[Fic] Danger In The Healing 11/25 (R) HP: HP/SS
Title: Danger In The Healing (11/25)
Authors:faynia and stormypup
Rating: R
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Categories: Romance, Action/Adventure
Summary: What if Dumbledore told Harry that he was dying, and what Snape's role was in it all. What if Harry then had to depend on the person he hated most in the world to honor Dumbledore's dying wishes?
Answers Challenge: Written for Wave XII of the Harry/Snape fest , What if… challenge.
Beta'd by rakina
Previous Chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Locating the actual cup from the monastery had turned out to be ridiculously easy. They went to the monastery first thing in the morning and were given a tour of the place. After a few well placed questions they found out that the more sacred relics were locked away in the catacombs under the building.
They left the monastery by noon, and Apparated back in after dark. The hardest part was exploring the catacombs without becoming hopelessly lost or walking in circles.
The catacombs seemed to stretch on forever and in every direction. Harry paused mid-step and swayed on his feet. Snape's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch at this and he could barely mask his shock as Harry fell right into him. His arms reflexively went out and caught the boy, whose breathing was labored.
"Potter," he snapped, gripping the boy's jaw as he forced Harry to look at him but what he saw almost caused Snape to drop him. The boy's eyes were rolled up into his head and from the way his mouth was moving it appeared as if he was speaking.
Snape tried shaking Harry and calling his name repeatedly, but to no avail. His sense of panic rising, he wrapped Harry in his arms and attempted to Apparate, but nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing.
Potter was seizing in his arms and it was all he could do not to drop the brat to the stone floor. That would be a bad idea. His own sense of panic was rising exponentially as the minutes passed. He was constantly telling the foolish boy to snap out of it even though he knew it to be a fruitless endeavor. The only way out would be to carry him back the way they had come and he did not like that idea at all. He tried again in desperation to Apparate them both out but once again nothing happened.
Harry's head lolled on his neck as he suddenly slumped forward, not moving.
"Potter," Snape said brusquely not shaking the boy but the desire to do so was strong. He found his annoyance was curbed when glassy, green eyes locked onto his. "Sweet Merlin, you aren't going to cry are you?" he sneered, trying to keep up an unaffected front.
"I'm sorry," Harry croaked, a few tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. "Never should have come along with you. Shouldn't a done it. I should have stayed at the Weasleys'," he babbled in between hiccupping sobs.
Snape's eyes widened in horror. "Is it the Dark Lord? Is he here?" he asked, his eyes darting around the darkness.
"No," Harry said wretchedly, squeezing his eyes shut as he pushed himself away from the Potions m aster, glad that the man hadn't already pushed him away but knowing if he didn't move away on his own he would find himself flat on the floor. "He knows I'm here with you."
Snape's panic translated into anger. "He knows we’re together?" Snape asked angrily. "And not only that, he knows where we are? Good Lord, Potter, have you any idea what you've done?" he asked, horrified.
"I didn't bloody well mean to!" Harry screamed, hugging himself. "Do you think I wanted him to find out?"
"What, exactly, does he know, Potter?" Snape asked before hissing in pain. The Dark Mark felt like it was on fire and Snape had grabbed his arm, holding back a scream.
Harry's eyes widened in panic and fear. "He knows you are with me and that you aren't loyal to his cause, and he knows that we are in Bulgaria and that we are looking for one of the Horcruxes," he babbled, wringing his hands. "He doesn't know that we know what we're looking for and he doesn't know we're in the catacombs."
"Damn it," Snape growled, his teeth clenched against the pain. "We've got to find the cup," he rasped. Everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed was all for nothing. He wasn't going to lose the blasted cup on top of everything else.
"Block your feeble mind, Potter," Snape said, his dark eyes boring into Harry. "Fight with everything you've got in you. If he knows we’re here, it won't be long before there are others here. We have to find the cup and go!"
Harry nodded vigorously attempting to do just as the man told him, but it was hard. He was too damn worried about Snape's condition than what Voldemort might glean from him. Since it was obvious that the Dark Lord was too busy torturing Severus for his betrayal rather than digging for information in Harry's mind, Harry couldn't stop thinking enough to block his mind.
"It would be great if we knew which passage we were supposed to go down," Harry muttered, keeping one eye constantly on the man walking stiffly beside him.
"If we can't Apparate out, they cannot Apparate in," Snape said, clutching his arm tightly. "This ruddy maze of corridors may be the only thing that keeps us alive," Snape said, listening for any sound of movement outside of themselves.
