Drabble: Stepping Stones
Title: Stepping Stones
Author: breathless_dawn
Rating: PG
Characters: Harry, Snape, Ron
Disclaimer: Just a muggle girl, playing with a borrowed wand.
A/N: I've had this sitting in a folder for ages. I finally polished it up and decided to bite the bullet and post it. I'm still not entirely pleased with it, but I like the concept so I may revisit it later. Set in an AU DH universe, wherein Harry reaches not-quite-forgiveness.
Snape does not die. There are days (many of them) when Harry selfishly wishes he would have; he can’t stand the screams, the whispered apologies to his mother.
He’s been in St. Mungo’s for nearly two weeks, constantly at Snape’s bedside, though he often finds himself questioning why he stays. Snape is no more aware of Harry than of anything else. In bouts of semiconsciousness, he mumbles to Lucius Malfoy, to Dumbledore, to Lily, all of whom are now dead.
The Healers bustle around, waving their wands across his body, tipping potions down his throat, but nothing seems to help. Harry can’t help but feel that the only person who could cure him is the one lying in the bed. (He can’t decide if he feels worry or relief at this, is not really sure he’s truly felt anything but tired since he’s been here in the hospital.)
Ron comes to see Harry one day, offers him a steaming cup of tea. “Why are you still here, mate?” he asks, quietly. Harry is somewhat surprised at how resigned Ron is; he had expected incredulous anger to burst out at his constant presence at the bedside of a traitorous murderer of a man. (He had expected it of himself, too, if he is being honest.)
Harry takes the mug but does not drink. He doesn’t know what to say. Because he nearly died? Because he loved my mum? Because we’ve been wrong about him the whole time? “I don’t know,” he says, and it’s the most honest answer he can give.
Author: breathless_dawn
Rating: PG
Characters: Harry, Snape, Ron
Disclaimer: Just a muggle girl, playing with a borrowed wand.
A/N: I've had this sitting in a folder for ages. I finally polished it up and decided to bite the bullet and post it. I'm still not entirely pleased with it, but I like the concept so I may revisit it later. Set in an AU DH universe, wherein Harry reaches not-quite-forgiveness.
Snape does not die. There are days (many of them) when Harry selfishly wishes he would have; he can’t stand the screams, the whispered apologies to his mother.
He’s been in St. Mungo’s for nearly two weeks, constantly at Snape’s bedside, though he often finds himself questioning why he stays. Snape is no more aware of Harry than of anything else. In bouts of semiconsciousness, he mumbles to Lucius Malfoy, to Dumbledore, to Lily, all of whom are now dead.
The Healers bustle around, waving their wands across his body, tipping potions down his throat, but nothing seems to help. Harry can’t help but feel that the only person who could cure him is the one lying in the bed. (He can’t decide if he feels worry or relief at this, is not really sure he’s truly felt anything but tired since he’s been here in the hospital.)
Ron comes to see Harry one day, offers him a steaming cup of tea. “Why are you still here, mate?” he asks, quietly. Harry is somewhat surprised at how resigned Ron is; he had expected incredulous anger to burst out at his constant presence at the bedside of a traitorous murderer of a man. (He had expected it of himself, too, if he is being honest.)
Harry takes the mug but does not drink. He doesn’t know what to say. Because he nearly died? Because he loved my mum? Because we’ve been wrong about him the whole time? “I don’t know,” he says, and it’s the most honest answer he can give.