Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Forest of Mystery

Without opening his eyes, Harry relished in the comfort coming from the blankets tucked around him. He had the feeling that he had been asleep for a long time, but for once, he didn't care. It had been a long time since he felt so well, the magic humming around him was comforting and soothed his still tired body. Suddenly he felt a hand rest on his forehead; it was cool and gentle, but it was compelling him to wake up.

"Come on, Harry, you've been asleep for nearly three days; you need to get up long enough to eat something."

Finally, the teen allowed the voice to wake him, and he opened his eyes. He wasn't very surprised to see Snape sitting on the bed next to him; the man had taken it upon himself to take care of him during the trip, and he was happy to see him seemed willing to continue with that role.

"Ah, finally, Sleeping Beauty awakens."

The gentle teasing brought a smile to his lips. "Have I really been sleeping that long?"

The man nodded. "Yes, you have, but don't worry about it; I slept for about two days and the others were not much different. I guess we had to adapt to magic once again. How are you feeling?"

Harry stretched and finally sat up, leaning against the wall. "Better than I have in a long while. You?"

Severus smiled at him. "I'm fine too, it's a relief to be back here."

The teen nodded and watched fondly as Ion, who had been resting at the end of his bed, started to clean his fur with quick strokes of his tongue. "How are the others doing?"

"Everyone's fine; Parvati and you were the only ones still sleeping so we decided to wake you up. We need to think about what we're going to do now. Dumbledore needs to know we're still alive and action needs to be taken against Voldemort."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Have you found out what has been going on?"

Snape shrugged lightly. "I've tried, but there isn't much information in the Daily Prophet. There have been several attacks, but it seems that so far the Order and the Ministry have been able to keep Voldemort in line. I've written a letter to Dumbledore, and I'm going to send it the way that the Order usually does it. Hopefully it will convince the old man that it's really me and not some impostor."

Harry looked thoughtfully. "Have you told him about us?"

The Potions Master shook his head. "No, I thought it better not to do that yet. He probably doesn't know what happened to me since my discovery as a spy was unexpected, but he knows I had ways to leave the Death Eaters should such a thing happen. I think it might be much more believable to know that I escaped than to know that the nine of us are alive after about a year in the Forest."

Harry nodded. "Probably right. Are you going to invite him here?"

Severus nodded in reply. "There's no sense in allowing anyone to see us at Hogwarts. Albus knows of this place and how to reach it; I expect him here with a few Order members by the end of the day. At least, if he believes my letter."

Without giving the teen the chance to reply, the older man stood up. "Come on, get dressed; lunch is waiting for us in the common room. I'm going to send the letter."

Harry watched with a small smile as the man left his room. He was glad to see that the Potions Master wasn't back to being a bastard he had been half afraid that would be the case, but it seemed they were lucky.

Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, an old man sat in his office petting his beautiful Phoenix. The years had started to get heavier on his frail shoulders, and he didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep up with everything going on. The children's disappearance had been a great loss to their side and people had started losing hope. The disappearance later of their only spy had also been a heavy blow. While they had managed to get a new spy in Voldemort's inner circle, the loss of Severus still rested heavy on the man's conscience. He had known that Voldemort distrusted him, but even so, he had sent Severus back.

A soft knock on the door startled him from his pained thoughts. Looking up, he saw Minerva standing there, a worried frown on her face.

"Albus, it's time for lunch."

The old man nodded but didn't move to get up. He was so tired. Suddenly, a soft pop ran through the silent office, and Dumbledore watched a letter appear in front of him. Knowing it was from one of the Order members and that it was probably important, he took the letter in his hands, dreading the message it contained. Minerva quietly closed the door behind her and went to sit in front of the old man, trying to offer him all the help she could.

Swiftly, Dumbledore opened the letter and nearly dropped it as he recognised the handwriting. Feeling himself grow pale, he quickly read through the short message, trying to control the tremble in his hands.