"Or the thing that kills us."
Harry held out his wand casting Lumos, happy for the extra light it afforded them.
Snape snorted mirthlessly in agreement. The next flash of pain in his arm had him collapsing against the nearest wall, breathing heavily. He should get Harry out of there before they were trapped. But he had to find the cup. It had to be destroyed before the Dark Lord took it somewhere else.
The pain was so bad that he couldn't think straight. He didn't know the right choice: save Harry or destroy the cup?
Harry was beside himself in panic. He had never seen the man lose his composure like that before and it left him teetering dangerously on the edge as well. He didn't want to think of what could happen if Voldemort put Snape entirely out of commission.
He glanced down the darkened, dank corridor when something caught his eyes. It seemed like the wall was...glowing. How odd. He glanced at Snape for a moment before curiosity got the better of him. His conscience was scolding him for walking forward into a potentially dangerous situation again, but at this rate what did he have left to lose?
Snape had closed his eyes against the pain and when he opened them again, Potter was halfway down the hall. "Potter," said, but his voice hardly carried. Forcing himself away from the wall, he staggered after the boy.
Harry turned around only to have Snape stumble into him. Harry put his hands on the man's shoulders to steady him.
"It's glowing," he said without preamble when he was certain Snape was seeing straight again, pointing over his shoulder down the corridor to where the faint light was being emitted.
Snape nodded and they made their way toward the glowing light. Snape held Harry back and pointed his wand at the door, searching for wards.
"Stay here," Snape said, stumbling toward the glowing door. Voldemort had warded the door so that anyone other than a Muggle who stepped through it would be in unbearable pain. When he was next to the door, he said as many counter charms as he could remember, hoping beyond hope they would make a difference. He turned back to Harry.
"Whatever happens, do not follow me through this doorway, is that understood?" Snape asked, his breath coming in short pants.
"But-" Harry said in protest but was cut off by a stern glare that seemed to slice through him. His heart was lodged in his throat and he couldn't swallow as he watched Snape push against the rough stone door. He would obey for a time, but if Snape looked to be in too much pain...there was just no way he was going to lose the bastard like this. Not in the same way Dumbledore had been lost. He just couldn't, not again.
It felt as though someone had run a red-hot poker between Snape's ribs and into his chest. The muscles in his neck were bulging and his eyes were shut tightly against the pain. Everything inside of him was screaming to stop, to give up, just walk away. But if he did, he would never be free. All his sacrifices would have been for naught.
With an inhuman scream, he pushed through the magical barrier of the doorway.
Harry almost ran after the man to pull him back when he heard the scream and then Snape disappeared into the darkened room. Harry fidgeted with his wand, keeping himself on alert for anyone coming towards them while he fought the urge to vomit. His eyes were watering as time crept by slowly. Every minute that passed caused Harry's nerves to spike to dangerous levels.
He had never felt so sick with worry, because in most situations he wasn't on the outside just waiting. He was normally in the thick of the action and his imagination never had chance to take over. Well, it was now and the images it was producing were enough to make him stumble into the wall beside the door and sink to the floor. He fisted his hair, trying to distract himself from his own mind.
"He's okay, he's all right, he's okay." Harry's desperation was reaching a fever-pitch as hot tears poured down his cheeks. According to his wristwatch fifteen minutes had passed since Snape had entered the room and there were no outward signs of movement coming from inside.
When Snape finally stumbled back through the doorway, he had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity. His hair was soaked with sweat, and he was having a hard time seeing straight, but he had the cup clutched in his hand.
When at first he didn't see Harry, he panicked, his immediate thought was that Voldemort or his followers had taken him. But movement out of the corner of his eye told him that he was wrong.
"Get up," Snape said, his throat raw and his voice hoarse, his eyes squinting in the darkness. He thought he heard the faint sounds of voices, but there were too many corridors to know which way they were coming from.
Harry's head snapped up at the rasped command, his eyes wide and wet. "You're okay," he breathed as if he truly hadn't expected him to come out of that alive.
Snape was too tired to respond. He was far from okay , but he was still alive and hoped to remain so. The pain in his arm had been nearly overridden by his other pains, but now that he was back in the corridor, he felt the pain in his arm all too well.
"We've got to get out," he rasped, looking at Harry who was still staring at him in disbelief.
This brought Harry back to the present situation at hand. He nodded once clambering to his feet, staring in awe at the gold goblet that Snape was clutching tightly.
