Chapter 14

Harry woke up with a very sore head and throat, his legs and arms feeling like lead. He tried to fall asleep but his body seemed to have tired of rest. He opened his eyes and looked around. Sev was sitting there reading the newest potions weekly magazine.

"Hey Sev," said Harry in a very weak voice. He lowered the magazine and felt Harry's forehead and helped the boy sit up, drink a bit of water and to lie back down. He drifted off, but not before he felt a cool washcloth settle upon his face and heard soft muttering lulling him to sleep.

He woke up again with much the same thing happening. He was given two potions, which he recognized.

"Pepper up potion and fever reducer," he rasped his voice still hoarse and weak. With a drink of water he fell back asleep.

Unfortunately, his sleep was interrupted when he woke up screaming bloody murder. "No No No no please stay away noooo! No werewolf... noooo! aarrrgggggggg!"

"Harry wake up! It's just a nightmare! C'mon Harry wake up!" shouted a frantic worried Severus as he watched Harry flinch and cry out in his nightmare, tears and sweat carving streaks on his face. 'Oh god it's about that damn Lupin. Stupid werewolf mutt, if I could get away with it I would bloody well kill him.'

When Harry eventually did wake up he clung on to Sev for all he was worth. Sev climbed inside the bed and Harry curled up beside him, snuggling his shaking body in. A potions phial was pressed to his lips and he drank it without complaint. Grabbing his cover and the Potions Master's robes he slipped into a nice dreamless slumber. As he dropped into sleep, he felt a hand stroke his hair. He would have purred if he was able, but he was too tired.

He was asleep for almost a day. Sev stayed with him and Poppy always had a house elf bring the food to the hospital wing. Dumbledore arrived to enquire after Harry.

"How is he Severus? Poppy?" asked Dumbledore as he walked in, his twinkle dimmed a bit.

"He has wizard flu. One more night and he would have died. Thanks to Harry and a house elf he is here with us. Harry asked the elf to get me and I brought him back here. He's healing nicely, but he's not been sleeping since the incident with the werewolf I mean Lupin. He's scared stiff and woke up screaming so I gave him a dreamless sleep potion. He has been asleep for nearly a day. He needs it though. With Lupin and Black fire calling every five minutes or coming in I've not had much sleep either. Bloody mongrels," said Sev.

Dumbledore nodded his twinkle back in full force. "Good, good, must be going, lots to do, lemon drops to buy. I'll see you soon Severus, Poppy," Nodding to each other they went their separate ways.

Harry woke up some time later and just sat there for a long time. He couldn't remember ever being this at ease. Sev knew he was awake because of the change in his breathing. He was good at pretending, but not good enough. Not that he was pretending, he was just enjoying it while it lasted. He was unaware that Sev was thinking the same thing. They sat there the whole afternoon thinking.

"Did you like my books?" he asked Sev, his voice sounding much stronger than yesterday.

"Yes I did. I couldn't read them straight away like I wanted to. I had a class to teach. I took it with me and read it in class," said a very relieved Severus that Harry sounded better.

Harry gave a squeal and a giggle, but went into a coughing fit. After it stopped he was told to drink a few more potions. One throat and to help his another pepper-up potion.

He snuggled back down and Sev started to read wizard bed time story's to him. An agitated mutt and werewolf interrupted that. Harry had never let Lupin touch him since that time and Remus was hurt by it.

"Get off my godson you bloody bastard," said an angry Sirius as he came banging into the hospital. Severus complied. Harry tried to grab onto him as he got up, but was too weak. Sev kissed him on the forehead and left for a bath and a nice sleep.

Severus was planning on going to the hospital wing after visiting hours were over to make sure he was ok. With that done, he let himself relax.

Mean while Sirius was fussing over Harry. He tried to cuddle him, but in the results of a coughing fit tried to get Harry to drink the potion. Sirius didn't realize that Harry couldn't have anymore pepper-up potion or he would end up with a fever. Finally he just smacked it across the room. Eventually Sirius and Remus gave up and sat beside him. He was facing them so he ignored them, faking sleep. He could not truly sleep though. His chest hurt, he could hardly move. He longed for some hot chocolate and a nice warm fire in the dungeons. With a smirk he thought 'I could try.'

He took the other pepper-up potion and spent the rest of the day lost in his thoughts, only coming out of them when madam Pomfrey gave him his two potions for his throat and another pepper-up potion. It tasted of pepper and always managed to make him gag. Also steam came from his ears. He hated it, but he needed strength.

Checking to make sure Sirius and Remus were asleep, he sneaked out of the wing and down to the dungeons. He spent twenty minutes trying to guess the password, getting it in the end.

"Snidget," 'Ah so that's what it is. Oh well, hot chocolate here I come!'

Sev was stunned when Harry came through the portrait. He thought that it would be Albus. Once he got a good look at him, he rushed over and picked him up. Then he covered him up with his favorite quilt. The boy looked ill and pale as he sat near the fire. He of course asked for "Hot chocolate please," in a labored voice. He was exhausted from walking to the dungeons.

"Cobby," With a pop "Bring two hot chocolates please," said Sev.

"Right away sirs, two hot chocolates coming up," said the excited house elf. With a pop he was gone and a few minutes later another pop heralded the arrival of the elf with their order.

They sat and drank in a comfortable silence. Harry snuggled into Sev and drank his hot chocolate, falling into a comfortable sleep. He never felt Sev move him to a more comfortable position or heard him getting up and fire calling Poppy telling her that Harry had somehow gotten to his room while the mutt and wolf were there.

"I will keep him up here. I have the potions he needs and you can floo up here when you wish to check up on him. He's more comfortable here or he wouldn't have come."

Poppy nodded. "Ok I will come every now and then and check on him. Good day Severus." With that the hospital wing nurse was gone.

Sev went back over, sat down and let Harry's head lie in his lap. He gently ran his hand through his hair, soon drifting to sleep. He had hardly had any sleep at all what with looking after Harry for days and making more potions to make sure that Poppy didn't run out.

Somehow madam Pomfrey managed to keep Remus and Sirius away, telling them to fire-call her and she would tell them when he was fit to have visitors.

For a while it went back into there normal routine. Harry reading and doing things while Sev worked and when he got back there was always a headache cure for him and a hot chocolate. Harry helped with the essays. It went that way for a week and they had the best weekend ever. Sev sat reading books to him all day and once Harry was better, they made a potion together. He was so excited, he had done it right and Sev was so proud of him. Even with all the happiness however, that night he had nightmares. He kept getting bitten by a werewolf and woke up screaming.

Sev came into the room and cuddled him, comforting him the best he could while Harry cried and shivered with fright. Sev tried to get up to get a dreamless sleep potion, but Harry wouldn't let him go. He mumbled, "Summon it," and made Sev hit his head like 'duh.' He summoned it like he was told and gave it to Harry. They fell asleep, Harry having the best sleep in months.

However, all good things must come to an end. He was back at Grimmauld place before he could protest. Back in the cold bed and cold bedroom alone. He cried again for his loss. He was in agony. His heart bled, he missed him already. There was nothing he could do.

There we go Sirius and Remus have Harry back, will Harry ever be free of those abandoning men? R&R will Harry be back with Sev in the next chapter?