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The Long Road	By : SinisterMe Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 63598 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 18
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
- 54
- 55
- 56
Remus slept intermittently at best, nodding off only for a moment and then jerking awake again, lest he miss something important. He roused himself at least once an hour to check Severus’ temperature and make sure he wasn’t in distress. He could hardly stop looking at him, touching him, anything to reassure himself that he was there, that he was safe and alive.
The Mediwitch in training returned only once to scan Severus. When she first walked up to the bed, she opened her mouth with a scowl and Remus was sure she was going to kick him out, but her eyes landed on their arms, which were intertwined between them as much as possible with Severus’ hands wrapped in bandages, and then closed it again. Remus couldn’t have been more grateful when she left without saying a single word to him.
By the time the sun was rising, Severus was back to a relatively normal temperature. Remus had been letting the Warming Charms go one at a time. At the present, there was only one remaining on the top quilt. He was fairly grateful for that too, because he’d been quite overheated for most of the night, though he counted it well worth it to be near his master. He wished that he could express his care and concern to him as easily as Teddy had, but that seemed impossible somehow. He was trying to take his ques from Severus in regard to what he would find acceptable, but he was so unsure of himself in the wake of everything that had happened that he didn’t know where to start.
He was sitting in the chair by the bed again. The sun would have just risen, if the wall clock was anywhere near correct; there were no windows, charmed or otherwise, in the room. Though he should have been tired, there was a jittery, nervous energy inside of him, like if he let his guard down all of this would end and Severus would vanish.
Instead of disappearing, Severus stirred in his sleep. He’d been doing it several times an hour, though Remus had been able to sooth him before he managed to wake himself. He didn’t seem tethered to the present in any way; Remus had heard him pleading to people long dead, to names he’d never heard before. Sometimes he’d begin shivering again, once begging his father to be allowed back into the house. Remus couldn’t imagine carrying all of that around in his mind. He’d tried to keep him warm and to keep close to him, so that somewhere in his delusions he might know he wasn’t alone.
This time he reached out and ran his hand lightly over Severus’ shoulder, rubbing back and forth slowly, trailing his fingers up and over the rise of his collar bone and back down into the hollow it created. Nothing invasive, nothing startling; still, he felt the need to whisper into his ear that it was Remus there with him, that he would stay with him until they went home together.
When his breathing evened out again and remained that way, Remus extracted his arm, stood and stretched. He retreated to the loo, relieved himself, washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face. Feeling like that was nowhere near enough after spending the night in a sauna and then under magically heated blankets, he took the time to hit both himself and his clothing with a freshening Charm, wishing that he had thought to ask Draco or Harry to bring him something clean to wear. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to straighten himself out for the day. It would likely be a long one.
He was almost ready to leave when the mess he’d made last night caught his eye. Water and soggy towels were everywhere. Feeling like he’d been enlisted by the staff for purposes other than mucking the place up, he took the time to wipe the floor, hang the towels to dry and rinse the tub. He was just drying his hands for the final time when he heard Severus’ voice from the other room, tenuously asking, “Hello?”

Severus slept fitfully, his dreams were of ice and pain. They’d threatened to overcome him several times throughout the night, but somehow he’d withstood them. This time he must have been close to consciousness when they took hold of him, because he sobbed out a moan and shuddered, curling briefly inward on himself before lifting his head from the pillow, awake and terrified, with his heart beating as if he was in fear for his life. Seeing nothing but an empty room, he lay back feeling immediately irrational. All the same, it took a few moments for his pulse to slow and his breathing to even out.
He felt wrenching horror creeping up in his mind and stamped it down as viciously as possible, pulling the tatters of his shields as tightly into place as they would go. Scenes from the night before began flashing through his memory. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had hallucinated Remus’ kind hands and words last night as vividly as he had the other day in the cell when he’d actually thought that he’d felt the warmth of the other man’s skin and tasted the water he’d drank. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but that only caused lancing agony in his covered eye. Was that a sound he’d heard from the other room or just the pounding that was now happening in his head?
“Hello?” he inquired of the empty room, hating the vulnerability of asking the question almost as much as he hated the transparent sound of it in his voice.
There was a silence in which he mentally confirmed that yes, he was in fact losing his mind, or perhaps he had already lost it and this was all a delusion he was having while being locked in that abominable box for the night in the searing heat and cold. He shivered at the notion, his hands grew clammy, his muscles tight.
It was all banished by the sight of Remus’ smiling face as he walked through the connecting door, heading immediately up to the bedside and putting his hand on Severus’ arm where it lay under the covers. His face was the perfect picture of concern. If anything, Severus was somehow less comfortable with this feeling of relief than he was with the earlier sensation of anxiety.
“Hello, Severus. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke. How are you feeling?” Remus asked, squeezing Severus’ arm gently. His master was pale and had a startled look about him that he wished he could just wipe away. The bruising on his face was really starting to purple, which made the jagged scars mapping themselves across his face even more vivid.
“I’m in pain, but it is manageable.” His barriers were straining, just barely able to keep it at bay, to keep him upright and conversing. Managing was the appropriate word.
“Would you like to sit up and drink some water?”
Severus nodded and Remus tapped the bed with his wand, which then slowly rose so that Snape was sitting more upright. He then moved in nearer with the glass of water, helping his master have a few long drinks before setting the cup back on the table.
“Thank you,” Severus said, falling back against the pillows. Just being awake was exhausting and his leg, hands and head were in agony, but he didn’t feel that it was worth mentioning as they would likely only stuff him full of more potions that held no use.
“You’re not still cold? I could rewarm your blankets again,” Remus offered.
“Not now, though I may experience periodic chills until they strap me into that chair again.” Severus let out a sigh and tried not to wonder which would be worse, having a shard of his soul ripped out or having it welded back in. Instead, he thought through what Remus had just said more carefully. “You maintained the Warming Charms on my blankets all night? You must be getting stronger, I’m glad to hear it.”
“Unquestionably, I am,” Remus smiled. It faded as he said, “The staff wasn’t available for most of last evening. Outside of that trainee coming back and being miserable, it was just you and me.”
Severus processed this information. Maybe he was saner than he’d been beginning to fear. He wondered briefly if that meant that he’d hallucinated Remus only once, down in the basement, or not at all? That would mean that his mouth had run away from him and he’d told Remus he’d loved him like and absolute fool. If that had happened, why was there no memory of what came after? These weren’t questions for this exact moment, of that he was sure. He mentally kicked himself for so many reasons, the least of which was that he had to say something back to Lupin. He reminded himself not to be rude just because he was angry with himself.
“I appreciate your help, Remus,” he said instead of biting the other man’s head off. At first, he thought it wasn’t going to be nearly as satisfying, but then an attractive blush spread itself across Lupin’s face and he found that he was wrong.
“That isn’t why I said that, you don’t need to thank me. You were there for me when I needed someone, and now I get to be there for you; we’re in this together, remember?” Remus’ arm moved from Snape’s forearm to rest over his shoulder.
Severus wondered if Lupin could feel his heart beating with the thundering resonance of a timpani in a mighty orchestra. He couldn’t do anything but nod once. Remus spoke of helping him like it would be a privilege. It was difficult not to feel humbled before such an open sentiment, when so few people had willingly gone out of their way for him and almost none of them without a staggering cost attached.
“Do you feel like you need more rest? I could lower the bed again,” Remus said. He was changing the subject because it was clear that Severus was somehow uncomfortable with it. That was fine, they didn’t have to discuss it, either now or at all. He would be there for whatever was needed with or without a conversation on the matter. The way his master had sobbed and leaned into him every time he’d returned from checking the tub was enough to let him know that this man expected to be cast aside and left there; he would need to prove himself again and again. The trick would be not having his entrails verbally torn from his body before he accomplished it. Just as soon as he’d finished speaking, a tray appeared on a table near the bed. It had buttered toast, oatmeal and fruit as well as a weak tea supported on its surface.
“Or maybe you should have a bite to eat first?” Remus asked, smiling at the timing. He took about serving the food without waiting to hear the answer.
He was only able to clear less than half of what was there, but with some mild urging Remus ate the rest for him. While he was doing that, Severus fell dangerously close to sleep. He felt the bed lowering back to a horizontal position and didn’t even protest. He felt his pillows being adjusted, the blanket being pulled up to just under his chin and then that was it.

The next thing he knew, he was rising to consciousness, hearing familiar voices flittering about his mind. He kept still, regulated his breathing and let his uncovered eye remain closed. He must have been sleeping for some time, because there were voices other than Remus’ in the room. He was still so tired that pretending to sleep was almost preferable to being awake, where people would likely ask him difficult questions and expect him to hold a conversation with some semblance of civility. Besides, this would unquestionably be more interesting, and he could use a distraction.
“We have to tell him,” Potter’s voice whispered insistently.
