Severus had often thought that he must have been specially cursed at birth, perhaps by some malevolent faery as in an old-fashioned Muggle children's tale, to have everything in his life turn to dust and ruin. Sometimes he had thought it with wry irony; other times with bitter anger. But never had he experienced it with the utter terror that he felt when Harry collapsed before him, blood spurting from the vicious sectumsempra curse that Bellatrix Lestrange had flung at him.

The day had started out so well. He'd wanted to do something special for Harry's birthday, give the boy a chance to have fun and forget about his troubles for a while. He'd remembered that Norie had suggested taking Harry to Diagon Alley several weeks ago right after Harry had come to Prince Hall, but that he'd refused to do so at the time.

The more Severus had thought about it, the more a visit to Diagon Alley had seemed like the perfect way to spend the day. He'd thought that Harry would probably enjoy getting away from Prince Hall for a time. After all, he hadn't left the estate for the whole month of July except for the time he'd spent in the Hogwarts' infirmary and that certainly hadn't been any fun for him. It would give Severus a chance to add to Harry's wardrobe, as he'd been planning to do ever since he'd realised how few clothes the boy actually owned (Severus couldn't imagine why in the world a boy with Harry's wealth would own only a handful of outfits).

And once he'd had the idea to give Harry the Wronski book, going to Diagon Alley had seemed like an even better plan. The book would be something that Harry would enjoy, and maybe it could help him see that Severus truly regretted their past hostility and was trying to make amends.

The trip had seemed safe enough, with Polyjuice Potion to disguise them, and at first everything had gone smoothly...

until Voldemort and his Death Eaters had shown up and everything had gone to hell.

Somehow he'd lost Harry. The foolish child had taken off to rescue that baby whose idiot parents had vanished...never mind that Severus would have felt a strong urge to save the little boy too, if he'd seen him in time. Now, whether or not Severus would have acted upon the impulse he didn't know. If it had been only his own life at stake, he would have risked it. But his primary responsibility was to protect Harry and if that concern came into conflict with others, no matter how noble....

Well, Severus didn't have time to waste thinking about ‘might-have-beens' anyway.

He'd managed to be sensible long enough to send his Patronuses to alert the Order, and then he'd begun searching frantically for Harry. When Severus had noticed that the Polyjuice Potion had worn off, he'd been even more desperate. If Voldemort spotted Harry, it would be a tragedy.

But Voldemort had spotted him instead.

Severus hadn't even seen the Dark Lord. He'd been near that small side alley and the next thing he knew he'd been lying on the ground, writhing in agony. White-hot fire coursed through his bones as Voldemort laughed and taunted him and cast the cruciatus spell on him again and again. Severus hadn't even had a chance to draw his wand. He honestly had no idea how long Voldemort had tortured him with the cruciatus curse. It had seemed like forever, but time was different when you were suffering, Severus knew. It might have only been a short while before Harry had suddenly appeared.

Severus had wanted to scream at him to get away. At least while Voldemort had been tormenting him, he'd known that Harry was safe from the dark wizard. In the back of his mind, he'd hoped that Albus or one of the others had found Harry and gotten him to safety. It had been Severus' only comfort and he'd thought that even if he died, it would be worthwhile if his death distracted Voldemort long enough for Harry to escape.

But then Harry was there, trying to save him. The foolish boy! He wasn't ready to face Voldemort! He was just barely sixteen. He didn't know enough yet. He hadn't learned all the spells. He hadn't mastered dueling. He hadn't...

But then Harry had done it.

Somehow, someway, Harry had done the impossible and defeated Voldemort.

Severus managed to pull himself to a sitting position, almost forgetting the agony in his bones as he stared at Harry in wonder. How...? How could Harry possibly be standing there, alive and well, and Voldemort be crumpled on the ground?

But was he really dead? Severus started to drag himself over to check but before he could move, Albus was there, a tall imposing figure in golden robes and his eyes bright with a fierce light. This was not the kindly, venerable headmaster of Hogwarts. This was a dangerous warrior.

With his wand held at the ready, Albus had strode over and knelt beside Voldemort to examine him. After a long moment, he had looked up and pronounced the dark wizard's death.

Severus had scarcely been able to believe it and Harry had looked no less stunned. But before any of them could say or do anything else, there had come a terrible scream from behind them and then Bellatrix Lestrange had cast the sectumsempra curse.

