Authors notes: Warning, references to suicide and self-harm…if you are at all touchy with this content…consider yourself informed!

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The Safest Place to Be

Snape charged into the hospital wing the following Morning. Madam Pomfrey had her face buried in a book, and looked up from her desk in surprise. They nodded to each other in greeting and she stood up to lead him to the back of the room.

"How is he?" Snape asked quietly. Students and visitors were also in the hospital wing. Two first-year hufflepuff's had broken limbs from quidditch practice, a fourth year gryffindor had poisoning after being licked by a Juggernip plant in herbology, and a sixth year ravenclaw lay curled up in a bed with a hot water bottle. All had visitors, except the latter, and a blonde sixth year in the back, for whom Madam Pomfrey had drawn the curtains to shield his injuries from view.

"Healing well…honestly Severus! I've never seen anything like it! The dittany helped his face considerably, but the wound on his chest…well…it's going to leave a scar I tell you that!" She huffed.

They reached the curtained off bed, and Snape parted the fabric. Malfoy lay unconscious on his back. Madam Pomfrey gently removed the bandages to reveal an impressive scar stretching from the centre of his chest to his navel. His arms hung lifelessly over the sides of the bed, and his head lulled to one side. Snape could make out the faint, brown, line of a scar that had cut deep into Malfoy's forehead, down the side of his eye to his cheek.

"You left before I could even ask…what happened?" Pomfrey asked. "It needs to be filed under 'critical injuries', and a report really should be sent to the ministry! After all, were his father still… 'around' …he would not have let an injury like this go uninvestigated!" she started to fumble around, and handed stacks of papers to Snape, who sneered and rolled his eyes before putting them back down, exactly where she got them from.

"Madam, I think it would be best for the boy if we do 'not' inform the ministry of this…" Snape said slowly.

"Goodness! No!" She laughed, "That could cost me my job, now please, would you fill these in?"

"I think it was self inflicted!" Snape blurted out.

Pomfrey gasped. "You…what? Are you…certain?"

"I'm his head of house, I'll arrange counselling sessions, whatever it takes…he'll blame Potter for it no doubt, but Potter couldn't conjure a fly from excrement, never mind a curse!" He sneered. "I think he would prefer this to be a… 'private' matter, he's suffered a great deal already, his father's face all over the press, school exams, he's bound to feel desperate for sympathy wouldn't you say?" He looked compassionately at Draco's unconscious form, then turned to see Pomfrey do the same. He tried to hide his smug sneer. She fell for it.

"Of course!" She smiled, "But I don't want to see him in here again!" She glared, "Private matter or no! If he ever comes in here with more injuries, I'm reporting the incident!"

"Understood!" Snape nodded. With that he left Malfoy to wake up alone. He had smaller fish to fry, and that fish was Potter!

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"You did what?" Hermione's hand flew to her mouth in shock as Harry told them the events of the evening before.

"Almost!" Harry nodded in disbelief. "I just…said it, and in seconds he was on the floor drowning in his own blood!" He cupped his face in his hands. "I'm gonna be expelled I know it!"

"You might be let off! Myrtle was there, she saw Malfoy hex you first didn't she? She saw him try to 'crucio' you!" Ron rubbed Harry's back encouragingly. "He'll be lucky if he gets off for that stunt!"

"Ron's right Harry!" Ginny smiled, "Even if you have detentions with Snape for the rest of the year, they can't expel you for self-defence!"

"I just…Harry…I am so mad at you right now!" Hermione seemed to forget Harry was suffering from severe guilt and nerves. "You can't just go blurting out spells that nobody's heard of! Malfoy could have been killed!" she gasped.

"Thanks 'Mione!" Harry grunted, and she sat back in her chair, breathing heavily.

"Sorry!" she replied, staring wide eyed at them. "It's just…scary that's all!"

The door to the common room flew open, and Harry gave his friends a 'don't tell anyone' look.

Seamus walked in looking terribly pale, but his face covered in a large grin.

"You'll never guess what I just heard!" He said excitedly.

Harry gulped.

"Dean's cousin's friend, who's in Ravenclaw, was in the infirmary this morning, and she saw Snape walk over with Madam Pomfrey, and she pretended she was asleep so she would hear what they were saying, and…this is amazing by the way! …and…she heard them talking about some guy in the corner, but she couldn't see 'coz there were curtains, so she listened, and then…get this…Snape said that the guy had done it on purpose and would probably try to blame you!" Seamus pointed at Harry, jumping slightly to contain his excitement. "Malfoy tried to kill himself!"

