"Up. Now."

Startled Harry blinked at the sudden sunlight which was unleashed from the enchanted window at the opposite side of the room.

"Severus-" but he was too late as the older wizard had turned on his heel almost immediately after the abrupt wakening.

Harry sat up and swung his legs out of bed. Surprisingly he had managed to sleep soundly and felt more rested than he had done for days, despite all the stress the night before.

Still wearing his pyjamas, Harry left the room, intending to shower before heading down to breakfast. As he left the bedroom he noticed the table was laid with a single set of breakfast items.

"You need to dress and eat quickly," Severus told him standing forbiddingly beside the floo. "You're far too late already."

"Why; what time is it?" Harry asked in confusion.

Severus surely can't have let me sleep in, not after sneaking outside last night?

"Eleven. You need to get moving, Harry."

"Oh. Right. I will. And um, well thanks, you know for letting me lie in and all this." Harry indicated the breakfast.

"Don't thank me yet; I've informed Professor McGonagall that she can expect three feet on the work you've missed this morning and will mentioning as much to Professor Flitwick."

Six feet of writing for missing two classes! Well, I'll just have to copy up Hermione's notes, they're usually pretty hefty, Harry decided. Still what with that, training and detention every night it's not like I'm going to have a moment to myself... but I'm probably not in a position to argue about it at the moment.

"Ok," he said nodding agreeably as he reached for a roll.

Seemingly satisfied Severus turned to go, pausing just for an instant to say: "Don't forget detention tonight in the lab at 6:30."

Yes, instead of quidditch practise. Brilliant.

"Ok," Harry repeated sounding more subdued. "I'll see you later."

With a brief nod Severus was gone leaving Harry to dine alone.

"I can't believe he let you lie in," Connor shook his head incredulously, as the four of them huddled towards the back of Professor Binn's class. "He dragged me out of the dorm to have another go at me before breakfast!"

Harry shrugged. "I'm as surprised as you are," he replied in a low voice.

"So what are we going to do about, you know, now we don't have that thing to help us anymore?" Connor asked cryptically.

"We could still sneak out," Harry said somewhat half-heartedly.

Connor seemed to consider the idea.

"Harry, no!" Ron's aghast voice came from the desk immediately behind where Connor and Harry were sitting. "You'll be banned from quidditch all year at this rate."

"Some things are more important that quidditch, you know."

"But they're bound to be keeping a closer eye on the two of you now," Hermione injected. "I really do think that the times come for you to explain everything to Snape now."

"Hermione..."

"Or Dumbledore or McGonagall, but you should tell an adult about this Harry."

Connor jumped in before Harry could start to reply.

"We're all be keeping quiet about this, or did your promises mean nothing to you?"

They paused in their conversation momentarily as Dean Thomas handed Connor a wad of parchments which were being handed around the class.

Snatching her piece of parchment from the pile Hermione didn't let it interrupt her for long. "For goodness sake! This isn't some game you two, you need get a grown up involved. Surely you can think of some way of doing that without giving Connor away?"

"I'm hardly treating this as a game," Harry whispered, suddenly furious. "It's about Sirius. You reckon I think this a joke?"

Hermione reared back from the vehemence in his tone.

"Look," Ron held his hands up trying to pacify the others. "Calm down everyone." He turned to Harry, "she didn't mean it like that. We've just been worried about the two of you creeping out at night around the forbidden forest. And then when you didn't come to breakfast... well we were panicking a bit until Connor told us you were ok," the ginger boy admitted in a matter-of-fact tone.

Harry's anger left him as quickly as it had gathered.

"I'm sorry," he said turning around to face Hermione properly; it wasn't as if Binns would notice after all. "I guess I'm just wound a bit tight at the moment."

Hermione bit back her own frustration.

"You've got people you trust Harry. All I'm saying is that it's not like you don't have any options."

"Do you agree with her?" Harry pulled Ron back as they followed the others into lunch.

"About telling Snape? I don't know," his best mate sighed. "I've never understood the way that you and Snape are suddenly managing to get along after years of hating each other, but yeah, I guess if you do trust him now, you could get him to help you with this."

Harry bit his lip slightly, he'd thought that Ron would understand if not one else did.

"Look Harry," Ron continued, "I know it's difficult for you, after the Dursleys, but if this were me and I had some major secret, the first people I would be going to would be my Mum, Dad or maybe Bill or Charlie. I think you're so used to not being able to rely on adults you've got into the habit of sorting things out yourself."