"Right," he said, wand clenched tightly in his hands again as he finally heard the same voices Snape had earlier.
Snape searched for someplace to hide, but finding nothing offhand, he motioned to Harry and they moved deeper into the catacombs. His finally saw a small door which he unlocked with his wand, pulling Harry in after him.
With a brief glance at the empty room, Snape said, "Nox," and his wand stopped glowing. Harry's soon followed suit.
Harry tensed when he heard the voices getting closer. They weren't speaking English so he had no idea what they were saying. The darkness was all-encompassing and he struggled with himself not to crack under claustrophobia. He edged closer to Snape until he was touching him. His hand groped blindly for anything and found the man's hand first. It was clenched in a fist but it didn't matter to Harry, it was skin. He was touching a living breathing person. He wasn't locked up and alone in the darkness.
Snape was momentarily startled when Harry's hand found his, but he didn't pull away. The last thing he needed was Harry coming unglued at the wrong moment. The voices were coming nearer, and Harry clenched Snape's hand almost painfully when he heard the latch on the door rattle.
Snape tensed, prepared to unleash a number of spells on whoever walked through the door, but nobody did and the voices moved on.
Harry's heart was beating at an alarmingly irregular pace and he no longer noticed the people outside their door, nor did he notice the way Snape had tensed, wand drawn, curses on the tip of his tongue. His hand clenched tightly around Snape's and he was pressed back to back with the man, trying to get himself to calm down. He hated small places. He hated dark places. He hated small, dark places even more.
Even when the voices faded, Snape could tell that Harry hadn't relaxed at all. In fact, he seemed to be working himself up even more.
"Potter, breathe," Snape hissed as Harry's nails began to dig into his skin.
"I can't," Harry whispered in pain. He was closing his eyes to block out nothing at all. He had to center himself and he really had no idea of how to go about doing so. His breath was coming out in sharp, strangled gasps and despite not being able to see his hand in front of his face he knew his vision was swimming.
Snape shifted around so that he was facing Harry. He said a spell creating the smallest glow on his wand tip and held it up to Harry's face. The boy had his eyes closed and was muttering something that Snape didn't understand.
"Potter!" he hissed a little louder. He squeezed Harry's face between his fingers. "Potter, look at me!" he ordered.
Harry opened his eyes as commanded, his mouth opened as he continued to inhale with a gasp.
"Breathe, Potter," Snape said, keeping his eyes locked on Harry's. There was no way he could get the two of them out of there alone. He wasn't even sure he could make it out on his own. "Look at me and breathe," he ordered softly.
Harry stayed locked in the gaze as he attempted to regulate his breathing. At such a close distance it wasn't hard to see how much pain Snape was in and how ragged he looked. Harry couldn't blink or turn away as his breathing slowly and painfully went back to normal. His chest felt like it was on fire and distantly he could feel blood trickling out of his nose.
"N-no," Harry stammered, a blush rising up his neck and infusing his cheeks with color.
Snape released Harry's face, and leaned against the wall, sliding painfully to the stone floor. "We have to wait awhile before we try and leave," he said tiredly. "The Dark Lord may try to breach your defenses to find out where we went. You've got to block him out," Snape said, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall.
The pain in his arm had lessened, but he had no doubt it would be back soon enough.
"I don't know how," Harry admitted feebly, already missing the contact.
"Yes you do," Snape said, looking up at Harry in the faint wand light. "You could block me when you wanted it badly enough. Our lives depend on it," he said, feeling resigned. He was exhausted and hurting and he was stuck in a stone room. They couldn't afford Voldemort to learn anything about them. If he found out they were still in the catacombs, the Death Eaters wouldn't stop until they found them.
"It only happens when I'm angry," Harry refuted, knowing it sounded stupid and knowing that Snape was about ready to drop from exhaustion.
Snape pulled his knees up and rested his forehead against them. "Then we're dead," Snape whispered before lifting his head up to look at Harry again.
Using the wall for support, Snape got to his feet. "We have no choice but to go," he said, closing his eyes against the dizziness. "If he learns we are still in the catacombs we'll be cornered," he said, taking a steadying breath and moving away from the wall.
Harry was at his side in an instant. Snape was in a bad way. Why the hell had he insisted on being the one to retrieve the damn cup? It wasn't like Harry had the ability to carry the bastard anywhere; he wasn't strong enough. At least if Harry passed out, he knew Snape would be more than capable of hauling his sorry arse elsewhere. As it were, if Snape passed out Harry would either have to risk using magic near Muggles or just dragging him through the catacombs and neither was appealing.
