Rescued

There were rumors going around the school that Professor Snape was sick, dead, pregnant, a vampire, had been bitten by a werewolf…a barrage of stories assaulted the two youths as they made their way to the headmaster’s office once more. They had been excused from classes for a few days so they didn’t know what was going on; neither of them knew Snape had been absent from his classes. The air in the office, when they reached it, was tense and everyone present was either shocked, crying, or so out of it that their arrival wasn’t noticed.

“Erm, Headmaster, what’s going on?” Harry said softly, he could tell something was wrong and he had a feeling that it involved Snape.

Dumbledore waved the door closed and motioned for them to sit, this wasn’t going to be easy and he could already see Draco shaking. After everyone had seated themselves, he began to speak in a sad, tired vice, “Professor Snape has taken his life. Last night after retiring to his rooms he took a poison that killed him quickly and efficiently,” many people gasped and Draco cried out, Harry was trying to calm him down as Albus continued, “There is no way to counteract the poison even when first caught and it has been many hours since he ingested it.” He paused and waited for everyone to settle then turned to Draco, “I’m sorry, my boy, there was no note and there is nothing I can do.”

Of course, Harry being as smart as he is, noticed the emphasis on the word I. “Headmaster, I think Draco and I would like to speak to you alone for a moment, please.”

They all waited for everyone to clear out before Harry, with a sobbing Draco in his arms spoke once more, “I believe you said there was nothing you could do. Does that mean someone else can?”

The sparkle returned somewhat to his eyes and he nodded, “There is one way to possibly save him, though it is far from foolproof, and I don’t think young Mr. Malfoy would be up to it.” He waited patiently as the Gryffindor processed the information.

“I would have to, then, wouldn’t I?” He said in a resigned tone. Snape wasn’t his favorite person, but he didn’t want him dead. And he knew Draco would miss him terribly. Not only that, Draco would hate him if there was a chance he could save Snape and he hadn’t. He nodded resignedly and sighed, “What do I have to do?”

To say the headmaster was surprised would be an understatement, Harry must really love Draco if he was willing to go back in time and save the one man the blonde considered the only family he had left. Then something dawned on him; perhaps Harry felt for the man but was in denial, but no one would know until he admitted it first to himself.

“It would involve a Time Turner and you can only go alone. I’m not entirely sure how I managed to get one, but I did,” he pointed to the small hour glass shaped charm on a golden chain. “You must go back to just before he leaves this office and follow him to his chambers then follow him in and talk him out of this. I don’t know what your feelings for him are, but you must decide how you feel about him before you try to help him. I know this is a lot to ask of you, seeing as you’ve saved Draco more than once, and recently at that, but you’re his only hope,” he leveled a glare at the raven haired young man before him. “I know you can do this. If anyone can, it’s you Harry.”

Draco began to sob and cling tighter to Harry’s robes, “I never told him…love him…can’t save him…wish I had told him…all I had left…”

At hearing his friend’s words, something inside him clicked. He looked up at Dumbledore and said steadily, “I’ll do it. Give me a few minutes with Draco.”

The old man nodded then got up and left to give them some privacy. Harry turned Draco’s face up to look at him and kissed him softly then whispered, “I’ll save him, Draco. Just wait. He’ll be fine, I promise.”

Draco sniffed and nodded then let go of him as the headmaster walked back into the room, “You know the rules, Harry. You can’t be seen by anyone but Severus. You will have 12 hours from now to make him safe. 13 turns will do it; Poppy said he died within an hour of making it back to his rooms. Make this last, my boy, make it worth it.”

Harry nodded and picked up the chain, leaning down to kiss Draco again. “I love you,” he whispered then backed up to turn it over, stopping and turning back to Dumbledore, “Keep him here and safe while I’m gone, please.”

“I will. Oh, and Harry,” Dumbledore said just as he was about to go back, “I believe you’ll be needing this.” He tossed the boy’s invisibility cloak to him and smiled. “Go save your love.’

He gave the old man a slightly confused look then shook his head and began to turn the hour glass. The last words he heard before he was deposited just outside the office door 13 hours earlier was a whispered “I love you too” from Draco.

