A/N: I'd just like to take this time to note that this is a WIP. While I've had some people beta read it, I appreciate your feedback lots. :) I'm pretty sure I patched up one of the plotholes a reviewer mentioned, but feel free to mention one that I may have missed.

Thanks to Kristin, who pointed out the plothole; I'd meant to explain that but it got glossed over. However, the explanation has been included. Thanks also to the rest of my reviewers and to my beta readers.

Watching Me Fall
by dora

Severus Snape had overestimated the amount of time he would be asleep by a good factor of twelve. Around two in the afternoon, he woke at the insistence of his stomach (which he had completely neglected since dinner on Friday). Grudgingly he got up and went in search of some strong tea and perhaps a few buttered rolls. Unfortunately, he only got as far as the tea before someone knocked frantically on his door.

"For the sake of my sanity and your life, stop that infernal knocking and let yourself in!" he called, loading each word with as much venom as he could. When he saw who was standing in the entrance to his chambers, he wished he could have loaded on just a little bit more.

Although, a second look at Professor Lupin revealed that he was not in the mood for the potions master's sniping. If it weren't near the new moon, Severus would likely have sworn that Lupin was undergoing his transformation.

"Severus Snape," he growled quite uncharacteristically, "your presence has been requested in the hospital wing immediately." Despite being tired and famished, Snape nodded. He was not about to provoke a rabid-seeming werewolf.

The walk was brisk, and they arrived at the hospital wing in a matter of minutes. The place was far from empty; a cursory head count revealed there to be no less than six Weasleys (the girl, Ron, the twins, and the parents at the very least), Hermione Granger, Madame Pomfrey, Albus Dumbledore, and...

And one Sirius Black.

"Who, pray tell," Severus began, keeping his voice dangerously calm, "invited the fleabag?"

The entire group erupted into shouting with the possible exceptions of Miss Granger, Dumbledore, and Black himself. After a few moments, Dumbledore made a grand show of clearing his throat, and everyone went quiet once more.

"Harry is not doing well, Severus," Albus said evenly, "so Professor Lupin and I saw fit to invite Sirius to stay with him and comfort him."

Snape fixed Dumbledore with a cold stare. "And how 'not well' is 'not doing well?'"

"'Not well' enough that we saw fit to call Sirius here," he replied gravely. That was not an answer Severus Snape particularly wanted to hear.

"If the victim of the arescoi poison survives the first two or three days, the poison will generally work its way out of the victim's system," he mumbled to himself. At that point, he thought he might kick himself for being so negligent; there was one factor he'd forgotten to consider which would affect how the poison worked. "Albus, could you walk with me, just for a bit?" He pointedly ignored the glares with which Lupin and several of the Weasleys were trying to kill him.

"Of course."

Once outside, Severus made a bee-line for the dungeons. "I fear I am not quite current on the twelve uses of dragon's blood. I don't believe that it was actually part of the poison itself, so its purpose must be one of the twelve that are already known."

When they arrived at the particular dungeon he'd used yesterday, Snape unlocked the door and let Dumbledore follow him in. "One of the reasons it only has twelve uses is because it's relatively inert, and I'm almost certain there is nothing in the arescoi that could possibly react with it. So it must be there simply as an additive."

"That is entirely possible, my boy," Albus agreed after some consideration. "All right, what uses do you know?"

"I know that it can be used as a buffer or diluting agent in most potions which react poorly to water," Snape said, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "That is the only use I've ever had for it in my lesson plans or my personal studies."

"Aah. Use number eight." Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I will do my best to keep this brief."

"Yes, please."

And so, Dumbledore went through each use, one by one, until they reached use number seven. "Dragon's blood can be used as a sort of binding agent. It's very... er, sticky, for lack of a better word."

Severus's face lit up. "That's it!"

"Really?"

Snape nodded. "Arescoi should not stay in a person's system as long as it's been in Potter's. The dragon's blood would explain that, if it bound the poison to his innards such that it could not be flushed out."

Dumbledore considered this. "Brilliant. So what are you going to do?"

"Brew a potion to save Potter's miserable life. A strong expurgant should do." He gave Dumbledore a very sour look. "Now go tell everyone else before they form a lynch mob. If you like, you can administer one of Poppy's weaker expurgant potions to loosen things up, as it were."

"It shall be done," Dumbledore said. "Please hurry."

The potions master glared fiercely at the headmaster. "I would be brewing more quickly without someone to distract me." Dumbledore did not bother to respond; he simply left the dungeon and closed the door behind him.

It took until shortly after three o'clock to finish the potion, twelve hours into the whole fiasco. He did not bother to let the potion cool too much before he bottled it, only enough that it wouldn't scald Potter's throat when he drank it. Then he decided that it would be best to simply use the internal floo network to get back to the hospital wing.

