Snape had awoken from a fretful sleep at the feel of the pendant burning against his chest.

“What is it now, Potter?” he had muttered in sleepy annoyance. Leave it to the boy to not leave the damn thing alone. Pulling the pendant from his nightshirt, he had flipped it over to see shaky green letters:

DE

HP Hurt Bad

At HQ

Snape’s mouth had flooded with the taste of metal as his veins filled with dread. Rocketing out of bed, he had grabbed his potions kit and his cloak and had run for the perimeter of his property, Apparating mid-step across the boundary onto the doorstep of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Once inside, he had raced down the stairs, blowing the kitchen door out of his way with his wand in his haste to get to Potter. The sight that had awaited him stole his breath: The boy was blue from lack of oxygen. The wolf was hovering over him, surely doing nothing of any use.

“Out of my way!” he had bellowed as he waved his wand in the characteristic movement needed to determine what curses had been used against the boy. A sickly lime green light had emanated from Potter’s too still form for only a moment, but it was enough. Snape had known instantly what Potter had been hit with. He had felt the bile rise in his throat as he had skidded to a halt in front of the boy who was already turning blue from lack of oxygen.

“Granger!” he commanded, shoving his potions satchel across the floor to her. “Find me the Pennywise potion and the Elixir of Life. Right. Now.”

He didn’t wait for the girl’s response, instead focusing on stabilizing Potter’s bodily functions. He barely heard her quavering voice as she held out the potions to him. Uncapping them each with the grace of a well-trained potions master, he propped Potter up by the shoulders, tipped his head back so his mouth fell open, and dribbled the Elixir of Life into his mouth. He massaged Potter’s throat to encourage the swallow reflex and prevent choking.

“Come on, Potter, swallow,” he coaxed, rubbing more vigorously, until Potter swallowed. Then he waited, praying to Merlin that the boy wasn’t too far gone. Time seemed to slow. Snape watched, helplessly, hoping beyond hope that Potter would respond, that he wasn’t too late.

Finally, Potter gave a convulsive shudder, then a cough. Snape slapped the boy on the back.

“That’s it, Potter,” he said. “Just try and breathe…”

Snape swallowed against the panic that had been steadily rising within him. He felt as if he’d lived a hundred lifetimes as he waited for Potter to respond to the potion. Potter’s face was still pale, and the teen’s limbs had gone rigid. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw clenched.

“I know it hurts,” Snape murmured. “Just a couple more potions and then you can rest.”

Snape uncapped the Pennywise potion and held it to the boy’s lips. “Drink this.”

“Make it stop,” Potter cried out, turning his head away.

“Potter,” Snape snapped. “Drink this now!”

The teen stilled and reluctantly opened his mouth, swallowing what Snape poured in. Then he hissed in pain and started to struggle against Snape. Snape grasped him around the middle and pulled the boy tight up against his chest.

“Granger, find me the mind numbing potion.”

“Sir?” Hermione questioned, horror in her eyes.

“Now!” Snape commanded. He watched as she fumbled through his potions with one hand, her other arm curled tight against her chest.

With a trembling hand, Hermione handed the potion to Snape. It was lime green, just like the light that had shone from Potter’s body.

“Potter!” Snape yelled. “Calm yourself this instant!” He hoped that his most menacing voice would make Potter still, at least momentarily. But the teen was keening and spinning out of control.

Snape grabbed him by the throat and squeezed.

“Severus!” Lupin shouted.

Potter kicked out and clawed at Snape’s hands, but eventually, the boy stilled long enough to rasp, “Can’t. Breathe.”

Snape loosened his grip and, as Potter opened his mouth to inhale, Snape poured in the mind numbing draught. “Swallow, Potter.”

Thankfully, the teen did, and within moments, Potter slumped against Snape. Snape turned Potter so that he could slide his arms under the teen’s back and behind his knees. Then he lifted the boy in his arms. Standing, he glanced at the wolf. “Lupin, see to Granger’s arm.”

Snape was filled with a moment of satisfaction as Lupin took note of Hermione’s injury, and at the shame that crossed his face for not noticing it sooner.

“Tonks, contact the Ministry and get a group of Aurors out to the Granger place.”

Looking to Granger, Snape said: “Meet me upstairs as soon as Lupin has seen to your injuries.”

Then he departed the kitchen to find a bed for the boy.

“Sir?” Granger called as she entered the room where he and Harry were. She gasped when she saw Harry, lying motionless and presumably asleep on the bed, but with leather restraints across his chest, wrists, thighs, and ankles.

“Sir?” Granger called as she entered the room where he and Harry were. She gasped when she saw Harry, lying motionless and presumably asleep on the bed, but with leather restraints across his chest, wrists, thighs, and ankles.

“What. Happened.” Snape spat, his eyes flashing with fury as he sat beside the unconscious teen.

Granger put a hand to her mouth and started to cry.

“Stop that at once, Miss Granger. There is no time. Unless you want Potter to die, you will tell me what happened this instant! Start from the beginning.”

Snape barely spared a glance at the girl as she tried to compose herself. Instead, he turned his attention back to the boy who was just barely alive.

“We were asleep,” Hermione began. “I awoke to the alarms, the green light and the cat yowling. By the time I realized what was going on, the light had turned orange.” Hermione swallowed, pushing on.

“I grabbed my wand and ran to chivvy my parents into the bathroom as we had planned.” Granger paused. “They didn’t want to let me go,” she said, swiping at the tears on her face.

“Go. On.” Snape demanded, fighting against the rage and impotence that swirled inside him.

Granger took a deep breath. “I got them in the bathroom and closed the door, but then I got hit with a curse. I didn’t…” Granger gasped. “I wasn’t able to ward the door.” She bit back a sob, and Snape grudgingly gave her credit for forcing herself to continue. “I tried to fire a hex back, but the Death Eaters were coming up the stairs and Harry was calling my name.”

