Disclaimer # 1 - not mine. Not at all. If they were mine, well, DH would have ended differently, and I'd be drinking cold drinks on a warm beach while cabana boys fanned me with ostrich fans.
Disclaimer # 2 - Mpreg. Noncon.

Poppy swooped into the room like an avenging angel; tsk'd her disapproval at the disruption, and fiercely glared at both Albus and Minerva. Her stern, milk curdling expression quickly mellowed into gentle compassion when she glanced towards her patient, Severus. It was quite obvious who the Mediwitch firmly blamed for creating the ruckus.

"Severus, how are you feeling?" The Medwitch warmly asked. "You look quite pale. Do you need a potion?"

"Just tired, Poppy. May I have my sleeping draught?" Severus politely responded, as everyone knew not to get snippy with the Mediwitch for fear of having their Potions delayed. "It's early, I know. But I'm really quite weary."

"Actually, Poppy, his left arm is causing him severe pain," Albus inserted into the conversation. His tone was curt, and he was massaging his left arm in the very same area where Severus' arm ended. "It runs up and down the arm, down to the very tips of his fingers…"

"Don't listen to him, I have no fingers on my left hand," Severus softly protested. He then attempted an unsuccessful jest to distract everyone from Albus' surprising observation. "I appear to have misplaced them."

"Then it runs up his arm, to his shoulder, to his neck. It's a sharp, slicing pain." Albus quietly explained.

"Is that true, Severus?" Poppy questioned. "Why don't you want a pain potion?"

Snape said not a word, and Albus finally answered Poppy.

"The sleeping draught doesn't really affect the pain, but it puts him into a deep sleep, where he can't dream. His sleep isn't very restorative, as he still has the pain. The pain potion causes him to doze and he dreams then…" Albus paused before he slowly admitted. "His dreams are full of a familiar face…much like his waking hours…"

"How do you know this?" Poppy questioned.

Albus' face was ashen, and he swallowed once.

"My God, Severus… I'm surprised that you don't scream when you see me. Severus, I've never bothered to completely hide my inclinations, but I wouldnever do that to a student. Never."

Severus turned his face to the wall of the room, and refused to speak. He was holding himself rigid, but Minerva noticed that the Slytherin was shaking slightly.

"I need to leave the room," Albus explained in a very soft voice. "Minerva, stay, but I must leave for Severus' sake. Severus, we do need to talk, but not now, as you're too raw. I truly am sorry for inflicting more pain on you, Severus."

Minerva hesitantly sat on the bed next to Severus. She covered him with the various warm blankets, and then she put the Potions book on the chest of drawers next to his bed.

"Don't go, Albus," softly whispered Severus. "I have to learn to deal with you. If we continually attempt to avoid one another, my fear will become… overwhelming. I must learn to deal with you, much like I must adapt to my life with only one hand."

"Look at me, and tell me if you truly wish me to stay," Albus softly requested. "I'll only stay if you assure me of that."

It took a heroic effort, but Severus managed to look at Albus and the Slytherin nodded his head once. His face was paler than its normal, and he was biting his lip, but he did nod his head.

"Severus? Is what Albus said true?" Poppy's voice was nonjudgmental. "You're still having pain?"

Severus nodded his head once more, while he continued to pleadingly stare at Albus. Something unspoken passed between the two men, and Albus shook his head slightly.

"Please?" Severus mouthed.

"No," whispered Albus. "If you insist on running, I will find you."

"Poppy? Do you have any idea what might be causing the pain?" Minerva loudly questioned, in a noticeable attempt at distracting and defusing the tense situation between Albus and Severus. It was bad enough she needed Hooch's Quidditch Referee whistle to handle the verbal discussions between the two men, now they were deciding to add a Legilimency conversation? She wasn't a Legilimentist, how could she ensure that they were behaving when the two boys were busy thinkingtheir conversations? It was enough to make any self-respecting witch go absolutely barmy.

"Might be a bone fragment, could be nerve damage, or else it could be an infection. I'll need to undo the dressing on Severus' arm, and poke around a bit," Poppy attempted to keep her voice cheery, but Severus hissed. It was obvious that the Slytherin was not looking forward to Poppy's poking, not one single bit.

Poppy then looked at Minerva, and nervously smiled. Minerva's heart dropped to her feet, as she knew that look from years of personal experience. Poppy was uncertain about the possible reaction to her next statement, and she was looking for support from her.

"Severus," Poppy's voice was soothing. "I don't want you to get upset, but I want to call in a consult. I believe that the current situation demands that I acquire additional help to assist in your care. "

"With whom?" Severus rasped. He then gasped from his pain, and then exhaled slowly. "Damn, damn, damn…"

"Horace Slughorn," Poppy admitted that with all the enthusiasm of chaser facing the possibility of a naked co-ed Quidditch Match in the middle of a January blizzard.

That bombshell had both expected and unexpected affects. Severus, naturally, refused. Instead of refusing Poppy directly, Severus turned to Minerva for support.

