The Boy Who Wanted to Live

Harry

"Harry I believe you, but-"

"What have we here?" A slick voice drawled out from behind Neville. 

The sharp tapping of shoes made Harry's skin crawl. The pale hands that were clasped behind the man's back made Harry wonder if the calloused hand had ever been thrown against a child's cheek before. Harry subconsciously took a step back, the walls around him spinning violently. He threw his arm against the wall to keep from falling, his face paling drastically. 

"Granger, Longbottom," Severus Snape greeted "I believe that curfew is in five minutes and I know for a fact that it takes twelve minutes to get to your common room. If you need assistance finding your way I can assure you that I have no problem leading you to your head of house."

Neville paled as well and took a step away from the intimidating professor. Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look before grabbing Neville's arm and running up the stairs nearby. Snape frowned and sighed softly before turning to look at Harry. Harry flinched as the eyes landed on him. Snape looked over his student before placing a cold hand on the boy's shoulder. 

"Come, Potter," he said, ignoring the child's flinch "we've been looking for you." 

Harry felt bile rise in his throat as the man's grip tightened on his delicate skin. He winced slightly as the grip was on a part of his arm that had never healed properly as a young child. Snape ignored the squirming child as he leads him back towards the nurse. Harry tripped on his shoes as his mind raced. 

"Honestly, Potter," Snape said in an annoyed voice "First you make everyone worried with your episode in your room and then you show up with a death threat from You-Know-Who, and you spend a week unconscious in the hospital wing, and now you've gone and disappeared again," 

Snape paused and looked down at the kid with an almost caring look. 

"It seems I spend half my days looking for you," he said looking into the brilliant green eyes "I can never find you, L-" He swallowed and looked at the child that reflected the one man he hated "Why do you always cause problems, Potter? Where do you go, huh? Where do you keep disappearing to?"

Harry looked down. Snape stoned his features and continued his way towards the nurse. Harry felt the walls shrink down and his head fill suddenly with air. Although his steps were becoming slow and he was constantly tripping over his feet, Harry felt like he was flying. He stopped walking and spun a little on his feet. Snape stopped and turn to look at the boy, curiously. Harry's eyes rolled into the back of his eyes and he fell to the ground. Snape gasped and scooped up the child from the staircase and ran to the nurse. 

"Severus?" She asked as he ran into the room holding the unconscious child in his arms."What happened?" 

"He fainted," Snape said, gently laying the boy on the bed. 

Harry was surprisingly light to Severus Snape. His skin was drastically pale and Snape could see all the boy's veins through the thin skin. His veins were surprisingly black, instead of the usual blue one would find. Even with the boy's illness, this still concerned the potions professor greatly. Harry eyes scrunched shut in his sleep as if in pain and he began to mutter as if having a bad dream. 

"No... Please... Let me go home," he spoke "I want to go home," 

Madame Pomfrey rushed to the boys side, pressing a cool cloth to the boy's head. 

"Why are you doing it the muggle way?" Severus asked, watching the child squirm lightly "Why not use potions? They are faster."

The tired woman turned to look at Severus with a frown. 

"It's the only way he will let me help him. He's been rejecting all magic remedies," she said, her eyes glazing over as if remembering a horrible event, "even potions." She paused "They give him nightmares," 

Severus had never heard the stern woman look so broken and confused. He gently touched her shoulder. 

"How can I help?"

She smiled, albeit bitterly at the man. She shook her head and looked down at her patient with tender care.

"I don't know." she said finally, "It would be helpful if I could see what progress Dumbledore has made with his research, but... I can't leave his side again. Every time I do he seems to disappear,"

"He's wandered off before?" Severus asked, "Why didn't you ask for help?" 

"He never goes very far," she said, petting his neck with the wet towel "He's too weak,"