It had taken no time for another week to pass, and Harry found that Snape was suddenly rare, along with Evie and the others. He had begun to spend much of his spare time flipping through the book that Snape had given him, and found that many passages were underlined and his mother had written many notes in the margins.

The book apparently told the life story of a man who'd been tortured as a child, and ridiculed as an adult, who ultimately found peace within himself. Harry had realized on many occasions that his mother had written to someone in the pages, and wondered if it had been meant specifically for Snape.

His favorite was definitely the last page, where upon his deathbed the man known as Owen had told his children, "Forgiveness comes only through great strength. No man is able to carry this burden alone, and we must rely on others to help us, but in the end the ones we hate become the ones who keep us strong, and bring us out of the darkness with strength we would never have had otherwise. And when we accept our enemies, and push aside our own hatred, we open doors that lead to our own redemption."

Beside this, in his mother's handwriting, was a notation.

To remember this, and to accept it, know that when you feel most alone, there are others with you. Even if you cannot see them, they are there, and may be the most unlikely of persons. All you must do is call upon them for your strength. Sometimes our souls are weak, and even though we may feel betrayed or angered by others, they can hold the key to our own redemption, if we give them the chance. So give them the chance. There is no telling what you will find if you open your heart.

Harry spent a lot of time reading over his mother's words, and wondered how they could seem to be written directly to him.

The weeks had begun to pass quickly, and Harry found himself in the phoenix room quite often, staring at the painting with Fawkes alight on his arm. Sometimes, he found that Godric Gryffindor was not there, and wondered where he could be. At others, he tried to speak to the figure, but it didn't seem to move.

Sirius apparently was thriving, and Harry watched as he became much stronger and handsome with the time that slipped by. His shoulders had broadened, and he was beginning to look even more like the Sirius Harry recognized from the Pensieve. Although much of his haughty good looks had begun to show, it stayed hidden away in a sort of maturity that he seemed to possess. Apparently it was new to him, too, for he often became quiet and seemed to be reflecting on something unseen inside him. Harry found it odd, seeing Sirius like that, and wondered if the veil had stripped him of all his boyishness, missing it badly.

But Quinn made up for most of that.

It had taken Harry one time of playing chess with the man to realize that the person he reminded him of was none other than Sirius. Quinn had the same reckless charm and sarcastic undertone that Sirius had once broadcast, and Harry found with much guilt that he somehow felt more drawn to him than Sirius these days.

Another who seemed to be changing for the better was Lupin, who had put on some pounds that took away from his weak look and was now one to be laughing and offering a joke every now and then. When the first full moon had come, Cyrus had ordered everyone out into the courtyard and they had dinner under the night sky as a celebration.

Snape had actually begun to say good morning to Harry, Ron, and Hermione when he saw them, and his clothes had changed, also. Many times he was spotted in a crisp white shirt and a vest, making them do double takes as he joined them for meals. He was more vocal, and on more than one occasion was seen sitting across from Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in the sitting room, listening to their stories and sometimes offering an emotionless comment, but a comment nonetheless.

Yes, things were indeed changing.

Ron and Hermione had been forced to return home a couple of weeks later, and with much protest had agreed after Evie had sworn to them that they could soon return, but it was better for their cause if the two of them stayed safe and out of harm's way. Harry had noticed after Quinn's first visit back after being reprimanded that security had tightened, and many times he saw Cyrus Auden placing his hands on the threshold of the mansion and speaking a low chant. Apparently something important had happened, and Harry longed to know what it was, but the others seemed to be determined to keep this information from him, and he felt rather perturbed at them for it.

Quinn had gone back twice more in the following month, and yet each time returned with no news of Draco or Narcissa. But on his third visit, at the end of September, he returned with color high in his cheeks and his eyes flashing.

"It has happened," he said, and Evie and Cyrus rose to meet him.

"What has he found?"

Quinn swallowed. "A goblet of some sort, and has arranged to absorb its power on this night."

Evie's face fell, and Cyrus moved to the door quickly. "We must go tonight. We cannot let him achieve this."

Evie glanced at Severus, and he stood suddenly. "I must return. There is a chance I can stop it."

She shook her head. "No. You can't."

Lupin had stood, and was looking at them with a frown. "What is this? What's happening?"

Snape swallowed. "He has found what he wants. The Dark Lord has found a part of his soul that he needed."

Harry suddenly felt sick realization hit him. "Hufflepuff's cup," he said, and every eye was suddenly on him.