A few moments later, Snape emerged from one of the fireplaces only a little sootier for the trip, and he saw, much to his relief, that most of the crowd had dispersed. It seemed now that only Pomfrey, Dumbledore, Lupin, and Black kept vigil. Harry, himself, looked absolutely miserable, as he was doubled over a basin and caught by some terrible dry heaves. Lupin dozed in one of the chairs and Black sat behind the boy, muttering calm things and keeping his hair out of his face. Dumbledore and Pomfrey stood to either side, both looking horribly drawn.

"What has he been doing?" Snape asked as he approached the bed.

"It's pretty bloody obvious what he's been doing, you bastard," Sirius growled. For the moment, the potions master chose to let that go, instead giving Albus his full attention.

"Not terribly much," the headmaster confessed. "There was a little bit of what seemed to be phlegm at first, but now, nothing."

Severus peered at the contents of the basin and nodded. "Perfect." He turned his focus to Harry, who was, at the moment, favoring him with a most pitiable gaze. His eyes were once again dilated, and now they were red from the tears brought on by the heaves. What made it worse was that Snape could almost see the fever-induced delirium which clouded them.

He sighed and pulled out the bottle, making sure to let Harry have a very good look at it. "If you take what's in this bottle, I can almost guarantee that you will feel better. But you will have what may be one of the worst hours of your life before then."

Harry seemed to understand; he nodded and made a feeble attempt to take the bottle from Severus. Unwilling to risk the boy spilling it, Snape uncorked it and tipped the entire contents into Harry's mouth. For a moment it seemed that Harry might spit it back out or choke on it, but Snape fixed him with a steely glare. "Swallow the damn thing, Potter. If you don't I will give it to you through a tube."

Even though Sirius gave him a look which promised bloody murder, Severus's 'encouragement' seemed to work. In three swallows, the entire potion was in his stomach, and in five more minutes it went to work.

It took a few heaves, but Harry soon began to regurgitate a thick, sickly purple concoction which could only have been the remains of the modified arescoi poison. The sheer violence of it had the boy groaning in pain between heaves, and Lupin finally had to be woken so he could sit with the boy while Albus kept Sirius from killing Snape.

This continued for at least thirty minutes, until it finally seemed there was no more poison in Harry's system. There were a few more dry heaves just for good measure, but it was done with. The boy hardly looked better, in fact he looked a fair sight worse, but his eyes had cleared just a little bit, and he no longer seemed to be shivering from imagined cold. "Water," he croaked, and the two dogs tripped over themselves to oblige him.

Severus simply removed the basin from Harry's lap and took it to the back where it might be cleaned. Or perhaps 'scoured' was a better word for what the basin would need. Either way, it didn't particularly matter. Snape's work was done, and he planned on eating at least one meal and then retiring to his bed for the next twenty or so hours.

Just before he was about to walk out the door, the headmaster caught up with him. "Severus, my dear boy, good work."

Snape was far too tired and irritable to use tact. "What do you want from me now?"

"While it seems Harry will be coming out of the woods soon enough, there are still a few questions that need answering," Dumbledore said, completely ignoring Snape's lack of social graces.

It was hard to suppress the groan that rose in his throat. "Such as?"

"The most pressing is simply, 'What are the effects of long-term exposure to arescoi poison?'" Snape had a sinking feeling in his gut that this particular question was aimed at him. However, Dumbledore continued, "The next is merely a formality; who would want to do such a thing? And, this is the most important, how in Merlin's name did the guilty party actually succeed in poisoning him?"

"I hope you weren't expecting me to know the answers off the top of my head."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Oh, no, of course not. But I think it would be best to begin our investigations as soon as possible. After dinner, if possible, tomorrow morning at the very latest."

He didn't bother suppressing the groan this time. "Where would you like to meet after dinner?"

The headmaster seemed thoughtful for a few moments, then he said, "Here will do just fine."

Snape nodded. "Fine. I'm going to go eat now."

"That's a fine idea," Albus agreed. "You look as if a meal would do you good."

The muscle under Snape's right eye twitched as he walked back to his chambers.

---

The prospect of food was imminently more fulfilling than the meal itself. Severus found himself far too tired and aggravated to enjoy the buttered rolls (which had gotten cold since he last attempted to eat them) or the porridge which he'd had brought to his chambers. However, his stomach seemed content to have something in it, so he was not inclined to complain.

Now that he'd had at least one meal in the past eighteen hours, Severus once again struck out for the hospital wing. It occured to him that he could simply floo there, but he discarded the idea rather quickly. He had the distinct impression that he would not like what was about to be discussed, and he had no intention of rushing to his impending doom.

Unfortunately, the walk was far shorter than he would've liked, and the number of people who'd already gathered did not bode well. It seemed like the entire Order had gathered around Potter's bed, though a second glance revealed that only Moody was new to the gathering, all but one of the Weasleys had dispersed, and that annoying Granger girl seemed to have gone with them.

Once Dumbledore noticed that Severus had entered, he smiled brightly. "Ah, I was beginning to wonder if perhaps you'd gotten lost."

