Disclaimer: Nope, Harry Potter still does not belong to me!

A/N: Another chapter for you lovely people :) I'm actually surprised at how much attention this story is getting, I didn't expect many people to actually read it!

Thank you to Ribbonsandroses42 for your review, it was greatly appreciated :)

I would also like to say thank you to the guest Bronze for taking the time to review the first seven chapters, you made some valid points :)

Also to those who Favourited and Followed, you guys ROCK! ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Cover my eyes

Cover my ears

Tell me these words are a lie

It can't be true

That I'm losing you

The sun cannot fall from the sky

RyanDan - Tears Of An Angel

He wasn't wanted. That was what Harry had specifically said, and Snape wasn't about to go against the teen's wishes. Yet he couldn't bring himself to leave the hospital, or even his post by the room door. If the child didn't want to see him, then he'd just stay hidden by the wall. It wouldn't be fair to invade Harry's space if it wasn't wanted, even if Snape longed to barge in there and demand the boy at least talk to him. Why had he agreed to the stupid tube in the first place? Running a hand through his unwashed hair, he didn't even bother glancing up at the nurse that entered Harry's room with the bag of liquid food. Nobody paid him any mind, probably accustomed to seeing distraught parents in the hallway. But Snape wasn't a distraught parent, not really. His charge had essentially said he didn't want Snape as a guardian anymore, and as much as he hated to admit it, it tore at Snape's heart. The boy wasn't just a shadow in the background of the manor anymore, he was so much more. Even Pickles had christened him part of the pack, and Snape would never go against his loyal companion's instincts. Resting his head against his chin, he felt his eyelids droop. Maybe sleep would give him the peace he couldn't find in the living world? Maybe sleep would help him forget?

.

Harry hated the damn tube. It rubbed against the inside of his nostril, and had already gotten clogged with blood sometime during the night, meaning they had switch it for a new one. It was all Snape's fault, but all the anger Harry had felt disappeared as he thought of all the man had done for him. It was him that had gotten him away from the Dursley's. Him that had found him in that cave. Him that had stuck through every nightmare and countless nights of sickness. And though he never thought he'd say it, he missed his professor. Nobody, not even his closest friends, came close to how he felt with Snape around. He was safe, safe from harm and hurt. The potions master had never hurt him, not on purpose, and if Harry thought about it, the tube did help a little. He didn't have to smell the food being pushed into his system, in fact he didn't even taste it. Plus it made him feel a little less tired. So maybe he had overreacted, maybe Snape had been right. But there was nothing he could do now, not after he'd screamed at him like that. No, he would just have to live with the consequences, and hope Snape didn't get rid of him. He'd had more than enough goodbyes in his short lifetime.

.

He missed his bestfriend, missed the way Harry always knew just how to make him laugh even if he felt like crying. Ron knew his dad had tried his best to make the summer fun on his rare day off, but in all honesty Ron just wanted to get back to his mate's bedside. The waterpark was fun, but he just couldn't enjoy it as much as he would have if Harry was there, and he still had the tail end of that damn flu. He wouldn't tell his mum though, she'd just go on about how stupid he was for lying, and then he'd be banned from seeing Harry for the rest of the summer. He'd already missed two weeks of seeing him when the flu caught him by surprise, probably from being out in the rain for so long without taking any potions. Swallowing thickly to try and clear his clogged throat, he wandered back over to the twins, trying his hardest to seem enthusiastic. He wouldn't complain, that would tip his mum of. He'd just ride it out as he had been doing for the past two days. What was the worst that could happen?

.

The coffee was as always vile, but Snape welcomed the caffeinated rush it brought. Sleep had done nothing to relieve the ache in his chest, and now he was back to his earlier trick of keeping himself awake for as long as humanly possible. It wasn't exactly ideal, far from it actually, but if Harry were to need him he had to be awake, even if it was in the form of a buzzed up zombie. Nobody batted an eye at the countless cups he drank, so it wasn't as if it would harm him too much. Besides, he'd done worse when he was a student.

Relishing in the bitter taste, he allowed his eyes to scan the practically empty canteen. Visiting hours were over for the morning, so most people had gone back to their lives. Only the parents and guardians remained, and Snape gave a knowing nod to a father currently sipping his own coffee. Nobody else could understand the torture it was to have a critically ill child apart from those that he saw day in and day out, struggling against their own drooping eyelids as they gave themselves another boost with the bitter liquid. If only the Dark Lord could see him now, fretting over the Boy-Who-Lived like any concerned parent would. Squashing the Styrofoam cup between his hands, he tossed in the direction of the bin, rising clumsily to his feet. He may not be able to get Harry to talk to him, but he would definitely try talking to the boy. He just couldn't stand the silence anymore.

.

His whole body felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside out, and the more he tried to claw out, the worse it became. Of course it was all in his head, just his body fighting off a small infection, but to Harry, it felt as though someone had set alight his bones and was watching as they slowly disintegrated, and he hated it. He wanted them to just end it there and then, to just let him die and stop the pain. But he knew if they ever asked he would outright refuse, he would not give up. That would be like letting Vernon win, and he would most certainly never do that. To give in would be to admit defeat and never had Harry Potter admitted defeat, not even when he was younger, locked in a cage of fear had he given up on life. There was always better life out there, you just had to reach out at the right moment. Hope had been what kept him going when it seemed impossible. Hope had allowed him to live, if briefly, when the world crumbled around him. Hope had kept him alive when all else had died. And it would be hope that would see him through his treatment. After all every child has to dream of something.

.

"Open your eyes for me Harry! Let me see those eyes!" Snape's voice was on the edge of panic, his gaze flicking between the boy's face and the haywire machines. What was happening to the child? His skin felt much to hot against Snape's hand, and as a pained cry pushed itself through the boy's lip, he knew he was powerless to stop it. There was nothing he could do but watch as nurses flitted around him, hooking up a drip and setting icepacks along the feverish body. This couldn't be the way the child died, not now, not before he had gotten to show him just how good life could be if you had love. Love. Did he really love his enemy's child? As the machine protested wildly at the rocketing temperature and uneven heart beats, Snape collapsed against the bed, not even bothering to hide the tears. Yes, he thought desperately, he did love Harry, more than anything in the world.

A/N: So how was it? Not too bad I hope!

Review and let me know what you think :)

Seeya tomorrow, nicholosaur :)