Forsaken
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
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Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,177
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.
Breakdown
Chapter 43- Breakdown
Severus dumped another box of
letters onto the desk and tossed the box onto the floor beside him. He shuffled through the many envelopes and found a couple decorated with slanted and
loopy handwriting. Those two were added to the other four that already lay on the bed. His head shot up at the sound of the front door opening and closing.
He hurried out of his room and leaned over the railing, watching Kingsley and Moody move down the hallway carrying several bags.
“Psst,” hissed Severus, not wanting to wake the evil portrait. Kingsley looked up sharply and gave him a grin as he crept up the stairs to the third floor.
“I’ve never been up here before,” said Kingsley quietly as he shuffled down the hall with his bags. He dropped them by the railing and rubbed his bearded
face. “Eugh. I need a shower.”
“Yes, you do,” said Severus, smirking. “Bathroom’s second door on the left. We need to talk when you’re done.” He glanced at Kingsley briefly before going
back into his room. He picked up the empty box and scooped the letters on the desk back into it. Kingsley stepped inside the doorway, his hand resting on
the door frame.
“What are you doing?” he asked, frowning as Severus picked up the letters off his bed.
“You burned the parchment we made for Percy, did you not?” said Severus, turning back towards him.
“Yes,” said Kingsley slowly.
“Then we have no way to get the kids into Headquarters, do we?” said Severus, his nerves rattled. He rubbed his face roughly. “If there is even the
slightest chance that I or Harry were recognized, they could be in danger of being picked up by those idiots at the Ministry. I’ve sent Harry to bring them all
here.” He sat down at the desk and pulled the letters from their envelopes. He grabbed a piece of clean parchment and lifted one of Albus’s letters to
read.
“Severus?” asked Kingsley worriedly. Severus turned towards him scowling, his eyes glittering from their black rimmed sockets. “You look like shit. Get
some sleep. Someone else can take care of the -“
“I am fine,” interrupted Severus silkily. “Take your Ravenclaw pragmatism and get out. I have things to do.” Kingsley threw up his hands and left the
room, roughly grabbing his bags off the floor as he passed.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Harry picked up another small rock and threw it up at a second story window of the large house in front of him. He waited a few seconds, his ears alert for
any sounds behind him. Finally, a small light appeared at the window. Harry flicked his wand into his hand and lit it, shining it up at his chin to illuminate his
face. The window quickly opened.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” hissed Blaise, sticking his head out the window. “It’s one o’clock in the morning.”
“We need to go,” said Harry. “You got a broom you can toss me?” Blaise disappeared for a second, reappearing with a new-looking Cleansweep. He
carefully maneuvered it out of the window and dropped it. Harry caught it and was up and through the window before Blaise had time to wake Neville
up.
“Wha?” mumbled Neville, jumping awake as Blaise shook his shoulder.
“Get up and pack,” said Harry quietly, glancing at the door. “The shit has hit the fan.”
“What happened?” asked Blaise. He waved his hand to light the room and knelt beside his overflowing trunk.
“We set the alarms off trying to get Mr. Weasley and Kingsley out of the holding cells,” said Harry, sitting heavily on the edge of Neville’s bed. He ruffled his
hair. “I guess one of the other prisoners was making a racket, so Severus stunned him.”
“Anyone working in the Ministry could have told him there are wards against spellfire down there,” said Blaise. He glanced at Harry’s sullen face. “Sorry,
Harry. I didn’t mean any offense.”
“It’s alright,” murmured Harry, his eyes glazed over. Neville met Blaise’s eyes as he quickly pulled a shirt over his head. Blaise lifted his cauldron filled with
ingredient jars out of his trunk, but it slipped from his hand. It landed hard on the floor, spilling jars out onto the floor.
“Shh!” hissed Neville. “You’re going to wake her up!”
“Bloody bat’s got eyes in the back of her head,” muttered Blaise.
“And the ears of a fox,” said a voice from the doorway. Augusta Longbottom smirked at Blaise’s bashful face as she stepped into the room, turning her gaze
quickly to where Neville was grabbing clothes form his closet. “Neville, don’t take those robes. They’re much too small for you. Good evening, Mr. Potter.”
Harry stood up sharply, lowering the hood of his cloak.
“Good evening, Mrs. Longbottom,” he said politely. “I’m sorry to have to come so late, but -“ she waved a hand at him.
“I understand, Potter,” she said softly. “I know the dangers of being involved with warriors.” Harry nodded at her as the silence fell over the room again.
