Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, I don't own. That goes for the entire story, in case I forget a disclaimer on every chapter

~~~

Friday, September 24, 1993

Friday night, the designated "counseling night," Draco and Snape came to the hospital wing, after being promised by Pomfrey that nobody would be allowed in unless it was an absolute emergency.

Harry was still strapped to the bed. He'd tried everything he could think of to get the restraints off, but to no avail. Snape had put charms on them so that only he, Dumbledore, Lupin, McGonagall, or Pomfrey could remove them. To say that Harry was upset about it would be an understatement. He wouldn't barely even speak to Snape after he found out. He would barely speak to anyone.

"Harry, I have some good news," Snape said, softly, when he came into the room. "Madam Pomfrey said that your leg's been healing a great deal faster than she'd initially thought. She's going to check it again tomorrow morning, but she's almost certain that it will be fully healed, and the cast will come off."

Harry looked mildly pleased by the news, but both Draco and Snape knew that it had not been what he was hoping for.

"Come on, Harry, that means you can start participating in Quidditch practices when you get out of here," the professor pressed. Harry eyed him.

"Will that be any time soon?"

"Oh, Merlin, I can't fool you," Snape sighed, smiling a little. "You'll probably be out by Sunday evening. We may possibly take the restraints off tomorrow." The professor thought he'd be happy about this news, as well, but alas, he wasn't.

"Tomorrow," Harry whispered. "Why not now? I hate this..."

"I know you do, Harry, but it's for your own good. As much as I hate to say it, we can't trust you not to hurt yourself yet."

"You think I'll do it again?! It didn't do me any good this time; why the bloody hell would I do it again?"

"You never can be too safe."

"My back hurts, laying flat like this," Harry mumbled. "I can't even eat on my own. I can't scratch my nose if it itches. All I can do is just lay here."

"Oh, I'm sure I could think of some things to do in that position, if I was in your place," Draco commented, smirking. The twinkle of evil in his eye made Harry laugh in spite of himself. "Not alone, of course. Someone else would definitely be needed." Snape laughed a little as well, making a mental note to himself to thank Draco for cheering Harry up.

"Well, I've put a silencing spell on this room," Snape said. "We can hear them outside, but they can't hear us. So we don't have to worry about the wrong people knowing anything. Do either of you want to say anything?" Draco looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Yeah, I'd definitely need to put a silencing spell on the room as well, if I was in your place, Harry." Snape and Harry just shook their heads, smiling. "Hey, Severus? Were you ever married?" Snape's smile disappeared, and his eyes instantly lost their sparkle.

"Aren't these sessions supposed to be about the two of you?"

"Ah, but you said last week that we can ask you any questions we want to." Snape sighed.

"No, Draco, I was never married." His voice was sort of sad and distant. "I did love a woman. I still do. But we never married."

"What happened?" Draco wondered.

"She died," Snape responded. "She died about twelve years ago."

That's strange, Harry thought to himself. Severus was friends with my mother... My mother died twelve years ago... Oh, no way. Sev loved my mother?!

Snape snapped out of his reverie and found Harry staring at him with a skeptical look on his face. Sighing, Snape changed the subject.

"Draco, are you playing Quidditch this season?"

"I was considering quitting," Draco replied. "But then I thought, if I quit, who would give Potter here a run for his money?" Hearing this, Harry stopped staring at Snape and looked at Draco, grinning tiredly.

"You only think you can catch up to my level," Harry taunted.

"Oh, I don't need to 'catch up,' baby, I'm already there and beyond," Draco laughed.

"That's it. The first night I'm out of here, it's going to be just you, me, and the Golden Snitch. Then we'll see who has to catch up!"

"And me," Snape added, smiling. "You'll need supervision."

"Care to place a bet, Potter?" Draco asked. "If I win, you have to announce to the whole school that I'm a better Seeker than you."

"And if I win, you have to test five of Fred and George's new tricks," Harry challenged. Draco's eyes widened in horror, but he quickly recovered.

"You're on. First night you're out of here."

~~~

Monday, September 27, 1993

And so it was. Monday night, Harry and Draco met on the Quidditch field with their broomsticks and the Golden Snitch. Snape came with them, as well as McGonagall, Lupin, and several of the boys' closest friends. Two of Draco's friends from Slytherin came, as did Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.

"All right, both of you get up there," Snape instructed. "As soon as you're ready, I'll let the Snitch go."

Harry and Draco mounted their brooms and flew up about fifty feet in the air. They told Snape they were ready, and he threw the Snitch in the air as well. It circled the two boys, then shot off. They immediately sped after it.

"Come on, Harry!" Fred shouted. "We need a guinea pig!"

Harry grinned, willing his broom to go faster. But as soon as he passed Draco by a few feet, the blond quickly took over the lead as they chased the Snitch. Soon, however, it was out of sight.

They paused for a moment, trying to catch their breath. Suddenly, Draco looked up and flew up at an angle. Harry did the same, until the top of his broom reached the bottom of Draco's.

As Draco reached for the Snitch, which was only a few feet away from him, he suddenly heard a noise from below him. Looking down quickly, he saw Harry clutching his chest with one hand, holding tightly onto his broom with the other, and coughing violently. Harry tried to keep his broom steady, but he soon lost his balance, and his grip on the Nimbus, and he began to fall more than one hundred feet to the ground.

"Harry!" Draco shouted.

Forgetting about the Snitch, he immediately turned and headed for Harry as fast as he could fly. Nearing the falling boy, Draco reached his hand down and tried to grasp Harry's. He'd barely caught his fingers when they were at about fifty feet, and Draco heard Lupin's voice as he felt Harry becoming lighter.

"Draco, it's all right!" Lupin shouted, holding out his wand. McGonagall and Snape were in the same position, as were Hermione, Fred, and George. "We've got him levitating, Draco, it's all right! Come on down here!"

Draco landed as Harry was levitated down to the ground. When Harry was safe on the grass, Draco rushed to kneel beside him. The professors and the students made their way towards them as well.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?" Draco asked, softly.

He held Harry's left hand in his own, resting his right hand on Harry's forehead as he coaxed the boy into opening his eyes. When Harry's eyes opened, they conveyed pain. His coughing had ceased, but his breathing was shallow.

"My chest hurts..." Harry murmured, weakly, as Lupin knelt down on his other side.

"Your ribs haven't completely healed," Lupin told him after a minute or so. "You only had the bandages taken off a couple of days ago, and you tried to do too much at once." He conjured up a stretcher and placed Harry on it. "I'm not taking you back to the hospital wing, but you are going straight to bed as soon as you get to your dorm tonight."

Everybody followed the professors and Harry into the castle, while other students inside watched curiously. The Weasleys and Hermione went ahead upstairs, while Draco's friends headed downstairs. Harry asked Lupin to stop for a second, then motioned for Draco to come into view.

"Next time," Harry grinned, weakly, as he pointed a finger at Draco. "I'm going to beat you. I guarantee it." Draco smiled.

"Not until you're completely healed. Go on, get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."