupboard he had been rummaging in.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked.

"Veritaserum."

"What?"

"It makes the drinker tell the truth," said Snape. "We can get McTavish to tell us where all his research is, so we can destroy it. It will be far easier to use than legilimency, or the cruciatus, even if the bastard deserves it."

"Do it," said Evelyn. "We cannot afford to miss anything."

Harry watched intently as Snape poured three drops into McTavish's mouth, and waved his wand to unfreeze him from the body bind. McTavish blinked for a few moments, looking dazed as he stared at Snape, kneeling at his side.

"What is the location of all of your research for the potion you created to sterilize people of their magic?" hissed Snape.

McTavish grinned rather drunkenly.

"In this room, under the floorboard by the window there is a box that holds the original papers. There are magical copies of my research and the recipe in all of the quarters of my research partners' labs, hidden in false drawers in their wardrobes. There's also one more back-up copy in Gregory Peakes' quarters, which I hid, rolled up in a hollowed out section in the window sill, just in case we needed to frame him."

"And these two cauldrons are the only two that contain the potion?" Snape asked, seeming slightly panicked at the numerous copies of research.

"Yes," he breathed.

"Is that all of the evidence of the potion in question?"

"Yes."

Snape waved his wand, and McTavish froze once more.

Snape stood up, looking ghostly.

"We have not got the time or manpower to track down the five copies of the research," Evelyn said, eyes wide. "It's already two in the morning. It could take us hours to get it all together and destroy it. And, the more we are out and about, the greater chance we're caught."

Snape frowned.

"But we have to destroy it all. If any of it is found, ever, all our work will have been for naught." Snape ran his hand through his hair, brow furrowed with thought as he paced back and forth in the lab.

"You could send me to get the research," said Harry suddenly.

"No!" said both Evelyn and Snape in perfect unison, not even aware of how funny their reaction might have been under different circumstances.

Harry bowed his head, quashing the sudden urge to laugh. He regained seriousness quickly, however, for he was sure that he could get to the research if the let him.

"It is far too dangerous, for any of us to go," Evelyn explained gently.

"But -" Harry began.

"No," said Evelyn firmly. "Severus, you agree, right?"

She looked over at Snape, who had stopped in this middle of his pacing, his hand halfway through his hair. His mouth was wide open. He looked almost comical.

"Severus?"

He let loose an impressive stream of curse words, but Harry heard only half of them, for Evelyn clamped her hands round his ear to muffle the sound, much to his annoyance; he wouldn't have minded picking up a few good ones in the hopes of besting even Ron's impressive arsenal of swears. When Snape finally stopped swearing, he backed up and sat down heavily on a large, upturned cauldron.

Evelyn removed her hands, and Harry could hear again.

"What, what is it?" she asked hastily, and Harry could hear the tremor in her voice.

"It is the thirteenth of June," he said hoarsely, "of the year 1613."

"Yes, time flies," she said impatiently. "What's so bad about that?"

"No, no, not bad exactly ..."

Harry looked at Evelyn, and it was clear she did not know what he was going on about either.

"Shit," muttered Snape under his breath. "My mother's going to roll in her grave over this."

"Over what? Severus you're scaring me. And enough language, Harry's with us."

"I don't min-" began Harry, thinking of Uncle Vernon, but Evelyn put her hand on his good shoulder and he fell silent.

Snape shook his head slightly, and looked at Evelyn.

"Send the boy out," Snape suggested before turning to Harry. "Sorry Potter, this is not for your ears. Besides, what we have to do will only take a few moments."

Harry felt a surge of annoyance, and then foreboding, but he nodded his head when he saw the urgency in Snape's eyes.

"Harry, do you know of a place out in the corridor where you can stay out of sight?" Evelyn asked, voice shaking slightly.

"There's a tapestry," Harry said. "I can hide behind that."

"Alright, go out into the corridor then," said Evelyn. "We will join you in a few minutes."

"Here, before you go," muttered Snape, leaning over and tapping Harry on the head with his wand. Harry felt something cold run down his neck, and he looked at his hands. They seemed to blend in with his surroundings. "That should camouflage you a little bit. We will meet you in about five minutes.

Harry stood up, and Evelyn escorted him to the door, paying attention to where he went, and shutting the door once she was sure he was safe and well hidden.

She went back into the room, heart pounding, and looked to Severus for answers.

"Remember that history book I brought?" he said rather hoarsely.

"Yes," she said slowly.

