In the Midst of the Night

In the Midst of the Night

Chapter 9 - Rendezvous at Morn's Rise

Meeting at ten Friday, said the simple 3X5 card that the owl dropped off. Evan shook his head with a bitter sort of grin as the magnificent shadow black owl darted off into the sky before slowly standing from his seat at the café. The neat yet masculine scrawl was all too familiar to him as he looked at it with a sense of irony welling within him. Leave it to that crowd to never forget a member. Evan shook his head and folded it to be placed in an inner robe pocket. He was a handsome man of about forty two with slight streaks of gray that only accentuated his experiences. His past had been one unimaginable to the modern community and he was a veteran of the Dark Wars (from the era of Lord Voldemort's rise) if there ever was one.

Lori stood up and looked at him in question. "What does it say?" she wondered. Evan glanced up and smiled the practiced smile reserved only for his wife of twenty one years. Their marriage had been arranged when he was twenty years of age and he had their wedding had taken place two months after his twenty first birthday.

"I've a meeting at ten o'clock Friday, dearest," said Evan. She looked at him with barely concealed repugnance and he remembered exactly why he hated her so. Damned woman was never supportive and took to the side that would most likely benefit and win in the end. She wasn't that well educated, but to his parents, that hadn't mattered. The important thing was that she was of good breeding. He turned away after setting a few silver coins upon the table. The man then turned and strolled away, not awaiting his wife's approach.

"Why, Evan? It's been six years! Why now?" she all but whined. He didn't look at her as he strolled briskly along. After a long moment, he handed her yesterday's paper. She took it and when she saw the picture of the tiny little boy peeking out at her from behind round lenses, she said, "So what? It wasn't even certain that the Potter boy had even died. Just because he's alive doesn't mean a thing. Visitors are not even allowed!"

"Of course, dear," he said in a dismissive tone. She sniffed in indignation and said nothing more.

It was rather funny that he loved her more in her silence than not.

~*~

By the time that Baruch stepped onto the terrace to announce dinner, the stars were already winking merrily down at Severus and Harry. The child's sniffs had faded away to silence and he looked rather tired.

Severus stood up and picked up Harry from the snuggled in position the boy retained upon his lap. After setting the small child down upon the floor, he stood up, feeling a tiny hand slip into his. He looked down, but Harry was scuffing a foot upon the floor despondently. For some unfathomable reason, something was nagging at him to change the boy's glum demeanor. The potions master then scowled at himself, reflecting on how much like a bloody Gryffindor he was becoming.

Just then, an owl swooped in through the doors leading to the terrace. Tied to its leg was a 3X5 note card that merely read, Meeting at ten Friday.

Severus felt himself pale and stiffen in surprise. A strange feeling was rising within him and he swallowed deeply. It couldn't be... After six years? He felt the curious gaze of the boy beside him and Baruch's polite stare, but he paid them no heed - not when such a vital note card was in his hands. It's not an important meeting... he thought, relieving some of the stress, but it was a meeting nonetheless. Meetings in the past had varied in importance. If one wasn't essential, then a simple note card requesting a meeting was sent to everyone. However, if it was crucial, their dark marks would burn with a fury, eating at the skin from the inside.

He swallowed once again and folded it up to hide within the folds of his robes. The potions master allowed himself a glance down at the child looking wide eyed at him from what seemed like stories below and he merely shook his head. "Come," he said, his voice unreadable, and Harry had no choice but to follow.

Upon their arrival at the dining room, Severus took a seat at his usual place at the head of the table and Harry tugged on one of the large wooden chairs on one side of his temporary guardian. Once seated properly, he looked to his right where the elder man was sitting near motionless, staring into space. Harry had never seen him look this way, and he wondered why the professor was rubbing his forearm in such a way. A rather pained expression danced upon his face and the child bit down on his lip.