But Snape was right. If they stayed here much longer they were as good as dead. Harry was certain that Voldemort had already sent out a band of Death Eaters to look for them and the sooner they got out of the catacombs and Bulgaria the better.
Snape was swaying dangerously and was deathly pale. Harry gulped, afraid that if he tried to help at this point in time he'd be hexed. So he just stuck close to Snape's side in case the man decided he needed help.
He stepped away just long enough to press his ear against the wooden door, listening intently, but there was no sound to be heard. He grasped the handle and looked over his shoulder for confirmation to go ahead and open it. Snape nodded wearily, eyeing Harry disinterestedly. The raven-haired boy opened the door cautiously and peered down the darkened halls.
"All clear," he said, taking a step out of the storage closet they had hidden in.
Snape reached out a long arm and grabbed Harry by the back of his shirt, pulling him backwards. "I'll go first," he growled, practically shoving Harry behind him. "If we're attacked, you run, do you understand?"
Harry was about to protest, but Snape cut him off. "You are too important to lose, Potter, and as of tonight, my worth to this cause is done. You will obey me in this," he warned darkly.
"Yes, sir," Harry ground out, but had no intention of obeying Snape. He wouldn't leave him on his own to face a group of angry and betrayed Death Eaters. "Can we go now?" he asked. Snape was barely able to stand and he expected Harry to just cut and run at the first sign of trouble? Not bloody likely, Harry thought.
Maybe Hermione was right and he did have a 'saving people thing'. Never in his life had he thought he might have to save Snape of all people. He knew that he had an important part to play in this war, probably the most important part, but Harry wasn't going to let other people die just so he could kill Voldemort one day.
"Wands out," Snape whispered needlessly, for they both had their wands clenched tightly in their hands.
Harry couldn't help but notice that Snape wasn't just hugging the wall for stealth, but to keep upright. "Yeah, I'm just gonna leave you," Harry murmured softly under his breath.
They made their way silently down the corridor.
Every sound that echoed through the corridors caused them to freeze in fear. Now they knew Voldemort knew where they were, their already ingrained senses of paranoia grew. Neither of them would admit it though it was growing increasingly obvious. Harry had stopped walking in the middle of the path and was hugging the wall, practically clutching at Snape's sleeve just to make sure he didn't up and vanish, and Snape had yet to shake him off.
After what seemed like forever to both of them, they saw a bright light that could only be the way out. They crept forward with painstaking slowness, well aware that it could be a trap.
"I'm going first," Snape grunted, staring down at Harry with a discontented expression.
Harry's expression darkened. "What if it's a trap?"
"Then you shall stay here out of harm's way."
Harry opened his mouth in shock. Snape really hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't want Harry to help if he got into any trouble. It wasn't that Harry had doubted him but it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice over his head and a few cubes had got stuck in his shirt. His stomach flip-flopped as Snape gently pried his arm from Harry's hold.
Stealing himself, Snape forced himself off the wall and took a moment to gain his footing. When Snape didn't stumble or faint, he made his way toward the light, wand held tightly. He said a spell that Harry didn't quite hear before walking slowly back toward Harry.
"The Apparation barrier ends at the bottom of those stairs," Snape said, his relief evident in his voice. "Just in case, we need to Apparate together. Getting separated now would be disastrous. Are you strong enough to Disapparate the two of us?" he asked, measuring Harry in a glance.
Snape wasn't going to come right out and say that he couldn't Disapparate the two of them, that if he tried, he would probably splinch them both.
"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, happy that Snape was going to let him do something. "Where to?" he asked.
Snape thought for a moment, considering their options. His cover was already blown so he might as well just go home. Draco would have to be dealt with, but it didn't matter anymore.
"The village. You remember the house?" he asked, frowning.
"I remember the old lady well enough," he said with a light smile. Snape just stared at him, brow arched.
"Yes, I can get us back there," Harry said, scowling at Snape. Couldn't the man ever lighten up?
Snape nodded wearily. "As soon as we pass the barrier, do not wait. Apparate immediately," he said. Harry nodded and the two of them made their way to the staircase.
Peeking his head around the corner, Snape saw no one, but he could hear the sound of voices echoing down the staircase. He held his finger to his lips, and then beckoned Harry to join him. Together, they stepped onto the first step.
"Now," Snape hissed, just as the voices became silent. He heard a shout right before Harry wrapped his arms around him in a tight grip. A moment later, they were gone.