"But Sirius and Snape..." Harry said.

Ron shrugged. "What else are you gonna do? You don't have your cloak anymore."

"I've still got the map."

"Yeah, till the next time you get caught," Ron sighed. "Look, just... be careful, ok. Connor said you hurt yourself the other night because something was chasing you in the forest. We can get by with you missing Quidditch but you've already been through enough crazy shit to last a lifetime. You don't need to open yourself up to more danger."

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon uncharacteristically quietly.

At dinner time he bolted his dinner down in order to make it to the dungeons in time for his detention. Peering around the door he found that Severus was sat at his desk grading papers while a thoroughly miserable looking first year was chopping potions ingredients.

"Mr. Potter," Severus acknowledged irritably. "Get in here, then."

Harry made his way to the front of the room where he found two wooden boards laid out next to various knives and a pestle and mortar.

"I see Mr. Donovan hasn't felt the need to grace us with his presence," Severus sneered.

"Um..." Harry had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed where Connor had got to after their Care of Magical Creatures class.

"He already was in detention with F- I mean Mr. Finch, this week. Maybe he's got confused and gone there instead."

Harry racked his brains trying to think of any other excuses for Connor's absence.

Severus raised an eyebrow, looking entirely unconvinced. "How very unfortunate for him, if that is the case."

Harry had an awful feeling that things weren't going to go well for Connor tonight, particularly when Snape cast Tempus revealing that it was now precisely half past six. Connor was officially late.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get dicing," Snape ordered, waving his wand to summon a crate of Biledew berries.

They room fell silent for the next quarter of an hour as Harry and the first year worked industriously while Snape graded.

Then after a cursory knock the door opened and Connor slunk casually into the room.

Nostrils flaring Severus continued with his work, ignoring the boy completely until he reached the end of the parchment he was marking.

"You're late," he accused at last when he eventually looked up

"Sorry Sir," Connor replied entirely too cheerfully.

Severus seemed to be bored by the whole matter. "Two more detentions," he snapped out brusquely, rising to his feet.

Two whole detentions? For being fifteen minutes late?

Harry's mouth dropped open although Connor seemed entirely unconcerned.

"Whatever you say," he retorted almost seeming to be issuing a challenge.

Harry didn't like the look Severus shot back towards his dorm mate.

"Start Dicing. Now," Severus ordered.

Calmly Connor walked to the back of the room and laid his bag down beside Harry's and rolled up his sleeves before scooping out a handful of Biledew berries. He cut into the first berry, wrinkling his nose slightly at the smell but working without any complaints.

Some minutes passed relatively peacefully.

"STOP!"

All three of the students jumped at Severus' sudden yell although it was only directed at the first year at the front of the room.

Striding furiously from his desk Severus grabbed the child's suspended wrist before he could release the handful of Cracken wheat into the cauldron.

"I've said you will stay here until you learn to make this potion correctly, but I will not allow you cause any more damage to my laboratory you idiotic child," Severus scathed.

It seemed that the boy was a first year version of Neville Longbottom, Harry realised, and a hufflepuff to boot from the black badger displayed on his cloak. The child's eyes had welled up with tears at the sharp criticism and his lower lip was trembling.

Scowling unsympathetically, Severus promptly banished the cauldron.

"Start over." He ordered brusquely, his cloak billowing behind him as he headed back to his desk.

Connor raised his eyebrows, obviously finding some amusement which Harry missed in the scene.

They worked on. Biledew berries were one of the more stomach-turning ingredients and Harry could see why Severus had set their preparation as a punishment. Harry had never been particularly squeamish, which was just as well considering that they oozed a thick, stringy juice which had a vile lingering odour.

Harry soon grew bored with his task. He knew Severus wouldn't allow him to stop even for a moment so he kept dicing and reaching for more berries automatically although his attention began to wonder around the room. Connor was making a face as he used his sleeve to wipe away the juice from one particularly ripe berry which had squirted onto his chin as he'd cut into it. Harry noticed him grimace as the juice left marks staining his sleeve. Biledew juice had a flem like consistency which seemed to cling to any surface it landed on.

Towards the front of the room the first year was laboriously preparing fresh ingredients.

Goodness knows how many times he's failed this potion so far, Harry thought knowing only too well how insistent Severus could be about starting over after mistakes.

