Hey it's been a long time hasn't it? Lots of excuses, none of them particularly convincing, since it's summer and I should be updating more, but oh well… I'll give you the chapter now.
Disclaimer: If it were all mine why would I be typing a disclaimer?
Phantom Hope
Minerva glanced at the watch she held tightly in her hands, 7:15, to most this is mildly late but to punctual people like Severus and Minerva, this was frustrating. Especially considering the important task that needed to be completed.
Harry gritted his teeth as Professor McGonagall knocked on the door, loudly and for what seemed to be the fiftieth time, was it his fault that Severus hadn't woken up? But he was the one paying for it, the noise was, he believed, one of the most annoying he had ever heard, right up there with nails on a chalkboard. It would be so annoying if it weren't for the fact that it constantly reminded him he couldn't open the damn door himself. Harry laughed darkly, "The one time I actually want to be seen by a teacher outside of class…" He muttered as he once again paced the small space and glanced toward the door to Severus's sleeping quarters, even invisible Harry didn't dare to spy, not that he was curious about what was behind that door anyway.
Snape, however, was finally returning to consciousness, he had been much more drained from all of the actions yesterday than he'd thought, he glared blearily at his alarm clock (Magically Run?) as it offended him by blaring out it's message of a new day, As Snape's vision cleared and he saw the time he was immediately more shocked than most because he hadn't been late for a meeting, ever, and it was upsetting that he had become so fallible so quickly. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he quickly sat up, sighed, and quickly prepared for the day.
Even at his fastest it was 7:30 before he reached the door, and he mentally apologized to Harry, who would have been listening to this the entire time. "I apologize for my lateness," he muttered as Minerva glanced around the room she had just entered "Good Morning." He added, almost as an afterthought.
Minerva was surprised by the warmth of the rooms there was none of the cold professor in his possessions, but somehow it still fit him very well. She glanced around very aware that she was likely one of very few people who had actually seen this inner sanctum.
"Is my furniture so very interesting to you Minerva." Snape drawled the words as a smirk crossed his face but there was no malice in his usually acid tongue. Only a bit of mischief sparkling in his eyes as he watched the older Professor try to recover from the sensory overload that had resulted from the clash of his personality and his habitat.
"No, just different from what I expected." Minerva spoke calmly there was clearly more to the young Professor than anyone expected.
"Did you expect me to have stone tables laden with strange potions Minerva?" He asked sardonically.
"To be honest, yes." Minerva said.
Harry laughed at this, to be honest it's what he to had expected as well, but the vision he now held clashed so ridiculously with what he had once believed that it was funny to him.
"Come now Minerva, we can't stand here discussing my choice of décor all day can we?" He smiled, a rare enough occurrence bur even rarer was that it was sincere; a simple smile that simply conveyed a state of mind, no conscious effort was put into it at all.
Severus led her into his workroom, here were the tables laden with strange potions, cauldrons simmered as the potions within reached various steps of completion. Once Snape stepped into this room he was all business he swept over to a small cauldron that sat on a table, "This," he drew her to the table "is the phasmis potion that allows me to see him."
She leaned over the pale blue liquid as it swirled, "Will it work for me as well?" She turned to him, and the question hung heavy in the air.
"I don't think so," He sighed, this wasn't helping, there was no real way to make this work, "The Phasmis Deligo was developed by my family over a century ago, developed for our use only, a guarded secret like so many families have, it was hidden when the ministry tried to seize all the texts relating to sacrifice techniques."
"Then it only works for you." Minerva sounded annoyed; she had hoped to talk with Harry, she had missed the boy more than she thought possible, true he attracted trouble but there was always purpose, a meaning, to what he did. When you talked to him, you could sense it, conviction, to his life, loyalty, to his friends, and overall an unwavering sense of right and wrong, that truly set him apart from all the others.
"I truly am sorry, but if this works you'll be able to see Potter sooner than you think" Severus poured the potion and this time swallowed with far more dignity than the last time. He led the way and before long they found themselves outside Severus' childhood home once again.
Minerva shuddered as Severus strode up the dark steps; even in summer it felt cold here, dark and painful, as shadows seemingly reached for her from the darkest corners of the damned building.
"Professor, What was Malfoy here for before?" Harry asked, remembering the elder Malfoy's 'revels' from the other day.
"He most likely wasn't here for anything specific, rather looking through what was here for anything useful." Snape answered the question offhandedly as he approached the raging inferno once more.
"What?" Minerva asked cluelessly, having heard none of Harry's question.
"Lucius Malfoy was here yesterday and was going through the items in my fathers study. There was a bit of a scuffle and he left, Mr. Potter asked why he was here and what he had wanted." Severus explained as he once again turned the doorknob to hell.
" A scuffle? It looks more like a battle took place." Minerva pointed out looking at the scorched remnants of a tapestry that had been ruined in the fight.
Severus shrugged, "This is the bookcase were I found a thumbnail switch yesterday, rather ironic choice considering that my father hated anything muggle."
"Rather ingenious really," Minerva observed, "no one would expect him to use something so iniquitous and out of sync with the rest of the house."
Severus nodded "My Slytherins last year chose 'Abra Kedabra' as their password because no one would expect something so ridiculous."
Harry snorted at the choice of password and was about to comment on it when Severus flipped the switch. The bookshelf slid back to revel a small room, piled high with dusty and forbidden volumes. Harry's eye grew wide at the sheer volume of scrolls in the tiny room and was suddenly very glad for Professor McGonagalls presence, she would considerably speed up sorting through all of this.