“Oh no, no you don’t,” Draco’s voice returned with frustration, “We’ve been over this – there’s nothing he can do about it right now. We have to get through the ceremony and get everyone back to Severus’. We can deal with it then. Fred has it in hand. Besides, Severus can’t hear of this yet.”
“I didn’t say we should tell him,” Harry blurted out.
“I can’t have this argument again. Plus, you can never tell when he’s eavesdropping.” Severus felt a current of air near his face and suppressed a smile at the thought of Draco waving his hand in front of it. “Can this just wait a little longer? Please.”
Harry debated before giving in, “One of us should at least go check on him then, can we at least agree on that?”
“Fine. Remus and Ackerley need to be at the ceremony,” Draco’s voice was heard, quiet but decisive. It was obvious to Severus that he was amazingly stressed. His own curiosity was more than piqued. He felt concern rising; what had they managed to get themselves into overnight?
“I agree, Remus has the pendant and Ackerley knows more about this whole thing than the rest of us put together,” Potter’s voice came again. “You should be there too,” he added carefully.
“You’re the stronger presence for the media,” Draco protested wearily. After decades of knowing him, Severus could tell that his heart wasn’t in it. “And Fred hates you.”
“Forget the media for one second, Draco, and I can handle Fred,” Potter told him. “They’re returning his soul today. It’s more important that you’re there for him, he’d want you to be, even though he’d probably be too big of a git to say so. I’ll watch Teddy and we’ll make a quick trip back to the house.”
“Thanks, Potter.” Severus was beyond shocked to hear what he believed to be genuine gratitude in his godson’s voice.
There was the sound of a door opening and closing, of feet shuffling up to the bed.
“Feel better?” Harry asked.
“I do, thank you for thinking of bringing me a change,” Remus’ voice answered.
“It was Malfoy’s idea,” Harry said, sounding mildly embarrassed.
“Either way, it was a great thought,” Remus assured him.
“Is he okay?” Teddy’s worried voice whispered right next to Severus’ head. “What happened to his face, daddy?”
The room quieted.
“He’s going to be just fine Teddy, he’s only sleeping right now. As for his face…” Remus paused, clearly uncertain of himself.
Severus took this moment to make his alertness known to the room, “I got on the bad side of some ogres, had to fight my way out.”
“Sir!” Teddy exclaimed delightedly. He laughed and said, “You’re joking,” he said in such a way that made it obvious he wasn’t sure.
“I am,” Severus confirmed, opening his eyes and only seeing half of the room. He noted immediately that both Draco and Potter looked like they hadn’t slept at all. He could see a nervous tension across his godson’s face that likely went unnoticed to everyone else.
“How long have you been awake?” Draco asked suspiciously.
“Long enough to hear Potter call me a git,” he said with some humor, though he shot Draco a hard look to let him know he’d heard much more than that.
“If you heard that, then you heard the context and you know I’m right,” Harry said, missing the pressure between Draco and Snape entirely.
“You probably are,” Severus answered knowing that this was neither the time nor the place to deal with whatever mess had been made overnight. One more hellish experience and then he was going home. He may decide never to leave it again.
The main door to the room opened and Darien’s head peeked into it. “Are you almost ready in there? They need to prepare Severus for the procedure.”
“We’ll be out in a moment,” Draco told him.
“Potter is going to watch Teddy,” Draco informed the room. “The rest of us will be going with Severus, sound good?”
“I want to go with you,” Teddy said to Snape, moving closer to the bed and setting his hand on the mattress.
“I’m sorry, Teddy, you’re stuck with me,” Harry said.
“But-”
“Dragons and little boys aren’t allowed where I’m about to go,” Severus said, finding the stuffed animal and clumsily pushing it towards the child beside him. “You’ll need to stay out here with him; besides I don’t think he likes this place and he wouldn’t want to be alone.”
“He’s just a toy, sir. I want to go with you. I want us to go home.” Teddy was holding onto the blankets at the edge of the bed with a death grip.
Severus felt too tired for this, but said, “I know you do. I want that as well, but for now there is no choice but for us to be patient. Potter will make sure we can see each other as soon as possible. We will be going home soon, Teddy, I need you to trust me.” He noted to himself that that may have been the most vocal he had heard the child be yet about his own wishes and desires. He hoped he hadn’t trampled them too badly but didn’t have the brain power to sort through it now.
Teddy looked like he wanted to argue further, and despite his exhaustion, Snape would have been impressed if he had. But then, he released the blankets and picked up the dragon, tucking him under one arm. “Alright sir, I’ll try,” Teddy said quietly, not meeting his eyes.
“Thank you; it’ll be alright in the end, you’ll see,” Severus told him in an attempt to sound optimistic.
Teddy nodded, though his face showed uncertainty.
Harry came up beside him and took his hand. “We need to go for a while, but we’ll see everyone soon.”
“Where are we going and when will we be back with sir?” Teddy asked.
Severus couldn’t help smirking at the boy’s inquisitiveness.
“We are going to Snape’s house for a while. I’m not sure exactly how long we’ll be gone, but we’ll be back together in good time,” Harry tried.
“Why don’t we wait here?” Teddy asked. “Then we can all go home together.”
“Sorry Teddy, but it really isn’t up for debate,” Harry told him, straightening his glasses. “I have to give Fred a hand with something and as I just said, you’re stuck with me for a while. If they don’t release Severus today, we’ll come and visit him tonight.”
Teddy looked between Harry and Snape for a moment before nodding again. He put his free hand on Snape’s arm and said, “I’ll see you later then, sir. Please get better and I love you.”
“I’ll do my best,” Snape replied wryly. “I love you too, Teddy. We’ll be home before you know it.”
Teddy nodded and let Harry lead him to the door.
“Good luck, Snape,” Harry said, obviously unsure of what else to add.
“Same to you, Potter – I’m not sure what with yet, but I’m almost positive you need it,” Severus replied.
Harry opened and closed his mouth, then turned and left without further comment.
“While they get you ready, Ackerley and I will go and make sure everything is as it should be for the ceremony before we get there. I’ll see you when you arrive.” Draco followed Harry from the room.
“My headache is worsening just thinking about what is waiting for me at home,” Severus said.
“Maybe it isn’t that bad?” Remus offered.
“Anything that has those two working together has to be bloody terrifying.”
Remus nodded with a laugh, just as a staff member came through the door Harry had exited. Remus recognized him as David, one of the people who had helped remove Severus from the basement. He was just grateful that the trainee who medicated Severus the night before was so far nowhere to be seen.
“Hello,” he said to Severus, immediately beginning to diagnostically scan him, “how are you feeling today?” His voice held the faintest traces of a foreign accent that Remus couldn’t quite place.
“Like the universe has been using me for a Bludger,” Severus said, surprising himself with a bit of open honesty. He instantly checked his shields, tried to pull the remnants of them more completely over his emotions. He wasn’t through yet, there was more to do. He couldn’t go falling apart in the middle of that damned ritual.
“Your chart says I’m not to give you analgesic potions,” the man said with a small frown, “so unfortunately all I can do for you is to dose you with Calming Draught while we remove all of the bandages and move you.”
“Let’s get on with it then,” Severus said waspishly. He hoped he’d have the fortitude to maintain his shields even with the potion in his system.
“Your chart also says to do this.” He pulled a potion out of his robe pocket and held it to the light for Snape to see, rolling the vial in his fingers so its contents would catch the light. “Acceptable?”
Severus peered through the glass, giving one solid nod.
“Good then, open up,” he instructed, administering a complete dose. He corked and repocketed it. “They’re still setting up the room down the hall for your,” he coughed, uncomfortable, “procedure.” To Remus he said, “You’re his slave, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That means it will be just you and me removing all of these bandages.”
“Removing them?” Remus asked.
The man nodded. “If that spell does what I’m told it will, which is to instantly heal all of this,” he flipped through his copious notes, “then we will want his wounds to be obstruction free, so nothing accidentally grows into them.”
Remus looked to Severus, who remained expressionless.
“We’ll start with the ribs,” he said. He tapped the side of the bed and it lowered while Snape remained at the same angle he’d been sitting at. “I’m going to touch you now, mister Snape.”
Severus nodded again, feeling like his throat had closed over. He was grateful that this young man at least asked his consent before treating him. He wouldn’t be fully in control of himself until he was back at home, and possibly not even then. Still, he appreciated the pretense. When the other man’s warm fingers were felt at his side, it took all of the control he had to remain still.
The man folded down the blankets to Snape’s waist with measured movements. When Severus remained unresponsive, he untucked the end of the wrappings around his middle and began to unravel him like an ancient Pharaoh, passing the bandages to Remus and accepting them back in a slow and careful whirlwind around his torso. When all of them were removed, he banished them in a single motion.
Severus looked down at himself impassively. Remus knew his own expression was likely the absolute opposite of that. There was still a patch of gauze covering the place the rib had been sticking out, but when David removed that the picture was complete. Snape’s chest, sides and abdomen were the colour of a bruised eggplant, interspersed with stripes and splotches of a sickly yellowed green.
