Hope Has a Place
Part Ten
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Harry woke up in the night, screaming from a nightmare. He stared around the infirmary with a glazed look in his eyes, as though he didn't quite know where he was. "Ssh, Harry, I'm here. It was just a nightmare," said Snape.

Harry shivered and gulped in air as though it was going to disappear on him. He stared at Snape, then at his hands clasped in the bedclothes. His fingers were very thin, Snape noticed.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Please, please, professor, can you just hold me?" asked Harry, wrapping his arms around himself and rocking on the bed. "I don't want to be alone."

"If that's what you want, Harry," said Snape, wondering if it was the best thing for Harry at this juncture. But Harry had asked for it, it was something of his choosing and Snape would never go against that. "Move over, then," he smiled as Harry lay back down on the bed and rested on his side.

Snape removed his robe, but kept on his shirt and trousers, climbing in next to Harry. He opened his arms once he was comfortable. Harry scooted over towards him and snuggled up, his arms around Snape's back and his head tucked beneath Snape's chin. Snape gently stroked the boy's back, feeling the tension gradually ease out of him. Snape was careful to keep his touches light and didn't venture any further than Harry's waist as he tried to comfort the sobbing boy.

Harry's tears were seeping through Snape's shirt, but what did he care for shirts? If the crying was helping Harry come to terms with what happened, he would be quite content to drown in the boy's tears. "I'm sorry," Harry mumbled to his chest, barely audible.

"Don't apologise, Harry. Don't ever apologise for what he did to you. It was not your fault, none of it. I love you and I want to help you get through this."

"You - you still love me?" Harry's face emerged from Snape's chest, tearstained and white, emerald eyes seeming so much brighter without the glasses. "Even after what I let him do?"

Was this what was bothering Harry? That he thought he'd agreed to being abused like that? No wonder he was so confused. Lupin had been one sick bastard, making Harry ask to be raped by threatening Snape.

"Harry, you didn't let him do anyting to you. He raped and abused you, it was not your fault. You are not to blame for this, he is."

"But - but I said he could do it. It wasn't rape if I agreed, was it?"

"Is that what you think, Harry? He raped you, just using coercion to do it. He threatened you to get what he wanted, to get what he wanted, Harry, not you. Or are you telling me you wanted him to do those things to you?"

"No, I didn't want to, but I had to. I couldn't let anything happen to you, I couldn't! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You must be so disappointed in me," he hiccuped, trying to control the sobs.

"No, Harry. I think you're the bravest person I've ever known. I'm just so sorry that you went through this. Now get some sleep, you need your rest."

"Will you stay with me?" he asked, the doubt in his voice breaking Snape's heart.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said and they both knew that Snape wasn't just talking about tonight. He placed a soft kiss on Harry's hair and Harry snuggled against him, settling slowly into sleep.

Snape didn't fall alseep at all that night, he wanted to cherish every moment of Harry in his arms, every breath he heard, the beating of Harry's heart against his. Eternity wouldn't be long enough with Harry. Harry would be fine, Snape would make sure of that. He swore it to himself.

Just as the first grey lights of dawn crept through the high windows, casting shadows on the floor, the curtain was pulled back. Dumbledore was behind it, looking respelendent in purple robes with silver stars. He frowned at Harry and Snape, but Snape couldn't tell whether it was from annoyance or not.

"Severus, I would like to speak with you for a moment if I would. The results of Remus Lupin's autopsy have been issued. I thought you might be want to be informed."

Oh, yes, Snape definitely wanted to be informed about that. He gently removed himself from Harry, pressing a kiss on his forehead when Harry whimpered at the lack of contact.

He followed the headmaster to one of the empty beds and stood beside it. "Well?" he prompted.

"It seems that the Three-Fold spell was involved."

Snape laughed. "But that's impossible! There is no such spell, it's a legend, a myth, like the beings who are required to cast it."

"Nevertheless, that spell was used on Remus Lupin. Tell me, have you come across it in your studies of Dark Magic? It was considered Dark, was it not?"

