Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the long wait, readers! I’m a month into the summer semester of college, and boy am I busy! I’ll try to be better with updates, but no guarantees! Things are moving along, plot wise, however slowly. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter…as I hide behind my school books to avoid your reactions =).
The Griffin's Eye

An emergency Order meeting was called the next night. Members from the Defence and Training and Patrol groups of the Order came up with a plan and were coached by Moody and Tonks. They set up four separate guards; two for the opposite ends of the Alley, a patrol group to blend in with the crowd in Diagon Alley, and a group to blend in with the crowd in Knockturn Alley.

Remus would accompany Harry into Borgin and Burkes, both Polyjuiced into nondescript Muggles, just to make sure Borgin didn’t recognize the disguises. Ron, Hermione, Severus and Lucius would be using Notice-Me-Not charms and repelling charms to help keep other shoppers from entering Borgin and Burkes.

They would all be going early in the morning to avoid the bigger shopping rushes; first to make sure they could get in and out and on their way, and second the make sure there weren’t as many innocent victims if things turned ugly.

Harry was nervous but very determined. His main concern was that he didn’t know exactly what he was looking for. He was depending heavily on his ability to sense the darkness of the Horcrux to help locate it, but he feared if he took too long, Borgin would get suspicious. Remus would be there to help distract Borgin from Harry’s searching, but Harry was so used to everything going wrong, he couldn’t help but doubt that things wouldn’t go as planned.

The morning of the mission was very tense, everyone completely silent at breakfast. Molly had of course argued about the younger members going along, including Harry, but she eventually conceded after Harry explained to her in private how his connection to Voldemort was needed to identify and locate the thing they were looking for. He never mentioned what the item actually was. The less people that knew about the Horcruxes, the better. The other members had been told that Harry was looking for something imperative to the war effort and nothing more. No one questioned it, and Harry was glad he had so many people willing to help.

Harry pulled Draco aside after breakfast and led him into the drawing room while all of the members who were part of the mission began to arrive for their final orders. Everyone would leave at different times and enter Diagon Alley in shifts so that there was not a huge influx of shoppers, drawing attention to the Order members.

“Nervous?” Draco asked as he rubbed Harry’s arms, feeling his own heart flutter with nerves. He had wanted to go into the shop with Harry as well, but they had all agreed a group of three people would just be too suspicious. As it was, Harry and Remus were going to enter Borgin and Burkes at separate times so that it looked as though they weren’t associated at all. Draco didn’t like it, but he accepted it.

“Of course, but I’m ready. We need to find these things, Draco, before it’s too late. Voldemort has been too quiet lately, and that makes me more nervous than anything. What I’m most worried about is everyone else. I was ready to agree with Molly and insist that you, Ron and Hermione stayed here. I’m terrified something is going to happen to one of you. Remus and I will be under Polyjuice, but the rest of you are just using Notice-Me-Not charms. It doesn’t feel like enough. But I’m so scared what happened to you last time will happen again – ”

“Harry, we’re more prepared this time. All you need to worry about is finding the Horcrux and getting out of there as fast as you can. Let the rest of us worry about everything else; that’s what we’re going to be there for,” Draco assured the Gryffindor. He could feel his boyfriend’s hands shaking as he clasped them in his own. Draco pulled Harry forward and gave him a long, passion-filled kiss, trying to erase all of his worry with his love.

Harry lost himself in the kiss, feeling some of the tension leave his body as he wrapped his arms around Draco’s neck, shivering as Draco’s fingers ghosted under his shirt and tickled his sides. He smiled at the blonde after the kiss was broken, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around his lover. “Thank you, I needed that. But I want to make a request. You can say no, but it would help relieve some of my worry if you would agree to it.”

Draco thought he knew what was coming, but he decided to humour his boyfriend. “What is it, love?”

“Wear my Invisibility Cloak. I don’t want to take any chances of a Death Eater or sympathizer recognizing you and aiming for you just because of who you are. I would make both of our fathers wear one too if I had more than one and they would agree to it, but I know they won’t. With you hidden, that’s one less thing I have to stress about. Please, Draco?”

Draco sighed heavily, wanting to give in to his lover’s wishes, but also feeling guilty. He would have an advantage the other members of the Order didn’t and he felt like it wasn’t fair to everyone else. However, if Harry was asking him, there was no way he could tell the Gryffindor no, knowing it would increase his anxiety if he refused.

