Dunderhead
Harry found himself walking the grounds of Hogwarts in the chilly weather. He needed to clear his mind. It had been a week since he was caught and manhandled by the ghost in black. A week since he saw the photograph. A week of longing to retrieve it. The vials weren’t in his state of mind anymore. No, he nearly forgot those vials if it wasn’t for Ron asking Harry: “Did you find the vials, Harry?”. And Harry blanked out as he stared at Ron before his eyebrows shot up in realization. He debated on telling his friends what happened. He really did. But then he thought of how it ended. How Snape would not like for anything else to be shared. He knew of it now and he decided to keep it to himself. He was only interested in the photograph now. Though he wasn’t sure how he’d manage to retrieve it. Based on Snape’s reaction and actions… Perhaps it’d be best if he forgot about the whole ordeal.
Although he felt as though he couldn’t. Snape whirled around his mind 24/7 it seemed. The thoughts of the photograph… He knew from the penesive that they were once friends but he never understood how. He never understood how they became close yet he never doubted it. And now he had physical photo evidence of them together. Happy. Joyful even. It consumed his every thought, more than the past of obsession with Draco. He felt a sense of urgency to look at the photograph one more time.
Slowly he came across the widespread black lake, or rather the great lake. Harry remembers swimming in it once. As he expected it to be freezing cold as others suggested. But he found it was rather light and cool but then again he was using gillyweed during so. He wasn’t aware of the true coldness it immited.
As he looked off to the great lake, he walked closer until eventually his feet could dip into the water. He didn’t though. He simply stared for a while before taking off his shoes and socks, and sitting down onto the edge of land. And then dipped his feet into the water and simply sat there. Slowly swinging his legs in the cool water. It was freezing but a light type of freezing. It wasn’t enough to cause hypothermia from simple feet dangling. It was relaxing in a way for Harry. It distracted him.
A cold familiar breeze passed behind him, but he did not look back or even mind it. It was somewhat comforting in a way. Unaware of the ghost in black emitting coldness as translucent eyes stared at him. In the midst of a flashback seeing the golden boy in the exact same position as his old friend and him loved to be. His frozen time state of a ghost felt alive once more from the sight. As though he was brought back in time.
“Do you want to learn how to make flower crowns?”, Lily asked as she dangled her feet in the coldness of the great lake. She smiled as she saw her own painted toes peeking through and then looked to Sev.
“…I can make you one.”, he replied with a small crack. As he was in the middle of puberty, the age of 14. His feet barely touched the waterline as he wasn’t a fan of getting his feet wet. But the sentiment was there. Being with Lily.
Lily’s smile widened. “We can make them for each other!”.
Sev cracked a small small, “I’d make you a lily flower crown.”, he said as he leaned over slightly to look into his reflection.
“Hmm… I’ll make you a lily of the Incas then.”.
Sev raised his eyebrows and looked at Lily, “Lily of the Incas?… Why?”.
“We’ll be matching then, silly.”, Lily smiled knowingly. Though it wasn’t the only reason she chose the flower. No, she thought of Sev whenever she saw the flowers. She knew the meaning. In fact she loved the language of flowers. It was her own type of love language to her friends. Especially Sev. Their friendship was one she cherished most of all. She thought it odd that nobody could see the light of Sev the way she could. Although they never knew him before Hogwarts. Not like her.
“Hmm.”
The raven haired boy liked the idea. Though he’d never be caught wearing or making a flower crown by the marauders. He would never hear the end of the taunting. It wasn’t as though he was ashamed, he was simply taking cautions to take all attention away from himself. Except Lily’s own attention.
Suddenly a splash of water hit him and he snapped his head over to Lily. Surprise was clear on his face.
Lily giggled at his expression and then playfully splashed water onto him again. Sev gave a small smile and then finally put his feet into the water and splashed Lily back. Kicking his feet like a child in the midst of a tantrum. Lily squealed. Retaliating and splashing him back. It was a chaotic scene of two pe-teens kicking and splashing water around childishly. It was a moment of childhood bliss.
“Look who finally put their toes in the water!”, she exclaimed with a smirk. Shielding the side of her face with her hands.
Sev looked down to his legs in the water and realized he was tricked. He looked back to Lily with a soft scowl. Although it didn’t suit his baby face yet, he would soon grow into it. He grumbled to himself but he couldn’t help the small upturned smile.
After a few moments he spoke quietly, dangling his legs abstently. “Lily… do you think we’ll stay friends?”
“Of course we will, silly! I wouldn’t ever leave you,” she said in a knowing tone before adding on, “unless you leave me…”.
There was a quiet moment of silence before Severus whispered. Unaware that Lily could hear his small voice. “I would never leave my Lily.”
