A/N: Sorry for the long delay...
Harry's breath caught in his throat as he tried to will himself not to make a single sound. Narcissa walked out onto the front step, holding her wand out like a dagger. She was staring straight through Harry, and out onto the rain slicked street.
A perfectly arched eye brow twitched, as Narcissa slowly lowered her wand. She seemed reluctant to turn back inside, and even leaned over to look into the bushes under the front window. Never failing to spot a perfect opportunity Harry held his breath, and slowly inched around her.
She must have felt his cloak brushing against her as he passed, because she spun around so quickly she lost her footing and collapsed on the steps. Harry dove through the open threshold into the darkened house, and immediately took in his surroundings.
He was standing in a glum looking foyer, void of all furnishings expect for a dusty gold-framed mirror hanging on one wall. Off to one side was a narrow staircase running straight upstairs, and off to the other was a set of closed doors and a hallway that Harry could not see down without moving closer.
"Severus!" Narcissa cried, startling Harry.
He bit down on his lip, his forehead shining with nervous sweat. Even though he somehow expected he would be outnumbered, he had not really planned for it. Should he jump out and take care of Narcissa, while Snape was out of sight?
The closed doors slid open, warm light spilling out over where Harry's feet should have been. He stifled a gasp, as Snape stood framed in its bright glow. Although it had been less than three years since their last meeting, Snape looked like he had aged ten. There were thick streaks of grey in his black hair, which hung limply around his pallid face. His cheeks were sunken, which gave him a perpetually sour look. Small wrinkles had cropped up around his cold dark eyes, and across his forehead, which seemed to dull the sharp angles of his face.
"Severus, I think there's someone out there." Narcissa called out, her voice sounding tired and flimsy.
Snape let out a weary sigh, and crossed the room, coming within inches of Harry. He walked out onto the front step, and leaned over and put an arm around Narcissa's waist.
"Your mind is playing tricks on you, no doubt." Snape began, as he helped her into the house.
"But Potter..." Narcissa protested.
"I am far from concerned about Potter." Snape said rather harshly. "So I fail to see why you should be."
Harry followed the pair into a large sitting room, where Snape helped Narcissa onto an overstuffed chair beside the fireplace. It was clear that she must have been crying a great deal, because there was a pile of used tissues on the table beside her. There was also a half empty glass of wine, which had a imprint of red lipstick on the rim.
"Severus, I don't think you understand the danger that you're in." Narcissa said breathlessly. "He knows that you're here! Potter surely wants you dead, I could see it in his eyes."
"Yes, I'm sure." Snape said, his lips pulling up into a sneer.
Narcissa reached for the glass of wine, downing the rest of its contents in a single gulp. She hiccuped, and looked up at Snape with shining eyes.
"We should leave, now." She said, her breathing growing heavy. "You can hide at the manor tonight, and by tomorrow you'll be someplace they'll never find you..."
Harry walked further into the room, taking it all in. There was a large bookcase that took up almost a whole wall, a marble fireplace, and a odd assortment of furniture. The room looked lived in, warm even. It seemed like it would be more at home in the Burrow than in this large cold house.
The floorboards creaked under his feet, and Narcissa threw her head up, her eyes searching the room wildly.
"Did you hear that?" She asked, grabbing onto the sleeves of Snape's black robe.
"It is an old house Narcissa." He said, though his tone was far from soothing. "Calm yourself."
She slowly released him, and he moved to pour her another glass of wine. Harry took in a quivering breath, trying to decide what to do. If he went for Narcissa first it would give Snape time to act against him, but Narcissa could be dangerous as well.
"Don't bother with the wine." Narcissa implored. "There isn't time."
Severus set her glass down gently like it might shatter in his hands, and then walked back towards her. He wore a strained expression, and Harry didn't like the way his eyes seemed to keep darting in his direction.
"Yes, I think you're right." Snape nodded. "But it would not be wise to travel together. You will return to manor and take only what you need. Do you remember where Lucius told you to go, if ever the need arose?"
Narcissa nodded weakly, stiffly rising up out of her chair. Snape put his hand on her forearm, and led her to the fireplace.
"I will meet you there, but I cannot promise it will be tonight." He picked up a glazed stone jar from on top of the mantle and held it out to her. "If anything should happen, I will find a way to send word to you."
Narcissa reached into the jar and took a handful of floo powder. She stepped into the fireplace, ducking to fit inside. She threw the power down in a flash of light, and a second later she was gone.
Snape set the jar back on the mantle, and gathered up the tissues she had left behind and threw them into the fireplace. All the while Harry slowly circled the room, his wand at the ready. If he was going to take Snape down, he was going to do it now.
"I'm surprised Potter." Snape said in a brisk orderly tone. "Have you lost some of that legendary bravado?"