“The cloak didn’t stop me from being hit last time, you know. But…I’ll do it. You have to promise me you’ll be careful, Harry; no heroics, ok? Just find the Horcrux and get the hell out of there, alright?”

Harry beamed before giving Draco a hard, quick kiss. He gave the Slytherin a sharp look as he pulled away from the blonde. “The same goes for you, Draco Abraxas Malfoy. Under no circumstances are you to jump in front of a spell for someone! I don’t care if it’s for me. No one.”

Draco rolled his eyes but nodded his agreement, pulling Harry into another, longer kiss. He felt like this was the last time he’d kiss Harry for years, and it terrified him. He held tightly to the ebony-haired teen, planting light kisses all over his face and neck. “You better come out of this alive, or I’ll kill you.”

Harry burst out into laughter, some more of his nerves leaving him as he doubled over, causing Draco to pick up his infectious laughter. They crumpled onto the sofa together, giggling uncontrollably, with kisses interspersed. This was how Severus and Remus found them ten minutes later.

“I don’t want to interrupt this,” Severus whispered to his husband as they watched the young couple chuckling on the sofa, wrapped firmly around each other. “I don’t want to take those smiles away.”

Remus wrapped his arms around the Potions Master from behind, burying his face into the man’s neck, placing a gentle kiss there. “Everything will be alright, love. Have faith. We’re very prepared – almost too prepared, really. Harry will know what to look for once he’s there, I have no doubt. He’s strong, Severus; both of them are. Just like their fathers,” Remus murmured into the man’s ear, glad to hear a soft chuckle from him.

“Do you know how much I love you, Remus?”

Remus gently turned Severus to face him and kissed him deeply, brushing his hand across his lover’s cheek with such tenderness, they both were almost moved to tears. He looked into Severus’ deep blue eyes and smiled. “Just as much as I love you.”

Severus kissed his lover once more, lingering against his lips before turning towards his son and Godson with a heavy heart and anxious sigh.

“Harry, Draco; it’s time.”

S~S~S~S

Harry and Remus apparated from the square outside of Number twelve Grimmauld Place to the alley outside of the Leaky Cauldron, already disguised by polyjuice. Remus went into the pub first, followed a minute or two after by Harry. They both returned the friendly wave from Tom, the barkeep, and went to the back door to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

The other members of the Order were already in position, having left in shifts two hours previously. They received the signal from Severus that everyone was in place a scant five minutes ago, and were walking through the barrier a brief time later.

Harry’s heart was in his throat. He made sure not to stand too close to Remus or make it appear as if they knew each other at all. Harry paused at a window for a second before moving on, trying to make himself look like a natural curious shopper.

As they neared the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Remus made a point of pulling up the hood of his cloak and ducking in, which was common behaviour for patrons of the darker part of Diagon Alley. Harry waited as long as it took to recite the alphabet before following Remus into the Alley.

It was dark and stank of stale alcohol and putrid sewage. Very few individuals were making their way down the narrow alley, all but one of them with their hoods pulled fully up to cover their faces. It was too early in the morning for a large crowd, and although his friends and father were concealed by Notice-Me-Not charms, Harry fancied that he could feel their presence. He hoped he was the only one.

It was entirely too cold for an early July morning, and Harry was positive it had something to do with the alley itself. Just as he turned the corner towards Borgin and Burkes, Harry paused and pretended to check his pockets for something, giving Remus time to enter the shop and begin to catch Borgin’s interest before entering himself.

As he stepped up to the grimy door of the dark shop, Harry could have sworn he felt something brush up against his arm. After a moment of panic, Harry relaxed as he remembered that Draco had his cloak. He took a deep breath and readied himself, clearing his mind as much as he could so he’d be able to sense the Horcrux more easily. With one last look towards the area he thought Draco was in, Harry reached for the snake-shaped handle and entered Borgin and Burkes.

If possible, it was even darker in the shop than it had been in the alley. He gave himself a moment to adjust to the darkness, then moved towards the back of the shop. He saw Remus studying a collection of cursed jewellery at the front, earning most of Borgin’s attention. The greasy looking man only spared a glance for Harry before turning back to Remus. So far, so good.

