Content warning: kinda gross description

The first thing Harry noticed was the darkness. The second thing he noticed was the pain. The third thing he noticed was he was in a coffin.

He couldn't help it - he panicked. He reached for his wand only to find nothing. Harry tried to control his breathing but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. Images of destruction burned in his mind's eye - arching fire, screaming, Voldemort's eyes meeting his own-

A whimper escaped his mouth before he could stop himself. Why wasn't it over? This was supposed to be the end, why was he still alive he didn't want to be alive anymore oh god-

Muffled voices from outside broke his spiraling train of thought. He forced himself to focus on them.

"-wasn't my fault, he's the one who fainted halfway through casting the spell!" A man's voice whined, petulant for someone who sounded to be in their thirties.

"Oh for the love of - shut your mouth and let me think! Do you want the Dark Lord to kill us all?"

Harry's breath caught. He recognized that voice - it belonged to a dead man.

Lucius. Harry's head hurt. Lucius Malfoy is alive? No, no that makes no sense. He died at Hogwarts - all the Malfoys died at Hogwarts, and anyway he would've died in the ritual, no one can escape the ritual-

"Perhaps we ought to stop guessing." A voice Harry knew as well as his own spoke with a biting tone he almost cried to hear. "Loculum."

The stone made a cracking noise as the coffin unsealed. Moonlight blinded him, but Harry could make out three figures peering down at him.

"That's repulsive." The whiny one remarked.

"Harry?" A hand reached down, pressing two fingers against his neck. Harry's eyes focused. He saw Snape, alive and well, checking his pulse. Not only was he alive, the gray that had stained his hair was gone, he was not sallow and thin but healthy and sharp. His hair was not lank but shiny and pulled back. The robes he wore were none Harry recognized, but reminded him of a rich pureblood's. His fingers were adorned with elaborate rings.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Lucius and the other man - he looked familiar, handsome, brown hair, sharp eyes - looked at him with visible disgust.

"Well? Did it work?" Lucius asked urgently.

"Hm." Snape said. His expression was schooled into thoughtfulness.

"Snape." Harry rasped, recoiling at the sound of his own voices. It was… wrong. Vibrating and deep. It didn't belong to him. "What happened? The ritual, Albion, - didn't it work?"

Snape's eyes flashed almost imperceptibly. "Your patronus is?"

Alarms sounded in Harry's mind, but he was thinking of a stag before he could raise his Occlumency shields. Snape's shoulders relaxed.

"He's delirious, but I think it worked. The Dark Lord will be pleased- his favored servant lives again." Snape's eyes didn't leave Harry's. "Play along. We're in danger."

The man at Lucius' side clapped enthusiastically. "Oh, how exciting! I've heard so much about your work Mr. Potter, it's such a pleasure to have you back!"

Lucius himself looked pale. "Potter… "

"You two - return to the Dark Lord and deliver the good news." Snape ordered. "I will make him… presentable."

Lucius disapparated before Snape finished speaking. The other man however, pouted. "But I wanted to-"

"Go. Now." Snape reiterated his order emotionlessly.

The man hesitated one moment more before disapparating. The second he disappeared, Snape had his wand pressed against Harry's throat.

"What is my patronus?" He asked coolly, eyes merciless. Harry relaxed. Yes, this was definitely him.

"Doe."

"What spell did you use on Malfoy in the bathroom?"

"Sectumsempra."

"My favorite jam?"

"You don't like jam. Marmalade."

"Hm." Snape withdrew his wand from Harry's neck. "Your turn then."

Harry sat up in the coffin. "Are you kidding me?" He laughed suddenly, adrenaline and relief causing a strange sense of happiness. "You're alive."

Snape made a sound of disgust. "For Merlin's sake, the questions - oh damn it all. Your lack of sense is going to get you killed. Talk later, we need to move." He hoisted Harry out of the coffin with little fanfare.

"Can you at least explain to me what the hell is going on? How the hell is Malfoy senior alive? And your appearance - last I checked, we-"

"Do you have ears, or did I blast them off like that Weasley's? We need to move." Snape hissed and dragged Harry towards the edge of the cemetery.

It was then that Harry really got a good look at where they were. They were in a graveyard that was vaguely familiar. A small chapel was to the left, a forest to the right and front of them, and a road to a Muggle town at their backs. Harry frowned as Snape pulled him towards the forest.

"There's no reason you can't talk and walk at the same time-"

"It's not safe." Snape hesitated. "I'm not sure what's happening. We need to get somewhere safe first."

"Any reason I was in a coffin?" Harry raised an eyebrow as they entered the forest. "I mean, clearly, I'm not dead."

"Ah- yes." Snape stumbled over his words. "That… I may have an idea."

Harry felt a sense of foreboding. They came to a halt in the forest, in a clearing. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

There was silence for a moment, the two of them staring at one another. Snape truly did look almost unrecognizable. He looked how Harry imagined he would if he had never faced any hardship in his life. Unconsciously, he felt himself reaching out with his free hand to touch Snape's face, just to make sure he was real -

Then he saw it.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MY HAND?!" Harry screamed, ripping his other arm from Snape's grasp as he gripped his own wrist in disbelief.

It was rotten. The flesh was black and green and falling apart. The bone was neatly exposed on each of his fingers, eaten away by bacteria and bugs and whatever else participated in the decomposition process. Harry's sight went black and he fell forward, caught by Snape before he hit the ground.

"Don't panic." Snape warned.

Harry thought the whole world was spinning. Several posh Snape's swam in his vision, all wearing a similar look of distress. "I think I can fix this." Harry heard him say.

He groaned from where he lay on the forest floor and brought his shaking hand back above his face. A piece of fungus infested flesh sloughed off, landing on his cheek.

Harry passed out immediately.

When he awoke, Harry thought he was back at Shell Cottage. He was definitely in a cabin set up very similarly - two cots, one he was in, the other Snape sat in, watching him - but a second look proved it was not exactly the same. Harry sat up, pointedly leaving his hands beneath the covers.

"What the hell is going on?"

Snape looked tired. He shook his head. "I don't know."

Harry wet his lips. "My hand?"

"Your hand… Harry, I need you to listen to me, I improved it but you-" Snape stopped suddenly. He shook his head rapidly and conjured a hand mirror.

Harry took the offered mirror shakily with his good hand, not trusting himself to check his- his injured hand. He stood from the cot and walked to the only window, letting the moon illuminate his face.

His skin was a milky grey. The green eyes everyone complimented and lamented were now sharp and sinister; they glowed with unnatural magic. While flesh now stretched over both his hands, the bones of his fingers jutted out so harshly they seemed to push upward against his skin. A light touch confirmed his ribs were similarly bowed outward. His lips - pale white-grey, like his skin- curled in disgust.

He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but he did recognize the magic on him. There was no question about it.

He was an Inferi.

MINOR PAIRING RELATED SPOILERS AHEAD

Well, never mind. I still don't know if there are going to be pairings in this fic. Carry on!