Next Chapter: Dog-Eat-Dog

               It was nearing midnight and Severus was still trying to finish grading the seventh years’ essays so he would have his weekend free of work. In his attempt to keep his weekend light, it meant staying up late several nights in a row, and he was starting to feel the stress of poor sleep as he struggled to keep his eyes open on the grossly offensive attempt of an essay in front of him. His quill nearly trailed off when he dozed for a brief second before jerking awake and sitting up a bit more in his armchair. He waved his hand over the essay to erase the blemish the ink left from his quill and forced himself to focus on the words. Only five more essays to read through and he would have no work for the weekend. He could do this.

               His eyes were closing against his will, and he startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his eyes flashing open and narrowing in on Harry, who was standing next to him rubbing an eye blearily.

               “You’re falling asleep grading again, Dad,” Harry said through a yawn.

               “So I am,” Severus agreed softly, looking down at the papers in his lap. “What are you doing up?”

               “I couldn’t sleep,” Harry confessed. “Guess I’m just wound up from the Quidditch game and party still.”

               “I doubt that,” Severus scoffed. “You look ready to pass out any second now.”

               “Well, so do you,” Harry argued. “You were sleeping when I came out here. Maybe you should stop grading tonight. You have all weekend, you know.”

               “Yes, but I was hoping to have no work for the weekend,” Severus said. He sighed and relented, setting aside the few remaining essays to finish first thing in the morning. At least there was only a few left to do. Severus stood up with a stretch, then looked down at his son and quirked a brow. “Is there a reason you decided to come out here instead of trying to fall asleep in your room?”

               “I wanted to get a drink,” Harry answered with a cheeky smile. “But your snoring distracted me.”

               “I was not snoring,” Severus shot back. He waved his hand, summoning a glass of water then handed it to Harry. “Here. Have your drink and back to bed with you.”

               Harry smirked as he accepted the glass, taking a few gulps as he walked back toward his bedroom, Severus following. Harry carefully slid into bed with the cup in his hand before he finished the water and handed the glass back to Severus. Severus vanished the glass then pulled the blanket up and around his son before sitting on the edge of the bed. Even though Harry was still grounded to their quarters, for image’s sake, Harry continued with his quidditch practices and games. His absence from the dorms was explained as Harry needing to stay with a professor again for safety due to an uptick in Sirius Black sightings.

               The Quidditch game had been a frightening one as Harry had fainted on the field after an encounter with a few dementors, and Severus had been beside himself with worry in the hospital wing for most of the afternoon, but Madam Pomfrey assured him he would make a full recovery and he was lucky that Albus Dumbledore had slowed down Harry’s fall and caught him before he could hit the ground. Severus had been absent from the game due to a detention scheduling conflict, but he was grateful for Albus’s rescue.

               Of course, Harry insisted he was fine and wanted to attend the after party with his friends in the Gryffindor common room. Even though the team had lost, they liked to celebrate the game to keep spirits high. Severus, against his better judgement, had agreed to an hour of party time, and Harry had managed to surprise Severus by arriving at their quarters fifteen minutes early, though his exhausted look may have been the real reason behind the promptness. 

               “Do you think you can settle down now and get some sleep?” Severus asked.

               “I don’t know,” Harry said with a shrug. He fought a yawn. “I’m still not that tired.”

               “So I see. Perhaps we can chat a few minutes then until you feel more tired.”

               “I’d like that. Hey, did you know that Buckbeak was given a free pass for his supposed attack on Malfoy? They’re not going to execute him.”

               “Yes, I was informed of the small victory. The headmaster managed to pull some strings and the situation was investigated thoroughly before a decision was made. Even Malfoy Senior’s influence in the ministry wasn’t enough to condemn that creature to an early death.”

               “I’m happy for him. And Hagrid. He was blaming himself for the whole thing when we kept telling him it wasn’t his or Hagrid’s fault. Malfoy was an idiot.”

               “Don’t talk like that about your classmates,” Severus scolded lightly. “Malfoy’s actions were very immature and dangerous, but that does not make him an idiot. Besides, I know of a certain student who’s pulled very similar stunts in his Hogwarts career thus far.”