Harry’s hands were beginning to shake as he scanned the shelves. He wished he could light his wand, but thought that might be too much. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping he’d be able to sense something, some clue as to where the Horcrux might be. He knew he couldn’t stand in one place for too long, so he opened his eyes and began scanning shelves once more.

Cursed music boxes, hexed potions bottles, vials of various poisons, something that looked frighteningly like the skull of a werewolf, a long staff with a brilliant white opal at the tip, a couple of blood stained books, a silver dagger with a curved blade, and something that looked like a floating foetus in a jar of green goo which made Harry’s stomach turn, and these were all on one shelf.

This was going to take hours unless he received more of a clue as to what he was looking for. What would Voldemort do with a single ruby? Setting it in a ring or necklace seemed too obvious, and being anywhere near a blade of any kind was definitely out. Harry wracked his brain for any ideas, feeling the anxiety heighten with his heart rate.

The ruby was part of the sword of Gryffindor. The representative of Gryffindor was a lion. Voldemort had chosen the ruby because it was a part of Hogwarts history, and taking a ruby from something of Godric Gryffindor’s and tainting it with the blackness of his soul seemed like the perfect insult from a Slytherin.

Harry began searching for anything that had a lion on it, around it, or as part of it. Most the creatures he had seen adorning anything in the shop were snakes of some sort, of course. He’d even seen a centaur and a griffin –

Harry stopped in his tracks as he turned back towards the shelf holding the griffin statuette that he had seen from across the next aisle. Perhaps Voldemort would think a lion too obvious, but a griffin was far enough removed that no one would suspect.

As Harry drew closer to the small statuette, he finally felt what he had been waiting for. A kind of thick, oily feeling permeated the air around the griffin, clearly much darker than any other item in the shop. As he stood right in front of the statuette, Harry had to bite his lip and stifle his gasp as his scar gave a painful twinge and continued to burn. There was no doubt; this was it.

Harry squinted, not daring to touch the thing just yet, and felt his heart trip at what were clearly two halves of one medium sized ruby implanted in the face of the griffin as eyes. Harry had his wand up his sleeve and let it slide down into his hand, still concealed by his cloak. He glanced up and saw that Borgin was talking to Remus about what appeared to be a pair of rusted shackles against the far wall, furthest away from Harry. Both of their backs were towards him.

Horribilus Revealio!” Harry whispered, jabbing his wand at the griffin statuette. There was a red glow around it, which Harry assumed was the part of Voldemort’s soul. He felt sick as his scar gave a sharp stab of pain. He performed a Finite, disarming any protective spells around it and reached out. He had worn three pairs of Dragon-hide gloves that had been infused with the hair of a unicorn’s mane, and charmed to resist any hexes or curses.

Taking a deep breath, Harry lightly placed his hand on the statuette. Before he could pick it up, there was a loud crash and what sounded like distant screams. His head snapped up and he met Remus’ terrified eyes as Borgin headed towards the door of the shop.

“Merlin’s balls, what the bloody hell is goin’ on out there?!”

Harry took his chance while Borgin was peering out the door. He grabbed the statuette, his heart nearly jumping out of his throat, and trust it into a pocket Hermione had charmed into the inside of his cloak to expand to any size and feel weightless, just in case the Horcrux had been much larger. He signalled to Remus that he was done, and he waited a minute or two after Remus brushed past Borgin to exit the shop himself.

Harry froze as he saw many more people in black cloaks then there had been before. His heart nearly exploded when he saw white masks. He drew his wand as he saw flashes of light from the other end of the alley, ready to join the fight, but he was pulled into an alcove before he could take a single step.

“Go back to headquarters and alert any members there that there’s been an attack and we may need more back up. Do not come back, Harry! Go – now!” Remus whispered harshly as he pulled his own wand and made to step away.

“Moony! Be careful,” Harry said, giving Remus a tight hug before watching him walk away. He was torn, but he knew if he stayed, everyone would want a piece of his hide for not following orders, and he needed to get the Horcrux some place safe. Sending his hopeful thoughts out to every member of the Order involved, Harry turned on the spot and apparated to the square outside of Grimmauld Place.

