"Severus, hold still! You know that this won't hurt, and it'll be quick- ouch!" shouted Remus, who'd just been elbowed in the eye.

Severus laughed as he thrashed almost feverishly in the bed. Did they truly think that they could leave him here? When they were going to save his love, who was imprisoned a mere few hundred miles away- a matter of seconds by Apparation? No, they'd have an easier time just bringing him along; he'd make sure that they had to.

He'd woken a few minutes before to find Alastor's wand tip at his temple: they were trying to gain the location of the place where Hermione was held prisoner. He'd begun to thrash, then, keeping them from getting the location even as he fought them in his own way.

Remus had come running, bringing Harry stumbling in on his heels moments later. The three of them were now trying to restrain him long enough to finish the spell. They weren't having much luck, though; he was struggling like a wounded bear might.

There was only one reason that they hadn't just Stunned him, and that was that he was far too weak to survive the spell. The weakness that he suffered after having been asleep for a week and a half had prevented that. He was so weakened that, when he'd fallen asleep, trying to tell them before, he'd been in a near coma. The other men had hurriedly concocted something like an awakening potion, and had fed it to him. It had taken nearly six hours to actually awaken him.

He felt a cool, long-fingered hand settle gently upon his forehead, and he stopped struggling. Even in the delirious haze that he had fallen into, he knew that Albus had come. And he was right, he saw, as he looked up. Albus' face hovered over him as if by magic.

"Calm down, Severus." his cool, somewhat distant voice requested, and he held still. Then he turned to Remus, Alastor, and Harry and said, in his most answer-demanding tone, "What's going on here?"

Severus just laid there as he listened to Remus trying to explain the situation. Albus' hand, he faintly noted, had moved down to his own, holding it as though he were a sick child in need of reassurance. When he turned back to Severus to see that the story was correct, Severus managed a weak nod.

Albus turned back to them, his voice suddenly frosty and reproving. "Why didn't you just come and get me? I could have solved the problem much faster than you three. Now we will all have to wait until morning to go."

His voice was decided, leaving very little room for argument.

But Remus was having none of it, Severus saw. He opened his mouth and began to speak, rapidly, as though afraid that what he had to say wasn't appropriate.

"Albus, we can't take Severus-"

"-he's too weak-" added Alastor.

""-he'll only slow us down-"declared Harry.

This was exactly the wrong thing to say. Albus straightened up, the cold disapproval radiating from his face in icy waves. Even his voice was made of ice as he said, "So, Harry, you think that he'll slow us down, do you?"

"Well, I-"said Harry, who'd just realized that he'd made a major mistake.

"You think that we could do better without him, do you? You think that you have more reason to go than Severus does?"

"No, I just-"

"Well, ask him why he wants to go, Harry. Ask him. See what he says, and weigh it against your reasons. Then tell me that he should stay here, that he'll just slow us down. Well? Go on! Ask him!"

Albus was well and truly mad, now, so Harry turned to Severus, who was trembling with exhaustion, and said, "Why must you go with us?"

He saw the curious looks on the faces of the other two, and he sighed, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He dashed them away roughly, swallowed hard, and told them what only Albus had known.

"She and I are… we're engaged."

The look of shock on their faces was too much for him, and he buried his head in the pillow, afraid that if he kept on looking at them, he'd begin to cry.

Even so, he heard them talking.

"No wonder!" said Alastor in a deep, sorrowful voice.

"He never told us…" sighed Remus, his voice trembling with sorrow for the person he'd hurt.

Harry remained silent, the only one who seemed to have known. But that was impossible, as well, since Severus hadn't told anyone yet.

"Well, he asked her the day before she was- anyway, he couldn't take it, no doubt. He probably knew how you'd react, and just couldn't take any more…" came Albus' quiet reply.

Silence fell, and Severus felt that they were waiting for him, patiently, to talk to them.

When he turned over, he saw them all looking at him, pity visible first and foremost in their eyes. He ignored it, and began to speak quietly. Soon, all of the others forgot, for the moment, his suffering and were all engaged in planning a journey to the House- though they didn't know that it was that particular house.

Still, though, he thought he saw a flicker of fear, and recognition, in Harry's eyes. But he saw it only for a second: then it was masked, and Severus began to doubt himself. The boy couldn't possibly know, could he?

