AN: Thanks for the kind words in the reviews! Everything still is JK Rowling's.
Once the boy was asleep, Severus got up and went back into his potions lab to work on the potion for iHarry's nfection. He worked contentedly for two hours to finish the potion before he walked back into his private quarters.
"Dobby!" the professor called quietly so he didn't disturb his patient.
"Yes, Master Snape?" the little elf squeaked as soon as he had winked into the dungeons.
"Can you bring two breakfasts into Potter's room for me?" the Potions Master asked gently.
"Of course, Master Snape," the elf replied before winking out.
Sighing, the tall spy walked into the mini Hospital Wing to check on the boy's progress and give him the potion against the infection.
"Mr. Potter, can you please wake up for me?" he said as he gently shook the child.
"Professor, what time is it?" the boy mumbled.
"Time for breakfast and another potion," the professor said, glad that his bedside manner had improved and that he was able to resist the urge to yell at the boy for mumbling.
Gently sliding his arm underneath Harry's back, the Potions Master helped his student sit up before quickly charming the bed to support him in a sitting position.
Just then, Dobby popped in with a tray containing two big breakfasts.
"Master Harry is awake! How is Master Harry feeling?" the house elf squeaked excitedly.
"Better, thanks for bringing us breakfast. You can come back to talk to me later if Professor Snape says its okay," Harry said, giving his friend a small smile.
"Thank you Master Harry," the short creature squealed before leaving the room.
While Dobby and Harry were talking, Harry's caregiver was checking him over with his wand.
"Fever of 102, concussion, throat infection," the little letters spelled out before the professor.
"Potter, take this potion and then eat some breakfast. Are you feeling better?" Snape tried to ask gently but it came out harsher than intended.
"Yes, Professor," Harry grumbled as he took the offered vial from his professor's hand.
Immediately after he took the potion, Harry noticed that his throat felt a lot better and his appetite returned. Taking a plate off the breakfast tray, Harry put some toast and bacon on his plate.
"I feel a lot better now, sir. Thank you," Harry said before he dug into his breakfast.
"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Do you feel well enough to have a discussion about your relatives this morning?" Snape asked as he also filled his plate full of breakfast.
"Um, professor, I was hoping you forgot about that, sir. I really don't want to talk about it, sir," Harry mumbled, suddenly disinterested in his food.
"That just convinces me that you need to have this discussion. Does your uncle hit you?" Snape bluntly asked.
"Um, only when I disobey him. Its not really a big deal, sir," Harry muttered.
"Do you know the definition of child abuse, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked softly.
"Yes, sir, but its nothing like that, sir" Harry confidently said, but stared at his bedcovers.
"What about the memories I saw during Occlumency, Mr. Potter?" Snape said, obviously not willing to let the subject drop.
"Which memories, sir?" Harry questioned but in reality he knew which memories his professor was talking about.
"I believe I remember one about a dog chasing you up a tree and you watching your cousin ride a brand new bicycle. Why don't you explain those to me?" he prodded but much more nicely then he had during the Occlumency lesson.
"My Aunt Marge sent her dog Ripper after me for some reason, I forgot. Probably for her amusement. The bicycle memory is because Dudley got yet another present and I had never received one or ridden a bicycle," Harry explained, grateful his professor hadn't seen more memories.
"Your Aunt sent a dog after you for her amusement?" Snape asked in disbelief.
"Well, she wasn't really my aunt –" Harry tried to explain before Snape cut him off.
"Does the headmaster know about this?" the professor roared, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"Well, sir, he knows that I don't like going there and beg him to not go there every summer, sir," Harry muttered, clearly annoyed at the headmaster's choice of living arrangements during the summer for him.
"Do your relatives ever call you names?" the professor prodded, careful not to push the boy too much.
"Besides freak or boy, not really. They don't allow the word magic to be said in the house though," Harry stated as if this was a normal conversation.
"Well, what are your punishments like?" Snape asked in the quietest voice Harry had ever heard him use.
"When I was younger, they just threw me into the cupboard for a few days. If I was really bad, my uncle would give me the belt. Now that I'm older, I just stay out of their way but they tend to still lock me in my room for my vacation. If I get let out, its usually to do chores or go to the loo," the teenager quietly responded, surprised that he was trusting his most hated professor with one of his closest kept secrets.
The professor himself was surprised at how the boy was opening up to him. He only had one question left to ask hesitantly, "Did your aunt or uncle ever sexually abuse you?"
"Never, sir," Harry said, for the first time in the conversation looking up at his professor.
As the Potions Master and Occlumency Master stared into the teenager's green eyes, he knew that this last statement was the truth.
"For now, Mr. Potter, this conversation is over. Would you like to get some more sleep or visit with Dobby for a few minutes or do something else perhaps?" Snape asked, trying to make sure that Harry got to have a little bit of fun even if he was confined to his bed all day.
To the professor's surprise, Harry said, "Thank you, sir, for talking to me. I have never had another adult care what happens at the Dursley's before. Could I go back to sleep for a little while, my head is starting to pound."
"Of course you may. I shall wake you for lunch and your noon potions. I saw that look, Mr. Potter, they are for your own good," Snape responded, in an almost fatherly tone.
Snape lowered the bed so Harry could lie down. After tucking his patient in carefully, the usually grouchy man stayed until Harry was fast asleep.
AN: Sorry for the short chapter, I promise to update soon! What do you think Harry should do with his afternoon? Please review, all it takes is a push of that small button down there. Let me know what you think.