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny could barely hold back their shock. "WHAT?" they all shouted in unison.

Seamus merely grinned and nodded. "Ahuh! Yeah I know! How messed up is THAT! I mean, I always thought Malfoy was crazy…I mean…c'mon look at his family…but not psycho-kill-crazy!" He scoffed.

"Is she sure that's what Snape said?" Harry stood up slowly. "Is she sure that it was Malfoy he was talking about?"

"Yeah!" Seamus frowned. "She saw him…Snape left the curtain open when he left, and she snuck a peak…Malfoy has this HUGE scar! Right here!" Seamus drew a long line down the centre of his body and Harry gulped as he remembered the blood that had spewed from said 'scar'. It had soaked them both in seconds, and there was so much of it. Harry felt sick remembering. "…cut himself up real bad!…" Seamus continued, the sickness crept further. He could smell Malfoy's blood on his hands. "…sliced himself open like a sardine tin!"

Harry covered his mouth and ran out of the common room, away from Seamus, away from the horrified faces of his friends, away from the guilt. But it was still there, and he aimed for a nearby rubbish bin to hurl into.

He gasped for air and let out a groan.

"There you are! I was hoping you would emerge at some point of the day!" Snape drawled. He had been waiting outside the common room. "Potter? My office! Now!" he snapped, and with a swish of his cloak, he turned. He didn't seem the least bit concerned for Harry, who had just vomited into a dustbin not seconds before.

"Here we go." Harry trembled, and silently followed Snape all the way to the dungeons. The rumour had spread fast, for Harry heard people whispering Malfoy's name and the word 'suicide' clung in the air. Snape turned once to glare at some students who had been talking a little too loudly on the subject. They hastily changed the conversation and walked away.

With a slam of the oak door, Harry found himself inside Snape's office once more. He had been there many times, for detentions, for scolds, for torments…he expected Snape to start throwing books around in anger, and snarl at him. To his surprise Snape floated to his desk, and sat himself down behind it. "Sit!" he ordered. Harry obeyed.

Snape glared at him for what seemed like an hour, before he sat back in his chair and rested his head on his knuckles. Clearly he was unsure how to punish Harry.

"I gathered from our little walk, that my discussion with Madam Pomfrey at the infirmary has spread like wildfire!"

"It seems that way sir." Harry said coldly.

"That wasn't a question!"

"Sorry sir."

"You and I both know that the rumour isn't true…is it?"

"No sir."

"You almost killed him Potter…how does it feel?"

Harry didn't respond, he glared at Snape, who seemed to be getting mild satisfaction by feeding Harry's guilt.

"Awful…sir." Harry answered…glaring back at him.

"You both were in violation of the laws of this school…you both entered an entirely 'female' bathroom, you both fought each other with curses that should NEVER be uttered in these modern times! Such behaviour is unacceptable in this school, and I should have you both expelled!" Snape hissed.

Harry bowed his head in shame.

"However…" Snape held his head high. "I no longer have the desire to turn you both out into the streets. I know you cursed him in self defence, I know you got the curse from a certain book, and used it blindly, without consideration for consequences. It was an 'accident' Potter, and nobody but the three of us need know that!"

Harry made to argue, but the look Snape was giving him made it all too clear. He would do as he was told.

"Why did you tell Madam Pomfrey that Draco did it to himself?" Harry asked, not wanting to sound argumentative.

Snape looked visibly angry that Harry had dared question his authority, but relaxed. He felt he owed an explanation. "By blaming the injury on self infliction, I could avoid ministry involvement, and keep you both from being expelled. Hogwarts is the safest place for both of you at present. Draco's distressed enough as it is…and Dumbledore wishes to keep an eye on him, keep him from following the same path as his father…like he will not allow you, to be placed in a position where you are vulnerable to attack…Hogwarts is where you will both stay…" Snape finished, got some poor souls essay on 'The properties of Sopohorous' and a quill and dismissed Harry with a wave.

Harry stood up to leave and headed for the door. "Oh…and Potter?" Snape added, not looking up. "Detention…every Friday…till the end of the year, and no mention of the incident is to leave your lips…as far as you and Draco are concerned…it never happened."

Harry felt his gut wrench. Friday evenings was quidditch practice, and Snape knew it. He wanted to protest, but bit his lip. "You deserve it!" He mentally scolded himself.

"Yes sir…what about Myrtle sir? She saw…"

"She has been dealt with." Snape brushed him off. "You may go."

With a quiet creak the door closed behind Potter, and Snape dipped his quill into the inkwell, and wrote a nice big 'P' on it.

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