Albus,

As you have probably heard by now, Malfoy discovered me as a spy several months ago. I don't know if you are aware of my punishment; suffice to say, it wasn't as deadly as Voldemort would have liked it to be. I apologise for not getting in contact with you before, but it was impossible for me to do so. I'm back to my manor now, and I would appreciate it if you could come by to talk. I have no wish to go to Hogwarts since I think that my supposed death can be used against Voldemort.

I realise this could be viewed as a trap; that's why I used this way to get the letter to you. Bring with you as many people as you wish, I don't mind; I only ask that the ones who come with you are trustful.

I hope to see you soon,

S.S.

Taking a deep breath, Dumbledore lowered the letter. Could it be true? Could Severus really be alive? The transportation method was attuned to each member personally, and only a few of the most important members were attuned to his own office. The only one missing was Severus and since he knew that no one else would do something like this as a joke, he couldn't deny the fact that the dark-haired potions master was alive. A smile started to blossom on his face as hope grew in his old heart.

Minerva, who had been watching him worriedly until now, was startled to see that smile. It had been a very long time since she had seen it.

"Albus?"

The old man looked at her, blue eyes shinning brightly, overriding the shadows that had settled in his eyes.

"Severus. Severus is alive."

Minerva gapped at him in shock, barely willing to believe his words. Then a smile started to blossom in her own face. "Really? Are you sure?"

Dumbledore laughed softly. "Nearly, the letter is from him, no doubt about that, so unless he sent it from his grave, Severus is alive."

The woman frowned. "Why didn't he get in touch with us before this."

The old man shrugged, a frown growing once again on his face. "Who knows what Voldemort did to him. I'm still amazed to know that he's alive. He says he's in his manor and we're welcome to join him there."

"Why doesn't he come here?"

Albus' eyes twinkled at her as he stood up. "I guess he wants to keep his advantage; after all, Voldemort won't take him into account if he thinks that he's dead."

The woman laughed softly. "You have a point there."

Dumbledore approached the fireplace and threw a bit of floo powder. Madam Pomfrey's face appeared in the fireplace, a concerned frown marring her features.

"Is there something wrong, Albus?"

The old man shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure, Poppy. I need you to come with Minerva and me; be ready to heal injuries as we don't know what we'll find once we're there."

The woman looked at him curiously but nodded, grumbling under her breath about his stupid fondness for cryptic messages.

The old man stood in front of the fireplace for a moment before throwing another pinch of floo.

"The Burrow!"

Molly's face appeared in the fireplace. "Albus, is everything ok? Is something wrong with Ginny?"

Since Ron's disappearance, the poor woman lived in constant fear that someone else in her family would be hurt. The old headmaster quickly reassured her that her youngest daughter was doing fine and asked to speak with Bill. The young man had move back to England to help his family and was now one of the most trusted members of the Order.

"Headmaster?"

"Hello, Bill, how are you doing?"

The young man smiled at his mentor. "I'm fine, Mum said you wanted to speak with me?"

"I would appreciate it if you came to Hogwarts. I need you to come with Minerva, Poppy, and me to check on something." Seeing his concerned face, he rushed to reassure him. "I'm nearly sure it's nothing dangerous; in fact, I think it going to be something very good, but one can't be careful enough these days."

The younger wizard nodded curiously, and after confirming that he would be there in a few minutes he broke the connection. Albus turned around and went to one of his cupboards. After roaming in there for a few moments, he turned back with a black box in his hands.

Minerva looked at him curiously. "What's that, Albus?"

The old man sat back in his chair. "It's a portkey to Snape Manor. Severus gave it to me a long time ago in case something happened to him and I needed a safe place to use. The manor is huge and it's extremely well protected. Not to mention that to my knowledge, no Death Eaters know about its existence."

Before Minerva had the chance to reply, the door opened and Poppy entered, followed closely by Bill.

To be continued...

A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for beta reading it.