The next moment or two seemed to last an eternity. Severus would never forget the horrifying sight of Harry sinking to his knees, blood spurting wildly from his face and chest. Harry's wand slipped from his fingers as he gazed in disbelief at the blood soaking through his white T-shirt. He looked over at Severus and for a crazy instant Severus thought he saw peace and acceptance in Harry's eyes before they closed and Harry toppled over to lie face-down in an ever-widening crimson pool.

The whole scene was frozen in time and Severus would re-live it in his nightmares for years to come...Harry's small, lifeless form covered in blood, Bellatrix's high-pitched hysterics, himself and Albus helpless to stop it all.

But of course in reality it only took seconds. Then Albus pointed his wand at Bellatrix and even though he didn't utter a word, Severus could feel the incredible wave of magic as it rushed by him. Bellatrix's voice cut off in mid-scream and she fell heavily to the ground. Severus didn't know whether Albus had killed her, and he did not particularly care. Harry was all he could think of.

He was at the boy's side in an instant, his own pain forgotten. Gently he turned Harry over and began waving his wand over the deep wounds. He opened his mouth to begin the sing-song incantation that would close the cuts, but his voice wouldn't work right. Sobs kept rising in his throat and choking off his words.

Severus glimpsed a silver phoenix glide past and then Albus was kneeling on Harry's other side. The older wizard ran through a diagnostic spell and said sharply, "Severus, pull yourself together. Heal him now!"

For Severus was the only one who could do it after all. The sectumsempra curse was his own special creation, a dark spell he had invented and later perfected during those black years in his youth when he had served Voldemort. Only a handful of other Death Eaters had learned it and they had rarely used it. It had been Severus' trademark. Since it was so uncommon, he had never had any occasion to teach anyone else the healing spell he'd also developed specifically for the sectumsempra curse.

Which meant he was the only one who could save Harry now.

But he couldn't make it through the incantation without breaking down, and his hand was shaking so, the wand movements probably weren't working properly either.

Suddenly Poppy was there. She took in the situation at a glance and knelt beside Severus on the blood-soaked ground. She went through her own diagnostic spell and gasped.

"We're losing him! What spell is it?"

"Sectumsempra," Albus told her tersely.

"What? I've never heard..." But Poppy abruptly broke off and began another spell of her own, her voice taut with fear.

Severus recognised it as a resuscitation spell, one used to try to coax a patient's heart into beating once it had stopped. He'd never felt such terror, not when he was a child and had known he was about to beaten within an inch of his life, not during the years of spying when he'd gone to every Death Eater meeting wondering beneath the layers of Occlumency if that night was the one that Voldemort had discovered his treachery, not even when he'd realised the depth of his sins in following the dark wizard and had gone to throw himself on Albus Dumbledore's mercy.

None of that compared to his fear now.

Severus felt as if his own heartbeat had ceased, but then a voice in his head screamed that he was not going to lose Harry. It wasn't going to end this way.

It required every last bit of Severus' iron will and self-control, and he never did really know how he managed it in the end, but somehow he forced his voice and his hand to steady. He chanted the healing spell in a fierce tone and traced over Harry's wounds with sure strokes, not leaving the magic any choice but to heal the boy he loved.

He went through the spell three times, to make sure the wounds were well and truly closed, and only when he'd finished the third round, did he realize that Poppy was shaking his arm and speaking softly.

"We did it, Severus. He's come back to us. Let me give him some blood-replenisher."

Severus took Harry in his arms, cradling him as Poppy pulled a vial of dark red liquid from her brown robes and held it to Harry's lips. Then she went through another spell and nodded.

"Well, he's still in very guarded condition, but I think he's stable enough to move. We need to get him to St. Mungo's."

Albus frowned slightly as he considered. "Apparition or portkey would be slightly quicker, but perhaps more stressful for his body. Flooing would probably be the easiest on him." He looked about and then nodded at a shop across the street. "I believe there's a connection to the Floo system in that one."

He reached for Harry but Severus found that he didn't want to let go, even to let Albus take Harry.

"Severus, you need medical attention yourself," Albus said softly. "Let me take Harry now. You won't lose him. I promise."

Severus hated to admit it, even to himself, but now that his adrenaline was fading, he could feel the lingering pain and the weakness that were aftereffects of the cruciatus curse, and he knew Albus was right. So he reluctantly let his mentor ease Harry from his arms. He felt a jolt inside, almost a physical pain in itself, when Albus slipped the child away from him. He wanted to hold Harry. No, he needed to hold Harry.

But Harry needed to go to St. Mungo's, so Severus just took a shaky breath and tried to stand. He stumbled and almost fell...he must be even weaker from the cruciatus aftereffects than he'd realised...but Poppy caught his arm and steadied him.