When a variety of dishes appeared on large plates before the duo, Harry's verdant green eyes widened considerably. That one over there was chicken...and that one was full of mashed potatoes...the others however, the boy could not identify. Never in his life had he seen so much food! The aromas were so pleasing that he felt his mouth water. Even at Hogwarts, he was given a plate filled with food at his bed in the infirmary, but he had never seen the dishes compiled together at such an amount!

He waited to see what the supposedly 'magic' food would do and after a long moment of thick silence, he turned to look at Severus in question. There, beside him, the elder man still gazed absently at nothing and Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He had never really labeled the potions master with a name he himself could call the elder man and had thus contemplated a bit before speaking aloud. "S-Severus?" he inquired in a shy tone.

The professor seemed to snap back into reality and his gaze wandered to the little boy dwarfed in the large wooden chair to his left, looking up at him hesitantly with tension radiating off him in waves. Severus cleared his throat, blinking as he looked around as if just noticing that they were in the dining room for the first time. He glanced back at Harry with a curious expression before he began piling up spoonfuls of food upon his plate.

Harry looked at the abundance of food on the elder man's plate before turning back to his own empty one. After a moment of contemplation, he held out his hand and took hold of the spoon in the mashed potatoes. If I'm to serve myself, I'd better not get too much, thought the boy. Mustn't get ahead of myself...I need to find out what I can and can't do yet. After a spoonful, he contemplated whether another would be all right, but decided that he may not finish it anyway.

He gazed down in consideration at the plate that seemed so empty except for the tiny section taken up by a spoonful of mashed potatoes. When he looked over at the professor, the man was eating with the same absent demeanor as he had had when looking vacantly at an invisible spot hovering in the air. Harry chewed anxiously on his bottom lip and regarded his near empty plate once more. His stomach seemed suddenly filled without even a bite taken, but as an orphan often robbed of his meals, he knew it wouldn't do to skip a meal so freely given. He took a bite and forced it down, feeling suddenly nauseous.

After another few bites, he put his spoon down and lifted the crystal goblet to his lips and relished the feeling of wintry pumpkin juice as it trickled soothingly down his parched throat. That done, he found himself feeling much better as he placed it back in his spot. He glanced at the other strange dishes surrounding the familiar chicken dish and felt his mouth water, suddenly hungry. Perhaps he could get a bit more...

He lifted his hand, ready to reach out to pick up his plate to hold it near one of the plates, but stopped abruptly when Severus said unexpectedly, "What are you doing, Potter?" Harry's eyes darted to the elder man and he pulled back his hand to drop it upon his lap. The elder man glanced at the child's plate in skepticism. "Albus will throw a fit if I don't feed you well," grumbled Severus as he took Harry's plate and lapped spoonfuls of each dish onto it. When he handed it back, the boy looked at it with wide eyes, then turned his gaze upon the professor. "Just - eat as much as you can," said the man with a frown at Harry's doubtful expression. "There's plenty more."

And Harry, happy at that statement, dug in sincerely.

~*~

Remus' wand hand was still trembling as he kept it aimed towards a man he had once considered his best friend. He couldn't seem to think properly and he had a splitting headache on top of that as well. Could things get any worse? He couldn't go to the fireplace without having his back turned to Sirius and thus he stood there, without any ideas, as Black's unfathomable dark eyes regarded him silently.

Slowly, Sirius allowed himself to sit up with a very cautious gaze at Remus' wand. "Stop!" yelled the werewolf, a trace of panic in his voice. "Don't - don't move!"

The wand wavered and Sirius held his hands up slowly in a defensive gesture. "I'm just sitting up," he said in a calming tone.

He had to do something; he couldn't stay like this forever! Somehow, he had to get Remus to believe him - but in order for that to happen, the man first needed to listen to him. Remus swallowed and rubbed his eyes with his free right hand as if to erase the exhaustion from his face.

Sirius quickly jumped up and before the other man could react, Remus was on the floor, struggling to pull his wand arm from the convict's curiously strong grasp. Sirius pulled the wand away from Remus and dropped it in surprise when the werewolf cuffed the side of his face with brutal strength driven on only by fear and pent up anger. He was sent sprawling backwards and the wand skidded towards the kitchen door upon the newly waxed wooden floors.