“I’m going to cast a protective Charm over the punctured area, I know we’re not supposed to worry about infection, but with a perforation of this size, I feel you’ll breathe easier with it sealed shut. I’ll be with you during the ritual, so I’ll end the spell when the time calls for it.”
Severus didn’t respond again, and so Remus nodded. “I’m sure that will be acceptable.”
“We’re going to do your hands next, Mister Snape,” David told him as he magically lowered him back to the mattress.
Severus nodded again. The Calming Draught had been working for some time, and though he did it peacefully, he was struggling to maintain his shields. It was just easier to float along the top of them, separated from the agony of his body with a thin veil.
“Follow my lead, but go slowly,” David instructed.
Remus copied him, taking one of Severus’ balled up appendages carefully in his own hands and began to remove the wrappings. It seemed to take forever, but the shape of a hand eventually appeared from under the gauze. There remained no sign from Severus other than the restrained twitching of muscles in his arm to let Remus know that any of this was affecting him. The fingers were cautiously uncovered though the bandages separating the digits was the most difficult to remove without any bending or jostling.
“How are you doing, Mister Snape?” David asked.
“Fine,” Severus said, though his teeth were held tightly together, and Remus got the impression that he was nowhere near fine.
“Would you like another dose of Calming Draught?”
“No,” Severus said plainly.
“Alright, well we are going to take care of your leg next. I’m going to place a similar spell over the injury there as I did over your ribs, sound good?”
“Delightful.”
David moved the blankets again, and his hands deftly began their work on the bandages over Severus’ thigh and privates. He didn’t seem to require Remus’ assistance with these, for which he was thankful. He stood up beside Severus, who had his head head tilted back and his eyes closed. He likely had even more reason than Remus not to want to look at the bloody massacre that was his leg.
David’s face held a hard expression as he cast the final charms over the area. Even with them in place, it was a clear jumble of flesh and muscle, obviously hacked away with little care. He straightened his face back to neutrality even as he replaced the blankets back over the injury.
Severus was breathing hard, perspiration appearing across his forehead. He hadn’t bothered to look at his leg, not needing to be reminded of what was there. As it was, disjointed memories began to bring themselves forth. He felt like the coppery smell of blood was still smothering him, could almost hear the sound of his bones being sawed through.
A warm hand appeared on his bicep, squeezing gently before caressing the skin there, back and forth in a comforting motion. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and looked up at Remus with his good eye. “I’m alright,” he rasped to tearful amber eyes, wondering if the reassurance was for them or himself.
“Do you need some time, mister Snape?” David asked.
“I need you to stop asking inane questions and get on with it,” Severus strangled out.
“Only your eye to go,” David carried on as if Severus had been perfectly cordial. He dimmed the light in the room significantly. “I’m going to remove the coverings and then Charm a protective barrier over the eye that will also shield it from the light. Otherwise you will likely be in a great deal of extra distress.”
He carefully began to reveal Severus’ eye. The swelling had gone down around the globe, but other than that it was like looking at something surreal. The white of his eye looked like it was swimming in blood, while the iris and pupil no longer even appeared as a circle. What had previously been a perfect blue eye was now looked like melted wax, the pupil extending through the sapphire of the iris and out into the bloody sclera in a way that caused a chill to go up and down Lupin’s spine.
David finished the spell to protect the eye, backing away from the bed a little. “I’m sorry I had to do that with so little in place to help keep you comfortable,” he said openly to Severus. He went to the other side of the room, opening a storage closet and pulling out a hovering chair. “Would you like to take some time, or should we head to the room and see if they’re ready for us?”
“I’d like to get this over with,” Severus said.
“Then I’m going to levitate you and help you into a robe. It may take some time for them to actually commence and I’d like to preserve your modesty as much as possible.”
Severus let out a derisive snort. “It spoiled some time ago,” he informed him sarcastically.
“All the same,” David said, casting the spell that had him gently lifting from the bed and hovering out into the open air. He was helped into the garment and then assisted into a sitting position in the hovering chair. Severus kept his forearms braced against his ribs and tried not to let out a sound as his body bent to accommodate the angle of the seat.
Remus was standing there, wringing his hands and feeling useless. David must have noticed, because he said, “How about you steer the chair?” as he went to one of the cabinets. He opened them and pulled a couple vials off of one of the shelves, putting them into his pocket. “I’ll lead the way.”
Remus found that the chair needed almost no force to propel itself forward and it steered naturally with him as he walked. He found this convenient because it allowed him to keep one hand on Severus’ shoulder as they went. Hoping that the touch wasn’t unwelcomed, he soothed his thumb along his back lightly. He found that he was correct when Snape leaned his head over the short distance needed to rest his cheek on the back of his hand briefly. He stayed that way for only a moment and then straightened up again, leaning back against the headrest of the chair and letting out a quiet sound of anguish.
David finally stopped and opened a heavy door, holding it for Lupin to push the chair through. He tried not to think of the cyclical nature of having to move his master around in such a fashion while he was immobile. David signaled for him to set Severus down a few meters from where the horrid chair from the last ritual sat. He pondered what other purposes it served. Likely nothing pleasant if the hair rising on his neck or the sensation of hungry eyes on his back were anything to go by. He’d not been this close to it the last time, but now he wondered if Severus’ skin had crawled when they’d locked him to it.
Darien and Draco appeared at their side from across the room. He had to navigate through more people than Remus was even close to comfortable with. There were almost as many people there this time as the last, and likely only less because the room was considerably smaller.
“Hello, you two,” Darien greeted. “We’re almost ready to proceed, we’re just waiting for Lanning.” Draco took up a stance at Severus’ side without saying a word.
“What do we need him for?” Remus asked. The idea of being in the same room as that man made him almost ill. He wondered what it made Severus feel.
“He will be giving Severus’ freedom back to him. He’s required to be here by the Ministry; non-compliance is not an option for him. Though he may have found his morning rather disturbed by the Ministry raid that was done on his house in the early hours,” Ackerley added slyly.
“The other six are already here,” Draco said, “as is the officiator. …I hope the find enough down there to put him away somewhere for a good long while.”
The door to the room opened and Quinton strutted into it, looking as placid and put together as usual. The people gathered murmured among themselves.
“Sorry I’m late. Nice to see you again, Severus, Remus,” he said cheerfully, strolling on up to them.
The officiator saw him and headed their way as well. “Now that you’re here, we’d like to begin Quinton,” he said, seeming less friendly towards the Healer then he had last time.
“Happy to oblige,” the Healer smiled. “What do you need me to do? This is a new one for me, I don’t usually sign them back over.”
“If everyone else could please step away?” he asked, allowing them all time to move back a couple of steps. “We will be doing things a little differently this time.” Then in a louder voice he said, “Commencing! Let it be noted that all papers have been signed and all documents accounted for.”
The crowd surged inward, the sound of voices and of the shifting of flesh and clothing was heard as they gathered nearer.
“Quinton, place your palm to his forehead,” the officiator said.
Lanning did as he was instructed, touching his fingers to Snape’s forehead first, and then sliding them up into his hair until his palm met Severus’s skin, the touch oddly intimate. Several cameras flashed. Severus did his best to keep his face and body language neutral. This couldn’t be more unbearable than kneeling at Voldemort’s feet and having to press his face into the hem of his robes, smelling of malignancy and death. It couldn’t be worse than looking up from that into the eyes of the man you knew would keep you alive while boiling the skin from your bones for lying to him, and then doing it anyway. It couldn’t be.
The officiator spoke a few words, a white light glowing from under the Healer’s palm as he spoke. Severus’ body jerked once, twice, a pained sound being torn from his lips at the jarring of his injuries.
“Keep your hand level and take a step back,” Quinton was instructed. He did as he was told, the white light stretching as an elastic from Severus’ brow to his palm. “Good. Now tell him that you no longer have a hold over him.”
“I have no longer have any hold over you, Severus,” Quinton said with the ghost of a smirk.
“Tell him that he is free.”
“You are free,” Quinton said, meeting Snape’s eyes directly.
The light between them vanished and Severus’ head reeled back to hit the chair. He made a strangled sound and brought his hand up to his eye as if on reflex, stopping halfway there and carefully lowering it back to his lap.
“Thank you, Quinton,” the officiator said. “You may leave now.”
“Seems like this little party is open to the public; I think I’ll stay and watch. When this is all over, I have something for Severus here, anyway.”
The officiator turned, obviously finished with him and giving him no extra conversation this time. Quinton winked at Remus as he backed into the crowd.
“Severus Snape, your freedom is returned,” the officiator told him. “Be seated and you will have all that was removed from you returned as well.”
Severus bit his tongue to keep from snapping that he was already fucking seated, thank you very much! His eye was in an unbelievable amount of pain and he had no idea how he would get himself over to the ritual chair without the use of his leg or his magic.
The young man that had helped him into the chair he was already sitting in was at his side again. “If you will allow me?” he asked Severus.