S~S~S~S

There were too many of them. Even with close to seventy-five Order members present, there were at least a hundred Death Eaters, and they were intent on the most destruction possible. Severus had assigned Hermione, Ron and Draco to go about and try to stop the fires that had started to consume some of the buildings. This way they helped cap the damage and stayed out of the main fight. Severus had no idea if Harry had been successful in finding the Horcrux yet, and he and Lucius were making it a point to block the entrance of Knockturn Alley to give him more time.

Having to drop the Notice-Me-Not charms in order to defend themselves, both Severus and Lucius were being targeted like crazy. Their status as traitors had not earned them any fans, and they were having a hell of a time. Tonks, Bill and the Weasley twins were trying to help take on some of the Death Eaters intent on revenge, but they were overwhelmed.

Severus turned as he heard running footsteps behind him and felt his heart flip as he recognized the muggle visage Remus was hiding behind. Harry was not with him.

“Phoenix?” Severus asked, using Harry’s codename so as not to give him away to anyone who was listening too closely.

“He’s got it. I sent him home for help,” Remus answered quickly as he countered a curse shot at Severus, hitting the Death Eater with both the man’s own curse and one of his own. Before Severus could respond, there was a terrifying female scream from the building two doors down; Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. It sounded like Hermione.

Severus ducked what was probably ten spells, dived behind a few other Order members, and dashed to the ice cream shop. He saw not Hermione, but another familiar face, cowering in fear as a Death Eater leaned over her, a wand pressed to her throat.

“I have no idea where Harry is, I swear! Please, please let me go! Please!” Lavender Brown sobbed, curling in on herself as the Death Eater snarled and pressed his wand sharply into her pale throat.

“Lies! Tell me, or I’ll decorate this alley with your innards!”

Lavender began to sob in earnest, throwing her arms over her head in a futile attempt to protect herself. As Severus aimed his wand at the man he recognized as Macnair, he cursed silently as another familiar face streaked out of the ice cream parlour and threw himself in front of the terrified girl, blocking his shot at Macnair, lest he hit the boy as well.

“Leave her alone you filthy bastard!” Michael Corner yelled, knocking Macnair’s wand away from Lavender, his head held high and his own wand pointed at the Death Eater. Before either Michael or Severus could act, Macnair slashed his wand in the air, a sickly purple light striking the boy in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, his eyes wide and empty. Lavender shrieked and cried even harder.

No! Michael! Please let me go, I’m sorry! I don’t know where he is!”

Severus took his chance as Macnair threw his head back in laughter at the terrified girl before him.

“Incarcerous!”

Macnair ducked just in time, and the strong ropes hit the wall with a dull thud before falling just beside the trembling teen, who shrieked as the ropes nearly hit her as well. Severus ducked as Macnair turned and started throwing spells. He was already exhausted from trying to keep the other Death Eaters at bay near Knockturn Alley, and his reaction time was starting to slip.

Severus heard a yell from the direction of Knockturn, and quickly turned to make sure Remus had not been hit before turning back towards the Death Eater. He left himself exposed to Macnair for a split second, and that was all it took.

White hot knives were carving into his flesh, his robes a tattered mess as blood sprayed and gushed from countless wounds across his entire body. It was as if he had been sliced with a thousand sharp swords. Severus knew this spell – knew it very well. He had created it.

The last thing the Potions Master saw before he lost consciousness was the blonde hair of a sixteen-year-old girl, sprayed with his own blood, her terrified eyes wide in death, and all he could think of was how he could have saved her.

S~S~S~S

Remus was trying as best he could to get to Lucius, who had been taken down by an unknown spell. He hoped the man was merely injured and not dead. One of the Weasley twins was trying to block the man’s body from anymore harm, and Remus was thankful for the help. He looked around wildly as he had a slight break from the battle, looking everywhere for Severus. He took a chance and stepped out from the alley into the main fight.

Remus heard a girl scream, and then there were the unmistakable tones of his husband’s voice, casting spells. He turned towards the voice and just as he was attempting to help the man, Severus turned around for some reason, and then there was blood. So much blood, everywhere, and Remus’ heart stopped.

He ran, but everything seemed to be in slow motion. Watching Severus fall, Mad-Eye Moody cursing Macnair, Ron and Draco running by with Hermione held between them, Tonks’ bloody nose and determined expression. Everything fell away as he dropped to his knees beside his lover, who was white as a sheet and oozing so much blood, Remus was sure there couldn’t be any left within the man.

