Still Breathing

Chapter 2: realisation

Minerva ran into the centre of the maze, her heart pounding and her hair starting to become undone, she had had to alert Dumbledore of the fight in the maze and when she turned Severus had gone. When she arrived, she gasped in disbelief, a young boy no more than 7 had found his way to the centre of the maze and was now talking to Severus, or rather Severus was talking to him.

'Harry' Severus said 'you are in the middle of a maze, come with me and I'll take you make to some where safe.'

'What are you going to do to me? Please don't hurt me, the big men already have! I still hurt.' he broke into silent sobs.

'What did you say? The men hurt you? What did they say?' Severus asked fury engulfing his voice.

'They said something like crusheo...'

'do you mean crucio?' Severus said slowly and quietly, I knew he was fuming.

'Yes, that's it. Argh! Ow!' Harry gasped, clutching his stomach and crawled into a foetal position.

'Harry?!' Severus ran over to the boy, all previous ideas of distance out the window.

The boys body wracked in spasms of pain, he let out a loud gasp followed by a muffled scream.

'Make it stop! Make it STOP! Please! Please make it stop!' the boy shouted.

Severus turned round, his eyes burning in fury at those who did this to the boy.

'Minerva, we're running out of time! I need to get Harry to my lab!' he insisted picking the boy up in his strong arms.

'Yes, of course!' she said feeling ashamed she had not acted earlier. Minerva took off her bracelet, pointed her wand at it and said 'Portus!' The bracelet glowed blue and then stopped. Severus took the portkey and felt the familiar pulling at his navel. Next thing, he was in his lab.

Harry's POV:

I drifted in and out of consciousness. When I was awake, painful spasms ran through me, when I was asleep, I still felt it. The tall man was urgently making what looked like a soup in a black... Cauldron. We were in a room with stone walls with small windows allowing shafts of orange light into the room. I tried to move but my body refused to respond, I tried to wriggle but the resultant pain made me gasp out loud. The tall man's head shot up, a look of worry and sheer determination in his face. I shrank back. I didn't know where I was or who the man was! I didn't mind, I was still breathing. The man then moved to decant some of the soup into a glass vial. He moved towards me, vial in hand. I flinched, this could not be good.

'I've made this for you, drink it! It will help with the pain.' he spoke softly but with force behind his voice.

I nodded, unsure of whether I trusted him. I had learnt not to trust adults. Ever.

He handed me the bottle, I smelt it anxiously, it was bitter to smell.

'What is this?' I asked nervously.

'A... Drink to help with the pain.' came the reply.

'I've never had this before.'

'You have, believe me, you probably just can't remember it.' he stated, a tone of laughter behind his serious words.

'Alright. Well I guess...' I threw my head back and swallowed the bitter drink in one.

'Blech! That was horrible' I said, my tongue in need of desperate cleaning.

That gained a small smirk from the man.

'Let me introduce myself' began the man 'I am Severus Snape, I work at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. I teach potions, what you just drank was a strong pain reliever potion. Not a drink like I said. I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop for questions.'

'You're a wizard?!' I said, my eyes bulging.

'Yes... And so are you.'