Snape backed up against the wall as the Occisor approached him.

‘Where’s my wand? Where’s my wand?’ Snape frantically searched the room until he spotted it by the entrance to his rooms. Snape swore under his breath and tried to figure out how to get it before the Occisor tore him to shreds. Just as he was about to risk diving at the creature it stopped and spun around to face the fireplace.

‘What is it doing?’ Snape wondered. Before he could make anything else of it the Occisor lunged towards the couch. Snape took his chance and went for his wand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry was knocked painfully to the stone floor as the Occisor landed on top of him. Harry tried to struggle out from underneath the creature, but it was exceedingly strong and the harder he tried, the deeper the Occisor’s claws dug into his shoulders. Harry stopped struggling and lay limp. His shoulders pounded in pain and the Occisor was not letting up.

‘I’m done for, this thing is going to bite my head off and that will be the end of the famous boy-who-lived,’ Harry thought miserably.

His vision was getting fuzzy from the pain, but he could see the Occisor leaning closer to his face, eyes glinting maliciously. Harry blinked in surprise as it started to talk to him in a raspy voice.

“Well Potter, its time you learn that Voldemort can never be defeated. There’s no one here to help you now.”

Harry winced as the Occisor forced its claws in even deeper.

Before the creature could do anything else there was a shout from across the room.

“Wingardium Leviosa!”

Harry screamed as the Occisor’s claws were ripped out of his shoulders. The creature went flying across the room and Harry heard a thud as it hit the wall on the other side of the chamber.

Harry tried to sit up, but it hurt too much. Before he could try any further, a hand grabbed his and he felt a sharp pull on his navel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry landed facedown on the ground. He lay still willing the pain to go away.

“Potter! Are you alive?”

Harry slowly tried turning over and he managed to get half way and let out a gasp. His shoulders hurt so badly; it felt like hundreds of knives stabbing them all at once and not letting up. He realized that it would hurt less if he could turn himself the rest of the way over. He braced himself and turned all the way. He lay on his back with his eyes closed, breathing hard.

“Potter?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes…I’m alive.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Harry opened his eyes and saw Snape sitting next to him. He looked around and noticed that they’d some how ended up in a forest.

“How did we get here?”

“Portkey. I thought you were smart enough to recognize the pull of a Portkey, but I guess I’ve overestimated you.”

Harry didn’t feel like getting into an argument because it hurt too much to even talk a little.

“Where’d you get a portkey?”

“I always keep an extra one with me in case of emergency. It seems it was very useful.”

Harry was reminded of Moody and wondered if Snape kept flasks strapped to his legs too.

“Very useful.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Harry realized something.

“Wait, you can see me?! But how?”

“Before I was attacked by the Occisor, Dumbledore had called me up to his office and showed my a diary of a man who was also placed in the Occisor’s world. He was also able to escape. When he went to try and kill the Occisor and touched it, he reappeared.”

“So the Occisor made me visible again when it attacked me. What happened to the man?”

“Voldemort.”

“Oh…”

They sat awkwardly for a few more minutes until Harry broke the silence.

“So…where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

Harry forgot about his shoulders and shot up and quickly had to lie back down.

“What do…you mean, you don’t…know?” Harry asked breathlessly. “It is your…portkey, isn’t…it?”

“Yes, it is mine, but I didn’t make it. I happened to grab the one that Voldemort gives his Deatheaters.”

“What?!”

“I’m sorry Mr. Potter,” Snape spat. “I was a little busy with a monster to bother with grabbing the right portkey! You should be thankful I managed to-”

Snape gasped and put his hand to his back.

“Professor Snape, are you okay?”

“I’m fine Potter, it’s just a scratch.”

From what Harry remembered seeing he knew it was much more than just a scratch.

“Can’t you heal it?”

“I’m not Poppy, Potter! It takes a lot of skill to heal.”

Harry shrank back and decided just to shut up.

They were both quiet for a long time after that. Harry looked up and noticed that it was already night. The stars shone brightly against the sky and he recognized the Dog Star.

‘I wish I were back with Sirius. While I’m at it, I also wish I could have a normal life, my parents alive, and Voldemort dead. Oh, and Malfoy as a permanent ferret.’

Harry chuckled at the event from last year of Malfoy the ferret bouncing up and down.

“Something funny Potter?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Thoughts of last year started surfacing. Harry tried to push them from his mind, but couldn’t seem to. He eventually sank into a fitful sleep while Snape sat staring at the stars.