Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, only this little plot and my plot monster...

Well, Enjoy!

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Chapter 7

Harry walked up to the service desk, staring forlornly at perfect white walls as he passed. The smell of bleach and death hung over him like an omen. He cleared his throat quickly, catching the attention of the young nurse at the desk.

She looked up at him expectantly, "Name?"

"Harry Potter. I'm here to visit Severus Snape." He pulled out proper identification and showed it to her before placing it back into his wallet.

She pulled out and flipped through a stack of papers clipped to a clipboard, "Hmm, Snape you say? Well, his name is listed here but there's no room number…Hold on a moment." The young woman rose from her chair, leaning over the desk, looking around for something or someone in particular, "…Oh! Dr. Pomfrey! Dr. Pomfrey, over here! Can you come here for a second?" she shouted down the hall, waving.

Harry watched as a stern-looking woman made her way to the desk, "Yes, Maria?" She noticed Harry standing there and smiled politely, "Oh, good evening." Dr. Pomfrey returned her attention to the desk nurse, "Well? I have patients to check on."

Maria showed the doctor her clipboard, pointing at a place on the paper, "Do you know what room this man is in?"

Dr. Pomfrey frowned, looking over to Harry, "I'm sorry; he's not allowed any visitors at the moment. With the circumstances dealing with his disappearance there would pose too much of a risk-"

Harry rushed forward gripping the cuffs of her lab coat, "Please, please let me see him. I-I can't stand waiting any longer…please." His eyes glittered with unshed tears, "Please, Dr. Pomfrey…"

Pomfrey sighed, eyes laden with guilt, "What's your name young man?"

Harry wiped his eyes swiftly, sniffing, "Harry… Harry Potter." He glanced over at his godfathers who were watching the exchange silently from two chairs in the waiting room. Remus smiled while Sirius gave him quick thumbs up. He chuckled softly at the sight.

Pomfrey followed his gaze and smiled thinly, "It seems you have people rooting for your success." She paused, "Very well then, you may see him, but I will have to have you sign a contract of secrecy and have your session monitored by one of my staff members. Is that fair?"

Harry's eyes lit up in ecstasy and in a burst of happiness hugged her tightly, crying happily into her lab coat, "Thank you…Thank you so much!"

Pomfrey's cheeks reddened slightly as she pat his back awkwardly, "Yes, well. The faster we get the contract signed the faster you get to see him." She detached herself from his grip and motioned for Maria to get the necessary paperwork, "So, Harry Potter you say? That name sounds familiar. Were you on a TV. show or something?"

Harry chuckled softly, "Have you heard of the Riddle-Potter murder case in 2004?"

The doctor thought for a moment, "Yes, I believe so. Wasn't that when that one guy, um…Tom, was it, murdered his boyfriend's parents in order to get back at him for some sort of betrayal?"

Harry nodded and muttered, "I was that boyfriend."

Doctor Pomfrey's eyes went wide as a hand covered a gasp, "Y-You? You were that young man?" She shook her head, frowning, "That was a horrible year. I remember it now. People were coming in by the bucket loads, claiming to be assaulted by this vigilante group known as the "Death Eaters". No charges were ever made against the assailants…but the damage done was extensive" The woman sighed, shaking her head.

Maria returned with the contract, smiling apologetically towards Harry, "Sorry for the wait, I tried to hurry as fast I could." She reached over the help desk and grabbed a spare clipboard, clipping the contract to the board. She pointed to the bottom of several pages and described each of which he was signing and what they entailed, "Got it?" She handed him a pen.

Harry signed all the papers and handed them to Maria, "I'll make sure that I remember all that." He looked over at his godfathers, who had gotten up and were making their way over to him, "Are my godfather's allowed to come in with me?"

Dr. Pomfrey stared at them, "No. I'm already risking a patient's safety by letting you visit. I will not allow anyone else. They are, however, allowed to wait outside in the hall. That would be doable." She turned away, walking down the hall, "Follow me, please."

Remus, Sirius, and Harry followed the brown-haired woman to the elevator and boarded quickly, observing quietly as she pulled out a silver key and lifted a plastic lid turning the key inside the lock and pressing in a security code soon afterwards, "We've tightened security since his arrival," she replied to his unasked question. She pressed the button labeled 14 before stepping away, "Now, for the rules. There is to be only one visitor in the room at a time. No food or beverages are allowed in the room due to the machinery. You will be monitored at all times. And finally, only 1 hour visits per day." She raised her hand when Harry moved to interrupt. "It may be changed if needed, but since we are only starting out I would like to start out in small doses, even if he is in a coma."

