Sorry for not replying individually to reviews, I've been fluctuating in moods lately x.x But thank you all for your support, I'll reply individually again from now on!

Author's Rant:

Well Confusion has survived 2006 and will continue strong into 2007, I'm sorry this has gotten rather boring with the explanations and things and I am trying to move this along, but I have so many loose ends I'm trying to tie up in this story and am stupidly creating more and more.

I've found it increasingly more difficult to write, it's not as fun as it used to be, I'm trying to bring that back into my writing style as well, so it doesn't seem like a chore to update, but bare with me please!

Thank you all for your support in 2006, your reviews, your faves, your increasing number of Author alerts, they've really helped to keep this story going!

Now on with the story!

Warning: malexmale, femalexmale, dark themes, rape, abuse

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and associated characters or the set universe, nor make any profit.

They are all © Rowling, I just play around with them.

SS

The Dark Lord knew. It hit Severus hard, he was no longer a spy, he could never redeem himself now.

He was a wanted man.

The girl before him watched him, waiting for a response and Severus shook his head slightly to dispel the thoughts, he would have to deal with them later, now he would have to deal with this girl.

He had two choices, agree with her assumptions, letting her believe they were bound, or he could tell her the truth. There was concern in that gaze directed at him, he remembered briefly the small touches, the hugs he had received.

They weren't for him.

"First, tell me where you found the tomb." Severus let his fingers trace over the thin parchment.

"What are you talking about Harry? It was in your family tomb, we found it in the corner remember, your mum had written notes in it… I didn't really want to say anything, but you've been acting strange since you bound yourself to Professor Snape." She blinked at him and Severus levelled her with a cold look bordering on boredom, one he had perfected.

"Your powers of assumption astound me Ms Granger." Severus let his finger trace over the spell. "But Potter has done no such thing, thank whatever deity is watching over us, for that. Being in the boys body is bad enough, being bound to him would most probably have been the death of me."

The girl had sprung back, shock replaced quickly by anger. Her wand was out and pointing at him.

"Who are you?"

"Put your wand away or I may be forced to remove points for such an ostentatious lack of respect towards a teacher. Especially a head of house." He drawled, having over the days worked the boys voice into a semblance of control.

"Professor Snape?" The girl blinked, her wands still pointed at him, but with a rather weak hold. "Is that you? How did this happen?"

"You would be surprised Ms Granger. Reality is often more bizarre then whatever your small Gryffindor mind can come up with."

HP

Harry had slept through the day and most of the afternoon, his body still feeling lethargic from the amount of energy he had released.

He had woken only once when the door had creaked open a fraction, and he had watched eyes half lidded as the blonde woman had snuck in, believing he was still asleep and sat beside his bed watching over him. He had fallen asleep under her gaze.

It was evening, Narissa was gone and he wasn't sure how late it was, the curtains having been drawn across the windows and no clock presenting itself to him. He didn't have the energy for a simple wandless Tempus charm, and he didn't have his wand.

He knew he should have felt more panicked about it, the lack of wand, Severus's wand to be exact, but he hadn't exactly looked anywhere for it and everything from the last few days was catching up to him, and before he could work himself into a state he had fallen asleep again.

He woke just before dawn when the air grew the coldest and the world seemed to hold its breath waiting for the sun to rise and herald the new day.

He waited in the lull, knew something had woken him up, but kept his eyes closed, his breathe silent.

"We don't have much time." The voice was soft, sounding out of place with the familiarity of the tone, just above him. "We have to hurry Mr Potter."

Harry opened his eyes, catching tired blue. He pushed himself up clumsily, taking in the exhausted looking man standing in front of him.

"Headmaster?"

The old man gave him a tired smile, his hat sitting crooked, not in the usual comical fashion, but in a dejected and miserable way. His robs were wrinkled as if he had slept in them for a number of days and hadn't had the time or energy to magic them.

"What happened?" Harry looked on, shocked to see this infallible man looking so… so old, so worn.

"We don't have much time Harry." He held his hand out and Harry tried not to notice the way it trembled. "He's coming."

Harry reached out, his hand enclosing the others, larger, stronger, wrapping over the fragile papery skin of the older man. Harry felt suddenly afraid, for Dumbledore, for himself, for the whole wizarding world. This man before him couldn't be the one that instilled the Dark Lord with fear, led the Order of the Phoenix, schooled the most prestigious wizarding school in England, and commanded attention, awe and respect in everyone he crossed.

This was just a man.

And the realisation was lost as his stomach fell away and the whole world disappeared.

He landed heavily on his left ankle, falling to his knees in time to retch what little he had left in his stomach. He hated Portkey's, the pull of them jarring his memory to the silence of the grave yard, the flash of green, and the silence of Credric's death.

