It was well into the next night before Severus Snape opened his eyes. They shot open and his whole body tightened. Wherever he was, it was dark. He wondered for a moment if it was the afterlife. He had been gravely injured, after all, and there was no one there to...
No. Wait a minute. There was someone there, he told himself. A woman who claimed she would help him.
Severus tried to sit up. He felt heavier than he remembered. Or was he so weak that it just seemed that way? He raised his hand to his temples and rubbed them gently. Everything was a little fuzzy. He recalled running from the Ministry, from Harry Potter and the Weasley boy, and anyone else who might have been after him. He remembered that he was in the Forbidden Forest...near the end. A frown creased his forehead. But where was he now?
He looked around. There wasn't much he could see in the dark. Then it occured to him. He felt around with his hands. Whatever he had been sleeping on was soft. He discovered the quilt over top of him and the blanket. No wonder he had felt heavier when he woke up. The covers alone weighed a ton. If there were covers, then he was probably in a bed. As if to confirm this theory, he moved his legs out from under them and swung them over to the side. His bare feet touched the floor. It was hardwood or some other smooth surface because it was cold to the touch. Maybe it was stone. The temperature of the floor shocked him. Hadn't he been wearing shoes?
Severus was beginning to get nervous. Had that woman left him in the forest to die? Then he had a terrible thought. The cells in Azkaban had cold stone floors. A shiver ran down his spine. He had to find out where he was.
Slowly, he rose to his feet. He reached into his robes for his wand, but it was gone just like his shoes. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the rising anxiety within him. He started to feel his way around in the pitch black surrounding him. He felt the edge of a table and some sort of structure with drawers, probably a wardrobe of some kind. That's when his mind started to ease a little bit. A prison cell wouldn't have a wardrobe would it?
He felt along the structure until it ended. Then there was some other kind of shelf. Finally, after several minutes, he found a light switch. He squinted to prepare his eyes and then flipped it on. The room around him flooded with light. He could see where he was now. He was in someone's bedroom. The room was nice. He was starting to feel a lot better...until his eyes rested on the bedside table. Sitting there, was an empty vial and a syringe. Frantically, he rolled up both of his sleeves. Sure enough, there was a mark on his left arm, just above the Dark Mark. Someone had been giving him something.
Severus picked up the syringe and examined it. It was hard to tell what it was through the casing, but he didn't like the looks of it. He put it back down in a hurry. He looked around the room a little bit more. There were several shelves of books, mostly on the other side of the room, a wardrobe, the bedside table, the bed, and a lamp. The door to the room was just a foot away from him. It was quiet too. He couldn't hear a sound coming from the other side.
Maybe it was the woman he had met in the woods that had taken him in. Maybe this was her bedroom in her house. She said she wanted to help him, though he couldn't understand why. At the time, he was willing to let her because he knew he would die if he didn't. If this was hers, he hoped she wasn't home. Then he would be free to find his shoes and his wand and then leave quietly. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her helping him, it was just that he didn't trust her not to turn him in. He didn't trust anyone at this point. The only person he had ever trusted, even a little bit, was Dumbledore.
Severus opened the door as quietly as possible and tiptoed out of the bedroom. He found himself in a semi-narrow hallway. On one end was a dead end and on the other it opened up into more of the house. He could see a refrigerator and stove from where he was standing. He walked cautiously toward it. When he reached the entryway to the hall, he could see the living room, and more importantly, the front door. Now all he had to do was find his wand and he could conjure shoes if it came down to it. He would be free.
He let his eyes wonder. This was a quaint little place. It looked very homey and well kept. There were more bookcases on the far wall in the living room and rocking chair just like he had at his own place. He walked toward it and that's when he noticed her out of the corner of his eyes. He whirled around. Against the wall, there was a couch. The woman from the woods was curled up on it, sleeping soundly. Her wand was laying on the table in front of her, unprotected. What had she done with his?
Then he nearly slapped himself in the face. How could he have been so stupid? He could just call his wand to him. He inched over to pick up her wand and did just that. He held his free hand out to catch it. He didn't see where it came from, but it came to him in mere seconds. It must have been close. Maybe he had overlooked it. It didn't matter now though. At least he and his wand had been reunited. Now was his chance. Severus called his shoes with her wand as well and cleaned them up before putting them on. The next thing on his mind was clearing the door. He put her wand back down where he found it. He could use his own for this. He headed toward it and stopped just a few inches away. There was a slight fluctuation in the air. He sighed. There was a protection spell around the door. He could undo it, but it would be noisy, and he didn't want to risk waking the woman. He sighed again. It looked like he was going to have to stay. If nothing else, out of respect.
*******
It was a few hours later when Thea awoke to the soft creak of her rocking chair. At first, she wasn't sure what the noise was or where it could possibly be coming from. She laid there on the couch, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure it out. Suddenly, the sound stopped and she heard a book slide from her bookshelf and the creaking started again. That's when she opened her eyes and turned over slowly on her side.
A smile spread across her face when her eyes rested on Severus. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she was watching him. He was rocking back and forth with his nose stuck in her favorite copy of a Potions book a friend had gotten her for Christmas once. Considering what she knew about him, that he was the former Potions Master, it was incredibly ironic. There was a serious expression on his face. He was obviously concentrating very hard on what he was reading. She was glad to see him finally awake and, more importantly, alive
Thea sat up on the couch without making a sound and studied him a little harder. Severus seemed to be doing well. There was a little more color in his face and the dark circles under his eyes had dimmed. Maybe she wouldn't have to take him to St. Mungos after all. She stretched as far as her body would allow her to and smoothed down her hair before she stood. After all, she didn't want to scare him.
