The Other Side Of The Dark: Chapter 12
Moody glowered at them both from the doorway. He had never seemed a particularly large man before, but now as he stood there, silhouetted by the light of the hallway beyond, Harry was struck by how completely he filled the frame. He looked extremely angry.
Tonks recovered first. 'Hi Mad-Eye,' she said lightly, 'everything OK? Professor Snape hasn't woken up or anything' Her voice tailed off in the silence. Moody took a deep breath, then stumped into the room.
'Thanks,' he said curtly. 'You'd better go, I need to give him another infusion. Take Potter with you.'
Moody watched them hurry out, then slammed the door behind them. He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then he turned to the room, raising the lights with a flick of his wand.
He thought about the night the Longbottoms' minds were ripped apart by a gang of Death Eaters. He thought about a carpet soaked with blood, furniture smashed, the far wall scored with lines like claw-marks. He thought about Frank Longbottom, a gifted wizard and a handsome, generous man who had never let personal feelings get in the way of his duty, never let the horrors he had seen tempt him to violence. He thought about Alice, her pretty, innocent face, her lovely smile, and her astonishing mind.
And he thought about a thin, hook-nosed youth standing in the middle of the carnage, two fine people lying as if dead at his feet, their infant son in his arms, wand poised. The look of anger and hatred on the boy's face had been horrible. Moody had seen many terrible things during his years as an Auror, but those needle-sharp eyes had blazed with an inhuman darkness that had been truly chilling.
Now, fourteen years later, the creature who had pointed his wand at a baby and forced Moody to release him was a cadaverous wreck, helpless and vulnerable in Moody's possession. And still he was trying to escape, this time in the most final way of all.
Moody leaned over the gaunt body, reaching out with trembling hands to touch the man's throat, feeling for the pulse. It was steady, but slow, very slow. He slid his fingers around the neck, pushing the jaw to one side with his thumb, and leaned down to whisper in Snape's ear:
'I know you're guilty, you bastard. Don't think for one minute I'm going to let you go this time. You're mine. And you will live to account yourself to me, if I have to fight Death himself for you.'
Tonks looked startled as the bedroom door banged shut behind them. 'Someone's in a bad mood,' she muttered. Harry said nothing. He felt as if he really needed another eight hours sleep, and he couldn't care less about Moody.
A door further down the corridor opened. Lupin's tousled head appeared around the frame, peering blearily at them with bloodshot eyes. 'What is all the racket about?' he asked.
Tonks chuckled. 'Oh dear, Remus, got a hangover? You and Harry both look like you could do with a strong coffee.'
Lupin dragged himself out of the room with a yawn. 'Sounds good,' he said, stretching.
Harry said nothing, pulling off his glasses so he could rub his eyes. 'Um, no thanks,' he said, 'I think I'll just go back to bed, if that's alright.'
Lupin smiled and Tonks gave him a hug. 'OK then,' she said. 'You get some rest and we'll wake you up in a couple of hours with breakfast, how does that sound?'
'Great,' said Harry, forcing a smile, 'see you later.'
He pushed open his door and slid inside, suddenly unbearably tired and wanting to be alone.
Tonks watched the door close with concern, but Lupin took her hand and pulled her gently in the direction of the stairs. 'He'll be all right,' he said softly. 'He just needs some time to come to terms with everything.'
The room was cast with the dim light of dawn, but the first thing Harry saw when he closed the door was Hedwig fluttering towards him from the top of the wardrobe. He felt a rush of gratitude that she had found him as she landed on his shoulder, hooting gently. Some thoughtful person had brought him his trunk, and it was pushed neatly against the end of his bed. He sat down on it with his owl, who nibbled his ear affectionately as he stroked her and whispered apologies for leaving her behind.
Hedwig was heavy, and after a while Harry eased her off his shoulder and onto the bedstead, where she promptly put her head under her wing and fell asleep. He gave her feathers another caress, then opened his trunk and foraged for pyjamas.
A creaking noise from somewhere behind him made Harry turn sharply. He scanned the shadows, wondering if Kreacher was lurking out there somewhere, and stood up scowling.
'Alright,' he said, 'I don't care what you think you're doing, you can get out of my room right now.' He advanced on the noise, knuckles whitening around his wand. Now there seemed a deeper tinge of silence just behind the wardrobe, as if someone was hiding there and holding their breath. He moved around to confront the intruder – and his jaw dropped.
'Please Harry Potter sir, do not let anyone know Dobby is here!' hissed the Dobby the former house elf, holding a long thin finger to his lips. 'It has taken Dobby hours to find his way, sir, and he does not want the one-eyed wizard to find him!'
