It was close to midnight on a Tuesday night when Snape received Dumbledore's "urgent message" to come to his office. He wasn't asleep yet, but he couldn't help but be annoyed. He'd received similar messages nearly once a week since Potter had been gone, and each time it usually meant Snape was going to be sent off on some wild goose-chase to find the boy.

He would never tell Dumbledore "no," but frankly he was tired of being an errand boy. He was trying to keep up with his duties as-not just a Potion's professor-but also the master of his house, a spy, and a supposed "Deatheater." Playing Sherlock Holmes to track down the missing Golden Boy was very much an unwelcome addition to his overpacked schedule.

The Headmaster's door swung open just as Snape walked up to it.

"You wished to see me, Headmaster," Snape drawled, keeping things respectful but allowing the tiniest hint of indignation to seep through.

"Severus, I've had word from one of my contacts that there has been an incident in Brighton. I think it might be Harry."

He kept his exterior cool and his face unmoving, but Snape's heart began to race. While he always kept a stable facade, the truth was that he had been deeply concerned since finding out that Harry was missing. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he did harbor tremendous feelings of guilt. He tried not to imagine what Lily might say if she knew her baby boy was out alone in the world, being hunted and preyed upon by Merlin knows who. He also pushed back on his concerns that he hadn't acknowledged what were quite obvious signs that things in his home life at the Dursley's were insupportable.

"Well, that is quite a development. Do continue."

Snape sat himself down in the chair opposite Dumbledore, waiting for further details and willing himself to get his emotions under control. They'd had tips before, but they never turned out to be anything, and inevitably Snape would search all night and come back empty-handed. But something in Dumbledore's voice seemed different tonight, maybe this would finally be the night they found him.

"There was a magical explosion in an alley in Brighton. Two teenage boys were knocked unconscious. They are largely unharmed, but unfortunately there were several Muggles who saw a bright flash of light and heard the noise. One saw from their window a small dark-haired boy with glasses running from the alley. The police are on-scene now."

"I suppose you'd like me to investigate?" Snape sighed, resigning himself to yet another sleepless night chasing Potter around the UK.

"Yes, Severus. We won't have much time before this leaks out and people put the pieces together. We have to find Harry, as soon as possible. Moody is trying to handle things from the Auror's side, but the truth is that now that this has been reported to the muggle authorities, it's going to be impossible to contain within the Ministry. We need to find him before anyone else does."

Snape steeled himself for the task at hand. "Of course, Albus. I'll find him."

Dumbledore came around his desk and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Snape pushed himself up from the chair. "Thank you, my boy. We're all depending on you."

With that, Snape excused himself and walked out the door, making his way quickly to this quarters to prepare himself for another all-nighter hunting Harry Potter. He changed quickly out of his robes into Muggle clothes and walked out the gates of Hogwarts. He felt a different energy tonight, but he tried not to let himself get his hopes up.

He took a deep breath, and apparated to Brighton, hoping that this was finally the night that he would find Harry Potter.

Snape apparated not far from the commotion in the alley. He saw the two teenage boys sitting on a curb, talking to police while the medics checked their vitals and bandaged up their minor injuries. Flashing blue and white lights lit up the streets and he tried to connect with the remnants of the magic.

As a skilled Legilimans, he could connect with the minds of other wizards and witches with ease, but he generally needed to be face-to-face with them. While he was not going to be able to connect directly with Harry, if he cleared his mind and opened himself up, he could sense the magic and try and latch onto it.

He wasn't close enough to get any visions, but he could feel where Harry had been. He walked along the street, hoping that he'd sense when he was getting closer. He had a feeling he should head in the direction of the ocean, so he gave in completely to his intuition, hoping it would steer him the right way.

As he walked along the boardwalk, willing his mind to connect with Potter, he got the tiniest flash of a vision. It was brief and faint, but he knew he was by the sea, and he was curled up somewhere outside, but under a shelter. He continued to walk hoping he'd feel it get stronger.

Snape walked for a good 15 minutes before he felt another flash, this one a bit stronger, and he saw Harry running down the sand to a pier. He looked ahead and saw the same pier in the distance and quickened his stride, praying to Merlin he'd find Harry.

As he approached the pier, at first he didn't see anyone. He walked around the columns until he saw a small backpack, and then the form of a young boy, crunched up in a ball, sleeping quietly.

The relief hit him first, but as soon as he allowed himself to breathe, the emotional floodgates opened and he was overwhelmed with everything else he'd been holding onto for these 10 months. The fear and anxiety, the guilt, the anger, and the multitude of other feelings he refused to acknowledge rushed back into him.

"Potter, get up" he barked, perhaps a bit harshly, as he kicked a bit at his foot.

Harry's eyes flew open in terror before recognizing that the towering dark figure standing above him was none other than his dreaded professor, Snape.

Before Harry could even respond, he felt Snape's hands around his upper arm, dragging him up from the sand.

"Enjoying a little holiday by the seaside, are we?" Snape said sarcastically, keeping all of his emotions at bay by resorting to his sardonic wit.

"Professor? What are you doing here?" It was a dumb question. Harry knew exactly why Snape was there. He'd blown his cover with the accidental magic and now Snape was coming to take him away. He wouldn't be surprised if he was about to drag him directly to Voldemort.

Snape kept one hand on Harry's arm, and started to brush the sand aggressively from his back and legs.

"Oww!" yelped Harry, "Stop! I can do it myself."

Unable to keep his irritation in check, Snape gave him a hard smack on his backside.

To Snape's surprise, Harry kept his mouth shut and gently started brushing off any remaining sand.

"You're absolutely filthy," Snape snapped, continuing to dust the sand off of Harry's shoulders and back. "And as much as it pains me to interrupt your little gap year by the sea, I'd prefer not to take half of the beach with me when we apparate back to Hogwarts."

He was truly a pathetic sight. Even though it had been nearly a year since Snape had laid eyes on the boy, he didn't look like he'd gained an inch or a pound. He was emaciated. His face looked slightly older and more mature, but he had dark circles under his eyes and his skin was sunburnt and unclean. His hair, which was a mess even in the best of times, was longer and matted in places, completely out of control. He was covered in scratches, bug bites, and dark patches that could either be bruises or dirt.

In other words, he looked like one of those feral children that were found in the woods on a Discovery channel documentary. Snape felt a pang in his heart when he looked at the boy, but he shoved any feelings of sympathy deep inside. He had a job to do. Not to mention, Potter did this to himself, and he was not about to let that go without some serious repercussions.

"We need to go, Potter, do you have everything? We're not coming back." Snape snarled, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Yeah" Harry said, resigned to his fate and too mentally and physically exhausted to put up a fight. He'd heard Snape say they were going to Hogwarts, and while he didn't fully trust the man, he figured he'd find out soon enough.

Snape was tempted to make a snide comment about his blatant lack of respect in addressing a professor, but one look at the boy and he decided against it. They were both too tired. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Brace yourself, Potter, we're leaving." And with that, Snape slung the backpack over one arm, grabbed Harry with both hands, and apparated the two of them back to the gates of Hogwarts.