Snape nodded. He found himself floating across the room to the awful chair that had helped remove a sample of his soul not more than a week ago. He felt trepidation warring with eagerness. One more agony filled regeneration and then he could be free of all of this.
As David helped him to straighten out mid-air, he also cast a privacy spell, helping Severus out of the robe once they were hidden behind its protective barrier. He eased him back down onto the chair, removing the spells he had cast over Snape’s injuries. “I’ve been told that we are not to interfere with the ritual for any reason, but both I and your regular Healer will be here after in case you are in need of anything.”
“Thank you,” Severus said for the first time. He really did appreciate this man’s manner after dealing with that incompetent shrew from the night before. His actual Healer, that lady who’d called herself ‘Dawson’ the other day, hadn’t been seen since.
“You’re welcome, mister Snape,” David said. He dropped the barrier and the rest of the room reappeared to view. A camera flashed. “I’m only sorry they’re allowing this to be such a spectacle. It’s shameful.”
Snape made a dismissive sound. He wasn’t sorry one bit, in fact, there were playing to his hand quite nicely. Scanning through the crowd, he spotted his journalists standing on the edge of the people. The young man stepped back to wait beside Ackerley while the officiator turned to the audience. “The six are present, let them be accounted for.”
The six mages that had removed his soul moved forward, coming from their places in the crowd to stand around the chair facing the officiator.
“You are prepared?” the officiator asked them.
The group of solemn and formal Witches and Wizards gave a scattered nod.
The same wizard who had initiated the spell at the Ministry came forward yet again. “We are. Will the custodian of the phial come forward?” he asked of the gathering.
Remus walked up to him, keeping his gaze impassive as he looked at the man’s shoulder, trying not to get himself into trouble by making eye contact. He was no less self-conscious than he was the last time, even though he was no longer holding onto the cane. Still, he had eyes only for Severus as he walked up to the chair.
“You may return the soul in the same fashion it was given to you,” the man said with clarity and confidence, his voice filling the room.
Remus went up to his master, ignoring the rest of the room and trying to muster a smile for him. Severus was holding himself very stiffly, his bad eye remained open but was looking off into the distance at nothing particular. Lupin ducked his head forward as he removed the chain for the first time since Severus had placed it there. The phial hung between them for a moment before Remus stooped slightly to humg it around Severus’ neck. He stopped, tenderly moving Snape’s hair out from under the chain so that it wouldn’t tangle and so he wouldn’t have to retreat right away. His heart was pounding in his chest so loudly he was sure that the whole room could hear it.
Severus remained utterly still. When Remus slung the chain around his neck the world started to slow down. He began feeling sluggish and a little like he was only experiencing things as an echo. Remus’ fingers were warm against his neck, but the sensation came as if from a distance and his worried champagne eyes seemed to look through him and on into eternity. He tried to close his own eyes and was met with pain, the only thing that felt real at the moment. Something inside of him was reaching out to the phial and he thought that if they didn’t hurry, it would plunge out through his chest and pull the soul fragment bloodily back into his body by any means necessary. The pressure its blind feeling about put on his chest and ribs was agony; he was struggling to breathe and let out a wheezing exhale that ended in a fit of hacking which only exacerbated everything.
Remus was still standing right there, Severus watched as his hand reached out to cross the distance between them a second time to touch his face. Lupin pulled back to look at his fingers, which were smeared from blood they’d wiped from Snape’s lips. At the horrified look on his face, Severus tried to tell him it would be alright. The only sounds he made were cut off by another round of uncontrollable coughing.
“Stand back, your part is completed for now,” the man said to Remus while looking impassively at Snape.
Remus’ feet were rooted to the ground. He stood there looking at the blood on his hand without the ability to move. Ackerley's hand closed about his bicep and pulled him back; he let himself be directed.
The other five witches and wizards gathered around Severus’ chair as they had the time before, standing equidistance apart from one another, surrounding him in the sphere of their bodies like fenceposts with nothing connecting them. They each cast a spell over themselves and then began. The sound of their voices came clashing out of them simultaneously at some cue that Remus must have completely missed. This time the invocation came out of them as if shot from a cannon. They spoke in an angry rush, their words in perfect alignment as they all began to chant, their voices authoritative and forceful.
The reaction from Severus was immediate. His head lolled forward, and it appeared that he was vibrating in a way that wasn’t at all natural. His hands were opening and closing in spite of being as broken and sensitive as Remus knew them to be. Maybe he had lost consciousness, because he wasn’t making a sound through all of this. Remus’ own hands were clenched into fists and he didn’t know how he managed to just watch this and do nothing. Then again, wasn’t that what he’d always done anyway? His own mind sneered at him.
The sounds of their voices changed, they were almost shouting now. Both the phial and the chair’s runes began to glow a cold pulsating blue, much as they had the first time. If Remus’ thought he was paying attention before, he was glued to what he was seeing now. The runes continued to get more vibrant, throbbing that blue light brighter and brighter every time – only now, they were beginning to glow through Severus’ body. If Remus had known there was script on the chair, he could have read its illuminated text through his master’s skin.
The pulsing stopped the light remained, continued to grow until Remus was squinting to be able to continue watching. Then, Severus’ head snapped up, the crown of it connecting soundly with the chair. The same light shone from his eyes, his nose, his ears. His mouth opened and the light beamed from there too, like a spotlight to the ceiling as his back arched and every muscle in his body tightened to the point of breaking. He may have been trying to scream, but the noise that came out was more like the rushing of a great wind or the howl of the most crazed animal known to creation. Him and everyone in the crowd had to cover their ears to try and deafen the incredible sound.
And then it was over. Only the voices of the six mages, apparently unaffected by this torrential occurrence, continued to chant. Their voices began to die one by one until they too were silenced. Their wands lowered, and they stepped back a pace.
There was a murmuring and muttering of curses while people shook their heads and rubbed their eyes, trying to rid themselves of the effects of what they’d just witnessed. Spots were dancing on the edges of Remus’ vision from the brightness of the light that had emanated from Severus and the chair. The ringing in his ears was the most disturbing; his hearing was likely more sensitive than most of the people present, and even with his hands over his ears it had almost been enough to bring him to his knees. He suddenly understood the spell the six had likely cast on themselves and why they were so unaffected by the sensory surplus.
Draco was already over at Severus’ side, along with David and Healer Dawson, the lady that was supposedly in charge of overseeing Severus’ care here. Remus went forward, not knowing what to do. He stood as close as he felt prudent, not wanting to be in the way, but wanting to be as close to his master as he could manage. A hand was set on gently his shoulder and he almost jumped out of his skin. Turning, he saw Ackerley, his face concerned. He didn’t have time to devote his attention to anything other than what was happening to Severus, so he turned back around, just glad to know that he wasn’t alone.
“Get these bonds off him!” David commanded the officiator.
Severus’ body began the grotesque process of healing itself. Tissue was already filling in the hollow on his leg. Movement could be seen under the skin of his chest, as if his ribs were shuffling around, all of them trying to become whole and shift back into place around one another. His fingers realigning themselves was the most difficult to watch, though that was likely only because his bad eye was on the other side from where he was standing. Remus couldn’t imagine what was happening inside of it to correct the damage.
The officiator gave his wand a swish and the restraints released. He pitched forward, and David caught him by the shoulders. Draco was right there, helping to lower him to the floor. Healer Dawson was scanning him, her eyebrows rising in surprise at what she was finding.
Remus had seen this before, in Lanning’s basement. It was no less horrifying now. The grinding of bones and the constrained sounds of agony that were escaping from between Severus’ gnashing teeth filled his ears. Cameras were flashing and people were pushing one another, trying to see; he hated them all. He moved closer still, realizing that the medical staff seemed to be hovering, waiting for whatever was going on in Severus’ body to run its course. Which, in a matter of minutes, it did.
He was left, breathing raggedly. His head was supported by David’s knees.
“Mister Snape?” David asked loudly, his wand moving over Severus’ head. “Mister Snape can you hear me?”
Severus opened his eyes and then immediately looked as if he wished that he hadn’t. He blinked several times against the light and went to sit up.
David carefully held him in place.
“Do you know where you are, Mister Snape?” David asked.
“Yes, I’m on the goddamn floor in St. Mungo’s being gawked at by sixty people who have nothing to do with me or my medical care,” Severus rasped brokenly. Everything was spinning and he was nauseous. If only this daft bastard would let him sit up so he wouldn’t aspirate on the vomit that was surely coming. He tried to sit up again and this time he met no resistance. This wasn’t his first time having ungodly injuries healed in a matter of minutes, but it was the first time he would have any semblance of control over what happened afterwards. He would be damned if he let these people take that away from him.
Now seated, he leaned over and retched several times on to the floor beside him. Any remnants of the meagre breakfast he ate was now on display. He realized he was totally naked, but he felt too ill to bother much about it. Then he felt something warm draped over his shoulders and looked over gratefully, finding Remus at his side.