"Well, there are a lot of other books on the Potioneer's Society, and I've read just about all of them. There are entire chapters devoted to the delays that forced the Society to shut down for periods of time, and thus disrupt research. Things like plague outbreaks, for example. Of course, it also includes other disasters, and one of those was a fire. And it happened on the thirteenth of June, 1613."

"You mean, we're the ones that -"

"Yes," Severus said with a grimace. "It's the perfect solution to this. A damn good fire will destroy all of the evidence. We can leave McTavish and his accomplices in the body bind so they can't escape. We cannot risk them waking from stunning curses and escaping the ropes, even if it would be a little less awful to let them be unconscious for the ordeal, but one cannot be picky in this sort of situation. The smoke will knock them out first anyway."

Evelyn too sat down.

"We don't have to kill them directly then," she whispered, grasping for strings.

Severus nodded, looking pale and sick at the thought.

"Let's get going then," muttered Evelyn before she could get cold feet. "We had best start the fire now."

Severus agreed, and went over to the cupboard and rummaged through it.

"Why will your mother roll in her grave?" Evelyn questioned, sure there was something more to the statement than just atrocity of committing arson.

With a rather wry smile Severus replied, "She dreamt for years of an acceptance letter from the Potioneer's Society, the modern establishment, of course. They finally had a spot for her the year she died. I had to write back and tell them they were too late. Mum put off applying for a long time because she had me. By the time I had grown up, it was too late."

"I'm sorry to hear."

Severus jerked his head slightly, and then they got to work.

Evelyn used magic to arrange the five men so that they were sitting with their backs to each other. She waved her wand in the air, and a rope wound around them tightly, just in case they should wake. She made sure they were still unconscious after, and she looked up to see Severus holding a big brown glass jug of something.

"Paraffin Oil," he said. Severus looked at Evelyn for a moment, then at McTavish, and his jaw hardened. He upended the jug and began to pour it across the wood floor, over the lab benches and the stacks of paper, the furniture and anything that would burn. The glugging and splashing seemed like thunder in the silence of the night.

"Vanish the potions, will you?" Severus said, nodding toward the cauldrons, which were still bubbling away.

Evelyn did exactly that, and banished the cauldrons for good measure. As she did so, she noticed a bottle of whiskey on a shelf nearby. She too began to douse stacks of papers. The place was packed full of books and research, and she wondered how the building had not gone up before.

Severus tapped his wand on the brown jug, and it filled again with oil. Evelyn did the same with the whiskey. Side by side, they poured along the floor as they exited through the office, backing their way out. At last, at the door, Severus' jug was empty. He set it on the desk, and asked Evelyn to hand him the half empty bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a spare handkerchief, and he stuffed it in the top.

"Incendio," he said, igniting the cloth. "Ready?"

Evelyn nodded, hand on the doorknob. Severus pitched it across the room where it shattered, and the second before they barrelled out of the doorway Evelyn caught sight of the blanket of fire that burst into existence by the window. They shut the door to McTavish's office.

Harry heard the sound of the door shutting, and peered out into the corridor to see Snape and Evelyn rushing toward him, running like the wind. Snape snagged Harry's hand and pulled him along too. He felt Snape's wand tap him on the head, and warmth seemed to rush over him, making him visible once more.

"What did you do?" Harry asked, panicking and gesturing behind them.

"Started the place on fire," Snape said to him, "now hurry before it spreads. The place is drenched with Paraffin Oil."

Harry halted, making the others stop too. He spun around and ran in the other direction, where he could see the flames already crawling across the wood floor from under the door McTavish's quarters, probably having followed the trail of oil.

"Potter!" hissed Snape, running after him, but Harry did not stop to explain.

Harry wrenched open the door to Mr. Peakes' quarters, and ran into the man's bedroom.

"Sir, it's a fire, you have to get out!" he said, waking the old man. Snape ran into the room too as Mr. Peakes was stirring. Harry let out a cry of shock as Snape scooped him up and started to sprint into the corridor again. Mr. Peakes sprang out of bed just as they left the room and grabbed a broomstick by the end of the bed.

Harry struggled to escape Snape's strong arms, but his efforts were futile.

