The Summer We Went Mental by Whitetail
Summary: Being sent to stay in a psychiatric ward at St. Mungo’s isn’t exactly the most enjoyable way to spend a summer, so naturally, Harry’s pretty angry when he finds out that’s his destination, regardless of whether or not it might be good for him. Facing a full summer of being cut off from the Order’s plans, Harry’s even taken to envying Snape, because at least Snape knows what is going on. But when Harry arrives at St. Mungo’s and discovers that a fire has changed his destination from the teen ward to the adult ward, everything is turned upside down. Enter his roommate - suicidal, depressed, and none other than Severus Snape. They are both willing to bet that their summer will be a total disaster, and maybe it will be, but even the surest of gamblers are not always right.
Categories: Snape Equal Status to Harry > Comrades Snape and Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dumbledore, Original Character, Remus
Snape Flavour: Snape is Depressed
Genres: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Hospitalization
Takes Place: 6th summer
Warnings: Self-harm, Suicide Themes
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 35 Completed: Yes Word count: 109245 Read: 221823 Published: 14 Feb 2014 Updated: 03 May 2015
A Proposed Meeting by Whitetail

Harry lay, stunned in bed, his eyes wide open the second Snape left the room.

"Holy shit," Harry said through numb lips.

Snape just ...

Harry felt the weight of the blanket over him as he lay on his side, staring at the door.

Does he pity me?

He knows about the Dursleys. He pities me.

No, that's paranoid. It's not pity. Maybe it's understanding. Maybe he really does care.

Stupid, Potter. When has he ever cared about you?

In his dizzy thoughts, Harry vaguely remembered Snape jumping in front of he, Ron, and Hermione when Lupin transformed into a werewolf back in third year.

Maybe. He's just got a dumb way of showing it.

Harry sighed, confused to his very toes. It was strange to think this was the second time that he could remember being tucked in. Sort of. The first time had been by Molly Weasley, after the Triwizard Tournament and she'd come to the Hospital wing.

Who knew the second time would be by Snape.

"This place really is crazy," muttered Harry.

Among those confused feelings, a stranger feeling was creeping up on Harry. It took him some time to realize what feeling it was, for it had been a very long time since he had felt it. It was a feeling of warmth, the kind you feel in your chest that swells outward and makes you sort of want to cry. But not bad crying. Good crying.

Harry had been terrified that Snape was going to make fun of him, or make some comment under his breath because Harry knew very well that there were tear stains on his face still. He hadn't had time to wipe them away. He'd only had time to pretend to be sleeping.

The relief broke over Harry in a wave, and he felt like he could breathe at last.

He didn't know how much Snape knew about the Dursleys, or had guessed, but somehow, now, it didn't seem so frightening that he did know. What could he do in here? He couldn't tell unless Harry was willing to divulge it, given the contract. And Richard hadn't said anything about going to Dumbledore or someone to fix it. He'd just listened, and helped Harry work out some of the issues that came from it. But still, Harry hadn't said much about what went on at the Dursleys. He'd brushed over the stickier things. At this point he was focusing mostly on how he felt about losing Sirius.

Harry frowned. Then there was Stephen. What was he going to do?

Doesn't matter.

Harry shut his eyes tight, and pulled the blanket a little tighter. He gripped the worn fabric, focusing on the way it felt resting on him.

***

 

Severus tapped his foot, annoyed. The bloody Auror was hogging the letter writing table in the corner. It had all the stationary and paper, and right now Severus was unable to get some paper. He needed to write a quick note to Dumbledore, requesting a meeting.

The codes were there, the ones he knew from years of practising secrecy. They had started working again. They had started working because Severus had a mission now. Potter needed him again (wasn't that always what he had lived for before, however much he hated to admit it?). And with this purpose, came a strange sort of clarity Severus had lacked as of late. Before his mind had been a dust storm. Thousands of tiny grains of sand swirling around until they made him dizzy, his thoughts unable to focus. All of those grains might have been important, but he could never focus on just one to see. Sometimes they clumped together, but they were still separate, and slid on one another in a panicked haze. Now, since he had given himself this mission, since he had realized Potter wasn't quite what he had seemed, his mind had turned to the sharp crystal it had once been.

Well, almost.

It was more a bunch of crystals, but at least some of them were solid, and there consisted a portion of his mind that could stand alone and work together, away from the storm and focus long enough so he could do what he needed. So the codes were working, and a fever had taken over him. The only way to sweat it out and stop the burning, shaking urgency inside was for him to mail Dumbledore. He was ready now. He needed to meet now. The plan was going well. All the details weren't there, but enough were to figure something out.

Not about me now. Not about me now. Albus, Potter slipped through the cracks (just like I did just like I did but you don't need to hear about me hear about Potter) see what happens when you are blinded see what happens when you don't have a plan - the plan - the plan to save save save isn't that my job save

Save

This will save Potter.

This will save him (Who? Who, is it Potter who is being saved or is it -) I promise this will save ( - not just him is it -) Albus listen, please (- also me?)

Severus cleared his swirling, impossible thoughts, the fire fanned and roaring.

Unfortunately this restless, sudden energy came with a rush of irritation at the Auror, who despite having left Severus along after the shoving incident in the halls, had taken as many chances as he could to shoot irritated glares at Severus. The hogging of the writing supplies and table was equally irritating, and thus Severus felt no shame in bending over the Auror's shoulder to read his letter.

"You can even bring the dog to visit. Just drop by. Trust me, it will be great ..." Severus began reading aloud, feeling highly obnoxious and quite pleased with himself.

"Oy! What the bloody hell is your problem?" the Auror said loudly, flipping over his paper and turning as red as a beet the moment he realized what Severus was doing.

Severus replied through gritted teeth, scowling deeply, "I. Need. Parchment. And you have been here for thirty minutes already. If you would move for five seconds, I could take some parchment. Do we understand each other?"

"Fine," the Auror said, looking strangely unnerved. "Just piss off, will you?"

"Gladly," Severus hissed, snatching his parchment and an ink bottle and stalking off to find a corner where he could write without being disturbed.

He wondered who the Auror was writing to. It was a surprise to him that the Auror hadn't been more volatile toward him, but perhaps he had simply been out of his element due to the nature of the letter. If Severus was any kinder a man, he might have felt pity over reading some of it. Those were the words of a pleading man. Whoever he was pleading to come, it was obviously not the first attempt.

Severus didn't care. He had a letter to write. He bent low over the paper, scribbling furiously, his hands dancing over the paper as the code flowed as it used to.

Back. I am back - see I was never broken in the first place I can still do it .

He was going to meet with Dumbledore. Severus didn't have concrete proof yet, but he did have the groundwork, and a proposal had to be made.

The End.
End Notes:
Hey folks. Sorry for the long wait and short chapter. I will be trying my best to keep posting this over the summer, but chapters are now going to be sporadic. Hopefully at least an update every two weeks now, but work's gone a little sideways so unfortunately I can't promise now. I wish I could write more often, but I just don't have the time. The story will get done though, no worries. Cheers all.


This story archived at http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=3022