Next Chapter: Chapter Twelve
Authors:faynia and stormypup
Rating: R
Pairing: Snape/Harry
Categories: Romance, Action/Adventure
Summary: What if Dumbledore told Harry that he was dying, and what Snape's role was in it all. What if Harry then had to depend on the person he hated most in the world to honor Dumbledore's dying wishes?
Answers Challenge: Written for Wave XII of the Harry/Snape fest , What if… challenge.
Beta'd by rakina
Previous Chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Locating the actual cup from the monastery had turned out to be ridiculously easy. They went to the monastery first thing in the morning and were given a tour of the place. After a few well placed questions they found out that the more sacred relics were locked away in the catacombs under the building.
They left the monastery by noon, and Apparated back in after dark. The hardest part was exploring the catacombs without becoming hopelessly lost or walking in circles.
The catacombs seemed to stretch on forever and in every direction. Harry paused mid-step and swayed on his feet. Snape's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch at this and he could barely mask his shock as Harry fell right into him. His arms reflexively went out and caught the boy, whose breathing was labored.
"Potter," he snapped, gripping the boy's jaw as he forced Harry to look at him but what he saw almost caused Snape to drop him. The boy's eyes were rolled up into his head and from the way his mouth was moving it appeared as if he was speaking.
Snape tried shaking Harry and calling his name repeatedly, but to no avail. His sense of panic rising, he wrapped Harry in his arms and attempted to Apparate, but nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing.
Potter was seizing in his arms and it was all he could do not to drop the brat to the stone floor. That would be a bad idea. His own sense of panic was rising exponentially as the minutes passed. He was constantly telling the foolish boy to snap out of it even though he knew it to be a fruitless endeavor. The only way out would be to carry him back the way they had come and he did not like that idea at all. He tried again in desperation to Apparate them both out but once again nothing happened.
Harry's head lolled on his neck as he suddenly slumped forward, not moving.
"Potter," Snape said brusquely not shaking the boy but the desire to do so was strong. He found his annoyance was curbed when glassy, green eyes locked onto his. "Sweet Merlin, you aren't going to cry are you?" he sneered, trying to keep up an unaffected front.
"I'm sorry," Harry croaked, a few tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. "Never should have come along with you. Shouldn't a done it. I should have stayed at the Weasleys'," he babbled in between hiccupping sobs.
Snape's eyes widened in horror. "Is it the Dark Lord? Is he here?" he asked, his eyes darting around the darkness.
"No," Harry said wretchedly, squeezing his eyes shut as he pushed himself away from the Potions m aster, glad that the man hadn't already pushed him away but knowing if he didn't move away on his own he would find himself flat on the floor. "He knows I'm here with you."
Snape's panic translated into anger. "He knows we’re together?" Snape asked angrily. "And not only that, he knows where we are? Good Lord, Potter, have you any idea what you've done?" he asked, horrified.
"I didn't bloody well mean to!" Harry screamed, hugging himself. "Do you think I wanted him to find out?"
"What, exactly, does he know, Potter?" Snape asked before hissing in pain. The Dark Mark felt like it was on fire and Snape had grabbed his arm, holding back a scream.
Harry's eyes widened in panic and fear. "He knows you are with me and that you aren't loyal to his cause, and he knows that we are in Bulgaria and that we are looking for one of the Horcruxes," he babbled, wringing his hands. "He doesn't know that we know what we're looking for and he doesn't know we're in the catacombs."
"Damn it," Snape growled, his teeth clenched against the pain. "We've got to find the cup," he rasped. Everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed was all for nothing. He wasn't going to lose the blasted cup on top of everything else.
"Block your feeble mind, Potter," Snape said, his dark eyes boring into Harry. "Fight with everything you've got in you. If he knows we’re here, it won't be long before there are others here. We have to find the cup and go!"
Harry nodded vigorously attempting to do just as the man told him, but it was hard. He was too damn worried about Snape's condition than what Voldemort might glean from him. Since it was obvious that the Dark Lord was too busy torturing Severus for his betrayal rather than digging for information in Harry's mind, Harry couldn't stop thinking enough to block his mind.
"It would be great if we knew which passage we were supposed to go down," Harry muttered, keeping one eye constantly on the man walking stiffly beside him.
"If we can't Apparate out, they cannot Apparate in," Snape said, clutching his arm tightly. "This ruddy maze of corridors may be the only thing that keeps us alive," Snape said, listening for any sound of movement outside of themselves.
"Or the thing that kills us."