Harry knelt down in front of the little creature. 'It's alright,' he whispered, 'I won't give you away. But what are you doing here?' He smiled at the anxious elf. 'It's nice to see you though.'
Dobby's face lit up briefly, but his huge green eyes looked worried. 'Dobby has come to find Severus Snape, sir. Dobby went with him to the moor to save you, sir, but when the other wizards came, Dobby had to hide. When they went away, Severus Snape had gone too. Dobby had great trouble finding him, sir!'
'Well you're a bit off target,' said Harry, 'Snape's in the room next door. And Moody's in there with him,' he added hastily as Dobby ran out from behind the wardrobe. The elf stopped in his tracks, his ears drooping as he gazed back at Harry with a sad look on his face.
'Dobby must find Severus Snape and take him home, sir,' Dobby whispered, coming back to Harry. 'Severus Snape was doing something important when he went to find you, sir, and he has to finish it, or something terrible will happen!'
'What do you mean?'
The elf wrung his little hands with indecision. 'Dobby has promised not to tell anyone, sir, not even his friend Harry Potter.'
Harry sighed. 'OK,' he said. 'What about, why are you helping Snape? Are you allowed to tell me that?'
Dobby seemed to relax a bit. 'Severus Snape asked Dobby to go with him when he left Hogwarts, sir. Severus Snape was kind to Dobby when they both served Dobby's old Master. And when Severus Snape told Dobby he was going to help Dobby's friend Harry Potter, sir, Dobby immediately agreed to help him!'
Not another Snape fan, thought Harry quizzically. Oh well. 'Snape's very badly hurt,' he said, 'what happened to him? What happened to his arm?'
Dobby's ears drooped a bit further, and a more fearful look entered his eyes. 'Severus Snape had been bad, sir, and he had to punish himself. It was terrible, sir, Dobby thought he might die. And he cut off his arm, sir, because he said the Dark Mark would stop him finishing his spell.'
Harry frowned. 'He said he cast a charm to keep Vol-' the elf winced, 'sorry, You Know Who out of my head. Why should the Dark Mark stop him doing that?'
'Oh no, sir, he made that spell as soon as we arrived in his home. His first thought was to protect Harry Potter, sir!' A quick smile crossed the little elf's face but disappeared as he continued. 'No, sir, there is another spell Severus Snape must cast before he may die, sir. A very complex spell-'
The sound of the front door slamming in the distance interrupted them. Dobby looked apprehensively from the bedroom door to Harry.
'Why don't you want anyone to see you?' Harry asked.
'Severus Snape warned Dobby that the one-eyed wizard hates him, sir, and would try to stop him. Dobby remembers the one-eyed wizard from when he used to come to see Dobby's old master, sir. Dobby and Severus Snape is afraid of him, sir.'
'Yeah,' Harry mumbled, thinking of how Moody had burst into Snape's room earlier, 'don't blame you.' He yawned as sleep threatened to overwhelm him. 'Look, Dobby, I don't think you'll be able to take Snape anywhere. He looked practically dead when I saw him earlier, and I get the feeling Moody isn't letting him out of his sight.' He got up and went back to his trunk, pulling out his pyjamas and sitting on the side of the bed to put them on. Hedwig slept on without stirring on the bedstead. Dobby hopped up to stand on the eiderdown next to him.
'Harry Potter looks very tired,' he commented, reaching a tiny hand to Harry's forehead. 'Maybe Harry Potter could tell Severus Snape that Dobby has not deserted him?'
Harry peered blankly at the elf. 'What?'
Dobby's face crinkled into a knowing smile. 'Severus Snape told Dobby how the charm works, sir. Severus Snape said that the charm might open a shared space between you if you were both to sleep deeply at the same time.'
Harry's eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute. 'You mean I'm going to see him again,' he mumbled, and tried feebly to move the heavy blankets so he could get under them. Dobby snapped his fingers, and the blankets moved aside by themselves, enveloping Harry as he slid into bed. 'Why?' he mumbled. 'Why did he do it? He hates me.'
'Severus Snape says Harry Potter has nothing but unhappiness and bad memories, sir,' replied Dobby, his orb-like eyes shining at him over the edge of the bed. 'Severus Snape told Dobby he would create a place of solace for Harry Potter, to protect him from He Who Must Not Be Named.'
Moody glowered at them both from the doorway. He had never seemed a particularly large man before, but now as he stood there, silhouetted by the light of the hallway beyond, Harry was struck by how completely he filled the frame. He looked extremely angry.
Tonks recovered first. 'Hi Mad-Eye,' she said lightly, 'everything OK? Professor Snape hasn't woken up or anything' Her voice tailed off in the silence. Moody took a deep breath, then stumped into the room.