               “I’ve never—” Harry hesitated, as if realizing which stunts Severus was referring to, then looked away abashedly. “I don’t mean to.”

               “I suppose that is where you and Mr. Malfoy differ. You never intend to cause trouble.”

               Harry chuckled, then yawned and rolled on to his side, facing Severus.

               “When do you think I can be off restriction?” Harry asked. At Severus’s sigh, Harry added, “I’m tired of seeing nothing but classes, the Great Hall, and our rooms. I can’t even go to the library without an escort, you, namely.”

               Severus didn’t say anything for a few moments as he studied his son. He could understand Harry’s frustrations, but the Hogsmeade incident was still fresh in his mind, and he wasn’t ready to let Harry out of his sight yet. He wanted to trust that Harry would not pull a stunt like that again, but unfortunately, he just wasn’t at that stage yet. He sighed after much internal deliberation and shook his head.

               “I’m sorry, Harry. I understand how frustrating all of this has been on you, but I do not feel comfortable lifting your restriction yet.”

               “But Dad,” Harry began to protest.

               “I know you’ll say you’ll never do something like what you did again. You’ll promise me a thousand times over, but as it is, Black still has not been caught, and I do not want you falling for the temptation of the Hogsmeade trips again.”

               “I won’t.”

               “My decision is final. You will remain in these quarters until I feel you have learned how imperative it is to keep yourself safe while Black is loose, or until Black is captured. Whichever comes first, I suppose.”

               “I’ve learned.”

               “I’m sure you feel that way. I do not.”

               “How would you know if I’ve learned it or not?”

               “For starters, you would not be arguing with me on this decision.”

               Harry snapped his mouth shut, tightening his hold on his pillow as he fought to keep from glaring at Severus, who snorted at his attempt to keep quiet.

               “A good start. We will revisit this topic at a later date. For now, trust that I have your best interest in mind.”

               “Yes, sir.”

               Seeing Harry’s crestfallen face dampened Severus’s own spirits slightly, and he felt the smallest pang of regret at refusing Harry’s request to be ungrounded. Still, he was not ready to free Harry from his sight while Black was still out there somewhere. With that said, he could understand Harry’s boredom and need for outside enrichment. A little fresh air might do wonders for Harry’s attitude and keep him in line a while longer through this punishment, and Severus did have a few errands to run tomorrow, though one of them wasn’t exactly child friendly. Severus debated whether bringing Harry along with him was worth it and he came to a decision with a heavy sigh.

               “How about you and I take the day tomorrow and visit Diagon Alley?” Severus asked.

               “Really?” Harry’s eyes brightened.

               “I have a couple errands to run, but then we can stop at a few shops of your choosing and perhaps eat lunch out as well.”

               “I would love that.”

               “I just ask that you remain on your best behavior while I complete my errands, and you do everything I ask of you, no questions asked. Is that clear?”

               Harry slowly frowned but nodded all the same.

               Severus hesitated once more, contemplating how he would complete his one errand if Harry was with him, but in the end, it shouldn’t take him long and he could find a way to keep Harry busy during the duration of it. He smiled at his son and ruffled his hair.

               “Then it’s settled. Get to sleep. I am going to finish grading the few assignments I have left in the morning and then we will head out.”

               “Night, Dad,” Harry said with a grin as he closed his eyes, allowing Severus to tuck the blanket snug around him. He fell asleep quickly, and Severus retired for the night as well.

               The next morning, Severus led Harry through Diagon Alley to the apothecary first in order to restock his supply closets. With the way many of his students butchered prepping ingredients, it was no surprise he flew through so much of his stock so quickly. If only he could force students to pay for restocking supplies out of their own pocket money, then maybe they would show a little more care in handling their ingredients. Of course, some one-on-one remedial lessons with Harry had fixed many of his son’s struggles in the class. Well, he would not be offering that to every student that walked through his classroom door.

               The apothecary was fairly quiet for a Saturday morning, which Severus appreciated. He grabbed a basket and began collecting containers of herbs and spices, jars of frog legs and pickled ashwinder eggs, dried bat wings and lizard tongues, flobberworms, and finally, moondew. Harry followed behind him with a slightly bored expression, but Severus knew he was acting on his best behavior in order to explore some stores of his choosing after Severus finished with his errands. Severus pulled out a slip of parchment with a list of everything he had wanted to collect and spotted that he was missing murtlap tentacles. He had not seen a stash of it anywhere in the store, so he headed for the counter, pleased that Harry was staying at his side despite the boring shopping trip.

