Landing on his feet, Severus took in his surroundings. Black and white swirls mingled together, looking like a distorted chess board. At first glance, the sight was dizzying, but anxiety at not having his wand on him took over. A sharp smack on his arm caught his attention. Lailie was standing next to him, looking furious.

“You idiot! What were you thinking?!”

Severus rubbed his smarting arm. He wasn’t given a chance to defend himself as Lailie cut off his retort.

“Were you even thinking?” She waved her hands wildly as she fumed. “We don’t have time for you to get cold feet at the last second! Do you have any idea how disastrous it would have been had you gotten left behind? I don’t even know what those consequences could have been!”

During her tirade she began brandishing her wand at him.

Wait a minute—“You have your wand?” Severus asked, surprised.

“Of course I do.” The look she gave him would have made anybody else feel like a two-year-old. “So do you.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Check your holster.”

Severus quickly did. His hand came in contact with the slender piece of wood. He whipped it out and stared at it. It was his wand. He narrowed his eyes at Lailie. “What did you do?”

She rolled her eyes at him as she answered. “I didn’t do anything. You didn’t actually give up your wand. You just needed to show you meant no harm. By giving up that which protects you, you show you’re not a threat to the welcoming soul. Had you not given it up, we would have both been rejected and not very nicely.”

Oh.  “Well, we’re through now, aren’t we?”

Lailie glared at him. “No thanks to you.”

Severus sneered. Hold a grudge, see if I care.

“What now?”

“Find Harry.”

“Aren’t we in his soul? It seems unlikely that Potter is just going to be walking around here…”

“Essentially, he should be. We’re walking around here; why should it be any different for him?”

“We’re in our bodies, in his body. Someone doesn’t go walking around in their own body.”

“We’re not actually in our bodies.”

Snape looked at her wildly. “What do you mean; we’re not in our bodies?”

 “It’s not feasible to bring a body into a soul. To have souls mingle together…well, that’s something else entirely.”  Lailie smirked.

“You brought my soul into Potter’s?”

Apparently, the look on Severus’ face was enough payment for her to drop the grudge and she grinned at him. “It was the only way we could do this.”

Severus grimaced. As opposed to this as he had been, Severus’ disdain was now multiplied tenfold.  Protecting the boy when both of them were in corporeal form was one thing. Intertwining souls just crossed the line.

“It’s my soul as well.” Lailie added, trying to make him feel better about the situation. “I brought us and Harry here.” Severus just looked sickened. “You really hate this kid, don’t you?”

“I assure you, the feeling is more than mutual.”

“Yes, but the hatred stems from you.”

Severus looked at her. “Why would you say that?”

“Well, you’re the adult. If it had started from Harry, you would have ignored it, not reciprocated. But you’re pretty much set on hating the boy so; I can only assume you’re the one with the feelings of resentment.”  Lailie stated matter-of-factly.

“And if I was?” Severus started walking, Lailie following.

“Where does it come from, that kind of resentment for a child? You’ve only known Harry for five years.”

“His father and I had our differences.” Severus sneered bitterly.

“And Harry? What has he done?” Her tone was nothing but curious and Severus found it annoyed him.

“The boy is just like his father- arrogant, pompous, spoilt--“

“—hiding in a closet?”

Severus stopped and looked at Lailie. She had stopped short, staring to the side. “What?”

“Look—over there.” She pointed.

Over to their right, the bizarre black and white blend was distorted. Looking carefully, Severus could just see the outline of a small door.

“You think he’s in there?”

Lailie nodded. “Why else would it be there? It’s not that unusual to find random effects that hold some value to the person. Does a closet have some sort of significance for Harry?”

Severus tilted his head as he contemplated the door. He shook his head. “I don’t kn—“ 

Images assaulted his memory.

A small, dark room… Light peeking in from under the door... Dust raining down from the ceiling as something stomped up the stairs... A lock clicking open, light pouring in as the door crashed open... The silhouette of a big, beefy man…”Boy!”