'Thanks,' he said curtly. 'You'd better go, I need to give him another infusion. Take Potter with you.'
Moody watched them hurry out, then slammed the door behind them. He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then he turned to the room, raising the lights with a flick of his wand.
He thought about the night the Longbottoms' minds were ripped apart by a gang of Death Eaters. He thought about a carpet soaked with blood, furniture smashed, the far wall scored with lines like claw-marks. He thought about Frank Longbottom, a gifted wizard and a handsome, generous man who had never let personal feelings get in the way of his duty, never let the horrors he had seen tempt him to violence. He thought about Alice, her pretty, innocent face, her lovely smile, and her astonishing mind.
And he thought about a thin, hook-nosed youth standing in the middle of the carnage, two fine people lying as if dead at his feet, their infant son in his arms, wand poised. The look of anger and hatred on the boy's face had been horrible. Moody had seen many terrible things during his years as an Auror, but those needle-sharp eyes had blazed with an inhuman darkness that had been truly chilling.
Now, fourteen years later, the creature who had pointed his wand at a baby and forced Moody to release him was a cadaverous wreck, helpless and vulnerable in Moody's possession. And still he was trying to escape, this time in the most final way of all.
Moody leaned over the gaunt body, reaching out with trembling hands to touch the man's throat, feeling for the pulse. It was steady, but slow, very slow. He slid his fingers around the neck, pushing the jaw to one side with his thumb, and leaned down to whisper in Snape's ear:
'I know you're guilty, you bastard. Don't think for one minute I'm going to let you go this time. You're mine. And you will live to account yourself to me, if I have to fight Death himself for you.'
Tonks looked startled as the bedroom door banged shut behind them. 'Someone's in a bad mood,' she muttered. Harry said nothing. He felt as if he really needed another eight hours sleep, and he couldn't care less about Moody.
A door further down the corridor opened. Lupin's tousled head appeared around the frame, peering blearily at them with bloodshot eyes. 'What is all the racket about?' he asked.
Tonks chuckled. 'Oh dear, Remus, got a hangover? You and Harry both look like you could do with a strong coffee.'
Lupin dragged himself out of the room with a yawn. 'Sounds good,' he said, stretching.
Harry said nothing, pulling off his glasses so he could rub his eyes. 'Um, no thanks,' he said, 'I think I'll just go back to bed, if that's alright.'
Lupin smiled and Tonks gave him a hug. 'OK then,' she said. 'You get some rest and we'll wake you up in a couple of hours with breakfast, how does that sound?'
'Great,' said Harry, forcing a smile, 'see you later.'
He pushed open his door and slid inside, suddenly unbearably tired and wanting to be alone.
Tonks watched the door close with concern, but Lupin took her hand and pulled her gently in the direction of the stairs. 'He'll be all right,' he said softly. 'He just needs some time to come to terms with everything.'
The room was cast with the dim light of dawn, but the first thing Harry saw when he closed the door was Hedwig fluttering towards him from the top of the wardrobe. He felt a rush of gratitude that she had found him as she landed on his shoulder, hooting gently. Some thoughtful person had brought him his trunk, and it was pushed neatly against the end of his bed. He sat down on it with his owl, who nibbled his ear affectionately as he stroked her and whispered apologies for leaving her behind.
Hedwig was heavy, and after a while Harry eased her off his shoulder and onto the bedstead, where she promptly put her head under her wing and fell asleep. He gave her feathers another caress, then opened his trunk and foraged for pyjamas.
A creaking noise from somewhere behind him made Harry turn sharply. He scanned the shadows, wondering if Kreacher was lurking out there somewhere, and stood up scowling.
'Alright,' he said, 'I don't care what you think you're doing, you can get out of my room right now.' He advanced on the noise, knuckles whitening around his wand. Now there seemed a deeper tinge of silence just behind the wardrobe, as if someone was hiding there and holding their breath. He moved around to confront the intruder – and his jaw dropped.
'Please Harry Potter sir, do not let anyone know Dobby is here!' hissed the Dobby the former house elf, holding a long thin finger to his lips. 'It has taken Dobby hours to find his way, sir, and he does not want the one-eyed wizard to find him!'
Harry knelt down in front of the little creature. 'It's alright,' he whispered, 'I won't give you away. But what are you doing here?' He smiled at the anxious elf. 'It's nice to see you though.'
Dobby's face lit up briefly, but his huge green eyes looked worried. 'Dobby has come to find Severus Snape, sir. Dobby went with him to the moor to save you, sir, but when the other wizards came, Dobby had to hide. When they went away, Severus Snape had gone too. Dobby had great trouble finding him, sir!'
