Chapter Two

They had decided to leave the school around five am. They would go to a safe house that Severus had charted on a magical map that only Harry and he could see. The house was located in Scotland and was a safe zone away from Hogwarts. His Professor said that there were so many disillusion charms on the house that it would take a miracle for Voldemort to find them. That was comforting to Harry, but also slightly depressing. His friends would not be permitted to contact them, and his professor said that it would not be a good idea for him to contact them either. So they were going to be cut off from the world…cut off from humanity, until they both could find a way to destroy the Horcrux that dwelled within Harry.

“Potter,” Severus said breaking him from his daze. “We have to apparate…soon,  I have this area under a charm so that the Ministry cannot track us…but I am not exactly sure how long it will last.”

“Yessir…is…is there any way I will be able to contact Ron and Hermione? Just to let them know I’m okay?”

Severus pursed his lips; he knew that this would be hard for Potter. His friends were like his family no doubt, especially with that crow Petunia being in his life. But he wasn’t sure just how safe that would be yet. Possibly when they were passing through a town he could owl them, but he would have to use a different owl. Although beautiful, his snow owl would garner too much attention. However, it was not his intention to go through this and have the boy’s life be any more miserable than what it was…he would find a way for Potter to contact the rest of the Golden Trio.

“I will find a way Potter…but not today.”

Harry felt his throat tighten but he nodded, that was more than he could hope for he supposed. Any other time his Professor would just snap at him and tell him in a very cryptic way to shut up. So fixing his jacket hood he watched as his Professor began digging through a black satchel.

“Alright Potter…” he said softly. “We will be apparating to a secluded area in Muggle London; from there you and I will have to, eventually, dawn disguises so we can get some distance.”

“What kind of disguises?” Harry asked. “What are we using?”

Severus pulled out a flask and showed it to him.

“Polyjuice potion, I have two flasks filled with it…took the hairs from a muggle man and his son…when we are in public areas this is what we will use to keep ourselves undetected. I have also improved it so the effect time is around three hours…we will never be in the public eye for long.”

Harry cringed, God he hated Polyjuice potion. It was like a vial of troll snot…yes…grey and thick and just all over nasty. And apparently it would be something Professor Snape and him would be using quite often…that just did not seem appealing at all. He supposed that one would just get used to it.

“Potter, I also have your invisibility cloak…I will give it to you as soon as I am sure we are away from here.”

Again Harry nodded and found himself a bit baffled that Snape was so prepared. It seemed that he had everything all planned out and was as calm as day, but Harry was losing his mind! He was terrified to leave Hogwarts to go Horcrux hunting…he wasn’t even sure where they would start….what they would do. How could they prevent someone from finding them? What if Voldemort found them? He was terrified.

“And your map…I have…modified it a bit also.”

“In what way, Professor?”

“It is now a map that doesn’t just focus on Hogwarts…wherever we are this map can be used to monitor those around us.”

How did Snape do stuff like this!? Was he really this smart, he just could not believe that Snape had planned everything out to a T and Harry was just standing there nodding like an idiot. He felt so incompetent compared to the man in front of him. Why didn’t he just let Snape go off on his own…what was taking Harry over a year could take Snape twenty minutes if he put his mind to it.

“That’s…cool.” Harry said with another nod. “Any more surprises?”

Severus cocked his eyebrow but said nothing. He knew this wasn’t ideal, he would give Potter a bit more leave way when it came to his attitude, but he only had so long before he snapped and that would be the end of any further disrespect.

“No, and we must leave now.” The Potions Master said curtly. “Grab something for breakfast because we won’t stop for lunch for another seven to eight hours. Something with peanut butter Potter.”

Harry grimaced; he was not a fan of peanut butter…maybe he could find something just as hearty. Something without peanuts of any kind. Just as he was about to go searching the Room of Requirement for such a thing he smiled as bagel with cream cheese and jelly appeared in front of him. Surely that would be enough for him. He glanced up at his Professor to make sure it was okay.

