Birds were chirping outside when Harry awoke. There was a draft in the room, and he knew that a window was open somewhere in the house. Snape had removed his glasses while he slept, and he leaned over to retrieve them from the nightstand. He was able to sit up without a problem today, his chest throbbing only once or twice. Snape was nowhere to be seen, but he didn’t worry. He knew that he was in the kitchen or asleep himself, and he was okay with waiting. In the meantime, he was lost in thought.
What had happened to everyone after the battle? He knew that Hermione had fallen, and wasn’t sure if she was alive or dead. A Dementor had scooped her up, and he didn’t have any idea where it could’ve taken her. Ron, he remembered, had been battling Snape, and may have been the one to call for retreat. It was that, or that he had been…Harry shuddered and pushed the thought from his mind. Lupin was dead, he knew, and Kingsley Shacklebolt had lost his soul in the struggle. He hadn’t even seen Neville, and he hoped that he was okay. Then, his real worry came. What had become of Ginny?
“SNAPE!” he called, desperate to receive information. He heard a slight curse and something about a brat, but he ignored it. Snape came out of a bedroom, his black robe pulled around him.
“What is it, Potter?” he snarled, angry with Harry for awakening him.
“I do apologize, sir,” he said, and he meant it, “but I need information. I have to know what happened to all of them.”
“To who?”
“My friends. What has happened to them?”
Snape’s face grew sullen. A grave look crossed his visage, and Harry’s heart began to beat quickly. He tried to calm himself down so that he wouldn’t pass out again. Then, Snape sat down in the chair at the end of Harry’s bed.
“Do you recall me telling you that the world has been thrown into darkness?” Snape asked, and Harry nodded.
“Well, your friends are now at the mercy of Lord Voldemort,” he continued.
“Er…what does that mean, sir?”
“Ron had been made a Death Eater by force,” Snape said, and Harry bit his lip, “He was told that if he didn’t join them, his family would be killed.”
“Is he alright, sir?” Harry asked in earnest.
“For now, I do believe he is. I haven’t been able to gather much information about him. I too am in hiding. I do know, however, that he has been marked and is officially one of them.”
“Hermione?” Harry asked.
“She was taken away from the battle by the Dementors.”
‘I remember that part.”
“They delivered her to the vampires as payment for their service to the Dark Lord. They have secretly served him for the past 15 years. She is in the hands of Valil now, and I do not believe that she is as safe as Mr. Weasley.”
“Valil?” Harry uttered.
“He is the leader of the vampires. He is trying to transform her into his queen. She may not have much mortality left. If she has been bitten, she will become a vampire by the next full moon.”
“And when is that?” Harry asked anxiously.
“Two weeks.”
“I have to save her!” Harry cried, but Snape silenced him.
“Yes, that is what I am going to try to allow you to do,” he said, “But Harry, others need your help as well. Those who escaped the battle and those left behind at Hogwarts have been taken prisoner. They are now locked in cells in Azkaban.”
“So Ginny is there?” Harry asked, his heart skipping a beat. Snape looked up at him.
“No, Potter,” Snape said, and his dropped a bit, “No, I’m afraid she has been taken elsewhere. Mrs. Weasley and the others are there. The Malfoys took Ginny from Hogwarts and made her their servant. They sucked the free will from her body. She is a slave to their every word. Any order they give her, she must follow. For now, however, she is safe. Draco finds her attractive and useful. For that, he keeps her alive.”
“NO!” Harry called out, and sank deeply into his pillows. He couldn’t believe that any of this had happened. Voldemort had triumphed and the world had turned dark. He didn’t know what to do.
“Voldemort believes that he conquered you, and so he thinks he has ultimately won. Don’t you see, Potter? You have to heal,” Snape told him, “You don’t have long, but you must heal and make this world right again.”
“But I’m so weak,” Harry replied, “I can’t possibly heal in the time that we’ve been given. Hermione is going to become a vampire within two weeks. Ron has to follow Voldemort’s orders. Ginny can’t be tortured that long, she’ll go mad! What…how is this…HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SAVE ANY OF THEM? I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY I AM ALIVE!”
“You are alive because of Ginny,” Snape told him, “Her love for you is what is keeping you alive right now. I come in to heal and rehabilitate you. Ginny keeps your strength up. As long as she keeps loving you, you have strength.”
“How do you know that?” Harry asked. Snape smirked at him.
“Wisdom that Dumbledore taught me,” he said, “He told me that the love that your mother had for you saved you that night when you were a baby. It helped again in the chamber when Quirrell tried to murder you. Harry, have you not learned anything? Love is the greatest power anyone can ever possess. It holds all the answers.”