“Yes.” Severus said as he shook his head, clearing it of the overload of memories that didn’t belong to him. He headed towards the door, taking long strides. Lailie had to jog to keep up with him.

They approached the door and both crouched down in front of it. Lailie looked at Severus anxiously. She reached out and turned the knob.

“It’s locked.”

Of course it is. Severus pulled out his wand. “Alohomora.” The door swung open. Why does magic work now? Severus stored the thought away to ask Lailie about it later.

From what could be seen from the outside, the room was tiny, hardly big enough for one person. It was more a crawlspace than a room, not even dignified enough to be a closet. Severus ducked his head and leaned in. The room was a shaped like a box, extending a few feet back. The ceiling was low, just high enough that a child could stand without a problem. The walls adjacent to the door were about an arms-width apart. The wall opposite the door was just out of reach of the light shining in. Severus had serious doubts if even Lailie would fit in there.

His eyes adjusted fairly quickly to the dark, unlike earlier, and he was able to spot what he could assume was Potter’s outline shadowed against the back wall. He pulled his head back out of the room.

“He’s in there.”

“Bring him out.” Lailie wrung her hands tensely. 

Severus stuck his head back in the doorway. “Potter.” There was no answer.

The boy was just out of reach. Falling forward onto his knees, Severus leaned towards the back wall. Harry was slumped into the corner. Severus took hold of him under the arms and maneuvered him so that Harry was laying face-up. Carefully, Severus backed out of the entry, pulling the boy out as gently as he could. He fell back on his heels, Harry strung across his lap; body slack. 

Lailie helped him move Harry off his legs so that he was laying flat on the floor.  “Harry? Can you hear me?” Lailie brushed his hair back off his face. Her hand made its way from his forehead round the back of his neck before they took hold of both his hands and began rubbing. She looked at Severus worriedly. “He’s freezing.”

Severus pursed his lips and repeated the same motions. He placed his palm on Harry’s forehead and then the back of his hand to his cheek. The boy was cold to the touch.

Severus looked him over. Potter looked terrible.  The dark smudges under his eyes that Severus noticed in Grimmauld Place had turned a sickly purple color; his skin seemed to hang off thin brittle bones, and his lips were cracked and speckled with blood where the dry skin had broken. He seemed worse to Severus than he had when the Order had brought him back.

“Harry…come on, Harry…wake up now…” Lailie continued rubbing his hands, hoping to bring some warmth back into them. Harry’s remained oblivious to Lailie’s murmurs.

Several seconds passed with no change and Severus could feel the edges of worry creeping its way in.

He was reaching out to give Harry a good shake when he saw a glimmer of movement beneath pale eyelids. He was ready to think he had imagined it, but more movement quickly followed. “He’s waking up.”

Lailie seemed to have noticed as well. A small moan came from between parched lips and she began rubbing harder and faster as she coaxed Harry into consciousness. “That’s it Harry, just open your eyes. You can do it."

Wake up Potter. Just wake up.

Their pleas were answered and his eyes fluttered open.  

.

The first thing Harry was aware of was the cold. Cold and pain. It was everywhere. Glacial, icy cold. If he’d had the strength and it didn’t hurt so much, he was sure his teeth would be rattling. 

Somewhere among all the confusion he could pinpoint a teeny tiny amount of warmth. Someone was rubbing his hands. He let out a small moan and the rubbing increased.

“That’s it, Harry, just open your eyes. You can do it.”

He seemed to recognize the voice, but Harry doubted it would have made a difference if he hadn’t. He pulled open heavy aching eyelids. Blinking a few times to bring the world into focus, Harry noticed a woman leaning over him. She was talking to him, but the words failed to register. Harry’s tired brain didn’t recognize her face.

Harry shifted his gaze to the left and felt his body stiffen. A curtain of dark hair hung low over the familiar face.

Snape.

He glanced to the woman and then back at his professor.

“Harry?”

“Potter?”

Harry, his body frozen and throbbing; did the only thing his mind could think of at the moment. 

He opened his mouth, and screamed.