Several hours of sorting later, everyone felt strained for results. Harry had been told that he was no longer allowed to sort through the scrolls anymore when several fairly hideous torture manuals were found. Minerva had had to flee the room for a few moments to regain her composure before returning. Severus had stayed, but his mind felt weary with the knowledge of the horrors one man could cause unto another.
It was by sheer happenstance that the scroll was uncovered, it was among a pile of various painful curses and Minera was about to discard the whole lot of them when she noticed the seal on the paper, a wand entwined by two snakes, bearing a strong resemblance to the Caduceus used by medics and healers the world over. She picked it up and opened it, gasping at the contents
The Most sacred of spells The Phasmis Deligo
A dark technique and final punishment for the darkest offenders
Developed by the Snape family to create unending misery for the vilest creatures upon this earth may they never find the pity of the forces waiting for us in the next life.
Minerva's hands shook as she held the scroll this was what they'd been searching for. Much of the text was in Latin and too complex for her to understand, but it had been found.
Severus' eyes scanned the aged text, quickly translating the Latin that covered the page to English. He read aloud "Should the greatest sin be committed and an innocent man be condemned to wander, the blood of the Snape line shall be spilt to pay for the offense and his fate shall be chosen by the intent of his acts. Should he be judged pure his life will be spared but be judged tainted and his life shall be forfeit to the torments of his sins."
Severus looked up; he heard a choked sob from the entrance of the room and turned to see Harry standing there tears running down his face. "I won't do it Severus, not at that price I don't care how much of a chance there is, I won't let you waste your life to help me! My time should have been up long before now but you still have a chance, I'm not worth it!" Harry turned and fled down the dark corridors.
"Damn it!" Severus swore as he ran after him. Harry was being so foolish, Severus had no illusions about the judgment, he had done too much to be seen as pure, but if he was to be damned he'd rather damn himself helping someone who truly deserved it rather than continuing a life… no an existence that made no difference to the suffering of others. Severus Snape had no one, but Harry Potter had so many souls that needed him back. This sacrifice was a small loss and a necessary one.
"What is going on Severus?" Minerva called out from behind him.
"Harry didn't like what he heard and took off, I have to find him!" Severus yelled back as his pursuit was fueled by a fire he'd thought to be long dead within him.
Minerva sat down with her head tilted back. She needed to clear her thoughts, she understood that this house had traps built into it, Tobias Snape had been a paranoid bastard and to follow in these halls would be suicide, she also know that Severus only had so long to find Harry, if the potion wore off before he found him, Harry might be lost to the labyrinth of corridors that made up the large manor.
Harry had no idea where this corridor led or how many he had passed through in his short and desperate flight. He only knew that the last shred of purity had fled from him after the third task and there was no way that bringing him back was a pure deed, not when death surrounded him. He wouldn't let Severus play Russian roulette to save him. The man meant too much to him and he had seen how much Professor Dumbledore cared and he didn't want to hurt him anymore.
Severus was worried he was thirty minutes away from his deadline and he was trying to think where Harry would go, someplace he felt safe was choice one. But in this distressing setting where would anyone feel safe? What would be familiar to Harry? The only place in this place that didn't hold the stench of death was…. Of course! Harry had spent so much of his time around Severus' rooms that the only place that he'd be able to feel connected to Hogwarts would be Severus' own room. He skidded to a halt in front of the door that led to his room. It was just like he'd left it, the bed had the same forest green sheets the floor had the same pale blue carpeting. Harry sat in the middle of this memorial to childhood innocence, curled up with dry tears clinging to his eyes.
Severus moved to his side, sitting down in the same position and just letting the silence cover them both. He waited letting Harry set the pace.
"I don't want to lose this." Harry said without looking away from the point in space he was focusing on.
"You have to come back, Harry," Severus said keeping his eyes focused on that same point in space, "Your friends miss you and need you and we've come too far to abandon all of it.
"I don't want to lose you." Harry muttered as he closed his eyes tight so he wouldn't see Severus' reaction, why should Severus care?
Severus' mind sat stunned unable to process this thought. Since his mind couldn't think of anything intelligible his heart answered instinctively, "You won't, no matter how this all turns out, I'll always be on your side, always."
Harry opened emerald eyes and stared at him, only one other person had said this to him, Sirius had felt the same thing and now Severus to. They cared; there had been a time when he was young that he had thought that, perhaps, he was unlovable, the Dursley's would glare at him and Harry could feel the sting of their hate and be certain he was unlovable and that one day he'd wake to find himself utterly alone. Now, two people had pledged to be by his side, two men who couldn't stand the sight of each other had found space in their hearts to care for the child who'd believed himself to be unlovable.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, "For putting you through all of this, sorry that such a burden has been placed on you. But mostly I'm sorry for not believing in you enough to know I could trust you."
"No need for apology Harry," Severus smiled at him "I suggest we leave now I only have five minutes left to see."
As they walked back to Minerva, Severus' heart felt lighter, He would lose much in the coming days when he would perform the phasmatis ritual but he had found his heart again, he had found acceptance in the eyes of the child who'd had most reason to shun him. This state of life where he could see clearly what his course would be, he could see the end in front of him but for once the path was light and he did not fear the finale as he always had before.
WOW! I love myself right now for this, I really do, I spent so much time on this and I worked so hard on it. Review and make all my work worthwhile. Please!
"Memories seep from my veins let me be empty oh weightless and maybe I'll find some peace tonight." 'In the Arms of an Angel' Sarah Mclachlan