Birds chirping nearby. This was the first sound that Severus Snape heard upon waking up in Harmony's house the very first morning. How picturesque after coming from hell on earth.
For the longest time, Severus Snape 's life had become little more than a blur. In that blur were included enormous amounts of pain, misery, abuse, depression, nightmares and humiliation.
The last memory that he had of his body obeying him, was in the shack. Facing the Dark Lord. And Nagini! That damned snake! If it depended on him, he never wanted to see another one in his lifetime. Not the actual animal at least.
He had used a lot of his spare time to think about what had become of his snakes back at Hogwarts. Of what had become of all the students, for that matter. On Minerva 's many visits, she had informed him of the major things. The major deaths. The points of the Castle that had suffered the most.
He had been almost surprised by the old witch's attention. She had never failed him in the past, he would be the first to admit it. Exception made if it involved some members of her house, that is. Still, she had been the closest thing to a motherly figure in his life. So he had come to accept her visits, her long monologues, her tears shred for his condition. It had also become part of the blur at a certain point. At the same time, the visits were his highlights in an otherwise unbearable life.
Once he had woken up at the hospital, he had become the puppet at the healer's hands. They did everything with him. It started slowly at first. They would twist and turn him as if he was a dead corpse already. No respect, no care for his wounds or his pain. They would treat him as if he wasn't there anymore. Then all the rest started. The younger ones would take turns to take revenge against the Dungeons Bat. For them, it was funny. For him, it was nothing more than abuse. They would let the food plate by his bedside all day and tell him that if he was angry he had to eat by himself. By the end of the day, some more sympathetic soul would finally give it to him, barely even bother with warming it up. They would never check if he had a cold or heat either, leaving him with the same clothes and covers for the longest times. Then they would make fun of him for pretty much every reason. He smelled. He had grown a gross bear. He made his necessities on his bed.
After a while, he just wouldn't care anymore. And then started the actual physical abuses.
He felt when his flesh started to open in gashes. It hurt so bad! Pure agony. Even his manhood was… He dared not to think how it should be. He surely felt it. Harmony had been kind enough to let him without underwear. For that, he was more than grateful.
There were also the nightmares. Horrific ones, from the first and second wars. Memories, scenarios that he had feared. Severus would wake up in panic, not knowing where he was or how. His screams trying to break free from his chest. No one around ever tried to help him.
His only solace were indeed the visits he had. His 'nephew' Draco would sometimes come to see him. The boy looked anything but okay. He would come, say hello, cry a few tears and leave. The Potter brat did little more than Draco. Only Minerva took the time to sit down and talk with him.
Which was why he wasn't very surprised when she showed up that fateful day. He only became surprised when he noticed that she was not alone.
The woman with her… Severus had eyed her with the avid curiosity of someone who had become used to be alone. She carried herself gracefully, he would give her that. However, she was hardly a beauty. She was actually quite ordinary and plain in her looks, the kind of girl one would pass by and never look twice in a crowd. She kept a huge dog with her, a German-Shepard. Her familiar? It seemed likely. Then he saw it, as Minerva did.
When she faced the healer that first time, the color of her eyes… He noticed that Minerva while seeming surprised, wasn't particularly shocked by it. She talked to the woman as she would talk to any of her former students. Had she been one of them?
She had moved towards him and, as he heard her telling that she had met him while in her youth, he almost felt like cringing. Was Minerva trying to kill him once and for all? She had met him, for Merlin's beard. It would be just like the others.
Still, Harmony was nothing like the others. The emotions she displayed, the shock on her features… It sounded oddly real, as the disgust for what had been made of him. As her anger. She talked to him as one would talk to a man. Cared for him enough to cover his cold body with her own cloak, to send her dog to keep him warm. She wasn't like the others, no. Or if she was, she was pulling a wondrous show in front of Minerva. No. That was no show, Severus kept thinking as she recalled the odious healer to the room, manoeuvring him into confessing it all and handing his memories.
'Harmony.' Severus had engraved her name into his mind for later. 'As plain as you look, you don't act as a plain woman at all. Who are you?'
That was the question he wished he could formulate. The woman departed leaving him alone with the big dog on top of his bed and left, taking the cloak with her. He couldn't even start to guess where she had gone. He only hoped that she wouldn't take too long. Using the time alone wisely, Severus studied as he could the massive dog that was next to him, making weight against his frail frame. The first thing he noticed was that the dog had very intelligent eyes, golden like melted gold. He also displayed a deep scar across his muzzle, which wasn't exactly common. Severus would dare to say that the familiar looked more interesting than his mistress, as he showcased way more in his appearance than she did. The fur seemed soft and well groomed, with more black than yellow to it from his point of view. The dog lifted his head from the covers beneath him to study the man that had now become his charge. As their eyes crossed, Severus did his best to give the familiar a weak smile. Where was Harmony? He had never been particularly fond of animals.
She had assured him that they would go away soon from that place. Where was she taking him? Hogwarts? Another place? He would be happy either way, to say goodbye to those horrific walls. They would surely haunt his dreams till his death.
