Moving On

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for this delay, but I was caught up in other works... I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for your reviews. And let's jump in.

Harry's POV

Harry opened his eyes slowly, he was in a very familiar environment, but he could see clearly. He was laying comfortably on a nice bed. His throat felt sore. Strangely, he felt whole. He could not express his feelings clearly. Last he remembered, someone, holding him, crying out his name, he felt comfortable in those warm arms. For a short time, it felt like he was with someone very close, like Sirius. Now, everything came flooding into his mind. He has to kill Voldemort. But it was confusing, if Voldemort was still alive, he would not be let to sleep comfortably for who-knows-how-long, let alone sleep, he would be dead. That idea intrigued him, was he really dead? Suddenly as if on a cue, he started to remember everything, until the meet with Dumbledore. Still he did not know where he was. Where were his friends?, he jumped in front of Snape to save him from the killing curse. He could not help but think, In front of snape! Why on earth I did it! He put that at the back of his mind for the present. He had to find his friends, he also had to know whether Voldemort was really dead or not. Years of living with Dursely's helped a lot in increasing and shaping up his survival instincts.

"Harry!" He heard a familiar chorus. His best-friends! He wanted to call out their name, but his throat felt hoarse and he did not want to risk it. He did not know how much he was injured and did not want to risk it, so he kept his movements to a minimum. But as he thought, he found himself being man-handled by a very bushy headed teenager and his best mate, trying very unsuccessfully to save him from being crushed to death.

Hermione shouted "What were you thinking, when you jumped in front of a killing curse? " "Honestly Hermione, I don't know why I jumped in front of him. But it felt like, it was the right thing to do." Harry admitted honestly. There was a brief silence before Harry continued, "Something different happened. I met Dumbledore." Hermione fleetingly looked at him as if he were mad, but still Harry continued "No, I am not mad Hermione." Suddenly, he remembered about Voldy "Is Voldermort still alive?"

This time Ron replied "No, mate, when we saw his body, it was as if he was burned, there was enough proof to know that it was him." Again, there was a brief silence. It was like, both of his friends we hiding something from him. Then he slowly realized, both of his friends were not talking with each other. Harry wanted to know what's wrong, but thought it was wrong to pry into their lives. He tried to break the silence, but Ron beat him to that and asked "Mate, what's with Snape holding you like a baby and shouting your name?" Harry's reply which was completely incognizable was "What?"

Severus's POV

Severus did not really know why he did it, but he felt a lot closer to Potter to someone. He remembered that he was protective of Potter as he was of Draco, and that intrigued him very much. He was not hurt, just a few scrapes and the other usual side effects of being a death eater. But he could not say that of Potter, he thought him to be a spoiled child, many of his peers tried to reason with him that he was nothing like his father, but Severus could not see it. Last night, when held Potter in his hands, why he did it was beyond him, He realized that he was wrong. Still, what intrigued him more was the reason behind Potter saving him from the Dark Lord. He had a very weary debate with himself. A part of him believed that Potter meant to save him. But the part that made Severus – Severus did not. It was that part that would even believe that Potter would have slipped in front of Voldemort rather than to believe that, he did it willingly. The only way to know for sure would be to ask Potter himself, but that would happen only when hell freezes over. With the relationship he had with him, there was no way that he would even speak to him socially outside school, even if his life depended on it. But Severus had to blame himself too for that, the boy was interested in potions too, but he showed his anger that he had on Potter on the boy, never the love he had on Lily, but suddenly, he felt quite attached to the boy. It was a kind of attachment that he has felt before, but he could not distinctly remember it. But he'll remember anyway, because he now had a long life to live. Now with the people who played with his life gone, he was sure that unless he has an accident, he has a long life to live. Back in his mind, he still wanted to know why Potter saved him, but that can wait for some time because - he escaping the clutches of death once again is a miracle and must be celebrated - with a good old bottle of '96 Bordeaux.

In the Infirmary

The situation was tense, Ron and Hermione were bickering, even though it was usually usual, Harry had a feeling that one of the two, was going to be admitted to the bed next to him. But knowing his friends, he was willing to place a bet that it would be Ron.

"So, just because you were not comfortable, you would walk out on your friends just like that?" shouted Hermione. Harry sighed, it was again the topic of Ron abandoning his friends for his own sake. He did not remember how, but their conversation drifted to here somehow, leaving his friends to the shouting match, Harry tried to think about things that happened and how would he live his life from now on. He could not wonder whether he was sane or nor, because, out of everyone, he never expected Snape to act like Ron said, when Ron said that Snape did not allow both of them near him and carried him to the hospital wing.

A Red colored light hit Ron, Harry sighed but he knew that these fights always lead either of them walking out or Ron ending up Stupefied. Harry had to stand from his bed to save his friend from any possible attacks, and to try to comfort Hermione. He searched for his wand, Suddenly he remembered that he had broken it. He searched for the hawthorn wand, but was intrigued by a different wand on the bedside table, it felt like it was calling out to him. When he touched it, his hands felt warm and there was a powerful emission of magic from the wand, Harry decided to use the wand for the foreseeable future, without knowing of its previous owners, went on to comfort Hermione and reneverate Ron who was lying in a comical yet awkward posture on the ground.

A/N: Ok... this is not a very long chapter but I promise to update as soon as possible. And as usual, you know the drill, Review, Favorite, Follow. J

- blueycat