He looked up wearily, and caught Dumbledore take a staggering step. The man sat down heavily on a nearby hospital bed and Harry realised they were back at Hogwarts in the hospital wing. That in itself should have been impossible, no one could Apparate or Portkey past the wards, but the ashen quality of Dumbledore's face concerned him more.

"Are you alright sir?"

The man turned to him, giving him a small, tired smile.

"I'll be fine my boy." He ran a hand through his beard. "But that was a close call."

Harry blinked, not sure what had just happened.

"The Dark Lord seems to have regained a little of his strength faster then you have. Not much, but enough to be able to over see a search for the both of you."

"But…" Harry frowned, picturing the last time he had seen the snake faced man, lying face down on the floor, barely breathing, the feel of his magic, his presence diminished to nothing.

He could've killed him.

"The Dark Lord has no qualms against killing such pure beasts as unicorns, and he doesn't have another to whom he is feeding his energy to. Both you and Riddle tap into an unending source of energy and magic, he is able to reach it better, to mould it and control it easier then you do, he has been able to draw on it to regain his health faster then you. You however have also been feeding your energy to Severus, consciously or subconsciously."

The man looked exhausted, his voice soft as if he had no energy to spare, even for something so simple.

"But that is something we must look into later. Now however we must discuss your holiday arrangements, Severus has already been sent early to the Dursley's he is on his way now." Harry felt his stomach drop and his heart lurch, his mouth opened but nothing came out. "You should be ready to leave for London by the time Remus comes to pick you up. Dobby has packed you trunk."

The man gave Harry a piercing look.

"Stay inside at all times, don't go wandering London, not now, this is a very dangerous time, a time in the balance. We can't lose you yet." He stood slowly, as if with great effort.

Harry could only nod, nothing made sense.

"And Ms Granger left you a letter." The older man pulled it out of his robes with a flourish, a small twinkle in his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips. Harry could only smile back at the gain of familiar essence of the headmaster. "Do try and enjoy your holiday."

And with that he was gone, not even in a puff of smoke, just vanished.

Harry stared at the spot the man had disappeared from, he had never seen the headmaster like that, never seen the exhaustion that seemed to hang over the man, the quite voice, the listless eyes and posture. It scared him to see the man he looked up to, the man everyone saw as a pillar of light, of power, so weary, drained.

He knew it was unfair to expect so much from the man, but he had defeated Grindewald, he had decades of experience, of knowledge, he was powerful. Albus Dumbledore had promoted the exact image of himself, saviour, protector, diplomat, he was someone to be trusted, and it was the image Harry had believed like everyone else.

Of course he had seen a little more to the man, the frightening aspect of the man, the manipulative side, the power, the cunning and cleverness that had strung Harry up in his game, as his pawn.

The paper crackled in his fist as he closed his fingers around it. He stared down at the parchment. Why would Hermione leave a message for Professor Snape? He frowned, but sat down on one of the nearby beds, cracking the seal on the letter.

Dear Harry,

Harry frowned, so it had been for him and not Snape.

Professor Snape said to tell no one else.

He told me everything.

Harry blinked, reading the lines twice. He scanned the rest of the letter, which mainly chided him for not in confiding in her, although she said she understood why he hadn't. It also told him she had left his homework with his suitcases and that he was to have it done by the time she came to visit, which would be around mid vacation.

Harry couldn't help smile at the letter, he'd missed his best friend, even though she had been right close by. It had been painful to see Snape comforted by her, the one person he would give anything to keep happy, to keep safe. He was glad he could share this with her.

He smiled, folding the letter up carefully, staring down at his hand suddenly.

There was still blood under his fingernails.

He grimaced, pain blossoming in his chest, regret and guilt and a mind numbing horror that floated just at the back of his mind. He'd killed an innocent, another one.

He closed his eyes tight, fingers kneading his temples as he caught the look on the boys face, the dark eyed child who had looked so like Severus. He tried not to remember the ease with which the blade had slid home, and looked down at his clothes. At least the Malfoy's had changed his clothing, loose dark pants and a white shirt which he hadn't taken the time to notice. He wasn't covered in blood, as he had been previously but he felt like he still was.

"Severus?" The voice called out, followed shortly by a rough man, shaggy brown hair and smiling amber eyes. Harry felt glad that someone at least smiled in Severus's direction. He however frowned, trying to play the part, but he was still so tired.

"What do you want?" His voice held only the smallest amount of venom and Remus smiled.

"Is that the best you can do Harry?" Harry blinked and Remus tapped his nose. "Advantages of being a werewolf." He chuckled. "I've come to give you a hand, I'm the only one who knows where this place is, and we have to arrive there muggle style, so as not to leave magical signatures." He tossed Harry a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, a black jacket and a pair of runners. "It'll take about two hours, we have to Apparate to the spot first."

