BUM BUM BA BUM! My longest chapter yet, I'm so proud of myself lol, although the quality of writing might not be as great as the other chapters at least it's longer in length.
So here we are with chapter 16, I never thought I would make it this far lol, I usually quit pretty early on in my stories, but without further ado, on with the chapter! :)
For a while everything was normal, Snape seemed to forget about the suicide attempt and Harry was busy trying to put it behind him and study for his O.W.L.'s that were coming up quicker and sooner everyday.
It was still only March and there were 3 months left, but Hermione was drilling Ron and Harry in every subject.
They spent hours together in the library going over every single field, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Divination, Potions, etc.
She was killing them, but Harry realized that in the end, he would appreciate it and he did need something to take his mind off of other... thoughts.
Then there was Ron, the only reason he was putting up with it, was because the more time they spent studying, the more time they spent together.
They being Ron and Hermione that is.
Today was no different, but by 9:30 Harry was already finding himself tired and he knew that Ron would appreciate some alone time with Hermione, so he excused himself from the library, deciding that he would turn in early.
That night Harry woke up startled, sweating, and screaming. He had had the most terrifying dream, but it seemed so clear, as if it wasn't a dream, but more like a vision of some sort.
He closed his eyes and put his hand on his chest, trying to calm his racing heart, a thought so dark and grotesque entered his mind and he immediately jumped up out of bed and stumbling in the dark, dashed over to Ron's bed, pulling the curtains ajar and holding his breath.
His heart relaxed a considerable amount when he saw his friend peacefully lying there.
It was just a dream, he told himself.
He laid back down in bed and tried to get a little more sleep, but soon was woken up again by the same gruesome nightmare.
He saw Voldemort, he was torturing Ron, "crucio" he whispered while flicking his wand as Harry had no choice but to watch his best friend writhe in pain, then he murmured another enchantment, but this one was one he had never heard before.
It sounded like latin mixed with another language that Harry just couldn't put his finger on.
Suddenly razor like slashes began forming down Ron's chest as blood poured out of the deep gashes covering his mutilated body.
But now it was different, he was seeing it through a new perspective.
It was Harry who was now holding the wand and mumbling the curse and as much as he wanted it to stop, he couldn't, he was a witness to himself tormenting his closest friend, sending him to his death bed.
Harry stared at the top of his curtain that encompassed his bed, giving him privacy and setting the perfect border for his silencing charms he established every night.
He realized he was shaking in fear and obviously his mind was still disturbed at the very thought of doing those terrible things to his closest friend.
He would rather die.
Night after night he would have the same dreams, soon they became regular and he began dreading sleep.
Long nights he would stay up pinching himself whenever his eyes closed, trying to make it through the night without torturing another innocent soul.
Sometimes it was Ron, like the first night, but then it changed, Luna, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, he also started using different curses, curses he had never heard before, watching as other ghastly things would happen to the bodies of his beloved friends.
Dark circles began forming under his eyes and he began eating less. He became even thinner then he already was and as quickly as he began loosing weight, was as quickly as his mind began taking a turn for the worse.
Ever since the attempt on the boys life, Snape had begun to start watching the Potter boy a little more carefully, after all he had made a vow to Lily, to keep him safe and he would keep that promise until the day he died.
If not in respect for her, so that the boy could at least try and live up to what he was supposed to accomplish.
He had noticed lately that the boy was eating less and less at dinner and breakfast and didn't even bother showing up for lunch.
He was already underweight as it was and it couldn't be healthy for him to lose anymore pounds, he was a growing boy after all.
Not only that, but already once or twice he found the boy almost snoozing in his class.
Dark circles had began to form under his eyes and no matter how many times the boy used the "glamour" charm, he could see right through it.
He didn't know what brought upon this erratic behavior, but he decided he would put an end to it, no way would he let this boy starve himself to death, that would be even crueler then letting him jump off that tower would have been.
So with that in mind before his 5th year potions class came to an end, he annouced that Mr. Harry Potter would remain after class.
When the clock struck noon and the students were dismissed Harry got up from his desk and cautiously approached Snape's workstation, wondering what he had done this time.
He stood there for a while and eventually began to grow impatient when Snape didn't so much as spare a glance up at him or acknowledge his presence.
"eh ahem" he coughed, yet still Snape remained with his eyes downcast focusing on whatever task he was completing.
Harry, whose legs were beginning to grow tired of standing because his stamina had been greatly lowered with the few hours of sleep he got, decided to sit at a nearby desk.
He calmly waited there for several minutes until his restlessness got the best of him, he cleared his throat again then questioned "Sir?"
"Wait a moment Mr. Potter", Snape replied still concentrating on the job in front of him.
Harry growing more impatient by the second asked, "I'm quite hungry professor, do you think I could go to lunch and return after?"
Snape finally looking up and replied, "Mr. Potter, I am not ignorant, so don't insult my intelligence by pretending that you actually want to attend a meal you've been skipping for over a week now."
Harry looked up, he hadn't realized that anybody had noticed he was not present at lunch.
"Yes Mr. Potter I have indeed noticed and I should let you know, I am less then thrilled, so let's rectify this little situation now, shall we."
Harry brought his eyes down once again to focus on his sweating palms, fighting back the childish urge to wipe them on the sides of his trousers.
"I thought that last time we had our little talk together we had agreed that if you were ever feeling the need to kill yourself again, you were to come to me first, yet here you are trying none the less to starve yourself to death.
Harry raised his defiant eyes and replied, "I am not trying to starve myself to death, sir, I'm simply not hungry and I fail to see how my hunger is your problem or effects you in anyway".
Snape looked at the truculent boy in front of him, "if you are not trying to starve yourself then what exactly is the reason for your loss of appetite Mr. Potter?"
Harry only closed his eyes, not this again he thought.