"How did you know that?" Quinn asked.

Harry swallowed. "Dumbledore told me. He said it was a good idea to search for it, to destroy it. He said it was a Horcrux."

Evie moved to the door. "Dumbledore trusted Harry with many things that others may have thought him too young for," she said, "but I find that his understanding is well beyond his years." She shot him a glance as she passed Quinn, and he saw that even though she didn't smile, her eyes held a certain praise for him.

The werewolves suddenly filled the foyer, and their voices were mingling, growing in volume steadily. Evie seemed to be listening to them, but it was Cyrus who held up his hands to silence them.

"Quiet, all of you, this instant!" he shouted, and Harry found his bold command odd. Cyrus had been the quiet one since he'd arrived, and to see him so forceful came as a small shock. "If Voldemort..." Harry noticed that no one fell back here like they did at Hogwarts when the name was mentioned, "has indeed found the cup, then we must ready ourselves. There is no way to stop him tonight, so we must remain here and wait until morning. Then you must all join your brethren to find out what you can."

Harry noticed that Lupin was staring at Cyrus hard, and Snape was glaring at Evie, who was glaring right back. Sirius and Tonks stood together in the back, simply looking on.

Beckett stepped forward. "And then what? How much longer do we wait until he finds his others? We cannot destroy the snake, Nagini, for she is protected by the Dark Lord himself. And the locket is somewhere near, we know. If Thomas knows that..." he glanced at Harry, "...that he hid the locket, why hasn't he been able to tell us where? Why haven't we retrieved it?"

Cyrus looked at Beckett harshly, and Harry noticed that the younger man instantly quieted. "Because he has no idea where it was hidden, not any more than we do. And I will not have you throwing accusations at the others right now. We are not here to fight amongst ourselves."

Beckett seemed avoid everyone's eyes, and Harry thought how odd it was to see the large man cower under the thin shadow of Cyrus Auden.

Quinn was biting his thumbnail, staring at the floor. "I don't understand how I couldn't have known what he was doing. I could have done something to stop it, surely. After all the time we've spent, listening to the whispers and infiltrating, none of us thought that the Death Eaters would be hiding these Horcruxes for him."

"So they have aided hiding them?" Cyrus's brow had become low.

Quinn nodded. "Apparently so." He looked at Harry. "This is the first chance they've had to visit some of their old hiding places, seeing as how Dumbledore had been poking around them."

Harry swallowed. "He knew where they were, but he needed help retrieving them." He shook his head. "Maybe if he had given me an idea of where to look, I could have found it before Voldemort."

Evie gave him a small, sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Harry, you'll get your chance."

Harry didn't know what she meant by this, and she didn't elaborate, just began talking to Lupin.

Cyrus Auden had completely transformed right in front of their eyes. He was loud and brash, and his orders came sharp. He pointed at Miguel and Porter. "The two of you must return with Quinn tomorrow. I want to know exactly what is going on. And Thomas- you must go with Evelyn to the potions room. Every memory of your old friend that you have has to be looked back upon. If Voldemort absorbs the part of himself from the cup, he will be stronger and more diligent in his search than ever." He looked at Harry. "And you. You shouldn't be here. You've heard too much as it is. Go upstairs and stay there until you're told otherwise."

"But Cyrus, Dumbledore trusted me with this information. I know as much about the Horcruxes as you do. You can't just push me out of the conversation. I want to do something. I want to help."

Cyrus's eyes narrowed. "You are but a boy, Potter. This is not a treasure hunt. Things are now much more serious than we believed. We do not have time to watch over you. Go upstairs."

Harry opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Cyrus had never spoken like this to anyone, much less Harry. He cleared his throat. "But… Cyrus…"

"I SAID UPSTAIRS!" Cyrus was suddenly in his face, his wiry fingers gripping Harry's shirt. Sirius was rushing past him in an instant, and was joined side-by-side with Quinn.

"Be very careful, Cyrus," Sirius breathed. "I respect you, but there are such things as boundaries."

Cyrus looked as though he might curse Sirius any minute, but as his hand slid into his robes, Quinn put a hand on his chest.

"That's enough, Uncle."

Cyrus's eyes cut to Quinn, then back to Sirius, who seemed to be torn between his disapproval of Quinn stepping up for him and his need to slug Cyrus.

Cyrus's hand reappeared, and he spat the words at the two. "There are things that should not fall on some ears." He was stalking off into the study.