Blaise shut his trunk and locked it securely. He shrank it and looked around for anything he might have missed while Neville gathered up Trevor.
“Please don’t tell me you’re bringing the frog,” whined Blaise.
“Toad,” corrected Neville, sticking Trevor in his pocket. “And yes, he’s coming.” He shut his own trunk and shrank it as well, putting it in his other pocket.
Blaise rolled his eyes and swung a heavy long coat over his shoulders. All four of them froze at the sound of loud knocking on the front door
downstairs.
“MINISTRY OF MAGIC! OPEN UP!” shouted an angry voice through the door.
“That was fast,” muttered Harry. Blaise ripped the blankets off the camp bed he had been using and vanished the bed. Neville waved his wand over his
own bed, whispering a charm to make it up. Harry helped Blaise fold blankets hurriedly.
“Just a moment,” shouted Augusta down the stairs. She sighed. “Don’t have any decency, some people.” Harry tossed Neville his jacket, who caught it and
thrust his arms into the sleeves. He ran over and quickly kissed Augusta on the cheek.
“I’ll be at Minerva’s,” said Augusta. “Write me there once you’re settled.”
“Yes ma’am,” said Neville quietly. Augusta took his face in her hands, piercing him with her hawkish gaze.
“You come back to me in one piece, do you understand?” she said intensely.
“Yes ma’am,” whispered Neville. She nodded curtly and pushed him towards Harry and Blaise. “You boys apparate out of here. I’ll go distract those
hooligans from the Ministry.” The pounding resumed on the front door. Neville grabbed both Blaise and Harry’s wrists and side-apparated them to Exeter to
get the girls. Augusta turned off the lights and hurried downstairs.
A gum wrapper fluttered to the bedroom floor as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
~+~
Mark Anthony exchanged a worried look with Felicity.
“We didn’t think there would be any warding against certain kinds of spells,” explained Harry tiredly. “We were mainly thinking about Apparition and Portkey
wards. Hopefully none of the other Death Eaters recognized Severus. We won’t know for sure until either someone in the Order reports back to us or the
Prophet is printed.” Felicity took a slow sip of her tea.
“Well,” said Mark Anthony as he stood up from his chair. “If there’s anything we can do to help you all out, just let us know. Severus knows how to get a hold
of us so that the letters aren’t intercepted.” He rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder briefly before walking down the darkened hallway towards Pansy’s room.
The boys sat on the sofa in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
“Neville, how is your grandmother?” asked Felicity, setting her cup and saucer on the table in front of her chair. Neville started slightly, shifting nervously
under Felicity’s kind eyes.
“She was doing well when we left,” he answered meekly. “She’s going to be staying with Professor McGonagall for - for a while.” Felicity nodded.
“Good for her,” she said. “I would hate to think of the trouble those two ladies would give a pack of Death Eaters.” Neville smiled.
“The girls are almost done,” said Mark Anthony, sticking his head back into the room. “Neville, could I speak to you for a moment?”
Neville’s face instantly paled. Blaise smirked behind his hand, catching Harry’s raised eyebrows. Shakily, Neville got up and shuffled towards the hallway,
following Mark Anthony into the small study. He quickly rubbed his sweaty hands on the front of his shirt as Mark Anthony shut the door softly.
“I understand that you have been dating my daughter,” said Mark Anthony sternly, turning to face Neville and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Y-y-yes sir,” stammered Neville. “If-if that’s alright with you, of course, sir.” He glanced up at Mark Anthony’s raised eyebrow and panicked.
“I mean - I know I probably should have asked your permission first,” said Neville quickly. “But it was right after we were attacked, and we were busy doing
things - I mean, t-t-things with Harry, for Professor Snape. And then things just got really crazy, and now it’s just blown up in our faces and I’m sure you’re
worried about her going, but Professor Snape and Harry think it’s for the best and -“ Mark Anthony held up a hand, barely containing his laughter.
“Breathe before you faint,” teased Mark Anthony. Neville took a deep breath, surprising himself by how winded he was. Mark Anthony waved his hand at a
pair of chairs near the fireplace. He sat down heavily and rubbed his forehead while Neville took the adjacent seat.
“For the record,” he said gently, lowering his hand to hang over the arm of the chair. “I have no qualms with you dating Pansy. You’re much better than -
than some of the other boys she’s invited to dinner.” He gave Neville a halfhearted grin.
“And I have no doubts that you will take care of her,” he said a bit more firmly. Neville sat up straight.
“Yes sir,” assured Neville. “I will do everything I can to -“ Mark Anthony waved his hand.
