Disclaimer - I only own the plot. Not the characters.

Thank You Lord Voldemort

Chapter 19 - Visitors

While Severus sat next to Alex, he began rubbing gentle circles on the back of Alex's hand. Oh how he hoped that Alex would wake up soon. If he wakes up then he'll recover. He just needs to wake up.

He let go of the hand as he realized that he needed to tell the headmaster that Voldemort had ordered the death eaters to kill Alex. He leaned over and brushed his lips over Alex's. "Please wake up Alex. I'd rather you were back in your time than lying so still in this bed. Wake up."

The following morning Severus returned to the infirmary, but was stopped from entering by his head of house.

"I'm sorry Mister Snape, but no one is allowed in."

Severus stood there fuming. He was about to demand or maybe even beg when the headmaster showed up. "Ah, Severus. I will escort you in. If Alex wakes up it will be because of the love from his friends."

Severus offered a small smile and followed the headmaster into the infirmary. He took up the seat beside the bed and grasped Alex's hand in his once again. "Sir, any word on when he may wake up?"

"It's all up to him now. He could wake up any minute or he may never awaken."

The hand Severus was holding twitched, causing him to jump up to look at his lover. "Alex?"

A groggy voice answered. "I prefer to wake up now rather than never, thank you." He managed a weak grin, but hadn't opened his eyes yet."

Severus' heart leapt. Alex would be okay. He squeezed his lover's hand. "Alex, I'm so glad you're okay. Now what kind of stupid Gryffindor stunt was that, running after the Dark Lord himself?"

Alex, who was still quite weak, chuckled softly. "Don't call me a Gryffindor, you Hufflepuff."

The headmaster smiled, eyes twinkling, as he quietly exited the room. Severus leaned down and kissed Alex and was surprised when the soft lips parted to let him in. He pulled away violently causing Alex to frown.

"What?"

Severus, who had taken a sip of water, replied. "There will be none of that till you've brushed. That mouth of yours has been closed for three days."

Alex managed to force his eyes open after that statement. "Three days? I've been out for three days?"

"Yes, you had me worried. We weren't sure that you would wake up."

Alex's voice became gravelly. "Why? What happened to me?"

Severus sat back down and explained their theory, that Alex received some of Voldemort's power. He explained how the potion might have altered the spell.

"Is that what that is? I feel this odd pulsing in my body. Almost as if my heart was thumping real hard, but I can tell it's not blood related. I guess that's my magic."

"That sounds right to me. We will have to ask Madame Pomfrey."

The lady in question showed up shortly after to check over her patient. "That feeling is normal dear. As your body adapts to the power increase the feeling will diminish. Physically, your body is fine so you may get out of bed, but you are not to leave this ward. While you could still perform magic right now, your body will adjust faster if you don't do any magic."

As soon as she left Alex asked Severus to help him get out of bed and to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, Alex emerged from the bathroom to be swept into a kiss. This time when he parted his lips Severus' tongue entered. He sucked eagerly but gently on the sweet tongue. The kiss broke when Alex's legs began to give out, so Severus helped him back to the bed.

After getting back into the bed, Severus began telling Alex about the death eater meeting he had attended and ordered Alex not to drink anything from anyone unless it's Madame Pomfrey. He left out the end of the meeting when Voldemort had shown a more nefarious interest in him. He didn't want to burden Alex with that.

A charm was added to the door of the infirmary to keep everyone out. Teachers knew how to get around it, though.

Later that evening Professor McGonagall stopped by the infirmary. What surprised Alex even more was the person she had in tow, James Potter. The dark-haired Gryffindor looked a little pale.

The transfiguration professor motioned James over to the bed. "I will leave the two of you alone."

James seemed very unsure about himself and stood there fiddling with the sleeve of his robe. "Campione, umm, I .. I wanted to thank you for saving Sirius the other day."

Alex was ready to come out with a biting comment about Gryffindors, but he bit it back. James actually seemed sincere for once. "It's okay Potter. You're welcome."

James, still fiddling with his sleeve, kept rambling on. "You see, Sirius is real important to me. He's my best friend." Alex thought he heard James mumble something about 'hard life' and 'bad family.' "You seemed just like one of us out there. A Gryffindor, I mean."

Alex smirked. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He asked, grinning. "I'm just joking. I'm glad you think of me that way. So, do you still think I'm a death eater?"

"No, I guess not. Sorry we gave you such a hard time. With the war it's hard to trust any of the Slytherins."

Alex nodded. He wasn't sure that he would ever accept James apology, but he would at least acknowledge it.

Professor McGonagall came back in escorting some more people that wished to see Alex. Alex could tell from James' face who they were.

"Mom? Dad?"

"James. What are you doing here?" Asked Mister Potter.

Alex smiled softly. "It seems saving Sirius opened some eyes."

The Potter's nodded knowingly. "Alex, how are you feeling? Albus sent us a letter explaining everything."

