6.
Harry woke slowly. His first thought was that he was warm. The second that he was comfortable. The third that he was safe. The fourth that Sev was holding his hand.
He opened his eyes slowly in an attempt to block out the stark white of his surroundings. It was then that he remembered why he was surrounded by white instead of the red and gold of his dorm room or the green and silver of Sev's bedroom. He remembered why he was in the hospital wing, and he tightened his grip on the older man's hand, alerting him to the fact that his young lover was awake again.
"Harry."
It was said softly, almost reverently. Harry shivered.
"Sev."
"I love you, baby."
Harry felt something in him melt with the assurance he hadn't had to ask for.
"Love you, too."
They sat in silence holding hands for a while until Ron came in with a jug of ice water and a glass.
"You're awake," Ron smiled. Harry tried to smile back, but just couldn't.
Ron came closer to the bed in order to put the jug on the table by the bed and Harry squeezed Severus' hand and shuffled away.
Ron, noticing the actions, moved slowly and deliberately, trying not to scare his friend with any sudden or unexpected movements, before retreating to sit on the chair on Harry's other side.
"Harry, Dad and Perce are here with some people from the DLE. They're with Hermione now, and they already talked to me. Mate, they need to talk to you, too."
Harry froze.
"I…I can't."
"Harry…"
Harry switched his pleading gaze from Ron to Severus.
"Harry, you need to. Not just to help get Black, but to help you. The sooner you talk about it, the sooner you'll get better. There should be a counsellor here, and they know exactly how to help you. You'll do fine, love, and I'll stay here with you for as long as I can."
"I don't want to, Sev," Harry pleaded.
"I know, love, but you have to. I'm sorry, baby – I don't want you to have to either."
"Sev, I really don't think I can."
Severus squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"You'll do your best, and it'll be more than enough."
Ron smiled again, though it was a little strained, Harry noticed.
"I'll go see when they'll be here."
"Ron, how are you?"
Ron turned around, shocked, as he reached the curtain.
"What, mate?"
"You found me. It must have been a shock. How are you?"
"I'm fine, or at least I will be…Herms is bit worse off, but she'll be okay too – we're all more worried about you."
"Hermione was there, too?"
"Yeah, mate – she went to get Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey while I stayed with you."
"She's with Percy?"
"Yeah, he's taking care of her."
"Good."
"Just like the Professor's taking care of you?"
Harry actually smiled, albeit a little weakly, thanks to the combination of Ron's comment and Severus' hand on his.
"Yeah."
"Good. I'll go see when they'll be in."
He departed through the curtains.
Harry turned to Severus.
"And you, are you okay?"
"The whole thing scared the life out of me, and I was – am – angry beyond belief at Black, but, I'm…fine – Pomfrey forced a potion on me. I'm still worried about you, but I'll be here to help you get better."
Harry looked intently at him.
"And you really meant it…what you said earlier? That you'll always be here?"
Severus smiled.
"Baby, always. For as long as you want me."
"I want you forever."
"That sounds good to me."
"Me too. Would you…would you hug me? I want you close to me. I need to feel you. Ignore me if I flinch – I need to have you touching me."
Slowly, Severus got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He wrapped his arms around Harry (who didn't flinch, much to both men's delight), and pulled him close, rocking to and fro a little.
That was how the two officers from the DLE and Arthur Weasley found them a moment or two later.
"Harry, how are you?" Arthur Weasley asked.
Harry pulled back from Severus.
"I really don't know how I am."
A blonde woman and a brown-haired man, both apparently in their fifties (although it was hard to tell in the magical world), stood behind Mr Weasley. They both nodded as though that was exactly the answer they expected.
"Harry, this is Inspector Gerald Davies and Doctor Geraldine Hayes, a psychologist, from the Ministry of Magic's Department of Law Enforcement. Harry, is it okay if they talk with you for while?"
Harry looked at them – they seemed friendly enough, and they were there to help, he knew. He could avoid feeling a little jumpy, but he knew that they must have some experience in these cases.
"Can Severus stay?"
Geraldine looked at them.
"For the first part, definitely, but I'll need to speak with you alone after for just a little while."
"He has to leave?"
Harry sounded panicked, so Severus stroked his thumb across the back of Harry's hand soothingly.
"I'll only be outside, and only for just a little while when you talk to the doctor about what happened. You need to do that alone, and I know you can. But don't worry about that for a while at least; I'm here now."
Harry shuffled over to the side of his bed.
"Sit up with me, Sev."
Slowly, carefully, Severus climbed up. He stopped moving his arm around to Harry's back when Harry flinched, but Harry scowled at his involuntary reaction and pulled it around him. Geraldine smiled.
"You seem determined to beat this."
Harry gave her a tight smile.
"I'm not going to let that bastard come between me and the man I love."
While Geraldine smiled in acceptance and even a little pride, Inspector Davies scowled a little – he hadn't known about Harry's relationship with an ex-death eater. At a warning glance from Arthur Weasley he relaxed – Arthur would never put Harry in any situation where there was even the possibility of the boy being hurt, would certainly not defend it, and it seemed as though Snape was being good to Potter.
"Right," Davies began as he sat down, taking out an official version of the Quick Quotes Quill and some parchment with the ministry seal, "Mr Harry Potter, we wish to ask you some questions regarding an incident that occurred today in Hogwarts grounds. We would ask you to think carefully about your answers and to try to be as truthful as possible. Don't embellish or leave out any information, no matter how irrelevant you think it could be. Okay?"
Harry nodded, cleared his throat and quietly answered, "Yes, sir."
"Okay, now, Mister Potter-"
"Just Harry, please."
"Okay then, Harry, I've been informed that all of this started after Hogwarts' official lunchtime, so could you tell me what you were doing from around two o'clock this afternoon?"
*
