Harry awoke from his potion induced sleep to discover that it was pretty late into the day, probably close to lunch, in fact. He looked around the area they had set up camp and noticed Severus was nowhere to be found.

“Professor Snape?” he called out, but there was no answer. He noticed that breakfast was ready and waiting for him on a flat piece of wood, sitting on the ground. The idea of eating, like last night, made him feel sick to his stomach, so he discreetly threw most of it into the woods, before covering it with some dead, wet leaves. While relatively hidden, he went ahead and relieved himself before returning to the campsite.

“Sir?” he yelled again, more loudly. However, he still received no answer. Worry started to flood him as he wondered where his Professor could possibly be. ‘He could have found the cave.’ he rationalized with himself. But surely he would have waited for him, or at least left a note. He decided to go ahead and pack up anything that was still lying about, that belonged to him, and get ready to keep going. At least he could be prepared when Snape eventually came back. ‘If he does come back.’ he thought to himself, inadvertently. “Don’t think that!” he chastised out loud.

As he was picking up one of the drinking cups, he noticed that Snape’s wand was sitting on the man’s bedding. The worry he had been experiencing before upped itself to a higher degree. Surely Snape would never leave his wand? Would he? He didn’t think so. He grabbed the wand from where it lay and headed back into the woods. He didn’t exactly know where to look, so he just went west. It seemed like a good direction, and he had a weird feeling, like something was drawing him in that direction anyways. So he went. Pulling his own wand from his pocket, he quietly made his way along, looking for any places where he could see Snape’s footprints in the snow. There hadn’t been hardly any snow where they had camped out.

Harry wasn’t sure if calling out was such a brilliant idea. What if someone had captured his Professor? He could be walking straight into a trap. Not the best thing to do when trying to find, and possibly save someone. The thought of saving Snape, of all people, seemed almost humorous to him. He could imagine that Snape wouldn’t be too thrilled about it, either. Upon further thought, he decided if they had wanted him, they would have taken him while he was still out of it from the Dreamless Sleep potion. And the silence of the wooded area was starting to make him slightly nervous. Besides that, when every animal in the woods was silent, didn’t that mean something dangerous and deadly was lurking about? He didn’t even want to think about what could be causing everything in the forest to be quiet.

“Snape?” he yelled, not worrying about using formalities. He waited for any kind of response, but received none. This was starting to grate on his nerves. “Snape, where are you!?” he all but screamed. He now noticed that it was even quieter, if that was possible, and the thought that whatever was out here could easily track him down, due to his loud mouth, occurred to him at that moment. “Idiot.” he muttered to himself, looking around and peering into the spots where it was almost completely dark. The snapping of what sounded like sticks drew his attention to his left, where it just so happened to be extremely dark. Lifting his wand up, he muttered “lumos” before sticking it out in front of himself. And saw nothing. “Weird.”

He continued in his westerly direction before he finally noticed footsteps in the snow. Judging by the size of the print, he deduced that it was probably Snape’s. Besides, who else could possibly be out here with them? Well, except Jeb, the psycho. But Harry knew he was securely tied to some tree many, many miles away from their current position.

“Well, this makes my job a hell of a lot easier.” he said to anything that happened to be listening. Following the footsteps in the snow, he ended up in a rocky area of the mountain. He had somehow ended up on an edge, a very steep edge, with extremely sharp rocks, that were highly slippery from the snow that had melted due to the sunlight. Backing up, he got back on more stable ground, and looked about him. The footprints had just ended when the rocks began, so there was no telling where Snape was.

Frustrated with the entire situation, he turned to go back to the campground when he fell, straight through the ground, and landed in shallow, murky water. “This is nice.” he grumbled. He couldn’t see a thing in front of him, which scared him. Anything could be down here. He imagined a dead, maggot infested corpse closing in on him at that precise moment, and frantically searched for his wand. “Shit, shit, shit…” he kept repeating to himself, while sloshing around in the disgusting feeling water for his errant wand. He just had to drop it. It figures.

Harry knew that if he didn’t calm down, he could possibly overlook his wand in his panic. Taking in deep breaths, he counted to ten, and then slowly ran his hands through the water, trying to ignore what felt like bloated skin. It was probably just a dead animal anyways. Finally his searching fingers felt the long wooden stick that could only be his wand. Standing carefully, he dried his wand on the shirt he was wearing underneath his cloak.