Before Alex could speak James rounded on his parents. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Alex and his grandparents looked at each other, searchingly. Alex nodded slowly, answering their unasked question.

"James, dear, have a seat." Said his mother, wrapping an arm around her son, who she figured would be upset by the news.

For the next ten minutes Alex explained how he came from the future and why he was in Slytherin in this time. He finished with. "James, I'm your son."

"My son? I .. You .. You're my son? In the future?" He managed to squeak out.

"Yes, I am. That's how I knew so much about you and your friends. That's why my patronus is what it is." Alex's voice trailing off.

James seemed more lost and unsure then when he had walked in earlier. He wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or scream. "I dueled my own son? You're .. You're so powerful. Well at least we know why you're so good at quidditch. What am I like in the future?"

Alex looked down at his hands. "I can't tell you about the future. I've already said too much."

James nodded his head. The four of them talked for another hour or so, Alex telling James nothing too specific, but talking about his friends and school life. He was careful not to mention the future of the marauders or his home-life. Then the Potters announced that they had to leave. They hugged James and then Alex, saying good-bye. Just as they turned to go Alex stopped them. "I thought you should know that I'll be leaving soon. I probably won't see you again."

His grandparents nodded glumly. "We will miss you. Good luck in the future."

The three Potters left, leaving Alex in his solitude. If he went back soon this could be the last time that he ever saw another relative of his ever. The thought bothered him more than he realized.

He sat back in bed feeling oddly numb. His concentration grew as he heard the door from the hallway open. It was McGonagall again, this time with Peter Pettigrew in tow. "Mister Campione, Peter would like a word with you." She turned and left the room.

Peter edged closer to the bed. Alex tried hard not to sneer at the rat-faced boy. "Pettigrew."

"Campione. I just wanted to thank you for ... for Sirius. Um..."

Alex noticed one of Peter's shaking hands reaching towards his glass of water sitting on the bedside table. Thoughts clicked in his head. Pettigrew. Rat. Traitor. Voldemort's order. Poison. Alex jumped up, willing his body to comply this one time. He leveled his wand at Peter. "Expelliarmus!"

He was shocked when Peter slammed up against the wall with a sickening crunch. Obviously his magical power had increased. The vial of poison shattered on the floor at Alex's feet. McGonagall rushed in, shock evident on her face. "Mister Campione, cursing a student, detention for a week once you are out of the infirmary." All of this was shouted while she attended to Pettigrew's injuries.

The headmaster showed up shortly afterward. "Alex, can you explain what happened here?"

All of the teachers who had now gathered leveled their eyes at Alex, who gulped. "I was laying in bed when Pettigrew came in and began to thank me for helping Sirius Black. As he was speaking a noticed him trying to put something in my water. That substance is the powder on the floor in front of my bed. He was trying to kill me."

The potions professor took out his wand and held it over the powder, scanning it. "It is a poison Albus."

The teachers all turned to the headmaster now. "I doubt that a sweet boy like Peter would have tried to kill Alex. Perhaps one of the Slytherins gave Peter the vial and told him it was something else for Alex. We will ask him when he wakes."

Alex laid in bed livid. 'How dare the headmaster try to blame one of the Slytherins.'

The Slytherin head-of-house looked just as livid.

Back in 1997

Hermione took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Professor Snapes office. A deep, gravelly "Enter" responded so she did just that. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk grading exams.

"Sir, when is it that Harry leaves the past?"

"Soon."

She nodded as she took the seat in front of the desk. "I'm just worried about what will happen next. Everyone here thinks he's dead. I read in the archives that he did well in his NEWTs so I guess he'll take auror training."

Severus smirked, as he never recalled Alex posing that as a possible career. Of course that was a more Slytherin person than Miss Granger remembers.

"Miss Granger, I am really not sure what he will want to do when he gets back. He is not quite the same person that left. He is not the Gryffindor that left. He has been a Slytherin for the past year. He thinks a little differently. He's seen things from a different perspective. I know what he was planning on doing after school in my time, but that is not an option in this time."

Hermione nodded and brought her arms around herself. "Will he still want to be friends with a bunch of Gryffindors, sir?"

Severus had to hold back a chuckle. He could not believe how candid he had become with Harry's friends. It was as though they shared something special. Harry is that something special. "Yes, while he didn't get along with Gryffindors in my time, I'm sure he misses you and Weasley. He will still be your friend. He just might no longer tolerate Mister Weasley's comments about Slytherins."

"Thank you sir." She left with a wide grin on her face.

As the bushy-haired girl bounced out, Severus put his head in his hands and inhaled deeply. He must admit that he was just as worried as Granger and Weasley. What would Alex do when he got back here? He had just told Granger that he was sure that Harry would still be her friend. If he were telling that truth then, what would he do with an Alex that was twenty years younger than him and had little Gryffindor friends his age? Would he, Severus, want that? Were Harry's friends something he could deal with? Would Harry make separate time for him and his younger friends? And most importantly, would he even want this broken old, used-up man as anything, let alone a lover?