Previously:
"Sir?" It came out from Harry's mouth full of confusion and worry.
"Yes, Po– Harry?"
Harry gives a soft smile at the Potions Master obvious attempt at being civil. "Can, can you tell me what's going to happen?"
Chapter 7 – The Infirmary and Sirius (for lack of better title)
Severus looks at Harry in shock, "why do you ask me when I know for a fact that Black just left?"
Harry gains a slight blush on his cheeks as Snape asks him that question, one of which Severus doesn't miss, but chooses to overlook. "Well…you see…umm…" Harry growls slightly in frustration as he cannot get what he wants to say out.
Severus smiles mentally as the boys obvious aggravation, waiting for him to say what it is he wants to say.
With a sigh, Harry tries again, not noticing his professors amusement. "Well, everyone else would most likely sugar coat everything and I want the truth. I'm asking you because you're probably one of the only Professors here that will tell me most of the, if not all of the truth." He says in a rush, hoping that Snape wont get mad at what he was saying.
Severus sits in silence for a minute, trying to find the best way to tell Harry what he's asking to know. Severus knew that he wouldn't lie o the teen, just as the boy already knew. With a deep breath, he started to tell Harry what he knew in a soft voice, one that surprised Harry at first, but quickly turned his thoughts to what was being said.
"Well, it mostly is up to you with what's going to happen. You can either press charges, either to the Muggle law enforcements, or to the Ministry of Magic. You could also, if you wanted, not say a word about it to anyone. If you choose the first choice, then I suggest the Ministry because they are much stricter on child abuse. If you choose the latter, then the other professors, myself included, and the Headmaster will figure something out so you never have to return to the Muggles ever again. You would most likely stay here at Hogwarts, most of the teachers stay here over the summer, sometimes leaving for a little while, but there are at least two or more Professors here at one time."
Harry listens intently to what is being said, he didn't really want to go to the Ministry or to the Muggle police…he knew that the press would get a hold of it somehow and then everyone would know, which was something Harry wanted to avoid at all costs.
"If I stayed at Hogwarts, what would you tell everyone?"
"I don't know, the Headmaster will most likely come up with a story believable enough for you to stay. It wont be to hard mind you, especially with Voldemort coming back into power."
Harry jumps slightly as he hears Snape calling Voldemort by his true name, but just shrugs it off. His questions answered for now, Harry motions to behind the teacher, in the direction of the other bed.
"Who did you bring in here earlier Professor?"
Severus considers if he should tell him about Draco or not. He knew that the 'old git' of a Potions Master wouldn't say a thing, yet he wouldn't be sitting here with Harry either. Severus wanted to show Harry the real him under his icy exterior before he told him the truth, so he decided on telling him the truth.
"Well, not a day after we got you here and stabilized, I found a certain teen on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. He was in much of the same condition as you were, only some magical curses were involved. He still hasn't awakened yet, Pop–err Madame Pomfrey said that he may go into a small coma like sleep until he's able to wake up. In fact, you were very close to going into a coma also."
Harry looks surprised at these pieces of information, he'd almost gone into a coma?
"Who is it Professor?"
Severus looks over at Harry, as if sizing him up, although he's really seeing if he should tell Harry who it is.
"Draco Malfoy."
Harry gasps with this information, why would Malfoy, of all people be at Hogwarts? Why wasn't he at St. Mungo's or something, Harry was sure that they could afford it, unless he ran away from home, or from something else.
These thoughts kept chasing each other through Harry's mind, which apparently showed upon his face or something as Snape answered some of the questions.
"The other Professors and myself still have no idea as to why he's here. We don't know what his reason for coming to Hogwarts is, especially when he came through the forest. Since we don't know if he's running from something, or if someone put him there, we aren't informing his parents until he wakes up and tells us his reasons."
Harry sits in silence for a minute, trying to absorb all of the information he's received in the past hour or so. Not only has he learned what the Professor has said, but he also learned that his Potion's Professor could actually good company when he wanted to.
Harry smiles slightly to himself with this thought, something that Severus notices and wonders what the boy is thinking.
