eccedentesiast || severitus

chapter eighteen | astronomy tower

tw: dark discussion/mention of child abuse and suicide.

~

Severus uncharacteristically ran through the halls of Hogwarts, trying his hardest to push back the overwhelming concern for the boy.

When Severus had been interrupted—saved—from the discussion with his students, he had quickly been ushered through the fire and into Poppy's office where she was in a right state of panic. She was pacing and every few seconds she would stop and try to say something, but her words failed her and she would resume her pacing.

After about five minutes of practiced patience on his part, Severus finally realized that Harry could be in danger right this second and he stopped her. "Poppy! Sit down, woman, and tell me what is going on. What's happened?"

The woman jumped from Severus' sudden words and she seemed as if she had forgotten she was there. She took his advice and sat down gingerly in the chair behind her desk. She placed her head in her hands and sighed. Severus thought he heard tears.

If one more person cried in his presence...

"Oh Severus, I failed! I went to my office after checking over Harry once more, so I could begin to review your notes. I thought he was okay on his own, but after about an hour I realized it was way too quiet in the wing. I went to check on the boy, but he wasn't there! I don't know how he got past me, so silently. Oh I'm horrible!"

"You are not horrible, Poppy. He's lived his life having to be stealthy. He knows how to get out of a situation should he want to. This is not your fault," Severus said, placing his hand on her shoulder, before pulling it away just as quickly. "I need to go find him, is there anything else I must know? Did anything else happen?"

She was quiet for way too long, before she spoke so lowly Severus almost missed it.

"Yes. He took the knife that he had for lunch."

After hearing those words, Severus had been out of the office faster than a blink of an eye. The child had just gone through something extremely difficult for even a grown adult to go through, and he was alone. With a knife.

Despite it being a Monday night, the halls were eerily empty and quiet, as if the students somehow knew of the dire situation. Severus was dreading finding the boy, because he was terrified of what he would be left with once he does. But at the same time, the need to find the child who has grown on him in less than two days was coursing through his veins.

The castle seemed to have noticed his desperation as well, as every staircase moved quicker than he ever remembered. He called out Harry's name, over and over again, hoping that one time the boy would just answer him.

He had looked around all of Hogwarts, every hallway, every corner, behind every tapestry, and had even asked the portraits on the wall if they had seen the boy, but not one had. Severus had just passed by the portrait of the Fat Lady, thinking that maybe the boy had gone back to his dormitory, even though he knew that wasn't likely. She had told him that, no she had not seen Potter and that Severus had better never show his face near a Gryffindor common room again.

He leaned against the wall in defeat, running his hands through his greasy hair in frustration. Why had he been stupid enough to tell the boy that and then leave him to process it by himself? To process that his mother had been best friends with the one person who has tormented him in his safe place here at Hogwarts.

Severus knew he needed to get to the boy before someone like Albus does, but he was truly stumped. He realized he didn't know enough about the boy, and that he had no clue where a child like him would go.