Hermione rushed back to the girl's dormitory and sat on her bed. She smiled softly as she turned the parchment over in her hands. No other girls were in the dormitory, or she probably wouldn't have engaged in such a blatant display of sentimentality. Carefully, she opened the wax seal.

Dear Hermione, she read, though she noted that this didn't look like Ron's handwriting. It was firmer, more confident, and didn't have blotches. Instinctively, she glanced at the signature. It was definitely Ron's.

My apologies on leaving without saying good-bye to you. Thank you for giving me the time-turner though. Dumbledore knew what he was doing in giving it to you for me. It's for the best, Hermione, please believe me.

I can't really tell you everything about why I'm doing what I'm doing. It's to teach some people some things that they really need to know. It will be worth it.

Please don't be sad or upset with me, Hermione. I'm doing what I have to do. It's better for everyone involved. You have other friends too, you know. Luna and Ginny both really like you. You three can be the next Golden Trio. I'm sure Dumbledore will allow you get away with anything you want, you know, so you should go have a good time with them.

As you may have gathered, I won't be returning. I'll see you again, I'm sure, but you probably won't see me. It saddens me that we won't sit up late in the Gryffindor common room anymore, and that I won't copy off your transfiguration essays. I'll miss you.

Affectionately yours,

Ronald Weasley

The day passed slowly, and except for the obvious hunger and thirst, not unpleasantly, Severus thought. He and Harry didn't talk much, but Severus blamed himself for that. He wasn't a good conversationalist. If he didn't have something to say, he didn't say anything. And there was very little to be said about their current situation. He couldn't even offer to teach Harry a potions practical because of their lack of water.

Sure, he had been able to make the nutrient potion - which had been quite a success, if he were to give him opinion - because he was simply a skilled potions master. He had altered the potion from what it should have been, so it was probably going to be slightly less potent than if made under ideal conditions. Instead of water, he had used a salt mixture to draw the water from the herbs. It was an entirely unpractical method for getting drinking water. He had no way of separating the salt from the water once it was complete, and drinking salt water was worse for a person than not drinking at all. Of course, in controlled quantities, the potion wasn't going to hurt them. They did need some salt.

But the point was that they lacked the most basic ingredient for most potions and it wasn't going to be possible to teach Harry anything other than potions theory. Even then, Severus was hesitant to suggest it to Harry.

The boy just sat there. He just sat there and stared at the blasted door like it was going to open if he just looked at it long enough. Severus tried not to be annoyed. Then he realized that watching Harry pace and wring his hands was even more annoying, but he kept from snapping at the boy. It was less destructive than other methods of dealing with the stress, and Severus wasn't about to forbid every outlet. He would settle for dealing with the biggest issues at the moment.

Severus tried to ignore his own growing discomfort as he buried himself in planning his future lessons for all of his classes. By the time he began to feel fatigued, he realized he had planned the first quarter of the year. Perhaps he should take to locking himself in a room for two weekends out of the year and finish planning as a beginning of the school year tradition. His stomach chose to protest loudly at that moment. Well, he would definitely make arrangements for food, that much was certain.

"Harry?" Severus asked quietly. Harry was sitting, watching the door again. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, and he hadn't moved for some time.

"Yes, sir?" Harry replied, but his eyes didn't move from the door handle.

"How are you feeling?" Severus' voice was soft, not threatening at all, a thing he wasn't good at.

"I think you know how I'm feeling, sir," Harry replied quietly.

"I think we should turn in for the night," Severus said.

"Alright," Harry agreed, wearily pulling himself to his feet. Harry walked over to the red embers in the fireplace. The fire had long since died, but any heat, even from the embers was appreciated. Except Severus had a different plan. He grabbed his cloak and stood by Harry, where he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The less contact we have with the stone, the less cold it will be," Severus explained.

"So what do you suggest?" Harry asked, meeting his eyes.

"The corner over there," Severus gestured. "I was thinking about it, and it will be the most efficient place for the night." Harry nodded, but he seemed defeated. Severus kicked the piles of rags which had served for a pillow the night before nearer to the corner. Then, after throwing his cloak about his shoulders, he lowered himself behind the rags, positioning them so that they kept his knees slightly bent. Severus shifted his cloak, and pulled the hood over his head. Then he gestured to Harry.

"What - where do you want me to go?" Harry asked, the uncertainty clear in his voice. Severus sighed and closed his eyes in a long-suffering way. He had hoped Harry would be bright enough to infer his idea.

"In my lap," Severus ground out. He held his cloak open to demonstrate the practicality of his plan. Harry wouldn't have to touch the stone at all, and instead would be surrounded by his own body and cloak. It was the best he could offer, considering their limited resources. Harry just gaped at him.

"Well?" Severus snapped. "Hurry up. I'm getting cold here without your body heat." Harry snapped out of his shock and slowly settled sideways onto Severus' lap. Severus wrapped his arms and cloak around the child slowly pressed Harry's head under his chin, so that he could avoid a crick in his neck the next morning.