"Mr Potter, you will watch what you're doing unless you're so desperate to leave detention that you're willing to severe one your digits."

Harry obediently cast his eyes down again but couldn't resist glancing up after a few more minutes. What was that firstie brewing? At his age there were only a limited number of options. If it was a memory potion as it seemed from the Cracken wheat why was he using frogs' eyes?

He'll never complete the task if he doesn't at least start with the right ingredients!

"Psst."

The first-year looked around in shock, as Harry nodded his head in the general direction of the frogs' eyes.

The kid looked completely confused.

"Mr Potter, Mr Scrimpned needs to complete the brewing independently."

"But he's using..."

Severus glare silenced Harry.

"Interrupt again and you will both have an extra detention in place of tonight."

Harry sighed and concentrated on the Biledew berries. In front of him Scrimpned continued to mash the frogs' eyes into a pulp.

They were nearly half way through the detention when a polite knock at the door sounded.

"Enter."

Malfoy walked in looking tense. Ignoring the other students he made his way directly to Severus and handed him a piece of parchment which he'd been holding tightly.

Severus took the proffered missive and rapidly scanned it's contents.

"He-"

Severus held up a hand to silence Draco immediately.

He stood up placing his other hand on the boy's shoulder for an instant as if to lend support.

"Come."

Striding quickly, Severus paused at the front of the room to cast Suspendo On Scrimpned's cauldron.

"You may continue to prepare ingredients but do not even think of mixing anything unsupervised. I will be back directly."

He glanced towards Harry and Connor.

"As for you two, do not even think about making a wrong move."

And with that he swept out of the room with Malfoy following behind him.

"What that was all about?" Harry wondered.

"Some Slytherin emergency," Connor said lazily.

Scrimpned kept working away, obviously reluctant to slack off when the fierce potions master could reappear at any moment but the two elder boys felt no such compulsion. Connor took the opportunity to wipe the traces of sticky goo from his hands onto the side of the berry crate. Meanwhile Harry used his knife to prod the berries he'd mashed so far.

"Aww, this is so gross." Connor sounded disgusted as he cast Scourgify on the traces of juice remaining on his fingers.

"Tell me about it," Harry examined the ooze on the blade of his knife feeling slightly nauseous. "What are these berries for anyway?"

"You haven't guessed, from the texture and smell?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I'd have remembered if we'd used them in lessons before."

"They're the main ingredient for Snape's shampoo. Blatantly!"

Harry grinned and chucked a berry at Connor.

"Oi!"

"But they'll make your hair so smooth and greasy!" Harry joked.

"Not the look I want, golden boy!"

Harry grinned as he ducked to avoid Connor's returning shot.

Suddenly he remembered what he'd wanted to say earlier and leaned forward, "Hey Scrimpned?"

The first-year froze and turned around slowly, obviously reluctant to become involved in any of the older boys misdemeanours, he was in enough trouble already.

"Is that a memory potion you're making?"

He nodded.

"Well you need to use mice's eyes not frogs'."

"Rats' eyes." Connor corrected him. "Honestly Harry, he's got an excuse seeing as he's a first-year!"

"Well, at least I spotted it's not frogs'!"

"Are you sure?" Scrimpned asked timidly. "Snape didn't say anything when he saw me using them."

"You really expect him to help you?" Connor asked sounding amazed.

"I guess not. But he has been really upset when I kept blowing up cauldrons. I thought he'd want to stop me from making a mess if nothing else."

Definitely his year's version of Neville, Harry decided.

"Honestly try the rats' eyes and be careful when you heat the cauldron, it's got to be done kind of gently. And when you stir you need to start by um ..." Harry racked his brain trying to think back to his first year; potions had never been his strength.

Connor rolled his eyes.

"Stir twice clockwise then twenty times anti-clockwise."

"Thanks," Scrimpned murmured. I'd better wait till he's back to go into the store cupboard..."

"You can finish the wheat while you're waiting," Harry suggested. "It needs to be ground up a bit more..."

At this point the door opened and Harry cut himself off immediately.

Severus sat down at his desk as if nothing had happened. A moment later Scrimpned timidly asked if he could get some more ingredients and Harry could feel Severus glaring at him. They all seemed to be waiting for the older wizard to explode, insisting that Harry had been given him hints but in the end Snape's only response was a curt, "hurry up I don't want to be here all night."

