Thanks again to my reviewers!

Chapter five- No longer human

He felt so warm and incredibly comfortable. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with darkness.

Harry shifted slightly and immediately regretted it as pain shot through his left shoulder. He groaned as he remembered what had happened....Remus had bitten him and he wasn't dead....

So he was a werewolf...

Harry choked slightly, oh God! He was a werewolf! He...he wasn't human anymore! Was he going to be shunned like Remus was? Was everyone going to now stare at him with even more hatred and disgust?

He was attacked with these questions and suddenly found it increasingly difficult to breath. He was suffocating! He needed help!

All at once the curtains surrounding his bed was ripped aside as Madame Pomfrey hurried over to his side, a Calming Potion in hand.

"He's hyperventilating!" she shrieked to someone that Harry couldn't see.

"Here, dear, drink some of this come on..."

Harry stared at her, could she not understand that he couldn't breath?! And she expected him to drink a potion! His lungs felt as if they were on fire! It became even harder to breath and Harry suddenly felt like he was trying to breathe in concrete.

"You need to calm down, Harry.." Dumbledore came into view and immediately sat down beside him, taking his hand, "Calm down, child...calm down and breath, everything will be alright..."

Harry felt tranquility wash over him at the headmasters soothing words. He drank the potion, spilling a bit in his lap, but drinking it nevertheless. He immediately felt calm and peaceful his breathing evened out.

Dumbledore carefully put a cooling cloth on his head and Harry relaxed.

"Where's Professor Snape?" he asked as he remembered Snape's attempt to save his life.....again.

"He is in the bed beside you, Harry." Dumbledore told him gently. "You are very lucky that he was there or else you might have been killed. Severus petrified Remus right after he had bit you.....what on earth were you doing down there, Harry? You knew it was full moon!" the disappointment in Dumbledore's voice made Harry feel an immense amount of guilt.

"I didn't know Remus went to the Shrieking Shack, I thought he just stayed in his office and I didn't even realize where I was going until I was already inside!" Harry exclaimed loudly and Dumbledore shushed him and gestured over to Snape.

Harry thought for a moment, "I'm a werewolf now, aren't I?" he whispered fearfully, fully knowing the answer to the question.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, "I'm afraid so, my boy..."

Harry's face screwed up slightly as he hung his head, his life was ruined and now everyone would hate him....again...

"What day is it?" he asked finally.

"Sunday night..." Dumbledore told him and Harry groaned, Ron and Hermione would be worried sick!

"Does anyone know?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "Besides you, Severus, Remus, Poppy, and I, no..."

Harry swallowed and played with the bed sheet, "Are you going to tell anyone?" he asked in a small voice.

"Not if you don't want me to, Harry."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the headmaster, "How's Remus?" he asked quietly.

Dumbledore looked tired all of the sudden, "He blames himself, of course, for not taking his potion in time before his transformation....he felt horrible and wanted to resign immediately..."

"You didn't let him, did you!" Harry exclaimed and Dumbledore shook his head.

"I told him you wouldn't want that and that you would need him during the full moon, so he stayed..."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief once again before slumping back into the pillows.

Dumbledore stood up, "You need your rest Harry.....I'll see you in the morning, you have classes off of course!" the headmaster sounded almost cheery as he strolled out of the Hospital Wing.

Harry nodded, feeling his eyelids droop.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Later on that night, Harry woke up to voices in the Hospital Wing, his now acute sense of hearing had made their voices seem like they were yelling.

Harry remained still as he listened quietly, noting with some happiness that he could see perfectly without his glasses.

"Severus? Are you alright?" the headmaster.

A soft groan was heard and the sound of shifting reached Harry's ears as he realized that his Potion's Master was just waking up.

"Headmaster...." Came Snape's drowsy voice. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Hospital Wing, Severus, its alright, you're safe..."

"....and Potter?" Snape said, his voice hesitant and strangely guarded.

"He's in the bed right next to you..." came Dumbledore's soothing voice.

"I was to late..." Snape muttered in an almost distressed voice. "The bloody werewolf bit him before I could stun him!" he hissed in fury.

"There was nothing anyone could have done Severus..."

"I could have gotten down there faster! I should have! Then he wouldn't be a werewolf and he could go on living his normal life..."

"I didn't know you cared, Severus..." there was a hint of amusement in Dumbledore's voice.

"Shut up, Albus!" Snape snapped and Harry had to hold back a snigger as he thought of Dumbledore's face. "Besides..." Snape went on. "....I suppose you'd feel the least consideration for him if you had heard him begging for his life.....not to mention that he's cursed now...his life is ruined, Albus..."

"No its not, Severus! Its merely changed, different, just like it is because of the discovery of his parentage."

Snape was silent and Harry could almost see him sneering at what Dumbledore had said.

"Are you going to claim him or not when this war is over, Severus?"

"What do you think!" Snape hissed. "I may have saved his life and he may be my.....son but that doesn't erase five years of hatred for the boy..."

"Severus, you need to open up to someone again, if you don't then it'll just eat you up and kill you!"

"You know I cant Albus nor do I have any desire to.."

"You told me that sixteen years ago, Severus and look what happened to Lily.."

"Don't you dare talk about her! You have no right!" Snape snarled in fury.

There was silence again. Then:

"So you're just going to send Harry back to his relatives? You are not even going to try to get to know your son?"

"Albus there's really no point...."

