Shattered Illusions Chapter Nine: The Morning After

When Harry woke up his throat was even scratchier than it had ever been and it was very hard not to start hacking up his lung. He was so tired; he tried to remember what had happened. Harry was about to rub his face when he noticed a weight on his hand.

He cracked open an eye and saw Professor Snape sitting by his bed reading the paper and holding his hand. Harry was confused at first but then remembered the surgery. Startled, he ripped his hand out of Snape's and started to feel his neck. There was a thick bandage around his throat and it throbbed in pain.

"Welcome back, Potter." Snape said, putting his paper down. Harry looked at him frightened.

"We believe the surgery was successful, but we won't really know until it heals." Snape said, "Are you hungry?" Harry nodded carefully. He wasn't really, but he knew they'd make him eat something. Even if it was just a little bit.

Snape nodded and got up and walked out of the room. He came back a few minutes later carrying a tray of food. Severus set the tray of food on Harry's lap and told him to eat, then sat back down. Harry looked at the tray with wide eyes. No matter how often he saw the amount of food they surved at Hogwarts, it still took him by surprise.

The tray had grapes, strawberries, banana's, other various fruits, eggs, sausage, toast and rolls along with pumpkin juice.

"Go ahead Mr. Potter." Snape urged. Harry picked up his fork and started eating his eggs. They were delicious as usual, but he had his eyes on the fruit. He set his fork down and picked up a strawberry, popping it in his mouth he gasped.

"What is it?" Snape asked.

"I don't think I've ever tasted anything so delicious." Harry signed.

"You've never had a strawberry?" Snape asked in wonder.

"I don't know. I don't remember ever having one." Harry signed, and then popped in another one. Soon he had eaten all of his fruit and he felt really stuffed. He knew he should have stopped long ago, but the fruit was just so good that he just couldn't.

Harry frowned and rubbed his stomach as it made a weird noise. It suddenly started hurting and he was feeling sick. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tried to control his breathing, that usually helped when he was about to be sick.

"What's wrong, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked. Harry ignored him, he knew he could make his body do anything, but he had to keep his concentration, or he knew he would throw up all over the bed.

"Harry?" Snape asked. Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and put his face in between them, and continued to breath. It was getting harder and harder to ignore Snape.

"Are you ok, Harry?" Snape questioned. That destroyed the last bit of concentration he had and he leaned over and threw up all over the floor. Harry's face went blank for a moment and Freak looked down and saw what he'd done. Panic flooded his face and he scrambled up to the headboard, pulled his knees to his chest, and started whimpering, with tears spilling from his eyes.

"Harry, it's ok." Snape said banishing the mess. "Everyone has accidents." Snape leaned over and went to place his hand on Freak's shoulder, but Freak flinched away and started whimpering more desperately.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Snape asked, worry lacing his voice. "It was only a bit of vomit, and it's gone now." Just then Madame Pomfrey walked into the room.

"Mr. Potter, what's wrong?" She asked with a frown.

"No!" Freak choked out, and then whimpered at the pain.

"Mr. Potter, you shouldn't be talking!" Poppy said, reaching out her hand to touch him. Freak flinched again.

"No! 'm sowwy!" Freak cried. "Won't do it 'gain!" Freak started sobbing again and started rocking back and forth.

"Severus, what on Earth is going on?" Poppy asked.

"He threw up and then started crying." Severus said taking Freak's hand. Freak seemed to be crying too hard to even notice. "I cleaned it up and told him it was ok, but it seemed to make it worse."

"He's going to hurt his throat again if he keeps up." Poppy said, already walking towards the storage cupboard. "Try to calm him down while I get some dreamless sleep."

"Harry." Severus said softly, rubbing circles on the back of Freak's hand.

"No!" Freak choked out, trying to pull his hand out of Severus'.

"No? No what, Harry?" He questioned. "Use your signs to tell me, we don't want you to hurt your throat again." Freak shook his head, and Snape tugged on his hand, pulling him closer.

