Harry Potter and all the characters involved do not belong to me, they belong to J K Rowling.


"Normal speech"

'Thinking'

Flashback

"Parseltongue"


Finally breaking the silence that had fallen, Harry said "C'mon Professssor. Let'sss get you back in bed. And don't try ssssneaking out thissss time." Once Harry had gathered Snape up in his arms, he asked "How did you end up in my living room anywayssss? I'd have expected you to go down to your dungeonssss."

"I wassss going to go there," Snape agreed, "but I got tired, and it wassss warm near your fireplace."

"Well you'd better hope that you didn't reopen your wound, or you'll be ssstuck here for longer. How did you get hurt anywayssss? And how come you're able to turn into a sssnake? Are you an animagussss?"

"The wound came from a sssslicing curssse. Asss for why I'm a sssnake, assssk me again when I'm back to normal and perhapssss I sssshall tell you."

"What were you doing to get sssslicing cursssses thrown at you? The war issss over."

"Potter, I'm tired. Assssk me again when I'm back to normal."

"Mussst I?"

"Yesss, Potter, you musssst," Snape replied, tired but amused at how Harry seemed like a little child who had just been denied chocolate.

"Fine," Harry said, aware that he was acting rather childishly. Placing Professor Snape down on the bed, he said "Let me ssssee your sssside sssso I can make ssssure that you haven't reopened your wound, and reapply the ssssalve." When Snape obliged, Harry unwrapped the bandage and examined the wound gently. Seeing that there was no more blood coming from it, he told Snape "You're lucky you didn't reopen it. You better not try thissss again, or you just might next time." Without looking up, Harry grabbed his wand and summoned the salve that Hagrid had given him. He squeezed some onto his fingers and began gently spreading it onto the wound and told Snape "Let me know if thissss hurtssss."

"I don't need you to tell me that Potter."

"Yesss you do. If I didn't sssay that, you might try and ssssuffer ssssilently through the pain," Harry smirked.

Snape hissed at Harry but didn't deny his words; they both knew he was right.

When Harry was finished, he bandaged Snape's wound, and then told him "You exerted yourssself needlessssssly today. You sssshould ssssleep."

"You don't think that I've ssslept enough today?" Snape asked, though it lacked his usual bite.

"You're a ssssnake and you have a gaping wound in your ssside. Sssso no, you haven't ssslept enough today. Are you going to ssssleep or do I need to try out thissss sssleeping charm that I read about?"

Snape grumbled to himself, but he listened to Harry, and curled up on Harry's pillow.

"Hey! Ssssnape, that'sss my pillow!"

"It'ssss Professsssor Sssnape," Snape snapped tiredly, "And I'm… aware of… that. It ssssmells… like… you." Snape yawned, and then fell asleep, leaving Harry to stare at him and wonder if he should be amused, before summoning another pillow and settling down to do some more reading.