The steel doors opened wide, Dr. Pomfrey exiting before Harry had a chance to argue. She walked briskly down the hall and to the last door on the hall, and, pulling out another set of keys and unlocking the door, disappeared inside.

Harry faltered at the doorway, staring at the darkened room ahead of him and the hazy outline of a bed pressed against the far wall and in the middle of the room. How much had changed in three months? Would he even recognize him anymore? The uncertainty plagued him and he wasn't sure anymore that he wanted to see Severus. Snape, his thoughts reminded him, He's Snape to you, nothing else.

A hand was placed gently on his shoulder and he realized with shock that he had started crying. He wiped his cheeks with the top of his sleeve, looking over at Sirius who was staring down at him concerned, "It's alright, take your time." Harry bit his bottom lip, looking away. He stepped forward and entered the dark room.

Harry saw the neon glow on the machines and the whirring that seemed to echo throughout the room. His footsteps resounded across the tile as he made his way over to Dr. Pomfrey, who was holding the curtain surrounding the bed.

It felt as if time had stopped when he entered the room, as if all his problems dissipated at that moment and had lost all of its significance. Nothing mattered anymore except for the man who was now laying in the bed across from him, deep in a coma.

Harry reached the side of the bed and waited silently as Dr. Pomfrey started pulling the curtains back. She paused right before revealing his face, "I must warn you, he was wounded pretty severely during his absence. It still amazes me that he's even survived for this long. So, even knowing this, you still want to see him, don't you?" Silence answered her question, "Alright, here we go." She pulled the curtain all the way back.

Harry gasped and felt his world spin. He covered his mouth with his hands as tears streamed freely down his face again. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room and he struggled for breath, "Oh…oh my god…" His knees gave out as he tried to move and he collapsed onto the floor, trying to regain any semblance of his sanity that he thought he could keep and control.

Dr. Pomfrey kneeled down, rubbing his back slowly, "Calm down, Harry. Do you want to leave?" she murmured.

Harry shook his head quickly, "N-No. I will not back down." It took him a while but he got up again, wavering slightly from the nausea that flooded his stomach, and gripped the baseboard along the edge of the bed. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to calm his face and heart.

Dr. Pomfrey closed the curtain. She moved and placed a hand gently on Harry's shoulder, "Please dear, come back tomorrow. He won't go anywhere, I promise."

Harry shook his head and shoved past her, gripping the white curtain in shaking hands, "I…I can't! I can't leave him alone again! It was all my fault…," He gripped the curtain tighter, eyes glaring into the cloth, "If I had done something! If I had cared enough. If I had noticed enough. If I…If I had loved enough!" His voice was a mere whisper at this point.

Dr. Pomfrey watched in silence, letting him continue.

"What if he had died? What if he doesn't wake up?" Harry asked, looking over at her with blatant fear in his eyes.

Dr. Pomfrey shook her head, giving him a soothing smile, "There is still a chance that he will wake up. It is your job, now, to not lose hope. To give it all you have to help him along." She waved in Snape's general direction, "There is a chance that he can hear you, even in his comatose state. Talk to him; give him a path to walk on to bring him back to this world. Show him the way, because he's lost right now, swimming in an in-between place that he can't escape from. At least, that is what I believe."

Harry stared silently at the white curtain as he took in what she had just told him, "I…I don't think that I will be much help…"

Her voice was firm, "You can help him. Anyone who cares as much as you obviously do can accomplish anything if they try. Now, I have patients to tend to so I'll check in on you later." She paused at the door, "Oh, and if you need anything, my full name is Doctor Poppy Pomfrey, goodnight." She left.

Harry stared solemnly at the empty doorway before turning around and pulling away the white curtain again; having to, once again, hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

The man before him wasn't what he remembered him to be. His hair was completely shaven off. Bruises and cuts littered his entire face and body. Hues of purples, browns, and yellows colored his usually pale skin. Harry pulled back the blanket, fully revealing his body, clad in only boxers, to his shocked eyes. Not a spot on his body was spared from the torture he obviously endured. Deep, long lacerations ran down his chest and Harry ran the tips of fingers across every single one of them, imprinting them to memory.

