Chapter Thirty Seven- Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Disclaimer-Most of these characters belong to JK Rowling, I'm just borrowing…

Severus did not sleep for long, since when he woke his face was still wet from the tears.

"Severus, would you like to wear some pajama bottoms?" Madam Pomfrey asked, acknowledging his modesty.

"Yes and…I don't want Lupin to see me back."

"But it must air out."

"I don't care, it's hideous and I don't want anyone to see it…please."

"Very well, I'll get you a hospital gown," she said, helping him into his pajamas. "You must keep it open to the back, just sit so he can't see then."

"Yes," he muttered as a very shy looking Remus Lupin entered the open door.

"Hi," Remus said, looking horribly embarrassed.

"The house-elf will be here in a moment, tell him what you want to eat, here," she said transfiguring a bed for Remus right next to Severus's. She walked out of the tiny room but left the door open.

Remus had a book bag and a smaller bag with him, probably his night clothes and tooth brush.

"Are you all right?"

"No," Severus began to cry again. He wiped the tears from his cheek as his back burned.

"I can't believe James hit you, Professor McGonagall is furious!"

"Good," he said looking down.

"Misters, what's you be wanting for supper sirs?" the house-elf asked.

"What cha got?" Lupin inquired.

"Tonight we is serving meat loaf, baked chicken, pork chops, masked potato, rice pilaf, macaroni and cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas. Pudding is chocolate silk pie and strawberry tart."

"Okay I'll have that, oh but skip the vegetables please," Lupin said to the perplexed looking elf.

"All of that?" Severus asked. Lupin smiled some and shrugged his shoulders, which made Severus laugh just enough for it not to hurt.

"And you sir?" the elf asked.

"Mashed potato with extra meatloaf gravy, macaroni, broccoli, peas and carrots…oh and pie and tart sounds good…milk."

"Okies dokies, coming right up," he said snapping his fingers.

"Wow, why don't you like meat?" Lupin asked sitting across from Severus on his bed.

"Dunno, well, it sort of makes me sick. Why don't you like vegetables?"

"'Cause they taste like crap," he said matter-of-factly as he shrugged his shoulders.

Severus could not help but giggle at Lupin's very direct answer. Of course, the giggle caused more pain, which caused him to cry. The more tears fell, the harder he sobbed, and he felt like it would never end.

"Shh, hey, it's okay, you'll be okay," Lupin said perhaps not knowing that touching Severus's shoulder was a bad thing.

"Ouch!" he screamed as Lupin quickly retreated the offending hand and looked suddenly terrified.

"What?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I…touched his shoulder," Lupin said, as if he thought he may get into trouble.

"Oh shh., shh, shh, it's okay, I can give you a stronger pain potion," she said leaning in closer to Severus.

"No, I don't want anything with addictive properties," he muttered. Most of the time he wished he could give in and take the potions. He had no desire to end up like his mum though, so he fought the urge each time.

"Very well, my offer still stands. Oh, here's your supper," she said putting Severus's long and damp bangs behind his ears. She placed the trays in front of the boys, who would eat their dinner on the bed, each facing one another.

She left and Remus attacked his dinner. He was nearly done with his meat-platter while Severus was still cutting his carrots.

"Eww," Severus said as if he'd just found a bug in his food.

"What?"

"This!" he said, piercing the piece of renegade cauliflower with his fork and holding it up for Lupin to see.

"What is that?"

"That, is cauliflower," he said with slow emphasis on each syllable. "It is the most disgusting thing on planet Earth."

"It looks like a brain."

"I think brains taste better," Severus said, relieved to be telling jokes.

"Hmm," Lupin said grabbing the overcooked vegetable off of the fork prongs and stuffing it into his already meat filled mouth. Despite his having popped it into his mouth like a piece of candy, the look on his face clearly showed it tasted nothing like it.

"Eww!" Remus yelled, spitting it out onto his plate. "It tastes like my dog's butt!"

"How do you know what your dog's butt tastes like?"

Remus laughed for a few moments. "Um, I don't but I'm sure it tastes like that. What do you think it tastes like?"

Severus thought for a moment, sensing Lupin didn't want a logical answer, but a comedic one.

"I think it tastes like Professor McGonagall's feet!"