"Fweak!" Freak sobbed as Snape wrapped his arms around him.

"Freak? What do you mean? I'm afraid that I don't understand." Snape said as he rubbed calming circles on Freak's back. Freak was shaking but he started to calm down and his sobs turned into small hiccoughs.

"Fweak." He stated softer, his eye lids dropping.

"You have to explain Harry, who are you calling a freak?" Severus said, but it was no use, Freak had already fallen asleep. Poppy walked briskly into the room and stopped abruptly.

Severus had his arms around a sleeping, but still hiccoughing, Harry Potter and it had to have been one of the oddest sights that she had ever laid her eyes upon. Severus awkwardly and carefully laid Harry back down and pulled the blankets up. Then he sat back with a confused expression on his face.

"What happened, Severus?" Poppy asked.

"He cried and then fell asleep in my arms." Severus stated, still looking confused.

"You look puzzled, why?" Poppy questioned.

"He fell asleep in my arms." Severus stated like it was obvious.

"What's there to be confused about that?" Poppy asked, "He obviously trusts you to some extent."

"Exactly." Severus said simply, now it was Poppy's turn to be confused.

"What's wrong with that?" She wondered.

"When have you known anyone to trust me?" Severus countered.

"I trust you." Poppy shrugged. "Besides, you were the one who caught Harry's injuries and brought him to get help. Of course he's going to trust you. Don't you do anything to change that. I have a feeling that boy needs anyone he can get." Severus nodded dumbly and looked back down at the sleeping boy and had the oddest urge to stroke Harry's hair out of his face, he squashed it down right away though. Couldn't have any of that, Severus decided.

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Hermione was running down the corridors on her way to the Gryffindor common room, she had just come from Dumbledore's office. She had been worried when Harry had never showed up and went to see where he was, but the news was certainly concerning.

Hermione stated the password and entered the common room. Spotting Ron, who was playing chess with Neville, she jogged across the room.

"Ron, we've got to go." She said.

"Later, I'm busy." He replied as he took Neville's queen with his own rook.

"Now, it's about Harry." She stated impatiently. It got both Neville and Ron's attention and the game was quickly forgotten.

"Where is he?" Ron asked quickly.

"He's in the hospital; we've got to go see him." Hermione explained. "I went and asked Dumbledore, and he said that Harry was at the hospital, but he wouldn't say what happened."

"Come on, Neville." Ron said standing up and already making his way towards the door.

"Oh I don't know…" Neville said shyly. " I don't think he'd want me there…"

"Neville," Hermione stated, "Harry adores you, haven't you noticed? Why do you think he went through so much trouble getting your ball from Malfoy?"

"Yeah," Agreed Ron. "He seems to cherish everyone's friendship and you're his friend. So let's go!"

It didn't take long for them to run all the way there, but they were stopped at the door from barging in.

"What are you three doing here?" Pomfrey asked.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I asked Dumbledore where Harry was, and he said he was here." She explained. "We came by to see if he was ok, we don't know what happened to him."

"He's fine." Poppy said, her face softening. "He's sleeping right now though, come back tomorrow and you can see him." Ron looked troubled, Neville looked nervous, but Hermione nodded.

"Alright, thank you Madam Pomfrey." Hermione said politely, then started pulling Ron and Neville away by the arms. Poppy smiled and turned around and walked back to where Harry was.

She stopped in shock when she saw that Severus had fallen sleep. He was leaning forward, one hand under his head, the other holding onto Harry's. Harry had pulled the hand to his chest and seemed to be hugging it.

Poppy was glad that Severus was getting some sleep, he hadn't gotten any the whole time during the surgery or after, but it was still strange to see him sleeping like that. She wondered suddenly if she should wake him up and force him to go to bed, but she decided against it when she saw how peaceful his face looked. She shook her head, smiling, and went back to her office; it had been a really long day.