“Yes, yes,” said Mark Anthony, bemused. “You’re a Gryffindor, after all -- courage, chivalry, and other such stuff.” Neville bowed his head as the man
continued. “And if I know anything about Severus, it’s that he’s big on tight-knit community, despite being rather - antisocial, himself.” Neville snorted, glancing
up at the man’s grin. Mark Anthony sobered a little.
“I brought you in here to get you away from the crowd a bit,” he said quietly, flicking his eyes towards the voices in the hallway. “I like to know how the boys
Pansy’s interested in react to being in my presence without her jabbering away next to them. Something to remember if you are lucky enough to have
daughters of your own some day.” He winked at Neville, who relaxed further.
“But I’ve decided I like you, Neville,” said Mark Anthony, standing up from his seat. “You’ve a good head on your shoulders.”
“So -“ said Neville slowly, scooting forward out of the chair. “Does this mean I can keep dating Pansy?” Mark Anthony raised an eyebrow at him.
“For the time being,” he said cryptically, smirking at how the blood drained once again from Neville’s face. He motioned for Neville to follow him back to the
sitting room, where Pansy stood in near her mother with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping impatiently.
“Daddy,” said Pansy threateningly.
“He’s still alive,” said Mark Anthony. “Unharmed, I might add.” Pansy scowled at him.
“Oh stop it, Mark,” said Felicity, standing up from her chair. Pansy turned and hugged the woman tightly.
“Please be careful,” whispered Felicity. “I don’t want you coming back to us looking like that wretched Moody.” Pansy laughed, trying vainly to keep the
tears from streaming down her face.
“I love you,” whispered Pansy. She squeezed Felicity once and pulled away. She turned and ran into Mark Anthony’s open arms as Felicity gave Caitlyn a
hug as well.
“When did my baby grow up on me?” whispered Mark Anthony.
“Daddy!” cried Pansy, pulling away and slapping him lightly on the arm.
“Good to see I’m not the only one she hits,” muttered Neville loudly, breaking a little of the tension in the room. Mark Anthony kissed Pansy’s forehead and
hugged her one last time.
“Love you, sweetheart,” he said softly. “We’ll see you soon.” He reluctantly released her and nodded at Harry, who pulled a small disk from his robe
pocket.
“I’ve got our portkey here,” said Harry. He flicked his wand into his hand and fired off his patronus to Severus, letting him know they were on their way.
Touching his wand to the disk, he spoke the password to activate the charm. He held it out in the palm of his hand.
“Five -“ the other four stood in a circle and put a finger on the disk. “Four - three - two - one.”
Mark Anthony wrapped his arms around Felicity, who buried her face into his chest as the kids disappeared in a bright flash of light.
~~+~~+~~+~~
They reappeared at the end of the sidewalk in front of Grimmauld Place, exactly in the middle of a circle of Phoenixers.
“Five galleons, Elphias,” said Severus smugly.
“Damn it,” muttered Doge, keeping his eyes and wand pointed towards the end of the street. Severus handed Blaise a small scrap of parchment.
“Memorize it and pass it on quickly,” he said. “We need everyone inside as soon as possible.” One by one, the kids memorized the Secret, watching
entranced as Number 12 appeared from between Numbers 11 and 13.
“Welcome to my house,” said Harry as Caitlyn’s eyes went wide at the sight behind him. “Well - one of my houses.” He led the way up to the front
door.
“He’s joking, right?” whispered Neville at Blaise. Blaise shrugged his shoulders and jogged a little to catch up.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Severus sat in the stillness of the darkened library, a glass of scotch held loosely in his hand dangling over the arm of his chair. He could hear the shushing
outside in the hallway as the kids went up and down the stairs getting situated in their new rooms. Flipping slowly in the fingers of his other hand was
Cassandra Yaxley’s invitation to Taylor Greengrass’s annual New Year’s Gala being held on January 2nd.
Two weeks. Two weeks were all they had to plan the biggest Death Eater raid in Order history. Severus couldn’t shake the feeling that any raid they
planned would fail, and fail miserably. He couldn’t put his finger on why exactly, nor could he chalk it up to his being merely pessimistic. It was just a
feeling.
And the last time he had this feeling, the Order’s plan - though well thought-out and thoroughly debated - ended in the deaths of two of its youngest and most
beloved members.
As soon as his boots hit the ground of the Forbidden Forest, he ran. He ran as fast and as hard as his legs would allow, his heart thudding in his chest.
He didn’t know who it was, or how they were getting such detailed information on them, but they were. And now, the Dark Lord had decided to make his
move.
