Walk the Shadows

word with a punch to the thick gray stones. 'Hate. Him!'

Damn it! He got in three punches with the right and two with the left before Severus reached him and grabbed his arms from behind, holding them across the boy's chest. 'Stop, Harry. No punching!'

'Let me go! Let go!'

Severus didn't, but tightened his hold on the frantically wriggling boy. 'Not till you've calmed. No self harm. We agreed!'

But Harry was barely listening, twisting this way and that to get away from Severus and screaming at a decibel level that Severus had previously considered humanly impossible. 'Let go! Let me go! I hate you, I hate you! Get away from me, I'll kill you!'

Severus just held on, trying the low, soft voice with no real meaning in the words that had calmed Harry after he'd woken early this morning, and let the boy wear himself out. '. . . Get away! I'll kill you, you're going to die! Everybody's dead. Everybody's . . .' Another sob filled the air and Harry dropped like a stone, with only Severus to keep him from hitting the ground, hard. 'Everybody. I kill everybody. All - all my f-fault.'

'Nonsense,' Severus told him in that same low voice. 'You haven't killed anyone. . . .' Again, he got the impression that Harry wasn't really listening, and he knew they'd have to address this issue later, when both of them were far calmer, but the boy did stop screeching soon after, and his sobs lessened until they were merely hitched breaths and sniffles.

At that point, Severus walked Harry back to the couch and eased him down, then took a look at the boy's hands, and the rapidly swelling knuckles. He shook his head and Accio'd a bruise salve. 'Make a fist,' he said, of each hand, then opened the jar and spread the salve onto Harry's abraded skin. 'I don't believe you've broken anything. This time. But you may not conduct yourself in that manner again. We discussed the rules of staying here versus going to hospital. If you can't abide by them, I will need to make other arrangements.'

'No,' Harry whispered. 'Please. I'm sorry, sir. I won't do it again, I swear.'

'I'll hold you to that,' Severus told him sternly. 'I have no problem cleaning up a bit of crockery, but I will not put my skills to use fixing your body if you can't be bothered to respect it yourself. And before you ask, I won't just let you heal yourself either. One more incident and I will go to the Headmaster.'

'Yes, sir. I'm sorry.'

'I know you are, Harry.' He closed his eyes briefly, then stood up and capped the jar of salve. 'And for what it's worth, I am too. Sorry. About your owl. I know how much she meant to you.'

Harry nodded, looking exhausted, and Severus couldn't blame him. He was rather exhausted himself.

Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day.

TBC . . .

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxooxoxox

A/N Update: I'm up to here now with the scene break replacements (and aren't they prettier now?) and will work on more when my brain isn't mush.

*Chapter 16*: Chapter 16

Walk the Shadows -- Chapter 16

By jharad17

Disclaimer: Alas, I am but a poor substitute for the real thing.

A/N at end.

Aug. 6

This is stupid.

Why should I have to do this, anyway? I told him it wouldn't do any good, but does he ever listen to me? No! Write, he says. Twenty minutes, if I have enough thoughts for that much time. Even when giving me stupid assignments, he's insulting me. I hate him, and I hate this stupid journal, and I'm not going to write anything in it important if he's gonna bloody well read it after. Though he said he wouldn't, he probably will anyway.

This is stupid.

Just keep writing, he says. Write anything. Okay, fine! How about . . . the main ingredients in Aging potion are asphodel, powdered bicorn horn, chopped daisy roots and rat spleen. The main ingredients in Amortentia potion are Ashwinder eggs, lovage, unicorn hair, and lacewing flies. . . .

After twenty minutes, Harry closed the book and looked up at Professor Snape, who was sitting in what was probably his favorite chair -- he certainly never let Harry sit in it -- and reading. For fun.

Almost immediately, Snape lifted his gaze to meet Harry's. 'Done?'

'Yes, sir. Can I go flying now?'

Snape replaced the bookmark in between pages, set aside his book and stood. 'Yes, of course. I'll get our brooms.'

'Our . . . our brooms?'

'Certainly. You didn't think, when there are undoubtedly those who still wish you harm about, that I would let you let fly off wherever you felt like?'

Since Harry had been hoping for that very thing, he said nothing, while Snape went to get the brooms. He wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize his first trip outside in what felt like years, but which Snape assured him had only been a couple of weeks. And he would do absolutely anything to make sure he got to fly, even if meant