Second Place - Romance

Severus slowly came to himself as he felt the cold and damp settle in his body. Struggling to raise himself off the hard surface, he tried to clear his mind enough to try to figure out where he was. Vague memories lashed at his brain as he fought to bring order to his thoughts. Finally the memories of being magically bound while being roughly grabbed on the battlefield assaulted his mind. He had been in the process of trying to revive Harry when the Aurors had attacked him. They had not listened to his pleas or his exhortations to allow him to help their young hero. Without discussion they had thrust a port key into his palm, thus forcing him to travel to where ever they had deemed necessary. And so, without fanfare, the potions master had found himself in the receiving room at Azkaban Prison.

That had been several hours before and now Severus was just plain exhausted. He had used up much of his magical reserves during the battle in trying to ensure Harry Potter�s safety. His one objective in the battle had been to see that the young Hero-of-the-Wizarding-World could have the opportunity to complete his mission. Well, at least he had succeeded in that. He had watched as the young man had fearlessly stood up to the Dark Lord and had bested him, utterly defeating the evil bastard. Snidely Severus recalled the muggle expression that said that no good deed went unpunished. For that surely was his reward in all of this.

The potions master and master spy had watched as Potter and the Dark Lord had verbally sparred before the monster had lost enough control to begin striking indiscriminately at the younger wizard. As promised, Harry had patiently awaited for the right moment before retaliating. Then the power unleashed had been simply amazing. Severus had never seen the like before. Where once had stood an evil Dark Lord now sizzled a pile of smoldering ashes. Potter had then spoken an incantation that utterly decimated the remains of the bastard forever.

Severus then watched as the powerful young wizard slid unconsciously down to the ground. He had just stepped forward to assist his student when several Aurors appeared next to him and demanded his immediate surrender. Confused, he lowered his wand arm to show that he was willing to cooperate, but instead of the expected response he had been hexed by several of the wizards. Severus shook his head slightly as he tried to recall the events following. Instead he found that the motion only aggravated the throbbing in his head and did nothing to enlighten him on the turn of events.

Gingerly the wizard tried to move his weary body into a more comfortable position, but that seemed to be impossible given the circumstances. Severus rubbed a bloodied hand across his face as he leaned back against the cold stone of the room, no cell, in which he found himself. He and Albus had discussed the very real possibility that the Death Eaters would be adversely affected by the destruction of the Dark Lord. Severus had worked many long hours to create a potion that would effectively block the Dark Mark. After much discussion they had decided that the potion would spare Severus the effects of the severing of the connection with the bastard.

Now, Severus only hoped that Harry was all right. The over-zealous Aurors had not even given him the chance to make sure that Harry was still alive. Closing his eyes against the pain in his chest, Severus only knew that Harry�s safety and well-being was more important than his own.

It had been a frightening discovery when the potions master had realized that his feelings for one Harry Potter had turned to love. He had been completely unprepared for that revelation. For so long Severus had held onto his hatred of Harry�s father in order to distance himself from the young man. In retrospect Severus knew that subconsciously he had been pushing Harry away from him. Somehow the taciturn man had sensed his mate and had unconsciously fought against that bond. But now Severus sat here hurting with no idea of Harry�s fate while his own seemed to be sealed. He wasn�t foolish enough to believe that he was here for his own pleasure. The Ministry had been after him for many years and it was only for the efforts of Albus Dumbledore that he had maintained his freedom this long.

The thought of his mentor brought a new pang to his heart. Too busy in trying to aid and defend the young Gryffindor, Severus had been unable to track the older wizard�s progress through the battle. Struggling to breathe normally, he sincerely hoped that Albus and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as the teachers and students were faring better than he. Though the naturally reclusive man was loath to admit it, he cared more deeply for those around him than anyone would have guessed. In his duty as a spy, it was paramount that he maintained an air of aloofness. Innocent lives were at stake and he had vowed years ago that he would do everything within his power in order to assure the safety of his friends, colleagues and students. The result of that emotional detachment meant that he had spent long lonely years apart from the rest of humanity, but he knew even in his pain and isolation that it was for the best. Albus was the only one who knew the truth about the potions master and though he might not approve of Severus� methods, he did understand his reasoning.

The thoughts of his self-imposed loneliness brought his mind back to the Boy-He-Hoped-Still-Lived. The image of the young man�s beautiful face and brilliant eyes filled his mind�s eye and the potions master sighed heavily. Severus never would have spoken of his love for his student, preferring to believe that the young man was better off without him. But that could not stop his heart from wanting what he knew he could never have. Hope had long been a stranger to Severus Snape. He had always known that he would have to subjugate his own hopes and desires, but he had underestimated the pain and grief it would bring him.

But looking around at the dimly lit, unfurnished room, Severus was oddly glad that he had managed to refrain from succumbing to his heart�s desires and instead had kept his feelings for Harry secret. At least now, Harry would not have to share in his shame at being incarcerated. For that is what Severus presumed was his fate. He had never been to Azkaban prison, but he felt sure that this was where he had been sent. If, Merlin preserve, Harry was all right, then no one would know that the supposed Death Eater and supporter of the Dark Lord had dared to fall in love with the Hero-of-the-Wizarding-World.

Closing his eyes against the weariness in his heart, body and soul, Severus prayed for a quick end to his torment. Without Harry in his life and his heart, there seemed to the man to be little reason to go on. Severus had accomplished his life�s goal in helping to defeat the dark wizard who had marked him. The truth was that without his soul mate, life held little meaning for the potions master.

Idly, Severus wondered if anyone had even noticed his absence from Hogwarts. Again hoping that the others had survived the battle, he realized that the venerable headmaster would move heaven and earth to help his prot�g�. Severus never doubted his mentor�s love and devotion. He only questioned whether or not he actually deserved the older wizard�s regard. Severus had spent too many years in the shadows, blending in with the darkness that permeated the path that he was forced to travel. Severus may not have wished this fate in his life, but he was resigned to accept what befell him, believing that he truly deserved no better.

Logically the potions master knew that even if Albus had been able to immediately set about the process of freeing his prot�g�, it would still be several hours at the least before he could be freed from the custody of the Ministry and the confines of Azkaban prison. Finally allowing the lingering pain from the battle overcome him, Severus slipped back into unconsciousness.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 3

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