Snape swore.

“He was supposed to stay in his room and wait for me. I don’t know why he didn’t,” Granger lamented. “I tried to pull him back, but he was fighting them, and so I had to fight them too. There were curses flying everywhere; I didn’t even know Harry was hit. But then he was falling…” Hermione faltered, swallowing convulsively and clearing her throat.

“I knew we were in trouble. So I…” she stuttered and wiped at her overflowing eyes, “I did the only thing I could think of.” Barely above a whisper, she added, “I cast Fiendfyre to hold them off.”

Snape jerked his head to gaze at her, astonishment plain on his face.

“Then I crawled to Harry and clicked his boots together three times like you told me, and we came here and I wrote that message to you.”

Granger took in a great, ragged breath and dropped her head into her hands.

“Miss Granger,” Snape said, stunned by what she had done. “Where are your parents?”

Granger’s sobs broke free as she wrapped her arms around herself and began rocking back and forth. “I couldn’t save them,” she cried. “There wasn’t time to ward the door. I… I had to choose…”

Snape was stunned. The girl had sacrificed her parents for Potter. He wasn’t sure how many children would have been able to do that. “That was very brave of you,” he said softly.

Hermione shook her head, refuting his words.

Lupin burst into the room. “How is he?” the man said. When he saw Potter, he froze.

“Sedated for now,” Snape said.

“Why is he restrained?” Lupin demanded, looking accusingly at Snape.

“The restraints are for his own safety, as well as that of others,” Snape replied wearily.

Lupin frowned, seemingly unhappy with Snape’s answer. “What was he cursed with?” Lupin asked, approaching the boy’s bed.

Just then, Tonks ran into the room. She fell to her knees in front of Granger. “Hermione,” Tonks said. “I just received word from the Weasleys. Your parents arrived safely at the Burrow.”

Granger raised her tear-streaked face. “What?” she asked. “But that’s not possible. I didn’t ward the… I didn’t…” Granger paused, thinking, and then turned horror-filled eyes to Snape. “Harry…” she whispered.

“Harry what?” Snape demanded.

“He warded the door. That’s why he was in the hallway. That’s why he got struck with that curse. He saved my parents… instead of himself.”

Snape cursed vehemently, wanting to strangle the stupid little hero lying restrained on the bed. Half the Wizarding world spent their time trying to keep the idiot boy alive, while he constantly put himself in death’s path. And tonight, he’d nearly succeeded. Might still succeed, if Snape was honest with himself.

Snape shot to his feet and stomped out of the room before he gave into the urge to strangle the unconscious twit. He stamped his way down the stairs and into the kitchen to firecall Dumbledore. The curse Potter was hit with had caused, and unless he could stop it would continue to cause, serious damage. Clenching his jaw in frustration, he tossed in some Floo powder and stuck his head into the flames. At least Dumbledore would deserve the telling off he planned to give the man.

Snape returned to the room that Potter was in to find Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley.

“…your parents are fine, Hermione. A little shaken up, of course, but mostly they are just worried about you and Harry,” Arthur was saying.

“Fiendfyre, you say?” Shacklebolt interrupted. “That explains why the house was completely destroyed.”

“Ah, Severus,” Arthur said, the first one to notice Snape’s arrival. “Can you tell us what Harry has been cursed with?”

“Protinus malum,” Snape replied, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

“What does it do?” Arthur asked.

It was Shacklebolt who answered. “A Death Eater favorite, if I recall,” he said. “Tricks the mind into believing the body is under constant attack, until the witch or wizard either ends up killing themselves or being killed, am I right?”

“You are correct,” Snape said through gritted teeth.

“What?” Granger shrieked. “Why would he kill himself or be killed?”

“Because,” Snape said, leaning against the door jamb, “he will either exhaust himself in an effort to fight off an invisible attacker, foregoing sleep and sustenance, or he will attack anyone who comes near, thereby being killed by another in self-defence.”

Lupin spoke then. “How do we break the curse?”                                             

“It hasn’t been done before,” Snape spat.

Silence descended upon the room, quickly followed by an uproar.

Snape raised his hand. “There is, however, a potion that might clear it. In the meantime, he will be restrained so that he cannot injure himself or others. He is sedated for now, and the mind numbing potion should help temporarily, but neither potion can be used long term and their effects weaken with continued use.”

Snape pushed away from the door. Looking to Shacklebolt, he asked, “What is known of the attack?”

“Two Death Eaters killed in the fire, two more captured, four escaped. The Granger home is a total loss.”

“And the motive?” Snape asked, holding his breath. Had he jeopardized Potter’s safety by taking them to Diagon Alley? He didn’t think he could have, but coincidences never sat well with him.

“Three other homes of Muggleborns were attacked this evening as well. It does not appear that the Death Eaters knew that Potter was there,” Shacklebolt reported. “You heard nothing of this?”

“Obviously not,” Snape retorted. “Many of the lesser Death Eaters find sport in such things and the Dark Lord is not averse to killing Muggleborns,” he said, distractedly running a hand through his hair. “Those in his inner circle are usually kept busy with what the Dark Lord deems to be more important tasks.”

“What happens now?” Hermione asked, looking imploringly at Snape.

“Now,” Snape said, “you, Miss Granger, will accompany Mr. Weasley back to the Burrow to be with your parents. I will take Mr. Potter to Hogwarts, where he will be monitored at all times.”

Snape silently dared anyone to contradict him. Not only was he Potter’s de facto guardian, but he also had the headmaster’s support.

“I will attempt to brew a potion to stop, and hopefully reverse, the curse. But there are no guarantees.”