"Hello, Severus."
He jerked his head up and his eyes met hers. For a long moment, he didn't speak. He just stared at her. Thea was starting to get a little uncomfortable, but she didn't complain. At least he was okay.
"I'm glad to see you up and about," she told him. "It was a little touch-and-go for a few hours."
Severus licked his lips nervously. He hadn't even heard her get up and now here she was standing in front of him. Every fiber of his being was telling him to grab his wand. He knew this woman knew who he was and all she would have to do is reach down to get hers. He knew nothing about her.
"Who are you?"
Thea smiled sympathetically. She could only imagine what must be going through his mind. "I'm Thea Ranes. I've lived in this house for a while now."
He studied her with an intense stare. "Why did you help me?"
She clasped her hands together in front of her. "You collasped in the forest. Right in front of me. I couldn't just leave you there to die."
"Yes, you could have." He closed the book and laid it on his lap. His face was serious. "Most people would have."
"I'm not most people."
"You wanted to help me before I collapsed, even though you know who I am."
"I'm a very compassionate person."
He eyed her suspiciously. He wasn't very used to being shown compassion. His whole life people had treated him horribly. He didn't feel sorry for himself though. Those experiences had made him stronger.
She sighed loudly. "I know you don't trust me." She could tell by his body language and the way he kept looking at her. Plus, he had told her as much.
"I don't know you."
"I would like to know you."
A thoughtful expression settled on Severus's face, mixed with a little surprise. No one had ever said that to him before. "Why? I'm no one special."
Thea frowned. Why wouldn't he think he was special after all the things she had seen him do? "Oh, but you are. And I'm not the only one who thinks so."
This got Severus's attention. Thea was a bit startled when he got up from the rocking chair and returned the book where he had found it. Then he whirled around to face her. For the first time, she noticed he had his shoes on again. That meant he probably had found his wand as well. She had put them both near each other, the wand in the drawer of the nightstand and the shoes almost behind it.
"What does that mean?" His tone was sharper than he had meant for it to be and it took Thea aback.
"I just- There was someone who stopped by the house. He said he was looking for you, that it was urgent he find you."
Severus felt his heart skip a beat. "Who?"
Thea ignored him and continued. "He said that he was looking for you and if you stopped by here to tell you that he doesn't want to turn you in, that he would hide you from the Ministry himself if he has to. He just wants you to be safe."
"Who?" he repeated. He felt like an owl.
"Harry Potter."
"Potter was here?" Disbelief surfaced on his countenance. "When?"
"Last night. You weren't up yet."
Severus took a step toward her. "Tell me that you didn't tell him I was here."
"No. Of course not." Thea shook her head. She wasn't a complete idiot. "I know he's working with the Ministry to try and clean up Voldemort's mess. He's done some great things, but I don't know him. I wasn't sure if he was telling me the truth and I couldn't risk it. I told him I would tell you if I saw you. That was it."
He scratched his head. "Harry really said all that?"
Thea nodded.
"That doesn't make any sense. I mean, I know he saw my memories-"
"The ones you gave him when you were dying back at Hogwarts?"
His eyes met hers once again. "How could you possibly know that?" He took another step toward her. "You said you would tell me why you helped me when I recovered. I'm fine now."
Curiosity took a hold on her for a second. "Is that why you stayed? You could have left the moment you found your shoes and your wand-"
"How did you-"
"-but you didn't. You stayed here and made yourself comfortable, which I don't mind at all, but I am curious."
Severus swallowed hard. "I wasn't sure what sort of protection you have around the door and I didn't want to wake you."
"Why?" Thea asked. "Why would you care about that?"
"You saved my life. I would be dead if it hadn't been for you. The least I could do was let you sleep."
"Thank you. That's very kind of you."
"You're welcome."
Awkward silence fell between the two of them for a few minutes. Neither of them moved from the spot where they were, and they didn't look each other, didn't speak. Finally, Severus broke the silence.
"If you will kindly take the spell off, I will leave and this whole horrible ordeal will be over for you."
Thea stared at him blankly. She couldn't just let him go now. They would catch him for sure. "You're still weak."
"That doesn't matter."
"They'll catch you."
"They will anyway. I'm afraid you've only delayed the inevitable."
"They won't if you stay here."
Severus pressed his lips together. "I don't want to impose on you any longer."
"You're not imposing," Thea insisted. Then a thought struck her. "I'll tell you why I helped you if you stay. At least until morning."
As much as he hated to admit it, the offer was tempting. He was curious, but was he curious enough to spend another night with her? Maybe if he kept her at a considerable distance it would be fine...but only if no one showed up at the front door. If the Ministry found him here, there would be dire consequences for both of them.
"Do you realize that if I'm found in your home that you'll be charged with treason for keeping me here?" Severus asked. "Are you willing to take that chance?"
Thea smiled. Her answer was going to surprise him. No sane person would take that chance. Not really. "Yes."
He shook his head. He just did not understand her. "Why?"
Thea sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside of her. "Come over here and sit beside of me and I'll tell you. You just have to promise not to freak out about it."
Severus eyes narrowed at her in confusion. He had no clue what she was talking about, but he was about to find out. He walked slowly over to the couch and sat down beside of her, ready and willing, to listen.