Title: Past, Present, Future

Summary: The past will come back, the present will change them, now what will the future hold?

Disclaimer: I do not own them, sad but true

A/N: Yes this is an AU fic. Reviews are welcome, flames are shared with friends for amusement.

Chapter 14

Remus followed Severus into the room and over to Ron's bed. Severus leaned over Ron and placed his hand upon Ron's brow. "Dammit, he is burning up again. Remus, bring me a cool cloth, if you will." As Remus laid the cloth on Ron's head, Severus cast the spell and saw a glowing 104 above Ron's head. Cursing under his breath, he transfigured Ron's bed into a tub, and filled it with ice. Severus looked over at Harry who seemed to be sleeping peacefully and turned his attention back to Ron for a moment.

Ron began to shiver in the tub of ice and rambled. "I don't want to get up, mum. I'm too tired to finish the essay."

Severus felt the boy's head and knew he was delirious. "Mr. Weasley, if you think you are getting out of Potions' class, you are mistaken."

The shock of hearing Severus' voice made Ron ramble further. "Harry doesn't believe him. He knows that the bastard doesn't love him. Mum, I am so cold." Ron's lips were starting to turn blue, and Severus returned the tub to his bed. Covering him up and placing another cold cloth on his head, he turned to Harry.

Stepping over, he thought Harry was sleeping and went to place his hand on his brow to wipe the sweaty hair off his face. He drew his hand back swiftly and spoke the spell. A red 106 glowed red above the bed, and Severus let out a yell. "Remus, get over here and help me!"

Remus jumped from the bed and ran over to where Harry lay. "He isn't moving, Remus, he isn't breathing!" Severus lost all of his normal composure.

"Calm down, Severus. We will help him." Remus transfigured Harry's bed into the same tub as they had placed Ron in. Remus filled it with ice, and Severus lowered Harry in. This time there were no protests; Harry didn't move. For over an hour they kept Harry in the tub, until his lips turned blue and he began to shiver, his teeth chattering. Pulling him into his lap, Severus held him while Remus turned the tub back into a bed. He lay Harry down and pulled the covers up. Harry lay there and started to shake. Severus bathed his head in a cool cloth, but it did nothing. Remus looked over at Ron, who was twisting and turning in his bed, and then glanced back at Harry.

Severus was sitting in the chair beside the bed, his usual mask of indifference replaced by the lines of worry. Remus was about to reach out to Severus when Harry began to writhe around on the bed. Soon his whole body jerked in spasms, and he began to wheeze as if he couldn't breathe. Severus was fit to be tied, and his usually steady hands were shaking as he held Harry down.

"Dear Merlin, Remus, I can't stand to watch him suffer. He can't die on me. I love him."

"I see that Harry has crept into that heart of yours."

Neither had time to reply as Harry twisted and turned, and it was all both of them combined could do to keep him still. Remus' eyes misted up and tears began to fall when Harry cried out for the pain to stop. Again Harry retched, but nothing came up. His whole body was locked in spasms, and Severus was cracking under the pressure.

Harry couldn't hear their pleas, for he was locked in his own battle, and it seemed to him that he was going to lose. He was trying to suck in a precious breath of air, but his throat seemed to be closing in on him. He wanted to yell out, to scream for help, but he couldn't. Why, he asked himself, had he done something so stupid? Deep down he knew, but all the love in the world right now could not give him the breath of life.

Harry twitched again, and then his body went limp. Severus sighed with relief until he noticed Harry was struggling for breath. Harry's whole body seized in an effort to draw in some air, but it seemed he couldn't.

"Harry, breathe! Please, breathe, son!" Severus pleaded.

Remus was beating Harry on the back to no avail. The boy simply wasn't breathing. Severus' pleas woke Ron from his fever-induced sleep, and he watched as the evil Potions' master sobbed over Harry. Ron shook his head, trying to clear it of the fuzziness, but when he looked again he saw the same thing. Snape was crying, and they were real tears. Ron wanted to tell them what Harry had taken, but a wave of dizziness hit him, and Ron fell back on the pillow and back into sleep.

Severus was a wreck, and Remus' had tears spilling from his eyes. He had lost James and Lily, and he did not want to watch Harry die. It would crush him. Grabbing Harry by the shoulders, he began shaking him as hard as he could. "Harry, you breathe right now, do you here me! I will not sit by and watch you die. Breathe, dammit, breathe!"

Harry could not focus. He couldn't think, and the pounding in his head was getting worse. He had to stop whatever was making his head hurt. In one big rush of air, he screamed and then fell onto the bed. Taking gasping breaths, Harry began to scream in agony. It felt like someone was pounding his head with a hammer, trying to bash his brains in, and that someone was twisting his whole body in some torture device. Even though he was still lost in unconsciousness, Harry sobbed from the pain. Severus wrapped his arms around his son and wept. He had been so close to losing him, and that thought broke down the wall he had put up. Nothing in the world mattered anymore except his son. Crawling onto the bed with Harry, he cradled the whimpering child in his arms and rocked him to sleep.

Remus seeing that Severus needed time alone went over to check on Ron. His fever was still high, but it was starting to slowly go down. Relieved, he pulled a chair up and lay his head down on the bed. He would be there should he waken, and maybe Ron knew something he and Severus didn't.