Chapter 6 – "What did you do?"

The next morning woke to find Petunia stirring in the Hospital Wing.  Her green eyes slowly flickered open and she let out a sob as memories from the night before loomed bright in her mind.  Shoving them back, she sat up hurriedly and stared across the room to where her nephew lay, still and pale.  Nearly everywhere on his body was bandaged and blood had started to soak through some of them.  Petunia hurriedly tapped her wand to the rhythm of a few bars of Enter Sandman on the wall as she slid out of bed.  The wards of the infirmary were charmed so that whenever those specific bars were tapped out, Madam Pomfrey would be alerted.

As she waited for the mediwitch to appear Petunia walked over to her nephew's bed.  What surprised her was who was sitting at the bedside, asleep in a chair not designed for their height.

"Oh, Sev," she murmured as she saw the man sitting there, the chair he was occupying not at all designed to accommodate someone of his height and build.  She walked over and eased herself down into the chair next to him, watching him as he slept.  As she did this, she remembered the first time she'd met the man sleeping beside her.

~*Flashback*~

"Lily, wait up!"

Petunia Evans ran after her twin sister Lily as the taller of the two sprinted across the train platform to her friends.  It was their second year at Hogwarts and both girls were thrilled to be going back.

"C'mon, Tuna!" called Lily over her shoulder.  "We have to hurry!"

"Liiiiilyyyyyyy," whined Petunia as her twin hopped aboard the train, followed by the blue-eyed, dark-haired, lanky countenance of Sirius Black.  "OOF!"

Petunia was suddenly thrown off of her feet and she heard the thud of someone else hitting the ground beside her.  Her great horned owl, Lucifer, let out one of his trademark hisses and flapped his huge wings, big eyes glaring at Petunia as he swiveled his head around to eye her.

"Oh, shut up," she snarled at the owl.

"I'm sorry," said a soft voice from her left.

Petunia turned and found herself staring into the most expressive pair of eyes she'd ever seen.  They were as black as pitch and shaped like…

"Almonds…" murmured Petunia.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, I'm sorry.  I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No," said the boy with the expressive eyes, shaking his head.  "It was my fault."

"No…oh, bugger.  How about we both say it was our fault's and we're sorry?"

The boy grinned and said, "That's fine with me."  He then held out his hand and added, "I'm Severus by the way."

"Petunia.  Pleasure to meet you Severus-No-Last-Name."

Severus chuckled and said, "Its Snape.  Severus Snape."

"Evans."

"Lily's sister?"

"You know Lily?" asked Petunia as she and Severus pulled themselves back onto their feet.

Severus nodded and picked up Lucifer's cage, ignoring the owl's hisses.  "Yeah," he replied, "she's been tutoring me in Charms.  I'm horrid and Flitwick doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Why?" asked Petunia, taking Lucifer's cage as they walked towards the train.

"Possibly because I levitated him my first day last year.  Did it until Christmas when he told Lily to tutor me."

"He is small enough to levitate."

Severus laughed and said, "Don't I know it.  Hey…er, would you like to come sit with me?"

"Well…"  Petunia trailed off, considering.

"Well, if you don' want to…  I've just never seen you around Potter and his gang like Lily."

"Oh no!" cried Petunia.  "James can be such an – an – as ass!"

Severus snorted.  "I can vouch for that.  So, do you…?"

"I'd love to sit with you, Severus."

The black-haired boy beamed at her and waved her down the car.

~*Flashback*~

Petunia sighed as she stopped the memory there and looked sadly at the dark-haired man beside her.  "Oh Sev," she murmured, "what happened to us?"

"You called, my dear?" said Madam Pomfrey as she entered the Hospital Wing, looking at Petunia curiously.

"Its Harry, Poppy.  His bandages…"

"I see it, Petunia.  Why don't you move Severus out of that chair?  He looks dreadfully uncomfortable."

"Why's he still asleep?  Generally he's up by now."

Madam Pomfrey smiled as she moved over to Harry's still form and replied, "He stayed up all night, the poor dear.  I was surprised to say the least.  You remember how much he hated James."

Petunia nodded.  She remembered well.

"I know.  I think he's doing it for me.  And Lily…"

"Ah yes," said Madam Pomfrey, flicking her wand at Harry's bandages.  "I see what you mean, my dear.  Now…bustle him off.  I have Miss Granger to take care of as well as Harry here."

"He will be alright, won't he?" asked Petunia as she rose from her chair.

The mediwitch smiled at her reassuringly and said, "Of course, he will be, Tuna.  The only problem I can foresee is him needing blood.  He lost quite a lot of it."

"I see.  And you'll need me for that?"

"Yes, you're the only match in the castle.  I checked last night.  And I knew you'd not want me to ask students.  But we'll not need that right now.  You deal with Severus now.  I'll call you when I need you."

Petunia nodded and bent to gently shake Severus awake.

"Sev?  Sev, wake up."

"Mmm?" rumbled the man, opening one dark eye to peer sleepily at her.

"You've got to get up."

"Can't."

"And why not?" asked Petunia.

"Muscle cramp," replied Severus, closing his eye.

