He managed to haul Harry away from the beach and up the cliffs. Ben could hear the weather flags flapping in the distance. The wind had picked up.

Although the other boy was very light and much too small for his age, Ben was glad he remembered the short cut across the soccer field. Warily he glanced at the threatening rain clouds above.
As they made their way through the streets, Harry drifted in and out of consciousness. Ben was panting. Holding up the dead weight of his friend wasn’t easy. Ben kept an awkward grip on Harry, his arm slung uncomfortably across Ben’s shoulders. He pushed on.

He had to get them to Severus. He was going to help. The professor could heal Harry and maybe he would allow Ben to stay with him for the day. He really didn’t feel like facing his mother at the moment.
Everything was too much. His mind was pushing against his head from the inside with all the thoughts tumbling over each other. Everything had happened too fast.

Harry kept mumbling under his breath.
Ben couldn’t make out the words but they spurred him to greater hurry.
When they entered the street Ben lived in after what seemed like a lifetime to the boy, a faint rumble could be heard and little raindrops begun falling down on them.
Harry started squirming in his grip.

He had woken long enough to take in their surroundings and for the first time, Ben could understand what he said.
“No, please, don’t…”
Puzzled Ben bend his head so it was level with Harry’s careful not to jostle the other boy in the process.

“Harry? What’s up?”
“Please… don’t take me back there.”
“Back where?”
“Please- I can’t.”
“Back where?” Ben asked growing more and more fearful.
“To him.”
“Him?”
Harry sucked in a breath. His eyes were closing.
“Harry? Harry!”
“Not. Him. He’ll- pun’sh-“
Harry’s words were all chopped up.
“So angry-”
“Harry, I can’t, what?”
“Please. Not – belt – please.”

Ben felt his blood running cold. His throat closed off.
“Calm down Harry. We’re nearly there.”
“No… he’ll…” his voice broke down.
The rain grew heavier. Ben had to get them to safety. And preferably somewhere dry. He braced himself and started dragging Harry down the street once more. He couldn’t think straight. Was Harry having some sort of episode? The boy was clearly delirious. Ben had to hurry.

They finally arrived at Number 7. Ben didn’t even spare a glance at the neighbouring house. He didn’t want to see, didn’t want to know. He kicked the gate open with his foot. It hit the wall with a loud crash that had Ben wincing.
Startled from the loud noise, Harry looked around bewildered.
“Where are w- nooo...”
Ben dragged him towards the front steps navigating between various flowerpots.
“Nonono,” Harry whimpered.
“Harry, it’s okay. It’s going to be fine,” Ben reassured him breathlessly.
“No,” the other boy groaned.

Ben brushed the strange behaviour of his friend aside. He had to get help. Fast.
He knocked on the door. Nothing happened. He rapped on the wood more firmly.
“Mr. Snape?”
Harry started struggling again.
“Harry, please. Hold still. I can’t hold you,” Ben begged. In a louder voice he repeated: “Mr. Snape? We need help!” Nothing stirred inside the house.
Something touched Ben’s ankle. He jumped and nearly dropped Harry who was still struggling against Ben’s arms.
“Felix!” Ben cried. The cat considered them for a moment. Then he gracefully leapt on the wall and started chucking down flowerpots.
“Felix no! What are you doing?”

Crash! Crash! Boom!

Ben cringed. That last one had been a big one.
Felix meowed agitatedly. Another pot went flying.

Suddenly, the door was flung open.
“What is that infernal racket going on out here? Do you want to wake up the whole neighbourhood?”
There he stood. Arms crossed over chequered pyjamas Mr. Snape glowered down on them. Then his expression shrunk.

“Ben? What are- Potter!”
“Sir, please, you have to help!” Ben cried desperately. He couldn’t hold Harry up much longer. The small boy fought against his hold as if Ben was leading him to his execution.
“Ben! What happened? Why-“
He never finished his question.

Harry having taken a good look at Snape promptly threw up in own of the professor’s vegetable patches. Ben clutched Harry’s chest so that the smaller boy wouldn’t keel over into his own vomit. In his arms, Harry went slack.
“Mr. Snape, sir- please help!”
Severus stood frozen in the doorway.
“Professor- Severus! Help!”

That seemed to do the trick. Severus started to move, quickly taking Harry’s other arm and guiding him and Ben inside. It was difficult navigating the narrow hallway and Ben stumbled on a pair of yellow wellies that stood by the front door. Severus caught them both. He tightened his hold on Harry and reached out a questioning hand towards Ben.

“Alright there Ben?”
Ben nodded before he realised the professor couldn’t see it in the dark.
“Yes,” he said. “Don’t mind me. Help Harry.”
Together they made their way into the living room. Severus carefully placed Harry on the couch. Ben lifted Harry’s legs onto the soft cushions.
“Merli- Jesus Ben! What happened?”

