Misconceptions

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I hope it was long enough to satisfy you. I do try and make my updates as long as possible, but I work two jobs with constantly changing hours, plus I am at college full time, so I sometimes find it hard to update at all. The way I figure it, a short update is better than no update at all, right? ;)


Anyways, I figure I’ll give you all something to read just to show my appreciation; I really should just finish writing stories before I bother to upload them at all. Silly me.

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Quickly gathering himself, he began walking towards where he heard the last noise, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw something black sprawled out on the snowy ground.

Harry let out a shocked gasp, his eyes widening a fraction before he froze on the spot, not sure how to react.

Lying in front of him, was Professor Snape.

Normally, the presence of the potions master would send Harry in the other direction, eager to escape whatever snide remarks would be coming his way otherwise. However, the appearance of Snape quickly kept him from fleeing with no remorse.

The man’s robes were strewn about, torn in some places, while completely shredded in others. It was as if someone had been coming at him with a knife, slicing at the robes until they were left in tatters. Harry hoped this wasn’t the case.

His already crooked nose appeared to be bent a notch more, with a rather deep looking cut on top of the bump, and Harry swore he could see something white poking out of it ever so slightly. Cartilage... he thought to himself.

His nose wasn’t the only marred part of his face though. One of his eyes had a horrible purple circle around it, the edges already darkening to painful black bruises. It stood out even more profoundly against his pale skin, making him look even more sickly than normal.

His lip was split at the edge, a thick layer of blood drying on one side of his mouth. If it weren’t for the obvious severity of the situation, Harry would have laughed at the resemblance to lipstick on the greasy bat of the dungeons.

Harry tensed when Snape let out a pained groan, attempting to shift himself, only to quickly intake a mouthful of air through clenched teeth. There was obviously more damage than Harry could see.

Studying Snape’s unconscious form, Harry desperately tried to force his mind to make the connection that this broken being sprawled out in the snow was the same greasy bastard that tormented him on a daily basis. He tried to convince his brain that he should absolutely loathe this man, not pity him. After all, when had Snape ever cared about Harry’s wellbeing?

Sure, he had saved him a couple of times. But it had been out of obligation to his parents, and as a teacher. It had never been about Harry himself. Harry was just James’ clone, apparently. Harry had tried desperately to prove to Snape that he was different from his father after seeing into the man’s memories.

It never worked.

It probably never would.

But that didn’t change the fact that his professor needed help right away. Grudges or no grudges, Harry wouldn’t let another person die because of his own personal issues.

The only problem was he had no idea how to help the man. He could try and signal to someone for help, but the snow storm swirling around him still posed as a large problem. No one would be able to see him. If he tried to accio his broom, it would end up blowing away, and it wasn’t as if he could carry Snape on the broom anyways. Leaving the man behind in his condition was out of the question.

The wards around Hogwarts would keep him from sending anything inside the castle, including his patronus. Any attempts to unspell the door would not end well for either of them.

Harry closed his eyes for a minute, blocking out the sounds of the wind and the feel of ice whipping at his cheeks. He thought only of finding a way to help Severus Snape, at least until someone more qualified could take over.

Theres only one option, he concluded after a minute or so. We’ll have to take shelter in the Forbidden Forest. The trees will keep most of the snow away if we get far enough in. And Professor Sprout did show us those plants and herbs that are pretty common in there, they can be used to slow bleeding and treat superficial wounds... He glanced over at Snape, who looked as if he was growing paler by the minute.

His decision made, Harry quickly forced his body to move, wincing at the stiffness and the feeling of pins and needles in his legs. He shifted Snape’s body so that his arms were wrapped around his chest from behind, ignoring the excruciating pain in burnt hand as he did so. He knew he had to move quickly in order to avoid further damage, but seeing as Harry weighed so much less, he knew it would be difficult.

As he began the painstaking process of half carrying, half dragging Snape’s body to the edge of the forest, he couldn’t help but notice that the man had more muscle than anyone ever gave him credit for. Hell, he is solid; you wouldn’t know it with those weird flowing robes he wears though. I’d have thought he would weigh a lot less...just my luck that he doesn’t.

When Harry did reach the forest, he stopped to look around, ignoring a pained moan from Snape. If he went in too far, there was the possibility that he would run into the centaurs, who were rather unwelcoming nowadays. But he couldn’t just hide out in the open, which was even more of a risk.

Then it came to him: “Aragog’s cave! Hagrid did say that he moved them to somewhere in South Africa, so it is most likely empty...” Or so he hoped.

He quickly shifted Snape so that he could more quietly through the forest (and take some pressure off his now bloody hand), and made his way to the large cave. Ron would completely freak if he knew I was going in here again... he thought as he stood in front of it.

With a resigned sigh, Harry stepped into the dark cave, and he could only hope that there was nothing else in there with them.

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Well that’s all I have time for right now. Just figured I’d give you something. Now I must do some homework that I’ve been putting off all week. ;)