Harry stared at the clothing, before something clicked.

"What about… what about Snape?" He paused, how was he suppose to explain the situation at his home without revealing too much? He needed to talk to Snape, needed to get him out from the Dursley's household.

"Severus will be fine, and I'm sure he won't harm your relatives, he's under direct orders from Dumbledore."

"But…" Harry frowned, that wasn't what he was worried about.

"It's the safest place for him at the moment, with your mothers protection on the household, there's no way the Dark Lord can get in there."

Harry blanched, not only did they not realise it was probably worse inside the house then out but they also didn't know how often he had been kicked out of the household whenever the Dursley's had guests, in case he made some freakish noises, or cast magic, which had been their biggest fear since Dobby had ruined their dinner before his second year.

He had slept in gutters more than once because of overnight guests.

Other nights he had wished he had been allowed the safety of the gutter as opposed to the fear of the dark silent room.

But then on those nights he told himself he deserved it.

And he'd fall asleep believing it.

Because he did.

He was worthless.

SS

Severus sat on the train, it wasn't Hogwarts express, but a muggle train. He had been Apparated to a station near Oxford, his trunks and some of his possessions he had chosen to take. All his potions equipment would be taken to the small apartment in London, he had only taken a few odds and ends, parchment, ink, quills, nothing of much importance.

He didn't plan on staying there for long.

They said it would take about one and a half to two hours to get to London. An hour had already passed as he had stared out of the window, contemplating the decision to tell Ms Granger what exactly had happened. He had scoffed at her theory of being bound to Potter, but something had caught at him when she'd explained her theory.

That had been the spell they had been trying to practice, the one that had left him in hospital. He squinted at the landscape rushing past him, trying to remember, as the landscape flashed, a memory flashed, too fast for him to catch.

Narissa's concerned face.

Stone walls.

The tomb, the spell.

Lily's encouraging smile.

The way she held her hand lightly over her belly.

Flash.

It was gone, the fragments of memory replaced by flashes of scenery and he growled at the glass. He was alone in the train apartment, it had been magicked to keep people away and was empty. The magic didn't stop the uncomfortable seats from numbing half his body. He hoped it wouldn't take much longer.

He shifted.

Mind wandering.

He hoped Potters family weren't as insufferable as the brat. He scowled at the glass, at his own reflection, Harry Potter's reflection, unruly hair, soft to touch, he knew that now, plump lips that looked almost feminine, high cheek bones, eyes, deep eyes, he sat staring into them, not seeing, not searching, just content to watch.

Time stretched, snapped and gathered back on itself.

The train slowed and Severus shook his head lightly. He'd wasted an entire trip which he could have used to outline his research into this potion's accident, the possibilities and probabilities. The properties of the potion, how they could have changed so drastically.

He sighed, he felt suddenly tired as if all the energy had been drained from him, and he dragged his trunks down to the end of the carriage unable to use magic now that he was out of the school. He climbed out onto to platform and looked around for those matching the description of Potter's family.

He blinked.

When the family had been described as two whales and a horse by Ms Granger he had thought she was overreacting, the tone of her voice condemning them. She had told him to look out for them, to look after himself, as if he was going to a prison sentence, not to a household that doted on little boy wonder.

The description he received from Dumbledore had been a little more objective, but he believed Hermione had aptly described them. Although he would have pegged the boy as more of an overweight walrus than whale, and he looked cruel.

They saw him, but gave no indication of recognition, and they didn't look like they were going to offer him any assistance. Severus wondered if these were the right people, but when he got close enough the boy smirked, the stick in his hand, lost in the pudgy fist, cracked harshly against Severus's knee.

Neither of the two adults noticed as they'd already turned, heading back to the car, and Severus glared at the boy. The walrus must have been jealous of Harry's status in the family, taking his emotions out with violence.

He lifted the heavy trunks into the back of the car, the family already seated inside and he wondered why they didn't offer to help, perhaps they didn't want to attract attention to Harry Potter, the boy who lived by doting so openly in public. Pretend Potter was no one, so nobody would suspect anything. They were smarter muggles then he gave them credit for.

"Hurry up boy." Severus blinked at the command, just enough impatience to sound like a threat, these muggles were good.

He climbed into the car quickly, cringing away from the hulking form of the other boy who sat beside him. He glanced at him, Potter must have been dieting, he obviously was well fed at home if these other two were to go by, but obviously wanted to keep his trim figure for his adoring crowd.

It did clash a little with all he had found out about Potter recently, but he ignored it, like he ignored the tense silence of the car, the feeling of apprehension crawling up his spine.

He was sure that as soon as they got home they'd start their doting, he didn't look forward to it.