Walk the Shadows

Severus sneered his best sneer. 'But you'll give the Dark Lord access?'

'No! No one.'

'Then who are you talking to when you speak Parseltongue? Tell me who, and if it isn't the Dark Lord,' he'd eat his grade book, 'I'll go away and leave you alone.'

'It isn't!'

'How do you know?'

'I would know! I wouldn't just . . . I didn't . . .'

'How. Do. You. Know?'

'I . . .' The boy clutched at his head suddenly, at his scar, and doubled over, gritting his teeth and hissing through them.

'Tell me what's happening. Harry! Don't talk to him!' Severus lunged for the boy as he toppled over, and eased him to the ground. On the floor, he sat with the boy half in his lap, holding the thin, trembling body as if it might shatter.

'No . . .' came a hushed whisper from the boy, the merest breath. 'Said . . . wouldn't hurt. . . . promised . . . no more . . .'

'Oh, child,' Severus sighed. He held the boy closer, hoping to give some sort of comfort. 'He lies.'

TBC . . . with a new chapter by Monday.

*Chapter 13*: Chapter 13

Walk the Shadows -- Chapter 13

By jharad17

Disclaimer: None of this is mine. I'm playing in someone else's pond. She's rich, I'm not.

Previously:

'No . . .' came a hushed whisper from the boy, the merest breath. 'Said . . . wouldn't hurt. . . . promised . . . no more . . .'

'Oh, child,' Severus sighed. He held the boy closer, hoping to give some sort of comfort. 'He lies.'

Potter went back to sleep finally, and Severus wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He'd held the teenager for much of the afternoon, even after he stopped struggling, kicking and punching like a miniature troll. After the first hour, he'd worn himself out. Severus had tried to get through to him, through the newly erected barriers, but Potter wouldn't speak to him anymore.

On the other hand, just to add to the maddening situation, Potter was still hissing in Parseltongue, when he wasn't humming some inane tune under his breath, one Severus almost, but not quite, recognized. Even after he lapsed into semi-consciousness, Potter was still hissing softly, or humming, and this worried Severus immensely. What was he saying? And what was the Dark Lord telling him in return?

Severus had a couple ideas of how to find out, exactly, but none would be pleasant or easy, and at least one was guaranteed to make both he and Potter absolutely miserable. But when Potter abruptly ceased responding to Severus' voice at all, he knew he had to do something very soon, or the boy would be lost for good. Though he was currently rather aggravated with Potter's lack of mental fortitude, he could not let the Dark Lord get away with this invasion.

Firstly, he needed fortification of his own. A headache thundered in his skull already, and nothing he thought to try would improve his situation, nor would any method of helping the boy be improved if he could not concentrate. So, leaving Potter on his bed, he retreated to his main room, poured two fingers of Ogden's finest and swallowed it down in two gulps. The burning in his throat centered him nicely. Considering further, he Accio'ed a bottle of Calming Draught and consumed it, waited ten minutes, then returned to Potter's room.

Pot -- Harry's face was pale and pasty, sweat soaked and creased in pain, as if he were fighting an inner battle. If he was, then good. Severus could work with that. The boy's lips moved soundlessly, but when Severus put his hand in the space just about Pot -- Harry's mouth, he could feel his soft exhalation of breath. But no hissing. Also good.

First order of business, then, to get the bloody Dark Lord out. Severus preferred to have eye contact for this, but it wasn't completely necessary. Instead, he put a hand on Harry's forehead, raised his wand and muttered, 'Legilimens.'

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxooxoxox

The sun shone prettily upon the carousel, where painted centaurs pranced next to old-fashioned hovering carpets in gaudy colors and dragons in mid-flight. Harry sat on a narrow wooden bench, watching the carousel go round and round, as the smell of spun candy wafted to him on a light breeze. The park around him was clean and airy. Red and yellow flowers speckled a verdant lawn, under the brightest blue sky Harry had ever seen. Children laughed and shouted to each other, clambering over the dragons and centaurs, and the joyous sound, weaving through a thin strain of music from the carousel itself, lifted his spirits. A young man with dark hair and dark eyes sat beside him, one arm slung over the back of the bench, and seemed to be mesmerized by the scene before them, too.

Harry couldn't remember how he had gotten here, but it was so peaceful, so relaxing, he didn't want to consider it too much. His companion was mostly silent, but on occasion made observations with a quirked half- smile, such as, 'Lovely weather we're having,' and 'Such a nice view, really,' making Harry nod in agreement.

Still, Harry knew something wasn't right. The day was too perfect, the children too innocent, to be real. A cloud passed over the sun with that thought, and Harry shivered. Everything was thrown into shadow. The dying