Forsaken
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,169
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,169
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
After-Dinner Desserts
Chapter 35 - After-Dinner Desserts
Harry left Headquarters after dinner, apparating back to the bridge. He lifted his hood and wrapped his cloak closer around him, shivering in the dense fog that crept up from the river. The wind picked up as he walked, stinging his face with tiny ice pellets. He sniffed, the cold making his nose run. He checked his watch and quickened his pace.
He was so late. Neville and Caitlyn were coming over early - Caitlyn’s parents were leaving early for Korea to avoid the Ministry scrutiny due to her involvement in Hogsmeade. Neville just wanted to get away from his overbearing grandmother’s comparisons between him and his parents.
The streetlamp on the corner of Spinner’s End flickered a little as he passed. The stunner was almost on him before he could dive to the pavement.
“What in the hell -“ he muttered.
“GENTS, WE’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE!” shouted a voice.
“MAYBE IT’S THE MALFOY BOY!”
“MALFOY’S DEAD, YOU IDIOT!”
Harry scrambled farther into the fog. He tried to disapparate and come up around the backside of the house, but he was already under Severus’s Anti-Apparition wards. He daringly shot off his patronus and ran down the road, dodging spells and hexes flying through the air.
~+~
Severus ducked as a curse shattered the window pane, showering him with broken glass. He crawled over to the open trunk sitting on the floor and pointed his wand at another bookshelf, banishing all the books into the trunk, shrinking them as they flew through the air. He shut the lid and shrank the trunk, cramming it next to the other two in his pocket.
“Boy, you sure know how to show a guy a good time,” hissed Neville from the corner of the room, getting up from the floor after dodging the same curse that Severus had. He quickly grabbed another armful of bottles and set them into a large box. He peered out the window as he rose up from the floor. A white stag bounded into the room.
“Shit. Harry,” muttered Severus, reaching out his wand to take the message. He flicked it open quickly.
What in the HELL is going on?
Severus chuckled, feeling glass shards bite into his elbows as he burned the parchment. He aimed his wand away from the window and shot off his patronus.
“Careful with that, Longbottom,” warned Severus, pointing a finger at the large bottle in the boy’s hands. “That cost me over a hundred and fifty -“
A hex flew in through the window, shattering the bottle and spraying Neville with alcohol as he cowered back down on the floor.
“Oh, that is it,” murmured Severus, slinking across the floor to the window. He aimed his wand and fired at anything that moved.
~+~
Harry ran down the alley and put his wand between his teeth, jumping up for the last rung of a fire escape ladder. He caught it and pulled himself up. The rusted metal groaned loudly as he climbed up the side of the building. A rung gave way beneath him.
“Shit!” he growled, grabbing onto anything to keep himself from falling. Holding onto the sides of the ladder, he glanced down and saw he was already two stories off the ground. He climbed the rest of the way to the next landing, panting hard as he scanned the alleyway below him. A white fox jumped out of the wall behind him and ran around him excitedly.
“Why do you have the most obnoxious patronus, old man?” muttered Harry, taking the message.
Go back to Headquarters now!
“You’ve got to be joking!” he hissed angrily. He shot off his patronus again and resumed climbing towards the roof.
~+~
“CATE!” shouted Severus from the floor. He tugged on his leg, trying to free it from the huge bookcase that had fallen on him. He covered his head as an Explosion hex hit the side of the house. A scream floated down from upstairs, followed by the sounds of something big collapsing. Neville swiped at his bleeding cheek and moved towards the staircase.
“I’ll get her,” he said.
“Longbottom, I’m going to lower the Apparition wards,” said Severus quickly. “You get her out of here. I don’t care where you go, just go, do you understand me?”
“Yes sir,” said Neville. Taking a deep breath, he darted over to the staircase door hanging loosely on its hinges and picked his way upstairs.
Severus gasped in pain, grabbing at his leg. He fluttered his fingers over the small bulge protruding from his shin and swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. He flopped back down on the floor, feeling a bit woozy. Aiming his wand at the bookcase, he carefully levitated it off him, letting it crash back down on the floor once it was clear of him. He turned his head sharply at seeing a bright light out of the corner of his eye. Sighing, he stuck his wand out for the patronus.
I’m coming. Just give me a minute.
“Damn it, child,” said Severus. He took several deep breaths and pointed his wand at the ceiling, murmuring a long incantation to remove the wards. Layer after subtle layer of spellwork disappeared until there was nothing left. He heard a loud crack from upstairs and fired off his patronus to Harry. A few seconds later, Harry appeared in the front hallway.
“Holy shit,” he said, bracing himself against the entryway to the sitting room as he stared at the mess.