Harry held out his wand casting Lumos, happy for the extra light it afforded them.
Snape snorted mirthlessly in agreement. The next flash of pain in his arm had him collapsing against the nearest wall, breathing heavily. He should get Harry out of there before they were trapped. But he had to find the cup. It had to be destroyed before the Dark Lord took it somewhere else.
The pain was so bad that he couldn't think straight. He didn't know the right choice: save Harry or destroy the cup?
Harry was beside himself in panic. He had never seen the man lose his composure like that before and it left him teetering dangerously on the edge as well. He didn't want to think of what could happen if Voldemort put Snape entirely out of commission.
He glanced down the darkened, dank corridor when something caught his eyes. It seemed like the wall was...glowing. How odd. He glanced at Snape for a moment before curiosity got the better of him. His conscience was scolding him for walking forward into a potentially dangerous situation again, but at this rate what did he have left to lose?
Snape had closed his eyes against the pain and when he opened them again, Potter was halfway down the hall. "Potter," said, but his voice hardly carried. Forcing himself away from the wall, he staggered after the boy.
Harry turned around only to have Snape stumble into him. Harry put his hands on the man's shoulders to steady him.
"It's glowing," he said without preamble when he was certain Snape was seeing straight again, pointing over his shoulder down the corridor to where the faint light was being emitted.
Snape nodded and they made their way toward the glowing light. Snape held Harry back and pointed his wand at the door, searching for wards.
"Stay here," Snape said, stumbling toward the glowing door. Voldemort had warded the door so that anyone other than a Muggle who stepped through it would be in unbearable pain. When he was next to the door, he said as many counter charms as he could remember, hoping beyond hope they would make a difference. He turned back to Harry.
"Whatever happens, do not follow me through this doorway, is that understood?" Snape asked, his breath coming in short pants.
"But-" Harry said in protest but was cut off by a stern glare that seemed to slice through him. His heart was lodged in his throat and he couldn't swallow as he watched Snape push against the rough stone door. He would obey for a time, but if Snape looked to be in too much pain...there was just no way he was going to lose the bastard like this. Not in the same way Dumbledore had been lost. He just couldn't, not again.
It felt as though someone had run a red-hot poker between Snape's ribs and into his chest. The muscles in his neck were bulging and his eyes were shut tightly against the pain. Everything inside of him was screaming to stop, to give up, just walk away. But if he did, he would never be free. All his sacrifices would have been for naught.
With an inhuman scream, he pushed through the magical barrier of the doorway.
Harry almost ran after the man to pull him back when he heard the scream and then Snape disappeared into the darkened room. Harry fidgeted with his wand, keeping himself on alert for anyone coming towards them while he fought the urge to vomit. His eyes were watering as time crept by slowly. Every minute that passed caused Harry's nerves to spike to dangerous levels.
He had never felt so sick with worry, because in most situations he wasn't on the outside just waiting. He was normally in the thick of the action and his imagination never had chance to take over. Well, it was now and the images it was producing were enough to make him stumble into the wall beside the door and sink to the floor. He fisted his hair, trying to distract himself from his own mind.
"He's okay, he's all right, he's okay." Harry's desperation was reaching a fever-pitch as hot tears poured down his cheeks. According to his wristwatch fifteen minutes had passed since Snape had entered the room and there were no outward signs of movement coming from inside.
When Snape finally stumbled back through the doorway, he had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity. His hair was soaked with sweat, and he was having a hard time seeing straight, but he had the cup clutched in his hand.
When at first he didn't see Harry, he panicked, his immediate thought was that Voldemort or his followers had taken him. But movement out of the corner of his eye told him that he was wrong.
"Get up," Snape said, his throat raw and his voice hoarse, his eyes squinting in the darkness. He thought he heard the faint sounds of voices, but there were too many corridors to know which way they were coming from.
Harry's head snapped up at the rasped command, his eyes wide and wet. "You're okay," he breathed as if he truly hadn't expected him to come out of that alive.
Snape was too tired to respond. He was far from okay , but he was still alive and hoped to remain so. The pain in his arm had been nearly overridden by his other pains, but now that he was back in the corridor, he felt the pain in his arm all too well.
"We've got to get out," he rasped, looking at Harry who was still staring at him in disbelief.
This brought Harry back to the present situation at hand. He nodded once clambering to his feet, staring in awe at the gold goblet that Snape was clutching tightly.
"Right," he said, wand clenched tightly in his hands again as he finally heard the same voices Snape had earlier.