Remus moved forward as soon as Severus sat up, removing his outer robe and kneeling beside him, though he seemed too dazed to notice until he covered him with the material. He slid it over his shoulders, then found himself unable to remove his hands completely, leaving one resting on his master’s arm.
Severus grabbed the material of the robe and pulled it closed around himself, he leaned into Remus’ touch, embarrassed that he would even consider doing such a thing. He should struggle to stand and get out of here, shrug off any help and go back home to lick his wounds alone. He had thought that having people and the media here would be a good thing, would further their cause by letting the public see what they’d let happen to a regular man. He wasn’t a non-human. But now he felt exposed in a way he couldn’t describe totally to even himself. He didn’t understand what had happened fully, but he knew that everyone here had got to witness him, a private part of himself that was supposed to remain locked away from any eyes but the gods. Compared to that, his physical nakedness before them meant nothing.
“Severus?” Remus’ voice was heard in his ear.
“I need to get out of here,” was all he could think to say. Something told him that Remus would listen to him, would do as much to accommodate him with those words as he would with a direct order. Something about that humbled him. Maybe it was the amazing sense of wholeness radiating from inside him despite his pain and mortification, but he felt his heart swell again for this man before him.
“Can you stand?”
“If I’m assisted.” His voice had returned to normal. Though it felt like his throat was embedded with shards of glass and his mouth was a dry sponge, he could tell that the damage he’d done to them recently was undone. On a whim, he made a fist and held it firmly with one hand and then the other. There was some strength there, and no pain. He didn’t see a reason he couldn’t be mobile, and he wanted out of this room away from the whispers and disorienting flashes.
Draco was at his other side immediately. Together they helped get him on his feet, then back into the hovering chair for safety’s sake. The medical staff had finished scanning him and were talking behind a Charmed barrier now. When David came back over to them, he seemed surprised to find Severus already seated. “We’re going to move you back to your room, away from all of these prying eyes.”
Severus gave a nod, glad for Remus’ hand on his shoulder as he steered him through the people in the room who didn’t appear to want to be in the way, just to get a good look at him as he went. A sickeningly familiar smiling face stepped from the rest of the throng and directly into their path, making Remus stop the chair short to avoid colliding with him.
“Here Severus, I told you I would figure it out!” Lanning proclaimed triumphantly, coming closer with a rolled-up piece of parchment. Remus stepped around the chair. “Down, boy,” Quinton said condescendingly. “This should have your leg good as new.” Quinton held out the paper, which he tucked in at Snape’s side. Lanning leaned in close and Remus was sure that only his superior hearing allowed him to catch what he said next. “I don’t know how you managed to get him out, but you saved me the trouble of having to clean him up. I hope you enjoy the mess, it really is the most beautiful of ironies. I have documents for the rest of them – medical research, and all that. I may have broken some rules there, but nothing compared to what would have happened if they’d found Daniel in my basement when they came looking early this morning. Consider this a heartfelt thank you.”
Quinton righted himself and moved out of the way of the chair, leaving by the same door they were heading toward. Severus stared at the rolled-up parchment blankly for a minute, wondering if his reasoning skills had been damaged somehow in the last week. How the hell should he know what happened to Daniel if he was fortunate enough to escape, more than that how in the hell would he have helped the boy from the hospital? His eyes trailed over Draco and landed on Remus, who was trying to kill Lanning from behind with his expression alone. The cogs in his mind turned and whirred; he was sure he was missing something, not putting the pieces together in the correct order.
“Let’s get you out of here, Mr. Snape,” David said, going ahead and making a path for them to follow. Some reporters followed them into the hall, snapping photos of their retreating backs.
Two of them pushed past the rest, coming up next to them as they walked back to Snape’s room. Severus was glad to find it was Beard and the Lady.
“Hello, Mr. Snape, any words about your experience?” Beard asked.
Severus’ mind was briefly blank. Or perhaps he was so completely full of answers that it all jumbled together in one black mess. “Only that I am relieved I did not send a child to endure it,” was all he could manage. The only image that was clear before him was Teddy’s smiling face.
“I would say so,” the Lady said, her expression crumbled momentarily. “We received the photos last night. I – I have to say that after looking at them, I was surprised to see you come into that room alert and conscious.”
“Photos?” Remus heard Draco ask. He had been wondering the same thing himself.
“Of the condition he was brought to the hospital in?” The Lady said leadingly. “I have to say, being in this line of work for as long as I have, I thought I’d seen everything. I’m sure my readers would be interested to know, how do you feel physically now that your soul has been completed again?”
Severus wanted to tell her to piss off, he really did. “I feel weak in the areas that have been healed or completely regrown. However, for the first time in over a week, I am almost pain free, so it is of little concern at the moment.” That was an understatement. Privately, he had great concerns for what he would immediately be able to do with his hands or with the leg that had been butchered over and over again. He would wait until he was in the confines of his own home to test his limits and to look inside of the package that was currently tucked in at his side.
“Thank you,” she said. “I have to ask, what is your next move?”
Severus seemed to regain a bit of his old attitude as he smirked and said, “You’ll just have to see.”
David interrupted, “I think this has gone on long enough. We need to get Mr. Snape to his room so Healer Dawson can give him an examination. Thank you,” he said politely. Belying his words with actions, he stepped forward into Beard’s space, forcing him to sidestep or be run over as he continued down the hallway. Draco and Remus, still pushing the chair, followed dutifully all of the way back to the room.
David held the door open and closed it behind them. “I’m sorry those people were allowed to accost you, Mister Snape.”
“No trouble,” Snape said uncharacteristically.
“Problems in the hall, David?” Healer Dawson asked, having already been waiting in the room for them.
“Reporters,” David spat out.
She inclined her head and then turned her attention to Severus. “We have only a few scans to do at this point, Mister Snape, as we witnessed many of your wounds heal right before our eyes. I’ll allow you to dress before we do them, however.”
“We brought clothes,” Draco said, going over to a satchel hooked on the back of the door. He brought it over to the chair and then looked unsure of himself.
Severus rolled his eyes and held out his hand for the bag. Draco gave it to him by the strap, retracting his hand and moving away.
Severus felt agony in his fingers the moment the weight of the bag landed on them. Instead of being able to curl the strap into his fist, his hand shook and released the bag to the floor without his permission. He felt pain and stiffness in the entire appendage as well as no small amount of mortification over his own weakness. He leant over to pick up the bag, wanting to prove to himself that he could do it, but David had already stepped forward and took it effortlessly from its place on the ground.
“Do you need some assistance with these, Mr. Snape? We could go into the other room for greater privacy.”
Severus opened his mouth, not sure what to say that didn’t involve a tirade of verbal abuse to cover his embarrassment.
“I’d like to help,” Remus offered, hoping that he wasn’t putting himself in the line of fire. “Please, Severus?”
Snape’s shoulder’s slumped slightly. There was little chance of him denying something to Remus when he asked in such a fashion. He wanted to laugh derisively; the other man always sounded as if it would be a great opportunity to do anything for him. “Alright,” he agreed with frustration, otherwise keeping his tongue still. Sniping at hospital staff was one thing, doing it to Remus was another.
Remus took the bag from David and then pushed the chair into the adjoining room that had functioned more of a sauna the night before. He closed the door behind them and went to stand in front of Severus. Snape was sitting there in nothing but a borrowed robe, his feet were bare, his hair askew and his facial and neck scars were more visible than ever. He was still the most beautiful thing Remus had ever laid eyes on. He couldn’t believe the number of times he’d lost him over the last week and thanked the gods that none of them had been permanent. He tried to find the courage he’d had last night, but with Severus completely lucid it was difficult for him to know his place.
“Are you going to dress me then?” Snape asked sarcastically.
“Yep,” Remus answered happily, setting the bag on a counter to their side and opening the flap. Severus let out a small huff of laughter, which he took as a personal victory. He turned back towards his master with a shirt in his hands, taking the short step needed to get close to him. When Severus didn’t look at him, he said, “We’re almost through.”
“I know,” Severus responded quietly. He pulled the robe down, exposing his shoulders and torso.
Remus helped him into one and then the other of the shirt’s arms, straightening the material out at the back. He knelt between Severus’ legs, nimbly doing up the buttons along the front. He hesitated when he got to the tope few. “Should I?” he asked.
“Leave them, anything touching the scar is… irritating.” That didn’t begin to cover the feeling of claustrophobia and panic, the vague sensation of choking uselessly on his own blood, that immediately came over him when something pressed or brushed against it.
Remus nodded. He’d caught a glimpse of some of the mutilations on Snape’s back as he was helping him into the shirt, feeling his heart constrict. He knew this should all be business, that he should help Severus get dressed, go out there, do the exam and go home. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and touching Severus lightly on his blemish free cheek with the backs of his fingers. An altogether needless action, other than he felt like he might combust if he didn’t connect with him somehow. Severus turned his head and his chapped lips ghosted across the inside of Remus’ wrist before he pulled it back.
