Harry took a step back and Melody rushed forward. First, she conjured a cot which Harry helped lift Snape into. Then, she lit a fire.

"Hermione, come help me," Melody ordered. Together they mopped away the blood and cleaned the wounds with conjured rags. Harry and Ron hovered about until she ordered them to find certain herbs and potion ingredients.

"What potion do there ingredient make, I wonder?" Ron asked Harry.

"Blood-replenished," Harry answered.

"I thought you were bad at Potions."

"Only with Snape teaching it," Harry stated matter-of-factly. "That's the last of it," Harry said ripping out some leaves at the bottom of a pine tree.

"Okay, is she going to expect us to make it? I certainly can't":

"I can," said Harry offhandedly.

"Who are you? Hermione?" Ron asked, amazed.

"Death is a good motivator," Harry answered darkly.

"Boy's come one, hurry up!" Melody's voice screeched through the trees. Both boys winced.

"She's worse than Mum," Ron remarked as they ran through the brush, getting tangled in vines.

"I like her; she doesn't treat me like I'm famous," Harry added with a laugh.

"Probably because she's famous too," Ron answered.

"Really?"

"Well, not near as famous as you, but she's known as a brilliant Auror. She used to be intimidating," Ron added.

"Used to?"

"Yeah, she left the Ministry while Voldemort was taking over, but before that, her abilities were considered untouchable," Ron answered.

"She abandoned the Ministry when she was most needed?" Harry raged, "Voldemort's first attempt at power?"

"It all happened before we were born. What's the big deal?" Ron asked naively.

"She gave up, let so may people die, let Voldemort gain more power!" Harry yelled.

"What would you have done?" Ron asked quickly. Harry glared at him. What would he have done? He had walked through the forest, knowing that he was horocrux, knowing that to defeat Voldemort, he would have to die. When Voldemort raised his wand up to cast the killing curse, Harry did not even reach for his wand. What would he have done? He would have died. "Oh," Ron muttered without Harry having to answer him.

"I can see how they get along, both traitors," Harry said through clenched teeth.

"Harry!" Ron cried, "Isn't that a little harsh- especially considering what you told us about Snape?"

"We'd better get over there," Harry said pointedly. Ron rolled his eyes, but followed Harry. He looked alarmed by the ice in Harry's eyes.

"Be decent," Ron whispered in his ear, "I abandoned you and you forgave me." That was true, but he had proven himself by saving Harry. Harry would just have to wait and see if she had proven herself. "Don't be stubborn," Ron pleaded. Fine, Harry thought.

"Harry? Ron?" Melody called. They hurried into view. Melody was standing at a cauldron. "Can you-"

"I'll do it," Harry said quickly.

"Blood-replenish-"

"Obviously," Harry answered, staring over at Snape's pale figure. Hermione was still over there, mopping away the blood. Melody rejoined her with one backward glance at Harry. Harry just brewed methodically, wondering why he had gotten himself into this mess. But, of course, he was just playing the hero again. You really need to stop doing that, he chastised himself.

He looked down. That looked about the right color. His conjured goblet dropped from the air into his hand and he scooped up- a large glass of the potion, by dipping it into the cauldron. He was carrying it over to Melody when Snape gave a small groan and began to stir. Hermione jumped back: it was as if he was a lion that she had been perfectly willing to tend to unconscious, but now wanted nothing to do with, not now that he could bite. Harry stood there, eyeing Snape warily. When Snape had opened his eyes and looked around at the four of them he spoke:

"Mel, you know I dislike company," Snape said, placing careful stress on the last word. Harry rolled his eyes, while Ron and Hermione did nothing, unsure of how to react. Melody ignored it and took the potion from Harry's hands. She carried it over to her husband, careful not to spill a drop. She attempted to tip it into him mouth, but he kept his lips clamped shut.

"Open your mouth for Merlin's sake!" she yelled, frustrated with him.

"Who brewed it," he asked, supremely unconcerned.

"She did," Harry lied.

"Harry did," Melody corrected. "I can't lie to him," she told Harry apologetically.

"It was easy without you breathing down my neck," Harry shot at him, expecting criticism in addition to Snape's refusal to drink anything made by Harry.

"And there's your father's arrogance," Snape responded snidely.