“He- I- he’s- I don’t…”
Severus starred back at him. Ben was overwhelmed. Rescue was so near. They had made it. He was so tired.
“Sir please,” he tried to string together a sentence. “Harry’s foot.”
Severus abruptly turned to Harry again.
“Merlin! Shit!”
He immediately begun to peel open the blood-crusted shoelaces.

Ben sat down on the rug. His legs felt wobbly. When Severus gently removed Harry’s shoe the smell of blood hit Ben’s nose. He retched.
“Ben? Benjamin?” Severus asked worry seeping into his voice. Ben stopped him with a wave of his hand.
“Not important. Harry- he-”
“I know. I know,” Severus sounded wary somehow.
“Ben,” he continued. “You’re shivering. You can take a shower if you want to.”
“But-“
Severus took Ben’s hand into his own.
“You’re freezing cold Ben.”
Ben blinked at him uncomprehendingly.
“Do you have clean clothes?” asked Severus the trembling boy.
Ben glanced at his seabag that lay in a puddle on Severus’ rug.
“I will lend you some of my clothes. They should fit you well enough,” Severus said.
“But- Harry?”
“I’ll handle this.”

Reluctantly Ben made his way towards the stairs. He saw Severus rummaging around in one of the kitchen drawers. The professor came back with several strange looking vials and a first aid kit, which he promptly opened. Critically he glanced at the professor and Harry. When the professor started pouring a brown liquid on some cotton swap, Ben turned toward the stairs once more. Reassured he trekked up to use the bathroom.

Severus diligently cleaned Potter’s wound. It was a nasty injury. He wondered how the inept boy had acquired it. At that moment though, he was just glad that Potter seemed to be out cold or this whole procedure would have been a lot more complicated. And painful.
When Ben had disappeared upstairs, Severus pulled his wand out from the holster that he always wore beneath his clothing. It had the nice side effect of concealing his Dark Mark.
He shot a numbing spell at Potter’s foot. No need to wake him.
Then Severus spelled some blood-replenishing potion as well as an anti-infection draught inside Potter’s stomach glad that these weren’t remedies for the common cold.

The boy was still unconscious. Having disinfected the wound and bandaged Potter’s foot, Severus carefully eased the other shoe off the boy’s foot. His trousers were caked with mud and his jumper had earthy stains on it. It were the same clothes the boy had worn the whole week when gardening for Severus.

He felt guilty.
Slowly as to not startle the boy, he turned him over onto his side and began pulling off the dirty garments. His t-shirt might have not looked any better but that was as far as Severus was willing to go. It had to suffice. The boy could put on some clean clothes himself when he woke.
Severus threw the dirty trousers and jumper into a corner and fetched some woollen blankets, which he spread over the boy.

He looked… unwell. Exhausted. Too young.
Severus could make out dark circles beneath the boy’s eyes and absentmindedly wondered if they had been there when he picked Potter up at the shelter.
The pad of sock clad feet could be heard on the stairs.

A moment later Ben’s head swivelled around the living room door. His locks were dripping water on Severus’ floor. Sighing, Severus stood up from where he knelt next to Harry and went over to Ben. The boy was wearing some of Severus’ striped pyjama bottoms and the sleeves of the jumper Severus had lend to him only were a little bit too long.
Gently Severus closed the door behind himself.

“How is he?” Ben asked quietly.
Severus pushed him aside with a gentle hand to his shoulder and pulled open the chest of drawers in the hallway.
“He was badly injured,” he said handing Ben a small towel.
Ben nodded his thanks and started rubbing his wet locks. When Severus saw how rigorously Ben was scrubbing at his scalp, he clutched the boy’s hands and taking the towel slowly began rubbing Ben’s head himself.
When he felt that Ben’s hair was sufficiently dry he draped the towel over Ben’s shoulders and let his hands rest there for a second.

“Potter-“ Severus had to swallow against the lump in his throat. “He will be fine.”
“Promise?” asked Ben in a small voice.
Severus had to gulp again.
“Promise,” he told Ben quietly.
They stood in the dusky hallway. The first dim rays of the day trickled in through the front door.

“I think we could both use a cup of tea,” Severus said.
Ben sniffed.
“Come to the kitchen.”

Ben sat down in his usual seat at the kitchen table. He put his head in his hands and watched Severus fiddling with the knobs of his stove. He was just so tired. He hoped Harry was going to be fine. He trusted the professor though.
With thoughts of Harry soothed by Severus’ promise, his mind wandered to his own fate.

“Sir?” he asked Severus who had his back turned towards him pouring hot water into two cups.
“Mmmh…”
“Can I- I mean- may I- maybe- stay here for a day or two?”
Severus turned around the teacups clutched in his hands.
“Just until Harry wakes up!” Ben hastened to say.