“The cuffs?” Remus asked, looking at the smooth, hairless lines of healed flesh circling Severus’ wrists like morbid bracelets.
“Please,” Severus said, thinking that he should be able to handle a few buttons after everything.
Remus did the small closures on each sleeve, not being able to stop himself from sliding a thumb across each wrist, touching the beating pulse, trying to memorize its rhythm. He stood, going to grab the pants and trousers that were still folded off to the side.
Helping Severus get into them was more interesting, he pulled the discarded robe from around him and set it off to the side - they’d brought one of Severus’ own, so Remus could have his returned. He helped put his unsteady legs into the slots of his clothes.
“I’ll stand, it will make doing them up easier,” Severus said.
Remus bit his tongue to keep from asking if he was sure it was a good idea. He was surprised Severus had accepted this much help without interfering. He felt like he would have to earn his trust all over again in order to be allowed to do what he needed for his master.
Snape used the hand rests to push himself up. Remus stood instantly, steadying him with a worried look he tried to clear off his features a moment too late. Severus ground his teeth against the tightness in the leg that had been removed and couldn’t help but shift his weight on the good one to ease the pressure. He tried to do up his trousers but found that his fingers were clumsy and uncooperative.
Remus watched for as long as he was able before going back down to one knee and taking over for Severus, doing the buttons and the tie as efficiently as possible. “Sit, please,” he asked quietly when he was finished.
Severus reminded himself that this was necessary, that his body had only heled itself such a short time ago, that things would improve. Nothing seemed to work. There were things he had to do and if he was an invalid, if he didn’t have the proper use of his hands… he wanted to bury his face in the useless appendages, but there was no time for that either. He stayed silent, wondering what, if anything, Remus was reading across his face.
Remus picked up a pair of socks and knelt the rest of the way. He took Severus foot in his hand, holding the heel in his palm, socks hanging from his fingers. He took the foot in his free hand, running his thumb along Snape’s arch. He felt guilty for touching him without his express permission but couldn’t seem to stop himself. Reminding him that there were people waiting in the other room, he quickly put the sock on, and then the other one. There was a pair of shoes as well, which he figured he may as well put on now, versus kneeling in front of all of those other people to do it, which would likely upset Severus for so many reasons. When he was done, he looked up at his master, hoping to be able to gauge something about what was going on in his head. “Thank you,” he said to him with a small smile.
Severus let out an undignified huff. His mind was still trying to curl itself around the fact that Remus was here. Of course he was here, he was his slave, he didn’t have any choice. The thought somehow felt wrong, and when he looked down at the other man’s soft smile, he didn’t exactly get the impression that he’d rather be anywhere else. He reached out his hands, letting the fingers cup Remus’ jaw, drawing his thumbs gently across his cheeks, glad that they would at least do that.
Moisture gathered in the edges of Remus’ eyes, and he brought his right hand up to grasp one of the hands bordering his face. “We’ll do this together,” he told Severus with conviction.
Severus nodded, even though he had no idea of what that would look like. He’d never shared his recovery time with anyone before and was unsure how to go about doing it. If he even wanted to do that. Now wasn’t the time. He brought his hands back to his lap. “Robe?” he asked, breaking the moment.
“Of course,” Remus smiled, standing. He helped Severus into the final article of clothing.
“Let’s go get this over with,” Severus said, allowing his chair to be moved back into the other room.
The opening of the door caused all heads in the room to swivel and face them. Healer Dawson and David wasted no time, going right over to Severus, pulling out their wands and beginning to scan him. “How are you feeling? Any pain or disorientation?”
“Not much of the former, too much of the latter,” Severus said as she checked the reactivity of his pupils.
“It is clear your hydration and nutrition will need monitoring over the next few days. Lift up your leg please.”
He didn’t have to ask which one before bringing his knee closer to his chest. A magically illuminated bar appeared under his foot with a complicated wave of her wand.
“If you could push as hard as is comfortable on that,” Healer Dawson asked.
Severus did as she instructed. The resistance on the bar was great, but he managed to move it a small amount before the muscles in his thigh and knee just quit on him and he had to stop and sit back.
“Not terrible, considering all of the tissue that had to regrow. You’ll have some work to do before you’re able to walk long distances without a cane, but I believe you will, eventually. Hold both of your hands out, open palms towards the ceiling.” Once he’d complied, she charmed two balls of light to appear in his hands. “Squeeze one and then the other as hard as you can without pain.”
He did as she asked. He found that his earlier assessment had been correct, his hands were not as strong as they had been before. In spite of his best efforts, something must have shown on his face, because she said, “The file says that they were very severely broken upon your arrival here. I know that your hands are imperative to your work, I can give you a list of exercises and topical potions as well as the names of people who can help with the-”
“Thank you, Healer, but save the parchment,” Severus told her firmly. “They’ve already been regrown once, so I’m quite familiar with the process of making them useful again.” He was tired. Why hadn’t he told them that and stormed out? “Are we almost finished here?”
“How are your vitality levels?” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“Abysmal,” he said acidly.
“Your scans appear positive,” she confirmed this with David, who nodded and was already standing back, making notes on a scroll he’d been holding. “The last thing we’ll want to look at is that eye. It reacted to the light, but can you see clearly through it?”
“Yes,” Severus said, almost choking when her gloved fingers began to poke around the soft tissue of the globe. He fought the reaction to shove her away and curse her out, and if she kept prodding that area in such a fashion he might just give up on that fight. Dark spots danced on the edges of his vision and the gnawing horror of it was so great that he wondered if he might black out. It was too similar to… he couldn’t even think it, stamping the thought out like a hot ember on a dried pile of brush. Thankfully she retreated, but just before she did, he felt Remus’ hand return to his shoulder, briefly distracting him from his ghastly memories and reminding him of where he was.
“We’ll have you report back in a few days; an owl will deliver an appointment time. Until then, I believe you’re free to go.”
“Music to my ears,” Severus drawled. “Anything I need to sign before you let me out of this infernal place?”
“It will all be taken care of at the follow up appointment. For now, I will fill our all of the requisite discharge forms after you’ve left. We have a floo you could use discretely if you don’t want to go past the media circus waiting outside,” Healer Dawson told them.
“My property isn’t hooked up,” Severus said. “We’ll leave through the usual means.”
“Alright then, Mister Snape. Keep in mind, we’re not completely positive what to expect from your continued recovery, so even though the initial scans were favorable, don’t hesitate to contact us if there are any persistent or unusual symptoms.”
“I will make it my first priority,” Snape said dryly, putting his hands on the armrests of the chair and going to push himself up.
David moved in front of him, holding out a hand to stop him from standing. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to use the chair until you’ve exited the hospital.” At the look Severus shot him he winced and shrugged, “I’m sorry, Mr. Snape, but it is our policy. I’ll come to the doors with you to retrieve the chair, unless you’d like to borrow it for the trip home,” David hesitated, but then dove in anyway, “Are you certain your mobility isn’t going to be an issue?” he asked quietly.
“I can see that your mobility is going to be an issue,” Quinton’s voice echoed in his mind and he shivered. Severus wondered grimly how correct both of them were. He was light headed and more than a bit dizzy. His hands were shaking and random muscles in areas that had been damaged were jerking and cramping terribly. Still, he steeled himself.
“That will not be necessary,” he answered stiffly, too tired to fight further. “You may have your chair back as soon as you are willing to take it.”
Remus smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. “I knew that I was forgetting something.” He reached into his left breast pocket and extracted the slender box he’d been so carefully handed the day of the first ceremony. “Your wand, Severus,” he said, moving around the chair so that he could see him while he handed him the item.
“Thank you,” Severus gave him the ghost of a smile. He opened the box and immediately tucked the wand into the sleeve of his robes. That made him feel marginally improved.
“I’ll walk you out,” David said, still standing by the chair.
Draco went and held the door open for them, his face a mask.
They walked down to the main reception, David stopping just before they rounded the corner to get there. “It may be mayhem out there, so I wanted to say now that, though you have a follow up appointment scheduled, you can call on me if you have any needs before then. Send me an owl, I’ll come to you.” He handed Severus a card with some information written on it.
“Why?” Severus asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
“Because I’ve worked with Quinton Lanning for years, and I never would have suspected him capable of anything like this. That someone would use their knowledge of medicine to… I just would like to help undo some of the damage, that’s all. Not that that’s really possible,” he cleared his throat, obviously feeling like he’d misspoken somehow.
“That is appreciated… David, wasn’t it?” Severus said while meeting the man’s eyes; it was all he needed to get a peek at his actual intentions. David nodded. “In order for this to be of use to me, I need to know that I can count on your discretion in all matters.”
“You can, Mister Snape. I don’t speak about my patients without their permission, not for any money.”
“That is a commendable attitude. I think we’ll just see about fighting our way out of here now,” Severus told him.
“Alright then I’ll just get you to the doors and you can be on your way. Be in touch if you need anything at all.”