Harry heard shouting down the hall and footsteps but paid no mind, focusing only on the man in front of him. He moved to turn Snape onto his side.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" A voice shouted from across the room.

Harry jumped back immediately, eyes looking like a deer caught in the headlights, "I-I was only…"

The man rushed over and shoved him out of the way, glaring at him heatedly, "I told you that he was mine! MINE!" He shoved Harry again, "You're not worthy of touching him!"

Harry stared at the other man confused, feeling as if he should recognize the person in front of him, "Do…Do I know you?"

The man snarled, "You stole him from me… He wouldn't see me again after you showed up…You ruined everything for me!"

Harry backed away instantly, remembering a similar conversation long ago, "N-Neil?"

Neil smirked, "So you still remember me, eh? Heh. Amazing." He turned and faced Severus's, Snape's Harry thought firmly, bed.

The scraggly man touched a bruised cheek, "He's so ugly now, if only you hadn't shown up and ruined everything, none of this would have happened."

Harry frowned, stepping forward and shoving Neil away, "Shut up! You don't know anything about this!" Anger swelled in his chest at his indifference.

Neil smirked triumphantly, "I know more about this than even you know." He turned sharply when he heard voices shouting and getting closer, "Well, it's time for me to go. See you later, and," He gripped Harry shirt, pulling him so close that their noses brushed, "Stay away from Severus or you will pay, dearly." He hissed before throwing him back and making a mad dash out of the room.

Doctors and nurses alike swarmed the room a few minutes later. Doctor Pomfrey among them. She made her way over to him, concern evident on her face, "What happened? Where is the intruder?" she asked when she was close enough.

Harry shook his head, "He's not here. He left right before you got here."

Dr. Pomfrey frowned and shouted some orders over her shoulder to her subordinates and they quickly exited the room. She returned her attention to Harry, "What happened to the nurse I placed here after I left?"

Harry frowned, scratching the back of his head, "Nurse? There was no nurse. Nobody showed up after you left. Was someone supposed to?"

Dr. Pomfrey sighed and shook her head disapprovingly, "That Mundungus I swear, ask him to do something so simple and he still can't do it right." Something beeped in her coat pocket and she pulled out a black pager, "Well, I have to leave you again. A patient has gone into seizures and I need to overlook the treatment. Goodnight." The woman ran out of the room, a few moments later reappearing in the doorway, "Oh, and Harry dear, please, I know that you are trustworthy but I need you to leave in an hour. Visiting hours ended half an hour ago but I'll give you another hour due to this mess. Thank you." She disappeared down the hall once again.

Harry sighed and grabbed a chair from against a wall and set it next to the bed, collapsing into it and letting his head fall into his hands. Silence settled over the room and Harry sighed, "Um…so uh, how are you doing Snape?" He paused for a couple of minutes before laughing humorlessly, "Damn, I'm not good at this…" He sat up, grabbing a bruised hand out of impulse and running his thumb over the veins, "How could anyone do this to another person?" He whispered quietly. A picture of Tom flittered through his mind and he gripped the hand tighter, "I'll protect you from now on alright? So you don't have to worry about anything ever again." He kissed the exposed palm before resting his head against the hand and closed his eyes, whispering, "I don't want to live another day without being able to see you, without being able to talk to you…" He choked, "Please, don't make me wait any longer…come back to me." Harry felt a little better and remained silent after that. His eyes closed as his breathing evened out and he fell asleep.

Harry groaned and shifted as his shoulder was shaken roughly, "Harry…Harry dear, wake up. It's two in the morning." His head was prodded next,

"C'mon Harry, wake up you dolt."

Harry opened his groggy eyes and stared at the swollen, passive face of his psychiatrist, confusion evident on his face, "Wha-…?" He sat up quickly, looking around hurriedly, "What did I do? Did something happen?!"

The hazy blobs around him laughed happily as he scrambled to put on his glasses, "Remus, Sirius? Dr. Pomfrey? What's wrong?"

Remus smiled happily, "You fell asleep Harry. Of course, we did too, but yeah. It's time for us to go. I think we've over stayed our welcome."