               “I see you are out of murtlap tentacles,” Severus told the shopkeeper. “You wouldn’t happen to have any more in the back, would you?”

               “Our murtlaps are not of age yet to have their tentacles harvested,” the shopkeeper said. “In another month, we should be able to restock.”

               “You are sure there is nothing in your backstock? You’re not even going to check?”

               The shopkeeper sighed heavily before stepping away from the counter and disappearing behind a backdoor. Sometimes, Severus managed to score a few stray ingredients by being a little insistent with the shopkeepers. He waited patiently, checking on Harry out of the corner of his eye. Harry was absently scanning through some of the display shelves holding various odd ingredients, such as pumpkin seeds, dried flowers, and dragon teeth. Harry picked up one of the dragon teeth, admiring the size and shape, as this one resembled a very large shark tooth.

               “That is from a Great North Atlantic Wolfdragon,” Severus said, catching Harry’s attention. “A large sea dragon roaming the coldest northern waters from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean all the way to the Russian High Arctic. They spend much of their time sleeping after feasting on large fish and sharks.”

               “That’s brilliant,” Harry said, running a finger along the edges of the tooth.

               “Indeed. Like sharks, when one tooth falls out, another replaces it, so their teeth do end up on shore now and then, and once ground up into a fine powder, it can be useful in adding strength to reenergizing potions, but it’s used more commonly in lengthening shelf life of any potion.”

               “Potions have a shelf life?”

               “Of course they do.” Severus resisted rolling his eyes. “Even magic cannot retain its full capabilities forever, especially when shoved into a tiny vial. Most potions keep for about six months, few are known to be fully potent at twelve months. Generally, after one year, there is not an ounce of magic left in a single vial of a Pepper-up.”

               “That’s why you always have to restock the infirmary. I always thought we just went through them all so quickly.”

               “If only.” Severus returned his attention to the shopkeeper as he returned with a few murtlap tentacles. “I see you were successful in tracking down a few tentacles for me?”

               “They may be a bit old, so I wouldn’t use them in any emergency potions,” the shopkeeper said.

               “Of course not. They will make great specimens for students to practice with.”

               The shopkeeper checked Severus out, and Severus had the items owled to Hogwarts. Once Harry finished admiring the dragon teeth collection, Severus led the way out of the apothecary, planning to head straight for Potage’s Cauldron Shop next. While many students had their own standard pewter cauldron, there were times he paired students up to use a special cauldron for a particular potion, and the first years never failed to ruin those cauldrons. Severus needed to resupply several brass, copper, and silver cauldrons. If he collected about twelve of each, that should give him enough to get through the rest of the school year. Theoretically speaking, of course.

               As the two walked by several other small shops to get to the northern side of Diagon Alley, they were intercepted by Lucius Malfoy exiting a pet grooming salon.

               “Why, if it isn’t the great Potter,” Lucius sneered, tapping his cane against the ground. “What lowly task has the headmaster forced upon you now, Severus?”

               “Good day to you as well, Lucius,” Severus sneered back, resisting rolling his eyes. He saw Harry frown at Lucius but was pleased when Harry remained quiet. “I do not see how the daily life of the Hogwarts students concerns you in any way, unless of course, you are asking of your own son?”

               “You send me quarterly reviews, as I’ve requested. I am well aware of how Draco is doing in his classes. I did notice him slipping slightly in Transfiguration, however. Surely you have tutors to assist the students when their grades fall below an Outstanding?”

               “They receive tutors when they ask for them.”

               “I’ll be sure Draco asks within the week, then. No son of mine will score below a mudblood.”

               “Maybe if Malfoy applied himself to his studies and less to bullying the other students, he’d keep his grades up,” Harry mumbled just loud enough to be heard by both men.

               “Silence, Mr. Potter,” Severus scolded in his teacher’s voice, narrowing his eyes slightly at Harry.