When they were exiting, most of the media stragglers were thankfully gone. Still, photos were taken of Severus standing from the chair. He kept his face neutral, glad to find both Draco and Remus immediately at his side as he took his first hesitant steps out the door.
By the time they were walking up the path to the house, Severus was well past exhausted, but he kept his feet moving. Until a thought occurred to him. “Remus, do you still have that Portkey?” He stood, swaying on his feet, looking over at the other man while he waited for an answer.
“Yes Remus, do tell us about the Portkey,” Draco threw in.
“Um, well you see, the thing is… no, I don’t have it.”
Suddenly everything clicked in Severus mind. The eavesdropped words he’d heard from Draco and Potter this morning. Potter’s having to go back to the house. The words Lanning had said to him as they were leaving. Remus’ stuttering denial right now. He tried not to think about the fact that Remus had actually been there, in that basement, and Severus had gone and ran his mouth. Now was not the time to dwell on that, however. “He’s inside, isn’t he?” he asked Draco.
“Not entirely positive who he is, but yes.”
Remus cringed. He’d known this would likely happen when he’d given the boy the Portkey, but somehow, he hadn’t planned what he would do when it did. He prayed Severus wouldn’t be too angry with him, that would be the last thing he wanted right now. What had he been thinking when he’d done that? He mentally shook himself; he knew exactly what he had been thinking. That he wanted to do some good with that damned ticket, and if Severus wouldn’t let him take him away from that hell, the least he could do was to take that child instead. Rationally, he knew that he had put everything in jeopardy with his decision and he hoped that Severus wouldn’t be furious with him. There were proper channels for getting these things done. Severus had stressed that above all else and he had totally disregarded it with his actions in the basement. He felt like a fool. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could choke out.
Snape felt Remus stiffen at his side, knowing that he’d pieced it together as well. Daniel must have arrived while Remus was at the hospital with him overnight, so he’d been as unwitting about what waited at home as he had been himself. He rearranged his arms so that his hand could settle reassuringly on Remus’ lower back. He knew what the Lupin was likely thinking, but how could he be angry with this man at his side, who stood still, thinking he was holding him upright, even though he was afraid. This man who had freed that little boy without bothering to care for the consequences. “You did the right thing,” he said quietly.
Remus’ head whipped over to look at him with frightening speed. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. We’ll discuss it once we’re all inside; Potter could likely use rescuing.”
He looked over to find Draco already holding the door, looking at them with impatience. That he’d bothered to wait at all showed Severus that he was held in the young man’s highest regard. “Coming,” he said with a barely concealed smirk.
The ground floor of the house was totally empty of life. No smells of baking wafted from the kitchen, no sound was heard and not a person was in sight. The peaceful façade didn’t bode will in Severus’ gut. He reminded himself that his anxiety levels would probably be barely controllable for the next while. He would have to retell himself repetitiously that he was in control, he was home and he was safe. He was with the people he treasured most in the world and Potter. His unease abated slightly, and he took a deep breath, holding onto control with an iron fist.
It irked him well enough that he didn’t think he would be making it up the stairs without the cane or magical intervention, and even more so to have to say anything about it out loud. “Remus, if you’re not using that cane at present…”
“I forgot to bring it with us this morning,” Draco admitted, moving the interior door so that the walking stick could be seen standing behind it. “There was a bit going on.”
Severus reached out and took the item, feeling relief instantly as it took some of the weight off of his weakened leg. The foot that had had its toes removed had been starting to ache as well, a burning, pulsating sensation that had begun to radiate up his entire foot. He ignored it, the cane was bad enough – he wasn’t about to hobble around his own house. Keeping his gait level and his hand on the cane, he walked towards the staircase, stopping just before setting his foot on the first elevation. “His health is stable?”
“From what we could tell, he wouldn’t exactly let us get close to him. He has quite the shiner though,” Draco admitted. “Fred was the only one who could get him to settle down any. He wouldn’t listen to anything we said, though he clearly understands it. He seems to think that he’s… dead, or something,” Draco’s face expressed disbelief even as he said the words aloud.
Severus shivered slightly, wondering what had befallen Daniel in the period of time since he’d left Lanning’s basement behind like a horrifying dream. He didn’t know what to make of what Draco was telling him but would see for himself soon enough. “…And Teddy, what does he think about all of this?”
“The other boy appeared very early this morning; Teddy was asleep. Since we didn’t know, well, anything really, and the other boy was so distressed – we kept the two of them apart. I don’t think Teddy even knows that he’s here; he didn’t when we left for the hospital, at any rate. Between Potter, Fred and myself, we juggled it.”
“It is difficult to assure the discretion of someone Teddy’s age,” Severus agreed.
Draco nodded.
“You’ve warded Teddy’s door for sound?” Severus asked.
“An explosion could go on in that hallway and he would be none the wiser.”
“I would like to check in on the situation with Daniel before alerting Teddy that I have arrived. Do you think we can facilitate that?”
“I think we can certainly try,” Draco smiled ruefully.
Severus firmed his grip on the handle of the cane and began to ascend the stairs at his own pace. By the time he reached the top, his foot, leg and the hand on the cane were on fire, muscles were cramping and releasing of their own accord and every beat of his heart brought pulsing agony. He steeled his shields and took a steadying breath.
“Why don’t you rest a moment first?” Remus’ voice came quietly at his side. He hated himself for the start his body gave – he’d known that the two of them were right behind him, there was no reason for this surprise, for his heartrate to pick up in such a fashion. He gave him a withering look that had the other man rolling his golden eyes. He likely hadn’t noticed the jump then; one glance in Draco’s direction told him that his godson had missed nothing but was holding his tongue in a manner that was very unlike him.
“Which room?” he asked, ignoring everything else as much as he could, including the sudden shaking of his hands. Other than the loo and the bedrooms, not much on this floor had been used in decades.
“The last one on the right,” Draco told him.
He went the opposite way down the hall, there were two unused rooms up here, besides the one that Draco was currently claiming as his own. One had been his parent’s room – a place he hadn’t set foot in since returning here, and the other had been his own childhood bedroom. He’d stripped it of the meagre possessions left in it when he’d moved back in and hadn’t been inside since. Dust and drop cloths covered everything but the bed, which Fred had obviously made. The elf was sitting on it now, for all appearances alone in the room and unconcerned about it. There was a thick book open on his lap, with a quill and parchment set on one side of it, onto which he was scribbling slowly. He must have finished his thought, blowing on the ink to dry it before closing it in the book like a marker. Something in his demeanor changed when he turned and saw that it was Severus and not Harry standing in the open doorframe.
“Sir!” he squeaked in surprised delight. “You is being home already? Fred was thinking they would be keeping you overnight!” he was off the bed and at Severus’ side in the blink of an eye, looking him over with a critical expression Remus had never seen on the face of an elf before. “You is being in one piece,” he said conclusively, settling his long fingered hand over Snape’s on the cane’s handle.
“Yes,” Severus agreed, feeling his throat constrict as Fred’s hand blanketed his.
“Then that is having to be good enough for now,” Fred said, his voice wavering only a little. “You is knowing this boy?” His hand left Snape's to gesture in the direction of the rooms’ only other door, presumably a closet.
“Not well,” Severus told him, “his name is Daniel. He belonged to Lanning,” he said quietly. Though even as the words came from his lips, he doubted them to be true; Quinton had told him as much just after the ceremony. If he didn’t belong to him, then where and with who? Were they now in possession of a kidnapped child?
“Well that is being more then we was getting out of him,” Fred said, crossing his arms. “He is being in the closet since we was bringing him in here. He is being terrified if we is opening the door.”
“Other than that?” he asked, planning to listen intently. Fred was startling observant sometimes, and almost always knew more than he was letting on.
“Black eye, his ribs is maybe being injured, but he is being breathing with no trouble. He was being hot, but it was not too worrying. Fred was trying to be getting him to eat, but it was not going so well. Fred has been checking on him through the door so he is not panicking. He is coming out when he is being ready, or so Fred is hoping.”
“Thank you for keeping watch,” Severus said, having gotten control over himself yet again. “Potter is with Teddy then?”
“Yes, there was being quite a row when he was finding out that they was waiting for you to be coming home,” Fred smiled.
“I can only imagine; I’ll be seeing him right after this.” Severus went through the doorway and closer to the closet, making room for Remus and Draco to enter the room as well. “You all may want to stand back a little, he’ll likely recognize me and I don’t want to frighten him any more than he has been already.” His hand paused over the door knob. “Daniel?” he called through the wood. “I’m going to open the door now.” There was no response. He turned the knob and slowly pulled the door open.
Inside found the boy huddled in the darkest corner of the closet, his head buried in his knees, hands over his head like a shield. Using the cane more than his own strength, Severus lowered himself to the floor, knowing that there would be no hope of managing a crouch with his leg as buggered as it was. The boy was visibly shaking, but other than that made no move to look up at what was happening around him. There was a plate of untouched food near the door of the closet, but nearer to the child was a cup that was mostly empty. He reached forward slowly and picked it up, taking a sniff to find the sharp odor of vomit meeting his nostrils. He held it to the light, finding it bright marigold yellow, streaked through with crimson and the odd tinge of… aubergine? Concern flooded through him.
