Disclaimer: -checks- Nope, I still don't own it. However, my agent should be delivering the proposal to Madam Rowling in a few hours time.

Chapter 2

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They waited a moment, and sure enough the shouting started to come closer to their wing. "Really! They'll wake everybody up! You," she turned to look down at Harry, who still looked like he was going into shock, "will stay right here." He merely nodded and Madam Pomfrey felt inspired to send whoever they were on their way very quickly.

From out in the hall the voices became clear enough to understand. "He must have disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-"

"HE DIDN'T DIAPPARATE!" Snape roared as the group came close to the doors. Madam Pomfrey left the office in a rush to head them off, conveniently leaving the office door open to keep an eye on her patient inside. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS-HAS-SOMETHING-TO-DO-WITH-POTTER!"

"Severus - be reasonable - Harry has been locked up-" Dumbledores' calm tones began, trying to stop the enraged man. The doors swung open with a bang, hitting off the walls and coming back to almost hit the Minister in the face. The three men entered, and though Dumbledore seemed to be secretly enjoying the show his smile did slip a little when he didn't see Harry immediately upon entering the room. His searching eyes found Poppy, then behind the witch her office with the boy sitting there.

But it seemed the lack of the boy also derailed the potions master for a moment as his dark gaze swept across the room. "POTTER!" he roared, looking more than a little deranged.

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!" This however only brought his searching eye towards her and he saw the boy behind her in her private office. Sweeping forward like a snarling bat he roared, "THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Fudge started after him to try and talk some sense into the man.

But his help was unnecessary as the stout mediwitch moved forward with her wand drawn. "MISTER SNAPE!" He blanched even more pale if it was possible, and froze in spot. For even the fearsome potions master knew better than to face off against Madam Pomfrey. He'd also been a student under her care once and had learned a certain fear of her temper. She paused with her wand resting at the base of his throat and turned to the headmaster with narrowed eyes, "Headmaster if you would kindly remove yourself and the minister from my infermary!"

"Of course my dear Poppy. Come along Minister, I think it best if we leave." The portly man nodded only once, also watching the witch with apprehension, "Quite right Dumbledore, I need to go and notify the Ministry…dreadful business this whole debacle…." Dumbledore ushered him out with a concerned look back at his two staff members still locked in a glaring contest. With luck he'd return to find them both alive.

When the door was closed and the voices of the two men were long gone Madam Pomfrey lowered her wand and gestured for Snape to follow her to an unoccupied corner of the room. He did so reluctantly and voiced that reluctance loudly, "Poppy, that boy has just aided in the escape of a dangerous criminal! Why you insist on protecting him-"

She hushed him quickly and lowered her voice, aware of the curious girl trying to listen in a few beds down, "Severus, there is something far more important that needs to be done right now." An elegant eyebrow raised at that incredulously but something in her voice stopped his caustic remake before he voiced it. "Tell me Severus," she began gently, "when Remus transformed…did you see what happened?"

Irritated, he shook his head, "Unlikely, as I was unconscious at the time, thanks to Potter and his friends…" he eyed her speculatively, "Why?"

"Severus," she began watching his face for his reaction, "Mister Potter was bitten."

Given the mans' dislike for the boy she'd expected a different reaction. However she needed to talk to someone about what to do and the headmaster would be indisposed for a few more hours at least. But she wasn't prepared to see his black eyes widen in disbelief and something like sadness cross his face. "…it can't be…" he muttered to himself before whirling away and all but running to her office with Poppy close behind.

He stopped just inside the door and felt his breath catch in panic. The boy looked so small to him, sitting on the bed and staring off towards the wall looking lost. Those haunting green eyes were glazed over in shock and he couldn't help the feeling of crushing guilt that he had failed.

Snape was barely aware of Pomfrey moving him into the room further so that she could close the door and cast a silencing charm.

"But…it's not possible." His eyes found hers, trying to deny the reality of what was in front of them. "He was not bleeding at all when I brought them back to the castle! He couldn't have been bitten!" Harry flinched a little and Snape shut his mouth quickly. Poppy laid a comforting hand on his arm and spoke softly, "One of the children conjured bandages before you'd come to and wrapped the bite." She cast a glance at the boy who was now resolutely staring a hole through the floor.

Snape could only bring a hand up to cover his mouth and stare at the boy. With a sigh the mediwitch made him sit in one of the chairs before conjuring a cup of tea to give him something to hold onto. Confident that he knew well enough to stay quiet she turned back to her patient and took a seat again on the bed. Harry flinched a little but at least he was looking at her now, and not internalizing everything. He surprised her by being the first one to speak.

"Madam Pomfrey…am I a werewolf?" Poppy sighed a little, remembering years ago when another young boy had sat in her office and cried from the after transformation pain while she held him to her shoulder. "Yes, Mister Potter, I'm afraid the bite is indeed infected."

"Okay," he said softly, looking back down at the sheets. After a moment he looked up again, a little fearful, "Am I going to…transform..tonight?" His tight grip on the sheets around him belied his more casual tone and she was quick to reassure him, "No, Harry. It will take a month for the curse to set in, nothing will noticeably change until two weeks before then." His shoulders relaxed a little at that. At least he would have a month to prepare himself. He let out a breath and forced himself to relax a bit.

But now that he'd calmed down he had to wonder why Snape, of all people, was still in the room. He watched the man stare into his cooling tea for a moment and was confused at the display of emotions he saw in the normally stoic face.