               “Yes,” Lucius agreed. “Children should be seen, not heard. “And Draco’s grades are in the ninety ninth percentile. I’d say he’s doing very well despite what he may choose to do in his free time. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Potter. One must be willing to do whatever it takes to stay at the top.”

               “Speaking of dogs,” Severus interrupted before Harry could say anything else that would no doubt infuriate Lucius, “I see you’ve dropped off your mongrels for pampering. Perhaps you’d wish to harass the groomers on their techniques, rather than a thirteen-year-old child on his academic success?”

               Lucius glared at Severus, but seemed to take the hint that continuing this banter would not look great for his public image.

               “Those mongrels are worth five times your salary,” Lucius said. “And I have full confidence in their groomers, lest they want to be sued for maltreatment of my dogs.” Lucius lifted his cane and pushed Harry aside with it, causing Harry to nearly trip over his own feet. Lucius stepped between the two as he said, “I have errands of my own to run while they finish up. Good day, Severus. I hope the headmaster does not torture you with babysitting often.”

               “If only,” Severus said, nodding his head in farewell as Lucius strolled down the path, ignoring the rise of protective anger he felt over Lucius’s actions. Oh, if he could tear Lucius a new one for daring to touch his son, he would, but as it was, he could not expose himself as a traitor just yet. No, that would put himself and Harry in danger, so he swallowed down the anger and waited until Lucius was out of earshot before he said, “You had to open your mouth.”

               “Sorry,” Harry said without any sincerity in his voice. He rubbed his shoulder where Lucius had smacked him with the cane. “Won’t he get suspicious now that he’s seen us out together.”

               “It is not the first time I’ve escorted a student to Diagon Alley for supplies. He will most likely think this is one of those times.” Severus stepped closer to Harry, applying light pressure to where Harry was rubbing his arm. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay,” Harry said despite wincing at the pressure Severus applied. “It’ll bruise, I think. He’s not allowed to do that, is he?”

“Of course not, but it’s hardly a fight worth getting into. I can apply a bruise balm when we get home if it still hurts. If we run paths again, do not speak to him. I dare say you’ve done enough to him in the past without raising more of his ire.”

               “He’s deserved everything he ever got,” Harry mumbled.

               “Just try to hold your tongue around him.” Severus rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder and steered him through the crowd, finally getting themselves to the cauldron shop. “For my sanity, please.”

               Harry only smirked.

               After collecting all the cauldrons he needed and having them air delivered to Hogwarts, Severus stopped at a stationary shop where he grabbed new red ink and fresh quills for grading and insisted that Harry pick out a new quill for himself. Harry was adamant that he did not need a new quill but settled on a beautiful teal occamy feather. Severus merely wanted to spoil Harry a little, especially after Lucius’s display. After one last stop at the cobbler for heel replacements and resoling of Severus’s boots, and resizing of Harry’s shoes, Severus checked his watch and realized he had ten minutes to be at his next appointment.

               “This next task I need to complete alone,” Severus explained to Harry as he led the way toward the southern end of Diagon Alley. “You will wait in the café while I speak with an acquaintance behind the counter. You are not to leave the room until I’ve returned, is that clear?”

               “Yes, sir. Who are you meeting with?”

               “That is none of your concern.”

               “But I thought if—”

               “No, Harry. We discussed this last night. You do as I say, no questions asked.”

               “You can’t expect me not to have questions.” Harry stopped walking as they came up to the café in question. “Especially when the café is for sale.”

               The building was on the edge of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, a small, decrepit teahouse with peeling paint and two large “For Sale” signs plastered on broken windows. Tattered parasols were leaning against the side of the building while tables and chairs were stacked up in a very chaotic arrangement. Severus paused to look back at Harry’s unsure face, and he sighed before gesturing Harry to follow.

               “This café has been closed for a few years now and the business is waiting to be sold for repurpose. But it provides a nice place for private conversations.”

               “So anyone is allowed to enter.”

               No, was the correct answer but Severus caught himself and thought over a more appropriate answer for Harry’s ears. As much as he didn’t like to lie to Harry, this situation called for it. He could not tell Harry why he was meeting someone here, or what the conversation may consist of. He had received some intel from an informant of his own about an artifact he would have interest in, and he was sure it related to the Dark Lord.

