Where Others Fear to Tread

Chapter 15

It had been a strange four weeks since the ‘ring ceremony’. The morning after had been awkward but Snape had acted like nothing had happened between them, merely handing Harry a pain potion for his backside and sending the boy on his way. Harry was kind of glad Snape hadn’t made a big deal about the sex and neither of them had mentioned it again since.

With his exams looming ever closer Harry had not had time to think about much else but study. Nothing had changed much since the ceremony, Harry still attended classes and spent time with his friends, and Snape was still his usual snarky self, taking points from Gryfindor when ever possible. What had changed though was Harry’s new routine.

On Wednesday’s and Friday’s Harry would go down to Snape’s chambers after dinner and the pair of them would sit together in Snape’s living room. Often Snape would be brewing potions in his lab and Harry would simply read or finish his homework quietly. There was never much conversation between them but Harry felt marginally more relaxed having been in the man’s company for those brief few hours. Harry didn’t know where the compulsion to be near Snape had come from, but he’d been unconsciously seeking the man out during class or over the weekends. Harry assumed it was the bond and Remus confirmed it when the boy sort out his advice. His friends too have begun to comment on his attitude change towards Snape, and while Harry was reluctant to admit it, he was being unconsciously nicer. The ring on his finger was a constant reminder of his marriage and Harry had become so accustomed to it that he no longer took it off to bathe.

Pre-occupied with exams Harry had also forgotten about Draco, although the blonde boy still seemed to turn up everywhere. The blonde’s abrupt departure from the Slytherin Quidditch team was still a talking point at games, although the blonde had noticeably stopped attending them. Having confronted Snape about Draco being in his rooms, gone too was the evidence of Draco having slept on the couch. All in all Harry felt relatively in control of his life again, his rouge emotions were back in check and he and Snape seemed to be getting along civilly.

Tonight however that order and control was about to crumble yet again.

Harry was pleasantly drifting in sleep after an exhausting Quidditch practice when he heard a commotion downstairs in the common room. Sitting up in his bed Harry opened the curtains and lit a candle on his bedside table, illuminating the dorm. Getting out of bed Harry hastily pulled his dressing gown about his body and drew his wand out from beneath his pillow. Edging slowly closer to the door to the dorm Harry was stunned when a flustered and pale looking Professor McGonagall burst into the room still dressed in her night things. Harry could do little but stand stock still as his obviously upset head of house came over to him and began inspecting his face, in the candle light looking for something unknown.

“Potter? Are you in pain?” Harry shook his head quietly confused by the pale gaze of McGonagall. McGonagall took Harry’s hand and led the boy over to the mirror on the sidewall and set Harry in front of it, the sight that greeted him made Harry heave. His face was covered in blood; all of it he assumed was his own. Smears and drips stretched all the way down to his chin, where it had pooled. Some of it was fresh but most had already dried and Harry consciously reached up and touched his scar, which was the source of the blood flow. Usually Harry felt the scar burn before it began to bleed but Harry had felt nothing, no vision, not cries of agony or pain. Nothing. Swaying a little on his feet McGonagall took hold of Harry around the waist carefully helping the boy down the stairs and into the deserted common room.

“Harry, did you feel anything at all? A strange dream perhaps or a vision?” Harry shook his head confused completely by what was happening.

“No I haven’t had a vision for weeks now, I just thought Voldemort was occupied with someone else.” McGonagall shook her head at her student’s naivety but said nothing as she plucked a handful of floo powder from her night robe pocket and threw it into the fire, taking Harry through the flames with her. They stepped out into Dumbledore’s office where already a large group of order members were gathered. Almost instantly they fell silent as all saw Harry’s state.

“Fucking hell.” Sirius burst through the gathering sweeping Harry up into his arms, the man’s hands gently inspect the boys bloodied face for signs of pain or permanent damage.

“He says he didn’t feel anything Sir, I believe what we feared may be true.” McGonagall moved away from Harry over to where Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, also dressed in his own night things. Sirius was gently trying to wipe away a little of the blood caked on Harry’s face but the boy pushed his godfather away from him and walked over to where the headmaster was sat, looking extremely concerned.