Remus's eyes widened before he laughed hysterically. Severus let out a few soft giggles. They reminded him of his pain so he tried to stop.

"I think it tastes like Hagrid's butt-crack!" Lupin said, laughing even louder at his own pun.

"Oh yeah, I think it tastes like Dumbledore's armpit!" Severus said, trying to smile without laughing.

Remus continued to laugh as Severus attempted to hold off the giggles.

"I think it tastes like…Filch's ear wax!"

Severus should have taken offense to Remus mocking his kin, but he paid it no matter. Deep down he thought that his great uncle's ear wax probably does taste like cauliflower.

The two continued passing on various and disgusting tastes for the next ten minutes. They were out of gross ideas after the Hippogriff Bogeys, Thestral Testes, Flictwick Pubes, Unicorn Turds, Merlin's saggy left nut sac, Peeve's Puke and most disturbing, Slughorn's Corns. Laughing hurt but he tried to giggle as softly as possible.

"What's going on in here, what's so funny?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"We're discussing what cauliflower tastes like, what do you think it tastes like?" Remus asked.

She sat next to Severus and smiled and said, "I think it tastes like dragon-dung!"

Remus laughed some more. "See, no one likes it!"

"You two have not touched your pudding!" she erupted.

"Oh, we will…see," Remus said shoving nearly half of the pie into his mouth.

"Good boy, and you?" she asked, looking at Severus.

He smiled and took what he considered very large bite of tart, which seemed to make her happy.

"There, I'll have some biscuits brought up soon okay?" she said winking at Severus as she left.

"She's so nice, she's always nice to me when I'm recovering," Lupin volunteered.

"Recovering?" Severus asked, as Lupin glanced back with an 'oh shit' look on his face.

"Um, from my accidents, clumsy remember?"

"Yeah, sure," Severus said unconvinced.

The two finished their pudding and Severus walked painfully to the bathroom. When he came out a tray with biscuits and two glasses of milk were on the bed. Remus did not wait for Severus as his mouth was full and he was piling in more. The kid was so tiny and weak looking all of the time, yet each time Severus saw him eat, he ate like he was stocking up for winter hibernation.

"I saved you some," Remus said holding up the half empty platter.

"Thanks," Severus said grabbing for just one of the iced topped oatmeal cookies.

"You are going to get so fat in here, I heard you have to stay here until the end of term!"

"Well not quite that long, but for a very long time, yeah. I don't think I'll get fat," the pathologically skinny boy reminded himself. "Don't you have homework?"

"It's just our first day back, they hardly assigned any, none that is due tomorrow at least."

"Yeah I know nothing is due, but we have reading we need to do."

"Didn't you read ahead?" the biscuit filled boy asked.

"Months ago, but somehow I doubt you did."

"What's up with the dragon?" Remus said wanting to change the subject.

"Oh that thing, she gave it to me."

"She does that, she got me a phoenix the first time I was in here over night. It's in my room, they make fun of it."

"Of course they do, what don't they make fun of?"

Remus giggled with a guilty smile, "Not much gets passed them."

"Perhaps you should do your reading now," Severus said wanting to change that subject.

"Are you bored with me?"

"No!" he exclaimed. He honestly was not bored with Remus, but he did not want Remus to fall behind on his account. "I just don't want you to get into trouble, for being here…from anyone."

"Why would I be in trouble? I have permission to be here."

Clearly he was in denial. At some point his asshole roommates would tease him for being there, and Severus hoped they kept their teasing to verbal jibes and not beat on him anymore.

"Severus, how did this happen to you? What did you do?"

'Fell in love with Lily apparently. When did it become love? What's the difference between love and a crush?'

"I just grabbed the wrong ingredient. Stupid really. I'm going to catch up on some reading now," he said grabbing an oversized book.

Remus reluctantly opened his defense book and moved to his own bed to read. Severus who finished that book ages ago was reading ahead on the Patronus Charm. He'd been reading about it for some time and even made a few attempts but nothing ever happened. He didn't have many happy memories in his life to use to conjure it after all.

Of course, there was that kiss, and she did hold his hand. Those feelings were pretty strong and pretty good. He did not want to practice in front of Lupin, but at least he knew how he was going to spend his summer.