               “I have received permission to use the building for my meeting today,” Severus said, waving Harry toward him. “It is temporary permission, so do not make me late.”

               Harry slowly stepped forward, following Severus to the front door. Severus took a moment to discreetly glance around the alley, but thankfully, no one was around this corner of Diagon Alley, as he expected. He hesitated as he grabbed the door handle, silently praying that it was already unlocked so he did not have to break into the shop in front of his son. His prayers were answered as the door clicked open.

               Severus pulled Harry into the shop and pushed him down into a chair close to the counter.

               “Wait here,” Severus said. “Do not move from this spot or leave this building for any reason. I will be right back. I should not be more than a few minutes, and then we will have lunch and stop at any shops of your choosing.”

               “Can’t you tell me why—”

               “No, Harry. Trust me. This is important business but I cannot tell you what it entails for your own safety.”

               Harry sighed heavily, resting his head in his arms on the cool table.

               “Fine,” Harry pouted.

               “I’ll be right back. Do not move from here.”

               Severus watched Harry as he stepped behind the counter, then stepped behind a door that led to a back room that was dimly lit. He would have to trust that Harry would obey his orders while he discussed matters with his informant. He was already regretting bringing Harry along, but if this went off without a hitch, he would feel better dragging Harry to the Quidditch store or even the ice cream parlor. Following the dim lighting into a storage space, Severus came face to face with the man he needed to meet with. He quickly cast a silencing and muffling charm in all directions, so no sound would get in or out of the small bubble encasing the two. One could never be too careful, and he would not risk any penetration of the charm from either side.

               “Snape,” Mundungus Fletcher greeted calmly from where he was leaning against an empty shelving unit, fiddling with a locket on a chain.

               “Is that the device you owled me about?” Severus asked, cutting straight to the point. He didn’t want to leave Harry unattended for too long.

               “It is,” Mundungus said, holding out the locket to Severus.

Severus accepted the gold locket, staring at the serpentine S, inlaid with glittering, green stones. There was a strange heavy weight to the locket, as if something more invaded the gold jewelry, and it rattled inside the object like cockroaches wishing to be free. Severus felt an unease settle over him, and he glanced back at Mundungus.

“Funny story,” Mundungus said. “I was selling at Coffin House—just some items I come across—and these dark robed fellows were purchasing some necromancy tomes; somethin’ bout raising the dead and all that, but then they mentioned You-Know-Who’s experimentin’ with immortality, and he had found a solution.”

Severus had always figured the Dark Lord would one day return. The Dark Mark on his arm never faded away completely that fateful night, and it reminded Severus every day of the inevitable rise of the Dark Lord. He glanced at the device in his hands, then back at Mundungus as the thief spoke once more.

“Figured they were Death Eaters,” he said. “But they said that that Lestrange woman had been entrusted with one of You-Know-Who’s “experiments,” and she hid it away somewhere. Something that would keep the Dark Lord alive forever. Then I heard the word: horcrux.”

Severus frowned, vaguely recalling the word in a brief study of immortality, but he had never pursued the knowledge, as it was magic darker than he had been willing to dive into.

“Had to ask the shopkeeper about it and even he paled; got all stuttering about how wrong it was. Said that horcrux was literally a ripped-out piece of your soul stuffed into an artifact. He said if you made one then you couldn’t ever die until that horcrux was destroyed. And the only way to make a horcrux is by taking another life.”

A piece of the Dark Lord’s soul existed in this locket? Severus felt a shiver down his spine as he stared at the S symbol, realizing how much it looked like a miniscule snake. He shook his head as the implication that the Dark Lord made more than one horcrux struck him suddenly. How many of these were there? And what were the artifacts that held the Dark Lord’s soul? Were they all easily accessible?

“You believe that this locket is a horcrux?” Severus asked for clarification.

“There’s somethin’ wrong with that locket, I tell you.” Mundungus stared at it with a dark look in his eyes. “It messes with your head if you wear it too long, plays with your worst nightmares and all that. Stole that from the Black residence, and you know that place was littered with all sorts of dark arts. And if Lestrange has one horcrux, then I wouldn’t be surprised if another Black had one. They were all followers, that lot.”