For a fleeting moment, Severus remembered doing the same thing with Harry only that morning when they'd stepped out of the Floo in the Leaky Cauldron. It brought a lump to his throat, but then Poppy summoned Harry's wand and his glasses which had also fallen off at some point in the past few minutes, and then she was helping him across the street behind Albus and Harry. Most of the fighting had stopped by now, and though people were rushing about, they were all in the distance and no one interfered with them.

"Bellatrix?" Poppy said quietly as they started to leave.

"She'll be unconscious for the foreseeable future," Albus threw over his shoulder. "And Aurors should be arriving on the scene any moment. I told my Patronus to find someone after it had located you. Nonetheless, she doesn't really matter at the moment. Getting medical care for Harry and Severus is the most important thing."

They went inside the shop...it sold Quidditch supplies, Severus realised dimly, and made their way over to the fireplace. Thankfully, there was a jar of Floo powder on the mantel for there was no one around to ask. Moments later they stepped into the lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital.

It was obvious that the Healers were responding to the battle at Diagon Alley. The rickety wooden chairs that normally sat in rows had been pushed to the sides of the room, and the lobby had become a sort of emergency care room. Direly wounded patients hovered on waist-high stretchers and Healers in lime-green robes moved quickly tending to them, muttering healing spells and advice in low tense voices.

A nurse seemed to be shuttling non-emergency cases off to side rooms. She hurried to them as soon as they entered.

"You're coming from Diagon Alley?" She took in the four of them, all with various amounts of blood spattering their clothes. "Healer Bushby?"

A tall woman with graying blond hair pulled back in a tight knot on the top of her head came rushing over, already waving her wand at them.

"This boy was cursed with the sectumsempra spell, a curse that causes deep cuts and profuse bleeding," Albus explained to her. "We've healed the cuts, I believe, and he's had a dose of blood-replenisher. Professor Snape suffered the cruciatus curse for some time. I'm not sure how long, and then further drained his energy in healing Harry. Poppy and I are uninjured. It's Harry's blood on our clothes."

The Healer nodded. She concentrated her wand on Harry for a long moment; then on Severus. "Neither of you is in immediate danger, though the boy will need to stay here for a day or two. I'm going to send you up to the Fourth Floor, Room 422. A medi-witch will tend to you as soon as possible."

She gave her wand a flick and two empty stretchers appeared before them, side by side. Albus carefully laid Harry on one and Healer Bushby waved her wand over him.

"It's a stasis spell, to make traveling upstairs easier on the patient," she explained. She turned to Severus. "If you'll lie down, too, sir, I can place the spell on you as well."

Severus discovered that he was not injured enough to take kindly to her suggestions. He glowered. "I do not need to lie down, nor do I require some stasis spell. I am perfectly capable of getting upstairs on my own."

Healer Bushby's grey eyes became stern and she suddenly seemed much more forbidding. "You're injured, sir, and I don't have time to argue. If you're uncooperative, I will be forced to place you under a sleeping spell. Now, lie down."

He opened his mouth, outraged at her audacity, but Albus interrupted. "Severus, we're wasting time. We need to get Harry upstairs."

Severus looked at Harry, still covered in blood, his skin an unnatural pallor, and acquiesced without another word. He eased himself onto the stretcher, ignoring both his pride and the aching in his bones and lay down. He didn't even protest when Healer Bushby put him under the stasis spell and he lost consciousness.

He must have woken up again soon though, because Albus, Poppy, and a St. Mungo's medi-witch were just settling Harry into bed in one of the hospital wards when he woke up. They had cleaned the blood away and Harry was wearing one of the light blue hospital gowns now.

Even though they'd all said Harry was out of danger, Severus still watched anxiously as they tucked him in and the medi-witch gave him another vial of blood-replenisher.

"Is...is he all right?" Severus asked.

Albus, Poppy, and the medi-witch all looked over at him. The medi-witch smiled and nodded as she left Harry and came over to him.

"Yes, Mr. Potter will be fine. He is very weak, understandably since he lost so much blood and there may be some internal damage. Those cuts from...what was that curse? Sectumsempra?...went so deeply. I gave him some more blood-replenisher now to boost his blood level back up within safety range, and I've given him some tissue restoration potion as well...."

Tissue restoration potion again. Harry would love that, wouldn't he? He just got finished taking the first batch. Severus couldn't help but think wryly to himself.

"We're going to keep him overnight at least and under sedation. Tomorrow we'll decide if he's ready to go home. Now, Professor Snape, let's get you seen to."