The wand forgotten, Remus jumped after Sirius, hitting every part of the murderer's flesh his fists could find. Sirius fought to get a hold on his former friend's harmful arms to avoid getting hit, but to no avail. He rolled and caught Remus under him, and searched for the wand. There - only a few paces to the right! Again, he was caught in surprise as another hard blow landed upon his left temple.

That'll be a pretty sight tomorrow, Sirius thought absently as he pushed Remus off him. He jumped on the wand and turned on Remus who had suddenly backed up.

"Don't move, Remus," he said, but the other man made a last attempt at retaliation for all the demons that had attacked him because of Sirius. He swung another punch that had Sirius reeling into a wall. Somewhere beside him, a frame became unhinged and shattered upon the floor. "Blast! I should just -," but Remus cut him off.

The werewolf's gaze was furious and dark as he looked at the fugitive before him. "Fine!" he exclaimed, not even looking at the wand pointed at him. "Kill me too - you seemed to have no trouble killing everyone else!"

And Sirius dropped the hand he had used to rub his sore jaw. It was as if he was back in Azkaban. It's your fault! You killed them all...! Sirius shook his head, tears bright in his eyes. "I didn't -," he whispered, "I would never -"

"What did they ever do to you, Sirius?" cried Remus. "What did they do except be your best friends?"

The other man just stared at Remus as if he couldn't understand a word. "I didn't kill anyone!" he suddenly yelled back. "I - I'd never ever hurt James or Lily! And for Merlin's sakes, I would never hurt Harry! Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a bloody Death Eater you piece of -," but he cut himself off when the other man began to laugh.

Sirius held his stomach and gasped as his air escaped in peels of laughter. His eyes were tearing and he didn't even bother to wipe them away. "D-Death Eater," he repeated, gasping for breath. "Me? A Death Eater?" But when he met Remus' gaze, his laughter immediately died. "All this time...you actually thought that I was a Death Eater," he said softly, a smile upon his face - but it held no trace of mirth. Remus just looked at him, blinking, his eyes not even focused upon the wand directed absently towards him. "It's funny, because I thought you were the traitor."

Of all things that Sirius could have said, this one was the least expected. "Me?" Remus exclaimed incredulously.

The other man sniffed with a remorseful laugh as he wiped away his tears on a sleeve. "Yeah - isn't that a laugh? Stupid of me, really - it's what got me stuck in Azkaban for six years..." He swallowed and dropped his gaze for a second before raising it again to look at his old friend with haunted eyes.

"It's your own fault," spat Remus contemptuously, but there was a thread of doubt bellying his words. "You - if you hadn't killed them -"

"I know," whispered Sirius, his dark eyes swirling with the thick spread of emotions that had built up in him all those years...and within them, there was no fiber of happiness at all. "I know it's my fault...if I had known..."

Remus balled his hands into fists. "What? What? What are you talking about?"

Sirius bit down on his lip, then said, "I didn't mean for it to happen, Remus. You have to believe me." Unbidden tears welled up in his eyes and he angrily wiped them away. "I was so stupid for thinking that you of all the bloody people in this world were the traitor. I - I never told anyone that I was their Secret Keeper and -"

"And you betrayed them!" yelled Remus, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest.

"I know," Sirius whispered again. "I did - I know it's all my fault and I'm so sorry." This time, he didn't even bother to brush away the rush of tears that fell from his shadowed eyes. "I thought that you were the traitor so I switched with Peter! I made James make Peter the Secret Keeper instead of me! I thought that - I thought that they'd know I'd be it and if - if we switched, no one would be able to get him and the others."

Remus shook his head, shrinking back against the wall - he didn't even notice that Sirius had lowered the wand. "No - you're - you're lying. They said that you'd lie - that you'd use anything you could against me and -"

"Bloody hell, Remus! Am I lying?! How could I lie about this?!" cried Sirius, pulling desperately on his hacked hair. "James is...was my best friend! Merlin! What am I supposed to do? What do you want me to do? I'd never hurt them - I'd never hurt anyone! You know I wouldn't!"