Mundungus had a point there. Severus cast a containment charm on the locket and shoved it into an inner robe pocket. He would bring this to Albus’s attention immediately.

“Why turn this in so quickly?” Severus asked.

“Look, I didn’t want to at first,” Mundungus answered honestly. “I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but I figured out quickly I couldn’t just break that effing thing. And I don’t honestly know where your loyalties lie, but Dumbledore said he trusted you, and you work close enough to him I figured you were the best associate to get this to Dumbledore. Sides’, you were one of the few contacts I had listed.”

“If you hear of any other horcruxes, report them back to me,” Severus demanded. “Who knows how many the Dark Lord created, and we will have to find them all before he returns.”

“I ain’t going digging for the information but I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” Mundungus said. “If that’s all, I’ll take my leave now.”

Severus nodded once and cancelled the silencing charms. He headed back for the front of the shop after watching Mundungus slip out a back door. The locket was a heavy weight in his robe but the containment charm he placed on it would keep any negative influences from affecting him. As he reentered the shop, Severus froze at the sight he was greeted with, his jaw dropping.

The room was trashed, a table and several chairs toppled over, glass and what looked like blood all over the floor, as if something had thrown itself through one of the broken windows. Small items that had been on the counter were scattered around the shop.

Something squeezed his heart painfully, blood pounded in his ears, and he felt panic rise like bile in his throat. Severus pulled out his wand and cast a locator charm. What on earth had happened in the few minutes he had left Harry alone? Regret overwhelmed him and he tried to push away the thoughts of how he should never have brought Harry along with him as he followed the pull of his wand out into the street, then down an empty alley in Knockturn.

This was his fault; he should never have brought Harry along with him. What kind of danger had he put Harry in? What on earth broke into the shop? Sirius Black struck his mind suddenly, and Severus prayed he was wrong.

As he turned a corner, the tug on his wand grew fierce and he ran after it to another empty alley where he saw Harry limping out of a dead-end street.

               “Harry!” Severus cried, rushing forward to support his child. He saw blood dripping from Harry’s left arm and his robes were bloody on the bottom right side. Rolling up Harry’s sleeve revealed four puncture wounds that bled profusely. Severus waved his wand over the wounds of his arm and leg to stop the bleeding at the very least. Harry was pale and leaned heavily against Severus.

               “What happened?” Severus asked.

               “Clearly a case of children running off where they shouldn’t be,” Lucius Malfoy suddenly said as he appeared down the path Severus had come from, two grey deerhounds at his side.

               Harry gasped and hid slightly behind Severus.

               “No, I was attacked by dogs,” Harry said. He pointed at Lucius’s dogs. “Your dogs!”

               “Making up stories will not get you out of trouble, Mr. Potter,” Lucius said snidely.

               “Although bite marks certainly help bring factuality to Mr. Potter’s story,” Severus shot back, glaring at Lucius.

               “If my dogs were at fault, they only chase and bite when provoked.”

               “After how much you spent on their training, I highly doubt those dogs chase anything unless they are told to.” Severus stepped closer to Lucius, growling slightly, “If I find out that you sent your dogs after a Hogwarts student on my watch, I will be forced to inform the headmaster, as is my obligation, and the headmaster will no doubt inform the board of education at the ministry. How do you think the board will feel about one of their beneficiaries attacking a student? Perhaps they’ll need to rabies test your mongrels to make sure the Boy-Who-Lived is disease free. Wouldn’t that be most . . . unfortunate for your dogs.”

               Lucius took a step back, putting some distance between Severus and himself.

               “Don’t pretend to care, Severus,” Lucius said. “Remember what side you are on.”

               With that, Lucius gave a low whistle and strode down the path, his two dogs following after him. Severus did note that the two dogs had a couple wounds themselves, and he frowned, trying to piece together what must have happened in his head.

               “I’m sorry,” Harry apologized when Severus turned back to him.

               “Don’t be, I should be apologizing to you,” Severus said. He assisted Harry in walking to a public restroom not too far down the path, and he settled Harry on one of the toilet seats before reaching into his robe for his emergency first aid kit. “I shouldn’t have used such strong privacy spells with you in the opposite room, especially after your encounter with Lucius earlier. I’m so sorry I wasn’t available for you, this never should have happened, especially when I was ten feet away from you. Perhaps I should have left you at Hogwarts after all.”