Petunia rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath before she bent her knees, got her arms under and about his shoulder, and lifted Severus to his feet.  He grunted as she did so and nearly fell but caught himself, leaning on her as she shifted his arm about her shoulder.  Petunia looked at Madam Pomfrey, who was trying not to smile, then turned and hobbled out, dragging Severus with her.

"And where – yawn – are we going?" asked Severus.

"Your quarters."

"Now now, Tuna," said Severus with a sleepy smile.  "You know you can't – yawn – stay in my quarters."

"Infernal man," grumbled Petunia.  "I don't intend to stay in your quarters."

Severus gave her a Puppy Dog Look and whimpered, "Please?"

Petunia fixed him with her patented Piss Off Scowl and he relented.

"Alright, alright.  No company for me tonight."

Petunia scowled again.  He sounded so petulant…and she would enjoy spending the night in his rooms.  Aw crap.

Severus caught her look and grinned.

"Ah," he said, "you do want to – yawn – stay."

"Severus, you can't even stay awake," scolded Petunia.  "How would you stay awake for any…ahem – bedroom activities?"  She glanced about to make sure no students were about and said that specifically because she knew that Mrs. Norris was crouching behind a nearby tapestry.

"Because you are a – yawn – thoroughly enchanting lady and I've been wanting to have you – yawn – back in my arms for ages."

"I see sleep is not in your current agenda," grumbled Petunia.

"Not unless you're in it," replied Severus.

"Mmm.  I'd love to take you up on the offer, Sev…"

"I sense a but…"

"But…I still have Harry to take care of."

Severus nodded and said, "Ah, yes.  Harry."

"Since when did you call him by his first name?" asked Petunia as they reached the entrance to Severus' rooms.

"Well I've always thought of him by it.  Morpheus," he said to the blank wall in front of them and his door appeared.

"Severus Sadiron Alexander Snape," snapped Petunia as she swung the door open, "are you telling me that you have nothing against my nephew?"

Severus smiled and replied, "Nothing in the slightest, my dear."  He managed to close the door with his foot and waved a hand to light the torches and candles about the room.

"You let me handle the lighting and everything else, Sev," commanded Petunia, hauling the man towards his bedchamber.  "Your priority is sleep."

"Tuna, I'm an insomniac.  I can't – yawn – sleep when told or even when I want to."

"I know, Sev.  Hagrid caught you out at three in the morning once, remember?"

"Of course.  Great scott, woman!"

Petunia smirked down at Severus and innocently said, "What?"

"Don't throw a half-asleep man on a bed!  Merlin…"

"And here I thought you weren't asleep."

Severus glared at her as she lifted his legs up onto the bed and began to remove his boots.

"I can sleep in those."

"Hell if you can.  Now move your arms so I can unbutton your shirt."

"And here I was under the impression that you were going back upstairs."

"I am," said Petunia, shoving his arms away so she could get at the buttons of his bloodstained shirt.  "But I don't want you sleeping in bloodstains."

"I have before," argued Severus as she continued to unbutton the shirt.

"That was before I returned, love," said Petunia, reaching the last button.  She then moved to the sleeves and got the shirt off of him without any further to-do.  "See?  Very simple."

"Yes," said Severus, rubbing at the gooseflesh on his arms.  "Now I'm cold."

"That's what you get for living in the dungeons," admonished Petunia, tucking a quilt in around him.  "Better?"

"Much.  Yawn – very sad you can't stay."

"I'll come back tonight, if that makes you feel any better."

Severus smiled, eyes closed, and murmured, "I'd like that very – yawn – much, Tuna."

Petunia smiled and bent to kiss the side of his mouth before she turned and left, looking back at him once over her shoulder.

~*~*~*~*~

"Petunia?  I told you I'd call you."

"I couldn't stay away, Poppy."

"You could have spent time with Severus."

"He's asleep.  And as much as I would love to be with Severus right now, Harry is my priority."  Petunia looked about the Hospital Wing and asked, "Where's Hermione?"

"Back in Gryffindor Tower.  Mister Weasley took her back at my request."

"I see.  How much blood does Harry need?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed and replied, "A fair amount, dove.  What say we get started?"

Petunia nodded and Madam Pomfrey headed over to a cupboard, opening it and taking something out.  When she returned, it was with a needle, a plastic tube, and a glass flask.

Petunia arched an eyebrow as she sat down on the bed to the right of Harry's and said, "The Muggle method?"

"It works best, my dear," said Madam Pomfrey.  "Now let me find this artery…ah.  This will only hurt a little – there.  Clench your fist a little, dove.  There we go.  Keep doing that until we've got that flask halfway full."

"Yes, Poppy," said Petunia, clenching her fist as she looked sideways at her nephew.  Rage sprang hot through her at the sight.

So she made a Blood Oath as her blood dripped out of her arm into the flask.  Never, ever again would she allow this to happen to her nephew.  Never.  She would make whoever had done this pay and they she'd get him help.  A dog.  Yesssss.

Petunia smirked as she thought of the look of shock on her nephew's face when he found out that she'd known Sirius was innocent.  Pettigrew'd always been a rat anyway…

Chuckling, Petunia sat there with her blood dripping into the flask, pondering over how to tell Sirius the news of Harry's blindness and wondering how he would handle the fact that she was once again with his half-brother.