“Lumos.” he stated, and light flared from the end of his wand, lighting up the area. As there was no corpse with bugs crawling in and out of its eye sockets, he decided all was well with the world and moved on. His fear of the unknown was quelled, and his need to find his professor took over. With the light of his wand, he went further into what he could only figure was an underground cave of some sort. He immediately thought of the Orb. “This could be that cave.” he said aloud, and his voice echoed loudly. He flinched apprehensively in response. ‘Oopsie.’ he thought to himself, not risking his voice again.

The tunnel-like passage that he was following kept splitting into different sections, making it impossible to determine which was he was going, or if he was going in the right direction at all.

“This is hopeless.” he whispered. He hadn’t expected a response.

*****************

Jeb tromped noiselessly through the forest, grumbling maliciously to himself all the while. He knew the bastard and the brat were ahead of him, but by how far he wasn’t sure. He had lost their tracks a while back. So, the only rational thing to do had been to head straight for the cave. He only hoped he would get there first, where he could wait and pounce on them. The saying was correct, revenge will definitely be sweet.

The closer he got to the location of the cave, the move he felt like there was something or someone else nearby. Stealthily climbing one of the trees, he settled onto a thick branch and waited. Sure enough, not minutes later, three figures dressed in black robes and what appeared to be white masks became visible.

“This won’t do.” he hissed. “This won’t do at all.” Jeb’s eyes narrowed dangerously. The black robed intruders had to go.

****************

*Not all things are hopeless.*

Jumping in surprise, Harry nearly ended up back in the murky water. “Who’s there?” he asked, his eyes darting in every direction.

*Watch it!*

Harry looked down in surprise, and then sighed in relief. It had only been a snake, a very small snake.

*Hello.* hissed Harry. *Sorry I almost trampled you to death.*

*No harm, no foul.* said the snake. *My name is Wynd.*

*Oh. Well, Wynd, you haven’t happened to come across a dark haired man, have you?* he asked.

*Actually,* he hissed, *yes, I have. Although I fear he wasn’t in the greatest of company. I suggest you hurry, your ability may be helpful.*

Harry immediately became alarmed. *Why? Where is he?* he demanded. *Can you show me the way?*

*Just follow this passage; it will no longer break off into other passages, but into a large cavern. This is where you will find the man.* hissed Wynd. *Hurry.*

Harry looked down to thank Wynd for his help, but the snake was gone. As he didn’t exactly have time to ponder the snake’s disappearance, he began to run down the passageway. It didn’t take him long, and he was in the cavern that Wynd had mentioned. It was quite possibly the largest hole in stonework he had ever seen. He realized now why the place was so wet; there was a medium sized body of water directly in the middle of the cave. There were also rather large columns that had formed in many places around the water, where the stalactites and the stalagmites had met. And many were just hanging from the ceiling. Harry cautiously walked around them as he imagined one falling and piercing through him.

However, his attention was grabbed quickly when he finally saw who he had been looking for. Professor Snape was standing in quite an odd position, at least Harry thought so, on the other side of the cavernous area. Keeping away from the water, Harry edged around the columns and sharp rocks that seemed to litter the cave floor, until he could clearly make out the older man. The closer he got, the more he realized that Snape seemed extremely stiff and tense, like he was awaiting an attack. But he couldn’t see anything dangerous. He kept walking and finally he stood directly behind his professor. He thought touching him or speaking out loud could be potentially dangerous, so he silently peeked around Snape, and nearly screamed. Thankfully, he wasn’t that stupid, and had a battle of wills with himself on not screaming like an idiot.

After he calmed down, he realized why Wynd thought his ability would be helpful. Directly in front of them was a massive, completely black snake. It was frightening really, even if he could speak to snakes. This one in particular looked pure evil. It distinctly reminded him of a Cobra, only much bigger. He watched in abject horror as the snake slithered closer to his Professor before its head and upper body rose in the air, looking more venomous than before. Apparently, neither the snake nor Snape even realized he was there. They were more intent on each other. Finally his senses came to him, right as the Cobra-like snake launched itself at Severus.

*Stop.* hissed Harry, in a tone he didn’t even know he possessed. Deadly.

Severus’s head spun around so quickly Harry was surprised he hadn’t given himself whiplash. But Harry’s attention was focused entirely on the snake.

The snake had diverted its focus when Harry had spoken, and now it was drawing dangerously closer to the younger man.

