Dangling upside down in the air Harry could hear the footsteps coming closer. He knew the man must be just behind him. Suddenly the footsteps came to a halt. Harry clenched his wand tightly and quickly went through some the most advanced defensive spells he knew.

"One would might think Potter..." a very familiar cold voice drawled. "...that after being warned countless number of times, the last time this very morning..." the voice turned into a dangerous sneer. "...even someone as exceedingly oblivious to dangers as you, would have got the message by now!"

Harry let out his breath in relief when he heard the unmistakable sneering tones of his least favourite potions master, although he wasn't really sure if relief was what he should be feeling. Snape could be just as intimidating as Lord Voldemort himself, if he really wanted.

"It should be engraved in your brain, as the names on these gravestones Potter!" Snape continued his ranting, clearly having no intentions of letting Harry down.

"Get. Me. Down." Harry made his best efforts to sound patient, but as usual he was finding it very hard to keep his emotions under control. Snape came to stand before him, a look of ferocity in his black eyes.

"I shall do that when you start considering the consequences of your actions." He leered at Harry while adding "Although that's as likely to come true as one of Trelawney's predictions."

By now Harry's head felt like it would explode any second. If it was because he was hanging upside down in the air, or because of Snape's inimitable sarcastic snarls was hard to say. The man was obviously having the time of his life, watching his favourite torture victim struggle pathetically.

"Well? Let me remind you Potter, while you may have all night to waist, I myself can't afford another second of your useless struggling." Snape said impatiently.

Harry was now boiling with anger. The last thing he would do was to give in to Snape's venomous taunts. There had to be another way for him to break the spell gripping him. All of a sudden it struck him! There probably was a way to break it. He couldn't understand how he had been so stupid as to forget it, when Snape himself had thought him this very spell. He closed his eyes in concentration and thought to himself. Mobilicorpus!

The next second he thudded to the ground. Harry glanced up at Snape who had raised his eyebrows. For a moment he looked at Harry appraisingly. It was impossible to say what went trough his mind.

"Maybe, one of these days, you actually manage to earn your first point for Gryffindor." Snape said smoothly. "If you manage to stay alive long enough that's to say." He added coldly.

Harry clenched his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white, while slowly getting to his feet. He shot a furious glare at Snape, but said nothing.

"Do you realise how incredibly foolish it was to come here Potter? Death eaters still on the loose, dementors outside ministry control and not to mention infery! Believe me when I say that's just for starters!" Snape snarled at Harry, his cold eyes had narrowed into small slits.

"See that head over there Potter?" He pointed his wand at the demon-like head of the statue, which had landed just an inch from Harry. "If you're caught by a death eater, you can consider yourself lucky to end up like that."

"What do you care?!" Harry couldn't contain himself any longer. "It's not like it's any of your concern whether I live or not! You've fulfilled your wows, paid all your life debts right?" Harry spat. "I don't need your or anyone else's help to survive. I'm tired of everyone trying to play my personal body guard!"

This had clearly driven Snape over the edge. In two short strides he was next to Harry, grabbing him by the collar. His eyes were filled with pure hatred, and when he spoke it was in a dangerously low whisper.

"Do not for one second believe that I saved your miserable excuse for a life, for seven years, just because I had noting more important to occupy myself with." His firm grip on Harry's collar tightened.

Harry tried not to flinch while Snape continued to glare at him furiously. Harry sighed, overcome by dejection. Why was this man so determined to hate him? He shifted his gaze, unable to meet Snape's penetrating eyes anymore. Shame washed over him as he remembered where they stood.

"I'm sure she would have been very sad to see this." Harry darted his eyes meaningly toward his mother's grave. Snape's eyes lost their coldness in an instant and change into something entirely different. He quickly released his grip on Harry's collar and turned away, making himself unreadable.

Harry waited for some nasty comment from Snape, but it never came. This had to be the first row with Snape where Harry had gotten the last word.

"Sir?" Harry tried carefully.

"Schh!" Snape said while he kept staring into the darkness. Harry went to stand beside him.

"What-"

"Be quiet Potter!" hissed Snape.

Harry didn't understand what he meant, but knew better than to disobey. Then he saw it. Something was moving a bit further away. It had a ragged billowing cloak and was now slowly gliding in their direction. Harry gasped as he realised that this time it actually was a dementor. He made to grab his wand but Snape stopped him with a hand.