Dr. Pomfrey smiled and went to the other side of the bed, checking on Snape and covering his body again with the sheets, "It's perfectly alright, nothing serious happened while he was asleep." She pressed some buttons on the heart monitor and handed Harry a laminated card, "This is a card that will give you access to Severus's room during service hours without having to find me every single time. I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I think that you are the only one that can help Severus come out of his coma" She nodded assuredly.

Harry took the card from her grasp and stared at it in joy, "Th-Thanks!" He tucked the card in his pocket, got up out of the chair, and stretched lazily, "Well…I guess we should go now…" He moved to take the chair away but stopped and stared at Snape's face, a frown marring his features. What would happen if he left him now? What if Snape disappeared again while he was away? No, I won't let that happen again! His body froze as panic set in. "I…I can't leave him." He looked over at Dr. Pomfrey pleadingly, "You said that I was the only one that can help him but how can I do that if I leave?!"

Dr. Pomfrey frowned and shook her head, "I didn't mean it like that. You can still leave and come back…"

Harry sat back down in his chair and gripped Snape's motionless hand, "I'm not leaving him again! I promised to protect him at all times!" His eyes held a fierce determination. A determination that reverberated in Dr. Pomfrey's heart.

She sighed, staring down at their conjoined hands, "Mr. Potter, please. You cannot stay here. Where would you sleep? We already have a full house as is. And we are not a hotel."

"I just need a bed! I can order food and pick it up at the front door and I'll just shower in the bathroom over there." He pointed across the room, "It'll be like I'm not even here!" He looked over at Remus and Sirius, begging with his eyes for their support.

Remus glanced at Sirius and cleared his throat, "I…I uh, agree with the idea…" He muttered unenthusiastically. He stepped on Sirius's foot.

"Oww, oh! Um, I think that it's a good idea." He glared at Remus accusingly.

Dr. Pomfrey stared at them skeptically, "Mhmm. Right." She sighed, tapping the metal side bar with her forefinger, "If, and I say if, I let you stay here, you are going to have to be confined to this room and you won't be allowed to leave unless to go get food, as you say, from the lobby with nurse escort. There will be no visitors, no phone calls through this room. Cells are permitted but only for emergencies. Is that acceptable?"

Harry nodded solemnly, "I agree to the terms."

Dr. Pomfrey sighed, "Then I suppose that you can stay for at least a couple of days to test it out."

Harry smiled brightly, "Thank you Dr. Pomfrey! I promise not to get in your way!" He looked over at Remus and Sirius, "Can you bring me some clothes and bathroom stuff tomorrow?"

Remus nodded and patted his shoulder, "Yeah, don't worry about that. Make sure that you do all you can for Snape, alright? I don't like having you away from home for too long." He smiled.

Sirius agreed, "Pomfrey, take care of Harry, yeah? He does have a tendency to get into trouble." He groaned as an elbow connected with his ribs, "Oww-ah! Hehehe. Heartburn, sorry." He rubbed his chest convincingly while glaring down at an innocent-looking Harry.

Dr. Pomfrey smiled thinly, moving to say something when her pocket beeped, "Oh, I have a new patient to check up on. Well, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin. I'm sorry but you two are going to have to leave with me." She moved to the doorway, "Say your goodbyes and let's go."

Remus and Sirius hugged Harry tightly, "Take care, we'll see you tomorrow."

Sirius grinned, "And don't molest Snape now while we're away." Harry blushed brightly and shoved Sirius off him, sputtering obscenities.

The two men laughed heartily and exited the room, leaving behind a beet-red Harry.

Harry shook his head, "What idiots…" He smiled happily at Snape, "Well, I guess I'm here to stay, huh?" He ran a hand through his hair, "Don't worry about what Siri said, I would never do that to you." He leaned back in the chair, sighing, "I wonder what it's like, being in a coma. Is it painful? Do you even realize you're in a coma?" Harry closed his eyes, picturing himself in a coma. Would Snape have stayed with me if he had been in my position?

Harry jumped up when a knock resounded on the open door. A scraggly male nurse smiled creepily as he pulled in a worn-looking cot, "Hey there. You the one who needs the cot? Heh. Name's Mundungus, Fletcher Mundungus." He tugged the cot over next to Snape's medical bed and set it up, "Well, here ya go." He dusted off his hands as if he had been doing a dirty job and his hands needed dusting off.