'Well you're a bit off target,' said Harry, 'Snape's in the room next door. And Moody's in there with him,' he added hastily as Dobby ran out from behind the wardrobe. The elf stopped in his tracks, his ears drooping as he gazed back at Harry with a sad look on his face.
'Dobby must find Severus Snape and take him home, sir,' Dobby whispered, coming back to Harry. 'Severus Snape was doing something important when he went to find you, sir, and he has to finish it, or something terrible will happen!'
'What do you mean?'
The elf wrung his little hands with indecision. 'Dobby has promised not to tell anyone, sir, not even his friend Harry Potter.'
Harry sighed. 'OK,' he said. 'What about, why are you helping Snape? Are you allowed to tell me that?'
Dobby seemed to relax a bit. 'Severus Snape asked Dobby to go with him when he left Hogwarts, sir. Severus Snape was kind to Dobby when they both served Dobby's old Master. And when Severus Snape told Dobby he was going to help Dobby's friend Harry Potter, sir, Dobby immediately agreed to help him!'
Not another Snape fan, thought Harry quizzically. Oh well. 'Snape's very badly hurt,' he said, 'what happened to him? What happened to his arm?'
Dobby's ears drooped a bit further, and a more fearful look entered his eyes. 'Severus Snape had been bad, sir, and he had to punish himself. It was terrible, sir, Dobby thought he might die. And he cut off his arm, sir, because he said the Dark Mark would stop him finishing his spell.'
Harry frowned. 'He said he cast a charm to keep Vol-' the elf winced, 'sorry, You Know Who out of my head. Why should the Dark Mark stop him doing that?'
'Oh no, sir, he made that spell as soon as we arrived in his home. His first thought was to protect Harry Potter, sir!' A quick smile crossed the little elf's face but disappeared as he continued. 'No, sir, there is another spell Severus Snape must cast before he may die, sir. A very complex spell-'
The sound of the front door slamming in the distance interrupted them. Dobby looked apprehensively from the bedroom door to Harry.
'Why don't you want anyone to see you?' Harry asked.
'Severus Snape warned Dobby that the one-eyed wizard hates him, sir, and would try to stop him. Dobby remembers the one-eyed wizard from when he used to come to see Dobby's old master, sir. Dobby and Severus Snape is afraid of him, sir.'
'Yeah,' Harry mumbled, thinking of how Moody had burst into Snape's room earlier, 'don't blame you.' He yawned as sleep threatened to overwhelm him. 'Look, Dobby, I don't think you'll be able to take Snape anywhere. He looked practically dead when I saw him earlier, and I get the feeling Moody isn't letting him out of his sight.' He got up and went back to his trunk, pulling out his pyjamas and sitting on the side of the bed to put them on. Hedwig slept on without stirring on the bedstead. Dobby hopped up to stand on the eiderdown next to him.
'Harry Potter looks very tired,' he commented, reaching a tiny hand to Harry's forehead. 'Maybe Harry Potter could tell Severus Snape that Dobby has not deserted him?'
Harry peered blankly at the elf. 'What?'
Dobby's face crinkled into a knowing smile. 'Severus Snape told Dobby how the charm works, sir. Severus Snape said that the charm might open a shared space between you if you were both to sleep deeply at the same time.'
Harry's eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute. 'You mean I'm going to see him again,' he mumbled, and tried feebly to move the heavy blankets so he could get under them. Dobby snapped his fingers, and the blankets moved aside by themselves, enveloping Harry as he slid into bed. 'Why?' he mumbled. 'Why did he do it? He hates me.'
'Severus Snape says Harry Potter has nothing but unhappiness and bad memories, sir,' replied Dobby, his orb-like eyes shining at him over the edge of the bed. 'Severus Snape told Dobby he would create a place of solace for Harry Potter, to protect him from He Who Must Not Be Named.'
Dear Everyone, thank you very much for your kind words! Raving ego-maniac that I am, it does keep me going! Frogfoot24 in particular - I just glowed when I read what you wrote! Thank you!
Glad you liked the idea of Tonks being a Slytherin. I agree with you, IntelEok - there's too many Gryffindors filling the place already! And making her a Slytherin is a handy little plot device :D
Barbara Kennedy - thank you! And yeah, Fanfiction.net has been a bit strange this week, I've read all my reviews on here way before they appeared in my inbox. But there's been another rather vicious round of email virusing this week, so maybe that's why. So pleased you're checking back regardless of the alerts...
Leviathan, Beka, Ewok, Aredhel, Ataraxis, Lilith - more hugs and chocolate all round!
Hmmm, maybe I should just say a group thanks to everyone - I'm starting to sound like I'm at the Oscars, how pathetic... ;>