There was an upsurge of noise as dozens of pops broke out into the alley, first with the arrival of back-up from the Order and Ministry, then the departing of Death Eaters who knew it was time to retreat as they became out-numbered. Remus ignored it all as he lifted his husband into his arms and apparated to Grimmauld Place.

S~S~S~S

“I don’t think I can apparate just yet, and I don’t want to splinch her! Can you handle taking both of us Side-Along?” Ron asked desperately as he and Draco ran behind a large display, Hermione’s unconscious form held between them. She had been hit with a curse Ron didn’t recognize and he couldn’t recall the wording because he hadn’t heard properly. He was beyond terrified.

“Yes, but you’re going to have to bear most of Hermione’s weight so I can concentrate. Are you ready?”

With a nod from the redhead, Draco took a deep breath, grabbing hold of one of Ron’s arms, his other hand gripping Hermione’s shoulder. He turned on the spot, and they were sucked into the tight ring of apparition. The landing was rough, as he’d never Side-Alonged with more than one person before.

Just as they were lifting Hermione to take her into the house, Remus apparated just in front of them, holding a body so covered in blood, they had no idea who it even was, but they had an idea.

Grimmauld Place was in chaos as injured Order member and Aurors, conscious and unconscious, covered every surface. Ron and Draco quickly placed Hermione in the drawing room where it looked like a team of Healers from St. Mungo’s was checking the injured. Ron stayed to explain while Draco ran to Remus’ side.

“Remus! Is that – ?”

“Help! He’s dying!” Remus shouted. Three Healers ran up and started to remove Severus’ torn robes and clothing. The wounds were gaping slashes all across his body, bone and organs visible in some place. Draco wretched as Harry tore into the room, and promptly began screaming at the sight of his father.

Dad! No, please save him! PLEASE!

Remus was shaking so bad his legs couldn’t support his weight anymore, and he fell to his knees beside the make-shift cot his husband’s body was on. He allowed himself to be laid down, by who he was not sure, and fed a potion which made his fogged mind begin to clear. As he fully became aware of his surroundings, he sat up.

“He was hit with Sectumsempra! It’s a spell of his own creation; I don’t know the counter-curse.”

Draco had made his way over to Harry, who had fallen to the floor beside Severus’ cot, tears streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed over and over again to save his Dad, he couldn’t lose anyone else, it was all his fault.

“Harry, it’s not your fault, shh…” Draco whispered as he gathered the Gryffindor into his arms. He felt useless as Harry ignored his admonishment and kept sobbing nonsense to no one in particular.

Draco looked up as he heard someone say his surname and caught sight of Tonks and Charlie Weasley carrying in what was unmistakably his father’s body. He felt his heart jump into his throat. He was torn; should he stay with Harry, or go to his own father? He was about to direct Harry to Remus when Tonks made her way over to Draco, looking completely worn out and more serious than he had ever seen her before.

“He’ll be fine. He was hit with a blood-boiling curse, but he’ll live,” Tonks assured Draco, who couldn’t really find it within himself to be relieved, not when Harry was sobbing in his arms over his own father.

The room was a mass of confusion, grunts of pain and the sounds of sobbing, mostly from Harry and Remus. Draco had silent tears running down his face as he supported Harry’s weight in his arms, watching numbly as the injured were healed and put to sleep to help them recover more quickly. This was what war looked like.

“These aren’t just normal wounds; they’re cursed to stay open and unhealed. We need to take him to St. Mungo’s. He’s lost too much blood; we need to get more Blood Replenisher, stat!”

The Healers began to prepare Severus to go through the floo, casting a protective bubble around the cot as they levitated it. Remus stood and began to follow, turning around as Harry struggled to stand and follow as well.

“No! It’s too dangerous for you to be outside of these walls. Someone is not to be trusted; someone let slip that we were going to be in Diagon Alley today. Stay here, Harry.”

“Remus, please! I want to be with him,” Harry begged through his tears, struggling against Draco’s grasp on his arms. He wanted to make sure his father lived, why wouldn’t Remus just let him?

“I’m sorry, Harry, but no. I’ll make sure you get updates on his condition, I promise. Draco, keep him here.” Remus turned and left through the floo, through which the Healers had already taken Severus.

