Cinders in the Snow

Professor Snape was in an even worse mood now, he did not want to deal with a catastrophe like this in the middle of the night. All he had fucking wanted was to restock his potions cupboards.

He had stood and turned away from the unicorn and the pale body he was deciding to ignore at the moment. He wondered how on earth Potter had got up here, but for now it didn't matter because it was his duty to keep the boy safe. Not matter how much he loathed it.

So he cast more warming charms and lifted the scarf higher up his face, securing the wool and the hood down with the cords hanging down by his neck. Then he unfastened the steel clasp on his heavy cloak and lifted it off his back with one swoop. He patted off some of the snow and turned with it in hand.

The unicorn was standing now, shaking off frost with little tail flicks and snuffling at Potter's small face. Snape supposed the thought was accurate, because Potter was still tiny, about the size of a short second year. While it was a little odd, Snape decided it was probably a good thing since he had to carry the boy back up to Hogwarts. 

The unicorn turned it head to face him, just watching him for a second; analysing him. It must have judged him in some way, since it then stepped back to allow Snape closer to Potter. Obviously there was some strange obsessive protection thing the unicorn had going on towards Potter. Hmph, like in any nine circles of hell the boy could ever deserve it. He shuffled his cloak for a moment, before setting it down on the snow beside the boy and spelling heat charms to the inside of it. 

He turned to Potter, contemplating, then he pulled the robes off the boy's front and yanked the arms out of the sleeves so that it was just him lying on it in the snow drifts. It made it easy for Snape to stoop and pluck him right off the floor, cradling him to his chest, Potters head lulling forward gently against his shoulder. Next, he carefully dusted some of the icicles out of his hair and begrudgingly laid him on his lovely warm cloak that he already missed dearly and fastened it up around his still form.

He spelled warming and lightweight spells on him, not that it would make much difference when Snape had felt Potter feel lighter than a house elf a few moment before anyway. He leaned down to pick him up, an arm under the legs and back. The child's head leaned against his chest and he looked positively dwarfed and blue as he curled up small in Professor Snape's arms, swamped by the large cloak. Like a drowned rat, he mused just a little darkly amused.

The potions professor looked at the unicorn, realising that he wouldn't be able to use his wand with an armful of boy. The unicorn was pacing the edge of a bush, looking hopeful that Snape might be out of it's forest soon. 

"Will we have any trouble on the way back?" Snape asked, knowing that he wouldn't be able to defend them if he couldn't use his wand or use the point-me spell for directions, and floating Harry behind him was out of the question with all the trees in the way, making the path twisting and turning. 

'PIXIES WILL LEAD YOUR WAY, AND THE FOREST PROMISES TO STAY OUT OF YOUR PATH ON THIS NIGHT' The unicorn hummed.

Snape nodded, relieved really, and bowed his head at the magnificent unicorn, bidding it farewell, a stunted goodbye. He was miffed to see it go since unicorns are rare potions ingredients! no no he'd never do such a thing... And he didn't know how he knew, but he knew it had to leave, so he left it at that.

"Thank you for looking after my student" Snape murmured under his breath.

Really, Snape could just ask Potter how he met the unicorn when he woke up and his curiosity would be sated then, he didn't actually care all that much about Potter. Just a little concerned, as any teacher would be for any child unconscious in the snow.

He spotted the mentioned pixies above him, and nodded at the unicorn, before turning to follow the tiny fae. His feet were balanced and deliberate on the sodden earth, since it would not do to fall when holding a konked out child. 

So, Snape trudged through the moonlit forest, boy in arms, disgruntled that he had to carry him like a little baby. A couple of pixies hovered along side with his potions basket- straining with the weight. Serves them right for dumping him with an idiotic Gryffindor.

He could feel the chill creeping up on him a little more, without his nice cloak to keep him warm. Potter had better be grateful. His fingers felt a little numb, under Harry's meagre mass, and he had to roll his shoulders every now and again to work some life back into them as he navigated the frosted wood.

With the extra bulk he was clumsy, toes catching on rocks and hair snagging on taunt branches. Each step was louder, and he sunk deeper into the icy snow with the added weight, small though it was. One foot in front of the other, plodding as carefully as he could, aware of where the playful pixies were leading him every second.

