There is a huge gap of time between this chapter and the last one because I struggled for ages over the ending of this story. But this time gave the story a chance to ferment and mature, and gave the curse-breaking scene a stronger flavor.

This chapter: James sees Lily for the first time in years, and another curse is broken.

Harry caught his foot on a vine and crashed shoulder-first into the thorn-covered wall. His broom flew out of his hands and his father flew to the other side of the room. Harry cried out as the thorns ripped into him.

It hurt. They poked and prodded and dug into his skin. He felt a tingle spread from every prick, every tear. "Da?" he said. "Are you alright?"

"The Decay, first," his father said from the other side of the room, his voice rough and unsteady. "Deal with that first."

Harry crawled up to his feet, the thorns pulling him down with each step.

It was hard to see anything except for the dragon sitting on the bed, guiding Harry to Severus.

Harry had been in Severus's mind, jagged and bright. He had touch Severus' soul, fierce and wild and possessive… protective.

Through the vines scratching and crawling around his feet, Harry could feel Severus' magic, sharp and clever, all around him.

The warm glow of the dragon's flames could not hide how deathly pale Severus had become. His body was completely covered with thorns, but for his bloodless face, serene and still.

Harry felt tears form in his eyes. The dragon raised its head and let out a low, plaintive hiss.

He steadied himself and raised his wand.

Please, he whispered in his heart. Please, live.

"Maladicta ardentur!"

James woke up in a field of bright green grasses, staring up at an empty, blue sky. The sweet smell of wildflowers tickled his nose. He felt as if his thoughts were packed in cotton, muffled and vague.

He sat up and blinked lazily as the land spread out before him. It looked familiar, like a childhood dream of an endless field ever in bloom. His fingertips brushed against the soft petals of a bright red flower, its name escaping him.

"James."

Startled, he turned and saw Lily. She looked as young and as beautiful as the day she had left his world. The gentle wind tousled her bright red hair and played with the hem of the white gown she wore.

He rose slowly to his feet, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Lily," he said, his mouth dry. "You're—" He extended his hand towards her.

She smiled, not moving forward to take hold of it. "He's grown up so handsomely," she said as she looked past his shoulder. "Our little boy."

In the distance was Harry, wandering back and forth as in search of something. He stopped for a moment, raised his hands to shout out, but James could not hear him.

"Lily," James said, turning back to the specter of his wife. "Where are we?"

"So kind and strong," Lily said, tears forming in her eyes. "You did such a good job raising him."

"Lily!"

"I know you can't forgive me for what I did," she said, bringing her focus back to James. "For choosing his life over mine, for not staying with you."

"What are you talking about?" He lunged forward to grab her hand, but she was just out of reach. "Do you think I resent you for that!? I hated it. Of course I hated it! I lost the woman I loved! And that witch bastard—"

"Only did what I asked him to do."

James froze. "Lily."

Her expression was calm even as the tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes and streamed down the sides of her face. "All I wanted was for Harry to live. I didn't care about what I'd had to do. If it meant sacrificing my magic or my life, I was willing to do it." She looked down, letting out a soft chuckle. "I don't regret giving them both to him."

Harry was still shouting, searching for something, or someone. "If my last act as a mother was to choose between dying for him and watching him wither away in my arms, I knew which I couldn't bear to do." She raised her hand. "Harry!" she shouted out, waving to catch his attention.

"Mum!" Harry shouted back. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"I'm right here!" James shouted. A shiver ran through him when Harry's gaze swept past him.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll help you look," Lily said, lightly stepping around James. Her white gown fluttered around her as she drifted over the wildflowers to join him.

"I'm not a baby, Mum," Harry groused.

The sky grew dark above James. The gentle breeze grew cold.

"I know you're not," Lily said, reaching up to ruffle Harry's hair. Light enveloped the pair, cocooning them in a warm glow. She laughed at his pout before taking his hand. "Come on, let's go look for him."

"But..." James stumbled after them as darkness fell around him, his feet tripping on every rock and flower in his way. "Wait! I'm right here!"

Harry and Lily started walking, hand in hand, their silhouettes blurring into the horizon.

"Lily, no!" James screamed. "Don't take him!" He ran, hands outstretched, to grab hold of them. "Don't take him away! Take me instead, please!" His breath grew ragged and his heart pounded against his chest, helpless as his wife and son fade away together into blinding light.

James woke up sore and disoriented, his head pounding and his stomach churning. Had he drunk himself under the table the night before? Remus usually did his best to keep them from doing too much damage when they ran wild, but they had to watch over Harry. They wouldn't over indulge while riding to the Wastes—

He jerked awake, his hand grabbing the hilt of his sword, and held his breath. He heard someone whispering, their breath hitching as if talking through tears.

"I found you," they said, their voice thin and ephemeral.

"Shh, don't talk," another answered, their voice rough and scratchy, as if they haven't used it in years. "Stay still."

