Walk the Shadows

'He's been helping me, Remus. He . . . he knows what happened there, and he's been helping me.' The nausea was back, and Harry swallowed it down. He was not going to get sick all over Remus.

'What did happen?' Remus asked softly. 'You can tell me anything.'

Harry shook his head. 'I don't want to talk about it.'

'Not now, or not with me?'

'Both. I'm sorry, Remus. I just--'

'It's okay, Harry. Really.' Remus' words were comforting, but he sounded sad, and kind of disappointed.

Harry's heart ached for it, but he couldn't talk about what had happened in Topsham. Not now. Maybe never. But if he ever did, it was going to be with someone who knew, someone he trusted to understand and not pretend that everything was just peachy, and who'd let him rant and cry and everything else he needed. Someone like Snape.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOX

The first thing Severus said upon waking was, 'Harry!'

Poppy was there a moment later, her bustling and businesslike air putting him somewhat at ease. 'He's fine, Severus. How he managed to cart you up here is anyone's guess. The boy's just skin and bones, haven't you been feeding him? But he'll be glad to know you've pulled through again.'

She thrust a potion in his face, and he batted it away, though the enormity of his relief made him feel faint. He'd been sure the boy was dead. For all his precautions and all his monitoring, he was sure Harry had killed himself, and it would have been all Severus' fault. 'I'm fine, woman. Put that away!'

'Well,' Poppy sniffed. 'You must be feeling better if you're surly already. But I'm not releasing you from the infirmary till we've got you completely warmed up. Now drink!'

With an aggravated sigh, Severus took the bottle of Pepper-up potion and gulped it down. The familiar warmth surged through him, and steam blasted out his ears. Once he had his breath back, he growled, 'Satisfied?'

'I don't know why I bother,' the medi-witch complained. 'Between you and Mr. Potter, I don't know which of you is harder to manage when you've ended up in my care.'

'Potter,' Severus told her.

'Nah. It's Professor Snape,' Potter said, peeking his head around the corner of the curtain.

Severus snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, feeling almost giddy, a completely unnatural feeling for him, seeing the boy unharmed. Maybe he was having a heart attack? 'I should say not. I am a model priso -- rather, patient. You, on the other hand, are incorrigible.'

'Incorri-what?' The boy came fully around the curtain, frowning now.

'Have you never met a dictionary, Potter? I should be glad to introduce you, if not.'

'Ha. Very ha.' The boy smiled a little. 'I mean, very ha, sir.'

Severus sighed and waved his hand at the curtain. 'Do you mind? I would like to make my escape from here as soon as possible, but I'd rather have a bit of privacy for dressing.'

'Oh! Sorry, sir.' Red-faced, the boy made an about turn and fled the cubicle.

Severus raised his eyebrows at Poppy, and with another disdainful sniff, she vacated the area as well. He dressed slowly, as despite the Pepper-up and whatever else Poppy had force fed him, he was exhausted. But soon enough, he was ready to push aside the curtain and face the world -- or at least, this small portion of it -- again.

Harry was lingering just on the other side of the enclosure, and down near the double doors leading to the outside corridor was Lupin. Severus cast a sneer the werewolf's way, but his heart wasn't in it. Nothing like a near death experience to make certain truths quite clear. And one of them was that life was too short to put too much energy into maintaining old feuds.

'Come along, Harry,' he said as he made his way toward the double doors and freedom.

Harry gaped at him for a moment, but then did as he was told, and followed Severus out of the hospital wing.

'See you later then, Harry?' Lupin said as they passed him by.

'Er, yeah, Remus. Okay.' But the boy's shoulders twitched up as he said it, and Severus knew he was uncomfortable with the idea of being in anyone's presence. Well, that would come with time, like everything else. Time they were running out of, unfortunately. Classes would start up again in less than four weeks, and Harry needed to be ready to face other students by then.

They walked down to the dungeon in silence. Severus hesitated briefly at the warded entrance to his quarters. Harry had never come in this way, at least not consciously, and he wasn't altogether sure he wanted the boy to know the password. But . . . well, if Harry was going to be here till September 1st, he probably should know how to get inside.

'Give me your hand,' he said, and Harry looked at him askance. 'I'm not going to bite it. The door needs to recognize you, and you'll need to put your hands on a particular spot for it to do so. Unless you fancy lingering about in the hallway whenever I'm not available to let you in?'

'No, sir! I mean, yes, sir.' Harry held out his hand.

Severus took it and pressed the boy's thumb and forefinger onto two nearly invisible indentations. 'Serpentia extremitas,' he murmured, and the door warmed to the new person's touch. 'Now you'll be allowed to enter,' he told Harry. 'Just press those two spots again and say the password. Clear?'

'Yes, sir. Thank you.'