I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been really busy with work. I will try to update Slytherin Adoption some time this week. Here's chapter three of Alana Malfoy. Let me know what you think!
Harry was gasping for breath by the time he made it to the dungeons. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he was sweating profusely despite feeling ice cold, and it hurt his ribs to breathe. Finally, just when he thought he'd collapse, he made it to the Potions Classroom and slid into his chair. He lay his forehead on the cool surface of the table and closed his eyes. He couldn't be bothered to move, even when someone sat next to him.
"Potter," a very familiar voice said softly. Harry forced himself to sit up, slowly, and looked at Malfoy. He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. "Alana wanted...Potter, are you okay?"
"I...I don't feel good," he whispered just before his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fainted. Luckily, Draco was able to catch him before he hit the stone floor.
"Sir!" Draco called out. Severus Snape turned from where he was writing instructions on the black board and raised an eyebrow at seeing Potter in his Godson's arms. "He fainted, Professor, and he's burning up." Severus strode over to the two.
"He's just faking it!" Ronald Weasley suddenly shouted. "Like he doesn't get enough attention already!" Severus and Draco stared at the redhead in shock.
"You're just mad because Potter wouldn't let you bully Alana," Pansy retorted as she stepped up next to Draco. Severus's eyes narrowed.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor for bullying a First Year, Mr. Weasley." Severus hissed. "Another twenty for shouting in my classroom." Without another word to the silently fuming redhead, the Potions Master turned to Draco and took Harry, cradling him gently and shocking all the students present. "Mr. Malfoy, you're in charge. I expect everyone to work on the potion silently. If I'm not back when the bell rings, put your completed potion on my desk before you leave." He turned and swept out of the classroom, headed for the Infirmary.
"Madame Pomfrey!" he called, laying Harry on one of the beds. "Poppy!" he shouted when she didn't respond. Pomfrey came out of her office and scowled when she saw Harry.
"I swear that boy will do anything for attention," she muttered. Severus blinked in shock. What the hell was going on? Poppy did a quick scan. "It's just a fever," she said and pointed her wand at Harry, waking him up. The boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the bright lights. He groaned when he realized he was in the Hospital Wing.
Harry looked around until his eyes landed on Professor Snape. He tried to speak but his mouth was very dry. The man silently handed him a glass of water, which Harry gratefully took and gulped down half before handing it back and leaning back on the pillows.
"W...what happened?" he asked, voice raspy and barely above a whisper.
"You fainted," Pomfrey replied before Snape could, causing the man to scowl at her. "Here's a fever reducer." She thrust the potion at him before disappearing in her office, clearly dismissing him. He went to drink it but the Potions Master stopped him with a frown. "That doesn't look like a Fever Reducer," he explained as he took it out of Harry's hands and sniffed it. His frown deepened. "Consider yourself lucky, Potter," he drawled. "She was in such a hurry that she grabbed Skelegro instead of a Fever Reducer." Snape stalked over to the Potions closet, grabbed the right one, and walked back over to Harry, who quickly drank it. Harry then attempted to stand and very nearly collapsed. He would have, too, if Snape hadn't caught him, holding him until he was steady. They slowly made their way into the hall.
"Follow me," Snape said and turned to the dungeons. Snape slowed his pace to match Harry's, watching said boy out of the corner of his eye. It was very clear something was very wrong, more than a fever.
The boy was sweating, his feet were unsteady, and he was having a hard time breathing. Suddenly, Harry collapsed, falling to the ground before Severus even knew what was happening. Severus sighed and scooped the boy in his arms.
"Don't you eat, Potter?" Severus asked, his voice lacking his normal malice, as he felt how little the 17-year-old weighed. Harry just blinked up at him as Severus headed for his quarters. They were almost there when Harry finally spoke.
"I...I'm s...sorry, sir." Severus looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"For what, Potter?" He spoke the password and went straight to the guest room.
