"Let me out," Harry sobbed one last time, still clawing at the door. Severus stood back and watched Harry sadly, not sure what to do. Harry leaned his head against the door and began to cry freely.

"Harry," Severus began, his voice a little hoarse, "if I could let you out, I would." Harry didn't respond.

"Don't forget me," Harry sobbed quietly. Severus stepped close to Harry and crouched next to him. He extended his hand and rested it on Harry's shoulder. Harry jumped and met his eyes.

"Did you hear me?" Severus asked softly.

"You said you would let me out if you could," Harry muttered.

"Yes," Severus said. "We'll live. It will be unpleasant, but there's no reason to believe that a weekend will kill either of us."

"I can't do this again," Harry gasped, his breath hitching as he turned his body towards Severus. Severus sighed and embraced Harry, pulling the boy to his feet as they both stood. "I can't do this. It's just like Privet Drive. I'm sorry." Harry broke down into a fresh round of tears as he began to use Severus' robes for handkerchiefs.

There were no couches anywhere, and it seemed like a conversation Severus would prefer to have sitting. He glanced around for an appropriate place for the two of them to sit side by side, and finally settled on the floor in front of one of the long lab tables. Carefully, he steered Harry over there and lowered him down. Harry offered no resistance.

"This is nothing like Privet Drive," Severus said quietly.

"Locked away," Harry choked out between sobs.

"You're not alone here," Severus reminded him gently.

"I'm sorry," Harry sobbed. Severus sighed again. Was he doing this right? He was trying to be comforting, gentle, not sarcastic and biting, but it didn't seem to help Harry. Leave it to him to not know how to deal with a crying, panicking child.

"Can the house elves tell someone where we are?" Harry suddenly asked, lifting his tear stained face to look imploringly at Severus.

"This spell," Severus began, taking a deep breath, "is a spell used by parents when disciplining a child. It dampens the magic and prevents the family house elves from offering the child company or comfort during the time of punishment. Usually the child is sent to his or her room for an hour at most. It's not so bad a spell under usual circumstances."

"Maybe Umbridge will come and remove it?" Harry suggested, dragging his sleeve over his nose and eyes.

"Perhaps eventually," Severus conceded. "It will take her a long time to find the correct room, though. There are hundreds if not thousands of rooms where you could be."

"Will she be in trouble for this?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Severus said darkly. "I'm sure the Headmaster will have something to say about a member of his faculty confining both a student and a colleague for a weekend. And if he doesn't, then I will file a complaint of cruel and unusual punishment." Harry grimaced a bit - what Severus thought was supposed to be a smile - because Harry laughed.

"You? Complaining of cruel and unusual punishment?"

"Oh, shut up," Severus growled, playfully shoving Harry. Where had that come from? He huffed to himself a bit. He supposed that the Harry without the glamours - no glasses, straight hair, high cheekbones - was easier to view as his son than the Harry that looked like James Potter. Harry snuggled close to Severus, who draped an arm around him, grumbling softly about "presumptive, cheeky children."

"We should sleep a lot," Harry said softly.

"Why is that?" Severus asked.

"You can't feel the hunger then," Harry whispered. Severus nodded. "I didn't bring any food with me."

"Why would you have brought food with you?" Severus scoffed.

"I never expected - " Harry tried to explain.

"Of course not," Severus cut him off. "Don't worry yourself."

"Why had you told Dumbledore we were going to be gone this weekend?"

"It had been my intention," Severus began, clearing his throat a bit, "to get to know you." Harry sat a bit straighter and looked at him like he had suddenly transfigured his clothes into a pink tutu and leotards.

"What?" Harry finally gasped.

"Such gaping is unbecoming," Severus sneered, unsure what else to do.

"Sorry," Harry apologized quickly. Harry launched himself into a standing position and Severus followed suit. One panic attack down, who knew how many to go? Severus supposed that could have gone much worse, all things considering. He wasn't one to have had much experience dealing with such things. It pained him more than he wanted to admit to have to watch Harry deal with this.

The boy had grown on him over the past week. He had done a lot of thinking - and not much sleeping - regarding the entire situation, and he realized it was entirely wrong for him to hate his son.

Harry had a good point, that the relationship did nothing to change their personality conflicts, but what it did change for Severus, was how much effort he was going to put into overcoming those differences.

He watched as Harry sat down, Indian style, in front of the door and rested his hands in his lap. Harry looked up at the door, and didn't move. Severus went over to his desk where he began to flip through some papers. Harry watched the door with the most expressive, soulful eyes Severus had ever had the misfortune of witnessing.

Feeling acutely uncomfortable, he sat down and focused on preparing the next few weeks of lessons for his classes. Harry didn't acknowledge him in any way, and Severus absently wondered if that was what Harry did when he was confined by his relatives.

Some time later, Severus glanced at Harry, who still hadn't moved a muscle. Even the longing expression on his face was the same. Severus felt a pang of concern. Barely suppressing a yawn, Severus rose and crouched by Harry, hesitantly laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. Harry flinched violently, but looked at him.

"It's getting late," Severus murmured, trying not to startle Harry.

"Oh," Harry said.

"Eloquent as ever," Severus observed casually, the usual biting sarcasm gone. "You suggested sleep earlier. I believe it's almost time for that."