Somehow Scrimpned managed to negotiate himself around the many brewing pitfalls this time and half an hour later presented the professor with a vial of memory potion in his sweaty palm.

After Severus had ordered him to start clearing up and to write two feet detailing where he had gone wrong in his previous attempts, he turned his attention to Harry and Connor.

They were finally nearing the end of the berry crate.

Severus stood watching them for a moment and then began to collect some of the berries they had already diced, carefully tipping them into a large cauldron.

"What will they be used for, Sir?" Harry asked.

"This particular batch will eventually form the base of a blood-replenishing potion, although a complex ingredient such as Biledew berries can have numerous uses."

Seeming to switch into lecture mode, Severus started to stir the diced berries over a low flame.

"Observe the way the berries' composition alters upon heating." Harry and Connor looked at the slimy mess, the berries almost seemed to be writhing on top of one another.

"There are twelve stages which the berries must go through before they can be used as a base. See how the skin has all but disappeared? The heat is beginning to take effect. Note that the oily texture will remain a key feature of the berries no matter what steps I take in the preparation."

"Ah, don't be so hard on yourself, you can't help that," Connor said straight-faced.

Harry saw Severus shoot Connor a look and did his best to quickly distract him, "well, I guess it makes sense, us preparing them if they're going to end up in the potions Madam Pomfrey needs."

Turning back towards Harry Snape continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "you would do well to note another unique characteristic of Biledew berries: their odour. Although they are found in many guises in different classes of potions it is difficult to completely eliminate their foul stench."

Connor looked up innocently, "Oh I don't know professor, I'm sure that some people find the smell... very fetching."

Scrimpneg made slight snorting sound which he hastily muffled and even Harry had to duck his head for a moment to straighten out his face.

Severus stared at Connor.

"You like the berries?" he said in a totally expressionless voice.

Connor shrugged.

"People obviously have different opinions about these things; that's all I'm saying."

"Fair enough." Severus sounded reasonable. Too reasonable, Harry immediately recognised. "Eat one."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm intrigued to find out if you think they taste as good as they smell."

Connor attempted to laugh it off, "nah..."

"Oh, but I insist, Mr Donovan."

Severus' glittering black eyes were utterly serious as they rested upon Connor.

Reluctantly Connor chose one of the smallest berries and held it between thumb and forefinger.

Severus raised his eyebrow. "An interesting choice given that juice of the smaller berries is highly concentrated. I would have thought you would have realised as much over the past hour."

Connor made a move intending to swap his berry but Snape snatched the crate away, smiling sardonically.

"Now, do ensure you chew it thoroughly, I should hate to have to set aside a bowl full of berries for you to test them properly."

Connor glared at him and put the berry in his mouth before chewing slowly.

His eyes began to water and for a moment he looked as though he was choking. Then he swallowed.

He coughed huskily.

"Water?" he croaked.

"Oh, I think not, Mr Donovan. Now tell me, do the berries taste as good as they smell?"

Defiance shone in Connor's eyes

Don't do it, Harry thought he'll make you eat more.

The same thought evidently occurred to Connor.

He coughed loudly again before reluctantly admitting, "they taste bad."

"An astute observation considering that Biledew berries have as many toxic properties as they have therapeutic," Snape sneered.

"You made me eat poison!" Connor seemed to choke on his next cough.

"Relax Donovan, the berries properties are strengthened by heating." Snape replied contemptuously. "You would have had to eat at least a handful of fresh berries before you became seriously ill."

Connor's coughs grew increasingly violent. Harry looked at him in concern.

"One more cough, Donovan... and I'll fetch you a potion," Severus threatened silkily.

Connor choked, turned bright red but managed not to cough.

Harry watched him sympathetically and waited until it was clear that he was going to be ok before asking his next question.

"Um, Professor, you said the berries can have harmful or healing properties. So how will you know whether they are alright to use?"

Severus stirred the mixture carefully.

"The second step in their preparation requires an addition of pulped Infra-beans to say nothing of the pickled eel. The combination safely neutralises the toxic properties in the Biledew berries."

"So if you wanted to use them as a poison you would just skip that stage?"

"Precisely and seek to cover the offending odour as best you could, however, you will see the difficulty involved; pay attention to this."

Severus uncorked a vial of dark liquid which smelt pleasantly of butter beer. He added three drops to the cauldron and decanted a sample.