The next thing he knew he could hear voices, his own as well as Draco’s, Snape’s, Dumbledore’s and McGonagall’s, inside the office. He realized he was on the spiral staircase outside the headmaster’s office still clutching his cloak in is hand. The conversation was coming to a close and he could just hear the speech Snape had given him winded down. Oh shit, he thought, I’m going to be caught! He put on the cloak and ran down the staircase just in time to hear Snape shut the door and walk down after him.

Snape looked pained as he walked past the invisible Potter, and Harry couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to smooth all the pains away for this man. He had no idea where these thoughts were coming from, but he definitely wanted Snape to no longer suffer. Merlin above, he had feelings for Snape!

Harry followed him to his private chambers and slipped in after him before the man could close the door. Handy thing, that cloak. He watched as Snape opened and bottle and began to drink from it instead of getting a glass. It was very out of character for the man he’d known for the past 6 and a half years, but he wasn’t about to care about Snape’s etiquette when there were more dire problems. He continued to watch as Snape got progressively drunk he decided to get the vial, which must be the poison, from a cabinet on the wall. He didn’t say anything, just sat there and looked at it for a few moments. Harry knew he had to make his move soon, or he would fail completely.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Severus,” he said softly as he threw his cloak off.

Snape blinked and looked at him as if he weren’t there; a figment of his imagination. Finally he spoke, his words slightly slurred but to the point none the less, “I don’t believe it’s any of your concern, Potter. And since when did I give you permission to use my given name when speaking to me?”

Harry rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the man, “Since I realized how I feel and how Draco feels about you, that’s when. I don’t need permission to call the man I love by his first name.” He blinked. Did he really just say he loves Snape? Oh Merlin, he was losing his mind.

Snape scoffed and took another drink from his bottle, “Foolish Gryffindor. Did Albus tell you to say that? Because I know he sent you. I don’t play these games, Mr. Potter, and I know perfectly well how both you and Draco feel about me. You hate me because I have never said a kind word to you since we met. Draco loves me as an uncle, and nothing more,” he snorted, “It’s my own fault you both don’t feel the same as I do, I didn’t do anything to change it.”

By the time he realized what he had said it was too late, Harry had heard it. Yes, he loved them both, in a very non-platonic way. But they were his students, one of whom hated him and the other one saw him as a family member. He just sighed and drank some more, the vial of poison forgotten for the moment.

“Severus, we love you as well. Draco would be devastated if you went through with this and…and so would I. We do love you, wee just haven’t been given he chance to tell you, or show you. Give us that chance, Severus, please.”

While he was talking he had walked over to where the other man was sitting and knelt in front of him. His hands were on the other’s knees and he had a pleading look on his face and tone in his voice. He meant every word of what he said and Severus couldn’t deny it. The boy was telling the truth.

“Fine,” he said sighing, “I won’t do it. This time, but the two of you owe me an explanation,” he paused when he saw the look on Harry’s face, “Yes; I suppose I owe you one as well.”

Harry smiled and hugged him, kissing him softly on the cheek, “Good, there’s only one problem…”

Severus raised an eyebrow, and although he was stirunkrunk, he could somewhat form coherent thoughts, “And that is?”

The young man chewed his bottom lip and looked up sheepishly, “I can’t leave for another 12 hours…”

Snape eyed him, “Oh?” He said slightly testily. Then everything hit him at once. He had succeeded and Harry had been sent back, most likely with a Time Turner, to save him. That’s how he had known what Severus was going to do, that’s how he had known his own feelings for the man, and that’s how he had known the way Draco would react. Everything now made much more sense.

The realization forced him to sit back and blink, “My word, who would have thought that my death would have caused so much pain?” He said to himself, forgetting for a moment that Harry was still present. Obviously the boy cared if he had risked so much to come back and try to stop him, he really was telling the truth.

Harry crawled into his lap and he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy as they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Severus didn’t show up for breakfast, and neither did Harry. Neither was in any of their classes and Albus was worried. He and Draco made their way down to the private chambers of the Potions Master. The tension in the air was palpable as the headmaster opened the door. Tears came to his eyes at the sight before him and he gasped. Draco pushed past him to see what was going on and gasped as well. There, in the same chair Albus had previously found the dead professor, was Severus with Harry in his lap and they were both sleeping.