"Severus!" Melody cried, outraged, and she began whacking the uninjured parts of him. Snape swore.

"Are you trying to injure the rest of me?" he asked angrily.

"After all he's been through, after all he's done, after defeating Voldemort, you have the nerve to say that to him?" she screeched. She was about to rant on when Snape reached out suddenly and pulled her face to his, murmured something against her lips, and kissed her, taking far too long to be considered casual. Harry suddenly found the bush behind him quite interesting and was not surprised to find that Ron had been thinking the same thing. Hermione had sat down and was now cleaning the rags they had used to mop away the blood with her want. When Harry felt it was safe, he turned back around and Ron followed his lead.

Melody was once again attempting to make him drink the potion, this time amused rather than frustrated.

"At least let me see it," Snape asked, putting out a hand. He grasped the glass weakly and swiveled the potion around in its cup, checking its color, reminding Harry of Uncle Vernon checking the quality of a glass of wine. Then his grasp slackened and cup tumbled from his hand and broke on the ground. Melody repaired it quickly and told Harry to fetch another glass, in an undertone. It was apparent by the look on Snape's face that was fighting back waves of swear words. When Harry brought another cup of the potion, Snape allowed Melody to tip it into his mouth.

"What exactly happened," Melody asked them all. Harry decided to begin.

"Voldemort believed Snape had the allegiance of the powerful Elder wand and to take its allegiance, Voldemort set his snake to kill him. Snape gave me the memories I needed to know to defeat Voldemort and, so I thought, he died," Harry said. Snape winced at the word "memories", but took up the rest of the story.

"Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix came and healed me with its tears and-"

"The feather," Harry whispered, "I accidentally hovered a feather."

"I assume phoenix feathers have certain properties that draw magic to them," Snape stated indifferently.

"What happened after the phoenix?" Melody pressed him.

"I messed up," Snape said quietly.

"What?"

"I was half-dead, wasn't in my right mind: all I knew was that I wanted out. The phoenix healed me, but it couldn't return the blood I had lost. I was half-conscious and I apparated," Snape said coldly.

"You splinched yourself, then," she asked.

"Then, I tried to fix myself up, only the spells came out wrong and I made myself much worse," he muttered.

"You tried to contact me with our rings. You failed the first few times, but you finally got the clue through," she said filling in the story for him.

"Did I? I thought I had failed. Can you get my ring out for me?" Snape asked. Melody dug through the cloak she had removed to wash away the blood and which Snape had pulled back over himself like a blanket, when he had awoken. She pulled out a gold band and put it in Snape's hand. He examined the etched words for a moment and then slid it onto his finger.

"I've never seen you wear that before," Hermione commented.

"No," he sighed in a very un-Snape-like manner, "but Melody was safer if the Death Eaters did not know." Harry, Ron, and Hermione could think of no answer to that.

"You were trying to send me a message by Patronus too?" Melody asked, breaking a slightly awkward silence.

"You saw it the, after you apparated here," Snape said.

"Your magic is really that weak, then. I'm glad I did not try to heal you quickly; it would have killed you," she said sadly.

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Did you really use a slow-healing spell?"

"Yes,"

"So I won't be able to do any magic for days, possibly several weeks," he asked, starting to sound dangerous.

"Yes," she repeated obstinately.

"Did he kill Voldemort?"

"Yes," she said, this time sounding quite surprised.

"Good, otherwise your attempts to heal me would have been suicidal. No magic against Voldemort or his Death Eaters," Snape shivered.

"Yep," Harry agreed.

"Wait, how are you still alive!" Snape yelped.

"Voldemort took some of my blood to revive himself. It tied me to life, even as the horocrux was destroyed," Harry told him calmly.

"You got lucky," Snape muttered.

"So did you," Harry responded.

"Both marked to die, both survived," Snape murmured to himself.

"By the way, Dumbledore's sorry for what he did to you," Harry did not know what made him say it. Perhaps it was the almost completely vulnerable state Snape was in. In any case, it would be impossible to explain. "Please don't ask me how I know that," Harry said quickly.

"O-kay," Snape said slowly, but he looked rather curious and likely to pursue it.

Please... tell me did you like it, what was your favorite part/line?