"Yes, sir," Harry agreed, wrapping his arms around himself. Severus rose and wordlessly entered the stock room. In a moment, he returned with his cloak and an armful of potions rags.

"There's still a small fire," he pointed out. "It will be warmer there." Harry rose and walked over to the fireplace, but didn't look at Severus. Harry hung his head and shivered nervously. Severus threw the pile of rags on the ground as a pillow and lay down on his side. He threw his cloak over himself, then held one side of it up, and watched Harry expectantly. Harry shifted uneasily.

"It's just to help keep warm tonight," Severus said soothingly. "It gets cold down here." Harry shook his head mutely and took a step back. "Alright," Severus sighed. He rose, already feeling a bit stiff. The cold, hard stone wasn't any good on pre-arthritic joints. He held the cloak out and gestured to the floor.

"Well?" he prompted. "Lay down." Harry stepped hesitantly close, and Severus draped his cloak over Harry's thin shoulders.

"And where will you sleep?"

"In my chair," Severus replied, nodding to his desk.

"That can't be comfortable," Harry observed.

"I never said it was," Severus agreed, raising and eyebrow.

"You know," Harry whispered, "maybe it will get cold tonight."

"Of course it will," Severus said. "I should know. I've spent enough nights down here brewing potions for Poppy."

"Maybe it would be - expedient - to keep the body heat isolated together..." Harry's voice drifted off. "As long as that's all it is."

"That's all it is," Severus confirmed, almost too quietly to be heard. "I promise." Harry sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded.

"Sorry," he murmured. So Severus repeated the previous actions, and held the cloak open for Harry to crawl under. This time, Harry slipped next to his easily and Severus wrapped his cloak and his arm around Harry. For the moment, they were comfortably warm. Severus knew that in a few hours, even the small fire, the cloak and their combined body heat would fade and they both would be shivering. Harry would suffer more than he would. Harry was smaller, and more easily chilled. He wished there was more he could do to ease Harry's suffering, but quickly banished those thoughts, as he knew he was doing all he could. Wishing in vain would just make him more miserable than he already was.

After a few minutes, he felt Harry relax little by little, as the boy realized that he was safe.

"Good night, Harry," Severus murmured softly.

"Good night, sir," Harry mumbled, already half asleep. "Thank you."

Severus drifted off to sleep shortly after.

There was squirming and there was whimpering. Severus' eyes flew open and he saw that Harry was still under his arm, but the boy was in the throws of a nightmare.

"No, stop," Harry muttered, as his brow creased. "Don't touch me, please." Severus moved his arm and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, shaking him gently.

"Harry, wake up," he murmured. "It's a dream." Harry's eyes flew open and he gasped. With a socking speed, Harry rolled over and looked at Severus with a horror-stricken face. Then he sighed and relaxed.

"Oh, sorry," Harry breathed.

"It's alright," Severus murmured. "Heaven knows you have enough to have nightmares about." Harry nodded and shivered. Presumably, several hours had passed, and the dungeon was now quite cold. Severus rolled onto his back and shifted Harry, so that the boy was halfway sprawled across him. The less contact Harry had with the cold, stone floor, the warmer he would be. Using Severus' shoulder as a pillow, Harry settled into the new position.

"What was it about?" Severus asked eventually.

"Don't remember," Harry muttered back. Severus snorted. He didn't quite believe that, but he didn't want to press Harry into confiding something that he wasn't ready to speak about, not when it wasn't vital information like the details and extent of his abuse.

"If you don't want to speak of it, then say so," Severus said. "Don't lie to me if you really do remember it."

"Alright," Harry agreed, closing his eyes. "I don't want to tell you."

"That's better," Severus said. "Now go back to sleep. You're safe here." Harry pulled his shivering body closer, and Severus also appreciated the added body heat. He dreaded to think how cold it would be when their metabolisms slowed from lack of food. There was only so much he could do for them with no magic and limited resources.

No food, no water, no magic, no heat. Severus shivered just at the thought, though perhaps cold had something to do with it too. What he wouldn't do for a good, strong fire and a blanket. His cloak just wasn't cutting it. They weren't going to freeze, Severus knew, but if they weren't extremely careful, they might need some hypothermia treatment after they were found.

Ron sighed dramatically and stared off into the blazing fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked him, looking up from her book.

"I wish you still had that time-turner," he said.

"This one?" Hermione smiled, pulling the desired object from her pocket. She had been carrying it with her everywhere since Dumbledore gave it to her, so that she would have it at just the right moment.

"You have a time-turner?" Ron gasped.

"Yeah," Hermione said. "Dumbledore gave it to me. He told me you would want it and to give it to you when you mentioned it."

"He did?" Ron asked suspiciously. "I wonder how he knows…" Ron's voice drifted off. "What's the catch?"

"None," Hermione said. "He even told me not to ask you what you were planning to do with it."

"How in the world - ?" Ron puzzled, as he took the time-turner from Hermione. "Well, no matter."

"Good luck on whatever mission you have," Hermione smiled at him.

"Thanks," Ron replied. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Hermione gasped and gaped at him. Ron smiled and left the common room, time-turner in hand.