Disclaimer: No character is really mine, but you all knew that already huh.
… Harry talking to himself.

Chapter Four: Silent Vigil

Severus sat on the floor most of the night. He was not even really aware of anything around him or how much time had actually passed until Albus came back in to check on him. Severus heard him walk into the room and looked up into the Headmasters eyes.

"Severus, please tell me that you have not been in that same spot since last night." Albus asked quietly knowing full well that he had not moved.

Severus looked up at Albus confused, " What do you mean 'since last night'?" surely he couldn't have stayed in that position all night, could he?

He had been so lost in his thoughts, so he guessed that it would have been possible that he had spent the night on the floor. He looked back up at Albus and all of the events from the previous night came flooding back with a vengeance.

" I should have never doubted Lily's love for me." Was all that Severus was able to say before he passed out.

Albus managed to catch Severus's head before it hit the cold stone floor of the dungeon. Albus slipped his wand out of his robes and levitated Severus up off the cold damp dungeon floor. He moved him into his private living room and settled him onto the couch. After draping a warm blanket over him Albus set down in a chair close to the fireplace. Needing something to read he summoned a book from the mantle above the roaring fire. Albus sat reading the book on Most Potent Potions to wait for Severus to wake up from his nap.

Chuckling at this thought he turned the page not really seeing what he was reading, his mind was wandering to the young boy that lay in the infirmary. He hoped that he would be all right.

He felt terrible, if only he had seen the signs he would have removed Harry from his relatives care. His thoughts remained on Harry as he drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile on the other side of the school Harry was trapped in his own subconscious, oblivious to revelation that had been revealed earlier in the dungeons. The blackness was driving Harry crazy. It felt like it was closing in on him and he couldn't breath. And then suddenly he could just barely hear voices somewhere in the background.

That woman sounds like Poppy! Good that means that I am at Hogwarts. Ah that is a relief.

Harry strained against the silence hoping to hear someone talk again. Harry looked around hoping to see a glimmer of light somewhere, but he was surrounded by the darkness.

Harry closed his eyes so that he could pretend that he was somewhere else and not trapped in this never-ending darkness. He concentrated on trying to hear anything around him. He sat there for what he felt like was forever when he thought he heard a soft shuffling sound coming closer to him.

Harry strained to hear where the noise was coming from but it had stopped.

When he was about ready to give up hope and let the darkness consume him he heard a soft silky voice starting to talk.

After Severus woke up on his couch he decided that he needed to go and see how Harry was doing. Slipping quietly out of the dungeons so not to wake Albus he walked quickly through the school and made his way to the infirmary. Walking softly so as to not alert Poppy that he was there Severus sat down next to Harry's bed.

Seeing the condition the boy was in made his heart feel like it was breaking into a million pieces. There were monitors everywhere making sure that Harry's vital signs stayed where they were supposed to be at. Severus never thought that he would see the day when the boy-who-lived would need an enchanted muggle machine to breathe for him.
It was then that it hit him that he had a son, something that he had never ever dared to dream about. But here he was, alive and breathing.
His son.
The famous Harry Potter was his son. Oh how the Fates must love playing with his life.

He wished that he would have known sooner. Maybe he would have been able to prevent those stupid muggles from abusing him, but he had no idea on how long the abuse had been going on for. Severus sighed dejectedly. What was he supposed to do? He wished that he could talk to Harry now so that he could tell the boy what was going on and what he thought about it and maybe Harry would know what to do, because he sure in the hell didn't.

So why not talk to him now, a little voice in the back of his mind asked quietly.

And so for the first time in his life Severus Snape began talking to his son.