The Spark

Antidotes and Curses

Lucius grabbed his broom and pulled Severus up with him. Severus had started to protest, demanding his own broom, but he realized how much of a hazard that may prove to be, given the circumstances. The entire room leapt on their respective brooms and flew out of the ministry building, desperate to get to Harry's location before his captor has a chance to break the connection. "Sev, you have the strongest connection of us all! Lead us there!" Lucius yelled above the wind whipping past them.

Harry sat on the concrete floor, eyes closed, face scrunched in intense concentration, praying he wasn't too far away from the Ministry. If he was, then he would be in serious trouble. 'Sev....this is...so hard to....hold. Tell me you're...close.' Harry could feel a splitting headache threatening to break through.

'We can do this. Let me....know if you hear him.' Severus continued to concentrate, feeling for Harry's magic signature. He had to take some breaths to keep himself calm, but the magic signature didn't feel like it was close. They weren't going to make it in time. They would have to figure out something else, but what else could they do?

'He's here!'

'Roll, move, do some-' Severus suddenly passed out, slipping from Lucius' arms off the broom.

"No!" Lucius dove past Severus, casting a cushioning spell beneath him. Severus hit, bouncing off onto the ground nearby. Lucius leaped off his broom before he hit the ground, running to his friend. "Sev! Please tell me you're not dead!" Lucius released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He managed to find a strong pulse, and he was clearly breathing. "Sev! I need you to wake up now!"

Severus turned over, slowly, groaning. Suddenly, he let out a sharp yell, clutching his side. Another at his face, his chest. Blood began to flow from his nose and lips. "Lucius! My wand!" Lucius picked up his wand from nearby, tossing it to his friend. He lifted the wand, pointing it in the direction they had been heading, shouting "EXPECTO PROTRONUM!" A stag leapt out of his wand, turning, waiting for them to make a move. "Lucius! Pull me up and follow him!"

Lucius grabbed the broom, pulled him in behind, binding him to his back. They flew like mad, following the patronus. He heard Severus scream, gripping Lucius with such intensity he thought he might break. "Hold on Sev! I see the building! We've made it!"

The group landed around the men. Lucius untied Severus, supporting him as he stood up, struggling to walk. "Let me go! Harry!" Severus shoved Lucius aside, diving for the front door when suddenly Severus slips, falling to the ground clutching his shoulder. Lucius catches up to him, turning him over and seeing the blood coming from under his hand. "No! Everyone move! Kingsley! You stay with Severus!"

Lucius flew in with the others, all spreading out and searching each room as they moved through. He opened a door at the end of the main corridor and had to duck to evade the spell flung at him.

"No! We can make a trade! This body for the Minister!" He flung another spell, flying past Lucius' head. Dumbledore ran to the other side of the doorway, signaling to Lucius to hold his fire.

"We'll make the trade! Just let us see that our friend is alive!" Dumbledore held up his hand, quietly awaiting a response to his request.

The wizard faltered, unsure how to proceed. "How do I know you'll hold up your end of the bargain? I'm in this situation because of that gobshite! He got my family killed by flaunting his money and lying out his arse! I will NOT allow anything but the death of that tool!"

Lucius had been looking around the room at the rest of the aurors awaiting a signal. He let out an involuntary gasp when he noticed someone had appeared behind Dumbledore. None other than Minister O'Galvin.

"Then let me make a trade for the real minister. You give us our man and we give you the minister!" Lucius had to reign in his jaw as it had dropped to the floor. Surely Dumbledore didn't intend to actually hand him over.

Lucius was thoroughly confused. The minister hardly looked bothered by the prospect, even as the man shouted back his reply, "Deal!" O'Galvin slowly walked towards the man as he, in turn, dragged the bleeding and terrified Harry in to the center of the room. He went back to the opposite door frame, stating "You may slowly come and get your friend as long as O'Galvin comes to me. Any funny business and your friend dies." He lowered his wand towards the floor where Harry lay.

Dumbledore went slowly to the center of the room to collect Harry. He leaned down and quietly whispered "I need you to be ready to run." Suddenly, the man reached for O'Galvin as he came into range and found nothing but smoke and air between his fingers. "RUN!" Dumbledore hollered as he threw up a shield before them, just in time to block the killing curse headed straight for Harry.

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Severus felt excruciating pain in his shoulder and body, pulling him out of his half conscious state. He couldn't quite hear what was happening inside, but knew something serious was going down. He forced himself up, wincing at the pain throughout his body, and started toward the door inside. Kingsley followed, yelling after him, "Severus, don't move! You're badly hurt and we can't..." But Severus didn't hear what they can't as he fully ignored the man and started running down the hall.

Harry suddenly burst through the door, running straight into him, knocking them both over. "Oh god, Harry! You're here! You're alive!" Severus burst into tears, pulling the young man to him. They both hollered out in pain as Harry went to reach up and grab behind his neck. Severus pulled out his wand and attempted a basic healing spell. The wound wouldn't close. Severus then tried an advanced healing spell. The wound closed for a second then reopened, oozing with a horrible green discharge. "Oh, no no no, Harry!" Severus quickly kissed him, then pulled himself up, "Stay here. I'll just be a second," Severus turned, hurrying through the door to where all the commotion was.

Lucius saw Severus as he passed right by him into the room throwing a shield in front of him. "Severus! Harry's out! He's okay! Don't do anything stupid!"

Severus ignored the man, turning his entire attention to the kidnapper in front of him. "What did you do to him? What poison is it?" The man smirked at Severus a moment before finding his wand flying from his hand across the room. "You will tell me now or I shall summon a knife with which to skin you with." Severus held his wand to the man's throat, shoving him up against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"I don't honestly know! The man that sold me the dagger never specified what was on the blade, just explained its effects!" The man was cowering from Snape, trying hard to not look at the man towering over him.

Severus threw the man to the ground and hurried back to be by Harry's side as Lucius and Dumbledor went over to arrest the kidnapper. Severus could feel himself getting weaker, trying his hardest to channel as much of his own energy into Harry as he could. He pulled Harry into his arms as Harry reached up with his good arm, pulling Severus' face to his, kissing him deeply.

"Remember when we first obtained the marks? You were busy trying your best to scowl at me for getting an assignment right before you whisked me away to Dumbledore's office. I don't believe I've seen that scowl directed at me since." Harry smiled up at Severus who suddenly pulled away from Harry in a panic. "Is something wrong?"

Severus began patting down his robes, checking his pockets. Seeming to find what he was looking for, you reached in and pulled out a test tube filled with a light blue liquid. "Harry, your project! I know I told you it was dangerous, but I had to give it a try myself and it worked! An antidote for almost anything! I hadn't had a chance to try it out yet so I didn't want to tell you and get your hopes up! I can't believe I forgot about it! I've carried it on me ever since that year!"

Harry looked shocked as Severus opened the stopper on the test tube, pulling back his robes and exposing the gaping wound on his left shoulder. Harry hissed as the liquid hit the wound, causing Severus to recoil as well. Almost immediately, Harry could feel his wound slowly growing smaller and smaller. "It works! Severus, it work!" Severus pulled Harry up, and was just about to embrace him when he heard yelling from Lucius. He turned his head a second too late as the kidnapper ran from Lucius and Dumbledore, both still slightly stunned, pointing Lucius' wand at Severus, yelling "AVADA KADAVRA!"

Severus and Harry simultaneously hit the ground with a deafening thud.