Around ten Remus left for the bathroom and stayed in there for quite some time. Severus was wondering if he was whacking-off in there or not when he finally returned fifteen minutes later, collapsed into his bed and was snoring within a minute.

Severus took his sleep potion and promptly fell asleep.

Severus awoke and the two had breakfast in relative silence. He still needed help dressing and did not want Remus's help. He also needed his morning massage and did not want Remus to witness it.

Remus must have sensed these things as he quickly dressed and gathered his books well before classes began.

"I need to head to my room for a bit, I'll see you in class?"

"Yup," Severus said as Madam Pomfrey came into the tiny room.

"Can I come back tonight?" he asked her.

"Sure Remus, see you around six-thirty or so," she said with a kind smile. "Okay you, time for your massage."

The massage was as bad as always. The pain never got any less and never got easier to bear. He was late to each class again, and was forgiven for each tardy. Several times he forgot and would sit back, or turn his head or breathe too deeply which caused gasps and tears. For the most part he made it through the day without any difficulty at all. Potter and the others ignored him, which made him very happy.

He left his last class fifteen minutes early to head back to the infirmary in the comfort of the barren hallways. He stripped down and sank into the orange stinging water bath.

"Okay, I'll be back…wait…" Madam Pomfrey paused, "What is it?" she asked someone else, someone he could not see. She closed the door to his bathroom and left. He wondered what was going on.

Forty five minutes later he was still sitting in the tub, which was now lukewarm. He was really wondering where she went. Did she forget about him?

He was about to just get up and look when there was a knock to the bathroom door.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly and a very timid looking Lucius Malfoy entered the room. "Hello. I'm sorry but Madam Pomfrey has been detained. The uh, Ravenclaw's had some trouble in Quidditch practice today. Many many broken bones, she's quite busy at the moment."

"Oh, I need her to scrape my back."

Lucius made a very obvious and disgusted face. "Scrape…your…back?"

"Yeah," Severus said, lowering his head with embarrassment. "I have to sit in this bath, it loosens the dead skin, and then she uses that thing over there," he motioned to the plastic looking device, "and it scrapes it all off and into the tub. It doesn't usually hurt much, but it needs to be done."

"I see. Well she was trying to mend broken bones when I came in looking for you. She told me to come in here and assist you," he said curling his lip and nose and looking nervous.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"I can…this thing?" he asked picking up the device. Severus nodded. "I can…what do I do?"

"Oh well you would just run it up me back and it takes the skin off…it's really gross. You don't have to."

"Of course I don't have to, but…well it must be done. It doesn't seem that difficult," he said kneeling down. He removed his outer robes and used a tie from his pocket to pull his hair back. Severus turned to face outwards and placed his head on a bunched up towel on the floor of the bathroom, his back completely exposed.

"It's disgusting," Severus warned.

"What is?"

"Me back of course, it's atrocious." Severus glanced up to see the pale white face of Lucius Malfoy. His face was filled with horror and repulsion as he caught his first real glimpse of Severus's back.

"It's…terrible, just terrible. You say this scraping won't hurt?" Lucius asked.

"It did last night, only because that tosser Potter slapped it."

"I heard. I spoke to his Head of House, I assure you, it will not happen again. So I just…"

"Press it down some, and then pull it up and you should see the skin just come off."

"Very well," Lucius said.

"Lower…you need to go lower."

Lucius's hands were beneath the water now; he leaned over as far as he could without falling in and very slowly used the device to remove the wet and dead skin. Severus shut his eyes and held his breath as he could feel the skin scrape off of his raw back. He did whimper a few times as some of the more sensitive spots were very tender.

He turned his head painfully to see Lucius, looking as if he were going to be sick. Not that Severus blamed him. Seeing his own skin float in the tub sickened him as well and he had a strong stomach.

"So your mum was a Healer, suppose she ever skin scraped?" Severus asked.

"Um, well I suppose she may have," Lucius said turning his head to face Severus's face. "I mean I would not know but it's possible. Not sure how she stomached being a Healer. I sort of wanted to be one, I can heal simple things pretty easily, she taught me the basics. I really wanted to be more like her but now...I'm not so sure if the healing-arts are for me."

"It's hard…the more I think about it, the less I think I want to pursue it," Severus said.

"Did you wish to?"

"Sort of, thought of it. I like herbology, I like potions, I like counter-curses, I dunno."

