Two
Severus Snape apparated into the village of Hogsmeade, his cloak wrapped tightly around the child in his arms. The sun was quickly descending and the shops and houses cast long blue shadows along the main street.
Only pausing for a second, the professor continued on his way, his destination clear.
A small golden bell above the door chimed as Severus entered the Three Broomsticks. Several patrons turned on their stools to see who had arrived before quickly returning to their drinks, but it was Madam Rosmerta who spoke.
"Professor Snape, what a pleasant surprise! What can I get for you?"
"I need to use your fireplace," he told her.
"You won't have a drink? Gillywater? Fire whiskey?" Rosmerta asked.
Snape ignored her and stalked to the large stone fireplace along one wall with orange flames dancing among the cordwood despite the warmth of the evening.
Right beside the fireplace, hammered into the rough stone wall was an iron bracket containing a clay garden pot the kind muggles usually grew herbs in. This one though, contained floo powder.
Carefully removing one hand from the child in his arms, Severus reached out and grabbed a handful of powder and tossed it into the flames, waiting until they turned a deep emerald green.
Without looking back, Snape stepped into the fireplace and spoke a single word.
"Hogwarts!"
HP
Bending over because of his height, Severus Snape climbed out of the fireplace in the castle's entrance hall. At this time of the evening, it was just after dinner and students were back in their common rooms. Straightening, the professor checked on the child in his arms. Harry Potter, fingers in his mouth, peered up at Snape with large green eyes. The journey from Privet Drive seemed not to have alarmed him much at all. Snape wasn't certain that was necessarily a good thing.
Knowing he would have to speak with Dumbledore eventually, but not ready, Snape covered the child with his cloak again and headed towards the Hospital Wing.
Walking swiftly, it took Severus little time to reach the domain of Madam Pomfrey.
HP
The Infirmary was quiet at this time of the evening; the patients were just finishing their dinners and the nurse was beginning her rounds.
Slipping quietly inside the Hospital Wing, Severus spotted Madam Pomfrey bending over a sixth-year Hufflepuff girl who had accidently turned her eyebrows into caterpillars when she'd tried to wax them with magic.
The nurse clucked her tongue as the Potions Master approached.
"Don't worry, dear, we'll find them before they get too far," Madam Pomfrey reassured the student whose eyebrows had crawled right off her face.
Straightening up, the witch couldn't hide the look of surprise that crossed her features at the sight of Professor Snape.
"I need to speak with you, Poppy," Severus told her before she could speak and with his free hand, took hold of Madam Pomfrey's elbow, guiding her towards her office at the far end of the Hospital Wing.
"Is one of your students hurt?" she asked as she allowed herself to be directed into the small, stuffy office.
Snape closed the door behind them and shook his head, "My students are fine."
"No," he continued, "I came to see you about this."
Severus opened his cloak to reveal the boy huddled against his chest.
Poppy gave a small gasp and raised a hand to her mouth.
"A child! Wherever did you find him?"
The boy blinked up owlishly at the witch, green eyes wary.
"This is Harry Potter," Snape told her and began to pry the child from himself, "I took him from his relatives."
Madam Pomfrey's eyes were round with shock.
"But why?"
Snape settled the boy on the edge of Poppy's desk, keeping one hand on the child's back.
"Dumbledore asked me to check on the boy, see how he was doing," Severus explained, "The boy was being treated like a dog, Poppy. I could not leave him there."
The witch looked as though she wasn't sure what was more surprising; the news that the Boy Who Lived would be treated with anything other than reverence, or the fact that Severus Snape seemed to have a heart.
"They were keeping him in a cupboard and feeding him table scraps," Snape continued.
Poppy looked down at the child, tears in her eyes. Taking in the boy's soiled, oversized t-shirt, sagging diaper, stick-thin arms and jutting cheekbones, she could barely seem to hold herself together.
"How could this happen?" she whispered through her fingers.
Snape did not reply.
"Can you help him?" he asked.
Poppy nodded, sniffed and looked up at the Potions Master.
"Of course I can," she said brusquely, "I'm the Hogwarts Matron after all."
Severus offered her a thin smile.
Turning from her desk, Poppy peered at the row of shelves along the far wall, picking out jars and packets of ingredients seemingly at random.
Snape rubbed Harry's back, trying not to think about the way he could feel the bones of the child's spine and ribs beneath his skin.
The little boy leaned against the man's hand, his eyes half-closed.
Poppy, taking a silver goblet from a cupboard, began mixing all the ingredients together with practiced efficiency. Pulling out her wand, she spoke a quick spell, the contents of the goblet emitting a purple cloud.
Taking hold of the goblet, she turned to Snape and Harry.
"Have the boy drink this," she instructed, "It's highly concentrated and will give him a much-needed boost of nutrition."
Severus took the cup from Poppy and held it out to the child.
Harry tilted his head to look up at the man.
"It is safe," Snape said.
Harry put his hands over the Potions Master's and took a tentative sip from the goblet. Raising his head, Harry smiled at Snape, a purple moustache on his upper lip.
"Yum!" he cried and drank deeply from the cup.
Relief washed through Snape and he looked up at Poppy.
"Thank you," he said and the witch nodded, her expression severe.
"We're not finished yet," she replied.
No, Snape thought, we are not.
Author's Note:
Thanks to Rori Potter, James Birdsong, mandancie, blucougar57, Slytherin Studios, Vegas Granny, GlaszHeart, Imagi77, gwen B and Guest for reviewing.
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