"When I put you down you had better run!" said Snape as the smoke filled the corridor, dodging the flames licking at his boots as they rapidly spread along the polished wood floors, the fuel having allowed it to spread unnaturally fast in the old building. As soon as they were clear of the flames Harry was set on his feet, and the two of them sprinted to where Evelyn stood at the end of the corridor. The flames were spreading quickly, and Harry hoped that Mr. Peakes had flown out of the window with the broom, for half the corridor was now up in flames, the old tapestries that lined the walls fuelling the inferno. The wood was old and dry, and an explosion rocked the ground as the three of them went down the staircase, some of the less tame ingredients in McTavish's lab having finally heated up enough. Harry slid down a few steps and was pulled to his feet by Evelyn so they could continue in their flight, smoke pouring down the steps like a river. Another explosion sounded, and suddenly there were people going up and down the stairs as they investigated the disturbance, running up from the levels below, where parts of the floor seemed to have rained down onto them from the explosions in McTavish's lab

"Fire!" shouted Evelyn to the people through the haze of smoke, everyone too caught up in shock to realize they should not have been there. Snape grabbed a hold of Harry's arm so as not to lose him in the crowd, and a great cracking noise was heard overhead. The explosions had weakened parts of the building overhead.

The crowd of people was thickening, and they were condensing as they backed up from the sparks raining down and the occasional crashing explosion ringing through the area. It was no surprise that the things found in potions labs were quite volatile, but whatever was exploding, it was helping the fire along.

"We'll never get through here," Harry said, knowing full well how many people lived at the Potioneer's Society. "If we go down just a little more we'll be at the first floor. At the end of the corridor there is a smaller side staircase that leads to the ground floor!"

"Great, let's take it!" shouted Snape over the roar of the fire, which seemed to have spread to the second floor as people poured out, crying to others that great pieces of the ceiling fell in from the corridor above.

Not once did Snape let go of Harry in the crowd, but it took them quite a long time just to get down one last set of stairs to the first floor, where people were running through the main corridor. It was less smoky here, but above the ceiling creaked as well. They had to walk here because doors were opening left and right, threatening to knock them over as people dashed out of the rooms, having finally realized that something was wrong now that the fire was only a floor above them.

Bits of ash and sparks had begun to drift down from the ceiling, and they tried to quicken the pace. Evelyn fell behind for a moment when a door swung open with great speed courtesy of an old man. She was almost hit.

"Get out of here!" cried the elderly man, frantically pointing up at the ceiling in his quarters with his cane, for it seemed to be drooping. "The fire must be bad above! It's only a matter of time until Kendrick's research goes! GO!"

"Who's Kendrick?" Snape asked Harry as they hurried to get as far away from the drooping ceiling as possible, and the old man ran as fast as his old legs could carry him in the other direction, doors still banging open.

"I'm not sure," said Harry, though he had a strange feeling he had heard the name before.

They took a few more steps down the corridor, and the suddenly Harry remembered who Kendrick was. Simon Kendrick. He had heard McTavish talk about him the other day, when boasting that his research was superior to Kendrick's.

"Kendrick researches potion based explosives!" shouted Harry, pushing Snape from behind to make him go faster. He looked over his shoulder to see where Evelyn was, seeing as she had been hindered by the door a while back, and as he did so everything suddenly seemed to go silent. Then the rattle of air being sucked into the corridor from the staircases on either end met Harry's ears. The seconds seemed to stretch forever, their movements slowed to a stuttering crawl, and though Evelyn was running it seemed to Harry like she was not getting any closer to them.

Harry backed up, and in what felt like slow motion saw the wave of Snape's wand over his head. Two glittering silver shields descended. One formed over Harry and Snape, and one over Evelyn, who was still a ways behind them. Harry felt the heat of Snape's body, and two arms encircling him as he was pushed down to the floor, and then a blinding flash of light stole his vision and the whole world seemed to shake. His watering eyes caught sight of the shield charm above as debris bounced off it, the silver light flickering. Harry could feel Snape's ragged breathing in his ear. Searing heat washed over him in waves, and the bright light receded.

Slowly, Snape lifted himself off of Harry. Harry's ears were ringing, and it took him some time to hear the shouting from across the wall of rock and burning debris that blocked the hallway. A haze of smoke rose in hissing clouds.

"Severus, Harry, are you alright?" cried the terrified voice of Evelyn from the other side.

The flickering shield charms died, and Snape, panting, seemed to hear the shouting too.

"We are fine!" he shouted back. "Are you alright, Evelyn?"

"Yes, but I'll never get over this! Even if I were to fly in my animagus form the flames are still too hot and high for my feathers to hold up! I will go another way, and meet you back at the house!"

Harry was alarmed by the worried look on Snape's face. His professor swallowed.

