Present

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on that couch.  I didn’t realize I had until I woke up.  I knew I was capable of seeing what was going on in Voldemort’s mind.  Both Dad and Professor Dumbledore warned me it was possible that the reverse might also be true.  That’s why it was so important for me to Occlude before I went to sleep.  After the incident with Dad’s secret I was super careful.  I was just so tired.  I fell asleep.  I was reading and then I was there in the Ministry,” Harry explained.

“I knew this was Voldemort’s image.  I didn’t know if it was real or what but I did know I needed to tell Dad about it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (the week before)

Harry threw himself off the couch.  He needed to get to his dad’s quarters, now.  He took the stairs two at a time as ran up to his dorm room.  He didn’t care how much noise he made.  All that mattered was saving Sirius.  The man might be a jerk, but he was still Harry’s godfather.  He loved that asshole.

Harry slammed the door to his circular room open.  He sprinted across the room throwing open the trunk at the end of the bed.

“Harry,” a sleep bleary voice asked.

Harry turned, Neville Longbottom peered out from between his four-poster’s hangings.

“Go back to sleep Neville,” Harry hissed.

“What’s the matter,” Ron asked from his own bed.

“Sirius is in trouble.  I need to get to Dad’s quarters.  I have to go help him.”  Harry explained.

Harry missed the confused look on Neville’s face and the look of absolute horror on Ron’s.

“Is that the best idea mate?  You know how Snape is.”  Ron asked cautiously.

“I have to help him Ron.  He’s my godfather,” Harry argued.

“Yeah, I know but….”

“What’s going on,” Neville demanded.

“None of your business Neville.  Go back to bed.” Harry ordered.

Neville’s face fell slightly, but he closed his curtains anyway.

Harry took the opportunity to pull his Invisibility Cloak from the bottom of his trunk.  “I’m going now.  You can come with me or not.  It’s up to you, but I’m not letting Voldemort torture or kill Sirius.”

Ron sat back for a moment before finally throwing back the covers and joining Harry.

“We should get Hermione.” Ron suggested as they headed down the stairs to the Common Room.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Harry demanded.  They were wasting time.  “If we try going up there it turns into a slide remember?”

As they reached the Common Room they were greeted by an unexpected, yet welcome sight.  Dobby stood in the middle of the Common Room his large head covered in a precarious stack of Hermione’s elf hats.

“Dobby!” Both boys exclaimed at once.

“Harry Potter and his Weazy!” Dobby squeaked back.

“Dobby, we need you to go get Hermione,” Harry demanded all semblance of manners.  The house elf didn’t seem to mind however.  He simply bobbed his head excitedly disappearing in a blink of an eye.  No more than two minutes later the elf and Hermione were there.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Hermione demanded pulling her dressing gown tighter closed.

“Sirius is in trouble.  I need to talk to Dad.  We have to go help him.” Harry urged.

“What?” Hermione asked.  “Harry, you’re not making any sense.  Sirius is in trouble?  Where is he in trouble?”

“He’s at the Ministry.  We have to go help him.  Voldemort is torturing him.”  Harry explained.  “We’re wasting time.”

“Voldemort?” Hermione stressed. “Harry, did you ever think that this is possibly him trying to trick you?  You said the professor and Dumbledore said Voldemort might be able to see into your mind and you do his.  They said he could plant images.  Did you consider this might be a trap?”

“I know that Hermione.”  Harry snapped. “That’s why I want to talk to Dad.  He can go and check Headquarters to make sure Sirius is where he’s supposed to be.  Come on.  We’re wasting time.”

Ron and Hermione exchanged troubled looks, but walked closer to Harry so all three could fit below the Invisibility Cloak. The three made it about a quarter of the way to the dungeons before Harry lost his patience with their slow progress.

“Sod this,” Harry cursed pulling the cloak off himself.

“Harry,” Hermione hissed.  They boy wasn’t sure it was a condemnation of his choice of language or making noise in the hallways when students were supposed to be in bed.

“No Hermione.  This is taking too long.  We need to get there now.” Harry protested.  Before the girl had a chance to respond Harry set off down the hall in a run.  Ron and Hermione shared another troubled look before setting off after him as best they could.  They only caught up to him at the door to Snape’s private quarters.

