A/N All right, sorry this took so long, but Ive been busy.

Disclaimer: I dun't own Harry Potter.

Save Me, No One

Chapter 12

Harry Potter stared down at the Daily Prophet, eyes tired and glazed. The whole thing was full of monotonous rambling about how great everything had gotten after the war.

Harry felt half relieved, half angry at the fact he was never mentioned. But that was expected; he was the Boy Who Was Meant To Save Everyone. And now that that job was over... who was he?

The Quibbler was constantly talking about him. Harry enjoyed that though, not for the attention (not that there was any. No one really reads the Quibbler.), but for the funny things said about him. 'I love Luna,' he thought, which caused a blush. 'Darn Malfoy and those Greengrass sisters.'

Harry was relieved, though, at not being the spotlight for once. No Rita Skeeter interviews there.

The man gave off a sigh, and turned to the Jobs section. There were several job openings, and several people asking for jobs. Harry skimmed over some of the letters:

Looking for a job with animals? Apparate to-

In need of a job involving Curse Breaking, PRONTO! If anyone-

I am in need of a job brewing potions. Contact at 24 Spinners End-

I am in need of an apprentice to manage my store-

'Nothing,' thought Harry. The man hadn't been sure at first what he wanted to do... but after mentioning becoming a Mediwizard... there could be no other choice. Basically... Harry wanted to help other kids... kids like him...

He shook his head to clear him of THOSE thoughts. Sometimes he forgot he wasn't THERE. He would flinch, wrap an arm around his plate as he ate, find himself washing dishes in boiling water, start crying when taking a bath, etc.

'But I'm not that kid anymore. I am a man, a strong man that can not be hurt!' Harry repeated the mantra in his head several times, before sinking down into his worn couch, flicking his wand idly at the fridge, to get a coke.

'I could visit Hogwarts... talk to Pomfrey...' Harry did NOT want to go back there. For some reason, he felt he would be shackled and forced to stay...

He laughed a dry, humorless laugh. 'Imagine ME dreading to go back to there.'

But the young man sighed, knowing if he wanted to follow his dreams, he would have to go and talk to the Mediwitch. 'She better not tie me down to the damn bed again,' he thought, trying to push the memories of his suicidal weeks stuck in the infirmary away.

Harry apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, which were wide open. The long dark green grass set off in layers of waves across the rolling hills of the Hogwarts grounds. And speaking of the grounds-

"'arry!" Hagrid boomed, picking the boy off the ground to hug him tightly. Harry gasped, trying to pat the massive man.

"Oh! Hi Hagrid," Harry breathed, after being set down.

"How are yeh? Been travelin about?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Actually, I came to talk to Madam Pomfrey."

The Groundskeeper nodded, and let the man walk to the infirmary.

The school had sustained a lot of damage in The Battle of Hogwarts, but most had been repaired. The portraits and ghosts shouted out to him, greeting their 'savior'.

Finally, he arrived at the Hospital Wing. It looked creepy, being so dead with the bright white walls.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked, looking around the empty room.

"Mr. Potter!" Pomfrey exclaimed, as she came into the room. "Staying out of trouble, I presume? What are you doing here?"

Harry smiled slightly. "Yeah, I've been... good actually. I got an apartment in London, and I've been talking to Draco and Luna quite a bit." Harry paused. "And I'm here because I... kinda need a job, and I was wondering if you knew of anything."

Poppy thought for a second. "We need DADA, Transfigurations, Muggle Studies, and Potions professors. Professor Slughorn retired again," she explained.

Harry shook his head. "No, not a teaching job. I meant anything in the Medical field."

Poppy smiled. "They are always needing people at Saint Mungos, but you may not want the attention. I would offer you an apprenticeship to me, but I doubt you want to spend that much time with me. My advice is that you go on house-calls. It would be easiest on you... I had no idea you wanted to be a Mediwizard."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Neither did I. I dunno..."