Snape searched for someplace to hide, but finding nothing offhand, he motioned to Harry and they moved deeper into the catacombs. His finally saw a small door which he unlocked with his wand, pulling Harry in after him.
With a brief glance at the empty room, Snape said, "Nox," and his wand stopped glowing. Harry's soon followed suit.
Harry tensed when he heard the voices getting closer. They weren't speaking English so he had no idea what they were saying. The darkness was all-encompassing and he struggled with himself not to crack under claustrophobia. He edged closer to Snape until he was touching him. His hand groped blindly for anything and found the man's hand first. It was clenched in a fist but it didn't matter to Harry, it was skin. He was touching a living breathing person. He wasn't locked up and alone in the darkness.
Snape was momentarily startled when Harry's hand found his, but he didn't pull away. The last thing he needed was Harry coming unglued at the wrong moment. The voices were coming nearer, and Harry clenched Snape's hand almost painfully when he heard the latch on the door rattle.
Snape tensed, prepared to unleash a number of spells on whoever walked through the door, but nobody did and the voices moved on.
Harry's heart was beating at an alarmingly irregular pace and he no longer noticed the people outside their door, nor did he notice the way Snape had tensed, wand drawn, curses on the tip of his tongue. His hand clenched tightly around Snape's and he was pressed back to back with the man, trying to get himself to calm down. He hated small places. He hated dark places. He hated small, dark places even more.
Even when the voices faded, Snape could tell that Harry hadn't relaxed at all. In fact, he seemed to be working himself up even more.
"Potter, breathe," Snape hissed as Harry's nails began to dig into his skin.
"I can't," Harry whispered in pain. He was closing his eyes to block out nothing at all. He had to center himself and he really had no idea of how to go about doing so. His breath was coming out in sharp, strangled gasps and despite not being able to see his hand in front of his face he knew his vision was swimming.
Snape shifted around so that he was facing Harry. He said a spell creating the smallest glow on his wand tip and held it up to Harry's face. The boy had his eyes closed and was muttering something that Snape didn't understand.
"Potter!" he hissed a little louder. He squeezed Harry's face between his fingers. "Potter, look at me!" he ordered.
Harry opened his eyes as commanded, his mouth opened as he continued to inhale with a gasp.
"Breathe, Potter," Snape said, keeping his eyes locked on Harry's. There was no way he could get the two of them out of there alone. He wasn't even sure he could make it out on his own. "Look at me and breathe," he ordered softly.
Harry stayed locked in the gaze as he attempted to regulate his breathing. At such a close distance it wasn't hard to see how much pain Snape was in and how ragged he looked. Harry couldn't blink or turn away as his breathing slowly and painfully went back to normal. His chest felt like it was on fire and distantly he could feel blood trickling out of his nose.
"N-no," Harry stammered, a blush rising up his neck and infusing his cheeks with color.
Snape released Harry's face, and leaned against the wall, sliding painfully to the stone floor. "We have to wait awhile before we try and leave," he said tiredly. "The Dark Lord may try to breach your defenses to find out where we went. You've got to block him out," Snape said, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall.
The pain in his arm had lessened, but he had no doubt it would be back soon enough.
"I don't know how," Harry admitted feebly, already missing the contact.
"Yes you do," Snape said, looking up at Harry in the faint wand light. "You could block me when you wanted it badly enough. Our lives depend on it," he said, feeling resigned. He was exhausted and hurting and he was stuck in a stone room. They couldn't afford Voldemort to learn anything about them. If he found out they were still in the catacombs, the Death Eaters wouldn't stop until they found them.
"It only happens when I'm angry," Harry refuted, knowing it sounded stupid and knowing that Snape was about ready to drop from exhaustion.
Snape pulled his knees up and rested his forehead against them. "Then we're dead," Snape whispered before lifting his head up to look at Harry again.
Using the wall for support, Snape got to his feet. "We have no choice but to go," he said, closing his eyes against the dizziness. "If he learns we are still in the catacombs we'll be cornered," he said, taking a steadying breath and moving away from the wall.
Harry was at his side in an instant. Snape was in a bad way. Why the hell had he insisted on being the one to retrieve the damn cup? It wasn't like Harry had the ability to carry the bastard anywhere; he wasn't strong enough. At least if Harry passed out, he knew Snape would be more than capable of hauling his sorry arse elsewhere. As it were, if Snape passed out Harry would either have to risk using magic near Muggles or just dragging him through the catacombs and neither was appealing.
