Disclaimer: I don't own the HP Universe. I am only borrowing it to give my over active imagination a place to play.

SORRY. I admit, my first week back I was just lazy, but the rest of the time I have been trying to get my school email back so I could contact my beta. Unfortunately, it has not happened. So this chapter is unbetaed.

Okay, next, I have a live journal now. The link to this is under the homepage link on my FF.N Profile page.

If you have any questions you want answered, contact me through that and I will do my best to answer you.

Also, I am going to start writing fic recommendations there. The one that I wrote up today is for a piece not located at this site, so you might want to take a look. It will be worth it, I promise. It is an awesome story.

Thank you so much for the reviews, it really blew me away to see such reaction to this story, I hope you like this chapter!

NOTE: This chapter starts out with a dream sequence. Please do not become confused!

Also: In the letter: Hermione Ron

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His friends surrounded him, everyone was celebrating. Harry recognized this place, it was the party he had been dragged to, Voldemort's destruction party.

Harry felt the weight that he had carried on his shoulders his entire life drop away. He was free. He looked around, the room was decorated in bright lights, people were so happy that they were dancing, and Harry was grinning ear to ear. The war had ended and life could begin again.

There was just one very strange thing, why was he dressed in Dudley's old rags? He would not have put rags on to go to a party would he? Or did he just get back from fighting Voldemort? He could not remember, his head hurt...or maybe it was his scar. If Voldemort was dead, why did his scar ache?

As Harry contemplated these abnormalities the bright room melted away and Harry found himself once again in the graveyard that had for so long haunted his dreams.

"Hello Harry," purred a familiar voice from behind him. Harry turned around to find himself face to face with Arthur Weasley.

"Mr. Weasley!" Harry cried in surprise, stumbling back and tripping over a broken gravestone. Harry closed his eyes momentarily as his head hit stone. With a low moan Harry opened his eyes and looked up at the familiar red head complexion.

"Mr. Weasley? Since when do you address your best friend by his last name, Potter!" The voice of the younger Weasley hissed in anger.

Harry sat up and shook his head to clear away the fog. "Ron...but your father, he was...how did you get here?"

"You know very well that my father was killed, you were there! You told me of his dying breath. Yet you mock me," Harry never knew that a whisper could sound so deadly.

Dead? Killed? No, he had survived the war. He had stayed by Harry's bed for days as Harry recovered. They had a celebration at the Weasleys house after Voldemort was killed. "This has to be a joke, this has to be some sick joke." Harry blinked and tried to sort through what he had just been told.

"Who jokes anymore? There is no place in this world for such a waste of time." Hermione spoke from where Ron had just stood.

"Ron? Where?"

Hermione looked at Harry as if he had just suggested that Muggles were a myth. "You are sitting on him, Harry."

"What?" Harry jumped off the ground and twisted around to look at the grave stone he had tripped over. "I...but? When? How?"

"Articulate as always, Potter?" A smooth voice sounded from behind him. Harry froze and stiffened as a hand tightly gripped his shoulder and spun him around.

"Not you, no." Harry whispered as he found himself looking up into narrowed black eyes. Harry pulled back only to be held fast by the potion master's firm grip.

"Ah, yes, you want me to leave...and what ever the spoiled, selfish Hero of the wizarding world wants he gets. Is that why you killed them? They no longer worshiped you? Am I next, should I get on my knees and call you master to save my life Potter?"

"I didn't kill anyone...I didn't!" Harry struggled to get out of Snape's grip as it turned painful. The hand let go and Harry was faced with Minister Fudge.

"No? But who will believe you when we have witnesses?" Fudge faded away and Draco Malfoy stood in his place. "I told you that you could never defeat me," Draco's silver eyes turned scarlet. "That I would destroy you."

Harry closed his eyes. This couldn't be real; he was not here. It didn't make any sense!