When Snape suddenly stood and swept out of the room everyone but Harry, in and outside the office, jumped, having forgotten that he was still in there. Hermione watched him leave quietly and turned back to Ron, who had been just coming around. Both of the children watched the office door curiously, but got no answers from the silent room.

Harry sighed a little and Pomfrey was proud to see the stubborn set of his chin, "Well, I guess that's that. Nothing can really be done about it, right?" She nodded and hesitantly put an arm around his shoulders. The boy tensed, but then relaxed a little into her side, unused to being offered comfort so freely. This was not lost on the mediwitch, and the first stirrings of curiosity about The-Boy-Who-Lived's home life began. He took in a deep breath then went to stand up from the bed making her fluster, "Mister Potter! You should not be moving about right now!"

He smiled a little at her lecturing tone and shook his head, "I'll rest, promise, Madam Pomfrey. I just…I just would rather be out there with my friends." This calmed her considerably and she nodded, "Of course, you needn't stay in here. Come along."

He gave her a grateful smile and slowly stood and walked to the door. Once she couldn't see his face any more the small smile melted off and he was left with a slightly blank stare as he trudged to his bed by Hermione and took a seat.

Catching his friends eyes he gave them a smile as well, this one a little less forced since he saw that Ron was up again. But he didn't have to hold it for too long since Madam Pomfrey turned her attention on them, forcing more chocolate on them and making sure the hex hadn't done any lasting damage to Ron.

By the time she was done it was getting close to midnight. With a stern admonition to them all that they should go to sleep She doused the lights and went to her own chambers by her office to catch a few hours of sleep.

As soon as it sounded like she was asleep, Hermione and Ron sat back up and looked towards Harry's bed. About an hour before he'd simply gotten under the covers, turned away from them, and pretended to go to sleep.

Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip, brow creased in thought. Ever since Harry had been pulled into the other room away from them she'd felt a lead weight in the pit of her stomach and couldn't help the worry that began to build. It hadn't gotten any better when Snape had run out of the office without saying a word. Everything that had happened that night replayed in her head, and the only likely cause for it all made her pale in fear.

"Ron," she whispered, trying not to wake their friend, "something happened while you were asleep."

The red head snorted loudly, then ducked his head at her scowl and motion to keep quiet, and whispered back, "No duh, Hermione. You two ran off to save the day without me!"

Hermione was about to retort when Harry shifted slightly at the noise. Both of the children froze for a while until they thought he was asleep again. Hermione tossed back her covers and took a seat on Ron's bed, careful not to jostle his still sore leg.

"Ronald, we didn't have time to wait for you to wake up. We needed to get Sirius away before the Dementors kissed him!" In hushed tones she explained what had happened the last few hours. All the while Harry stared into the dark of the room and listened.

He knew how smart his friend was; it was only a matter of time before she reasoned out why all the adults had been acting so strangely around him. But he knew he had a choice. He could 'wake up' and stop her telling Ron, he could tell them both himself before she figured it out, or he could just keep pretending to sleep.

He battled with the choice right up until Hermione got to the part about Lupin attacking them again, and knew he'd already made his choice. He couldn't do it. He couldn't face the pity in her eyes, or the horror in Ron's. He knew they'd never abandon him with this…but it was too painful to face their reactions right now. His entire life had just changed in the space of a few hours, and he just wanted to run from it a little bit longer. All in all, he was just exhausted.

So it was with tears silently wetting the pillow under his head that he listened.

"-Then when we got back here, and you were still asleep, everyone started acting weird. Madam Pomfrey pulled Harry into there office for the longest time and then when Professor Snape came he-he didn't even say anything. Just ran out of here." Hermione stopped then and took in a deep breathe. Ron was watching her face with rapt attention as it fell and she started to cry quietly, sobs shaking her shoulders. Awkwardly he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, not sure how to calm her down, "Er…it's okay, Hermione. You guys did it! Yeah, Harry got banged up a bit, but Black is free and you both made it back!"

Ron was shocked when this didn't cheer her up, in fact it had the opposite effect as she cried harder while trying to stay quiet, "Don't you see, Ron?" she choked out, "It's all my fault! He was trying to protect me and got himself bi- oh Ron!" The boy let out a muffled yelp as she brushed against his leg when she threw her arms around him to cry into his night shirt.

"I-I hoped that m-maybe it was just the claws or-or something on the ground b-but…." she shook her head, "It's all my fault that he was bitten! It's all my fault that he's a- a werewolf!"

Ron gaped at her then turned to look at the sleeping form of his best friend. He could't believe it, Harry was bitten? He felt a surge of fear course through him as he remembered earlier that night when Lupin had transformed. That was going to happen to Harry? His best mate was a monster?

In shock all he could do was pat Hermione's back until she calmed down enough to sit back again. "I'm sorry…" she whispered miserably.

Ron just shook his head, "Don't worry about it Hermione. He'll be okay. We should go to sleep." He still sounded dazed, they all had a lot to think about tonight. The girl nodded, and with a last hug for her friend found her way back to her own bed to cry a little longer until she fell asleep.

They all lay awake for a long time that night, each dealing with the news in their own way, until exhaustion claimed them all.

Before he finally fell asleep, Harry looked out the window at the full silvery moon that had begun to wane, and wondered how it would look to him in a month from now when he was under it's spell as well.

A/N's: Hello, Alice here! Once again, thank you for reading! Please leave all comments, reactions, thoughts and left over popcorn in the box below, then be on your way!

Once again a big thanks to Shona-Ann for your help!