He ripped his white mask off and crammed it into his pocket as he reached his secret entrance that led into his office. He gasped out the password and
slipped inside the castle. He carelessly ripped his cloak off and threw it over the back of his chair as he ran through the room and up the stairs to the
Entrance Hall. Minerva jumped as he appeared in front of her as she was making her rounds.
“Severus?” she asked, seeing his flushed face. He sprinted past her and jumped up the stairs, his mind totally focused on getting to the seventh floor.
“Sugar quills,” spat Severus as he reached the gargoyle guarding the Head office. Immediately, he jumped up on the very top step and rode impatiently to
the top. He didn’t bother knocking, bursting right into Albus’s office. He stood in the doorway, panting, his eyes instantly going to the tall man standing before
the fireplace.
Albus slowly turned towards him, his hand still resting on the mantle. He motioned for Severus to come inside, his face aging twenty years before Severus’s
eyes. Severus silently stepped inside and shut the door behind him, the adrenaline racing through his body causing him to tremble. Albus sat down heavily
behind his desk and removed his glasses, allowing them to hang from the end of the gold chain around his neck. He rubbed his tired eyes with long
fingers.
“What does Tom have in store for us now, my child?” he asked softly. Severus raised a hand to his face, worrying his bottom lip as he began feverishly
pacing the floor.
“He’s getting information on the Potters,” said Severus bluntly. “Detailed information. He knows that Potter quit his job at the Ministry. He knows they are at
Godric’s Hollow and he knows -“ he took a deep breath to steady himself “-he knows that Harry was born at the end of July.” Albus’s head rose sharply, his
blue eyes blazing. He replaced his glasses and stood up from his chair.
“Albus, we have to tell them,” said Severus quietly, watching Albus walk slowly around his desk. “They’ve got to use the Fidelius or he will slaughter them
all.” He bit his tongue, knowing Albus’s keen mind was already spinning. As soon as the old man looked up at him, he knew. He grabbed Albus’s traveling
cloak off the rack by the door and handed it to him as he followed Albus out of the office. Albus drew his wand and shot off his phoenix patronus as they
descended the spiral staircase.
Seven minutes later, two barely audible pops were heard outside a white fence. Severus jumped over the gate and ran up the sidewalk. He pounded his
fist on the door, wincing as he heard the loud crying of a baby. Sirius yanked open the door, glaring murderously at him. Severus couldn’t help the sneer
that came to his face.
“Are you going to let us in, or are you two going to continue your staring contest out here?” asked Albus sharply. Sirius quickly stepped aside, letting the two
of them in. James ran out from the hallway, pulling a t-shirt over his bare chest.
“Sorry to wake you all so late,” said Albus. “But this simply could not wait until the morning.” Lily appeared behind him with Harry in her arms.
“Sev!” cried Harry, wiggling out of Lily’s arms. Sirius rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, watching as Harry ran over to Severus.
“Hey there, mop-head,” said Severus softly, lifting the child into his arms. Instantly, Harry began digging at Severus’s pockets. Severus chuckled and pulled
a sugar quill out of his pocket. He gave it to Harry, pressing his cheek to the side of the baby’s face.
“Severus, it’s one in the morning,” complained Lily as Harry sucked madly on the end of the candy quill. She sighed and pulled her mussed hair into a loose
bun on top of her head as James turned on several lamps in the living room.
“Have a seat, everyone,” he said, flopping down on the sofa. He rubbed his face wearily as the others took seats around the fireplace. Severus stood
behind the sofa, his apprehension growing as Albus began explaining everything - from the prophecy he received from Trelawney, to Severus’s turning to
what Severus had reported earlier that night. A tense silence fell over them.
“Why did you keep this from us for so long?” asked Lily quietly. “We would have been more cautious with everything we’ve done!”
“Divination and Seeing are very imprecise magical methods,” said Albus. “You know this just as I do. I did not want to worry the two of you about something
that may not have come to anything.”
“What about Frank and Alice?” asked James. “Neville was born the day before Harry was. They’ve been fighting in this longer than we have. This could all
be a rouse to get to them!”
“Except for the fact that he is currently making plans to kill the three of you,” said Severus very quietly. He set Harry down on the couch next to James. “He
is getting the information from somewhere, Potter. Someone very close to the three of you - close enough to be giving the Dark Lord almost daily reports of
even the most mundane activities. Grocery shopping, for example.” His eyes flicked to Lily’s wide ones.