As Severus watches the boy, he can see the weariness starting to show in his eyes, he mentally smiles to himself as he sees Harry trying to fight back a yawn, but it escapes anyways.
Severus realizes Harry better get some sleep soon, either that or Poppy would yell his head off for keeping him up. "Well Harry, as you've just shown me, you are in dire need of some sleep."
Severus smirks to himself as he sees the blush creep across Harry's face as he realizes he pretty much just made a fool of himself in front of the puzzling Professor.
"Would you like some dreamless sleep potion?"
"Yes please," Harry says, trying to stifle another yawn before it could come out.
Severus gets up and walks over to the stand filled with all of the Potions Poppy had brought in earlier. Severus slightly smiled as he remembered when Poppy had made all of the crystalline bottles fall earlier. Picking up on of the bottles on the right side, where she usually kept the dreamless sleep potions, Severus once again moved over to Harry's bed and handed the bottle to Harry.
"Thank you, Sir." Harry says before drinking the bottle with one quick gulp. As he noticed Severus getting up to leave, Harry managed to whisper a little request, one of which would have surprised him if he'd been fully conscious.
"Could you stay for a little while Professor? Please?"
As Severus walked towards the door, figuring Harry wouldn't want him there any longer, he was quite surprised when he heard Harry's soft request. Turning around, he saw that Harry was pretty much asleep, but figuring he hadn't misheard, Severus walked back over to the bed, picking up one of Harry's hands in his own and getting comfortable in the chair for a long night.
As Harry fell deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, he felt someone sit down in the chair next to his bed, taking one of Harry's hands into it's own, softly caressing it.
Finally dropping into the darkness, Harry smiles softly.
If Harry wasn't as tired as he was, he would have realized that the potion given to him had a slightly different taste to it, he would have also realized that the potion actually had no effect on him but to calm him some more than he already was, and it was his body's exhaustion that put him into a deep sleep, not the potion.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Albus left the infirmary, he realized Sirius was most likely looking for himself. Looking once more back at the door, hoping that the two will be alright together, Albus heads off in the direction of his office lost in thought.
As he nears the gargoyle, he realizes that there's already a person in his office waiting for him. Walking a little bit more quickly, he says the passwords, walks through the passageway and up the staircase, into his office to find none other than Sirius himself.
"Sirius, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you? Would you like a cup of tea? Or how about some skittles?" Albus says cheerfully as he sits down behind his desk.
Sirius looks stunned for a minute before hastily replying, "I would like some tea, yes, but no thank you on the skittles."
Albus nods his head in acknowledgement as he waves his wand and two cups of tea appear. "So, what can I do for you?"
"Well, you know how I was planning on being Harry's loveable pet dog when school started back up?"
Albus nods, allowing Sirius to continue.
"What about the rule with the kids' pets? It doesn't say anywhere that dogs are allowed."
Albus looks thoughtful for a moment, mindlessly chewing on some skittles. After a few moments of silence, Albus looks over at Sirius, a twinkle in his eyes. "Well, we could always change he rule around, although that will look a little like favoritism to some of the students wont it? Well, we could also say that you were a stray found outside of Hogwarts, and since you hung around and with Harry being here, you decided to stay. You will become a pet of all of the Professors while you prefer to be with Harry since you've seen him the most over the summer. How does that sound?"
Sirius nods his head enthusiastically before asking another question, slightly serious and slightly in jest. "When you say I belong to the Professors, does that include all of the Professors?" He says with an emphasis on 'all'.
Albus looks to Sirius while laughing silently to himself. "Yes Sirius, I'm afraid you will also belong to our dearest Potions Master."
Sirius looks at Albus incredulously, but before he can say anything, Albus starts speaking again, slightly more seriously this time.
"I know that you two don't get along very well, (Sirius snorts slightly to himself) but I need you to at least give Severus a chance. He's doing the Order and everyone else a great favor with his spying, not only that, but I have a feeling that everyone will have to trust each other in the future, whether it's for the cause of the light, or for other reasons." Albus says mysteriously, his twinkling eyes back in full force.