"Is this enough?" Lucius asked.

Severus slowly turned his head and saw a good amount of skin float by.

"I think so, thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"I know," he said very seriously. He rose and dried his own arms first before gathering a large white towel for Severus. Severus rose slowly out of the tub and walked into the outstretched towel. Lucius, modest as always, turned his head to give the burnt boy some privacy.

"I just came by, originally, to see how you were doing and ask if you needed anything? Then I got suckered into this, well...do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay and I have everything I need. Thanks. Oh, is that whole Narcissa thing still working out?" he thought to inquire.

Lucius's face sprang from the look of sheer nausea to the look of sheer elation.

"Splendidly! We write daily using the two-way parchment. This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend and I'm taking her to lunch."

"Good. Well, I'm glad it's working out."

"Yes. I'll stop by Friday evening and visit and don't take this the wrong way but I never wish to scrape anything off anyone's body ever again."

"I don't blame you. Lucius…please don't tell anyone what my back looks like."

"I won't, I promise…though I must say, I doubt I'll ever forget what it looks like myself. I also now, have no desire what so ever, to eat dinner. Good evening."

Lucius gave a curt bow, a tiny smile and left the room with the door shut behind him.

Severus had the water in the tub drained and dried off his legs and backside as best he could. He glanced in the full length mirror which was on the door. He tried to turn his back so he could see, but since he could not really turn his head, he saw nothing. He really wanted to see his back, his entire back, and survey the damage he had inflicted for himself. The few people who saw it looked horrified.

He went back to his room and in great pain andput his clothes on. He glanced outside to find Madam Pomfrey furiously busy with the broken Ravenclaw's. It was easy for him to sneak passed her.

Most people were at dinner so he easily navigated the hallways and went straight for the Room of Requirement. He entered to find a multitude of mirrors. He walked into the center of the room, to what seemed to be a very large mirror. He turned to make sure he was alone, and indeed he was. He removed his clothing and lowered his trousers and his pants to his ankles. He looked at the mirror before him which showed the reflection of the mirror directly behind him. It was then he saw his wounds for the first time.

He looked on in horror and could not believe what he was seeing. His back was white and various shades of pink. It was also shiny and cratered just like the moon. The craters were many and deep. His back resembled a hilly valley, some lumps, some dents. He saw several of the open gashes. He could also see his spinal cord through the thin layer of scar tissue. The wounds went straight up his neck to his hairline and to the tops of his shoulders. His shoulders were rough and lumpy, as were his sides beneath his arms.

The burn ended just above his buttocks. The tissue was almost sloped, like a multitude of waves stopped in motion, or a dried used candle stick. There were many canyons and mounds, then they just stopped and his normal tissue began.

The site nearly sickened him. He began to sob when a box of tissue suddenly appeared before him.

Disgusted by what he saw he turned his attentions more towards his front. He'd never seen himself naked in a full mirror before. It seemed in the weeks he'd spent in the hospital his puberty did not stop to take a break.

"Is that hair?" he asked himself, looking closer at his chest. There were several peach like but black hairs forming on his sternum. "Neat," he said with a smile, finally relieved to have something other than his pain and his scars to think about.

He looked further down to notice a few in his pubic region as well and the bottoms of his legs, from his knees to his ankles. "Wow," he remarked at his new darker legs. He looked at his face in the mirror and smiled.

He still looked terrible, sallow and pale. His hair was an absolute mess, even worse than usual. He cast three cleansing spells on his body and his hair and painfully redressed before returning to the infirmary.

When he returned, Madam Pomfrey was waiting for him and did not look happy.

"Where were you?"

"I wanted air, I went for a walk, and you were too busy to…"

"Do not leave this room again. Those are the rules or you can return to St. Mungo's, understood?"

"Yes."

"Your friend is waiting for you. I'll be in for your massage in a moment," she said in a very ticked off tone.

When Severus entered his room, Remus Lupin was there, with two trays full of food.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I ordered it all," Remus said with a happy smile.

Severus sat down and surveyed his plate which overflowed with roasted potato, parsnips, spinach, dinner rolls, vanilla cake and berry sorbet. He sat and began to eat with his friend.

AN: Yes, Hagrid's Butt-Crack and Unicorn Turd's are from the Potter Puppet Pals.