The first thing Harry became aware of was the bright light filtering through his eyelids. He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking rapidly against the blinding sunlight. When his vision cleared, he saw Madame Pomfrey standing over him, wand in hand, casting her usual diagnostic spells. He smiled at her, and was glad to receive a smile in return.

"You gave us quite the scare, Mister Potter," The Hospital Matron told him gently. "The way you attract trouble, I should put your name on this bed."

Harry chuckled, but stopped when the action caused his ribs to flare. He grimaced against the pain, and when he opened his eyes again, Snape had joined the motherly nurse at the end of his bed. He smiled abashedly, but only got a small scowl in response. Something had happened after he fell unconscious.

Madame Pomfrey drew Harry's attention away by coming around to the side of the bed and offering him a potion. "It will help with the pain and reset your cracked ribs." She said by way of an explanation.

Harry nodded and took the phial gratefully, letting the older witch help him to sit up. He knocked back the vile-tasting concoction, then started to gag as he felt it burn its way down his throat and into his stomach. His tail twitched in disgust, and his wings contracted around his shoulders, shuddering in feathery distaste. Finally, Snape smirked.

"Oh, that was foul," Harry croaked.

"Better than Skelegro, however," Snape pointed out.

Harry considered this, then nodded. "True. What happened?"

Snape lifted an eyebrow in careful consideration, and then turned to the Hospital Matron. She scowled back, but moved away from the bed with a scoff. Snape smirked after her, and when she had gone he sat carefully at the foot of the bed.

"You know your attacker," He began baldly.

Harry shrugged. "Sort of. He's…I know he's Colin Creevey's little brother. I've spoken to him a few times, to help with schoolwork or passing in the corridors. I take it he was the traitor we overheard?"

"He was not," Snape answered. Harry frowned. "He is spelled so that he cannot reveal the other traitor, or traitors, amongst your friends. It was him who set a few of those traps you discovered in your room. Apparently, his failure to harm you in some way had lost him Granger's good graces. His attack today was an attempt to regain them, and partially out of spite for you using a fire spell he cannot master."

"So I'm still a prisoner in my new House?" Harry asked with a sigh.

"No," Snape said, touching Harry's paw. Harry swallowed the giggle that rose as he felt those impossibly long fingers run through the soft fur that covered his new foot. This was no laughing matter. "You are never a prisoner, Potter. And, should you begin to feel that you are, you can always come to me. I will do what I can to alleviate the weight on your shoulders."

"All due respect, Professor, but it's my burden to bear," Harry said. Snape frowned, and prepared to argue. "I will come to you," Harry admitted. "I'll have to, as I have no one else I can really trust. Even Ron isn't safe, nor Luna. But when I do, I won't expect you to shoulder my burden; couldn't expect you to do that. It was me who started this silent war that's torn a rift through Hogwarts, even if it was accidentally done, and it must be me to end it."

Snape scowled. "Bullshit, Potter. You've done nothing, except to suffer the consequences of events that unfolded around you. Whether or not you expect me to shoulder your burden is irrelevant. It is not for you to decide whether or not I can, and I offer my assistance without question or hesitation. You will need someone to lean on when the weight grows too heavy, and I am more than willing to fulfill that role. You have little choice in this. If you do not come to me, then I will come to you."

Harry wanted to argue, to be brave and strong in the face of Snape's resilience, but he found he couldn't. It was tiresome, being the one to carry the world on their shoulders. If Snape could help, even the slightest bit, if he was willing to listen and sympathize, then Harry would take what he could. It was time to stop pretending he was some sort of war hero, and start realizing that even heroes needed a shoulder to cry on every now and again. And Snape, if what had happened so far was a basis for comparison, could fill that role admirably.

"Thank you," Harry said softly.

Snape smirked again. "It's good to see you're capable of getting over your foolish Gryffindor tendencies. There may be hope for you yet, Potter. Get dressed, we will go as soon as you're ready."

Harry nodded and shifted to the edge of his bed. His ribs felt a million times better. His arm, which was bandaged carefully, still smarted, but he suspected Snape already had more potions waiting for him, to alleviate the pain and heal the flash burn he'd received. It may take a few hours, or even days if the burn was bad enough, but Harry could live with that. At least he'd walked away with his life.

The younger wizard smirked as he buckled himself into his leather outfit, shifting his wings around and using his tail in place of his injured left forearm. McGonagall was right; he was rife with dumb luck. A glance at his reflection in the window by his bed had the smirk slipping the slightest bit. He reached up and flicked one of his badger ears. Sometimes, he was forced to wonder exactly what sort of luck he had. He seemed to have both good and bad in equal parts.