The inky blackness of the dense trees receeded, the pale azure fairy lights shining a little brighter as he reached the edge of the forest. The end was in sight and a corner of dusk and stars blinked down at him through the patch of field he could see at the end of his path.

"I will take my supplies now, fae" he scowled, gesturing for them to drop the basket into Potter's lap as he carried him. It landed with a thunk and the boy's eyelids fluttered for a moment before his blue lips pursed and he dropped his face into the crook of Snape's neck, a sigh of warm breath heating his skin uncomfortably, making Professor Snape sneer.

 He took off again at an alarming pace, clearly frustrated and rightfully plain baffled with his strange situation, striding out of the forest opening and across the twilight Hogwarts grounds. The moon wained above him, illuminating the grass blades with eerie yellow shadows.

Snape briskly entered a side door and strained with its weight on a free elbow, before it clacked closed behind him and he was walking along a passage way to the dungeons. Torches lit lowly of their own volition as he passed, Hogwarts magic settling around him as his wet boots clacked menacingly on the stone floor.

He was turning and spinning around sharp corners and hallways, stone gargoyles rearranging their ugly faces into even uglier impressions of Snape's own scowling features, cackling and then falling silent when the professor would snap his head towards them and growl obscenities.

With a kick of his dragon hide boots, his classroom's door was slamming open with a crash and he dumped his basket from Potter's lap to his front desk with a display of wandless magic, and carrying on through to his office in the door in the corner of the classroom.

He strode in and practically threw the Gryffindor on his comfiest armchair and whipped out his wand with a single movement to spell off Potter's tiny shoes and send a whip of flame into the fireplace, sparking the logs immediately into a roaring fire.

Potter groaned, curling smaller still into Snape's cloak as he slumped in the armchair, glasses askew and the eyes behind them flickering open and closed with flashes of green as he slow woke up. Snape took off his gloves and scarf, throwing them onto his desk, then turning to unleash his wrath on the foolish Gryffindor.

"And what, Mr Potter, on earth were you doing in the forbidden forest? At night no less" Snape said menacingly, scowling when Potter blinked his eyes open and decided to peer confusedly around the room instead of paying attention. Snape moved forward and snagged a pale chin in his cold hand, forcing the face in his direction with a harsh jerk, green eyes widening and locking onto Snape's face.

"It would not bade well for you to ignore me Potter, you have been caught out of bed. I wonder what McGonagall would say about this hmm? I do wonder if you'll finally be kicked off the quidditch team" Snape said. Potter gaped at him, seeming to finally come to his senses and realise who was in front of him, so Snape released his chin, so Potter could shake out the cricks from the whiplash.

"How did... How did i get here?" He whispered, all the usual arrogant Gryffindor characteristics absent. Snape peered down at him, pleased to be getting some humbleness into the boy.

"I found you in the forest. You and your Gryffindor stupidity forced me to drag your ungrateful body back up to castle in the snow. Carrying unconscious children isn't enjoyable, Mr Potter. And there will not be a repeat." Snape hissed, before summoning a tea set from his cupboards and setting it down on the coffee table with a gentle slam, the porcelain clinking and the fine oak table creaking with the force. Snape cast a wandless aguamenti into the teapot, crystal water sloshing and curling from his wand in ribbons. He fussed over the pot, putting in tea leaves and sugar and tiny vials of liquid at the side of the tray. Harry watched them dripping into the teapot innocently, some of them bright and runny like water, and others translucent and viscous, gloopily falling from the vials in thick strands. Harry winced and leaned forward as far as his aching body could, and sniffed, the scent of Pepper-Up and warming potions cloying in his nose, reassuring him. Snape stirred it with a spoon and dropped the lid onto the teapot, enabling the charm's activation as the pale runes on the china aligned, heating up the liquid within. Snape settled down with a humph in the armchair next to him. Moments later Snape was snatching up the teapot and pouring the warm tea into two cups, his eyes flicking up to scowl at Potter every few moments and his movements jerky, but the beverage didn't splash at all. Snape sighed and gasped the cups, one hand moving forward and thrusting a cup into Potter's shaking hands.