“I warned the Council a few months back that we had a leak,” said Severus. “Since then, Order information has poured into the general circle, information
that I didn’t even know. You have to get a Secret-Keeper and put yourselves where he cannot touch you.”
“Are you volunteering, Snivellus?” spat Sirius.
“Absolutely not,” said Severus forcefully. “I am in no position to serve as Secret-Keeper for anything Order-related.”
“I would be more than happy to serve as your Secret-Keeper,” said Albus. “It is the safest option, but ultimately the choice is yours.” He waited, his eyes
glancing between all four of the young people in front of him. Harry crawled over into James’s lap, who pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Thank you,” said James soberly. “We need to think about some things before we make a decision.” James looked intensely over at Sirius. Sirius glanced
up at Severus, who gave him a curt nod. Sirius returned the nod, both men understanding what was at stake.
“Then I wish you all a restful night,” said Albus, standing from the chair he was in. “Come, Severus.”
Severus shivered and drank the last of his scotch, unable to stop the memories from flooding his mind.
He sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. He scrambled out of his tangled sheets and yanked open the bed curtains. In one motion, he flicked his
wand into his hand and lit his bedroom, his eyes wide as he stared down at his bare forearm.
His bare left forearm.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he whispered. He jumped out of bed and threw on a set of clothes, not bothering to button his shirt all the way before he ran out of the
room. Less than five minutes later, he apparated to Godric’s Hollow.
The house was completely demolished. His body chilled far colder than the air around him. He froze at seeing Hagrid gently cradling a small bundle,
standing next to a huge motorbike.
Black, thought Severus murderously. I’m going to fucking kill him. He aimed his wand and shot off a patronus. Not a minute later, Remus Lupin
appeared right beside him.
“Oh my God,” said Remus hollowly, staring in shock at the rubble. Severus grabbed the man around the throat and threw him to the ground, stabbing his
wand into his neck.
“Did you know about this, Lupin?” shouted Severus harshly. Remus growled fiercely and punched him across the face.
“You son of a -“ hissed Severus as he began wailing on Remus, who returned as many punches as he took. The wailing cry of a baby made both men
freeze.
“Good to see the two of you are thinking past yourselves at the moment,” said a cold voice above them. They immediately jumped up off the ground,
avoiding Albus’s fierce blue eyes. Albus turned to Hagrid, who was trying his best to calm Harry down. “Hagrid, take Harry to Hogwarts. Await further
instructions and do not let anyone see you.” Hagrid nodded as Albus quickly conjured a large sling. He handed it to Hagrid, who draped it over his head.
Hagrid gently laid Harry inside and swung his leg over the side of the bike. With a roar of the engine, he took off. Albus spun around to the two men before
him, eying the bruises and blood already showing on their faces.
“Help me find them,” said Albus, his voice shaking. “Gather anything you can salvage. For Harry, when he’s old enough -“ he sniffed loudly - “when he’s
old enough to understand.”
“You’re still awake?” asked a gravelly voice, breaking his train of thought. “What are you doing sitting in the dark?”
“Wallowing,” he answered morosely. “And you? Getting settled in to the House of Darkness?” Kingsley snorted and shut the door, lighting one of the
sconces above his head.
“House of Darkness, hm?” he repeated, walking over to the seat beside Severus. “I’ll have to remember that one.” He sat down heavily, his body sore from
days of sleeping on a stone floor. He looked over at Severus’s pale, drawn face and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Severus,” he whispered. “About Radha.” Severus turned towards him, his black eyes shining with restrained tears.
“She is not the first I’ve killed,” said Severus harshly. He shifted his gaze back to the large bay window in front of them. “Nor will she be the last, I’m
sure.”
“You can’t keep doing this,” said Kingsley. “Blaming yourself for all the bad things that happen. You aren’t all-powerful or omniscient. How can you possibly
think that -“
“There you are!” said an exasperated voice. Kingsley sighed to himself.
“Yes, Professor,” he said, keeping his eyes on Severus’s closed expression.
“You should be in bed, Kingsley,” said Minerva. “Severus, I’ll be back tomorrow to check on Arthur. If you could brew me the rest of those potions off the list
I gave you -“
“I will,” said Severus, cutting her off. “Be careful going home.” Minerva’s eyes went to Kingsley’s before she turned and left the room. Kingsley stood up and
put his hand on Severus’s shoulder. He gave it a comforting squeeze and shuffled wearily out the door.
Severus waited until he heard the door catch before he allowed the tears to fall. The glass slipped from his fingers as he slumped in the chair, his shoulders
shaking in quiet sobs.