-Break-

Harry sighed in utter boredom as he wandered the snowy grounds of Hogwarts. Thanks to his connection to the castle, he'd fallen incurably ill the day following Christmas. Snape had rushed him back through the floo as soon as he'd determined what was wrong. He'd been angry, too. Not because Harry had disrupted his vacation further, but because he'd tried to hide his sickness behind false cheer. The man, perceptive genius that he was, had seen right through his bullshit after only a couple of hours.

Dumbledore, of course, had been thrilled to have them back in the castle. So had Madame Pomfrey, for that matter, as she'd immediately commissioned Snape for restocking the Hospital Wing. Apparently, they had left just in time for half of the remaining students to stage a mock battle in the Transfiguration Courtyard, and everyone involved had walked away injured. Harry was just glad they'd all walked away, and he'd cornered those kids who'd taken his side in the war to berate them for doing something so stupid without a teacher's supervision. Now everyone was avoiding him, afraid of facing his ire, or just afraid of him in general, and Snape was so busy he hadn't even answered his door the two times Harry had worked up the courage to knock. Even Hagrid had left to visit the Headmistress of Beauxbaton.

Feeling bereft with no one to talk to, Harry took to the skies above Hogwarts. He circled the Black Lake three times, and then flew as far away from the school as he could, stopping only when he felt he was near the dome of Hogwart's wards. From there, he circled the perimeter of the school, diving in and out of the Forbidden Forest. He stopped when he captured the eye of a Dark Creature he had no interest in tangling with. He had quite enough to deal with already, he didn't need another visit to the Infirmary on top of everything. Snape would probably kill him, once he emerged from his rooms, if he wound up back in the Hospital Wing for the second time in as many weeks.

Only when Harry saw the carriages coming down the road from Hogsmeade, did he turn towards home. Rather than entering through the front doors, from which he'd left, he turned instinctively towards the Astronomy Tower. It was a longer walk back to the Slytherin dorms, but the Astronomy Tower had become his secret place of sorts. He'd hardly landed when Snape came out of the door onto the tower.

"You'll catch your death, flying in this weather."

Harry frowned and it was then that he realized it had started snowing again at some point. He shrugged. "I like the cold," He admitted. "What are you doing up here? I thought you were busy with your potions."

Snape smirked and crossed the tower to stand at the rampart, staring out over the approaching caravan of carriages. "I was looking for you, actually." He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes beckoning, and Harry moved to stand beside his Head of House. "The Headmaster has decided, in his infinite wisdom, that Dennis Creevey will return to classes. He's been reprimanded, and he'll be serving detentions every weekend for the rest of the year, but since we can't prove he intended to kill you without the use of Veritaserum, we are forced to treat his attack as if you were any other student."

Harry sighed, leaning forward on the rampart. "Alright."

They were silent for several long moments. And then…

"I'm sorry."

Harry physically started at this. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Snape repeated. "You came to see me, and I was so consumed by my work that I was unable to fulfill the role I assigned myself."

Harry blushed. "That's okay. You've got other responsibilities than looking after me. How-how did you know I came to see you?"

Snape smirked. "I have wards on my doors for a reason. Unfortunately, you have a talent for timing your interruptions at the most inopportune moment. Had I not been so busy, I'd have come to find you sooner. Was there something in particular you sought me for?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, nothing really important. The first time, I only came by because my arm was itching really badly where my burn had been, but that went away after a few hours. Today I came by because I…I'm worried. I have this horrible feeling that things are soon to come to a head, and I just needed you, or someone, to tell me I'm being an idiot."

"I would never dare to call you an idiot," Snape said softly. "Trust your instincts, Potter. They've saved your life in the past, and they will continue to serve you well."

"That's not really what I wanted to hear," Harry groused.

Snape nudged his shoulder before wrapping an arm around the shivering form. "I said I would be here to offer assistance. I will not, however, coddle you."

Harry leaned into the warm embrace, smiling despite himself. "Thanks. And thanks for spending Christmas with me. It was nice having someone besides Remus around, especially when he started in on his research. I like Defense, but even I don't want to hear about it all the time."

Snape's only response was to shrug as if it were nothing. They stood like that at the parapet of the Astronomy Tower until it was time for dinner. Harry went to bed that night, the knot of doubt still tangled sharply in his mind over what was to come, but content in the knowledge that he wouldn't have to face it alone. He, like many of the other students, was utterly unaware of the absences until the following morning.