Finding out the Truth
Chapter 4
"Poppy, why don't you go and get a sleep, I will go to the great hall make it look like everything is fine. My Slytherins will know something is wrong within minutes, so I have to go. Once they are curious nothing can stop them, we have a monitoring charm on him nothing will happen" said Severus. He was hungry and thirsty for something that was not tea or coffee.
"Fine, Severus but if anything happens wake me" said Poppy, as she got up, she could not deny she was tired.
"Sure Poppy" said Severus. But he had a feeling that Harry would be fine, he was his son after all. He would not leave him if the monitoring charm alerted him, if anything was wrong.
"Goodnight" yawned Poppy, as she took her uniform off, there was muggle clothes under it, Poppy felt more comfortable in them. She left the office, and walked up to the stairs to her quarters. Which were above the hospital wing, she slipped into bed and she was no longer aware of her surroundings as she fell asleep.
Severus then made his way to the great hall, striding in, his Slytherins let out sighs of relief that he was alright. That made him smile, he was not hated by everyone, his Slytherins like him.
Sitting down, he began pulling things to him, and began eating, he never did once look at the old man. The old man that had left his son at those beasts, he ended up squashing his fork thinking about them. With a sigh he repaired it, the others looked at him curiously.
"Are you alright my boy?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"No I'm not alright" snarled Severus 'and neither is my son' he thought.
"What's wrong my boy?" asked Albus. He was not used to being treated like this by Severus, he was usually fine around him. Something must have happened, either that or he was in a very bad mood.
"Nothing is wrong, and do not call me your boy" snapped Severus. He could not stand the man talking to him, or even acting concerned. All he could see was his son, lying in the cupboard. They still had done nothing for his burns, the burn paste needed to settle for a day, and he had just made it before she had dragged him off. They would be able to give it to him tonight, he did not want to think the kind of agony his son had gone through with that burn.
"Sure" said Albus, he was not able to hide all his hurt. He was being treated horribly and had no idea why.
Finishing his dinner, he walked back to the hospital wing, he was not going to leave his sons side for longer than a twenty minutes. Walking in, he sat down his son looked so much whiter than him, apart from the red burnt blistery part. He was now more than ever thankful for the wizarding world. For if he had not been for this world, Harry would be permanently like that.
He did not know how long he sat there stroking his sons hand, lost in thought. He had lost so much of Harry's child hood. He was not even sure how to be a father, but he knew he had to try, he would do more than try. He would be a father to his son, unlike his father had been.
"I'm so sorry son" choked out Severus. He had not been there when his son had needed him the most.
"Damn you Lily! Look what's happened to our son! Look what you have contemned him too! Will he ever get over this!" cursed Severus. If Lily had just told him, everything would have gone differently.
"If you love him then he should" said Poppy, who looked much better with a good few hours sleep.
"He is four years old, I remember things that happened to me then too, of course he will remember" despaired Severus.
"It's time for the burn paste to go on" said Poppy.
"Give it to me I will do it" said Severus.
"Here then" said Poppy. Handing the healing burn paste that was fresh, everything was fresh. Poppy was glad of that, she knew Severus would not have let her use old potions, especially on his son, he did not even let her use them on his Slytherins.
She watched as Severus tenderly used the paste on his son. It was orangey color and it was a paste, so it was not to hard to put on, Severus made sure there was lots of it on and that it was over all the burns. They could have swore they heard a sigh from the little boy.
"Why do I hate myself so much, I did not know he was my son but I still hate myself for not being there, I hate Lily a little for not telling me I hate Jane for going into a coma. And I hate Dumbledore for leaving Harry there a simple blood test could have determined wither he had other family left or not!" said Severus.
"Your just feeling over protective of your son, everyone is like that, don't worry to much" said Poppy.
"But how can being protective make me hate myself?" said Severus confused. He had never felt like this before it was all new to him.
"You hate the fact you were not there when your son needed you, don't worry though he has you now. And he will need your help to get over everything that has happened. As well as the abuse and the fact that he will need to learn to be a child again" said Poppy.
"Yes, that's perfectly how I feel" sighed Severus. Slumping back on the chair, he wiped the paste of his hands. He could almost see the redness and blisters leaving, as the paste and his face started to loose the swellness.
"Well there is not much else to fix, the pain will be there for a few days. Its up to you wither you want him to stay sedated or give him pain potions, I would rather him stay sedated for a few days, he should not move with the regrown bones. And its better for him to get the pain potions, he will be able to drink milk and get his bones stronger. Its your call, either way it doesn't matter" said Poppy.
"Well, keep him sedated for the day then give him the pain potions," decided Severus. Thinking that was the best way for Harry to be, he did not want his son to be in to much pain. He knew his son would panic as soon as the sedative wore of, and it was going to be hard to calm him. Thankfully he had brewed good calming draughts, he was brought out of his thoughts with Poppy's reply.
"That's fine, Severus" said Poppy.
Poppy left him alone, she went to her office, and wrote down all the jabs she knew Harry would need. He had missed quite a few, many children had thanks to the war, but they had all been updated thankfully. Severus did not even realize he had fallen asleep, his head on Harry's bed, his hand still securely around his son's hand. As if protecting him from everything, Poppy covered Severus so he was fine, and put a pillow under his head, according to popular belief his hair was not greasy, just dirty from potion fumes.
Checking the sedative was still getting into the small boy, she left them both alone. He did not need twenty four hour watch, he seemed to be getting better. For that both Severus and Poppy were thankful more that he was alright, he did not want to know what would happen to Severus if Harry died. The man of course would be devastated, she knew how much the man had wanted children and how much he had loved Lily.
"Wake up, Severus" said Poppy, trying to get the exhausted man up.
"I'm up Poppy" groaned Severus. As memories began crashing into him, he had wondered why he was in the hospital wing. Looking up, he saw that his son looked better, the paste was gone along with the blistering red burn. The sedative drip was away too, so he was obviously going to wake up sometime today.
Severus then began to get nervous, what is his son was totally scared of them? They could not keep him drugged up with calming potions. It was not right, and he would not do that to his son, perhaps the calming potions to make him calm enough for him to realize that they were not going to hurt him? That was worth a try.
He went for breakfast, both of them. It would be suspicious if she did not show up again, so they both had to go. If Poppy did not go, Albus Dumbledore would be in the hospital wing before she could say stay out. He was a nosy man, and had to know everything, that was something the staff knew. They knew he would always meddle into their life. So they tended to keep there personal life personal, thank you very much.
They were both out of there seats, and right down to the hospital wing within minutes, as the magical monitor alerted them that Harry Potter was awake, and in the hospital wing, a child's hand began to twitch. And Harry Potter for the first time in a couple months woke up.