*And why should I? He has disturbed the sanctuary of the Orb. No one is allowed access to the precious object. He must be destroyed.* hissed the snake. *And you will be as well.* It proceeded to say, slithering ever closer. *However, there is something about you that no one seeking the Orb has ever possessed. You are innocent and pure of heart.*

Harry just looked at the Snake before him. He was slightly surprised by the black creature’s suddenly less threatening pose. He also didn’t know exactly what to think about what was just said of him. He was frightening sure that he wasn’t as innocent as this creature believed. He was the cause of many deaths and would be the cause of many more in the future. He couldn’t quite agree with this snake.

*You doubt my sincerity?* asked the snake. *I assure you, I am never wrong. Believe in yourself, and all will be well.* the snake paused, looked at his Professor, then back at Harry. *Back to business. What do you plan on doing with the Orb?*

*Destroy it, of course.* replied Harry, matter-of-factly.

Harry would have sworn that if the snake had an eyebrow, it would have been raised. *That’s definitely new. Most people wish world domination, or revenge of some sort on a past wrongdoing. You are most admirable in your deeds, young one. Tell me, what of this man. Is he to be trusted?*

To Harry, it seemed as if the snake was asking if Snape was a danger to the boy, and if so, would he like it to kill him for his sake. In a short matter of time, the snake had become protective of the boy standing in front of him, for reasons it couldn’t even begin to fathom. The boy’s aura, it presumed.

*This is my teacher, and he is safe. He wishes to destroy it as well. You don’t need to worry about him.* hissed Harry.

The large black Cobra-like snake seemed to sigh before answering. *Very well. I trust your judgment. However, carrying this certain object will be very dangerous. You must destroy it immediately. If you do in fact need my help, you need only say my name, and I shall be at your side immediately.*

Harry looked confused. *Would you care to inform me of what your name just might be?* he asked.

*I suppose I should enlighten you in order for it to work.* hissed the snake. *My name is Aeden.*

*Alright. And how exactly does this work? Can you hear me or something?* asked Harry.

*Actually, we can link your Parsletongue ability and my own snake language together and sort of be telepathic. I will hear your thoughts if you speak in Parsletongue. It’s rather odd and complicated, but don’t worry, it shall work. I’ve done it before.* hissed Aeden. *I will lead you the rest of the way into the sanctuary.* Harry could only nod.

“Sir?” asked Harry. Snape was looking at him already, but he had wanted to be sure he was paying attention.

“Yes, Potter?” asked Severus.

“This is Aeden. He is the guardian of the Orb, I guess, and he is going to allow us to get the Orb, as long as we destroy it.” he said. “Oh, and here’s your wand.” he added, still wondering why Severus would have left his wand behind, as it seemed extremely unnatural of him.

Snape took his wand without further thought and eyed the snake suspiciously. He wasn’t entirely sure he could trust something that looked so completely evil. But if Harry did, then he would as well. “Fine, let’s go then.” he said, noticing that the snake was moving away from them.

“Alright.” said Harry, following Aeden and Snape further into what became a tunnel. It grew so small that Harry and Snape had to crawl, and then army crawl through it. Harry was beginning to feel extremely closed in. On top of that, the cold that had seeped into his bones the night before was beginning to make itself known again. He had been able to ignore it for a while, as he had been moving and staying busy, in body and in mind. But now, in such a small space, his fears and the cold were beginning to take over. This was quite possibly much worse than being locked in a closet. But right before he started to really panic, the tunnel opened up more, and he could finally stand, not totally, as he had to bend his head down to fit, but it was better than being so confined.

Severus turned around to make sure Harry was still with them, and noticed how pale he had become. He also noticed that the younger man’s breathing seemed to be labored. He immediately knew the reason, as he remembered how scared he was of being confined. “Are you okay, Harry?” he asked, wishing he had his bag of potions on him, but he had left them behind.

“Yeah, sure.” muttered Harry.

Snape raised one brow in disbelief, but left it at that. If the boy wanted to discuss his problems, he would do it when he was ready.

They were now in another cavern, although this one was much smaller than the one they had been in just moments before. In the center of the cave stood a small pillar with a glowing ball of light floating just inches above it. Harry thought it was a very beautiful object to cause such harm. But most things were, he mused.

*The spells that would cause you harm have been removed.* hissed Aeden. *It is yours now. *Remember, you must destroy it quickly. But I suggest you get into an open area before you do anything.* advised the great black snake.

*I will do as you say, Aeden. And thank you.* he said, walking up to the Orb and taking it into his hands. He could feel the power radiating off the object. He thought he knew why Aeden wanted them in an open area when they destroyed it. Moving back towards his professor, he noticed that Snape was holding out a black pouch for him to place the Orb into. He did so without complaint.