He took a sip, gingerly drinking the tea, colour returning to his features and the cold scared look in his eyes receding, almost looking like the green had clouded over. The cup was emptied and he slumped again, limbs relaxed and tongue loosened. Snape snatched the cup from him and placed his own full cup down on the coffee table with it. Potter lay in a daze as Snape stood and wandered off the side of his blurred vision. Snape opened a glass door in his cupboard and downed a tiny vial of potion, then uncorked a unfamiliar bottle with a pop, taking a long sip and swallowing. Steam blew out of Snape's nose when he coughed and corked the bottle. Harry's ears strained at the strange muffled noises he could catch, Snape muttering something about "nightcaps" when Harry could clearly see Snape wasn't wearing pajamas, and "firewhisking" which was odd because Hogwarts didnt use muggle utensils like whisks. The room tilted on its axis as Snape sat down again, watching as Potter blinked woozily at him like a baby phoenix as it emerges from its own hot ashes.

Snape pursed his thin lips "What were you doing in the Forbidden Forest?" He said, repeating his previous question, something that vastly annoyed him to do. The sheen over Potter eyes increased as one boney hand gripped the armchair and he said "I was upset... I just needed to get away from everything... From everyone". Snape's eyes narrowed. Potter was a stubborn boy, but he was not one that could outwit his potions skills, so it was unlikely he was lying. Snape was a superior potioneer after all.

With a smirk twisting nastily on his face at the thought of besting the James-son halfwit, he leant back in his armchair with a half eye roll at Potter's dramatics. But, he remained on task as the steadfast and diligent man those close to him there was no one close to him since his Lily who was gone gone gone knew him to be. He casually tried to separate his hatred with Potter from his intrigue and concern at finding a hypothermic child in the forbidden forest. Of course that didn't work though, it was a fool's errand like every tribulation that involved Potter, the idiot boy.

He steepled his fingers, "Alright, you might as well tell me about what happened and whine about it, foolish boy" he said, his face impassive but calculating, judging Potter's every move. He lay like a crumpled leaf on his chair, eyes clouded and hooded with shadows smudged beneath his eyes in charcoal greys and sleepless blacks. The frozen icicles and snow in his hair and eyelashes had melted onto his skin in the warmth of the office, giving his skin a sort of feverish shine that licked magma oranges up his face as it reflected the flames of the fire that thrashed and curled like tongues in the crate. There was a gaunt look to him, as if he had been drained of life by a dementor and was breezing through life with the uncaring dissociation of a brainless animal, stuck going through the motions of life and ruled by there instincts and fears.

This was not a boy Snape recognised. 

He remembered raging fire in his eyes and a strong mouth that spat and hissed sparks and insults, with a desperation and unpredictably that haunted his every step and courage that seemed to egg him on and snap at his heels with biting teeth. This boy was curled in on himself with shame, or fear, or anxiety? Snape did not know, but he didn't like it. Lily's eyes stared tearfully eerily from under his unruly hair and the shadowed eyebags, mocking him and making his heart squeeze dangerously within the grave he had tried to bury it in years ago.

If Lily's heart could not beat, why should his?

And this new feeling that racked his body and prickled under his skin. Lily's clouded eyes were delirious, the Potter's head lolling against the side of the chair in gentle drags of his jet-black hair and his mouth stumbling over his answer to Snape's question. He would break off part way through sentences or trail off into random descriptions of his feelings, off his loneliness and grief.

Maybe a few minutes or so passed of Snape sat frowning, trying to listen but barely being able to understand a word he said. This wasn't worth it, he'd get answers another time, preferably with a nasty detention. Snape raised a hand his face and growled, sliding up from his chair to stride across his office and grab a blanket. He shucked it over his shoulder and strode back to Potter. With a tired grimace, he rearranged a pillow and shoved it behind his head then he haphazardly chucked the blanket on Potter. It made him look small. He popped his wand from its holster and cast a warming charm since his body would still be recovering from his stint with death. With a growl he said,

"Shut up Potter, just be quiet and go to sleep"

As the potion made him follow the given commands, Potter's eyes jerkily fluttered shut at last. Snape then turned heel and with a slam of the door, he left the room without so much of a backwards glance.