"Thank you, sir," Harry murmured. "Good night."

"Good night, Harry," Severus whispered back.

Severus woke when Harry began to shudder and squirm in his sleep. As a habit of spying, Severus slept lightly and woke fully immediately.

"No, no, no, please," Harry whimpered in his sleep.

"Harry," Severus called, but his voice was thick with sleep and dehydration. His tongue felt dry and swollen, which didn't help his enunciation either.

"No!" Harry called louder this time. "Please don't." Severus shook Harry.

"Wake up!" Harry's eyes snapped open but his eyes were unseeing. Harry launched himself from Severus' lap and ran to the other side of the room. Severus noticed it had gotten cold enough to see his breath. Harry backed up to the wall, his eyes focusing on a phantom of his imagination. He fell to his knees, and Severus closed the gap between them in record speed.

"No, don't make me!" Harry covered his face, but didn't move. Severus crouched in front of Harry, and gently touched his shoulders. Harry's head shot up and he quickly regained his feet.

"Get away from me!" Harry screamed. "I don't belong to you or your gang!"

"Harry!" Severus shouted back. "Wake up!" Severus stepped close and slapped Harry across the face. He hated to do it, knowing the boy's past, but it wasn't hard. It was only to get him to snap out of his hallucination.

"Snape?" Harry asked weakly.

"Yes," Severus confirmed. "It's just you and me, in the potions lab."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"That was an hallucination," Severus said softly. "That's an effect of the Crucio last term."

"What?"

"Let's have this conversation in a warmer environment, please?" Severus asked, unconsciously wrapping his cloak around him. How much colder must Harry be? Harry nodded, and after a moment's hesitation on Harry's part, they had resumed their huddled place in the corner.

"Hallucinations?" Harry prompted when they were settled properly.

"Yes," Severus nodded.

"And you didn't tell me?" Harry's voice revealed his hurt.

"How could I?" Severus asked, defensive. "I couldn't tell you. You had to discover it for yourself."

"And all this time I was worried I was possessed," Harry laughed. "They're just hallucinations!"

"What do you mean?" Severus asked, concerned.

"There were gaps of time I couldn't remember," Harry explained quickly. "I couldn't help but think of Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets in second year. If I was having memory gaps, then maybe I was possessed too."

"No, you're not possessed," Severus sighed, a bit relieved.

"So that's why you were so intent on giving me that potion," Harry concluded.

"Yes, though with all the interruptions, it's been as good as useless for you," Severus growled.

"Sorry," Harry quickly apologized, but Severus just shook his head. They were quiet a moment.

"How did you know?" Harry asked.

"How did I know what?" Severus asked.

"That I was having hallucinations," Harry clarified.

"Well," Severus stalled, taking a deep breath, "I found out about the Crucio when I went to speak with the Headmaster about your summer. I wanted to see Black torn limb from limb and demanded something be done. The Headmaster calmly informed me that it was possible you were hallucinating and wanted me to examine the memory." Severus stopped and swallowed, looking away. Harry had gone stiff in his arms.

"And you found it was a hallucination?" Harry asked quietly. Severus nodded. "But you said you believed me! You said it was real!" Harry screamed.

"I do believe you! It was real to you!" Severus hissed back. "The effects were real, even if the event wasn't. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to have come out of the pensieve and informed you that you had imagined the whole thing? What sort of a reaction would you have had to that? You would have trusted your memories anyway, and written me off as having betrayed your trust. Wouldn't you have?" Harry was silent. "Wouldn't you have?" Severus pressed.

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered sullenly.

"I did what I thought was best," Severus sighed, relaxing a little bit. "And this is why I haven't been pressuring you to press charges against Black. He's innocent. I spoke with him. He's also willing to give you as much space as you need for as long as you need."

"So he knows I'm nuts too?" Harry asked bitterly.

"He knows that the Headmaster was careless in the extreme about your well-being," Severus corrected. "He knows a child is to never be exposed to a Cruciatus."

"Oh God," Harry moaned. "He must think I'm a horrible person for even imagining that."

"I doubt it," Severus said. "Why did you imagine it though? Did he give you any reason to fear that?"

"No," Harry said hastily, though he suppressed a yawn. "I mean, he made a comment once that I was growing into a handsome young man, but that was it. It wasn't meant badly. I just didn't like that he called me that, and for half a second, I wondered, but it was stupid."

"He made a similar comment about your supposed father as well," Severus mused. "If you're being less than honest with me, I will find out."

"Honest!" Harry insisted, nodding slowly, and any Legillimancy confirmed that statement.

"Alright," Severus agreed. "What were you seeing earlier? Not Black, I assume?" Harry pulled himself close, presumably to keep himself warm. Some might have called it snuggling.

"Not Sirius, no," Harry muttered. "It's not important." Harry yawned, and his breathing evened out. Severus didn't have the heart to wake him, even if he did suspect that Harry was simply faking sleep to avoid the question.