The werewolf was crying too now and despite how much his mind was pushing any thoughts of Sirius' innocence away; his heart was struggling to find any bit of truth in the old Marauder's words. "But - but Peter - you killed him and...and all those people, Sirius - you killed all those people..."

Sirius shook his head quickly, his eyes pleading with Remus. He need his friend again - he needed someone before the demons that had stayed behind in Azkaban came back to prey on him. "No - no! I only came to kill Peter -"

"You did kill him!"

"No! He transformed at the last moment! Remus, please, please believe me! He had his wand and we were alone in an alley. You know that no one knows about how we all are Animagi! He yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd killed the Potters - and then he blew up the street and -" But seeing his old friend's blank stare, Sirius buried his head in his hands.

Remus stared openly at Sirius. "And cut off his finger..." At this, Sirius' head shot up and he looked at Remus, a string of hope sending pangs throughout his heart. "He - he cut off his finger...the Ministry said that that was all they could find of him..." He bit down on his lip.

"Please, it's all true," said Sirius looking beseechingly at him. "I'm sorry - I'm sorry for everything. I'll never ever -" but Remus, finally noticing the wand that lay idly upon the floor, snatched it up in a quick movement and aimed it at Sirius. The fugitive didn't even glance at it, but gave up all other arguments.

This was it, then, this was what he had come here to find - a turned cheek and his death. He took a step back and closed his eyes, feeling the tears burn scorching trails down his cheeks. "This is it then," he whispered brokenly. He opened his eyes and found the wand pointed at his chest. His eyes met Remus' and his face contorted into an expression of unbearable pain. "I never meant for all of this to happen, Remus, and I'm so sorry. I - I don't know what made me think that you were the traitor." He grinned regretfully and gulped, relishing the breaths he was still able to have.

Remus' hand shook, but he couldn't deny it any longer. "I believe you," he said softly. "I - I believe you," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself of that fact.

Sirius blinked at him in utter astonishment. Remus managed a shaky smile and cautiously lowered his wand hand. The other man's eyes spilled over with fresh tears and he sank down to his knees, burying his face in his hands as sobs racked his emaciated body. Remus walked over and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry I thought it was you, Sirius," Remus said after Sirius' sobs faded away.

And the Marauder's gazes met - and they smiled.

~*~

Harry sighed. He was in the room that the professor had dubbed his own, and thrilled though he was at having a place solely for himself, he was excruciatingly bored.

He slid off the bed and walked around the room again, looking at everything once more. If he had been blind, he probably wouldn't have run into anything at all because of the numerous times he had done this very thing. He stopped in the middle of the room and looked at the door. Severus had told him that had he a need of anything at all, all he had to do was call for Baruch.

Harry walked over to the door and slowly pulled it open. "Mr. - er - Baruch?" he whispered cautiously into the empty corridor. "Mr. Baruch?" he said again, this time louder. "Mr. -," but just then, he felt a tap upon his shoulder.

With a cry of surprise, he whirled around to find the elf gazing down at him with humored violet eyes. "Hello, Mr. Potter - may I help you with anything?"

The boy felt heat rush into his cheeks and he bashfully studied the wooden floors. "Er - I - I was just wond'ring where - where S-Severus was," he stammered uncertainly.

He glanced cautiously upwards to see Baruch's lips tugging into a smile. "He's currently working on a potion, sir."

Harry nodded with a soft and rather disappointed, "Oh," as he once again dropped his gaze.

"However..." Baruch ventured somewhat reluctantly and Harry's head shot up to look at the elf with hope, "perhaps he wouldn't mind some company." Baruch's smile widened at the child's delighted smile and he felt rather glad that his master had brought a visitor. It had been a long time since a child had set foot into Snape Manor, and the elf felt that it was a wonderful change of events.