Harry wasn’t looking forward to going back through the cramped area they had just gone through. He wished desperately that Aeden knew another way out.

*There is, Harry.*

Harry whipped back around to look at the snake. *Whoa, how did you do that?* he asked.

*I told you Harry, we are now telekinetically bound. I can hear your thoughts, but only if you say my name.* explained Aeden.

*Oh yeah.* replied Harry, somewhat sheepishly. Well, at least now he knew it would really work. *So, what is this other way out, then?* he asked.

*Right through there.* hissed Aeden.

Harry just looked at his newfound friend as if he had gone insane. *Aeden, that’s a wall.* he said, monotonously.

*Yes, Harry, I realize that. However, it’s more than just a wall. If you walk through it, you will be outside of the cave.*

*Alright, thanks again, Aeden.* said Harry.

*Anytime, Harry.* hissed Aeden. Harry watched as the snake slithered away from them and out of the cave.

“Are you finished speaking to the snake now?” asked Snape, looking bored.

“Ah, yes, we can go now.” he said, and walked directly through the wall, startling his potions professor. A few seconds later and Snape followed after him.

“How did you know it was an illusion?” asked his professor.

“Aeden told me.” replied Harry as if it was the stupidest question ever asked. He was hard pressed not to say ‘duh’, but he held back.

Snape just glowered at him. He looked around and figured they were only a few miles away from their campsite. “Let’s get going, we’ll be able to reach camp before mid afternoon.” said the professor.

“Okay.” said Harry, who had realized that it would take them a while to reach camp, and he was already exhausted, cold, and his stupid throat was feeling all scratchy. He hated that feeling. If he could just reach his hand down his throat, he’d be much happier.

An hour later Harry felt like lying down right in the snow and going to sleep. He felt really hot, and kept putting his clammy hands on his forehead to cool it down. He knew they were almost there, but all this walking was starting to affect him and his developing cold. He hated being sick, and he knew without a doubt that he was coming down with something. His entire body was aching fiercely and his head felt like it would explode, given the chance.

Finally, he realized he recognized the clearing up ahead of them. They were coming into their campsite. ‘Thank goodness.’ he thought to himself. He could finally sit down and rest. However, the closer they got, the more he realized something was wrong. Things didn’t look quite right.

Severus seemed to notice it as well, since he came to a complete stop right in front of him.

“What is it, Professor?” he asked, stepping up beside the older man.

“Someone has been here.” he said, and pointed ahead. Harry looked up and finally could see into the clearing. Their campsite had been ransacked. It looked like someone had gone in and just started throwing things about. The two of them cautiously moved forward, hoping whoever had been here was already gone. Harry noticed that Snape was holding the pouch which contained the Orb more tightly now. “Stay close.” he told Harry.

Harry wasn’t about to disobey. He withdrew his wand from his pocket and followed his Professor as they proceeded into the clearing. Harry didn’t think that anyone was still around, it was just a feeling, so he began taking stock of the damage. He noticed that his belongings had been tossed about the area, but it didn’t look like anything was taken. Although, he figured what they were looking for, Snape had hidden in his pocket. He noticed that Severus was looking through his own belongings, and watched as he threw his potions bag down in disgust.

“They took them all.” he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

Severus noticed that Harry looked practically devastated at this. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Wondering why the younger man would be unhappy that his belongings had been stolen.

“I was hoping you had a pain killer of some sort in there.” Harry muttered.

“Why do you need a pain killer?” he asked.

Harry looked startled. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. “I just don’t feel too hot.” he said in answer. Harry was even more startled when Snape walked purposely towards him and placed his hand against his forehead.

“You’re burning up!” he said, clearly not happy that Harry hadn’t mentioned anything before now. “You know, it generally helps if you tell someone that you aren’t feeling well.” he said heatedly. He was worried about how warm his young charge had become. If he didn’t get a fever reducing potion or something else into the boy soon, his fever would become dangerous. Before, he hadn’t been too distraught that his potions had been stolen, but now he was downright pissed. It was almost as if whoever had thrashed their camp knew the boy was getting sick, which meant they had been followed. He only hoped it wasn’t who he suddenly suspected. But he didn’t think that the old geezer could have gotten down from the tree without help. And he knew the man hadn’t had a wand. He’d checked himself. But he had more important things to worry about at the moment.

“Harry, I’m going to go and find some herbs. I’ll be back in just a minute. You should lie down and rest, walking all that way probably wore you out. I really wish you would have told me.” he said, emphasizing how disappointed he was in the younger one.