Quinn frowned. "Dumbledore trusted Harry. That must say something." He swallowed. "And Uncle," he watched as Cyrus turned, then he gave Sirius a small smile and walked a few steps closer to the older man, his voice falling to a whisper. "If you ever speak to Harry like that again, I'm sure his godfather and I can think of more than a few ways to remind you of your manners."

Cyrus's face turned a dark shade of scarlet, and Harry easily compared it to Uncle Vernon's. He finally whirled and disappeared into the study, where they heard him Disapparate.

Quinn let out a breath, and turned to Sirius. "I'm sorry, I really am. He tends to hold everything back until something drastic happens, and then the last six months comes out like wildfire."

Sirius nodded, and Harry was at his side. He looked at his godfather. "Thanks."

Sirius gave him a small smile. "Of course." His eyes went to Quinn. "And thanks to Quinn here, too."

Quinn looked a little stiff, but finally gave a huge smile. "No problem at all. Sometimes it takes family to point out your shortcomings."

They turned back to the crowd, and Harry noticed that none of them seemed entirely surprised by Cyrus's outburst. Evie had continued talking to Lupin, and Snape had joined them, and Tonks was speaking to Beckett. The others were in a huddle making gestures that seemed like some kind of plan to ambush.

He wondered why, after over a month, Cyrus was suddenly so violent, and no one here seemed to care.

Quinn was now speaking to Sirius, leading them back to the others, and Harry stole a glance at them. He felt a jolt.

Side by side, they strode together, and even clasped their hands behind their backs the same way. Every part of their mannerisms were similar. Harry looked at Evie, who was listening intently to Snape, then back to the men.

Surely she had to realize…

"Harry," he heard. His head snapped back to Evie, who was beckoning him with her hand. "I want you to come with me."

He looked at her nervously. "But… I wanted to stay here."

She smiled at him. "I know you do. But, I must ask that you come with me. Severus believes if the Dark Lord should in fact undergo another part of his transformation tonight, you could be in danger. There's a place I can put you, where he won't be able to reach you." She glanced at Sirius. "Sirius can even stay with you, if you like."

He nodded, and stared up at Sirius.

"I'll be up shortly, alright? I promise." Sirius tousled his hair playfully, but not like he used to.

Harry swallowed. "Why can't you come right now?"

Sirius looked thoroughly moved by the plea. He turned to him fully. "Because, Harry," he said softly, "there might be something I can do here. And I think I'm far overdue for the chance to help instead of hinder, don't you agree?"

Harry gave a small smile, and Sirius returned it. He pulled him close and bumped him. "Go on. It's for your own good."

Harry reluctantly turned back to Evie, and she smiled warmly. She turned and he followed her up the stairs to the second floor, stealing a glance back at Sirius and Quinn.

They were standing, heads close, Quinn whispering and Sirius nodding. He even saw Sirius return one of Quinn's smiles, and wondered if either one of them realized that they were so much alike it was uncanny.

They entered the hallway to the East wing, and Harry saw that there was a pair of double doors that he'd never noticed. She pushed them open, and it revealed a rather stark room of stone, large and cold, its atmosphere severely in contrast to the fine furniture it bore.

Harry studied the beautiful four poster bed, a large couch in front of a fireplace, several bookshelves, and a door that led to a bathroom off to the left. He looked at Evie. "What is this place?"

She looked rather guilty. "This room, Harry…" she swallowed, "it has many spells that protect it." She lowered her voice. "This was where Quinn stayed when he was younger… during the full moon."

Harry nodded an understanding. "But… why am I here?"

She shifted. "Cyrus has charmed this room with a very powerful spell that will protect you from any outside intrusions. Tonight, I must ask that you stay here. When Sirius retires, I will see that he joins you immediately. I'm sorry that I cannot stay with you myself, but I must…" she shook her head, "I can see if Tonks would like to keep you company, if you wish."

Harry shook his head. "That's okay." He watched her for a moment. "Voldemort- he's going to become stronger tonight, isn't he?"

Evie took a breath, and Harry noticed that she suddenly seemed every one of her years, and her usually calm exterior had all but melted away. "Yes, Harry, I fear that he will." She met his eyes. "And you must be protected." She seemed rather guilty as she continued. "There… there is a reason I sent your friends away, Harry- you understand that, don't you?" She frowned, and he swallowed. "I know they have been with you through many dangers, but this…" she shook her head. "This is different. This is very different. Dumbledore wanted you here for a reason. His protection can carry on through other means, and this is the place that protection is. Do you understand?"

