Chapter Seven: The Attempt

Thursdays. Thursdays bored Severus. He muttered something dark under his breath and relaxed his expression. All morning, he had been fed a potion which kept his subconscious at bay, and his mind was made open for the perusal of the Aurors, who were also members of the Order. Meade, the Auror known as Rat-face by Harry and his friends, was not present during the silent interrogation. Also, for some reason, Shacklebolt had been very, very careful with him. The probing in his mind had seemed very wary that morning, as though the Auror did not want to stumble across anything that was not important to his 'research'.

Just before lunch, Harry had sneaked in a cup of hot chocolate for him. The wizard had stirred it up for him to cool it off, and had made him drink it, without a by-your-leave. He had given Severus an odd look before leaving.

The hot drink was good for him. It erased the tense feeling inside his mind, and little by little, the components of the beverage induced him to sleep. He slept lightly, however. He was aware of someone coming in to place his meal on the end table. Ginny Weasley thought he was sleeping, and so Severus saw the look of hatred she shot at him as she left.

I'm not surprised but ... that look seemed quite personal, didn't it?

Barely ten minutes had passed when Harry came into the room, looking a little annoyed. "I know I can't trust anyone else ... but she's carrying this too far." He grumbled softly to himself. Despite his black mood, his hands touched Severus with kindness as he helped the older man sit up. The sensation brought back memories, and Severus was careful not to show it. Instead of sitting on the stool which he normally use, Harry sat on the bed next to Severus. "The cream soup first, all right?" He took a spoonful of it first. Then he waited.

Nothing seemed to happen, and Severus waited expectantly. Harry did not start feeding him, however. He placed the soup back on its tray and turned away without looking at Severus. He walked toward the door and opened it. Just as Severus caught a glimpse of the white hall, Harry suddenly choked and collapsed on the floor.

There were shouts. The first to reach Harry was Granger. Severus, sitting immobile on the bed, stared as Harry clutched at the girl's collar and whispered at her with a very urgent look in his eyes.

"Ronald!" Granger's voice soared commandingly. Her light, hazel eyes flashed with anger.

"Stand guard. Don't let anyone come in, and don't let anyone touch Snape's food!"

Ronald Weasley, his face white, just nodded tightly and drew out his wand. He positioned himself at the door, his stance that of guarding. He blocked Severus' view, denying him the knowledge what was happening to his caretaker.

Damn. An hour had passed. The thick-headed Weasley had not even think of putting him into a more comfortable position. He sighed, resigned to his sitting position. His eyes flitted over to watch the dishes on the end table. It is entirely possible that the poison is already worn down by the heat. Even if Granger decides to investigate, it will not be possible to discern the nature of poison. The sound of a female voice muttering urgently at the door pulled him away from his inner thoughts.

"-what are you trying to say?" Ron Weasley's shoulders bunched up in anger. "Ginny? How can Snape force Harry to eat? That's impossible and you know it! He's paralyzed - how in the hell can he shove food into his mouth?"

"Why did Harry-"

"Get out of my sight."

The girl Weasley was interrupted by a cold, deadly voice. Just then, Granger pushed her way into the room, with the elegant Fleur Delacour trailing behind her. Both were business-like as they examined the tampered lunch.

"Mere araceae poizoning," Delacour muttered after a while.

Dumbcane? Severus' heart started beating fast. Is he all right?

"I will inform ze healer immediately."

"Thank you." Granger nodded tightly. Once the half-Veela witch left, Granger turned to him, her expression slowly crumpling as she steadied him and lifted the propped pillows from behind him.

"Why is he doing this for you?" Granger wailed softly. Her eyes, always earnest and bright, were dark with pain. "Why?"

He just looked up at her with a frown. I cannot answer that. Granger continued to make sure he was settled in properly on the bed. Then she let out a soft gasp. Severus looked down; she was staring at his feet, which were covered with socks. She stood motionless, her frozen posture comical in his eyes. When she glanced over her shoulder, her expression was troubled.

"Ron, dispose that thing, will you?" She sank down on the stool heavily, her eyes following the movements of the tall redhead.

"All right. You going to stay here?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay."

Weasley watched after him when Granger left, but not for too long. She returned, carrying a tray of food and looking very apologetic.

"It isn't much. Just something instant ... out of a can." She looked very sheepish in Severus' opinion.

"Harry!" Weasley yelped. "What in the hell are you doing? You're not supposed to be up walking around!" Despite that, Weasley helped Harry into the room.

"He doesn't like curry much," Harry said in a raspy voice as he sat down on the bed. Without another word, he took the tray from Granger's hands. The witch stared at him with wide eyes, as though not believing the sight. "Help him to sit up, will you?"

"Harry," Granger started, "go back to bed. I'll feed him."

"No," Harry said firmly. "I'm not going to leave him. Besides, feeding him is my responsibility."

"Harry."

"They couldn't do it indirectly. They're bound to do it the other way sooner or later," Harry said flatly. "Open your mouth," he instructed Severus icily and fed him.