"Mum helped me," the first—Harry—said. "She said she's happy." A pause. "She missed you."

James snuck a peek, careful to not give himself away. The Witch was in a thin nightshirt, sitting on the floor, his back to James and his long, black hair flaring out behind him like a train. Harry's head was in the Witch's lap, his body spread out and limp. His wand rested in his open hand.

"You're delirious," the Witch said. He took hold of Harry's wand hand, enclosing it in his bony, white grip.

"She said, Thank you," Harry continued.

James rose slowly to his feet, careful not to make a sound.

The Witch made a soft, scoffing noise.

"I think… she was always with me," Harry said. "Inside me."

"It was her magic that sealed it away." A pause, followed by a low, rough swear.

James' sword slid out of its sheath with a hush.

"… I don't feel her anymore," Harry said, his voice breaking. "It's so cold. It hurts."

James placed his sword against the Witch's neck. The Witch went still at the cold touch of steel. "Get your hands off my son."

"Sir Potter," the Witch said, displeasure smoothing out his rough, scratchy voice. "Still as well-mannered as a beast, I see."

"Da…" Harry said, drawing James' attention away from the bastard.

James sucked in a breath. Harry's shirt was open to the waist, exposing the black tendrils spreading out from his heart. The familiar curse marks had already reached his neck and belly. It was weeks before the curse had spread that far when Harry was a child.

James grabbed the Witch's hair and pulled his neck back. His sword nicked the Witch's neck. Bright red blood coated the steel. "What are you doing to my son!"

"Da, no!"

"Saving his life," the Witch said with a sneer. "Something Sir Potter is stopping me from doing." The nick closed, healing itself in an instant.

"Save?" James yelled. "Then why is the curse back! Lily died to break that curse!"

"Lily died to seal the curse away," the Witch said. "And now that I have enough power to break it—"

"You WILL NOT say her name!" James yanked the Witch's head back. "I should kill you for all that you've done."

"Da, please!"

"If you kill me now, Harry will die," the Witch hissed. "Do you think those fools you call friends will get here in time to save him? Do you think they'll have the power to break it? Only I have that power."

James wavered. "They can seal it away. Remus can do it, he's talented—"

"It took Lily's life to seal it away the first time," the Witch cut in.

"I said not to say her name!"

"Da, please let Severus go," Harry said. The curse marks curled around his jaw and turned his chest black. "Please."

James loosened his grip on the Witch's hair. The memories of Harry as a baby, whimpering in pain as the curse slowly devoured him, superimposed on the sight of Harry now, dying before his very eyes.

The Witch pulled away from his grip just as the dragon dove straight at James, knocking him down to the floor.

James tried to shake off the hit, but the dragon, now as large as a horse, knocked the sword out of his hand with a swipe of his claws and pinned him down before he could catch his breath.

The Witch stared with his black, merciless eyes as his dragon held James down at the wrists and legs. He turned his attention back to Harry. His hand was gentle as he carded through Harry's hair. "Breathe, Harry."

"Da?"

"He's fine," the Witch dared to say. "The dragon is protecting him."

"Severus Snape, you son of a bitch!"

"I'm going to draw the curse out of you," the Witch said. "It will no doubt be painful."

"I trust you," Harry said.

The Witch placed one hand on Harry's chest and the other against his brow. "Breathe," he said again, his eyes closing.

James sucked in a breath as the air in the room grew heavy and warm. The dragon lifted its head, sniffing the air. James could only smell the smoke from the dragon's flames and a sweet, almost rotten, scent as a strange wind began to swirl around the Witch, lifting and spinning thin strands of hair. Underneath his hand, Harry let out a small moan.

The Witch stayed still, each deep breath followed by a long exhale through his teeth. Only the hand on Harry's chest moved, slowly, hypnotically, up as high as his throat before creeping downwards and then back up again. The wind grew stronger, wilder, whipping and twisting the Witch's long hair up into the air. Harry's moans grew louder and more disturbing to James' ears as the Witch's hand stopped just below Harry's belly button.

"Breathe with me," the Witch said, lowering his head. Their noses were close enough to touch. "Open yourself to me," he murmured. "Let me in… that's it." Harry's back arched as he let out a groan. "Do you feel me inside of you?"

James jerked and thrashed against the dragon, but the creature was as immovable as stone. "Severus Snape, I will kill you!"

"I can feel you," Harry said in a daze. "It's so warm."

The Witch shamelessly stroked Harry's stomach. "I'm going to fill you to the brim and pull that curse out of you," he said against Harry's lips. "Now, close your eyes and relax."

James screamed, his eyes red with rage, as the Witch pressed his disgusting lips against Harry's mouth. As soon as he was free, he swore to cut that man into pieces, starting with his perverse hands and ending with his head.

Harry writhed underneath the Witch, his hands clawing at the ground before grabbing at the Witch's clothes and hair. He glowed with strange magic, the light so bright James had to look away.