He passed it to Harry.

"The smells gone," Harry said after a quick sniff.

"No. Smell it again."

Harry sniffed the mixture again, this time taking a longer and deeper breath. This time he could just about make out the sickly smell.

"You see?"

"It's still there, just about."

"Whatever you mix with the berries the result is the same. You can always identify their presence as long as you pay attention properly."

"So I'd smell them in blood replenishing potion?"

"Yes, at least in all varieties containing their base. However, you would of course expect to identity their presence there. You would have no cause to worry so long as they are not present where you do not expect to encounter them."

Without giving Harry time to digest this any further Severus cast a quick tempus.

"Enough. It's late, you will both return to your dorm. Detention will continue tomorrow at the same time."

"Where are you going?"

As soon as they were out in the corridor Connor had started striding through the half empty common room.

"Where do you think? That git made me eat poison! I'm going to see what Pomfrey has to say about it!"

Harry grabbed his sleeve.

"Connor, wait."

Connor turned to face him again and Harry cast a quick silencing charm.

"One berry wouldn't have hurt you, c'mon, you heard what he said."

"You're defending him?" Connor was incredulous. "How would you like it if he'd fed you Biledew berries? I thought I was going to be sick."

"I know. Look, he can be a bastard, ok? But for all his faults he's not that bad honestly. He might torment you but he does his best to help you too. Like tonight, it was detention and we could have been scrubbing desks but instead we learnt stuff."

Connor sighed, looking directly at Harry.

"I think you're grasping at straws. He needed some revolting ingredients to be prepared so he got us to do it, in the process doing his best to harm me. Look, I'll leave Pomfrey out of it for now, but seriously Harry, you might want to think about whether you can really trust that git."

"You don't understand..."

"No you're right. I don't. You know what the rumours are about him, that he's tied to You-know-who. I just hope to hell, that you know what you're doing around him."

Harry made sure that Connor got to his detention in plenty of time the following day.

Scrimpned was nowhere to be seen so he must have managed to brew without further mishaps or perhaps he simply hadn't had a potions lesson scheduled that day. Once again equipment was laid out for them, this time alongside a sheet of instructions written in Severus' spidery scrawl.

"Tonight you will be brewing the Forgeni healing potion," Severus told them.

"That's not part of the sixth year curriculum is it Sir?" Connor objected. "I mean it's a pretty unusual potion for us to have to brew isn't it?"

"Nevertheless you will brew it Donovan. Forgeni healing potion is clearly superior to counterpart versions seeing as it can relieve far greater pain for a longer duration. The reason it is seldom used is more to do with limitations in procuring key ingredients than the potions efficacy; Purple Mankese only flowers every third year and must be used within days of being picked."

"It's also an advanced level potion," Connor muttered to Harry. "It's not even on the bloody N.E.W.T syllabus."

Harry didn't know why Connor protested so much. It was clear that his skill with potions was vastly superior to Harry's in any case. And by the end of the detention Harry's potion was a clear, thin liquid where Connor's was the required thick amber resin.

"I take it you're not going to make me test it this time?" Connor asked sulkily.

"Not unless you insist, Mr. Donovan," Snape replied bringing the vial towards his hooked nose and breathing deeply.

"This is a satisfactory effort," he proclaimed, almost unwillingly.

"Mr. Potter, you had better cast your attention upon Mr Donovan's potion as yours has gone so woefully amiss."

Leaving his hopeless attempt behind Harry approached and took the proffered vial from Severus. He swirled the mixture around and then took a tentative sniff of the slightly spicy potion.

It felt as if the scent hit him full in the face, Harry staggered back.

"Harry?" Severus caught his arm to give him support.

"I'm... ok," he said weakly, collapsing into his seat.

Connor watched them with concern.

"Leave Mr. Donovan."

"But-"

"Now!"

Snatching up his bag Connor headed for the door.

"Harry?"

Harry massaged his temples tiredly.

"Sorry," he said. "I just had a really strong sense of Déjà vu.I've smelt that potion before."

Severus' dark eyes were sympathetic.

"This summer perhaps, after what happened with your Uncle?"

"No. I didn't have any potions for that..." Harry replied distractedly.

"You probably just don't remember because you weren't fully conscious," Severus said. "The healer must have given you pain potions and Skele-Grow at the very least."