But Snape was right. If they stayed here much longer they were as good as dead. Harry was certain that Voldemort had already sent out a band of Death Eaters to look for them and the sooner they got out of the catacombs and Bulgaria the better.
Snape was swaying dangerously and was deathly pale. Harry gulped, afraid that if he tried to help at this point in time he'd be hexed. So he just stuck close to Snape's side in case the man decided he needed help.
He stepped away just long enough to press his ear against the wooden door, listening intently, but there was no sound to be heard. He grasped the handle and looked over his shoulder for confirmation to go ahead and open it. Snape nodded wearily, eyeing Harry disinterestedly. The raven-haired boy opened the door cautiously and peered down the darkened halls.
"All clear," he said, taking a step out of the storage closet they had hidden in.
Snape reached out a long arm and grabbed Harry by the back of his shirt, pulling him backwards. "I'll go first," he growled, practically shoving Harry behind him. "If we're attacked, you run, do you understand?"
Harry was about to protest, but Snape cut him off. "You are too important to lose, Potter, and as of tonight, my worth to this cause is done. You will obey me in this," he warned darkly.
"Yes, sir," Harry ground out, but had no intention of obeying Snape. He wouldn't leave him on his own to face a group of angry and betrayed Death Eaters. "Can we go now?" he asked. Snape was barely able to stand and he expected Harry to just cut and run at the first sign of trouble? Not bloody likely, Harry thought.
Maybe Hermione was right and he did have a 'saving people thing'. Never in his life had he thought he might have to save Snape of all people. He knew that he had an important part to play in this war, probably the most important part, but Harry wasn't going to let other people die just so he could kill Voldemort one day.
"Wands out," Snape whispered needlessly, for they both had their wands clenched tightly in their hands.
Harry couldn't help but notice that Snape wasn't just hugging the wall for stealth, but to keep upright. "Yeah, I'm just gonna leave you," Harry murmured softly under his breath.
They made their way silently down the corridor.
Every sound that echoed through the corridors caused them to freeze in fear. Now they knew Voldemort knew where they were, their already ingrained senses of paranoia grew. Neither of them would admit it though it was growing increasingly obvious. Harry had stopped walking in the middle of the path and was hugging the wall, practically clutching at Snape's sleeve just to make sure he didn't up and vanish, and Snape had yet to shake him off.
After what seemed like forever to both of them, they saw a bright light that could only be the way out. They crept forward with painstaking slowness, well aware that it could be a trap.
"I'm going first," Snape grunted, staring down at Harry with a discontented expression.
Harry's expression darkened. "What if it's a trap?"
"Then you shall stay here out of harm's way."
Harry opened his mouth in shock. Snape really hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't want Harry to help if he got into any trouble. It wasn't that Harry had doubted him but it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice over his head and a few cubes had got stuck in his shirt. His stomach flip-flopped as Snape gently pried his arm from Harry's hold.
Stealing himself, Snape forced himself off the wall and took a moment to gain his footing. When Snape didn't stumble or faint, he made his way toward the light, wand held tightly. He said a spell that Harry didn't quite hear before walking slowly back toward Harry.
"The Apparation barrier ends at the bottom of those stairs," Snape said, his relief evident in his voice. "Just in case, we need to Apparate together. Getting separated now would be disastrous. Are you strong enough to Disapparate the two of us?" he asked, measuring Harry in a glance.
Snape wasn't going to come right out and say that he couldn't Disapparate the two of them, that if he tried, he would probably splinch them both.
"Yeah," Harry said, nodding, happy that Snape was going to let him do something. "Where to?" he asked.
Snape thought for a moment, considering their options. His cover was already blown so he might as well just go home. Draco would have to be dealt with, but it didn't matter anymore.
"The village. You remember the house?" he asked, frowning.
"I remember the old lady well enough," he said with a light smile. Snape just stared at him, brow arched.
"Yes, I can get us back there," Harry said, scowling at Snape. Couldn't the man ever lighten up?
Snape nodded wearily. "As soon as we pass the barrier, do not wait. Apparate immediately," he said. Harry nodded and the two of them made their way to the staircase.
Peeking his head around the corner, Snape saw no one, but he could hear the sound of voices echoing down the staircase. He held his finger to his lips, and then beckoned Harry to join him. Together, they stepped onto the first step.
"Now," Snape hissed, just as the voices became silent. He heard a shout right before Harry wrapped his arms around him in a tight grip. A moment later, they were gone.
Next Chapter: Chapter Twelve