Harry stood breathless at the entrance to his father’s quarters.  He didn’t have a password for the door.  He never seen a door that didn’t either take a password or have a key.  What was he supposed to do now?  Lacking any better ideas Harry began to pound his firsts on the door.  Ron found him there a moment later, Hermione just as the door swung open.

Severus Snape stood before the trio furious obviously just pulled from the thralls of a deep sleep.  “This had better be good Potter.” The man snapped glaring at his son.

It was then he noticed Harry’s obvious distress and the fact he was accompanied by his ever present fellow trouble makers.

“In,” the Potions Master order sharply to the three.

The three students skidded past the man, two too scared to speak, the other fighting the urge to until the door snapped closed being them.  As soon as the quartet was in the man’s living room Severus demanded, “Explain to me why three Gryffindors are banging on my door at 2:30 a.m. on the day of their first O.W.L. instead of up in their beds asleep.”

“Sirius is in trouble.”  Harry explained.

“In trouble? Don’t be ridiculous.  The mutt is safely at Headquarters probably fast asleep, (or more likely passed out, but that was close enough Severus added to himself.) like you three should be.” Severus snapped.

“He’s not.” Harry pleaded.  “He needed his father to understand.

“How would you know?” Severus demanded of his son.

“I saw him.  He’s at the Ministry.  Voldemort is torturing him.” Harry explained.

“You saw him?” Severus asked skeptically.  “How could you see the Dark Lord’s mind if you Occluded your mind before you slept.” His voice no more than a hiss.

“I forgot, Dad.  Please.  Sirius is in trouble.  We need to go help him.  Please,” Harry begged.

“We will speak about this later,” Severus promised. “I will go and check Order Headquarters to put your concerns to rest.  I will not let anyone walk into the Dark Lord’s trap because you, Potter, are too foolish to follow simple instructions.”  Severus transfigured his nightshirt into a shirt and slack.  “You three are to wait here for me.  If I find you have moved so much as an inch before I am back you will be scrubbing cauldrons until your grandchildren are sitting their N.E.W.Ts.”

With that the wizard threw down a pinch of Floo-Powder and disappeared up the fireplace.  Severus stepped into the kitchen of 13 Grimmauld Place a minute later.  The kitchen was empty, disproving Severus’ original hypothesis.

“Point me towards Sirius Black,” Severus grumbled to his wand.  He was going to kill the mutt when he found him. The man should never have put Harry in this level of distress.  If he acted like an actual adult Harry wouldn’t have to have the fear that the man might do something as stupid as Harry feared he was going to do now.

Severus wand stood stubbornly in place.  The spell would point him in the mutt’s direction as long as he was within a two mile radius.  “Point me towards Sirius Black,” Severus snapped again.  Again his wand stayed in place. “Damn it.”

A shuffling could be heard in the hall.  Severus crossed the gloomy kitchen to determine the source.  He was meet with the unpleasant visage of Kreacher.

“Where is your master?” Severus requested sharply.

“The nasty half-blood is talking to Kreacher.  Kreacher is not telling him the blood traitor is not being here.”  The house elf muttered darkly to himself.

Severus promised himself if the damn mutt survived this night he would kill him himself.  He knew the Gryffindor was a fool, but never thought the fleabag would be stupid enough to actually leave Headquarters, let alone go on to the Ministry.  As Severus considered the best way to rid himself of the troublesome mutt once and for all the Dark Mark flared to life for the first time in months.

Severus fought back a curse as the pain surged through his arm.  He threw down another pinch of Floo-Powder.  He placed a hand over the Mark as another wave of pain coursed through it.  Severus schooled his features as his head appeared in the flames of his living room hearth.  A trio of concerned faces greeted him.

“Black is not there,” Severus stated before any of the children had a chance to ask.  “I am being summoned by the Dark Lord.  I am not back within the next hour you are to go to Professor McGonagall.  Under no circumstance are you to come after me or go to the Ministry.” Severus commanded.  “Is that understood?”

A chorus of “yes,sir” met his ears.  He gave them a sharp nod before pulling his head back.  Severus took a moment to strengthen his shields for possibly the last time.  If the Dark Lord knew what they feared he did he probably would never see his son again.  He should have told the boy how he felt.  He wished he knew how to say those words.

Severus pulled Lily’s face to the forefront of his mind and placed a hand directly over his mark.