"Potter run to the gates and apparate back to Hogwarts, now!" he demanded. Before he had time to say anything else the dementor came soaring at them like a black blur.

Snape pushed Harry aside so roughly that he lost his balance and his wand. Harry started to dig frenetically in the cold snow. He looked up when he heard Snape shout.

"Expecto patronum!"

The dementor was hovering inches from Snape, its bony white hands outreached. Harry expected to see the beautiful silver doe erupt from Snape's wand, but nothing happened.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Snape shouted again with a hint of desperation.

Harry stood motionless, at loss of what to do. What was wrong with Snape's wand? Why didn't the silver doe come?

Snape had spotted Harry and yelled in frustration.

"Potter I said GET AWAY!" He didn't have time to say anything more before the dementor bent down and hungrily started to drain him of emotions. The skeleton-like fingers closed around Snape's throat.

Harry desperately continued to search for his wand, but it was hopeless. The snow had completely buried it. His head snapped up as he heard a scream. Horrified he watched as a misty vapour was sucked out of Snape. Harry looked around for something to throw at the dementor in hopes of deflecting it. He grabbed a stone that lay beside him and threw it full force at the dementor. The stone hit the dementor squarely in the face and it let go of Snape, who fell to the ground.

Suddenly Harry had an idea.

"Throw me your wand!" he shouted to Snape, who lay panting on the ground.

The dementor already started to find its way back to him.

"Your wand, throw it to me now!" Harry yelled once again.

"NO POTTER! RUN!"

Once again Snape pointed his wand at the dementor. His hand was shaking badly.

Without giving much thought to what he was doing Harry shouted "Accio wand!"

To his utter amazement Snape's wand came soaring through the air and landed in his outstretched hand. Harry just stared at it dumbfounded. He had never even attempted wandless magic before and had certainly not expected it to work.

"Potter what- "Snape started but was silenced as the dementor closed in on him and continued to suck out his soul.

Harry pointed Snape's wand at the dementor. He had no idea if it would work. When he had tried to use Malfoy's wand even the simplest spells had been difficult to master, but this was their only hope. Harry closed his eyes and pictured himself together with his parents and his friends, trying with all his might to evoke memories of love and happiness.

"Expecto patronum!" The bright silvery stag immediately erupted from the wand and ran to chase off the dementor.

All of a sudden Harry felt something stinging his hands. He gasped and dropped Snape's wand to the ground. The stinging pain grew until it felt like his hands would burn up. Harry felt dizzy. He sat down on the ground and tried to soothe the pain with the cold snow, but it didn't seem to help. The agony was soon becoming unbearable. He let out a scream of agony and then passed out.

----

Someone was calling his name over and over again, demanding him to wake up. Harry tried to open his eyes.

"Get up Potter! Now!"

Harry's eyes snapped open as he remembered where he was.

"Get up! We got to get to the gates and fast." Snape repeated urgently, his voice hushed.

Harry hissed and almost passed out again, as he tried to push himself up whit his blistered hands.

"What was that? What's wrong with your wand? Harry groaned.

"It's cursed." Snape said as he helped Harry get to his feet. When he saw Harry's horrified expression he rolled his eyes and added.

"It curses everyone who tries to use it, except for me. Quite useful in the hands of an enemy I must say... however, I need to get you an antidote rather sooner than later."

Snape grabbed Harry's arm and started to drag him toward the iron gates. Harry wondered if he even would make it as far. The pain was soon becoming more than he could endure. He looked up at Snape. The serious expression on his face was really frightening.

"Why do we have to go trough the gates to apparate?" Harry asked.

"Someone has put an anti-apparition jinx on the graveyard."

"Do you have any idea who's behind it?"

"Many, none of which I feel obligated to share with you. Now get a move on Potter!" Snape said impatiently and continued to walk briskly.

They walked in silence for a while. Harry found it harder and harder to keep up with Snape's pace. Fortunately they were almost at the gates by now.

When they had passed the gates Snape stopped. He grabbed Harry's arm tightly and was just about to apparate when Harry interrupted.

"This curse you mentioned, it wouldn't happen to be another one of your brilliant inventions would it?" He tried to sound as sarcastic as possible, but the pain was making it very hard.

"One point to Gryffindor Potter."

Harry could have sworn he had just seen the corner of Snape's mouth twitch, but the moment was gone as the surroundings became blurred, and they apparated away from the graveyard.