"Okay, be careful!"

"I will be! We should go now!"

"Alright!" he called back, but Harry was amazed to see that Snape did not seem to be moving at all.

"Come on sir, she'll be okay!" he said, grabbing his professor by the arm.

Snape appeared to come to his senses, and he turned on his heel, running the short distance to the tiny staircase that led down into a small corridor, which Harry knew would meet up with the entrance hall. The air was clearer here, and Harry's head started to feel less hazy. He still felt weak and sick however, but he was not sure if this was from the smoke or from his shoulder wound. The entrance hall was swarming with people fleeing the fire, and Evelyn could not be seen in the midst of it. She was likely still caught in the crowd on the staircase, trying to get to ground floor.

Harry led the way to the staircase that went down to the lowest level, and together he and Snape ran for their lives. The building moaned and creaked far above them, but the smoke was minimal where they were. It felt cool after the heat of the fire, and Harry was glad to be moving further away from it. Snape however seemed to be constantly looking back, and Harry ended up leading the way into the catacombs. He thundered down the stone staircase and threw open the door to the tunnels of the dead. The door was shut behind them by Snape, and the noise and screaming from above was drowned out. They travelled in silence for a while, until Snape broke it.

"Potter, why did you not tell me about what was in the side room down here?" he muttered as they continued down the catacombs, his wand held aloft. He was bent double behind Harry, the sound of his boots scraping the rocky ground echoing strangely. Snape sounded odd to Harry, like his voice wasn't quite working properly. Harry wondered if he was still suffering from inhaling all that smoke.

"I ... I didn't want to worry you, I guess," said Harry quietly, heart still pounding from the terror of what had happened.

"It is my job to worry. You should have said something. You really should have."

"I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Harry fell silent as they walked along, wondering why Snape would bring that up now, of all times.

It seemed only moments until they reached the side room, and Harry averted his eyes from the wrapped bundles in the walls, trying to find the trapdoor. He could find no trace of it.

Snape knelt down and lifted the piece of camouflaged wood, which was a little ways to Harry's right.

"You first, Potter," said Snape, holding out his hands so that his palms faced up. "Give me your hands. It's a bit slippery."

Hesitantly, Harry put his hands in Snape's, which were hot from running and the fire. Harry stepped over to the hole, and Snape helped to lower him in so he could get his feet on the first block of wood along the tunnel shaft. Snape let go once Harry had gone down one rung, and had something to hold onto. At the bottom Harry found that there were little jars with flames in them inserted into the tunnel walls. He looked down to the end of the tunnel, which seemed to go on forever. In fact, he could not even see an end. In a moment he heard a crunching noise, indicating that Snape's boots had hit the rough surface of the ground. There was the clunk of the wood trapdoor being put back into place.

"Go on, Potter," said Snape when this was done, prodding Harry in the back.

Silently, they moved through the seemingly endless, cramped tunnel.

"If the tunnel starts to collapse, run as fast as you can toward the end, alright?" said Snape in Harry's ear, and Harry nodded. "After we learned that you had been captured - you can thank your friend Mr. Peakes for writing on your parchment and informing us- we had to reinforce less in order to increase the pace. We have had a few supports crack, and did have one a minor collapse the night you were captured, which was why I had to stop writing. I am sorry for that."

"It's alright sir," said Harry quietly.

They fell silent.

"Do you think Evelyn will take the tunnel?" Harry asked softly after a while.

"I believe she will try to apparate back to the house once she gets out of the building," muttered Snape. "It was our plan if we got separated, and she told me while we planned that if the way to the tunnel was obstructed she would just fly out of the building in her animagus form. She will have taken some time to get out of the crowd, so I doubt she would stay in the building to use the tunnel because of the fire. It would be too risky by the time she got down there."

"What if she gets trapped in the building?"

"She will be fine. Evelyn is very smart. She'll find a way."

Harry thought he heard Snape's voice shake despite his confident statements.

"How much further?" asked Harry some time later, for it felt like they had been travelling for an age.

"About sixty more feet, I would imagine," said Snape. "The wood reinforcements have been closer together for a while, thankfully."

Harry watched as they walked by, and sure enough, the boards holding up the tunnel walls and ceiling were not so far apart.

Snape's breathing seemed a little bit more relaxed now that they were in the safer part of the tunnel.

Harry thought he could see an end, and he quickened his pace. They were almost there, and Harry brushed a bit of sandy soil from his hair, which had trickled down from above.