"Quite the opposite actually," bristled Snape, annoyed at his past mistakes being brought into the conversation. "It was considered the lightest spell ever to exist, it was sometimes called the Three-Fold Blessing. But to cast it, a Circle of Trust was needed."

"And that would be?"

"Three people who were "pure in thought, word and deed". Two of them needed to be pure blooded wizards, and their bodies needed to be pure too, virgins in other words. But the third is is why the spell is not real. The third needs to be an Immortali, and they are beings who do not exist."

"You sound so sure of that, Severus," the headmaster said gravely.

"Because I am sure. There are no such things as Immortali, they are myths!"

"Indulge an old man, will you Severus, do you know anything about these,ah myhtical creatures?"

"Well, the ancients believed that they were gods and worshipped them, but the Immortali didn't want to be worshipped, so they disappeared from the world altogether. Of course, there were a few crazy ones who wanted to be worshipped and lost their minds from all the adoration they received. From what I understand, they were considered to be the predecessors to pople like Voldemort, but they had more power than humans or wizards could conceive of."

"And the others? The ones who didn't want to become as gods?"

"Well, it's said that they hid themselves "in plain sight" so that they could better protect humanity from their crazier brethren. They allegedly became protectors of the world, but hidden from it."

"And would it surprise you to learn that Hogwarts is protected by more than just magical wards?"

"What? You don't mean..."

"I do indeed, Severus. The Immortali have been protecting Hogwarts since the first stone was laid."

"That's impossible! Someone would have known, someone would have seen!"

"Really? And what do the books say the Immortali look like, Severus?"

"A brightness too terrible to behold," Snape quoted from memory.

"No-one has ever seen their true form, not for a long time. But they are in the world Severus, they are here at Hogwarts and you see them every day. I think it's time for you to meet Harry's circle of trust." With that, Dumbledore hurried away and opened the infirmary door. Snape gasped.

Weasley he had expected, the Weasleys were one of the oldest pureblood families in the wizarding world and Ron as Harry's friend would certainly be in a position to help with a Trust spell. But Draco Malfoy? He thought the two of them hated each other? For all three had to be in perfect accord to cast the spell, had Malfoy and Weasley put their differences aside in order to help Harry?

But it was the third that caused him to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Harry's house-elf friend, Lucius Malfoy's ex house-elf. What was the creature's name again? Dobby, that was it. "Now I suppose you're going to tell me that Dobby is an Immortali? A house-elf?"

"What better way to hide in plain sight, Severus? Who takes notice of house-elves, after all? Master Dobain, I apologise for my colleague, I'm sure he intended no disrespect."

"There is no need for apologies, headmaster. This man is Harry's Chosen, and for that many things can be forgiven." It was the little elf who had spoken, but his voice was richer and deeper in tone, hinting at great age. "I would show you my true form, but it is too incomprehensible for humans and wizards to understand. You would all be driven mad to see it. But believe me when I say that I am of that race you call Immortali."

Snape didn't doubt it, not for a moment. They existed. They were real and he was in the presence of one. He felt a sense of peace wash over him, peace that he had never felt since that day Voldemort marked his arm. He sank to his knees without thinking.

"No! I do not want worship or honour, get up you foolish man!"

Snape stood, feeling a blush heat his cheeks.

"Can you tell me about the spell, Master Dobain? I don't understand," admitted Snape. "I thought the Three-Fold spell was a blessing? And you two, how did you get involved?"

"Dobby, sorry, Master Dobain, told us what Lupin had done to Harry," said Malfoy.

"And you helped Harry Potter, Draco? Why? I thought you hated him?" Was Draco finally growing up at last?

"Because no-one should have to go through that. It wasn't right." Indeed, Draco was growing up and making his own decisions, not those his father would have wished. "Father showed me his pensieve once. A Death Eater meeting. I saw what the men did, stuff like Lupin did to Harry. I think he was hoping it would make me want to join them. But it just made me feel sick. It wasn't right."