“Fuck this!” Harry screamed and tore himself out of Draco’s grasp. The blonde was afraid Harry was going to dive into the floo after his parents, but he instead ran up the stairs, presumably to their room. He followed, making sure Harry wasn’t attempting to use a different hearth through which to travel to St. Mungo’s.

Draco found Harry curled up on their bed, shaking with sobs as he clutched desperately at a pillow. The blonde climbed onto the bed and pulled Harry into his arms, smoothing down his ruffled hair and whispering that things would be ok, that he’d see his father soon. But he didn’t know that. He couldn’t be sure anything would be ok, and with a sharp pang in his heart, he strongly doubted Harry would ever see Severus alive again.

S~S~S~S

Remus was completely exhausted. The Healers had tried everything they could to close Severus’ wounds, including Muggle techniques, but the curse simply reversed all of their efforts, and some of them had a further negative effect on the Potions Master. They were administering a steady stream of blood replenisher and cleaned the wounds every hour to keep infection away, but there was nothing else they could do.

Remus was so angry with his husband. That he would create such a horrible spell to begin with, but then somehow let it leak to the Death Eaters, whether intentional or on accident, made Remus’ blood boil. It was so ironic that the man lay dying because of his own damn spell! He was such a fool!

The ward was unnervingly silent, and the only lights were the glowing orbs that collected along the ceiling, casting an eerie shadow across the room. Remus was sitting in a straight backed chair beside his husband, who had been placed in a medical coma in order to help control the pain and hopefully cause him to heal faster.

Severus was so pale, his breathing was so shallow. Remus hated it, because it looked too much like he had completely lost the man he loved. There would be scars for certain once the wounds were healed, and Remus couldn’t help but find it slightly ironic that his lover would soon have scars to rival his own. There was even one long gash across his cheek that matched one of Remus’ scars.

He wanted to hold Severus’ hand, to touch his face and hair, but he couldn’t get within a foot of the man because a protective barrier had been put up in order to keep any contamination out of the festering wounds. As it was, only a small scrap of material covered the man’s privates, as they couldn’t risk covering him with sheets or blankets, lest they irritate the wounds. They simply cast a warming charm within the protective bubble around him to keep him warm.

Remus thought of ways to cover the man magically for when he would undoubtedly bring Harry to see his father. One, he didn’t think Severus would want his son to see him nearly naked, and two, he didn’t want Harry to have to see the wounds and be reminded all over again.

Remus jumped violently as a hand descended on his shoulder, but he relaxed as he turned to see Healer Smithson standing beside him. When Severus had first been brought in, Remus requested that Abigail Smithson be the one to treat his husband, as she already knew much of his history, medical and personal. The Healer had done marvellously well with hiding her shock and grief at seeing her one time lover sliced open and close to death, but now that the shock had worn down, she was deeply saddened to see her fellow Prefect of the past sitting vigil beside the bed when there was nothing anyone could do.

“You should probably go home and get some rest, Remus. You might want to check on your son as well; he’s probably not doing much better than yourself at the moment,” Abigail suggested as she ran a diagnostic spell over the comatose man before her and increased the heating charm to a more comfortable level.

Remus felt a pang of guilt as he remembered his promise to keep Harry informed. He had been so worried about Severus and lost in his own grief that he had allowed himself to forget about his son. Taking a deep breath to pull himself together, Remus stood and nodded his consent.

“You’re right. Please let me know if anything changes. I’ll be back sometime in the morning.”

As Remus reached the door to the ward, he turned and caught the Healer watching him and gave a strained smile. “Thank you, Abby.” He took her gentle smile and nod with him as he left St. Mungo’s and headed home, worried about what shape he would find Harry in.

S~S~S~S

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table in the basement, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea as Draco rubbed his back and murmured to him that he was sure Remus would be back soon to tell Harry how Severus was doing, despite it already being nearly midnight.

The battle had gone on from nine in the morning, an hour after they had set out to find the Horcrux, until eleven. Harry and Draco had dropped into a fitful sleep for nearly five hours before Molly woke them and encouraged them to eat, though all they did was both pick at their food.