"No, no, no, no. Minerva. MINERVA," Severus pleaded. "Don't let them do it."

Albus pondered the suggestion for a bit, and then nodded his head in agreement.

"There is a dire need for a Potion Master that isn't as intimately involved with the situation as Severus and I are," Dumbledore admitted, reminding Minerva that Dumbledore was also quite good with potions, and could bubble a cauldron or three. "Horace is our best option."

"Listen to me," Poppy's calm voice cut through Severus' increasingly desperate entreaty for Minerva's intervention. "Horace has been here every hour on the hour, asking for information. It seems the news of your return has made its way to the Slytherin House, and he desires a conference with you to find out what he should tell them. Meanwhile, if having Horance here regularly isn't enough, I have Slytherin students coming up with the most extraordinary ailments so they can stay in the Infirmary. The question isn't whether or not the fact that Severus is in the infirmary will become common knowledge, but only a matter of when!"

"The Slytherin students' parents are Death Eaters, no doubt," Severus hissed. "Want to see the magicless, sprogged up Severus Snape."

"Or they could actually care about you," Poppy's rejoinder was crisp. "Merlin only knows why."

Minerva winced at the normally pleasant Poppy's rather caustic comment, but apparently the mediwitch's scathing tone was the correct way to handle the situation, as Severus chuckled.

"Slytherins have ties that no other house can match," the former Slytherin Head proudly admitted. "Not even Hufflepuffs can match our bonds."

"That is the reason why I desire to bring Horace in on consult. I'm sure if … Minerva explains the situation, and puts the fear of Albus into Horace, he'll keep his mouth shut. Was Albus correct? You're having nightmares when you take the pain potion?" Poppy questioned, keeping her voice calm and professional.

Slowly, Severus nodded his head once.

"Is there something I can add to the pain potion?" Poppy asked. "You should have told me that you need me to modify the potion. I'm not at your level, Severus, but I can adapt potions as necessary."

The patient began making suggestions but Albus… damnable Albus interrupted.

"I must protest as the father of the child, Poppy. I do not want you making decisions, based completely on Severus' input, which will affect the health of your two patients." Albus firmly stated.

"I know my way around a cauldron," Severus insisted, his voice strained. "I may not have my arm, I may not have my magic, but I still possess my considerable skills and my mind. I can certainly make suggestions to Poppy on what ingredients might prove beneficial in my care."

"When did you last sleep more than two hours without the use of a potion, Severus? Did you not just a few minutes ago, in this very room, in front of Minerva no less, get confused and accuse me of forcing you to perform oral sex on me?" Albus' voice was dangerously soft, and sincere. "In case you have forgotten, you boasted of your technique. I will unequivocally state before Minerva and Poppy that I do not possess first hand experience of your alleged expertise in that subject matter. I will admit to one and to all that I did perform fellatio on you…and that you seemed quite stunned and rather delighted with my proficiency."

Instinctively, Severus grabbed Minerva's hand. His dark eyes were terror-stricken and his voice was full of panic, "He'll take it from me. He'll tell the Wizengamot that I'm utterly barmy. They'll put me in St. Mungo's where I'll be bunkmates with Lockehart! Minerva… Minerva… He doesn't want the sprogling, he'd prefer if he didn't have to deal with the two of us. I saw it in his mind, Minerva. Ask him, ask him!"

"Severus needs twelve hours of uninterrupted, restorative sleep, Poppy." Albus insisted, flatly refusing to confirm or deny Severus' accusations. "Perhaps then his mind will be made easier… if he could actually get some rest. Severus, please, let me take the pain away and Poppy can give you a sleeping potion. You'll be able to sleep then. It'll be good for you and the child."

Albus' voice radiated sincerity, and Severus nervously looked at Poppy and Minerva for confirmation.

"I'll do the spell," Minerva offered, which earned her a rare smile of gratitude from the dark haired Slytherin.

"It's rather complex, and it will take time for me to teach you, Minerva. Time that will be a needless period of agony and nightmares for Severus.," Albus protested in a very stern tone.

"I'm a fast learner," insisted Minerva, who was still determined to fight for Severus, even though she knew that Albus would prove intractable on this issue.

"Poppy, unwrap his arm, I'll need to put my hands on it," Albus explained. "Severus? The sooner I can cast the spell, the quicker I'll leave your room."

Severus, admitted his defeat by closing his head and nodding his acceptance.

Albus sat next to Severus' bed, and with gentle fingers, he probed what remained of Severus' left arm, trying to focus on most painful location as the epicenter for his casting. He noticed, but failed to comment, that Severus' hand was gripping Minerva's hand in what could only be a most painful fashion. Poppy dosed Severus and soon, the Slytherin was lightly dozing.

"Severus, you had such deft hands," Albus sadly whispered, as he continued to examine the wreckage of Severus' left arm.

Deliberately, he cradled Severus' stump with his left hand, and he picked up his wand.