“Stop gawking and help me up,” ordered Severus. Harry quickly bent down pulled Severus’s arm around his shoulders as the plaster from the ceiling snowed down on their heads.
“Apparate us out,” said Severus, gritting his teeth against the pain engulfing his entire leg.
“All my stuff is upstairs, Severus,” panted Harry. “If I leave it here -“ he shot a stunner out through the window.
“Then apparate us upstairs, you idiot boy,” snarled Severus. Harry concentrated on his room and opened his eyes, seeing his packed trunk sitting at the end of his bed. He gently sat Severus on the floor and tapped his trunk, shrinking it. He grabbed it off the floor, sticking it in his pocket as he stepped lightly over the pieces of wood that was formerly his door.
“Where are you going?” said Severus angrily. Harry ignored him and ran to the office. His eyes scanned over the collapsed bookshelves, looking for anything that might give him or Severus away. He didn’t see anything. He jumped at the sound of glass shattering against the wall outside.
“We have to go!” shouted Severus. He conjured another ball of glass and hurled it at the wall to get Harry’s attention.
“Keep your shirt on!” retorted Harry. He ran next door to Severus’s bedroom, surveying the half-packed trunks of cloaks, robes and trousers. He pointed his wand at the closet.
“Pack!” cried Harry. The rest of Severus’s clothes flew pell-mell into the trunk. Harry slammed the lid down and locked it, shrunk the trunk, and crammed it into his pocket. He jumped on and over Severus’s bed and yanked open the drawer of the bedside table. The vials clinked together as he roughly dug through them for anything they might need.
“Leave the potions! Come on!” shouted Severus from the other room. Harry growled and slammed the drawer shut, sprinting from the room. He forgot about the window being open until the wall exploded as he passed.
He flew across the room and hit the opposite wall. His head slammed into the molding for the closet door, dazing him. He gave his head a shake and glanced down at his shoulder, his eyes widening at the three inches of bloody wood sticking out of his arm.
“THE WARDS ARE DOWN!” shouted a voice outside. “EVERYBODY INSIDE NOW!”
“Get over here now!” hissed Severus, slamming his palm down on the floor. “Bring me one of those bricks.” Harry grabbed the nearest one and scrambled on his hands and knees across the hallway. Severus took the brick from his hand and tapped it with his wand.
“Portus,” he said sharply. He held it towards Harry, who rested his fingers on it.
“Three,” murmured Severus. “Two - one -“
With a flash of light, they disappeared.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Robards squatted on the floor, shuffling through the debris with his wand.
“Got a lot of illicit potion ingredients in here,” yelled a voice from the kitchen.
“Pack them up, Tonks,” said Robards loudly. “We’ll take them with us.” He sighed in frustration and stood up, glancing at Kingsley’s turned back. “Find anything, Shacklebolt?”
“No,” said Kingsley, deftly folding a small scrap of parchment in his hand and sliding it up his sleeve. “There’s no way one person could pack an entire house full of books in a few minutes. He either had help or someone told him we were coming. Or both.”
“That’s what I was just thinking,” muttered Robards thoughtfully. “No one knew about the raid beforehand but me, Dawlish and Moody. We were the only ones who were in the interrogation room with Pettigrew.” Kingsley raised his eyebrows.
“Well, no help there,” said Kingsley dejectedly, making a mental note to thank the crazy old Auror later. “I’ll see if they found anything upstairs.” He kicked a bit of wall out of his way and jumped up the stairs, his heart thudding hard with apprehension in his chest. He walked into the office, coolly surveying the three young men digging through piles of brick and wood.
“Find anything of note?” said Kingsley commandingly, moving over to the desk.
“Just that,” said one of the Junior Aurors, pointing at the slim folder in front of Kingsley. “A bit strange the bastard’s got a copy of Harry Potter’s bank portfolio just lying around.”
“Kid’s got a fortune, though,” said another Junior Auror. “Hell, I’d risk the wrath of the goblins for a bit of that.” They laughed.
“Has anybody else seen this?” asked Kingsley sharply, eyeing the men carefully. They all looked up at him.
“No sir,” said the first Auror. “Just the three of us.” Kingsley nodded, sliding his wand into his hand.
“Good,” he said, smiling at their upturned faces. Faster than lightning, he raised his wand.
“Obliviate!”
~+~
Harry readjusted Severus’s arm around his injured shoulder and half-lifted the man up the front steps of Grimmauld Place. Severus raised his fist and pounded fiercely on the door. The chains scraped quickly across the opposite side of the door.
“No need to break -“ Arthur stopped short. “Great Merlin, what happened?”
