I open my eyes and when I do the room that I'm in is bathed in a soft glow. I'm on a bed. Blankets are pulled up to my chin. I turn my head to look around and there is a figure in a chair reading. I can only see his nose peak out through the curtain of hair.

"Where am I." My voice hardly sounds like my own. He doesn't look up.

"In a bed in your home. You should sleep longer; your body would not have recovered from being behind the veil."

"How did I get out? Why are you here?"

"I pulled you out and I pulled you out." He still hasn't looked up. "You should sleep longer." He repeats.

"No. If I go back to sleep, then you will not be here when I wake up."

"I will. You will be unable to take care of yourself for a short period. Until you are capable of caring for yourself, then I will be here. I did not go through the trouble of bringing you back just for you to die. Now sleep. I will not ask again. If you are unable to sleep with me here, then I will leave."

"No. I can sleep. Just stay there." He doesn't talk anymore and I find it surprisingly easy to drift back to sleep. I wake up to a straw in my mouth.

"Drink. You need to regain your strength."

"How long have you been taking care of me? How did you save me? Why would you do this?

"A while, magic obviously, because I could."

"You didn't answer any of my questions."

"Stop talking. I imagine in another week you will be well enough to care for yourself. At that time, there are many people who will be happy to see you. Until then. Try to talk as little as possible and focus on getting healthier."

"Please Severus."

"Black. Do not delusion yourself that we are close enough for you to use my first name."

"Please. I just. I'm sorry."

"Drink. Do not waste energy with meaningless words." He places the cup in my hand and he leaves the room. I cannot move. I cannot follow. I just let him walk away. Again.

I drink all of the strange liquid. I don't even ask what it is. I don't care. Just as I'm getting tired of holding the cup he returns and takes it from me. He has a bowl of some type of food. He brings a spoon to my mouth- his face completely neutral.

"Eat." I open my mouth for the spoon. My bones feel like liquid. I swallow. Before I take the next spoonful I exhale loudly.

"Severus."

"We are not friends. Do not address me as if we were."

"I know I messed up. I know I did. Please just talk to me. Just three questions. How long have you been taking care of me? How did you save me? And WHY!"

"I know you. You always have more questions."

"Please Severus. You don't have to answer. You never do. I just need to know. I've been going crazy." He brings another spoonful to my mouth before setting the bowl down.

"I pulled you out from behind the veil a little over two weeks ago. No one knows. No one knows I even planned to. I used a spell. I would prefer not to tell you the details."

"The last question. Please." His eyes are closed for a brief moment before he looks me right in the eyes.

"I have never forgotten you."

"I never forgot you either." His face doesn't betray any emotion. "Severus, I know I really fucked up. But please just give me…"

"No. We cannot pick up where we left off. I didn't do this so that I could be snuffed when a relationship with me is no longer convenient. And I know you. I didn't bring you back because of any feelings I may or may not have about you."

"Then why did you. You just said you have never forgotten me. Then why. If that's not the reason then why save me."

"I got a second chance. Harry Potter saved the wizarding world, and then he saved me. I should have died. He saved me from my injuries and then he had me proven innocent. I'm a free man. I got a second chance. I thought maybe you could as well. When you are healed enough I will leave your home. I don't know where I will go yet. But that isn't any concern to you. You will get a second chance to be a good father. But not a second chance to be close to me. I am not foolish enough to trust in you again."

"Severus. I know I messed up. I'm sorry. I have wanted to apologize since the beginning. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to stop him. He hated you and he was my best friend."

"I wasn't angry at you. Or him. It was so typical."

"You still love me don't you. I know you do. Please."

"You were really the only one I ever… no one else. No. We will not talk about this." He exhales to calm himself. "You need to eat."

"Are you still a virgin." His face twists in anger and shame.

"My life is of no consequence to you."

"I just need to know that you found someone who you are comfortable with. Someone that you aren't afraid of touching you. Tell me that you found someone."

"Stop talking."

"Because you let me. Had I not fucked up, eventually you would have let me have more of you. I would have had sex with you."

"Shut up." His eyes are wide and angry.

"I just need to know that your happy. I'll stop. That's all I need to know. Tell me that you found someone that loves you. Someone that won't fuck up like how I did. I need to know that you aren't so hung up on what I did that you've resolved to spend the rest of your life alone. I need to know that you will be taken care of."

"You have no right to know anything about me. I hate you. I have always hated you, and I'll go to my grave hating you. I hate you."

"Well I love you." The words slip out of my mouth in an angry hiss and there is only ice between us. He looks away from me.

"I don't know how I managed to bring you back from the veil. The spell didn't do what it was supposed to do. The spell was old and forbidden. It would have used my life force to pull you from death and back to life. It worked, but it didn't take my life. I don't know why. I was prepared to die. I didn't want to be alive anymore. The war is over… Lily is dead, Harry was safe, and you were dead. It made more sense for you to live then it did for me."

"You were going to sacrifice yourself."

"I was going to bring the idiot back to life. That's all that mattered."

"You still love me."

"It doesn't matter. I'm more warped than I was as a student. You didn't want me then. You certainly will not want me now. And I can't do it again. I wish for you to have a happy life, but… I will not be a part of it."

"Please."

"No. My emotions are what always get me into trouble. Once you are well, I will be leaving with the intention of going someplace where no one knows my name or face."

"I love you though."

"That's not enough."