A scabbed, boney hand painfully grasped Harry's chin and forced it upward. "Open your eyes Harry, this is your life." The voice rasped as a chilling breath hit his face. "Now face your death"

Harry forced his eyes open. "No!" The scabbed face loomed over him slowly descending as it tore the happiness out of Harry's life. The demon's lips met Harry's and he felt his soul rip away, the pain centering in his forehead as his scar burst open.

"No!" Harry opened his eyes. Pitch black. He was lying down wrapped in something; his arms were pinned to his sides. Harry struggled and rolled to free himself, suddenly he was falling.

The world lit up almost blinding Harry with the unexpected brightness of his own room. Harry forced himself to slow his breathing as he sat up on the carpeted floor and slowly untangled himself from the blankets holding him prisoner.

Free from his cloth chains, Harry scooted back so that his back was against the oak frame of his bed and held his knees against his chest as he waited for his trembling body to recover from the dream.

It was the same dream that he had for three nights now, reoccurring every night ever since he received Hermione's letter. His dreams had not been this bad since before Voldemort has been destroyed. Oh God, but they were back now, only Voldemort was no longer the focus. That almost made it worse. Sometimes Harry wondered how it was that he could stand up to the worst Voldemort had to offer in wakefulness, but he was driven to begging in a dream. He hated himself for his weakness. Harry was seventeen years old, almost eighteen. He had faced and defeated the most powerful dark wizard of the age, yet he was brought down to a quivering mess with nothing more than a dream...with nothing more than his own mind. That thought alone made him feel sick.

Harry forced himself to his feet. He felt filthy, he could still feel the damp air of the graveyard on his skin. He needed a shower, scalding hot to burn away the memory of the nightmare.

Once Harry was showered and dressed he sat dawn at the desk and forced down a few bites of eggs, the normally wonderful food tasted like sand to the teenager. Unable to stomach any more of the food Harry grabbed the toast, stuffed it in his pocket, and took his morning walk to the owlery.

As with every morning since his last letter, Harry was almost antsy, hoping that he would receive some answers. Of course, he was also looking forward to seeing a friendly face. Even though Hedwig was not exactly human company...at least she liked him.

Arriving at the owlery, Harry peaked through the door to locate the new pile of howlers that he knew would be there. Spotting the red envelopes piled near the far wall Harry flung the door open and burned the pile to ash. He was not in the mood to listen screaming idiots.

Glaring at the smoldering pile of letters, the teenager never even noticed the white owl flying over him until he felt her talons grip his shoulder as she landed. Harry stiffened thinking that just like in his dream the potions master was behind him. Suddenly something hard and sharp was gently nibbling on his ear.

"Hedwig! It's you!" Harry sighed in relief then brightened. "You're here!"

Hedwig gave a short hoot as if to say. "Obviously."

"Did Hermione..." Hedwig held out her foot. "Oh." Harry said as he relieved his owl of her burden.

Harry!

I have been doing some research, Life/Wizards debts are really fascinating subjects. Did you know that the first known wizard's debt dates back to Merlin himself? Merlin actually owed what was then called a Life Bind to Sir Camoleer to train protect and watch over the future ruler of...

Harry, I love ya mate, but we have got to get you out of there, if I have to listen to any more of Hermione's research I will go barmy, I swear.

Oh Ron...Don't listen to him Harry. I am sure you will find the subject as fascinating as I do, really it is one of the wizarding worlds oldest rituals.

Harry shook his head at his friend's antics. "Oh Hermione, I am caught in the middle of a nightmare, and you find it a fascinating subject." Harry grinned and reached up to pat his owl on the head as he read his best friend's remarkably similar reply.

Harry, you're stuck as the greasy git's servant and she thinks it's a bloody excuse to open a book. That's our Hermione for you. Oh! But we did come across something good.

Well, I think I should give you the bad news first. So far your description of the debt binding ritual does not match any of the classifications of known debts that I have come across.