“Give you one guess,” said Harry, out of breath. “Can we come in?” Arthur moved aside quickly, grabbing Severus’s other arm. A door slammed open on the second floor. Severus looked up and saw the blood drain from Ginny’s face as a shriek filled the hall.
“BLOOD TRAITORS!” screamed Mrs. Black’s portrait. “BLOOD TRAITORS BEFOULING THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS!”
“I’M BURNING THAT FUCKING PORTRAIT!” shouted Harry over the portrait’s words as he and Arthur carried Severus into the drawing room. They laid him gently on the sofa. Harry sat heavily on the floor, resting his back against the cushions.
“I’LL BE BACK,” shouted Arthur, racing out into the hallway. Ginny ran into the room and handed a note to Severus as the house suddenly fell silent.
“Dad got this a while ago,” she said. “They’re waiting for further instructions.” Severus snapped his fingers above his head, turning on the lamp next to the sofa as he unfolded the note.
“Cate and Longbottom are with the twins,” he said, thoroughly relieved.
“OW!” cried Harry, slapping Ginny’s hands away. “Gin, it’s stuck in my arm! Don’t pull on it!”
“Sorry!” she snapped. “I’m just trying to help!”
“Well, that hurts,” muttered Harry sullenly. Molly bustled into the room, her arms loaded down with potions and a few books.
“Oh great,” muttered Severus under his breath, pushing himself up to a sitting position.
“Oh no, you don’t,” said Molly imperiously, pointing her wand at his face. “You lay back down right this instant!”
“Molly, I don’t need a nurse,” said Severus curtly. “I just need that big book in your hands, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, I do mind,” she said. “Now lay down.” Ginny and Arthur gave him a smug grin behind her back as Molly cut the leg of his trousers open.
“You two are going to get it later,” growled Severus through his teeth.
“It’s not too bad,” said Molly. “I can fix it. We won’t have to call Minerva.”
“Thank Merlin,” murmured Arthur, rubbing his tired eyes underneath his glasses as Molly opened up one of the books and turned to a chapter midway through. Harry’s head lifted when the front door opened, followed by a staggered thumping of wood on wood. Moody appeared next to Arthur in the doorway and nodded curtly at Severus.
“Everything alright here, folks?” he asked gruffly. Harry glanced at Severus, whose face had paled. Severus returned the nod.
“Thank you for the warning, Moody,” said Severus. “We’d have been done if they had caught us.”
“How many times do I have to tell you people?” he barked, causing Harry and Ginny to jump. “Constant vigilance!” Severus rolled his eyes as Molly finished healing his leg.
“Good as new,” she declared. “You’ll need to stay off it for -“ she huffed as Severus swung his legs to the floor and stood up, gently testing the bone.
“Thank you, Molly,” he said, limping slightly as he made his way to the desk in the corner of the room. “Ginny, is Harry’s owl here with you?”
“Yeah, she’s - oof!” Ginny nearly fell forward as Hedwig landed hard on her shoulder. She glared at Harry, who clucked his tongue at his owl, holding out his uninjured arm for her to land on. Hedwig flapped her wings and landed ever so lightly on his arm.
“Damn bird,” muttered Ginny, rubbing her shoulder. Harry set Hedwig on his knee and petted her feathers as Molly attended to his arm.
“Hey girl,” said Harry. He touched his nose to Hedwig’s beak. Hedwig hooted at him.
“Disgusting,” muttered Moody loudly. “Alright, Weasleys, I’m off. Just wanted to make sure Potter was alright.” He glanced at Severus, who was smirking down at the note he was writing. “Snape, don’t you inconvenience these good people now, you hear me, kid?”
“Yes, Moody,” said Severus ruefully, folding up the parchment in his hand. “Give my regards to Minerva.” Moody clunked down the hallway, muttering. Severus chuckled to himself and started another note.
“He is so weird,” said Ginny as the front door shut.
“Ginny!” said Molly indignantly.
“Well, he is,” said Ginny, flopping down in her favorite chair while Molly finished up with Harry’s arm.
“Molly, I’m going to go check on the twins,” said Arthur, his tone very serious. Molly looked up at him and noticed the look in his eyes.
“Be careful, dear,” she said softly. Severus straightened, glancing between them.
“Arthur, do you want me to -“ he pointed towards the door.
“No, no,” said Arthur, smiling a little. “I’m sure they’re fine. Just a father’s worry, is all.” He walked over and bent down, kissing Molly on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” He patted Ginny’s leg on his way past and left the room. Severus frowned as he turned back to his parchment.
“How was dinner with Percy, Molly?” asked Severus, wanting to break the tension in the room. Molly beamed as she spread bruise paste all down Harry’s arm.
“It was wonderful,” she said breathlessly.