Time froze again as the ghost in black hovered in the loss of memory, his ghostly gaze looking over to Harry. Only to find him splashing in the freezing water with struggle. His gaze hardened. When had he even gotten into the water? Severus didn’t know. And he was rather disturbed by his own ghostly consciousness now. Limbs waving around, arms reaching the surface in desperation. He was drowning. Yet there was something odd about it. Harry could easily swim up to the surface. His strength was enough to keep him afloat in the great lake. Severus hovered closer and without any hesitation, turned to mist and dove into the water. Quickly pressuring through the water and over to Harry.
An almost warm mist enraptured around Harry and he immediately recognized it. It was comfortingly warm against the freezing water around him. He wanted to cling onto it as he struggled for air. The mist wrapped around him, emitting a warmth before it turned to the ghost shape of Severus. Harry kicked his feet in a frantic manner. But there was an enormous tentacle wrapped around his leg, pulling him down. The ghost in black looked down, seeing the tentacle that belonged to the Giant Squid.
A sense of protectiveness came over Severus and his translucent eyes flashed with darkness. In a swift movement the ghost in black plunged against the giant tentacle around Harry. Prying its suckers off of the boy with gravitating force. Though it wouldn’t budge.
Frustrated, Severus turned back to mist and enraptured himself around the tentacle. And squeezed into the space between Harry’s leg and the tentacle. Emitting a force that left no room for the tentacle’s suckers to latch onto any longer. Causing it to pry off Harry’s leg. The giant squid’s tentacles thrashed out violently, though missing Harry. And suddenly dashed away, expelling a large cloud of dark ink. It darkened the Great Lake further, further blinding Harry and Severus.
The boy’s arms flailed around in desperation. His lungs lacked oxygen as water slowly filled them. He gasped out only for it to worsen. The dark cloud of ink overwhelmed his senses and sight. His arms waving around in the ink in an attempt to wave it off. A sense of urgency filled through him. The golden boy wouldn’t die from drowning.
Before Harry could try and continue to fight for his life, the ghost in black captured him and swarmed a warmth to his fragile freezing body. In only a few blinks, Severus had swam the boy up to the surface. Bringing the boy's head up as he wheezed painfully. The ghost in black placed Harry gently onto the ground. It’s translucent veiny hands hesitating and hovering over his body. Uncertain what to do. Which was unusual for Severus. Harry was wheezing and barely breathing, his eyes shut half way. He was too weak.
Severus leaned down closer to the boy and on a quick whim, started to press his coldness of air onto the boy. At first, it sent a chill throughout Harry’s numb body before Severus directed it all towards his mouth. Thin fingers grasping the boy’s jaw and opening it gently but urgently. And a frosty amount of air was plunged down his throat and into the lungs. In a slow and gentle manner. The ghost in black was saving the golden boy in a gentle warming manner. It was the closest warmth of comfort Harry had since the end of the war. Or even before, really. And although he was half unconscious the feeling was enough to give him hope for furthering actions. It soothed him. As he was on the brink of death being comforted by the ghost of the bravest man he knew.
And suddenly, a gasp left him as enough oxygen went into his lungs. He wheezed painfully and his eyes shot open all bloodshot. And emerald eyes met dark translucent eyes once more. The dark eyes looked away first, scanning over Harry’s body for further examination. His gaze looked to the boy’s leg which held red marks of giant suckers. Some areas were bleeding open while others were merely red and patchy. Severus stared. An odd and unwelcome feeling overcoming his frozen heart at the sight.
The ghost in black hesitantly hovered his ghostly hands over the wounds. The coldness of air tickled Harry’s leg. He whimpered. Harry’s breathing still remained rapid as he tried to catch his breath. He was panicking, eyes drifting off while he tried to keep them open to look at the ghost in black.
And without any other hesitation, Severus scooped the boy up. Harry whimpered.
“Shhh”, Severus cooed coldly. ‘Dunderhead.’, he thought affectionately.
The ghost in black floated his way back to the Hogwarts castle with the boy held tightly in his arms. Bridal style. It mirrored the incident a week before. In a bittersweet way. Harry’s breathing slowly became shallow as he was gently carried. Though he was soaking wet and his clothes sagged on him. He was trembling from the cold. Severus quickly made his way to the Hospital Wing and at the entrance, he vanished into his mist state. Still carrying Harry as he surrounded him. The Hospital Wing’s doors opened as Harry was carried onto a bed. He moaned when placed down. His leg sensed a shock of pain up his nerves.
Madame Pompfrey jolted up and rushed through her linked corridors from the Hospital Wing as she heard the doors open. She stepped into the doors and halted at the sight. A soft gasp escaped her as she saw a soaked, trembling Harry with a severely wounded leg. It was a wretched sight. And not even that, but a mist was swarming him. Not in a violent way but in an odd gentle manner. She didn’t pay attention to it as she ran to Harry’s side. Placing a hand over his wet forehead.
“Harry?!”, she was startled at how freezing he was to touch. The golden boy whimpered quietly as though trying to stay silent.
A mist hovered over him still for a while before its cold familiarity faded. Harry’s hand reached out expectantly. But no further familiarity cold came. He slowly drifted his eyes closed. Madame Pompfrey’s voice murmured him to unconsciousness.