He made his way to the door and into the hallway, then turned and beckoned to the boy with a movement of his hand. Harry's smile was bright as he rushed to walk alongside the magical creature. Baruch, however happy at pleasing the young Potter boy, had a few misgivings at what exactly he was getting himself into. Master Severus Snape was a fair man - callous at times, but fair. Specifically, the man had told the elf to never let the boy enter his private laboratory in the lower level of the manor...but Baruch believed that perhaps more company during every hour of the day and night would do his master a bit of good.

He led Harry down a spiral staircase to the basement grounds and they followed a rather intricate maze of corridors. They finally stopped before a simple door, and Baruch opened it without further preamble. Harry's first reaction to the new and strange surroundings was to slip his hand into the elf's. It was oddly warm and consoling and he could have sworn that comfort itself was being sent from the elf's hand into his own and throughout his body. He shivered from the feeling and couldn't help the giggle from escaping his lips.

Baruch smiled down at the boy and guided him into the depths of the laboratory. Harry soon caught sight of the familiar figure of the professor. The elf cleared his throat and Severus didn't turn around, but said, "Yes?"

"Sir, the child was lonely," said Baruch in greeting, and the potions master carefully put the vial into the test tube rack. Before the man could say anything, the elf went on. "I believe that he would have a very good educational experience if he was to watch you brew your potions."

Severus studied his butler for what seemed like hours to Harry, before nodding curtly, a barely disguised scowl upon his face. After a moment, however, the creases on his countenance faded away to a slightly humored expression. "I'd venture to say that you're rather fond of Potter," he said in mild amusement.

Baruch was poker faced as he said, "Of course not, sir." And when Severus sighed and turned back to his cauldron, the elf winked down at Harry who smiled brightly back up at him. With one last squeeze of the child's hand, Baruch bowed his way out of the room.

"Don't touch a thing, Potter. We wouldn't want you to get hurt, now would we?" said Severus, his back still facing Harry.

"No, sir," he replied, and looked around filled with wonderment.

Severus continued brewing the Draught of Living Death, trying to ignore the child's presence. Nevertheless, after a few minutes of utter silence, he frowned. There was not a peep from the little boy and it was a rather disconcerting thing considering that Harry was only seven. He turned around to see Harry standing a few feet away, looking back at him. With a raise of his brows, he said, "What?"

Harry blushed and scuffed a foot upon the ground. "Um - I - I was just wond'ring what you're making," he said softly.

The professor looked at him for a moment before sighing inwardly. "Come here," he said, motioning him over with a flip of his hand. Harry warily walked over. Severus pulled a stool nearby and set the child upon it. The boy looked into the cauldron with undisguisable awe. "It's the Draught of Living Death," he told the child with a hint of satisfaction in his tone.

Harry peered up at him in curiosity. "What's it do?" he asked, a frown creasing his brow.

"It renders the consumer in a state very much like death - only they are merely at the verge of it." The boy's eyes were wide as he looked down at the potion again. It bubbled and he jumped. He laughed softly in embarrassment as he peeked up at Severus. The elder man bit back a grin. "Now, you can watch as long as you don't mess around with any of the ingredients. Understood?" Harry nodded quickly, his eyes bright as he watched Severus crush some beetle shells.

After all the ingredients had been added, Severus glanced towards where Harry sat. He found the child's face drawn into a concentrated expression and he walked over to see what it was that the boy was looking at. It turned out to be Potente Potions. "Are you reading that?" he wondered suddenly, and Harry jumped again in alarm.

The child looked up at him with a timid smile and shook his head sheepishly. "The words are too big," he said in a quite voice. "It - it's hard." He looked back down at the book for a moment before hesitantly looking back up at Severus. "Will you teach me?" wondered the boy in a cautious tone as if expecting to be turned down.

He checked the time and found that he had to wait two hours before the potion was finished. Next, the professor pulled over a stool. Severus looked down at the tiny boy with the large green eyes and messy black hair before a small smile cheated its way onto his face. "Sure, Harry, I'll teach you," he said.