As he spoke drew his wand out from his robes, staring intently only inches from the spot where Harry stood. Harry's heart leapt up into his throat, as his mind struggled to keep up with his racing train of thought. His invisibility cloak was still on firmly over his shoulders, so how...
"You never were very bright." Snape leered, waving his wand in a threatening gesture. "But I must admit I expected more of you."
Harry was too stunned to move, though a white hot anger was slowly urging him towards action.
"You might as well take the cloak off Potter." Snape continued in a strikingly casual tone. "You see, its quite unnecessary"
"You're trying to trick me into taking it off." Harry blurted out, his spine tingling with a familiar rage. "It isn't going to work."
"There you go again Potter, making senseless accusations." He retorted, his eyes following Harry as he inched closer.
"But I was right." Harry said coldly, slowly regaining the upper hand in his mind. "I was always right about what you are."
"Oh really Potter?" Snape replied, an almost jovial expression on his face. "What am I?"
"A murderer!" Harry cried, the tip of his wand jutting out from his invisibility cloak.
Snape made a sound that was akin to a laugh, though his features had rearranged themselves into a pained expression.
"Are you and I so alike?" He said, his voice dropping down to a whisper. "The same could easily be said of you."
Harry stiffened, and it took his a moment to realize that Snape was speaking of Voldemort. His shoulders relaxed at once, because that had been far from murder. Hadn't it?
"Enough!" Harry shouted, kicking an end table over for added effect.
Snape flinched as it hit the ground, but he made no other movement. In a swift gesture Harry threw off his invisibility cloak, and pointed his wand at Snape's chest.
"Don't you find this all a little gratuitous?" Snape asked casually, though his upper lip had begun to twitch with a nervous emotion. "You've never been a match for me..."
"Maybe I wasn't when I was sixteen, but things have changed."
"Indeed." Snape said dryly. "Then what is it exactly that you're waiting for?"
Harry's jaw went rigid, because even he didn't know why he was waiting. Was it for the perfect moment, or the perfect spell? Or was it just because he was afraid?
"Stupefy!" Harry cried, abolt of red light surging from his wand.
Snape easily deflected the spell with a flick of his wrist, sneering at Harry's attempt.
"That was rather pathetic." He hissed, goading Harry on. "I would expect more from the wizard that vanquished the Dark Lord."
"Still hung up on him, are you?" Harry retorted, waiting for Snape to strike.
Though the older man's wand remained drawn, he made no move to attack Harry. Oddly annoyed by this, Harry responded with an even stronger spell. To his growing anger, Snape deflected this as well with little effort.
"Are you going to try and escape, like the coward that you are?" Harry asked bitterly, as Snape began to inch back towards the fireplace.
"Is there a point in my staying, Potter?" Snape inquired, his dark eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "Or are you perhaps holding back some unmerciful spell that will leave me quivering in your wake."
A primal growl forced its way from Harry's throat, his anger threatening to boil over. They both knew he wasn't about to kill or torture Snape, no matter how appealing that might seem. Short of that, Harry could not think of a spell that Snape could not stave off. A sudden memory of Dudley pining him to the floor while he punched him silly surfaced, and Harry felt he couldn't halt his actions anymore than he could stop a speeding train.
It in a single fluid movement he dropped his wand and lunged at Snape, his hands wrapping around his throat. Both men flew backwards as Snape fell off balance, the back of his head hitting the mantle with a sickening thud.
Snape let out a sharp cry of pain, landing on the wooden floor with Harry on top of him. He struggled to shove Harry off, the younger man's hands still wrapped tightly around his neck. For a moment he succeeded, sending Harry rolling a few feet away. Snape rose and stumbled, his hip slamming into the heavy armchair. He fell to his knees as Harry dove for his discarded wand, and before he had time to rise Harry had already whispered the spell.
His eyes went wide just before the spell hit, which gave Harry a small measure of satisfaction. Snape was frozen in place, unable to make even the slightest movement. Shocked that it had actually worked, Harry started down dumbly at his former professor for several moments, before quickly deciding on a course of action.
He picked up his invisibility cloak and shoved it under his arm, and then pointed his wand at Snape. Wordlessly, Snape's rigid body floated up into the air under Harry's direction. Just before they reached the door, Harry spread his cloak over Snape. He couldn't be sure who might be out there watching, and it was better if he wasn't seen with what basically amounted to kidnaped fugitive.
The events of the last few minutes had left Harry little time for serious contemplation, but now he found himself plagued by one troublesome thought. He had expected that his heart would be filled with vindictive joy the day he finally brought Snape to justice, but he didn't feel that way at all. Instead his chest felt heavy, like he had just taken a bag of rocks onto his shoulders.
"No matter." Harry whispered to himself, though he was keenly aware that Snape could hear him. "This is still going to be the worst day of his life."