EEEEE!! It took me so long to get this up!!! I am so sorry!! Life was working my rear off!!! And my mom got sick!! Ugh!!

Anyway, next chapter will be the last one. ::sniffles sadly:: But I'll begin work on the Draco one as soon as I get settled into school, which starts August 28. Since I have 6 classes this semester I don't want to work on something I may have no time to work on. So I'll get to work on it as soon as my schedule settles again. And the last chapter of this will be up by next weekend I hope. After that, if you want, you can content yourself with my other story, Harry Potter and the Turncoat at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=848313 (shameless plug, I know).

I hope you like Snape and Sirius and Harry in this one. I keep trying to keep them believable, in-character and yet still growing. ::sighs frustratedly::

ENJOY!!!

::hops on Star the unicorn (see A/N from chapter 11) and chases off after Lycoris and her confounded flags::





Light streamed in the sickbay windows, lighting the large room brightly as Snape finally woke late the next morning. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to protect them from a beam of light that was shining on his face and remember where he was at the same time. After a moment he turned his face to the side and his adjusted, finally coming to focus on the curtains that hid Harry's still slumbering body.

Snape moved slowly as he sat up, his body aching in areas he had not remembered he had since the last time he had been subjected to the Cruciatus curse. Slowly, as quietly as he could so as not to attract the attention of Madame Pomfrey, Snape slid his legs off the side of the bed to allow his feet to dangle slightly above the stone castle floor. He began to slide off the bed entirely, but he had no more than touched his feet to the floor than a low, rough voice stopped him.

"You know," it said, "Madame Pomfrey won't like you being out of bed."

Snape glanced over to see Sirius Black lounging in a chair at the foot of the bed across from him. His black hair fell across a face gone gaunt and pale with worry and grief. His eyes stared out of dark, sunken sockets that hid the lingering pain and madness that Snape was sure still haunted them.

"Where did you come from, Black," Snape growled, shifting to better face him. A sharp pain ran up his hip and back at the quick movement and Snape made a mental note to move more slowly the next time.

Sirius shrugged, "What happened between you and Harry?"

Snape blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that question and he wasn't really sure he wanted to answer it.

"What do you care," he snarled defensively in return.

Sirius cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly, "He's my godson. I don't want him hurt."

Snape allowed a small ghost of a smile to curl his lips up bitterly, "Him hurt? Or you hurt, Black?"

"Him," Sirius spat out, anger finally managing to light his eyes. "You're an evil git who could never say a kind word, never mind care for a child."

"I will never hurt him," Snape told him flatly, his natural nastiness finally draining away as he acknowledged the truth of Sirius's words. "I protected him with my own blood. It's more than you ever did."

Snape's flat, emotionless statement stung Sirius like no sarcastic or angry remark ever had and guilt entered his eyes to war with the anger.

"I tried to protect them," he ground out finally.

Snape nodded in response and the guilt finally won in Sirius's eyes. Sirius stared at the floor for a few moments while Snape turned to watch the curtains that hid Harry from his view. He started, sending shocks throughout his body as Sirius sat down on the bed next to him. Snape stared at him with wide eyes as Sirius stared at Harry curtained cubicle.

"You were the one that warned us that You-Know-Who was after the Potters, weren't you," Sirius asked him quietly after a moment.

Snape nodded, turning back to watch Harry's curtains once more with the knowledge that Sirius could see his answer.

"And you've protected, or attempted to protect, Harry since he came to school," Sirius continued.

"What are you getting at," Snape asked softly.

Sirius was silent for a few moments. A look of pain seemed to flit quickly across his face as he finally stood.

"Keep watch over him for me," Sirius told Snape, not daring to glance at the surprised man. "Maybe we can protect him better if we do it together."

Sirius strode over to the door, but stopped to tell the slack-jawed Snape, "Besides, he needs all the love he can get now," before he disappeared into the hallways of Hogwarts Castle.

Snape stared after him for a long while, shock fogging his mind and distracting him from his surroundings. He never the boy that stood by the curtains until he spoke hesitantly.

"P-Professor Snape," it asked, startling him out of his trance.

Snape's head whipped around to find a pale, weak-looking Harry leaning on the curtain supports. His pajamas were rumpled, his eyes held dark circles under them and his normally unkempt hair was flying every direction imaginable, but to Snape he simply looked ALIVE.

"Harry," he gasped gravelly, "You're awake..."

"You're ok," Harry asked again as he released his hold on the bars that held the curtains up and took a hesitant step towards Snape. He stumbled slightly and Snape sprang up from the bed to rush forward and gather Harry quickly to him, barely noticing the pain that accompanied the action.

"Foolish boy," he growled, steering Harry back to his bed. "You should be in bed still. Your body needs to regain it's energy after purging that poison."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry told him with a smile as he lay back against his pillows.

Snape stilled in his motions to tuck Harry under his blankets, his dark eyes filling with surprise, "What?"

Harry's smile grew into a grin, "Thank you. For caring for me."

Snape snorted, but smiled as he went back to tucking Harry's covers tightly around him, as though frightened Harry might escape if he didn't tie him down.

"I'm sorry I almost got you killed," Harry told him, his deep green eyes full of guilt."

"You give yourself too much credit," Snape told him sharply. "The entire world doesn't revolve around the famous Harry Potter."

"But it's my fault that Voldemort came back," Harry told him, wincing as Snape flinched at the name of his former master. "If it wasn't for me Cedric would still be alive and you wouldn't have almost been killed."

Snape's eyes narrowed as he glared angrily at Harry, "It may be hard for you to believe, but do bear with me. You are NOT the hero. You are a boy. Stop being a pig-headed Gryffindor before I have you scrubbing my dungeons."

Harry looked taken aback at Snape's, but his smile soon returned. He reached up to give a quick hug to the surly Potions Master before burying himself protectively back into his covers.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," he said as he closed his eyes, not wanting to see Snape reject him.

Snape sighed softly as the surprise from the quick hug slowly faded away, leaving only the warmth it had awakened in his heart. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair from Harry's forehead before turning to attempt an escape from the hospital ward.

"May I visit you in the dungeons anyway, Professor," Harry asked him, never opening his eyes, but squeezing them hopefully shut.

"Do what you want, Potter," Snape told him darkly, though a happy hope that he would sprang up in his chest.

Harry settled back into his pillows, happy to be accepted and cared for while his professor left the room a little less cold, his step a little lighter.

Twinkling blue eyes watched happily from a dark shadow on the other side of Harry's curtains, their light shadowed only by the knowledge that the entire world did revolve around Harry to one person. One person called: Lord Voldemort. And he would not stop until that world - and Harry's life - was his.



Next Chapter: Until The Bloody Path Leads Home