Harry felt like he was in a fog, like he was only going through the motions of being alive, when everything within him screamed that he should be the one dying in St. Mungo’s, he should be paying the price for leading the Order and his friends and family into danger. He had asked multiple times if anyone had died, but no one was giving him a straight answer, which only confirmed to him that a few people had indeed met their end that day. He felt numb. This was all his fault.

The squeaking of the basement door opening caused Harry to jump so bad, he spilled his tea everywhere. He jumped from his chair as he saw a very tired and depressed Remus walk in, and launched himself into his step-father’s arms.

“Moony!”

Remus wrapped his arms tightly around his son, holding him close as they both began to cry once more. He was so tired of crying, but he knew there would be no end to it until Severus was safe and home beside him.

“I’m so sorry, Harry. I was so caught up in making sure that Severus was taken care of that I forgot I had promised to keep you informed.”

“It’s alright, I understand. How is he?” Harry asked as Remus led him back to the table and took a seat beside his son. He was glad when Draco stood and prepared them both a fresh cup of tea and remembered that the young Slytherin was probably as worried as he and Harry were; Severus was his Godfather, after all.

Remus took a sip of his tea and a deep breath before he could explain to Harry. “I’m not going to lie to you Harry, because you deserve to know the truth. He’s…not well. The curse he was hit by is causing the wounds to resist any efforts of healing; they’ve tried everything. The Healers put him into a medically induced coma to give his body time to rest to deal with the wounds. The research department at St. Mungo’s are looking up possible counter-curses and healing spells, and I plan to do the same.”

Harry was shaking, not at all comforted by what Remus had said. In fact, it only confirmed his fears that he may never see Severus again. “Is he going to die, Remus?” Harry whispered, letting the tears stream down his face as he leaned back against Draco, who had wrapped his arms around Harry from the other side.

Remus sighed heavily as he scrubbed a hand across his tired features and shook his head desolately. “I don’t know, Harry. No one does.”

S~S~S~S

No one could sleep that night. Ron and Hermione had joined Draco, Harry and Remus at the kitchen table around three in the morning, sharing in their silent vigil. Harry made sure Hermione was alright, as he had seen Ron and Draco drag her in. She had been hit with a Cruciatus and a stunning spell, but she was alright.

Around four in the morning, the basement door opened and Lucius joined the group as well, after receiving a firm hug from his son. He had only needed a bit of rest to shake off the effects of the blood boiling curse, and had only been informed as he joined the group in the kitchen that Severus was very seriously injured.

By six in the morning, all the residents in the house were in the kitchen, and Molly was bustling around making breakfast with help from Ginny. Hermione had tried to help, but Molly had told her to sit down and relax; she had been through enough the previous day and needed to rest.

They were halfway through breakfast when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody came in, both looking stern and worn out. They gratefully accepted plates of food from Molly and sat down to eat. After everyone was finished with their breakfast, they all turned expectantly towards the Minister and Head Auror.

“We have a problem, folks,” Mad-Eye growled, looking around the table at the group of people assembled, his magical eye swirling madly about.

“Someone in the Order let the information about the mission to Diagon Alley slip. There’s no other explanation. What are the odds of a large-scale attack taking place at the same time on the same day? There has to be a leak in the Order, and we need to find it and remove it as soon as possible. We cannot afford another surprise like yesterday. We were better prepared, yes, but not prepared enough it seems. Voldemort seems to have recruited quite a bit in his silence,” Kingsley explained with a weary sigh. He had just come from informing two families that their children were dead, and another that their husband and father would never be home again.

“There were three deaths yesterday, and not one of them was an Order member or Ministry official. Innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. That is not acceptable! We’ve been trained not only to defend ourselves, but others! Where did we go wrong?” Mad-Eye asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question. The man seemed to be more blowing off some steam rather than really berating anyone present. After all, the occupants of the house were not the only members involved.

“Who died?” Harry asked quietly, his voice rough from his night of crying. He was glad when Draco gripped his hand under the table, offering him an anchor. He hoped he didn’t hear any familiar names, though he was saddened by any and all deaths.

“A man by the name of Alan Arlington, who worked for the Daily Prophet, and two Hogwarts students; Michael Corner and Lavender Brown.”

Hermione gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and quickly filling with tears. She had shared a dorm room with Lavender since they were eleven, though the girl was never really her favourite person. Ron wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close as Draco gripped Harry’s hand even harder as Harry began to shake.