As the light faded, James looked back to see his son panting on floor, his body limp and spent, no hint of a curse mark on his skin. He stared up at the ceiling with a glazed look in his eyes.

The Witch turned his head to the side and lifted a hand to his face. A viscous, black sludge slid out of his mouth and into his palm. The sludge condensed, rolling itself into a hard lump as big as a peach stone.

He stared down at the lump in his hand for a long moment, his wind-tangled hair hiding his face. "A life for a life, a curse for a curse," he said quietly. "Is this a boon, or another loss to my name?"

"Severus," Harry said weakly. He pawed at the Witch's nightshirt.

The Witch pulled away, rising to his feet. A rush of wind spun around him, twisting his nightshirt into black robes that covered the man from his neck to his feet. His long hair gathered at the top of his head as a crown as black as night appeared on his brow. His white hand curled around the lump. When he unfurled his fingers, the lump was gone.

Harry dragged himself up to his elbows. "Severus?"

The Witch glanced at Harry from the corner of his eye before dismissively looking away. He curled a finger at the dragon, beckoning it to his side. "You've broken the curse on me, and I've broken the curse on you. How fortunate that we were able to come to such an amicable trade."

"What was that thing you pulled out of Harry?" James said. He struggled against the dragon, which turned its head away, ignoring its master's command.

"Trade?" Harry echoed. "I don't understand."

The Witch gave the dragon a narrow-eyed glare before giving James a half-hearted shrug. "Nothing you would wish to take back with you," he said. "But do not worry, you are not going home empty-handed." He glided across the floor, the hems of his heavy robes never lifting, and placed a hand on his dragon's flank.

He looked down at James and gave him a thin, mirthless smile. "For your son's sake, I won't curse those two fool companions of yours for bringing that curse on my land. However, the next time they dare step onto the Wastes, I will not be nearly so magnanimous."

"They weren't the ones to create it!"

"No, they're the dunderheads that left it to fester, never once thinking, for one moment, what harm it was still capable of!" Severus yelled, spittle flying. "But what should I expect from Albus' small-minded imbeciles. All strength, but not one coherent thought among them."

A thumping sound began to echo from below. "James! Harry!" Sirius' voice boomed up.

"Up here!" James grinned wide, showing teeth. "What are you and your dragon going to do now, Witch?"

The Witch sneered. "What makes you think I need to do anything?" He lifted a hand with a twist of his wrist, as if about to present a treat. "Where do you think all the power absorbed by the curse went?" A hot wind blew against James' face and played with the hems of the Witch's robes. "I have more than enough magic to spare."

The door slammed open. Sirius took a step into the room before collapsing to his knees, out of breath and exhausted in a way James had never seen before. Slumped onto his back was Remus, his face slack and gray. Sirius fell to the side, losing his grip on Remus, who rolled onto the floor without a word.

"And they can barely stand under the pressure," the Witch drawled.

"Severus," Harry cut in. He was on his elbows, weakly crawling on the ground towards them. "Why are you doing this? This isn't like you."

The Witch did not turn to look at Harry as he let out an amused huff. The sneer only grew wider. "Your naivety is quite charming, Harry, but it is time for you to go home."

He waved his hand at Sirius and Remus as if to brush aside a fly. They disappeared with a pop.

"You bastard! What did you do to them?!"

The Witch looked down at James. "You'll find out soon enough." He waved his hand again.

James opened his mouth to curse the Witch when his vision went black. In that darkness, he felt like he was being squeezed and pulled and crushed and twisted to an inch of his life from all sides. Just as he silently cried out his last breath—

He dropped with a thud onto short-cropped grass under a gentle blue sky.

He rolled over onto his knees and threw up.

"James?" Sirius groaned from not far away.

"Remus?" James said, wiping away the bile with a shaky hand.

"He's here, but… he's not doing well."

James lifted his head and found himself staring up at the castle. The Witch had sent them straight to the southern lawn with a mere wave of a hand.

He did not know if even Lord Dumbledore was capable of such magic.

"Harry?" James said, looking around.

His son was nowhere in sight.

"Harry!" He pushed himself to his feet, wobbling with each step.

"Master Potter? Master Black!" A pair of Weasley boys rushed out from the castle, followed closely behind by some adepts and witches.

"Harry!" James screamed at the sky.

Several feet above their heads, Harry appeared with a loud pop. Someone screamed as he floated for a moment before dropping like a stone.

James ran to catch him, pushing himself with everything he had. Just he got underneath him, Harry's drop slowed down to a gentle fall, as if he weighed no more than a feather.

As Harry floated down into his outstretched arms, James' heart was in his throat. His knees buckled as Harry's weight settled against him; others crowded in, supporting from all sides to keep them from hitting the ground.

Harry was staring up at the sky, breath hitching as tears streamed down the sides of his face. When he turned his head and saw James looking down at him, Harry's face scrunched up.

He pushed his face into the side of his father's neck and cried.

to be continued