It all happened fast once she returned. There was one moment that got him completely by surprise: When she took the time, amidst all that madness, to sit down with him and give him a moment of tenderness. When had he been given that sort of kindness lastly? Severus couldn't remember at all.
Next thing he knew, he had just side-along Apparated somewhere in the countryside and was throwing up the contents that his stomach didn't had to start with. He hadn't been given anything to eat since the day before. Harmony acted as if she had been waiting for it. The disgusting part of it. She smiled at him and tried to make him feel better by covering him again to protect him from the cold. What season was it? Spring? Fall? Severus had no means to know for sure. It wasn't a popular topic where he came from.
He was lead to a cottage, something resembling the houses illustrated in children books. It had a big garden around it that they crossed swiftly. As he finally entered the house and the door closed behind him, his mouth opened and his senses were assaulted by everything at once, almost making him dizzy.
The colors, all around him. The smells. The sounds of a real house, with a fire roaring on the hearth. It felt very close to his notion of paradise.
The room they were in was big enough to accommodate both the kitchen and the living room. Massive sofas, like the ones a big family would use, were displayed in front of the fire. Even with his considerable height, Severus was sure he could sleep easily in any of those and feel happy about it.
His attention returned to his host. It wasn't hard to say that she felt relieved to be home. Her whole body language made it clear. The dog wasn't around, minding his own business perhaps.
She led him once more, this time across the room and through a hall until they reached a colorful room and there she let him fall flat onto his stomach on top of the thick bed covers. It wasn't the most comfortable of the positions, as she correctly guessed then. Still, it hurt less than the alternative and Severus saw how she tried her best to make him feel less awkward.
He took in the surrounding room. One such as himself used to a very specific environment and deeply set in his own ways and tastes, would call it extravagant upon first sight. The first word that came to his mind was gypsy, really. Just like the kitchen and sitting room, it was colorful and filled with decor pieces. It had a fireplace by a corner, the walls were fully covered in wood panels. So was the floor, made of pure dark wood. To his practiced nose, it smelled wonderful. There was an aroma of lavender all around. The bed had a canopy and curtains made of some very fine and fragile material. The mattress was hard, yet acceptable. The covers were patchwork as were the surrounding linens. At a first glance, it was awkward. Yet, Severus knew that if this was to be his new room, no one would hear him complaining about the patterns or colors at all. It just felt like a proper home, a proper room. Made him think strongly of Molly Weasley and all her home concepts that he had once frowned upon.
Harmony seemed thorned about what to do with him next. Suddenly, the hearth came alive, frightening him a bit. Then, she came for him.
Severus would recall several years later that she had shown him that night nothing but gentleness and care. Harmony took off the only two layers of clothes he had had in a long time and threw them directly into the fire.
"If it depends on me, you will never be subjected to this ever again, Sir." She whispered in his ear, as she took his naked, dirty and unkempt body in with her eyes.
He had a good idea about how ghastly he must be looking. Too thin, smelling bad, his hair way beyond oily. Harmony silently inspected every inch of his back, legs, and arms both with her warm hands and her eyes, making him feel more than just naked in front of her. All his scars were right there, on the skin that she was caressing. Why wasn't she showing disgust for them? Severus had let no one see those since he had become a grown man. He noticed however that she never really lost her smile while interacting with him. A sweet, simple smile, as if caring for him was a pleasure and not a duty. Would she keep being like this forever? He certainly wished for it.
That night, she had cared for his wounds, his body, and his soul. All while being respectful in his regards and taking his interests above anything else. He had seen how tortured she looked at not being able to give him anything more to eat. The fruits were tasteful, perhaps the best thing that had crossed his lips towards his stomach in a very long time. Still, they gave him little solace from the hunger. He knew that she was right, of course. His stomach wouldn't handle rich food so soon without the risk of throwing up. How idiot he had felt when the drool start to escape his mouth on its own accord in the presence of her food. As if the woman wasn't feeling bad enough already about something that they could do nothing about.
When she had maintained her promise and read Minerva's letter… That had been intense. Severus exhaled a few times as he remembered that part of the night. He had felt so damn grateful for being alive. For having the opportunity to survive what others wouldn't. He had wished for death many a time during his life. But hearing Harmony's voice reading that some of the others were condemned to die soon when he was tucked into a nice and warm bed in an actual room had proven to be too much. He had escaped somehow. For that, he would be eternally grateful to whatever deity was responsible.
Severus recalled that he must have fallen asleep in her arms for when he woke up next, the fire was dimmer in the fireplace and the clock told two and a half in the morning. He had dreamt that he was still in the hospital. They had been trying spells on his body. Which had actually happened more than once, it wasn't just a nightmare. It had been real at one point. Not only for him.
He had simply laid there for some time, watching the woman sleep. He knew that he had lost control of his bladder and that the bed was wet. He hated that part of the nightmares. Severus prayed silently that she wouldn't change her mind and put him back on diapers again for it.