No, no… of course he didn't know. There's no way for him to know… he hasn't invaded my thoughts, nor has he understood the clues…

He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he had fallen silent, dropping out of the conversation. He was startled, then, when Albus' voice cut through his thoughts. "Severus, are you-"

"Fine, fine. Continue, please. I was just thinking about… some other things… details and such…"

But when he looked up at Albus' face,he noticed the look on Albus' face that said he knew what Severus had really been thinking about.

"…Fine, then. It's all settled. We'll all be ready to go at seven in the morning. Severus, Albus, we'll meet you in the Entrance Hall, along with several other teachers who can close and lock the doors from the inside once we've gone. And they'll know what else needs to be done…" Remus said, with a brisk, commanding tone.

Remus and Alastor left the room, picking up hastily dropped cloaks and bags on the way. Albus, sensing Severus' need to be alone with Harry, quietly got up and headed for the other door, commenting on the fact that since he'd be going with them, he needed to fill Minerva in on what needed to be done while he was gone and she was the Headmistress.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Harry walked over to a chair. He collapsed into it, his eyes blankly staring into the fire. Severus, with much effort, managed to get out of the bed, and totter over to one of the chairs before doing the same. He sat there, thinking about how to break the news to him, how much he could tell him…

It was Harry who spoke first.

"So why didn't you tell them? About where she was, I mean? It can't be that big of a secret. They must have some ideas as to where she could be."

Severus moved his eyes onto Harry, and he felt his jaw drop as a feeling of trepidation made his insides writhe. So… Harry did know! But- how?

"There are only so many places-"

"Wait a minute. Hang on. You know where she is? How do you know?"

Harry looked at him, his face dark with anxiety, fear and a sense of knowing. It seemed as though he understood, somehow, what his old Potions master was feeling at any given time about any given thing.

"Well, when you were in the dream, I was there, too. I was sharing your body, a silent, passive passenger inside of your head. I saw everything you saw, thought everything you thought, knew everything you knew. I even felt the same things… her body in your arms, the longing inside you, to be with her forever and to never have to worry, her soft, warm lips beneath yours…

"I also saw, in that time, your soul. I know what you're truly like. I saw what you were, once, and what you are now. I know why you acted the way you did when I was young, and before that, before I was even born. I saw how you loved my mother from afar, never daring to ask her for a kiss, a glance, a smile; I saw how you left her all of those roses and gifts that were signed with From a caring friend, and From a secret admirer. I lived, in essence, your entire life in an instant when I first linked minds with you.

"And, most terribly of all, I remember everything that ever happened to me, now. I remember the first glimpse of light that I ever had; I remember the look of delight on my parents' faces as I spoke my first word, and how it felt to be loved. I remember their arms, cradling me, their hands, holding mine, the way they smelled… like spring and sunshine… and I remember…" here his voice faded, becoming smaller. He took a deep breath, and forced himself to continue. "…I remember how they died. Every gruesome detail. And I will never forget anything that happened to them."

He stopped talking, returning his gaze, filled with dead emotions, to the fire.

"I remember everything… everything…"

Silence fell, and the two men looked at the fire together, yet alone, each buried deep within his own thoughts.

"Before, I thought that I had hit rock bottom. Ginny missing, Ron dead… I thought that I couldn't go any lower. My world had been torn apart." whispered Harry.

"And then…" he added, almost afraid to continue his thoughts. "And then…"

For a moment, a mere moment, he stopped. Then he continued speaking, almost unknowingly; it was a though he didn't know what he was saying anymore.

"And then the dream came. A warning, from the Dark Lord himself. Though he thought that he hid it from me, I felt it. And it was then that I knew what hitting rock bottom really felt like."

There was no noise at all in the room, other than the snap and crackle of the flames that slowly devoured the logs. Even the wind and lashing rain that had started sometime during the meeting had died down, becoming the lowest of murmurs.

The look on Harry's face was bitter, almost heartbroken. He's lost so much, reflected Severus, in such a short amount of time. But then, haven't we all?

Hours passed as the two sat together, chairs nearly pushed together but minds galaxies apart, never stirring except to throw another log onto the fire. Nothing disturbed them, not even Albus' cautious entrances and exits from the room as he managed castle affairs.