"Fainting," Harry replied. "You having to carry me." He paused and took a deep breath. "I promise I'm not doing this for attention." Severus set him gently on the bed.
"Potter, I can assure you if I thought you were doing this for attention, I wouldn't have brought you here." Harry just stared at him like he couldn't believe him. Severus sighed and took out his wand, causing the boy to flinch. "Relax, Potter," Severus murmured. "I am just going to run a complete diagnostic scan, something I doubt Pomfrey did." Harry bit his lip, eyes frantically scanning the room, as though looking for an escape route. Finally, he looked at Severus again. "How complete?" he whispered.
As it turned out, Severus never did show back up to class. The seventh years who finished their potions bottled them up and placed them on the Professor's desk. Those who didn't hoped that just this once, Professor Snape wouldn't notice. The class was completely silent as everyone packed up and started leaving, glad that there were no more classes until Monday.
Draco had just left the classroom, having made sure it was spotless just like his Godfather liked it, when he heard arguing. Loud arguing. It was coming from a nearby, empty classroom. Draco stayed right outside, especially when he heard Potter's name.
"How could you be so heartless!" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Granger's said.
"Oh come on, Hermione!" That was definitely Weasley. And he'd just confirmed it was, indeed, Granger who'd spoken. "Of course Potter was faking it. He loves being the center of attention!" There was a moment of silence.
"What did Parkinson mean when she said Harry wouldn't let you bully Alana?" Granger's voice was soft but determined.
"Hermione, I…"
"What did she mean, Ronald?!" Granger's voice rose in volume. "What on Earth possessed you to bully a First Year?" It was silent again. "Why is Harry so afraid of you?"
"Because he should be!" Weasley shouted. "Someone had to put him in his place...finally!"
"Ronald Weasley, you are so pathetic! How could you…"Slap!
"Don't ever speak to me like that again," Weasley hissed before storming out of the room. He was so angry he never noticed Draco as he went down the corridor. The blonde waited until he had disappeared before slowly entering the room. The clearly visible handprint on Granger's right cheek made his blood boil. He may not like Granger much but he would never hit a woman. Ever.
Granger looked up when he entered, tears sliding down her cheeks. For a moment, they just stared at each other. After another moment, Granger pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket, her eyes never leaving his.
"This fell out of Harry's pocket earlier, in Potions," she said softly. "It's addressed to you." She handed it to him and then she was gone. Draco stared at the folded piece of parchment, his name clearly scrawled on it in Potter's handwriting. Slowly, he opened it.
Malfoy,
Is the offer still open?
Potter
Draco was very confused until suddenly, it clicked. First year. His offer of friendship. Potter's rejection. Draco smiled slightly and tucked the parchment in a pocket of his robes, finally leaving the classroom and heading to the Great Hall for dinner.
Severus sat in his favorite armchair, in front of a roaring fire, fire whiskey in one hand and a sheet of parchment in the other. He'd put a light sleeping charm on Potter and was going over the results of his diagnostics scan. Now he knew Pomphrey either hadn't done one or ignored what it said. He also knew why Potter had seemed frightened when he said he was doing one.
Harry Potter was only seventeen and his parchment was three times the size of most adults. It listed every broken bone, bruise, illness, and internal injury the boy had ever had. Severus drained his glass and poured another before setting it on a side table, picking up a quill, and reading through the list.
He marked off every injury he knew the boy had gotten playing Quidditch, dealing with the "Dark Lord", or just fooling around. He also marked off any illnesses he knew Harry had had while at the school. Thanks to the vow he'd once made to Lily, Severus had kept close tabs on the raven-haired teen.
Next, he marked off any injury that could be from normal roughhousing, as he was a boy. That still left an atrocious amount of injuries and illnesses. Sighing, Severus once again drained his glass and stood up. He went into the room where Potter slept, put him in a deeper sleep, set a monitoring charm, and left for dinner. Too many people would be suspicious if he missed, plus he needed the nourishment for the long night ahead.