"Like hell there is, Severus!" Dumbledore shouted and Harry had to hold back a gasp of shock, he had never heard the headmaster get so mad at Snape before, let alone swear.

It was obvious that Snape was shocked also, since he didn't retort.

"That boy needs you Severus, he needs someone to care for him like only a parent could! And you need someone to care for to..." Dumbledore continued.

"The werewolf can fill in that space for him, Albus..." Snape sounded quite bored.

"No he can't. He can act as a brother or even an uncle but there is no one, NO ONE that could fill up the space of a father besides the real father, which is you."

"And what if I don't want to be his father?"

"Then you are breaking the promise you made to yourself when you were a child, Severus..."

Harry wondered what exactly that promise was but all he heard was stunned silence.

"That was a long time ago, Albus..." Snape said after a minute. "And this is a different situation..."

"So, you are going to be exactly like your own father, just because you found out your son was someone that you didn't like that much? And you didn't even try to give your relationship a chance?"

"I dont want him! Nor does he need me, Albus!"

"How would you know that?"

"Because he is treated like a king at his relative's and he seems to be perfectly fine and dandy without a father!"

"That is where you are sorely mistaken, Severus.....Harry isn't treated like a king, he isn't even treated like a member of their family! His uncle-"

Harry chose that precise moment to let out a loud cough so that the two would stop talking and Dumbledore wouldn't reveal anything.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked gently and Harry yawned, stretching as he pretending like he had just woken up.

"Professor?" he groaned, sitting up and taking in the still dark Hospital Wing.

"Good morning, Harry! And how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully.

"Er..morning? It's still dark..."

"Yes, morning, Harry, its four in the morning!" the headmasters voice was still cheerful and Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance.

He looked over at Snape, who looked rather cranky, his mouth curled into a sneer and his arms folded as he glared at Harry.

Harry held back a slight twinge of pain at the loathing in those black eyes, he quickly broke eye contact with the man.

"....Professor.....are you...er....alright?" he asked hesitantly, not wanted to anger his Potion's Professor even more.

"What do you think, Potter!" Snape snarled, wincing as he reached one pale hand to touch the bandage on his head. Harry looked at his bedsheets.

"What in the hell were you doing down there anyway, Potter? Are you really so stupid as to run down to where a werewolf was? Or were you really that desperate for someone to cry all over?" Snape sneered, taking pleasure in seeing Potter's face twist in anger, but feeling slightly at lose in seeing pain in those emerald eyes.

"Severus......when are you going to see past James' facade?" Dumbledore's voice sounded tired and weary. "If you would just push all of the old hatred away and really see the real Harry, then you would see that he is very much like Lily..."

Snape growled, his mouth curling into a slightly twisted smirk, "Oh yes, Albus.....get to know the boy.....open up to someone..." Snape' s voice took on a mocking tone.

"Now Severus, that's really not-"

"......next you'll be wanting me to invite the Dark Lord for tea!"

Dumbledore stopped and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling merrily as he said, "Well, this is Professor Vector's last year and Arithmancy was one of Tom's best subjects....." he looked thoughtful.

Snape scowled. Harry snorted, unintentionally making the two men remember that he was still in the room.

"As much fun as this conversation is, Albus, I really must get to work on making a batch of Wolfsbane Potion for two...." Snape stated quite coldly as he threw another glare at Harry.

"Now Severus, you know you shouldn't be leaving the Hospital Wing, you might have a concussion...." the old man said gently.

Snape sneered, "Oh yes, I might have a concussion due to a rather foolish boy even for a Gryffindor...." he stared right at Harry as he said it and Harry felt annoyance rising in him as he glared right back at the man, feeling something vicious rising up in him.

Snape gasped as Harry's emerald eyes flashed amber for a few seconds before returning to their natural color. Dumbledore smiled, "Interesting..." he said, all twinkles.

Harry frowned to himself as he shook his head, stubbornly pushing the wolf down.

"Well Harry!" Dumbledore still had that annoyingly cheerful voice. "I suppose you and Remus will be spending more time together now, especially when he needs to teach you to control yourself..."

"He probably wouldn't have a lot of trouble if he had practiced Occlumency instead of acting like an impertinent brat and looking into my pensive!" Snape growled in anger as he glared at Harry.....again.

Harry grit his teeth in anger and felt a burning anger rise up in him....

"Severus...." Dumbledore warned as Harry's eyes flashed to amber again. "You need to watch your temper..."

Snape sneered at the two of them and folded his arms again, "Or what, might I ask Albus? Its not the full-moon, he's not dangerous now...."

"Nevertheless Severus, you do not want to anger a werewolf, I would have thought that you would have learned that lesson by now...." Dumbledore smiled at Snape, who scowled.

"Can I go back to the Gryffindor Tower now?" Harry asked in a small voice, feeling as if he had interrupted a rather heated disagreement.

"Of course you may Harry," Dumbledore said at the exact same time that Snape said, "Don't be an idiot Potter, your still unwell."

Harry looked from one teacher to another uncertainly.

"Potter is still unwell, headmaster..." Snape said quietly. "Besides, he still needs to control his temper, you wouldn't want one of your precious students to be attacked by your golden-boy would you?"

Dumbledore groaned audibly as Harry felt anger rising up in him once again.

"Severus....we need to work on how you word things...."

() Okay, that's done so, ya....

Shorter then usual but I wanted to get this one out....

Not much action in this chapter but hey! Snape, Dumbledore, and Harry talking, those are always interesting!

Review please!

Bye!