Harry stared back at her for a long time, and finally gave a nod. "I understand."

She stepped back over the threshold, and gave him a small smile. "If you need any of us, simply use the Floo. We can hear you anywhere in the house."

He nodded, and watched as she shut the doors, and heard the tiny whine of a spell sealing itself around them.

Thomas had gone with Evie as soon as she had returned from the second floor, and Lupin had joined the wolves in the study alongside Tonks. Cyrus was still gone, but Beckett had volunteered to go and search for him, and had Disapparated earlier.

Snape and Quinn sat in the library, flipping through book after book and then flinging them towards the ceiling, where they became part of the steady spiral. Sirius, feeling empty-handed, took one and thumbed the pages. "What exactly are we looking for?"

Quinn looked up at him, and gave him a grin. "We? Am I to believe that the legendary Sirius Black is going to help the company of a Slytherin?"

Snape's eyes shot to Quinn, and Sirius tilted his head. "I see my reputation has preceded me."

Quinn chuckled. "My stabs at humor sometimes leave much to be desired." He tossed a book to him. "The locket remains. We're trying to find if there might be some way to destroy it once it's found."

Sirius caught the book with one hand, then looked at Quinn for a while before opening it. The entire volume seemed to be all about Slytherin, from his birth to his death. Sirius found a drawing of the locket in question, and tilted his head.

It was large, gold, and bore an S on the front. The chain looked immensely heavy, and it was easy to see that its value would hardly be overlooked by many.

Quinn flung another book towards the ceiling. "This is ridiculous. The odds of us knowing where the fool hid it..." he suddenly looked at Sirius, his face falling a bit. "There is no way of knowing."

Sirius gave him a tight smile. "Well, helping hands make happy hearts." He looked at Snape, who was poring over a thick stack of pages as though bored.

Quinn nodded. "Of course." He picked up another book, his eyes bouncing between the other two. He breathed. "So… you two… you were at Hogwarts together?"

Snape, who had been quiet, suddenly slammed the pages shut on his lap.

Sirius swallowed. "Yes, we were." He looked back to the picture of the locket.

Quinn glanced at Severus, then back to Sirius. "So, I bet you guys have all sorts of stories to tell about each other, huh? You and Lupin go on and on about Hogwarts. But Severus here never says much."

Snape looked as though he would pull his wand on Quinn any second and leave him in pieces.

Sirius shrugged. "Ah, well, Severus was quiet. Never would have been the fools that James and I were." He walked around the table and settled into a chair across from Snape. "Severus probably could have blasted every damn one of us away with one flick of the wand, but he never did."

Severus was now looking at Sirius with his eyes narrowed. Sirius looked back and gave a grin.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Enemies, eh? Well, no better place than this to hate someone. There are enough spells and charms to keep even Cyrus from having a bad day."

Sirius looked at Quinn. "Yes, what was that all about, anyway? He's never seemed the type to lose it like that."

Quinn plopped down on the couch and put his feet on the table, thumbing through another book absently. "Well, sometimes he gets overworked. This Horcrux business gets him all bent out of shape."

Snape blinked. "And you find it nothing to be concerned about?"

Quinn looked at Snape evenly. "I didn't say that. I simply meant that some people tend to take some things seriously. Far too seriously."

Snape leaned forward, placing his book gingerly on the table. "I find that your priorities are much more questionable than your uncle's. But you seem to have taken my earlier advice to the extreme."

Quinn shrugged. "What can I say? You…" he spread his hands mockingly, "graciously convinced me that I was in the wrong."

Snape was staring at him flatly.

Quinn raised his eyebrows. "What? You don't believe me? Fine." He sat up, and looked at Sirius. "Apparently Severus thinks I owe you an apology- you see, I thought, rather foolishly, that you might be interested in perhaps… continuing what you and Evelyn had left behind. Severus convinced me that this was ridiculous, and I feel rather guilty for ever thinking the way I did. Could you forgive me?"

Sirius's gaze was one of a man taken totally off guard. He opened his mouth, then raised his hands. "I suppose so. I… I didn't realize you felt that way..."

Quinn waved him off. "Yes, well, women tend to get the best of us sometimes, don't they? But Severus here reminded me that it has been- what, sixteen?- years since the two of you have seen each other," he began to laugh through his words, "and it's ridiculous to think that you two would ever be able to… you know…"

Sirius looked at Snape, and forced a tight smile. "Thank you, Severus."