“What’s going on? Where’s Snape?” Harry didn’t know where his last question had come from but inwardly he felt something strange swelling inside of him. Unconsciously Harry had begun twisting the ring around his finger nervously, worry rising in his throat as he noted Snape’s obvious absence. To those in the dark about Harry’s marriage, the boy’s unconscious twitch looked like he was scratching his finger. Harry remembered that he hadn’t seen Snape at dinner but he’d thought nothing of it, if Snape was working on a potion in his lab he would often miss meals. When Dumbledore didn’t answer him straight away Harry’s emotions got the better of him. “Where is he?” Harry demanded angrily the feeling that had been niggling at him all day now fully forming in his chest like a dead weight.

“We don’t know. He was summoned just before dinner and he has yet to return.” Harry felt his heart sink and automatically he began pacing his unconsciously formed habit of turning his ring becoming more noticeable as was his strange behavior. Harry didn’t know what to do with himself all of a sudden, usually he felt it when the death eaters were summoned but he’d felt nothing, in fact Voldemort had been worryingly silent for the past four weeks.

“Harry.” Harry was still pacing when Sirius stood in front of him to stop him, as a few members of the order began to question Harry’s behavior. Harry looked up helplessly at his godfather who gently wrapped his arms around Harry cuddling his godson close to his chest.

“It was there, it has been there for weeks. I knew he was going to have to face it but I just didn’t think about it. I shouldn’t feel like this Sirius, I shouldn’t care…” Harry trailed off clearly upset and Sirius hugged his godson tighter aware that Harry was still turning the ring around on his finger.

“Shh it’s the bond Harry, don’t fight it.” Harry tightly held on to Sirius his eyes falling closed. Harry heard McGonagall, Remus and Dumbledore sharing a whispered conversation but the boy couldn’t make out what they were saying. His blood was now pounding in his ears and stars popped in front of his vision as a headache formed in Harry’s head. All of a sudden Harry was feeling decidedly ill and Sirius had trouble holding him up as his legs began to give out. Harry had never felt like this before, unlike when he’d experienced the visions from Voldemort this feeling was far worse. Harry felt cold but hot at the same time, he was shaking uncontrollably and he could hardly breath. “Albus, it has started.” Sirius called helplessly to Dumbledore who was instantly beside Harry helping his godfather hold Harry up.

“Take him upstairs into the observatory and lie him down.” Sirius nodded at Dumbledore and with help from Remus began guiding Harry up the stairs into the headmaster’s private observatory where only four weeks earlier Harry had married Snape beneath the stars. Harry distantly heard the headmaster’s speech to the gathered order members, all of them being sent off around the castle grounds to keep watch for Snape returning. Harry was laid carefully down on the white cushions laid around the telescope and Harry automatically curled up onto his side shivering and whispering Snape’s name. Sirius gently cleaned Harry’s face with a charm before he gently began running his hand back and forth across Harry’s forehead in comfort.

“This is ridiculous Albus I swore I’d kill him if he hurt Harry and just look! Look at what he’s doing to him!” Sirius was angry and practically growled at the headmaster who was now pacing himself back and forth past the viewing platform.

“Sirius control yourself. We don’t know as yet what is happening. For all we know Severus may already be dead and that is the cause of Harry’s distress. The bond is not fully formed this could mean anything!” Harry whimpered Snape’s name as he heard Dumbledore’s words, his brain just registering the word death before his heart shut that thought down quickly.

“We can only hope Albus.” Sirius bit back angrily his hand still soothing across Harry’s forehead as the boy began to thrash wildly his body reacting violently to not knowing where Snape was or if he was coming back. “James never meant this for his son Albus, and I don’t care what he owed Snape. That little sniveling sod deserves only death and if Voldemort doesn’t do it, I will.” Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, trying and failing to stop Harry from hurting himself as he trashed in a fever like state on the pillows. The room fell silent then and all of a sudden Harry collapsed like a rag doll in Sirius’ arms a sudden weight lifting from his body and pushing him into darkness….

TBC>>>>>>>>>>