But we are working on it. mate, we'll get you out of there. I mean, you saved the whole wizarding world from You-Know-Who!

Oh Ron, he is dead, just say his name! Voldemort!

Yeah, him. Anyway, that has to mean something.

"If they weren't all after my blood it might have..." Harry sighed as he read on.

Now for the good news, Snape can't actually do anything to hurt you or force you to do something immoral or it will cancel the debt.

This was actually put into place only a few hundred years ago to keep people from abusing the life debt system. Alfred Warbark made a practice of saving enemy lives during the goblin rebellion only to claim the debt by making the wizard either kill their commanding officer, their family, or else go slowly insane from fighting the debt.

She's been like this all week. I am almost tempted to switch places with you. Anyway, mate, one more thing to be thankful for, as long as you are under a life debt, the ministry can't touch you either.

Unless you do something illegal while under the debt.

But that has the added benefit of dragging Snape to Azkaban with you.

"Hedwig, I think Ron's lost his mind if he calls being stuck in a cell with Snape good news..." Harry said still stroking his pet.

Oh Ronald Weasley, grow up. Harry, do behave, the situation is complicated enough without the ministry involved.

And watch out for the minister, Dad says that he has been trying to find a way to get to you ever since you disappeared. My whole family is being watched just incase you show up. 'Mione is worried that they may even follow Hedwig to find out where you are.

I did charm her against being followed, but I am afraid that it could already be too late to do any good. Don't worry though, Harry. They can't touch you as long as you keep your head.

Yeah, be a good boy, Harry, Play nicely. Don't forget to eat all your vegetables!

Ignore him, Harry. We will contact you as soon as we get any leads. Any let us know anything that might be of any importance or seems odd at all.

Love,

Hermione & Ron

P.S. Hermione wrote the love, I don't know whether to sick up or be jealous as hell mate. You lay off my girl. Ah, yeah. Anyway, don't let the git get you down!

Hedwig hooted in Harry's ear and flapped her wings twice causing the wizards hair to look even more wind blown.

"What is it girl." The owl just looked at him and snapped her beak. "Oh!" Harry said as he retrieved the rather squashed bread from his pocket.

"Are you hungry?" Hedwig softly nipped Harry's ear before snatching the toast and flying up to the rafters to join the other owls.

Harry sighed; he had to leave anyway if he wanted to hide the letter in his trunk before it was time to continue in the garden.

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Harry found it rather disconcerting that he was actually often enjoying his time working more than his time off. More than once it entered his head that perhaps his food might still be doused in some mind altering potions, but each time he dismissed the idea as ludicrous. Harry had always enjoyed gardening and working with his hands, it kept him from dwelling on everything that was going wrong in his life.

Somehow it felt like he was creating something, bringing the land to life. He had enough of death with the war. The repetitive motions of adding new life to the earth seemed almost like he was replacing perhaps just a little of what the great war of the wizards had destroyed.

But then he would think about what brought him here in the first place and his movements would lose their peaceful fluidity and become the jerky movements of someone trying to control his anger.

He was in this stage of emotion when he heard two familiar voices coming his way. At first they were too far away to make out, but as they came closer he could make out the conversation.

"...is the same as he ever was. Putting on a pathetic display of infantile insolence."

"Still expecting your young ward to get down on bended knees and thank you for all you have done, Severus."

"Just keeping a civil tongue seems to require more active brain matter than the boy possesses, I shall not hold my breath for anything beyond that Albus."

Harry stood and turned to meet his visitors just and they had stepped up behind him. Harry had already been in a rather foul mood at the time, and the portion of conversation that he had overheard had done little to improve his disposition.

The young wizard narrowed his eyes but did manage a curt nod of greeting to the two professors.

"Ah, Harry, my boy, how are you doing? Beautiful day to be outside is it not?" Dumbledore commented as if he had just been invited over for tea.

Harry bit his tongue and forced his expression to melt from anger into calm neutrality. Hermione had warned him not to make waves, and it was far too soon to give in to the urge to make his feelings about his situation known.