Snape was still looking at Quinn. "You're quite welcome."

Quinn composed himself, then smacked Sirius lightly on the knee with his book. "So what was it like in Azkaban? Is it really as bad as they say?"

Sirius stared at him for a few seconds, then looked down to his lap. "Worse, actually."

Snape shifted. "Perhaps we can discuss something other than past regrets." He raised an eyebrow at Quinn. "Especially when some things were undeserved."

Quinn tilted his head back. "Oh, yes." He gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry- sometimes I have no idea how distasteful my comments are."

Sirius was staring at Snape oddly, then looked at Quinn and shook his head. "It's no matter. I understand completely. I once knew someone very much like you, as a matter of fact."

Snape glanced at Sirius, and found that his face was hard and his eyes seemed haunted for a few moments before they returned to the book in his lap.

Quinn grinned. "Bet he was one hell of a man."

Sirius's eyes flickered to him, then back down. "That would depend on who you were."

"Exactly. There were others who saw the less charming side of him, and found that he was quite the fool."

Sirius looked at Snape, who was staring down at his own book, not bothering to look up as he spoke.

Sirius felt a smile tug his lips "Of course, there were times you couldn't blame him. Like when a certain someone cursed him with a Stinging Hex in the middle of the Yule Ball, and everyone there saw him writhing around holding his crotch."

Snape flipped a page, seeming uninterested. "Well deserved, I would say, seeing as how that certain someone had found a rather large Stinging Plytherlily in his bag earlier that day."

Sirius thumbed through the pages in front of him. "And what about the time this fellow got hit with a Levicorpus that seemed pretty much irreversible halfway to Transfiguration, right when he was fighting his way to the loo after that incredibly unsettling porridge he'd just eaten?"

Snape sniffed. "Apparently, a certain person had a vendetta against him and decided to hide a rather strong cleansing potion in his breakfast. It would only seem obvious that this same person had a plan to keep him from relieving himself in private."

Sirius's grin was threatening to turn into a laugh. He swallowed. "Impressive." He nodded slowly. "But I remember when a certain person had a nose that grew fourteen inches during dinner once, and it took Madam Pomfrey half the night to correct it."

Snape turned another page. "And I remember that this other person was walking down a stairwell the next morning and someone from several flights up poured an entire bottle of Skele-Gro over his head."

Sirius suddenly burst into laughter, looking at Snape incredulously. "That was you?"

Snape ignored him.

Sirius slapped his knee. "I… I thought it was an accident or something- no one ever knew how it had gotten out of the hospital wing… I had bones growing out of every orifice I had!"

Quinn's brow was furrowed, but a small grin was on his face. "I guess you two have a few stories, after all."

Sirius leaned forward, pointing at Snape and raising his eyebrows at Quinn. "And that reminds me, he once hexed James Potter with a Tarantallegra while he was using the loo!"

Quinn jerked back. "Oh, not that." He looked at Severus and shook his head, bouncing with chuckles. "Not that, that's just…"

Sirius was nodding, snorting with laughter. "Horrible! I know! And then he had the gall to transfigure his Quidditch broom into a mop at the match that same day."

Quinn sat back, covering his face, which was turning bright red, with his hand.

Sirius looked at Snape, who was still staring down at the book, but with a tiny curl of the lip. He met Sirius's eyes. "Perhaps that was a step too far."

Sirius stared at him for a minute, then erupted into bark-like laughter. "Admit it- you were as bad as we were! You had more tricks up your sleeve than me and James put together!"

Severus frowned. "I hardly think that one could compare me to the two of you."

Sirius sat back, shaking his head. "Maybe not." He chuckled. "But I sure as hell wish that you had been on our side."

Snape blinked, and Quinn had sat back up. "Makes me wish I'd been there to see some of this. You two must have kept each other on your toes."

Sirius glanced at him. "You have no idea."

Severus cleared his throat. "For once, we agree on something."

Quinn laughed. "Ah, see there? And no charm to help out."

Sirius looked at Severus and gave a nod. "That wasn't so bad, either."

Severus was again flipping through pages. "For you, perhaps. I found it quite painful to realize that you are not the arrogant fool I remembered."

Sirius pouted. "Oh, no, I'm sweet." He looked at Quinn. "Quinn, aren't I sweet?"

Quinn nodded dramatically. "Oh, sweeter than honey."