Severus stood as the fire died down, with his mind finally made up. He staggered back towards the bed, looking for his wand. Finding it on the nightstand, he turned back, planning to Stun Harry, but then he thought of something even better.

He dropped the wand, and managed to return to the chair without falling. Once he was comfortably seated, he lightly touched Harry's arm, and threw him back into the chaotic link that they'd had earlier. But instead of leaving Harry deep inside his own mind, he led the unresisting man to the door of his imagination. Taking a deep breath, and gathering strength, he stood, undecided for the shortest moment. Then, steeling himself, he pushed Harry through, and closed the door. Harry would be in the world/not world place until Severus released him.

Then he turned and walked away, smiling bitterly as he did so. Finding the light, he stepped out of the other's mind.

As he opened his eyes, he looked to see that Harry was unconscious. When he saw that he was, Severus stood, and walked to the bed. He had to hurry, if he wanted to get them all and leave before anything else came up.

He struggled for a few minutes with his clothes, and then picked up his wand. He turned, more confident now, and slowly walked, empty hand on the wall for support, out of the bed chamber and into Albus' office.

Hunting through the two untouched drawers of Albus' desk, he found a vial of Pepper-Up potion. Pulling off the seal, he swallowed three huge mouthfuls, mindless of the taste. He shuddered as he felt a rush of strength, and re-corked the vial, stowing it in the pants pocket. He'd need more later, most likely.

Then he strode briskly out of the room, more determined than ever to do the things he'd planned.

After making his way down to his rooms, and gathering supplies, he headed to the guest quarters, which were across the Entrance Hall. He knew which rooms were Remus' and Alastor's, though since it was the full moon, Remus would be out on the grounds roaming, completely out of control. So all he had to worry about here was Alastor.

Standing outside the door, Severus quickly whispered an incantation that would show him, on a model of the room, where there were wards and spells for defense. He grinned as he saw the results: a glowing gray line across the doorway, a red stripe across the middle of the room, several blinking blue dots scattered around the furniture, and a warding circle of black that shimmered around the bed.

Well, well, well, he thought, a little cautious tonight, are we? That's all right; I know the counter-curses that will eliminate these.

Whispering one after the other, he watched his "floor plan" as the lights blinked out one by one. Then, when no more remained, he cautiously opened the door.

When he stepped into the room, he saw a blinking silvery dot appear on his map, showing him where he was standing. He navigated around the room, avoiding the furniture as he did so thanks to the map. Making his way over to the bed, he closed his hand upon the floor plan, and it vanished. Then, he raised his wand, and whispered a few words before casting the spell.

Once it was cast, he stood over his friend, watching the amber mist slowly creep up his still form until he was completely enveloped in a cloud of it, which slowly vanished. Alastor's breathing deepened, and Severus knew that it had worked.

He left the room, not bothering himself over taking as much care as he had before since Alastor was deeply asleep. Leaving the guest chambers, he headed for Albus' secret rooftop spot, via a hidden passageway.

He emerged, dusty and covered in cobwebs, at the rooftop hideaway. Albus was sitting there, staring at the stars. Without turning, he addressed Severus.

"So, come to put a spell on me, Severus? Come to make me sleep, or forget, so that none of us go to our deaths?"

"No, Headmaster," he replied, tiredness creeping sneakily into his voice, "I've only come to stop you from following me. I may be killed tonight, but none of the rest of you will."

Albus turned to look at him, but slowly toppled to the ground as the Stunning Spell hit him. Severus pocketed his wand, then walked over and slowly picked him up. The entrance to the passageway had remained open, but once he stepped back inside, it closed, completely obscuring the stars.

He carried the Headmaster to his bed chamber, and set him down on the bed, where he'd be found in the morning by Remus or Minerva.

Turning to the window, he summoned a broomstick, waiting impatiently until it arrived. Once he'd mounted it, he flew out the window, stopping only long enough to take what could be his final glimpse of the place he called home.

Then he turned to the north, and flew away, a dark figure silhouetted by the moon. The howl of a werewolf rose behind him, swelling into a crescendo of joy, before falling silent- the castle's farewell.