“Ben.”
Severus put one of the cups down in front of Ben. The boy nervously wrapped his hands around it.
“Of course. You can stay.”
Ben smiled. He looked tired but his eyes shone brightly over the rim of his cup.

“What about Harry?” he asked.
Severus froze teacup halfway to is mouth.
“What about Pot- him?” he replied carefully.
“Will you help him?”
Severus hated the hope he heard in Ben’s voice.
“I have already helped him.” He sat down opposite from Ben.
Ben looked at him from askew.

“Do you know each other?”
“What?” Severus nearly choked on his hot tea.
Ben raised an eyebrow.
“You called him Potter.”
“I- it-“ Severus stuttered. “We- Yes, we have met.”
Ben furrowed his brows.

“You- he- what?”
Severus had to supress a smile.
“Do elaborate Benjamin.”
Ben starred into nothingness. Severus could see the wheels turning inside his head and the smile died on his lips. He didn’t like the gleam settling in Ben’s eyes.

“He- Harry- he begged me not to take him back.”
Severus remained silent.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” Ben’s voice sounded scared as if he feared Severus’ answer.
“I was what?” Severus spat impatiently.
“He- Harry stayed with you?”
He couldn’t look at Ben.
“Say something!”
“I- yes, he did,” Severus admitted.
Ben’s eyes hardened.

“Did you injure him?”
“What?”
“Did you hit him?”
“Ben! What-”
“DID YOU HIT HIM?” Ben shouted.
Severus swallowed nervously.
“Ben, please, calm down. I didn’t-
But Ben was done listening. He sprung from his chair, which fell clattering to the kitchen tiles.

“Calm down? He pleaded with me not to take him back to you!”
Severus could do nothing but stare at the boy. For the first time he noticed just how much Ben had grown over the summer. He was nearly as tall as Severus was. Gone was the small boy blinking up at him with big trusting eyes. Too trusting.
Severus missed them.

“He- he said that you’d punish him. That you would hit him!”
“Ben no, I-“
“What did you do to him?”
“Ben please- listen!”
“No, you listen! He’s afraid! He’s so afraid that he threw up when he saw you! He thinks you’ll use a belt to trash him,” Ben’s voice broke.
Severus paled.
“What?”
“What did you do to him?”

“Ben listen,” Severus stood up as well. He held a hand up trying to appease the raging boy.
“I only made him work in the garden. I n-never h-hit him.”
Ben looked at him. Severus hated how his eyes were shuttered close where they were always open to him before.

“He run away from you,” Ben whispered. “His foot was injured, he could barely walk, but he run away from you!”
Something broke inside Severus. He hadn’t even noticed that Potter had run away.
He looked at Ben. The boy was watching through narrowed eyes. He looked different. Rougher. His eyes deeper than the last time Severus had seen them. A fire burned inside them. Burning Severus.

“Ben, you have to understand-”
“Understand what?”
“His father bullied me at school,” Severus blurted out. Even to his own ears, it sounded pathetic.

“What?” Ben said in a low but dangerous voice. Severus forced himself not to look away at the anger he saw in Ben’s eyes. Who would have thought a Hufflepuff, even a muggle one like Ben, was capable of this? Then again, they were loyal right up until the bitter end. Which made him wonder: did the two boys know each other?

“Do you know Potter?” he asked Ben to steer the conversation away from dangerous waters.
“What happened to your hand? Why is it in a cast?” Severus groped around for safer topics.

Ben’s eyes were mere slits by now.
“Do you think I’m stupid? Answer the question!”
Severus swallowed hard. He contemplated how best to answer. He had to calm the boy down somehow.
“Pot- his father and me- we have a history.”
“History?” Ben asked incredulously.
“We- we were classmates. He- he bullied me,” Severus finished lamely.

“I got that,” Ben said in a hard voice.
“Ben, you have to understand. Potter, he is- he is one of my students.”
Ben raised an eyebrow but made no move to interrupt Severus.
“He’s an arrogant brat! Just like his father, he struts around expecting the whole world to cater to his whims. He disregards the school rules, he’s a mediocre student, he-“
One look at Ben made Severus shut up.

Ben looked him straight in the eye.
“He’s a child.”
“Ben, I-“
“Harry is a child, Severus.”
Severus had to look away.
“I don’t know what happened between you and Harry or between you and his father,” Ben whispered and he sounded broken. “And I don’t care what Harry did or didn’t do at school. I know him. He’s my friend.” Ben said simply.

“Harry ran away from you. He’s afraid of you.”
Severus hunched his shoulders. He didn’t know what to say to that. Had he let it get out of hand this past week?
He tried to remember, tried to pick signs of Potter’s fear of him out from his memory. The evidence he came up with was so overwhelming he had to sit down again.

“Harry is just a child. I wish you could see him for who he truly is.”

With that, Ben left the kitchen.