Sirius just looks at him, trying to figure out what the headmaster means this time, since whatever he says, no matter what it's about always seemed to have a double meaning. Figuring he wouldn't be finding out what he means any time soon, Sirius nods his head, showing he'll give it a try.
Albus smiles widely as Sirius starts to get up to leave after he nods his head in recognition of Albus's words.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow Albus, good night."
"Good night to you to Sirius, and before you go, let me give you a piece of advice."
Sirius stops next to the door, wondering what Albus could possibly be talking about now.
"A man once told me, that in order for someone to accept another, he himself must understand the other person in return."
As Sirius leaves the office, he thinks upon the words that Albus had spoken, he had a feeling that he was talking about Harry, and how Sirius would first have to find out more about Harry before Harry could accept him back as a godfather type figure, where he could give hugs and shoulder squeezes when necessary.
As Severus caressed Harry's hand, he got lost in his thoughts about the future and what would happen to both, Draco and Harry, Harry being his own flesh and blood and then Draco, one of his favorite and best students. He had a couple of thoughts as to why Draco was there but he couldn't do anything about it until Draco woke up.
Severus was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a distraught moan come from Harry, but, he could of sworn he just gave Harry a Sleeping Drought…looking over to the counter, Severus swore.
Where a bottle with a light blue residue should have been, was a bottle with a clear residue…Severus had given Harry a calming potion instead of a Sleeping Drought.
Trying quickly to wake Harry up before he had a bad nightmare, Severus realized it was too late, Harry had already begun to toss and turn with the horrors of his dreams. Getting up quickly, Severus went to the door to get Poppy, sure he was a Potions Master, but he had no idea how to wake up Harry in his situation. As he reached the door, he was stopped by a strangled cry coming from Harry's bed, as he turned around he found Harry to be sitting up with his eyes wide, darting around the room looking for an unseen threat.
Walking slowly back to the bed, as to not frighten Harry, Severus sat back down in the seat he had occupied only seconds before. Reaching his hand to get Harry's once again was snatched back quickly as Harry whimpered with the contact.
"Shh…Harry, it's alright, no one here is going to hurt you, I'm here to help you…" Severus whispered softly, trying to coax Harry to realize where he was and that he was entirely safe.
Harry blinked a couple of time until the man's words sunk in, slowly he turned to his Professor, waiting to see annoyance and disgust towards himself from acting the way he was, so, of course Harry was shocked speechless by the genuine concern on Severus's face. Harry just sat there and stared, trying to take in all he could, it was the first time anyone had ever looked at him like that, sure the has looked at with concern from his friends and Sirius, but never with as much force as the Teacher next to him was.
Snapping out of it, Harry finally got enough courage to ask the question that had been nagging him for a long time…
"P-Professor, you, I mean, I, umm….no, I mean, ha-have you noticed any change in my appearance?"
Severus, just sat there in silence for what seem forever, he had never expected that question to come from Harry at that point, especially since he had just woken up from some type of nightmare.
Clearing his throat, trying to keep his voice steady, he replied, "Harry, I," he moistens his lips to try again. "I have noticed your change, why do you ask?"
Harry just sat there stunned, not only that Snape had answered him, but that he had totally evaded the question that Harry had left unsaid that anyone could have spotted. Shaking out of his revere, Harry simply shakes his head, "never mind."
Mentally, Severus sighted, thanking any god out there Harry had not pursued his train of thought, and Severus knew that he wouldn't have been able to deny Harry the truth any longer if Harry had kept asking.
Without knowing it, Severus had taken Harry's hand into his again when they lapsed into silence once again. By the time Severus snapped out of it, to apologize to Harry about giving him the wrong potion, Severus was quite surprised to find the teen sleeping with a small smile on his face.
Sighing a real sigh, Severus slowly got up and releasing Harry' hand unconsciously, walked towards the door, but decided against it and headed for Draco's bed. Silently, Severus pulled the curtains back and sat in the chair next to the head of the bed and took Draco's hand into his own.