Harry was not ready.
But he also knew, like he always knew when he was dreaming, that it wouldnt last forever.
That he would have to let go eventually.
He just didnt want to right now.
...
After a while Madame Pomfrey came in to check on her very very special patient. Earlier in the day she had been there when Hagrid had come in with Harry. He had claimed that Harry had just melted down. That it had seemingly come out of the blue. That the child had worked himself into such a state as to completely pass out, completely give himself over to exhaustion.
Madame Pomfrey had felt so much pity for the boy when she had heard all of this news. Already he, by the circumstances of his parents death, had been slated to have a very complicated life. And now it was going to be even more complicated.
She had focused on this for a long minute, feeling a rush of emotions, a rush of protectiveness, for this innocent child.
She really hoped that somehow he would make it through.
But she did not know how to help him. She knew all about how to cure physical ailments. If the boy had come in with a broken leg she would be able to fix him and send him on his way, good as new.
That was not the case here. She could send him away now, but she felt that instead of him getting better- becoming 'good as new'- without some serious help, he would just get worse.
She wished she could help him.
But she didnt know if anyone really could.
Which was why she was astounded when she walked in on the tender scene, of Harry, swept up in the arms of the least tender man she happened to know.
...
Poppy walked further into the room, quickly, charged by what she was seeing.
What was going on?
As she made her way across her room Severus caught her eye. With a quick but graceful movement of one of his arms he put a finger up to his mouth in the universal gesture of, 'please be quiet'.
Poppy struggled with the thought of that. Her puzzlement at the situation almost compelled her to start a line of questioning.
But then she saw Harry's face.
And without a word she walked back to her office.
...
Meanwhile, Severus was weighing his options. He couldnt stay like this with the child forever. As much as he wanted to give Harry all the time, all the strength that he could, this could not go on forever.
He was willing to wait. But he was not willing to wait without... at least doing something.
Because, eventually, he would need to speak to the child. Eventually this scene, he figured, would have to turn from calm waters... to a dynamic storm.
And he was going to help the child as best that he could with the transition.
But he knew, that right in that moment, he could not let go. He could not break the trust the child was showing him. He could not in any way afford to let this child believe that he was being rejected. He had to do something else.
And with that. He started to tell a story.