A Promise Made (Snape, Harry, PG)
Title: A Promise Made
Rating: PG
Word Count: 634
Summary: Harry loses his friends, and yells at Snape. Gen? Pre-slash? Who knows. Potentially part of Azkaban series.
Warnings: character death, vague-ness, also Harry being emo
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He watched as the the killing light raced at him, and just as it was about to hit him, a force pummeled him to the ground.
"YOU IDIOT!" Severus Snape cried, scrambling off of him, pulling him to his feet. "When someone throws avada kedavra at you, do NOT freeze." He felt his stomach roil within him, and the world went black for an instant as they disapparated. Snape's arms were securely around him, and he felt his knees weaken. The potions master didn't hold him up; instead he let Harry slide gently to the floor. The Gryffindor remained there, his eyes becoming increasingly unfocused. Oh god...Ron...Hermione...
"We left them there," he whispered, feeling his throat close up. He made a gagging sound, and Snape crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his back. "R-Ron. Hermione." The sobs, when they came, were hard, ragged, and high-pitched. He couldn't recognize the sound of them--they weren't couldn't be coming out of his mouth, because he could not feel them. The pain in his chest had to be something else, the convulsions a result of some uncountered curse. He tried to focus his vision, but the tears blinded him, and kept on streaming. He felt them wet on his cheeks, sliding down to his neck, under his shirt. Tears dripping everywhere.
Hours later, he repeated himself. "We left them there." His voice was louder, but still as broken as the first time he uttered the words. He turned to Snape, eyes filled with anguish. "Why? Why did you leave them?"
Snape's cold, hard gaze met him unwaveringly. "They are dead, Potter. They don't care." He didn't even flinch when Harry launched himself right at him, fists clenched at his lapels.
"YOU LET THEM DIE!! YOU LET THEM DIE, AND YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE TOO!" He was sobbing again. He felt Snape's hands firmly over his fists and allowed the other man to pull them away from his clothes.
"Restrain yourself, Potter," Snape said blankly. "I cannot guarantee you I won't retaliate if you lose control again." He brushed himself off and stood up, making his way towards the door. He stopped when Harry spoke.
"If you hate me so much, why didn't you let me die?" the younger man asked. "Why save me?" He was staring at the ground, and didn't see the potion master's eyes soften as he watched his one-time student falling to pieces on the floor, nor did he see the pain in those eyes as they lost themselves in thought.
"I made a promise to someone. To protect you with my life."
"Who? Dumbledore? He's dead. You killed him. That's got to be worse than breaking some bloody promise." Had he been looking at Snape, he would have seen Snape's own hands clench into fists much like his own.
"That is true. However, it was not Dumbledore to whom I made the promise."
"Who, then?" He did look up now, to see a deep sorrow flicker in Snape's eyes before disappearing as if it had never been there.
"An old...friend." He didn't stay to explain. Instead, he disapparated again, and was gone in a plop! Harry stared at the space where he had been just moments before. Then, with nothing else to distract him from the loss, he felt himself sink deeper into that despair. The hard floor felt too cold against his cheek, like death, and he wished for a sleep that didn't come.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 634
Summary: Harry loses his friends, and yells at Snape. Gen? Pre-slash? Who knows. Potentially part of Azkaban series.
Warnings: character death, vague-ness, also Harry being emo
---------
He watched as the the killing light raced at him, and just as it was about to hit him, a force pummeled him to the ground.
"YOU IDIOT!" Severus Snape cried, scrambling off of him, pulling him to his feet. "When someone throws avada kedavra at you, do NOT freeze." He felt his stomach roil within him, and the world went black for an instant as they disapparated. Snape's arms were securely around him, and he felt his knees weaken. The potions master didn't hold him up; instead he let Harry slide gently to the floor. The Gryffindor remained there, his eyes becoming increasingly unfocused. Oh god...Ron...Hermione...
"We left them there," he whispered, feeling his throat close up. He made a gagging sound, and Snape crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his back. "R-Ron. Hermione." The sobs, when they came, were hard, ragged, and high-pitched. He couldn't recognize the sound of them--they weren't couldn't be coming out of his mouth, because he could not feel them. The pain in his chest had to be something else, the convulsions a result of some uncountered curse. He tried to focus his vision, but the tears blinded him, and kept on streaming. He felt them wet on his cheeks, sliding down to his neck, under his shirt. Tears dripping everywhere.
Hours later, he repeated himself. "We left them there." His voice was louder, but still as broken as the first time he uttered the words. He turned to Snape, eyes filled with anguish. "Why? Why did you leave them?"
Snape's cold, hard gaze met him unwaveringly. "They are dead, Potter. They don't care." He didn't even flinch when Harry launched himself right at him, fists clenched at his lapels.
"YOU LET THEM DIE!! YOU LET THEM DIE, AND YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE TOO!" He was sobbing again. He felt Snape's hands firmly over his fists and allowed the other man to pull them away from his clothes.
"Restrain yourself, Potter," Snape said blankly. "I cannot guarantee you I won't retaliate if you lose control again." He brushed himself off and stood up, making his way towards the door. He stopped when Harry spoke.
"If you hate me so much, why didn't you let me die?" the younger man asked. "Why save me?" He was staring at the ground, and didn't see the potion master's eyes soften as he watched his one-time student falling to pieces on the floor, nor did he see the pain in those eyes as they lost themselves in thought.
"I made a promise to someone. To protect you with my life."
"Who? Dumbledore? He's dead. You killed him. That's got to be worse than breaking some bloody promise." Had he been looking at Snape, he would have seen Snape's own hands clench into fists much like his own.
"That is true. However, it was not Dumbledore to whom I made the promise."
"Who, then?" He did look up now, to see a deep sorrow flicker in Snape's eyes before disappearing as if it had never been there.
"An old...friend." He didn't stay to explain. Instead, he disapparated again, and was gone in a plop! Harry stared at the space where he had been just moments before. Then, with nothing else to distract him from the loss, he felt himself sink deeper into that despair. The hard floor felt too cold against his cheek, like death, and he wished for a sleep that didn't come.