Snape grimaced. "If only I had been so lucky," he mumbled, shaking his head and none-too-happily approaching the group. Already that twinge that had been lurking near the bridge of his nose was starting to grow, but he refused to add a headache to his list of 'Things I Would Like to Hex into Next Year.' So, he ignored it and favored Dumbledore with an acid glare. "Well?"

"Ah, yes. So far, Harry seems to be doing a little better. His temperature has fallen perhaps a degree since you left, and he seems to be sleeping peacefully." Albus nodded at the bed in which, indeed, Potter was tucked in and snoring slightly.

"That's not what I meant," Severus ground out through clenched teeth. The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes made clear that he knew exactly what Snape had been asking about-- and chose to ignore it.

While he didn't particularly want to add a headache to his list of things to hex mercilessly, the potions master was not quite adverse to adding a thoroughly annoying and enigmatic headmaster. However, he managed to reign in his righteous annoyance before he said anything Black might try to make him regret.

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied coolly. "Well, I was just taking the time to explain the situation to Mister Moody. Your timing is actually quite impeccable, because I was just finishing up. Now we can move on to the issues at hand." He indicated a chair next to the paranoid Auror. "Please, have a seat."

"No, thank you, Headmaster. I would rather stand."

"As you wish. Gumdrop?" Dumbledore extended a pouch filled with the sweets.

It was then that Severus determined that the headmaster was bent on driving him insane. "Please, could we just discuss what we came to discuss?"

"I agree," said Remus, glancing briefly at Harry before turning his attention to Albus. "I don't imagine we'll have much time before the culprit finds out that he or she has failed and makes another attempt. We should use what we have wisely."

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a nod. "That brings us to one of the subjects I wished to address: what are we to do with Harry until this mystery has been solved? It's certain that whoever poisoned him will have heard of his illness, and because of this, I do not believe keeping him here would be a good idea." He smiled apologetically at Madame Pomfrey. "Of course, I do not mean to question your abilities, Poppy, but this is likely the first place someone who wished to ensure that Harry dies would look for him."

Judging by the expression on her face, Poppy Pomfrey did not at all like this idea. "With all due respect, it seems very unwise to move him before he's made a full recovery. I don't feel comfortable with the idea of simply letting him go without proper supervision. And I like the idea of abandoning the rest of the student body even less."

"I'd be happy to have him back at Grimmauld Place," Sirius interjected. "I know I'm no Poppy Pomfrey, but my first aid isn't shabby, either."

"Actually, I hadn't planned to move him from school grounds." By the way that Dumbledore was stroking his beard, Severus knew that the axe was about to fall. "I've given this a fair bit of thought. As Poppy said, it would hardly be fair to the rest of the students if we moved him someplace not at least in the vicinity of Hogwarts and deprived them of her skills. However, I am also unwilling to let Harry go without proper supervision."

Sirius seemed skeptical. "What are you planning to do with him, then?"

It seemed that the answer pleased Dumbledore immensely, at least judging by the grin on his face. Snape cringed. "There is only one person in this room who has more knowledge of the poison used and its effects than Poppy."

Oh no.

"I intend, for the moment, to transfer Harry to Severus's rooms, at least until we find out more of what's going on."

Two indignant shouts of, "What?!" rose to either side of him (one from Sirius and one from Severus), but Dumbledore brushed them off with the shake of his head.

"Please, calm yourselves, lest you wake the boy," Madame Pomfrey hissed. The unspoken threat of pain should that happen hung in the air, and it was enough to keep either Black or Snape from saying anything further. They decided instead to glare daggers at the headmaster.

"This will only be a temporary arrangement," Albus continued as though neither man had interrupted. "However, until we have a good idea of who might have poisoned Harry, I think it best that he stay with Severus. He is the only one among us, with the possible exception of Alastor, who has enough knowledge of potions and poisons to have any chance of halting any more such attempts on Harry's life." His attention shifted to the Auror. "Speaking of which, may I have a word with you, Alastor?"

Moody gave a curt nod.

Albus smiled. "Wonderful. Sirius, I believe it would be best that you return home. Remus, once I've finished speaking with Alastor, I would like to discuss which of us should take over Severus's classes. Poppy, I apologize for having to go against your judgement, but I feel this is for the best."

It took a moment for Severus to proccess Albus's words, and once he did, it took every ounce of his self control to keep him from hexing the man into next year then and there. He was very pleased with himself when he opened his mouth and a reasonably polite, "I beg your pardon?" came out, rather than the curses (both verbal and magical) he'd been thinking.

"I can hardly expect you to give Harry your full attention and teach classes," Dumbledore said. "Therefore I will relieve you of your instructing duties until the situation is closer to being under control. Now, why don't you go prepare an extra bed for Harry? It shouldn't be too long before we move him."

Indeed, Snape thought to himself, there was no rest for the wicked. It did not help that the next thing he added to his list of things to hex was a terrible nervous tic near his right eye.

TBC