Chapter 10

Minerva was absolutely enraged, when she entered Harry's room after the last tests were over. Seeing that Harry was lying there with his eyes closed, while his friends were sitting quietly on the edge of his bed, holding his hands, Minerva wasn't able to scold the child as she had intended. "How is he?" she whispered to Julia.

"His fever is very high right now I think. He's probably worried about what you're going to do with him, Professor," Julia whispered back. "I believe that he already regrets that he fooled you and Madam Pomfrey."

Minerva sighed. "Yes, I believe that, but nevertheless I have to punish him, not only because he fooled us, and Madam Pomfrey will be at least as angry as I am, but also because he willingly put himself in danger. His condition is too poor to do such stunts."

"How are you going to punish him, Professor?" Julia asked in concern.

"You'll be going home tomorrow anyway, won't you?" Minerva asked back, and when the two students nodded, she continued, "He will be grounded over the holidays, except for Christmas day, and until we believe that we can rely on him to behave a bit more responsible towards himself, we will take his temperature twice a day the Muggle way, three times if he's sick."

"Oh, poor Harry, he's going to miss his wrist band," Ken chuckled.

Julia shot him a stern glance. "Well, it's his own fault, isn't it? That was too foolish."

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"What does 'grounded' mean?" Harry asked Severus later when his guardian informed him of Minerva's punishment.

'It means that you have to stay in your room; no flying, no meeting with friends, no visits to the library, and so on,' Severus explained patiently.

"What about brewing with you?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Severus chuckled. 'Well, since you have an 'O' in your practical and theoretical tests, I cannot claim that you need tutoring; however,' he continued quickly, seeing how Harry's face fell, 'I don't think that Minerva would mind me teaching you during the holidays, but we have to ask her. And, I believe you have something else to tell her, don't you think so?'

"I have to apologize," Harry mumbled. "To Madam Pomfrey too."

'Yes, that's correct. Both of them are very worried of you, and what you did was really naughty.'

"I know," Harry whispered, fighting against the tears that welled in his eyes.

'Now Harry, I have to take your temperature, and I believe that you're in dire need of a potion, aren't you?'

"I've a splitting headache, if you mean that," Harry whispered, before he obediently opened his mouth.

While he stuck the thermometer into Harry's mouth, Severus thought to him, 'I won't speak to you for a while, because the telepathy will only worsen your headache. I'll give you a potion in a few minutes.'

Feeling the annoying cold thing in his mouth, Harry couldn't hold his tears back any longer and silently started to cry. 'Please stop it immediately,' he could hear Severus voice in his mind. 'You will only make your temperature go up even more.'

After a time that felt endless to Harry, Severus took the thermometer back and frowned. He helped Harry to sit up and pressed a cold phial to his lips, glad when Harry swallowed obediently. 'Don't worry and don't make yourself so upset, little one. You don't want to spend the holidays in bed, do you? Now try to sleep, Harry. I'm going to stay here with you. I will speak to Minerva later, and you'll see, everything will be all right.'

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

On Christmas Eve, Harry's condition finally improved, and Poppy promised that he probably would be allowed to get up in the morning. Later in the evening, Minerva was sitting on the edge of his bed, speaking with Harry for a while. "What do you think Father Christmas will bring for you, sweetie?" she asked, causing Harry to give her a confused glance.

'What am I going to tell her?' Harry thought feverishly, feigning a yawn to win some time.

"Ah, sorry, Harry, you're tired. Go to sleep, so that you'll be well enough to get up tomorrow," Minerva told him, knowing how strenuous it was for Harry to listen, especially when he was tired or sick.

Harry closed his eyes in relief, wondering if he should get up at all in the morning. 'Everyone will think that I'm a freak, if I'm the only one not to get any presents, just like the Dursleys did,' he mused sadly. During the night, he woke up from nightmares about Christmas morning several times.

Harry saw himself looking under the Christmas tree, which stood next to the head table in the Great Hall, and he found lots of presents; however, they all had somebody else's name on it. When he was finished pulling all the presents from under the tree giving them to the respective people, everyone could see that Harry was the only one, who hadn't received a present. While he anxiously sat down on his seat between Minerva and Severus, he could hear Minerva say to Poppy, 'I always suspected that he was a freak. Now we know it for sure.'

Harry woke up with a jolt, tears running down his cheeks, and his head was pounding heavily. Only a few minutes later, Severus entered his room and sat down on the edge of his bed. In order not to startle the boy, he carefully placed a slender hand on his forehead, causing Harry to blearily open his eyes. 'What's wrong, Harry?' Severus asked astonished. 'Don't you feel well?'

"No," mumbled Harry, closing his eyes again.

'Ah, and I had thought you'd be well enough to get up today,' Severus mind thought concerned. 'Now let's take your temperature, and then we'll see what we can do to make you feel better.' He stuck the thermometer in Harry's mouth and quietly wiped the child's face with a cold cloth, before he proceeded to sit back and hold his hand until the reading was finished. '37.8,' he sighed. 'I'd think you could get up for a little while to open your presents, but if you don't feel well enough...' he slowly trailed off, expecting Harry to assure him that he was fine.

However, Harry kept quiet, grabbing Severus' hand once more. Ten minutes later, Harry had yet to speak, and Severus slowly grew worried. He telepathically told Poppy what had happened, asking her if she could come and check on the child. A few minutes later, Poppy entered the room, a cheerful expression on her face. "Hello sweetie, how are you on this fine morning?" she asked aloud, and Harry lazily opened his eyes, while Poppy waved her wand over him.

"His temperature is slightly higher than yesterday, and he has a bad headache," she quietly told Severus and added in a louder voice for Harry to hear, "I will give you two potions, Harry, and then we'll see if you feel better. I'll be back in a blink." Two minutes later, she held out a goblet with a light orange potion.

Severus peered into the goblet, seeing that he had laced the headache potion with a calming draught, and raised an eyebrow at Poppy, while Harry obediently gulped down the potion. When he handed the goblet back, Poppy stuck a spoon full of the fever reducer into his mouth. Harry lay back and relaxed visibly. "Let him rest for ten or twenty more minutes, and then you'll check his temperature and ask him how he feels, and if he's better, he may get up for a short while," Poppy whispered to Severus and slid a wrist band over Harry's hand.

Severus gave her a nod in return, taking Harry's hand once more. Ten minutes later, he checked the wrist band, seeing that Harry's temperature had come down a bit, and asked, 'Harry, are you feeling a bit better? I'd like to take you to the Great Hall if you feel up to it. I've seen many presents under the tree with your name on them.'

"No." Harry shook his head in exasperation. "I never get presents from Father Christmas."

Severus smirked. 'I saw presents for you, I swear!'

"Really?" Harry asked surprised, slowly opening his eyes.

'Yes, really,' Severus replied and pointed his wand at the child to transfigure his pyjamas into a black jeans and a green shirt with a green robe on top. 'Go and wash your face, and then we'll head to the Great Hall, were everyone is already waiting for us.'

Twenty minutes later, Harry was excitedly unwrapping presents and couldn't believe that there were still others with his name on them. When he had finally unwrapped all the books and other presents he received, Severus thought to him, 'Harry, I still have a present for you.' He pointed to a wooden box with small holes in it.

Harry carefully opened the box and hesitantly peered inside.

HP

I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes!

All recognizable characters belong to J.K.Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.