A noise like a gunshot rang through the air, very close by.

"What was that?" cried Harry suddenly.

"RUN!" Snape shouted, and Harry heard a rumbling noise. He was stunned for a moment. They were in the safe part of the tunnel, weren't they?

Harry felt a push from behind and he sprinted as fast as he could for the exit. He heard more snapping noises behind him, as though one of the supports had gone, and the others were breaking from the extra weight. Without glancing behind him he sprinted the remaining twenty feet to the shaft. When he reached it, for a second Harry turned his head as he mounted the ladder. A mass of earth was coming down behind Snape, who was running for his life, eyes wide with terror. Boards were breaking left and right, bits of wood flying through the air as bits of rock and earth tumbled down. It was like a domino effect. One board split right above Snape, and he gave a strangled shout of shock.

"GO UP, GO UP!" he yelled to Harry, his voice sounding constricted with panic.

Harry wasted not a second more and sped up the ladder, throwing the trapdoor open above him. He threw himself onto the floor, and peered over the edge of the hole to see Snape coming up. He was pale as a sheet, and Harry reached a hand to grab the fabric of his cloak to help him up. Dust was swirling up from the tunnel, making the two of them cough, and as soon as Snape's boots had cleared the hole, Harry slammed the trapdoor closed.

Harry coughed and spluttered for air, sitting on the floor. Snape fell to his knees beside him, panting.

"Sir?" Harry asked faintly, noticing the way Snape was clutching his stomach. "Are you alright?"

Snape let out a soft moan, and then Harry saw the blood running from under his fingertips. Snape teetered dangerously, and Harry took his arm and helped him lie on the floor, trying to make sense of what had happened in a world of terror.

He pulled Snape's arms away, and what he saw nearly made him faint. A splinter of wood the size of a kitchen knife was sticking out of Snape's abdomen, along the right side. Seeing the grimace on his Professor's pale face, Harry reached over to pull it out, but Snape stopped his hand.

"It's ... got to ... stay in," Snape gasped in pain, eyes wide as his chest heaved. "I'll bleed to death if it comes out. It's the only thing plugging the wound, and I haven't got any blood replenisher."

"Sir, can't you fix it?" Harry asked, having trouble making himself heard.

"N-No," Snape said with a shudder, his whole body shaking. "Not this. It's too deep; there will be internal bleeding. Dittany won't help either. I was so panicked I only brought basic healing supplies back in time."

"B-But, you can fix anything!" Harry said on impulse, his voice breaking.

Snape almost smiled, but he took a gasping gulp of air, his body shuddering.

"I cannot, but a healer can. M-Magic can do wonderful things."

"We have to go back then, now," Harry said, not even trying to stop the tears from falling.

"We have to wait for Evelyn," grunted Snape.

"You'll die, sir!"

"Then I'll die!" Snape said with a kind of reckless abandon that scared Harry more than he could admit to himself.

"B-But, she'll understand if we don't say goodbye!" Harry cried, confused. Why was Snape being so stubborn? Evelyn would be okay.

"She's coming back with us."

"What? Why?"

Snape just shook his head, looking suddenly anguished.

"We have to use the powder now," whispered Harry, hating to say it. "It should work faster than last time, but who knows how much time it will take? Remember, Evelyn said it works until the magic takes us back to the future ... so we could save a little for her to use, and if she shows up before the powder takes us through time it should still work, right?"

"Correct," muttered Snape, looking thoughtful.

"Please, sir!" Harry cried, his voice breaking. "We have to use it! Evelyn doesn't want you to die for her!"

It took a moment, but Snape looked at Harry, and then with a shaking hand he pulled from the inside of his cloak a tiny phial.

Silently, he tried to open it. Harry took it when his shaking fingers could not pull the stopper out. Gently, Harry sprinkled a little bit of the shimmering blue dust over Snape, and then on himself. A shiver went down his spine, and Snape shuddered as well. Harry was careful to leave a tiny amount in the bottom of the phial, and put the stopper back in, hoping desperately that Evelyn would show up before the magic had become active enough to transport them.

Harry grabbed a ragged towel folded nearby and pressed it onto Snape's stomach, careful not to jar the large splinter. Snape's shaking hands held the towel there, and for a moment, he closed his eyes tightly. Harry let out a sigh, and because of this he almost did not hear the whispered words from Snape's lips, which clenched tightly together afterwards, as though he had not meant to utter them.

"Please, Evelyn," his hoarse voice had pleaded.