Despite Severus' protests, he found himself bundled into another bed beside Harry's, dosed with several potions, and his own clothes changed into pajamas (he'd threatened the medi-witch with bodily harm if she put him in one of those hospital gowns).

Then she was finally gone. Severus looked at Albus and Poppy. "She recognised Harry."

Albus nodded. "Yes, but perhaps it's just as well. Everyone, including the Ministry is soon going to find out that Harry did indeed defeat Voldemort this afternoon. I'm sure the news is already spreading like wildfire. It's only a matter of time before the Ministry and the newspaper reporters begin swarming around."

Severus scowled. "Harry will hate that."

"I know," Albus agreed. "But we have perhaps bought ourselves a little time before the inevitable deluge. St. Mungo's will keep his status here secret, as all patient information is classified, and we can tell people that he was injured and needs to recover in peace and quiet."

Severus sighed. "I wish we could just avoid all the publicity altogether."

"We will try to as much as possible," Albus agreed. He was quiet a moment. "I do think we're going to have to allow the Weasleys to see Harry, though."

Severus frowned. "The Weasleys?"

It was Poppy who answered. "Yes, the Weasley twins were involved in the fighting, too, and apparently Harry joined them briefly so they know he was there. I had just finished treating one of the boys when Albus' patronus found me."

He should have known, Severus thought with a sigh. And if the Weasley twins knew Harry had been at Diagon Alley, then the entire clan would soon know. He thought about Poppy's words and frowned slightly. He'd never been overly fond of the Weasley twins, but still he didn't want them injured.

"What happened to him? The Weasley boy? Is he all right?"

Poppy nodded. "George Weasley lost his right ear and was suffering from blood loss and shock, but he'll recover."

Severus tried to nod, but found that he couldn't hold back a yawn and that his eyelids were growing heavy.

"Oh, forgive us, Severus. You need to rest," Poppy moved towards him, and Severus had the horrifying thought that perhaps she was going to tuck him in. He tried to glare at her, but it was difficult when he was so tired.

The last thing he heard was Albus saying, "Don't worry, Severus. We'll stay here with you and Harry. Just rest now."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

***

Severus wasn't sure what time it was when he woke but he did know at once that there people in the room, and not only Albus and Poppy. No, there were several others there besides. Almost at once Severus recognised the voices...Arthur Weasley and his two youngest children.

The Weasleys must have arrived only a short time ago because they were all asking questions about Harry's well-being. Severus was surprised and touched when they asked about him as well. The concern in their voices actually seemed genuine.

He listened as Albus reassured them and then they fell quiet. Severus considered opening his eyes and saying something, but then decided to wait and see what all they said while thinking he was unconscious.

After a few minutes Arthur Weasley resumed what must have been an earlier discussion.

"But Albus, I don't understand why Harry couldn't come to us this summer, if you'd decided to let him leave Privet Drive," he said in a quiet tone. "Surely after everything he went through at the end of term, what with losing Sirius and all, Harry needed to be with people who would be supportive and caring."

Severus felt a rush of indignation. He almost sat up and demanded why Arthur Weasley thought his family were the only ones who could care for Harry, but at the last instant he managed to restrain himself.

"You know Harry is always welcome at our house. In fact, we've wanted to adopt him for years."

Well, that did come as a surprise to Severus. He felt a sharp pang at the thought of Harry belonging to the Weasleys, but then consoled himself with the knowledge that that could never happen now. Because of the slavery spell, Harry had to live with him.

A childish voice in the back of his mind whispered, He's mine, Weasleys!

"I've already explained, Arthur." Albus' voice was very low. "Of course, I know that you're fond of Harry, but Severus was working with Harry, giving him extra training in Defense, to help prepare him for the confrontation with Voldemort."

"Sir, you mean you knew this would happen today?" That was the youngest Weasley boy, his voice incredulous, and considerably louder than either of the men's.

"Shh, Ron, you'll wake them and they need to rest," Arthur reproved.

At the same time Albus said, "No, of course not, Mr. Weasley. I was as shocked as anyone when Severus' patronus came to alert me. I just meant that considering Voldemort's preoccupation with Harry, another confrontation at some point in time seemed inevitable. I did not expect it to happen so soon, though."

"But why didn't Harry tell us?" Ron Weasley sounded puzzled and hurt. "He let on like he was still with the Dursleys."

"I forbid him to mention it, Mr. Weasley," Albus said in a voice that brooked no arguments.