“Daniel?” he asked more urgently. “It’s me, Severus. I need you to look up at me now,” his voice filled with the authority of command.
The boy whimpered, tightening in on himself. “No,” he moaned, becoming more agitated.
“Come on, Daniel,” Severus encouraged, “you remember me, don’t you?”
They boy heaved a sigh and looked up, bursting into tears again at the sight of Snape. “If you're here, I know its true,” Daniel sobbed. His voice was slurring around the edges and his frightened eyes were glassy and unfocused as he tried to look at Severus.
“What’s true, child?” Severus asked, using the upright position of the boy’s head as an opportunity to put his wrist on his forehead. Overheated, clammy. It seemed he barely noticed the touch; Severus wondered how connected with reality the little one really was. More importantly, why was he in such a state?
“That I’m dead. I’m in the place that comes after they put you in fire,” he said with horror, “the place bad slaves go to when their masters are done with them.” He was basically gasping for air, small hands wound in his own hair and pulling with little mercy. A dawning realization crept its way across his features, and Severus could have gone the rest of his life without seeing this kind of despair manifest itself on a face so young. “That means I’m going to feel like this forever.” He leaned over and dry heaved onto the carpet at his side, not even noticing that Severus had moved the glass.
“I promise that you’re not,” Severus told him emphatically. “You’re very much alive, just like me, and you’re going to be just fine.” He wasn’t sure about that last part, but it sure sounded good. In the back of his brain, the gears were steadily turning trying to find a condition that fit fever, nausea, tremors, internal damage and that aubergine twist that permeated his vomit.
“But, he made me drink the juice, just like Timothy.” In spite of his fright, his eyelids were reacting sluggishly and unevenly, like he was fighting sleep. “Timothy went to the bad place… maybe I’ll find him here…” The fear was slowly being replaced by lethargy. His eyes drooped shut and didn’t open again.
Severus cursed loudly. “He’s been poisoned,” he declared, hoping he was strong enough for what came next. “Meet me in the lab,” he said, taking hold of the disoriented child and Apparating to the basement with no further explanation.
By the time the three of them were down there with him, he had the boy laid out on top of one of the work benches with a bezoar down his throat. The child wasn’t responsive, and a swish of his wand told the room that his heartbeat was there, pumping so hard that the amplified sound of it filled the room.
“Instructions,” Draco said, already rolling up his sleeves.
“Store room, fifth potion, third shelf. Sixth potion, second shelf. Top shelf, cream in a blue crystal jar.”
Draco didn’t even stop to acknowledge the request before he was jogging away, it was obvious that he was used to such curt instructions from Snape.
Remus stood and wrung his hands. “Do you know what he was dosed with?”
Severus was bending over the child, holding his mouth open and sniffing his breath. “I’m not positive, likely a concoction of foxglove and monkshood, from the evidence at hand. I’ve given him a bezoar but I think it may be too advanced in his system to rely on that alone,” he said swiftly to Remus. “No rush, Draco,” he called loudly to the hall just as the blond rounded the corner with his hands full.
Severus was tearing the child’s shirt off and demanding, “Rub the cream under his nose and across his ribs, it should help him breathe more freely.”
Draco was already unscrewing the cap on the jar and dipping his fingers into the shimmering gel inside. He spread it across the boy’s skin quickly, but carefully. Remus was the only one who didn’t hold back a gasp at the sight of finger shaped bruises on the boy’s arms, the abrasions on his side.
“How steady are your hands?” Severus asked him, jarring him back to reality.
“Steady enough,” Remus answered.
“You’re doing better than I am, then,” Snape muttered, shoving a dropper and a bottle into his hands. “Eight drops of this,” he set the first potion Draco had retrieved in front of him. “Twelve of this, both into here,” he set what looked like a shot glass down as well. His wand was in his hand again and he was shaking his head as he scanned the boy.
Remus wasted no time, opening the lids and very carefully measuring the exact amounts of the potions into the glass, going to hand it to Severus, who made an abortive gesture with his hands before handing him a clean dropper.
“I’m going to sit him up,” he said, hands already on the boy’s shoulders. “The drops need to go directly under his tongue, and with him out like this and laying down there is too great of a chance that he will swallow them before they’ve done their job. They will still work that way, but not quickly enough.” He gently pulled Daniel into an upright position, which had the boy groaning even in his now unconscious state. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat, and though he was hot to the touch he was still shivering from head to toe. He put his arm around the child’s back, supporting his head with his shoulder and opening the boy’s jaw so that Remus would be able to dose him with the potions.
Remus leaned in with the potion and the dropper. “All at once?” he asked.
“Yes please,” Severus replied. “Directly under his tongue if you can – it needs to work as swiftly as possible.”
Draco was walking back from the sink, drying his hands. He watched the scene unfold, gripping the edge of the table and wondering just when everything had gone sideways. “Did I hear you say he was dosed with monkshood?”
“I believe so, definitely combined with foxglove due to the strong colour in the commit, the floral odor on his breath and the tachycardia. They are the only things I can think of that would fit all of these symptoms. The bezoar will clear any poison from his system, and I’m hoping that the potions he’s taken will help with the increased heart rate and the swelling in his brain.”
“The little one is being alright?” Fred's watery voice came from the stairs. Severus turned his head to see the elf standing as if rooted at the bottom of the staircase, wringing his ear in his hands viciously. “Fred was not looking close enough,” the elf lamented, his large eyes pooling with tears. “He was being so afraid when Fred was opening the door… Fred should have been checking more closely, but he was answering every time! It is being no excuse.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Severus told him, feeling like he might just topple over now that there wasn’t something for him to do. Or was there? He carefully set Daniel back on the table, as he was suddenly quite light headed. He leaned heavily against the side of the bench for support, taking up the handle of the cane again so that if he did topple over, his impact on the ground would be much lighter. “The initial symptoms could easily be mistaken for fear and adrenaline, especially to the untrained eye. No one here is blaming you.” There were black dots dancing on the edges of his vision. Damnit, they said he would be healed.
“Is there anything Fred can be doing?” the elf asked mournfully.
“You might have to help me back up the stairs,” Severus chuckled without humor.
“What do you want me to do with him, Severus?” Draco asked, indicating the child.
Severus took out his wand and scanned Daniel, finding his readings acceptable for their current situation. “He’s stable for now, so carefully move him back to the room. Put him to bed, I doubt we’ll be hearing from him for a while. Fred, if you aren’t too tired after last night, would you sit with him again?” he knew it was the only solution for the elf’s guilt.
“How can sir think he can trust Fred this time?” the elf asked.
“I can always trust you,” Severus said simply. “Just keep an eye on him and come get me immediately if anything changes or he happens to wake.”
“Fred can be doing that, after he is getting you back up there.” The elf came to his side, fingers touching his elbow softly and the next thing Severus knew he was standing in his own bedroom, cane on one side, house elf on the other.
“Thank you,” Severus said honestly. “Now go help Draco with Daniel. I’ll be fine on my own for a moment.”
Fred didn’t look like he agreed with that statement.
“You won’t be on your own,” Remus’ voice was heard from the doorway.
“See? I have a keeper,” Severus rolled his eyes. “Come get me if anything changes. Check his temperature every half hour.”
“Yes sir,” Fred said, going to leave.
“And Fred?” Severus called, just before the elf rounded the corner. He paused and looked back, waiting for him to finish. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too, sir,” Fred smiled before going to help Draco.
Severus swayed on his feet, taking the last few steps and collapsing into his chair. “Bloody bolloxing hell,” he murmured to himself.
“Are you alright?” Remus couldn’t stop himself from asking. Severus looked like a man worn clean through. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“Tea,” Severus said, “I would kill a man for a cuppa.”
Remus let out a laugh. “Other than tea?”
“Sugar, milk and a good measure of Scotch,” Severus answered with a quirked lips and closed eyes as he leaned his head back against the plush material of the chair.
Remus grinned to himself, his heart swelling at the off-brand, acerbic humor that was Severus’ forte. He sobered at the thought that just this morning, he had been taken apart and put back together by forces stronger than either of them, and despite all pretense and appearance, he was not alright.
“I’ll bring you tea with the former; if you want the latter, you’re going to have to get it for yourself as I’m not sure I approve,” Remus said honestly, heading for the door. He heard a muttered, “Yes mother,” as he was turning into the hall.

A/N: See, not abandoned! Sorry for the frankly incredible wait. I hope it was even remotely worth it. Thank you for coming another mile with me and still being around to read this thing. Please let me know what you think about anything, it really makes my day awesome! Sorry for any errors, and there will for sure be another chapter eventually. Thanks again!
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The Long Road