"As I said, he lacks the decency and respect to maintain a civil conversation, although perhaps this silent treatment of his is a bit more endurable than his usual attempt at attracting attention by howling and making an utter fool of himself. Perhaps we should enjoy the peace while it lasts."

"Ah, Severus, have a little patience. I am sure Harry just needs a little bit of time to come to terms with his current situation. No need to be so severe." Dumbledore said, his god damn eyes once again twinkling.

"His impudence astounds even me, but this puerile display of self-pity will end now." Snape turned tolook Harry directly in the eyes. "You will answer when you are asked a question, or is the concept to complex a matter for your simple brain?" Snape said, his eyes darkening dangerously.

Harry slowly took a deep breath, he would not be goaded into acting irrationally.

Snape narrowed his eyes, the dark orbs glinting with an emotion that Harry could not quite read. "Speak Harry Potter, as I wish it, you must fulfill it."

A wave of dizziness hit Harry nearly making him lose his balance. Speak, he had to speak!

No. NO! He did what Snape had wanted...he would play servant to the man, but his voice, his thoughts would remain his own. But it hurt! Harry ground his teeth together in an effort to fight the power burning through him. His own power! It felt as if it were ripping away from him. The more Harry fought the command, the sharper the pain. Harry clenched his fists and tried to will away the burning in his eyes. But the feeling of his own magic trying to tear away became too much.

"You sadistic bastard! If you think that I will thank you for what ever the hell you've done to me you have another thing coming. I've played the servant all my life, and I refuse to be yours forever no matter what you think you've got over me." Harry raged, the pain inside, ironically, was lessening with every word.

"Harry, my boy! He saved your life."

"For which I was quite grateful until he decided that because he saved it...that it belonged to him. What the hell is a saved life good for if it is just taken away again? Answer me that oh great and wise puppet master." Harry growled, his tone deadly quiet.

"All in all, I think I preferred him silent." Snape hissed, his eyes once again glittering with an unreadable emotion. "I release you from my command, keep to your silence if you so desire, it matters not to me. I have no use for your inane teenage rambling."

All at once Harry felt lighter as if he had been carrying around a heavy rock for all his life and was suddenly able to set it down. He also felt strangely...stronger. The wizard felt his breathing turn slightly erratic as his mind and body fought to keep up with the new sensations coursing through his body.

Snape narrowed his eyes and almost seemed to stare straight through Harry before turning on his heels and briskly walking back towards his house.

"Harry, please be calm, your situation does not have to be as dire as you are making out to be." Dumbledore said calmly.

With the choice given back to him, Harry chose to remain silent. The headmaster of Hogwarts shook his head and followed after the irate potions master.

"Was that really necessary, Severus? Was that really wise?" Harry heard the headmaster ask, his voice fading. He never heard the reply.

Harry attacked the ground, anger fueling his actions driving him to work with greater speed. He had just another hour before he could quit for the day, and after what just happened...well, Harry had a letter to write.

It chilled him to feel the power behind the life debt. He had never felt anything like it before. It truly felt as it had been described to him. His very own magic bound him to fulfill the terms of the debt. How could he fight himself?

The time passed quickly and soon the sun began to set. Harry stood, dusted himself off and headed back to his room. His head was still buzzing with the events of the day. It was odd, though, that his anger had turned into an almost sardonic amusement. He finally got to tell Snape exactly what he had thought of the man throughout this entire ordeal. Not only that, but the man had asked, no, he had demanded Harry to speak his mind. It was almost worth it.

Almost.

Strange though, that Harry did not reap anything worse than a glare for his actions. Perhaps it was as Ron had said; Snape could not really do anything to him for fear of rendering the debt annulled. He had a lot of questions for Hermione, he just hoped to finally get some answers.

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AN: Once again, if you have any questions, visit my livejournal. User name: SiriuslySeverus