Summary: Severus has never done anything for anyone, but what will he do for one small boy named Harry.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot
A/N: Of course it is AU. I also would like to thank my beta Nita
Chapter 36
Harry was sitting at the table, not really sure about what had gone on. For some reason, his father and Mr. Malfoy had words again, only this time he hadn't tried to hurt Harry. Gertrude made Harry a cup of tea, but the tea tasted funny somehow. It wasn't as if it were bad, but the lump in Harry's throat kept him from swallowing it.
Severus gathered all his courage and went over to where Harry and Gertrude sat. He didn't know even how to begin, so he did what he normally did; he just came right out and said it.
"Lucius has hexed you and I, Harry."
When Harry's face looked up at him, he continued.
"Yes, you don't have to tell me that you don't feel hexed. I have an idea what he used, though I am not sure as of yet."
Gertrude was now sobbing.
"Masters will be just fine. Yes, Master Severus can cure anything, Gertrude is knowing it."
Severus turned solemn eyes towards the crying house elf, and as calmly as he could, explained.
"I can't cure what I don't know. There is a likely chance that ..." Severus couldn't finish. He couldn't tell his son that he would die if Severus didn't figure it out. He also didn't want the boy's last days of life to be spent suffering. He wanted to say something, anything, to bring some sort of comfort to Harry, but what?
Harry sat in silence, processing what he could, and trying to figure out just what his father meant. Would they become sick? Would they die? He wanted his father to tell him everything would be okay. He wanted to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow to realize it was all a bad dream. He glanced to his father and for the first time ever, Harry saw fear in his eyes, and that scared Harry too. Standing up, he went to stand beside Severus, and did the only thing he could; he wrapped his arms around him, and held on, afraid to let go.
The two of them sat there for a long time, till Severus picked Harry up.
"Why don't we try to get some sleep? Nothing can be solved tonight."
Harry was half asleep already and didn't fight it when Severus laid him down in his bed. Rolling over on his side, he tucked his hands beneath the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
A week later ...
Severus sat at the table, papers and books spread about him. His hair was uncombed, and his eyes had dark circles underneath them. He could no longer sleep, seeing nothing but visions of death when he closed his eyes. Harry, too, had stopped sleeping, his dreams at night filled with past traumas the Dursley's had inflicted on him. Severus had given him Dreamless Sleep as much as he could, but any more and the boy would not wake up.
The two of them relied heavily on Gertrude. Severus had gone to Hogwarts and told Dumbledore that Lucius had hexed him and he wouldn't be back till he could find the cure. He didn't mention to Dumbledore anything about Harry. Dumbledore had told Severus to stay at Hogwarts so that they could both work on a cure, and that Severus could stay in the Hospital Wing till they did. Severus assured him that he was fine for now, though that was a lie. Each day, Severus grew more and more tired, his limbs feeling as though they were made of lead. Each day, Harry too, grew weaker. Severus often found the boy falling asleep, even while standing, if only to catch a few moments of sleep undisturbed by dreams.
It was when Harry started having daily nosebleeds, and his appetite waned back to what it had been, that Severus grew scared. He had worked day and night, trying every potion he could think to brew, and none of them had worked. Harry no longer would sleep in his room, afraid to be alone. Severus had questioned him about it and the answer had ripped his very soul from him.
"I don't want to die alone," Harry had whispered.
Severus stood in his lab, the last potion he had made still in the cauldron. He was supposed to be getting Harry ready for bed, but he just couldn't bring himself to face the boy. Severus was tired, his body feeling weak and ready to give up. He just wanted to give up, but he couldn't. Harry needed to be able to go to school, to have friends of his own. The boy hadn't even found a friend yet, had never played with anyone his own age. Lucius Malfoy had taken that all away from him. Severus felt the tears coming, and he willed them away.
In the back of his mind, he heard his father's harsh words, the many lessons on being a man. He was not allowed to cry, for it showed weakness, and that was not a trait of a pureblood. Severus found himself trying to force back the sobs when the door to his lab opened and Harry walked in.
"Dad?" he said, inching closer to Severus, who was sitting on the floor.
Severus' mind could not focus on the here and now. In is mind, he was twelve years old again and his father's words ran over and over in his mind.
"Dad?" Harry said again, now taking a seat beside his father. He could see the tears welled up in his eyes, but none had fallen.
"Are you all right? Do you need something?" Harry was nothing more than skin and bones now. He had long ago stopped eating more than a couple of bites. Food meant nothing to him, and it felt like sawdust in his mouth. This hex brought about a Slow Death, one Harry was trying to remember, it seemed.
Harry was brought from his musings by his father rambling.
"I am not allowed to cry," he said, over and over as he rocked back and forth.
"Don't be silly, of course you are allowed to cry," Harry told him, as he wrapped his small arms around his father.
That action seemed to release something in Severus and he found himself weeping. Harry held him, wishing he could do more. After several minutes, Severus snapped out of his trancelike state.
"You should be in bed resting," he said, wiping his face.
Harry, on the other hand, was thinking. Something he needed in Surrey, but what?
"I have a few more potions I need to look up, but the books are at Hogwarts. I shall go there tomorrow and see if they bring about anything new."
That is when it hit Harry. The book in the store in Surrey, the one on the top shelf. There was his key to fixing this, or at least he hoped so.
Harry waited till his father left the room and returned to his lab before he got out of the bed. It was a chore to even do that, but Harry felt a bit of strength, knowing he might find the answer. After writing his father a short note, he walked to the fireplace. As quickly as he could, Harry grabbed the floo powder and called out his destination. He was gone in a whirl of green flames, hoping he would come out in Surrey, and not end up somewhere else.
A/N: See you next week!