In the Lurking Darkness

~*~

Harry covered his ears at the hideous sound until Dobby grabbed his arm and pulled him into another room. The screams stopped suddenly, sending a wave of fear down Harry’s spine. He looked around the room briefly, noting the raging fire in the hearth, and a pale figure on a large, four-poster bed.

Severus Snape was sitting in the middle of his bed on his knees. His dark eyes were wide and shiny with tears that streaked down his shallow cheeks. There was no focus in the cloudy gaze. His wildly heaving chest was bare, the nightshirt in shreds around his waist. There were streaks of blood crisscrossing over his torso. Harry could only assume they were from his own scratching as his fingertips were also covered in blood as they hung loosely at his sides.

“Dobby,” Harry said, finally finding his voice. “Get some cool water and several flannels.”

Harry quickly found the bathroom and rooted through the medicine chest until he found a calming draught. He eased himself onto the bed next to the trembling man. He very slowly and gently touched the side of Snape’s face, not wanting to frighten him any more than he already was.

He was shocked at just how cold and clammy his skin was, considering the large fire warming the room. He was even more surprised when Snape didn’t flinch at his touch. He was able to tilt the dark head back enough to pour the potion down Snape’s throat without any fuss. Snape’s lack of resistance compounded Harry’s worries.

Dobby returned, setting a basin of water on the bedside table along with several soft cloths. Harry nudged Snape’s shoulder while supporting his neck and back as Harry lowered him onto the bed. Snape moaned at the discomfort of having his legs bent awkwardly. Harry quickly got an arm under his knees and lifted until Snape could stretch his legs out properly, then settled him back on the bed.

Snape’s eyes continued to stare unfocused and his body was racked with uncontrolled tremors. Harry took one of the flannels and dampened it in the cool water before placing it over Snape’s eyes. Dobby gasped and reached for the cloth just as Snape began screaming again.

“No, no! Mustn’t cover his eyes!” the little house-elf yelled, snatching the cloth away. Snape stopped screaming again, but his chest heaved harder than before.

“Mustn’t cover his eyes,” Dobby repeated weakly.

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Harry whispered, the apology meant for both Snape and Dobby. He took the cloth again and settled it over Snape’s forehead, careful not to cover the horror-filled obsidian eyes.

Harry used the flannels to gently wipe away the blood from Snape’s overly thin chest. He was sure he could easily count every bone in the man’s body by sight alone. Snape looked more skeletal than anyone Harry had ever seen before. Harry was only a couple of inches shorter than his professor, having gone through a recent growth spurt, but he was certain he out-weighed the man by at least a full stone.

Harry could have used a cleaning spell and had it done in the blink of an eye, but he thought the physical touch might be more soothing than the sudden tingle of magic over the tense muscle and skin. He was grateful when the tremors lessened to the point of being a mild shiver. His own tense muscles began to relax even though the cloudy haze in Snape’s dark eyes didn’t waver in the least.

By the time Harry had cleaned and dressed the deep scratches on Snape’s chest, he was exhausted. Snape’s eyes had finally closed and he appeared to be asleep. Harry glanced at his watch and was shocked by the time. His friends would already be heading for the Great Hall for their final breakfast at Hogwarts before taking the train back to their homes and families.

“Dobby?” Harry called, not sure of the little elf’s whereabouts. Dobby popped up from the other side of the large bed, looking as though he had been asleep.

“I’m going to breakfast. Stay here with him, please. I’ll be back in about an hour. You’ll have to let me back in so listen for my knock.”

“Oh, yes, Sir Harry Potter! Dobby will listen for your return.” Dobby gave him a nod, his big brown eyes still dark with worry as he glanced at Snape’s sleeping form.

“I’m sure he’ll be alright,” Harry said with as much confidence as he could muster. “Just… just stay with him.”

Harry got up from the bed, stretching his tight, sore muscles. He gently touched Snape’s face, still taunt and stressed. Harry wondered how it was that he wasn’t relaxed, even in sleep. He shook his head sadly before turning to locate his friends before they sent out a search party for him.

~*~*~

Severus awoke screaming and bolting upright in the bed. As pain racked through his body, he stopped screaming and clutched his stomach, whimpering quietly. He glanced around the room with his bleary eyes, but saw only Dobby staring back at him. Harry had gone and left him alone, probably disgusted with his weakness.

He tucked his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs tightly, burying his face, and began rocking back and forth. He heard Dobby’s soft voice speaking to him, but paid no attention to the words. They were meaningless and empty, like his whole world.

He was still rocking silently when Harry returned half an hour later. Harry stood in the doorway and sighed sadly at the devastating sight. The man he thought could never break, never give up, was broken and lost and Harry didn’t know how to help him.

He approached the bed cautiously, not wanting to scare Snape further, and whispered his name. He laid a gentle hand on the sweat soaked head, repeating Snape’s name. He was shocked by the joy his saw light up Snape’s eyes when he finally looked up at Harry.

“You came back,” Snape whispered, his voice hoarse and rough from hours of screaming.

“Of course I did. You didn’t think I would leave you alone, did you?” Harry asked softly, already knowing that was indeed what Snape had thought and feared. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Snape into his arms, murmuring softly as he stroked Snape’s hair.

“You came back,” he continued to say over and over as he sobbed into Harry’s shoulder, clinging to him like a lifeline.

“Yes, I came back for you, Sna… Severus. I came back for you,” Harry assured him.

It was over an hour before Severus fell back to sleep. Harry sat with him throughout the day, feeding him broth when he was awake, reading to him as he slept, and just being a constant presence in the room. His anger toward the Dark Lord and his minions grew every minute. After years of whittling away at Severus’ life, they had finally succeeded in destroying him.

Harry also blamed Albus Dumbledore for not protecting Severus, for allowing, forcing Severus to spy. Yes, the information Severus provided was important, but not at the cost of the man’s soul. Nothing was worth that. As he watched Severus toss and turn and whimper in his sleep, Harry vowed that no one would use this man again.

~*~

Later that evening, Dobby informed Harry that Professor Dumbledore was there to see Severus. Harry nodded to the elf and rose from the chair he had been sitting in next to Severus’ bed.

His eyes blazed as he glared at the man he had trusted above all others for so long. He noted the lack of twinkle in the pale blue eyes and found that he just didn’t care. Severus was hurt, dying inside, what did it matter if the old fool felt bad now? The damage was done.

“Get out,” Harry told him firmly, his voice steely cold.

Dumbledore was taken aback by the fierceness of Harry’s tone. “Harry, I just wanted…”

“I don’t care what YOU want,” Harry said, cutting him off with his sharp tongue. “This isn’t about YOU anymore. You’ve used him long enough, you’ve used him up! He is NOT your pawn any longer, Professor!” Harry spit the last word out distastefully.

“Harry, I understand your anger,” Dumbledore started in a condescending tone.

“No, I don’t think you do,” Harry said in a deadly quiet voice. He could feel the anger within him causing his magic to crackle and spark in the air around him. “Leave.”

Dumbledore gasped as felt Harry’s magic pushing against him. He looked at Harry with shock and fear, finally nodding. He turned on his heel and left without another word.

Harry took several deep breaths and allowed the anger to dissipate before returning to Severus’ side. He found that Severus had moved over on the bed, nearly falling off the edge of it. Harry yawned and decided to take a chance. He crawled carefully onto the bed between Severus and the wall. As soon as he was settled, he was shocked to find Severus rolling towards him and was even more surprised when Severus came close enough to lay his head on Harry’s chest. He wrapped his arms loosely around the thin form and kissed the top of Severus’ head before quickly falling asleep.

~*~*~