Harry smiled his appreciation, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Mundungus glanced at Snape, "How's he doin'?"

"Normal I guess, I mean, I haven't been here long." Harry admitted. Mundungus nodded.

A voice crackled into the room, "Mundungus, Mundungus! I need you in room 216 A.S.A.P! Bring a mop and bucket. Don't take your time with this!" Dr. Pomfrey's voice fizzed out.

Mundungus pulled out a walkie-talkie from his back pocket, "A'ight, A'ight. I'll be there soon. Don' worry about it." He gave Harry a quick smile, "See ya, man." He hustled out of the room.

Harry stared at the naked bed and sighed. He looked through the small closet near the bed, pulled out two spare sheets, and made his bed. He couldn't find any extra pillows so he stuck his head out of the room, looking around for a familiar face. When he found no one he gave up and went back to his bed, scooting it firmly against Snape's bed.

Harry went back around and sat down in the wooden chair, putting his chin in his hand, "Well, what to talk about?" He looked around the room for inspiration, when finding none, he returned his attention to the psychiatrist, "Well, I've been drawing a lot since you left. Mostly of you and that man I saw. You know, the one looking for you after you left for that meeting?" He frowned, "I think he was involved in your kidnapping, or more appropriately, man-napping," Harry laughed weakly at his joke, "Um, yeah, anyways, I've missed you, Snape, and I need you to come back to me, alright?" He choked slightly, "Damn. How is it that every time I think of you or talk about you I have to get all damn emotional and cry?" He shook his head, wiping his cheeks of moisture yet again.

Harry sat there for who knows how long, telling Snape everything that had happened in the last three months.

A yawn escapes Harry's lips and he rubs his eyes, "Well…I guess I better get some sleep…" He got up tiredly and made his way over to his bed, realizing how tired he actually was as he collapsed on top of it barely having the energy to pull the cover over himself before succumbing to sleep.

Dr. Pomfrey yawned tiredly, checking her watch, "Six a.m. Lord, another all-nighter." She stepped into room 1409 and stopped, a bright smile spread across her face, "Well, well, this was sure unexpected."

Harry was laying right at the edge of the cot on his side. He was as close as humanly possible to Severus without fazing through the metal bars on either side of his bed. Harry's left hand had shoved its way through the gaps and had intertwined itself with Snape's.

Pomfrey sighed. She did not know what made her so lenient towards the young man today. Maybe it was his haunted green eyes, or what he had to go through when he was younger. All in all, he was practically here to stay. She knew after this that either Harry would never leave until Severus came out of his coma or he was dead.

A soft knock echoed off the wooden door, "Is this the young man?"

Pomfrey whirled around, "Oh! Albus! Yes, yes. His name is Harry."

Albus nodded and walked over staring down at Harry calculatingly, "What was his relationship to Severus beforehand?"

Pomfrey consulted her notes, "According to Mr. Black he was a patient of Severus's." She looked up at Albus, "Is that something important?"

The old man stroked his beard, "Yes, actually. I didn't expect to see him so soon." He smiled solemnly, "He was born in this hospital, did you know that?" He shook his head at the memories, "I met Lily when she interned here for a couple of months. A wonderful woman, very gifted in the field of medicine. I met James through her. I remember him to be a strong-willed man, and loyal to no end. They were a wonderful couple. Perfect for each other." Albus smiled at the memories, "I was even invited to the wedding. Oh, such a beautiful wedding. Ah, here I am rambling again! Anyways, treat him well for me." He walked past her, whistling a merry tune.

Dr. Pomfrey stared after him, "U-Uh, yes sir! Right away boss!"

Albus laughed, "And tell Harry later to visit me in my office for a chat, thank you!" He went through the doorway and disappeared into the hall.

Harry shifted and pulled Severus's arm closer, smiling contently. Dr. Pomfrey watched and wondered solemnly, What does the future hold for them?

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TBC

Author's Note:

Whoo! They finally found Snape! I actually had it before where Harry would take matters into his own hands and go out and look for him but I like this idea better! And so the plot thickens! What will happen to Harry and Snape later on? Well, you'll have to wait and find out!

As always, REVIEW! It make me happy and it keeps the plot monster at bay!

Momo