Several hours passed, and day turned into night. This Thursday night, things were more chaotic than usual. Severus did not know the exact details of the poisoning. He learned that someone had instigated the girl Weasley to carry out the deed, much to the disappointment of her family. Remus Lupin, however, was furious. His reaction surprised Severus a little. The werewolf had always been mild-tempered, always reasonable, and rarely flared. Not tonight, after he had discovered about the incident.

"Uhmmm ... Remus, please calm down."

That voice tugged at his memories. Who was it? From his sitting position, he could not tell who was the owner.

"That's Charlie," Weasley answered.

The dragon keeper? Then ... Draco... At the thought, his silver-haired godson appeared. His eyes were steely grey, and his hands were shaking.

"Severus?" He crossed the room, ignoring Weasley's weak protests, and flung his arms around Severus. "I don't understand," he whispered into his ear. "Potter was testing your food all this time? Why?"

The older man shook his head, indicating that he himself did not know the reason. The commotion outside grew calm, and the company broke up. When Harry returned to his side, Draco stepped away automatically. Harry's face was pale and he was shivering tremendously.

"I'm going to stay with you tonight," Harry said wearily.

Severus lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.

Instead of answering his question, Harry continued, "We're sharing the bed."

"Huh?" Draco stared at him, and then at his peer, confused.

Share the bed? You must be mad. Severus gave Harry a flat stare.

"I've made up my mind," Harry muttered. That said he actually lifted Severus off the mattress and set him down on the farther side. He panted loudly with exertion and sat next to Severus.

"Hermione?"

"I'm staying too. Harry's in no condition to play guard."

"What?"

He was not paying attention to them, but to the young man who was lying beside him, gasping for breath. His emerald eyes were unfocused, and they kept flickering from brilliant green to muddy green. It was perhaps in his tiredness that his head lolled slightly to the side, so that it rested against Severus' shoulder. Harry's face was close. So, very close. Severus was aware that the room had suddenly gone quiet, as though they had noticed that he was staring at Harry.

"Oh, fine!" Ronald Weasley declared, breaking the silence before stomping out of the room.

Draco looked as though he wanted to drag Harry out of the bed by the hair. Like father, like son. The two of them have the same sort of temperament, Severus observed. At the slight shake of his head, the wordless signal that he should leave the matter - in this case, Harry - alone, Draco sighed.

"What are you doing?" Tonks stood in the doorway and stared at Draco in disapproval.

"I'm staying put," Draco said with determination. "This is a cell, isn't it? It's not going to make any difference. I'm already not able to use magic. They are hardly in any danger, right?" The rest came out bitter.

"It's all right, for now. Let him stay."

"It's not wise."

"This is not a prison managed by the Ministry." Remus' tone was hard.

Is the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow?

"Uh, excuse me, Remus."

"Oh. Sorry, Ron."

Severus lifted his gaze in time to see Weasley drag a mattress into the room.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Granger's voice was torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Well, if you're going to stay here, so am I!" Weasley grated. "I don't care if I've been left out of some secret, but I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Charlie, you too?" Granger asked nervously. The dragon keeper was making himself comfortable beyond the doorway.

"I'm just protecting my mate."

Silence fell. Severus turned to look at the face close to his, and his eyes roamed the calm features of the young wizard. Harry was asleep, his glasses slightly askew in his prone position. Granger came to peek at them. She smiled to see Harry and sighing, she carefully removed his glasses from his face and set it on the end table.

"Let's get some rest."

The candles vanished. Light from the hall dimmed before blacking out completely.

"Ron, give me more room."

"Ouch."

"No funny business, you two," Charlie Weasley warned his brother and Granger.

"Don't you mean yourself and the ferret?"

"Shut up."

Everyone was intent on resting. In the darkness, he could not see Harry, just the warmth of his body. The soft sounds as he inhaled and exhaled. The quiet pounding of his heart. Then, in the darkness, lips pressed softly against his. Severus closed his eyes, and tried to hold on to the searing warmth. A small part of him wondered at the change of attitude. For most part of the day, Harry had been ill-tempered and cold, but now ... he was warm. Harry drew back, and Severus felt a pang of loss. The air beside him felt empty.

Soft hair brushed across his cheek, and Severus took the chance to rub against it a little. He was all too aware that this was uncharacteristic of him, but there was no denying his heart. It shamed him, but he still wanted the warming sensation to continue. The lips came back, this time pressed against his ear.

"Malfoy, what in the hell are you doing? Go back to your space!"

"Shut up, Weasel."

"Draco, love. Ignore him. Come here."

"Charlie!"

"I'm sorry." The whisper was very soft. "I'm sorry," Harry whispered again, at the same time Hermione spoke sharply to the three other wizards.

He did not know why he was doing it, but there was not any good reason why he should not. He moved his head again, and parted his lips. His tongue flickered out, and finally met flesh. Harry jumped at the touch. Then they kissed softly, chastely.

It was the first time. Severus fell asleep with warmth against his side and a sense of closeness to someone. Cheek against hair, fingers slightly curled around a set of others. Deep steady breaths. The night deepened.

-oOOoOOo-