"And killing Lupin was?"

"We didn't kill him," said Weasley and he honestly sounded as if he believed that.

"But the Three-Fold spell, the three of you performed that, did you not?"

"The Three-Fold spell counteracts evil words, evil thoughts and evil deeds, hence the need for purity. But it did not work as we had hoped. Lupin had been too long struggling with the wolf within him, when the man in him, the true man, not the one controlled by the wolf, saw what he had done, the guilt was too much for him to bear. He willed himself to die. His own wickedness and guilt killed him, not any spell. Perhaps if we'd peformed the spell sooner, we could have saved him. But his mind had become too much like that of a wolf, not a man. There was no way to reach him." Dobain hung his head.

"You would excuse what he has done?" demanded Snape.

"No, nothing would excuse what he has done to Harry Potter. I will not make excuses for that, I cannot. I will not forgive anyone who has hurt Harry Potter in this matter," Dobain glared at the headmaster as he said it. Dumbledore paled and glanced nervously at Snape. If Snape thought he'd known anger before, it was nothing to what he felt now. He wanted to tear the headmaster limb from limb and feed him to the thestrals.

"Oh my God! You knew! You knew what that bastard was doing to Harry and you did nothing about it!" Snape was shaking with rage. He wanted to wrap his arms around that wrinkled throat and squeeze and squeeze. He controlled himself with an effort, clenching his fists by his sides instead. Dobain clicked his fingers and the three of them were suddenly in the centre of a privacy bubble.

"The students do not need to hear this," said Dobain, looking pointedly at the headmaster.

"Dear gods, Albus, why? Hasn't Harry been through enough?"

"We had to make him stronger so that he could face Voldemort. We had to make him angry enough that he wouldn't be scared to face the Dark Lord."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Voldemort didn't rape him, Lupin did!"

"Yes, well, we were going to tell Harry that Voldemort had Lupin under Imperius to hurt Harry like that. Harry would be taking his revenge on Voldemort both for what Lupin had done to him and for what he thought Lupin had endured from Voldemort."

"And was Lupin under Imperius?"

"No," the word was barely a breath in the room. "He did it as part of his duties to the Order."

"They knew? The whole Order knew what you'd allowed to happen to the boy? Are you all crazy?"

"Everyone knew, except for you and the Weasleys."

Well of course, they wouldn't have told Snape, not the tame Death Eater in their midst. And the Weasleys, Molly Weasley did not bear crossing if you threatened one of her chicks, even the adopted one. "I cannot believe this, Albus. I cannot believe you would put Harry through this for your stupid war!"

"Harry's our only hope, Severus."

"Get out, get out. I don't want to hear another word from you."

"Severus, please, let us make amends-" the headmaster reached out a hand, but Snape shook it off and spat in his face.

"Don't you dare touch me! You're as much a rapist as Lupin ever was! You violated Harry's trust in you time and time again! You violated his home! He thought he was safe at Hogwarts. I can never forgive you for this, Albus, never!" Snape turned on his heel and stalked out of the privacy bubble.

He glanced back once to see Dobain lead the headmaster out, looking every inch an old man, but Snape could not muster up one ounce of pity for the man. He dismissed Weasley and Malfoy with a wave of his hand, he must have looked how angry he felt, for neither of them argued with him.

All he could think of was Harry and what he'd been put through at the hands of people he trusted, all for the sake of some stupid prophecy and an even stupider game of chess that Voldemort and Dumbledore played with their lives. That's what it was to them, Snape realised. A giant game of strategy and they were all pawns, all expendable.

But they wouldn't get away with it. No-one would ever hurt Harry again.

Snape took out the small knife he used for chopping potion ingredients and drew a red line across his left palm. He dipped his forefinger the blood.

"I swear it," he said to himself, before smearing a drop of blood on Harry's head. "I swear it," he repeated as he smeared the blood on his own forehead, feeling the magic flow through them both.

They were blood-bonded now.

No power on earth could break it.

Part Eleven