“That’ll do Potter…but I wouldn’t eat it until after apparition.”

Harry nodded and said, “I need plastic wrap, please.”

And no sooner than a minute later Harry had a wrapped bagel ready to go. He was a little upset about the cream cheese being smeared against the plastic saran wrap, but beggars can’t be choosers…food was food. And after living with the Dursley’s he really was not shy to the prospect of food. So long as it wasn’t peanut butter of course, that was just a disgusting concoction man came up with to truly sicken him.

“Potter, you need to hold onto me, we can’t afford to have you splinched, now can we?”

Granted that Harry didn’t really know what it meant to be splinched he just nodded so he could avoid looking any more like a blundering thick head. Grabbing his Professor’s arm, he was surprised to find that Snape didn’t smell of rotting potion ingredients…he actually smelled of mint…and a musky aftershave. It was a nice smell…comforting…sort of like Sirius. He felt his Potions Master pull him in closer and then the familiar tug that he had felt while traveling with Dumbledore began trying to pull his brain out through his nose. God he hated this feeling and he was sure that he might vomit, but when his feet touched solid ground he staggered against his Professor who was effectively holding up.

“G-God…” he gasped. “I…I hate that.”

Severus chuckled and nodded, it took a strong stomach to apparate. Most people vomited the first or second time they went through it. He hoped Potter didn’t have a desire to do that to him, he did not desire to clean up children’s sick on their first day of Horcrux hunting.

“Yes, it can be a little unsettling, you will probably get used to it as we will be using apparation quite a bit.”

Harry swallowed hard, he wasn’t sure he would be able to go through it a third time without vomiting. He very much so felt that he was chewing on what he had for supper the night before. The bagel in his hand looked less than appetizing and now he was certain that Snape was going to try and force Polyjuice potion down his throat. He couldn’t do it…he needed a moment to gather his thoughts and stomach before they were to head off again.

“There is a small abandoned building several blocks down…I’ve made it more or less a magical dead zone. The Ministry and Albus will not be able to track us. We will go there for an hour so you can calm your stomach and eat your breakfast…then I must be sure our apparation went undocumented because if they trace us we will have to find other means of exiting London.”

He had connections in the Ministry, Death Eaters that were waiting for Voldemort to make an appearance. He could say that he was doing a deed for the Dark Lord and they would remove the record without question. He was not sure how many times he could afford to do this, but if need be he would to be sure Potter and him were still uncharted in the wizarding world. He also had outside help from a secret source that would keep him in the know when it came to Dumbledore’s movements. An old family friend that would be taking his place as a Professor now that he was gone.

“I think I’m okay sir…” Harry said softly. “Should we start walking? Should we take the potion now?”

“No…not for what we need…I think you should get under the cloak…If someone sees just me in London they really cannot peg me for taking you…we want this to go unnoticed for as long as possible Mr. Potter. And something tells me that with how vital you are to the word, we only have an hour or so before everyone at Hogwarts notices you are missing.”

Harry nodded and accepted the cloak as Snape handed it to him. It still felt as silky and smooth as when Harry had first received it. His first year at Hogwarts, back when everything had been far simpler. He didn’t think that in five years he would be running from Hogwarts with a teacher that used to make him cry on a daily basis. Pulling it over himself he looked up at is Professor hoping that he would inform him of whether or not any part of his body was hanging out.

“Good…walk with me Potter…slowly…we don’t want to gather attention.”

Harry nodded and walked several feet behind his teacher. He didn’t want to trip of Professor Snape’s billowing robes, but he also didn’t want to walk into anyone else. There weren’t many people out at five am in the morning but there were enough to make him very nervous. How many of these people were witches or wizards? How many Death Eaters just waiting to pounce…granted they couldn’t see him…Professor Snape however stuck out like a sore thumb. His long black hair looked even greasier in the street light, and his robes were a hazard to anyone around him. How could he walk in those with such grace, he must have practiced when no one was looking…Harry was a firm believer of that.