“Where were Michael and Lavender? Why were they there?” Ginny asked, wiping her own tears away. She had dated Michael for a brief time, and though she’s had always found Lavender quite annoying, it was a shock to hear that two of your classmates had been killed.

“From what Ms. Brown’s parents told us, they had been on a date. They were shopping for gifts to take to the Patil twins’ birthday party this weekend,” Kingsley answered, looking deeply saddened. It was horrible that two people who were so young had paid the ultimate price for this war.

“Oh, Parvati is going to be devastated. I should write to her…” Hermione said to no one in particular as she accepted the handkerchief Ron was offering her.

“This is all my fault. They would still be alive if I hadn’t have gone,” Harry choked out, threading his fingers through his hair and shaking his head in disbelief. Two Hogwarts students were dead, all because of him. He was like the plague; death seemed to follow in his wake.

Draco abruptly turned Harry to face him and held his face between his hands, forcing the Gryffindor to look into his concern-filled eyes. “It is not your fault, Harry! We made sure everything was planned precisely and things still went wrong. Someone else is to blame; someone let the plans slip to the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters. You didn’t have a choice; you needed to go, and you know that. Do not blame yourself for something you couldn’t control!”

“But I could control it, Draco! It was my decision to go, my plans that were foiled. Three people are dead simply because they were in the same place at the same time as me! How is that not my fault?”

“Stop it! Harry, it isn’t anyone’s fault. If they’d not decided to go to Diagon Alley, they could have met their end some other way that day. You being there did not kill anyone, so stop. You got it, right?”

Harry swallowed as Hermione gave him a pointed look, ignoring the few curious looks from those around the table that had no idea what they were talking about. “Yes, I have it. It’s safe. But – ”

Hermione shook her head firmly, cutting Harry off and thoroughly irritating him in the process. “No ‘but’s, Harry. You did what you set out to do. That’s all you need to worry about.”

“Yeah, easy for all of you to say,” Harry grumbled under his breath, giving in as Draco gave him a reproving look.

“How is Severus doing, Remus? I know he’s at St. Mungo’s, but I wasn’t told what had happened to him,” Aurora asked, across the table from Remus and Harry. She seemed to sense the panic her question inspired and started to apologize.

“No, no. You have a right to know; you all do. Severus is…he’s not doing very well at all. The curse he was hit with caused many deep wounds to appear on his person, and they’re cursed to resist any and all efforts to heal them. The Healers had to place him in a medically induced coma in order to stabilize him, but…” Remus’ voice cracked and he looked away, grateful when Harry leaned over and hugged him tightly, rubbing his back in imitation of how Severus used to rub his back to calm him down. He missed him so much and he’d hardly been gone.

“Do you know what curse it was, Remus?” Hermione asked, of course always the curious one. He admired he thirst for knowledge, and though he wasn’t sure how comfortable Severus would be with this information becoming public, Remus thought he might be able to use her help.

“I do. It…was a curse of his own creation, actually. I’m not sure how other Death Eaters got a hold of it, but I can guess. I don’t know the counter curse, though, and I’m fairly sure Severus is the only one who does,” Remus explained, feeling completely useless. If only they could figure out a way to wake Severus up long enough to ask him what the counter curse was.

“Well, why don’t we search through his notes and journals? If it’s a spell of his own creation, that means he’s probably created more spells of his own, and it would only make sense if he kept some sort of record of them. I know he might not like us going through his personal things, but if it saves his life, I’m sure he’ll forgive us,” said Hermione, her expression extremely earnest.

Of course she wanted to help find a cure for Severus, but she couldn’t help but think of the volumes upon volumes of information and knowledge locked away in the Potions Master’s personal notes and journals. The man was a genius with potions, and he was a fairly powerful wizard in his own right. Hermione had always admired him, even when he was acting like an evil git.

Remus sat stunned for a moment, staring at the young intelligent witch. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. “Of course, Hermione! Why didn’t I think of that? Let’s go; the more people we have looking, the quicker we may find an answer.”

Chapter End Notes:
I’ll admit that I probably would have screamed at the author who left this huge of a cliff hanger, but it was necessary! Hopefully the next chapter won’t be too far behind. Please review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks again for reading my lovelies!

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