Poppy ordered tea, and the two sat, chatting idly for a while.

Suddenly, something occured to Harry. "You need a Transfigurations professor? Did McGonagol retire?"

Poppy gave him a surprised look. "No..." she said slowly. "She is Headmistress now."

Harry's eyebrows drew together. How had he not heard about this? "But what happened to Snape?"

Poppy grimaced slightly. "We don't know. Some time last month he just up and left, only stopping to inform Minerva of his decision of leaving. She said he said something strange about being set free and being in a prison."

Harry rubbed his gristly chin. "Was it when I was in here?" he questioned, a slight twinge of guilt springing into his heart, but he was unsure as to why. 'You don't have to care about that disgusting man. He was the one who pushed you to your death,' he told himself.

"I believe so. Right after you were brought here, actually."

And suddenly, Harry remembered. 'Stop. Stop, please. Please just leave. Just leave. Please...'

'Oh please. He's said way worse to you!'

'But he was trying to apologize, and I just told him to leave. And he cer-tain-ly did!'

'What would the apology have meant to you anyway, hmm? A little self-gratification? Would it have made you feel better, after all he said?'

'He just spoke the truth-'

'Knowing it would hurt you. Get over it, Harry. He is not in your life anymore. He is gone-'

'But where? Madam Pomfrey said he just left, and nobody knows where he went!'

Harry shook his head, trying to shut up the annoying inner argument going on. 'Its just Snape. He's not worth it.'

The voices shut up, and Harry figured, if they could, they'd be staring at him accusingly.

Sighing, Harry muttered, "So nobody knows where he went?"

Poppy shook her head, biting her lip worriedly. "You know, I think he was in my care more than you, between the Marauders, You Know Who, not to mention Tobias..."

"Isn't that his father's name?" A horrible image of a too short, too thin boy with long greasy black hair being beaten by his too large drunk father formed in his mind.

Poppy didn't answer, knowing Harry had understood. 'He shouldn't understand,' she thought, turning away. "I'm worried about him. He has a nasty habit of closing himself off when he is hurt."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "He's just left before?"

Poppy shook her head, looking guilty. "The first time it happened during his teaching career was after your mother's death. It also happened during third year and fifth."

Harry couldn't help but remember what Luna had said about his glamours... when they were at their weakest...

"He also shut himself away this past school year... but we did nothing..."

"How does he close himself off?" Harry asked. The man had had to close himself off from the Dursleys, both mentally and physically, when he was young. The best thing to not get injured was to hide away. Thats how his cupboard, despite being so small and dark, had become his savior.

"Well, he doesn't talk, doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, throws himself into his work, stays away from everyone, wears baggy clothes, and starts acting quite... submissive... You students were lucky you never had to deal with those times much. He always hid his problems from you."

Harry stared down into his tea, hoping his pleading words hadn't effected the man THAT much. Harry hated to be a cause of any pain, no matter the person. 'My inner Mediwizard,' he thought, smiling slightly. But then the smile faded again, thinking about the suffering the man had put himself through.

"Does no one know where he lives?" Harry asked.

"No... I... wish I did. I never got the chance to apoligize to him for last year..." At Harry's questioning look, she sighed. "The students weren't the only harsh ones to him. We were horrible, some of us going as far as to harm him physically. He had a bad fever for the majority of the year, but I refused to treat it... He retreated so far into himself, and none of us noticed, except Dobby. I think the elf tried to take care of the man the best he could, but Severus was just an empty shell, a robot, in Muggle terms. I think Severus bound Dobby to a magical secrecy oath, but the elf told me anyway..."

Harry shook his head. HE was starting to worry about his ex professor now...

He shook his head, standing up. "Thank you for your help. I need to go and study," Harry murmured blandly.

Pomfrey nodded. "If you ever need anything dear..."

Harry nodded absently, as he walked out the Infirmary doors.

A/N Well, that took me forever! Up next: Some revelations and a visit...

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