               “It’s not your fault. I’m okay, really.” Harry hissed as Severus rolled up his sleeve and his pant leg. “I’ve had worse.”

               “Hush.” Severus applied a healing balm with antibacterial properties to Harry’s bite wounds, starting with his arm. “Tell me what happened.”

               “I was sitting in the shop like you told me to, and then I heard the dogs. They were sniffing around and growling, like they were looking for me.” Severus recalled how Lucius had shoved Harry aside with his cane and cursed himself for not realizing how Lucius had planned to use that moment later. “Then they saw me in the shop and came barreling in. I tried to shout for you, but I guess you didn’t hear me with the spells you cast. So I ran. They caught up to me and started attacking me, but this big black dog attacked them and chased them off.”

               “What?” Severus paused in what he was doing and met Harry’s eyes.

               “Another dog came to my rescue. He was really nice. A bit scruffy and thin, but he tried to help me stand up, then he heard you coming and took off.”

               Severus felt fear grab at him again, but this time, it wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been when he found Harry missing with blood on the floor. And maybe that was because Harry was right in front of him, but the fear was still there. Severus applied the healing balm to Harry’s leg, then cast a cleaning charm on Harry’s robes and trousers while they both watched as the bite wounds closed on their own. Severus rubbed a hand down his face as he debated what he should do next.

               “You’re going to tell the headmaster, right?” Harry asked. “About Malfoy’s dogs attacking me?”

               “Of course,” Severus agreed. “But first, I need to confirm it was them. As well as see about this dog that saved you.”

               “How—oh, you mean through Legilimency. But why? Don’t you believe me?”

               “I do believe you. But if I see your memory, I can share that with Albus and any officials who would like proof without having to involve you again. And I am suspicious of this dog.”

               “Why? He saved me. And he was nice.”

               “Do you know what an animagus is, Harry?”

               “Yes. Like how Professor McGonagall can turn into a cat, right?”

               “Yes. Sirius Black is also an animagus. An unregistered one, but his form was a dog.”

               “You think the dog that saved me was Sirius Black?”

               “It is a possibility. I would like to see your memory to be sure. I can show the headmaster later who will verify whether it is who I believe it is.”

               “I’d really not live through that again,” Harry muttered, looking down at his knees.

Severus used a finger to tilt Harry’s chin up, so their eyes met.

“I know it was scary, but it will just be a memory. Nothing will actually hurt you this time. And it will just be this once, as I will be able to share this memory for future use should it be needed.”

Harry hesitated for a few seconds, licking his lips before biting his lower lip. He finally nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m ready.”

“I’ll be quick,” Severus said before gently diving into Harry’s mind.

True to his word, he found the memory he needed to view, thankful that it was still in the forefront of Harry’s mind. He saw Harry sitting with his head in his arms at the table he left him at, a finger tracing mindless patterns in the dust on the tabletop. Severus moved off to the side to watch the events unfold from a better angle.

Severus heard them before he saw them. Two large grey dogs sniffed around outside the shop, growling softly. Harry turned to watch them, unease settling in the air, an emotion Severus was sure Harry was overwhelmed with in the moment. One of the dogs lifted its head at the door of the shop and looked directly at Harry.

It snarled before jumping up against the door, lunging and barking at Harry inside the shop.

Harry jumped to his feet and slowly backed away toward the counter Severus had disappeared behind. Severus once again cursed himself for the privacy charms he had used. Old habits died hard, and he vowed he would never put Harry in such a position again.

Suddenly, the second dog leaped through the broken glass, shattering it more, and Harry screamed and ran for the counter, only for the dog to leap across the room in a blink of an eye, jumping on the counter and stopping Harry dead in his tracks as it snarled at Harry.

               “Dad!” Harry cried, turning sharply and running in the opposite direction.

               The other dog jumped through the broken glass, avoiding breaking it more as it was now a much larger hole. It cut Harry’s escape off and snapped at the child, forcing Harry into a tight corner, the second one joining in herding Harry back.