As they walked the cool chill of autumn began to freeze him. He didn’t think it would be so cool this early… it was absolutely frigid. Normally he could handle cold; the Dursley’s never really gave him much of a supply when it came to winter clothes. Maybe he could talk to his Professor about using a heating charm…just something to keep his toes from turning blue while they walked. It seemed like hours until they got to the safe house Snape had been talking about, when in all reality it had only been five minutes. But Harry was so on edge that everything just seemed to drag itself out.

Still under the cloak he watched as his Professor, discreetly, took out his wand and began whispering to the door. He heard the tumblers click and felt a warm breeze as the door opened. Following behind his teacher as he went in he closed the door and sighed with relief as he removed the cloak.

“Alright Potter, go have a seat and eat your bagel…I have a few things that require my attention.”

Harry nodded and did as his Professor instructed. In a way he had hoped to be sent off, he wanted to explore this safe house a bit more. Even though they would only be there for an hour he felt obligated to know his surroundings. However after five minutes of walking, munching on his rather mushed bagel, he realized that this house was an absolute dump. The walls were grey and had peeling wallpaper everywhere, the floor was infested with dust and he could have sworn he had seen a rat or two scurry by. Patches of carpet lingered on the steps and the upper floors looked like they were rotting through. How had Snape even come by this disgusting hovel?

Severus could not remember the last time he had been here, well…he could, he just chose not to. The times where he and his mother had tried to run from Tobias just to stop in this house and return the next day. All those times his mother had instilled him with false hope that the pain and abuse was over, just to mislead him and take him back. They could have made it, he would have gotten a job at any age to support his mother… but she was a woman of the time and did not wish to be without her husband, however abusive he might be. However the house was uncharted, and he knew that it would serve for temporary use. Kneeling down in front of the old, dusty, fireplace he pulled out a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it into the hearth.

“Lucius Malfoy.”

The fire crackled and no sooner did he find himself looking into the study of Malfoy Manor, and standing there was Lucius Malfoy. He cleared his throat and watched as the tall, blonde, haired man turned.

“Severus!” he exclaimed. “This is a wonderful surprise.”

“I require your assistance Lucius…regarding Ministry connections.”

Lucius nodded and stooped down so that he was face to face with the Potions Master.

“How might I be of assistance…am I to assume this is for the Dark Lord?”

“You may assume what you wish, Lucius…now, I apparated from Hogwarts several minutes ago and I am worried that the fool Headmaster might have me followed.” Severus said coolly.

Lucius sneered.

“Did you not use your…precautionary charms…as you so eloquently put it?”

“Of course, however one can never be too careful.” Severus hissed. “Can I trust you to do me this favor and make sure my apparation records are cleared?”

Lucius smiled something Severus knew to mean that something underhanded was afoot. However that man stayed out of Azkaban remained a mystery to him…he would never understand or know what he had done, who he had bribed, or how he had done it…all he knew was that he could use Malfoy to his advantage…and he planned to do so.

“And what is in it for me, Severus?” his past friend inquired.

“Your freedom, Lucius…I do not know how you stayed out of Azkaban, but I can assure you that the Dark Lord will not save you should I throw your name around Dumbledore’s office once or twice.”

Lucius’s face went dark, and his silver eyes narrowed into slits.

“Are you so foolish to believe that the Dark Lord couldn’t do such a thing?”

“No, however I am smart enough to realize that he WOULDN’T do such a thing. You do little for him, Lucius; he is quite aware how…expendable you are.”

“How dare-

-now, now, now Lucius…temper…do this for me and I will act like this conversation never happened. Any maybe even put a few good words in for you where our Dark Lord is concerned.”

He watched, somewhat amused, as Lucius tried to come up with a coherent sentence. Opening and closing his mouth, his eyes cold as ice, Severus already knew he was assured protection from the Ministry. And if he had to threaten a slug like Malfoy to get it, than that is what he would do.