Chapter Three: The Unthinkable

Almost a fortnight had passed when Severus was awakened by soft sniffles. He felt a bit incredulous at the idea of someone using this room to cry. Is it the Weasley girl crying for her unreachable dream? Or is it Granger, crying because of one dense Weasley?

"Shakar zur naal!"

That didn't leave any room for questions. There was no doubt - after listening to more of those deep hisses that gave one the image of snakes twining round and around a person's neck, the person that was crying in the room was none other than Harry. The Parselmouth snarled some more and then he choked on his tears. Severus could tell that he was trying his best to keep his sobs muffled. Or rather, Harry was trying to swallow them back. Time passed.

When is he going to stop? Severus feigned sleep throughout, but that was taking quite a bit of effort to keep it up.

Harry sighed; he seemed to have grown weary of crying. A couple more sniffles and then his robes rustled softly as he stood up. Severus, pretending to snore softly, thought that he was going to leave but he didn't.

Fingers touched his shoulder, like a tender zephyr blowing across a plain. They fluttered to his neck and he had to gather all of his will not to respond to that touch. When the long digits gently thrust into his hair, Severus nearly squeaked in surprise. Excluding his mother, no other hand had ever done that to him before! Harry sighed again. To Severus' relief, he left.

Great Slytherin ... what in the hell was that for?

It was just two days after the crying incident. Harry was in the room with a girl in the unearthly hours of dawn. Severus was beyond appalled. He did not care if it exposed his secret, but he will not have a pair of teenagers rutting with him present!

His eye ticked in anger. How dare he! There was no candle to illuminate the room. He knew it was Harry - he had been with him long enough to recognize the young man's presence, but who was the girl? She was obviously distressed about being here.

"Stop that. I just need a favor from you."

"But I can't!"

Oh. It's the Granger girl. Severus pursed his lips. What is going on? Is the brat forcing himself on her?

"Hermione, are you going to help me or not?" Harry hissed angrily. "If you don't want to then fine! I'm still going to do this! Without your help!"

"You can't! You don't know how to write those runes!" Hermione, through her tears, challenged him.

"I studied!"

Finally, Harry called for some light. Godric's sword was in his hand. Severus caught Granger staring at him, her eyes almost pleading, as though willing him to stop the nonsense Harry was planning. Severus did not want them to know that he still had the power of speech. He remained silent and stared up at Harry, demanding with his eyes as to what the brat was going to do.

Harry slashed his palm. For a minor, self-inflicted injury, he showed signs of weaknesses almost immediately. With a shaking hand, Harry laid the sword on the empty surface of the end table. Then he knelt beside the bed.

"All right, all right! I'll help!" Granger cried softly. "God, Harry! Are you trying to kill yourself? How can you even write a rune when you're so weak? Write it wrong, the spell's going to backlash at you!" she scolded.

What spell? A chill descended on Severus. Granger took his left arm and rolled his sleeve up. Her eyes widened, as though surprised to see the Dark Mark on his forearm faint, barely noticeable.

"Hurry up," Harry muttered.

"Don't rush me, idiot!" Granger's lips trembled. She took a deep breath and dabbed her fingers at the spilling blood.

Harry muttered a chant as she wrote an incantation along his forearm:

"I will see to his safety; Severus Snape's safety. I will see to it that he will not be killed needlessly."

He chanted it three times, and Granger fulfilled her role as the witness.

"I will hold you to your vow." Ritual concluded, she sobbed, "Why are you doing this, Harry? Why?"

Apparently, Harry had discovered that someone within the group was considering eliminating their primary source of information. Severus was not too surprised at that. Having worked for someone like Voldemort had taught him to expect such things.

"I don't care if it's for security reasons or whatever stuff they say it is, but I will not have him murdered."

Severus stared blankly at the two of them. He opened his mouth as though to speak but close it at the fierce, predator-like stare from Harry.

Why does he care? That was all he could think of when they finally left him alone.

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