Sirius looked back to Snape. "See? Sweeter than honey. And he's only known me- what, a month?" Quinn held up his index finger. "See? One month. And he knows what it's taken you twenty five years to see."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather be blind."

Sirius began to laugh, and shot a look at Quinn, who was shaking with chuckles. "See? He'll always hate me."

Quinn wrinkled his nose. "No, I don't believe that. He hasn't tried to kill you yet."

Severus lifted his chin. "Believe me, Quinn, it has crossed my mind many times."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I think you should have." He stared down at the floor. "God knows there were times I deserved it."

Snape's eyes flickered to him. "Well put." He shifted, then added, "Youth is sometimes a curse to us, especially when the need to be noticed is thrown in."

Sirius nodded. "That it is. But some things can't be overlooked just because we were fools. Some things stay with people for a long time, and sometimes they're very ashamed of what they did, even if pride keeps them from saying so."

Snape was still, and his eyes were still on the book, but not moving. He swallowed, and looked as though he was going to say something, but apparently changed his mind and turned another page.

It was silent for a while, then Quinn shifted. "I'm thirsty. Who wants a drink?"

Sirius looked up. "I would die for a good brandy."

Quinn raised his eyebrows and gave him a nod. "Brandy it is, then. Severus? Anything for you?"

Snape swallowed, and his face seemed to be tighter than usual. "I'll be glad to retrieve the drinks myself, Quinn. Please, sit back down." He rose, and Quinn sank back to the couch. "What can I bring for you?"

Quinn picked up another book. "I'm a brandy man myself. Bring the whole bottle." He winked at Sirius. "Just make sure it's still corked when he brings it. You never know when he might take the chance to get you back for your old school days."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at Snape. "Should I make you empty your pockets?"

Severus lifted his chin, looking rather perturbed, but his tone was light. "The only potion that would give the desired affects would have to be brewed for several months and administered in small amounts over a long period of time. I have no access to any of the ingredients, and only our good friend Quinn here would know where in the house they would be. Therefore, I believe you will be safe." He turned, then added over his shoulder, "Tonight."

Sirius cleared his throat, grinning at Quinn. "Well, at a time like this, it's good to know you can trust the guy sitting across from you."

Quinn laughed, and smacked him on the knee with the book again. "Hey, be serious!"

It may have been a bad joke, but they erupted into laughter, and Snape glanced back at them, and for a moment, just for a moment, felt like he had accomplished something.

His eyes opened, and he wondered what had awakened him.

The room was warm and cozy, and a fire popped and cracked, bathing the room in a lazy, dancing light.

Harry pushed the covers back, and wondered how long he'd been asleep. The moon was high, so he figured it had been at least a few hours. He stood and stretched, and wondered why Sirius wasn't there, and walked to the fireplace, throwing in a handful of Floo powder.

"Sirius," he said, hoping that his godfather's head would appear shortly.

But nothing happened.

He frowned. "Sirius?"

Again, nothing but the normal flames.

He stepped closer. Evie had said they could hear him anywhere in the house, so he wondered if he could Floo anywhere…

He threw in another handful, and stepped in. "First floor library," he said loudly, and closed his eyes, hoping for the best.

With a whoosh of sound, Harry saw that he had been taken to the library underneath the stairs, and that it was deserted. He frowned. "Hello?"

He stepped out of the fireplace, and instantly it hit him.

The pain was unlike any other he'd ever felt, and he found himself on his knees. A searing agony through his forehead shut out all his vision, and he ran his hands along the floor, trying to find something to grab on to. His stomach flopped, and he feared he would vomit, but couldn't make any sound as his mouth gaped open to scream for help. A weight had settled on top of him, and he thought, truly, that he was going to die right here.

He felt a hand on his shoulders, and felt himself being turned onto his back, and someone was holding him, cradling him gently, like a child.

It was some angel, here to take him away, into death, into sweet relief.

He knew it was, because he could hear its voice, saying that everything was alright, that it was going to be okay, because help was coming, and the pain was going to go away, Harry, just please stay with him a little longer, Harry, it would all be alright if he hung on…

Harry forced his eyes to focus, he wanted to see the being that had come to save him, but instead saw the outline of dark hair, and the hand that stroked his face was tender and trembling, and so real, not at all like some angel that would undoubtedly be transparent and cloudy and...

"Harry, don't go to sleep, whatever you do. Stay here with me, Harry. It's alright."

And as the outer rim of his vision blackened, Harry saw the face, he saw the angel that held him so tightly, and saw that it was none other than Severus Snape.