"No healer," Harry replied automatically. "Just Sirius. And he only had bruise balm in his cabinet. But it was fine, honestly, I heal really quickly. I just can't remember when I had this potion before... it seems so familiar-"

Harry closed his eyes searching his memory relentlessly.

"He didn't send for a healer," Severus repeated slowly.

Harry opened his eyes and saw Severus staring at him as if he'd just realised something.

"I was fine. Really. He sat with me for ages checking I was ok." he assured the older wizard. His eyes wandered towards Connor's vial once more. "I wish I could remember, it feels important somehow."

Slowly Harry got to his feet and started to clean and clear away the equipment, deep in thought.

"I thought we could resume our training tomorrow night after your detention," Severus said still watching him between decanting vials of Conner's Forgini potion.

"Yeah. Um about that," Harry hesitated, "I've uh been meaning to talk you about the other night... my um reaction."

Harry felt reluctant to bring the matter up, but preferred to do so now so that he could mitigate any future embarrassment if it happened again.

"Oh that," Severus dark eyes rested on Harry thoughtfully, "I know what that was about."

"You do?"

Given Severus' continual insistence on trust, Harry was surprised that he didn't sound more offended.

"Harry, after everything you have been through, it is hardly surprising that your startle reflex is somewhat zealous. It also occurs to me that the timing is scarcely coincidental, coming just after we started practising defence."

"I don't get it though. It wasn't like you hurt me during training and you're nothing like my uncle," Harry replied doubtfully

Could that dream really have been due to our training? Severus said before my dreams are made up of my greatest hopes and fears.

"Yes, you know that as far as logical reasoning guides you but our intuitive reactions are irrational. Instinctively you were scared of me for a moment, which was completely natural given the circumstances."

Harry was grateful for Severus' matter-of-fact appraisal although he felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment at being dubbed 'scared', it hardly seemed worthy of a Gryffindor.

"It is simply a difficulty we will have to work through, Harry. Allowing it to interrupt your training would not be wise."

Harry curled up in bed that evening still thinking about Forgini potion. For some reason he couldn't get the smell of it out of his mind. Even focusing on occluding didn't shed the distinctive aroma which seemed to have imprinted itself on him.

Eventually Harry drifted into an uneasy sleep, the redolent scent still gripping his conscious mind.

All at once Harry took an abrupt sharp intake of breath and looked up from his position curled on the cold, stone flooring slabs.

His eyes' widened as the Death Eater above him removed his mask.

"It's you," he said, the recognition in his voice giving way to bleak, dull tones as all the remaining fight drained away from him.

"I always knew it would come to this," he whispered despondently.

For an instant Severus' impassive dark eyes held just a hint of some repressed emotion- shock or perhaps regret- before he yanked him roughly to his feet.

"Severus." The commanding voice cut across the room with careless authority and Severus responded immediately, turning towards the skeletal form of his Master.

"Legilimise him."

"Of course, my Lord." Snape replied deferentially raising his wand to Harry.

"Don't," Harry begged through dry, cracked lips, his voice wavering, his throat raw. "Please-"

"Legilimens."

And all at once he was in Harry's mind. Past his shield, any ability Harry'd ever had to occlude seeming to vanish. Perhaps he had just given up.

Eventually satisfied, Snape turned to face the Dark Lord and meet his gleaming red eyes.

Meanwhile Harry would have collapsed to the ground once more if Snape hadn't had a firm grasp on his collar.

Slowly a terrible smile spread across Voldemort's chalky-white face.

"So that's your plan?" He asked softly. "That's the very best Harry Potter could come up with."

Snape hastily released Harry as the Crucio curse hit him and brought him to the ground. It wasn't the worse bout of Crucio that Harry had ever endured but that gave him little comfort. The pain was still awful and a thin coat of sweat covered his body as waves of the curse tore through him.

When it was finished Severus hoisted Harry up once again, training his wand on him and awaiting his master's orders.

Harry tried to grip onto Severus' sleeve but he was still shaking and his clumsy fingers had no grip. His useless legs gave him no support as tremors continued to rack through him.

"I give up. You hear me? I GIVE UP. It's over. It was always going to come to this. I should have known." Tears streamed down Harry's face.

"Finish this." He looked directly at Snape. "Look at me. Just finish this. I'm done."

And whatever curse came next seemed to do just that, as Harry felt a pain like he'd never imagined encompass his whole being and turn his world black as everything melted away.