               Harry made a bold decision and rushed to a table, knocking it over as the dogs charged forward, running into the table as Harry ran past it. Harry stumbled over a chair but shoved it aside as the dogs were at his heels, knocking over chairs to get to him. Harry managed to get to the door and ran out into the street. Unfortunately, the door was a push from the inside, and the dogs managed to plow into it and run out after Harry.

               Severus had to move quickly to keep up with the memory. He fought the temptation to hex the dogs as he reminded himself, he was in Harry’s memory. The dogs chased Harry down empty streets and into the dead-end street Severus had found Harry in. Harry realized too late it was a dead end and he slowed down as he hesitated, and it was enough for one of the dogs to catch up to Harry and grab his ankle, biting down and dragging him down the street.

               Harry cried out as he fell and he kicked at the dog, only for the second one to grab his arm and thrash it. Harry screamed.

               “Stop! Let go! Help!” Harry cried, and Severus felt Harry’s helplessness in his own chest, tears prickling his own eyes as he watched the scene, the guilt returning tenfold.

               And then he saw it. A black blur shot out of a side building window and landed on one of the dogs, sending them into a somersault. The black dog landed on top and snapped at the grey one before doubling back and charging the second grey dog that released Harry’s leg and snarled defensively at the black one.  

               Harry managed to drag himself away from the dog fight, his arm and leg bleeding, and Severus kept himself from rushing to Harry’s side to heal him.

               The black dog fought viciously with the two grey dogs, and his larger, heavier build (even in his scrawny state) gave him an upper hand over the two leaner dogs, and he managed to pin both dogs before the two ran off in a retreat, the black dog chasing after them to be sure they left. When the dog turned, his ears dropped and his tail tucked against his side before it crept back to Harry, whining pathetically.

               “Nice dog,” Harry told it, crawling back cautiously.

               The dog tilted his head, keeping a submissive posture before it sauntered closer and crawled under Harry’s arm and pushed up, giving Harry assistance in standing. Harry accepted the aid when he realized what the dog was doing. Once back on his feet, he kept a hand on the dog’s back as he limped out of the dead-end street.

               Severus heard footsteps running their way, and the black dog whined before backing away quickly, making Harry stumble slightly. The dog whined at Harry before jumping up on a dumpster and leaping over the wall, disappearing.

               Severus gently withdrew from Harry’s mind, waiting patiently as Harry collected his bearings and rubbed his eyes.

               “Do you think it was Black?” Harry asked.

               “With the way he acted,” Severus answered. “I am almost certain.”

               “Why do you think he saved me? He could have killed me then, or let the dogs finish the job.”

               “I don’t know,” Severus said honestly. The entire interaction was bizarre. Why had Black stepped in between two ferocious dogs and Harry? While he was grateful the dogs were not given the opportunity to kill Harry, the hero of the story left many unanswered questions. “Perhaps he is saving you for himself or he is waiting for the right moment.”

               Even as he said those words, he did not fully believe them. Something didn’t sit right with Severus about what he had witnessed. And based on the look on Harry’s face, he was sure his son didn’t fully believe it either.

               “That makes sense, I guess,” Harry said. He stretched his arm and leg. “I feel better. Can we still go to the Quidditch store? Please?”

               Severus really didn’t want to stay in Diagon Alley a moment longer, but he was still feeling awful for what had happened to Harry, and he’d do just about anything to make it right by his son. He figured one more store and then they were going straight back to his quarters where they could eat lunch in the safety of Hogwarts. He had a lot to discuss with the headmaster after all.

               “We may go for fifteen minutes,” Severus said. “Then we are going back to Hogwarts.”

               Harry grinned and nodded.

               Severus checked Harry over one last time.

               “You feel okay? No more lingering pain? No injuries I didn’t see?”

               “No, Dad, I feel okay, honest.”

               “If you’re sure,” Severus said before offering a hand and pulling Harry to his feet. “Don’t dawdle now. Fifteen minutes in the quidditch shop then back to Hogwarts.”

               “Got it. Come on!” Harry ran ahead, forcing Severus to follow his son at a brisk pace, the locket in his inner robe pocket feeling heavier by the minute.