“So…if Ginny can hold on to my memory…” Harry exclaimed, “…then I stay alive?”
“You retain the strength that can help you survive,” said Snape, “When you were hit with that Killing Curse, Ginny was thinking about you. The magic that binds your love acted like a shield, and you escaped with your life. Now, your strength is fed by that love.”
“Okay,” Harry said, still a bit confused, “Can it make me heal any faster?”
“That’s my job,” Snape said to him, “Potions, herbs, and exercise will help you get back up on your feet. After that, you’ll be able to go on and save Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Then, you can defeat the Dark Lord.”
“Let’s get started then,” Harry exclaimed, “We don’t have a whole lot of time, do we?”
As Snape had said, it wasn’t a walk in the park. The Killing Curse, while unable to take Harry’s life, had severely injured his body. At times, he would become lightheaded because of sitting up, and he would have to lay back and rest for a few moments before he got up again. In the few instances in which he was able to get out of bed, he would easily grow short of breath, and have to sit back down. However, with increased amounts of healing potions and a few bowls of herbal soups, Harry began to gain back his health.
Five days after Snape had told Harry about the fate of his friends, Harry was awakened early in the morning. Snape was standing over his bed, wand in hand, and Harry started up. He thought that this was the end, that Snape was going to kill him, that this had all been a lie so that he could catch Harry off guard. Then, the professor stretched out his hand.
“Er…what are we doing?” Harry asked, confused.
“We’re walking, Potter,” Snape told him, and Harry could hear the impatience in his voice, “If you intend to be out and saving your friends with the week, then you best begin to walk again.”
“Right,” Harry replied, and his legs suddenly felt like lead, “Okay, this should be easy.”
He rose out of bed and braced himself against the headboard. He knew that he wasn’t ready for this. Even as his strength returned, he still hadn’t been able to move two feet away from his bed. Slowly, he placed his right foot down in front of his left. Then, releasing his grip on the bed, he moved his left in front of the right. His knees buckled underneath him, and he clashed down onto the floor.
Snape gave a wave of his wand, and Harry was raised to his feet again. Catching his breath from the fall, he looked up at Snape.
“How am I supposed to do this?” he asked him, “I haven’t moved in weeks! Am I supposed to just hop up and walk?”
“Think, Potter, think!” Snape uttered, “What are you walking for? You have to envision the reason that you are trying to get better for! Now, do it!”
Harry shook his head in aggravation. What exactly was Snape playing at? This was impossible. Then, deciding that he had nothing to lose from taking his advice, he looked at the wall far away from him.
There they were, standing and waving at him, silently cheering him on. Ron was there, smiling at him. Hermione had tears of happiness in her eyes, happy that he was alive. And then there was Ginny, looking absolutely beautiful and exquisite. He was drawn to them all, anxious to reach them. Slowly, he stepped one foot forward, and then the other. He began to feel himself move toward them, and from a great distance it seemed, Snape laughed triumphantly. Then, he began to clap his hands, and his friends disappeared. He was standing in the middle of the room, far away from his bed.
“Well done, Potter,” Snape jeered, “Well done!”
“I can do this, Professor,” Harry said, “I’m ready now. I’ve got to save them!”
“Not yet, Harry,” Snape told him, “You’ve just started to be able to walk again. You aren’t going to go out in this shape and be able to come back alive. Perhaps with a few more…”
“NO!” Harry shouted, “Don’t you get it? I have to go. Hermione is about to be transformed into a vampire. Ron is off murdering others for a man that he doesn’t believe in! And Ginny…I can’t sit around knowing that she is suffering! I am leaving today!”
‘Potter,” Snape said calmly, “Soon, you’ll leave this place and be able to fight all of the evil that has come out of that battle in the woods. For now, you are able to walk to that wall. In a few days, you’ll be up and about, able to go long distances without a problem. It will be on that day that I will let you leave this house and persue the journey ahead of you. Trust me, my boy. I can get you through this. You just have to trust me.”
With a sigh and a moan, Harry gave in. He limped over to his bed and sat down, feeling as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. He could almost see Ginny in the Malfoy’s home, her eyes tired from the hard day’s work, her hands and knees aching from overuse. He saw Hermione, her teeth now elongated into fangs, thirsting for blood. Ron was in his vision too, his left arm charred from the Dark Mark, holding a wand to an innocent man’s face and tears falling from his own as he uttered the words of death.
“Everyday now, Snape,” Harry said, “We work everyday. I’m saving them soon.”