There was another brief silence. Young Mr. Weasley must have still looked disgruntled because the Weasley girl said softly, "Well, I guess we can understand why Harry was so angry with us last summer, when we didn't tell him about being at Grimmauld Place or anything."

"Yeah, I guess so," the Weasley boy agreed slowly. He sighed then, sounding more worried. "Are you sure Harry's going to be all right, sir? He looks so, so..."

"He'll be fine," Albus said gently. "It was a close call, but he and Severus both will make a full recovery. Harry looks poorly now because he's lost so much blood, but a few more doses of replenishing potion and he should be fine."

"Well, Harry can come with us now, can't he, sir?" Ginny Weasley asked. "I mean, there's no reason for him to have to continue training, so he could come home with us, couldn't he?"

Once again Severus felt a protest rising to his lips. He'd known it would be like this, once the Weasleys were around again. They would want to take Harry from him and Severus couldn't bear that.

But Albus spoke before Severus could give himself away. "No, I'm afraid not, Miss Weasley. Harry will be safer staying with Severus. Prince Hall is under the Fidelius Charm and even though Voldemort is dead, there is still considerable danger."

Both the children began to protest, and Severus thought crossly that Albus should never put up with such impertinence, but Arthur Weasley quieted them.

"You know what happened to the Longbottoms, children," he said gravely. "And that attack happened after Voldemort's first defeat. I think Albus is right. For now, at least Harry needs to be in a safe place."

"But why couldn't we all go stay at Grimmauld Place again?" Ginny Weasley asked. "We'd do it for Harry."

At the same time, her brother said, "But Snape...sorry, Professor Snape hates Harry. He's always been horrible, for no reason. Harry never did anything to him. Did you know that Harry sicks up before every Potions class? And he was always a wreck after coming back from those Occlumency lessons last year. Harry must be miserable. He deserves better than that, sir. He needs to be with us. We could keep him safe."

Albus was firm. "I'm afraid not, children. Harry must stay with Severus. But I can reassure you that it's not as bad as all that. Severus has come to see that he was wrong about Harry and they are getting along much better these days."

Severus didn't have to open his eyes to know the Weasley children were disbelieving. It would have made him angry, if he hadn't been so stricken by Ron Weasley's words. He knew that he'd been unfair and unkind to Harry, but somehow he hadn't thought that the boy had been so affected by it. Harry had always seemed stoic and at times, even defiant.

But he should have realised. Over the past weeks, he'd come to see that Harry was actually very sensitive, and now Severus could imagine how much he must have hurt Harry in the past. Remorse and shame overwhelmed him and for a time he was lost in anguished guilt.

Eventually he realised that the Weasleys were leaving, or at least this group of them was. Albus must have had something to do with persuading them to go, because the children were audibly protesting and Arthur sounded reluctant.

But finally he said, "Well, I suppose we'd better go see if George can leave. Molly and Fred stayed with him. They'll probably want to check on Harry, too, though, before we go."

Severus almost groaned aloud. He wanted to be alone with Harry, without the confounded Weasley clan trying to take over. He continued to feign sleep, not feeling up to talking with anyone now, even Albus.

Arthur Weasley was right. His wife and the twins insisted on stopping by, too, but fortunately they didn't stay long. George was obviously exhausted and a very emotional Molly seemed torn between seeing to him and staying with Harry. But Albus managed to convince her that Harry was in good hands, and finally the Weasleys left.

"If you're all right, Severus, I think I will see if I can find a cup of tea somewhere around here, and perhaps check on Poppy. I sent her off to rest some time ago, but I suspect she's gone downstairs and is helping with the wounded." Albus said and then he left too.

Severus blinked, feeling surprised and grateful at Albus' perception. At last he could have a little time alone with Harry. He eased out of bed and went to sit beside the boy. It was dark outside, and the only light in the room now came from a thin shaft of moonlight that fell through a high window.

Severus wondered if it were because of the poor lighting that Harry still seemed so deathly pale. His closed eyes looked as if they might never open again. But Severus couldn't bear to think like that. He'd come so close to losing Harry today, so close...

And there was still so much he had to make up for. He'd never even apologised. He'd known that he ought to. He'd even started to once or twice. But it was so hard, and he'd kept telling himself that he could do it later.

But Harry could have died today, and he'd have never known how sorry Severus was.

Severus licked dry lips and opened his mouth. Harry wouldn't hear him now, but he still wanted to go ahead and tell the boy how he felt. He'd tell him again once Harry was awake.

But when he tried to speak, his throat constricted, and instead Severus laid his head next to Harry's on the soft pillow, and sobbed.