He realized at that moment that he didn’t like hearing disappointment in his Professor’s voice. He suddenly felt extremely foolish for not mentioning it. But hell, he wasn’t used to someone actually doing something about him being sick. This was all completely new to him. His aunt and uncle would have just locked him in his room and left him there to deal with his sickness by himself. But he couldn’t very well explain this to Snape.

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t think you’d care.” he said, slightly exasperated. “I wasn’t allowed medicine when I was sick.” He regretted his words the second they escaped his mouth. He definitely hadn’t meant to think that thought out loud.

Severus just looked surprised, if not astonished. “They wouldn’t give you medicine?” he asked. “And why the hell not?” demanded Snape, trying not to let his anger at this kid’s relatives show through.

“Well, they wanted to save it for Dudley. He was a big, well, fat, kid. They said they couldn’t waste something as important as medication on a freak like me. They thought I could heal myself or something.” replied Harry bitterly, and with a hint of annoyance.

Harry could tell Snape wasn’t too thrilled with this answer. He looked rather angry, actually. He didn’t know if he had said something he shouldn’t have, or what. Was Snape mad at him, or his relatives?

“That is the most pathetic excuse I have ever heard of to refuse a child medicine.” spat Snape.

Ah, so that’s why he’s mad. “Yeah, well, they were pretty good at that.” he said. The Dursley’s were masters of lame excuses. He rubbed at his face, distractedly. He was very tired and although he felt hot, he was also getting cold chills.

Severus’ face softened. He knew Harry didn’t feel well, and now he knew why the poor child never mentioned when he was sick or anything else for that matter. “I’ll get those herbs.” he said. “Lay down.”

Harry did as he was told as Severus walked into the forest. He didn’t even notice when Snape put a protection charm on him.

**************************

It took Snape about fifteen minutes to find the necessary herbs to make a tea for Harry. These certain herbs would reduce his fever, and hopefully it would be quickly. When he came back into the clearing, he noticed that the younger man had fallen into a restless sleep. He was continually tossing and turning. He hoped the boy wasn’t having a nightmare.

He had just finished making the tea when Harry shot up straight. He looked around wildly before making eye contact. Severus noticed that he was shaking violently and on the verge of tears. Without a second thought, he moved over and sat beside the smaller man. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Harry nodded jerkily. Snape didn’t believe him for a second. Putting an arm around the green eyed boy, he pulled him closer, giving him a one armed hug. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Harry was too dazed by the kind gesture from Snape to even grasp what the older man had just told him. When he finally did, he looked down at the blanket he had managed to kick off himself. Grabbing it, he covered his shivering form back up. “It was just a bad dream.” he said.

“Obviously.” said Snape, unconsciously feeling Harry’s forehead for fever. It had risen. “I need you to drink this.” he said, handing Harry a cup that had been warming up.

Harry took it and automatically drank it. His face scrunched up in distaste. “That was gross.” he said impassively.

“I realize.” replied Snape.

Harry relaxed against his Professor and began to feel drowsy again. “It was about my relatives.” he said out of nowhere. Severus looked surprised.

“What happened?” he asked, and waited patiently for Harry to answer.

“The usual.” he said in a deadened voice. “I was locked in my bedroom. Uncle Vernon wouldn’t let me out except to go to the bathroom. I would get water from the faucet, because it was the only thing I could get. No food, either. Then the water would turn into fire, and when I tried to get out, I realized that my uncle had locked me in. I could see him somehow, through the door, and he was laughing at me, like he always used to do. Then I’d start to burn too. And then I woke up.” he ended, and noticed that Severus’ arm had tightened around him comfortingly.

“That’s not a very pleasant dream, Harry.” said Snape. “Did he lock you in your room a lot?” he asked.

Harry only nodded to affirm.

“What about the fire?” he asked, trying to figure out what it symbolized.

Harry continued to stare into nothingness for a while before he finally answered. “When I was little, my uncle would run my baths for me. And he would either make it so hot I could hardly stand it, or he’d make it freezing cold. He’d make me stay in the water.” whispered Harry. “I always thought that was what the dream was implying.” he added.

Severus couldn’t say much in the wake of this information. He was literally struck silent. He could not fathom why someone would do that to a child. “You’re never going back there.” he said suddenly, with lots of conviction.

Harry looked at him in surprise. “Can you even do that?” he asked.

“I’ll speak with Dumbledore about it, but there is no way in hell I will allow you back in that…hell.” he stated.

Harry slept peacefully after that.