"Let us begin," he insisted.

The spell was a simple one, and one Minerva could have easily picked up in a matter of moments, but the difficulty lay in the fact that it was Blood Bond Magic. He had mixed his blood with Severus' blood and he had laid the foundation of the bond in order to save Severus' life, so only he would be able to relieve Severus of his pain. Deliberately shamming his audience, he hummed a Muggle lullaby and he waved his wand in some rather intricate patterns. They were actual spells, mainly incantations for peace of mind, strengthening one's sanity and solace for the soul, but what he was doing next was actually the important part of the spell.

"Capio vestri poena volutarie addo vos solor," he entoned, and then he gently touched the tip of his wand to Severus' stump. I take your pain willingly to give you solace.

Merlin's beard, he wasn't expecting it to hurt this much. But he bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out, and before long the transfer of pain was completed. The agony was all his to endure for now, but the pain mattered not at all to him, as Severus was deeply asleep, finally free of the excruciating pain.

"How long do you think he'll sleep?" He softly questioned.

"Twelve hours or so," Poppy guestimated in her professional opinion. "We can talk freely now, as he's so deeply asleep that we won't disturb him."

"Very well, the idea of using Horace is a wonderful idea, and I authorize you to contact Horace. I believe that the three of us can easily agree that Severus is not completely rational at the moment. Therefore, I am empowered to make decisions for his medical care." Albus stated.

Minerva growled her disapproval, and Albus faced her.

"He was serious about having Voldemort as Godfather. Severus accused me of Compelling fellatio, Minerva. How long were we lovers? How long before…" Albus paused, and his cheeks were flushed.

"You were rather shy about it," Minerva easily admitted, perhaps enjoying a wee too much the fact that Albus was obviously mortified. Albus was rather reserved, almost prudish, when it came to sex, while Min was willing to admit to all but a select few that she was a bit of hedonist. "I remember that I had to keep offering, as you were too focused on my enjoyment. I know you didn't force the lad, Albus."

Poppy meanwhile was attempting to turn herself invisible so neither Albus or Minerva would remember that she overheard that particular part of their conservation.

"Yes, we have to accept the fact that not only his emotional judgment is cloudy, but his professional judgment might be suspect. Not that he would willingly harm himself or the child, but it's best to err on the side of caution. Ask him his opinion, by all means, but double check his recommendations with Horace." Albus firmly stated, and then he reached over to the sleeping Severus, and gently traced a glyph on Severus' forehead. That done, he poured some of his energy into the casting, and he was rewarded with a flaring of green light that quickly faded.

"What did you just do?" Minerva questioned. "I'm not familiar with that particular casting."

"I blessed him," Albus simply stated. "My blessings won't do much, I know, but I offered it willingly."

"I recognized the blessing, but I was watching your face when you cast that free from pain spell for Severus. You turned whiter than a ghost, and you're not moving your left arm at all. Did you?" Minerva's voice turned emotional. "You did. You took his pain onto yourself, Albus."

Albus refused to confirm or deny her accusation, and Poppy shook her head in disbelief.

"He should be pain free for the next twenty four hours, Poppy. Get Horace involved as we need his specialized skills in order to find the correct combinations of ingredients that will assist Severus. Minerva, you will need to talk to Horace regarding the situation, and I'm sure he'll know why he'll need to keep this close to his vest. Now, ladies, if you don't mind, I really would like to go to my bed and rest for the remainder of today. I'm teaching Filius' classes on Monday, and I need to regain my strength. Poppy, will you be able to still examine Severus' arm while he's sleeping?"

"Yes, I'll be able to poke and prod while he's sleeping." The Mediwitch easily agreed.

It took a few attempts for Albus to stand, and he tried to push Minerva away. But instead, she put his right arm around her shoulder and assisted him in standing. To her surprise, Albus didn't continue to protest while she walked him to the floo , instead he leaned on her. She could barely support him, as he was literally dead weight.

"Call me if you need me, Poppy," Minerva stated.

Accidentally, she jarred Albus when she put him to bed, and she instantly rewarded for her accidental carelessness with a caustic scream of profanity, both Magic and Muggle, from a rather washed-out Albus. He immediately apologized for his curses, and he then begged her to prop his left arm with a pillow.

"Can't you take something?" Minerva snapped, her concern warring with her fury over Albus' mulishness.

"No, I'm afraid not." Albus barked a cheerful laugh. "I'm afraid that I could only magically take Severus' pain from him by fully accepting and embracing it. Rather noble of me, don't you agree? Since it is magical, and not physical pain, neither a potion nor charm will help."

Albus hissed in pain as she carefully propped his arm on the pillow, and then he sighed in relief.

"You truly are an angel," Albus whispered. "Thank you. I don't think I would have made it back here without your help."

She pulled a chair up to the side of his bed, and Albus laughed. It was a forced laugh, as though Albus was attempting to hide from her how much pain he was experiencing.

"Get into bed, Minerva. If you're going to rake me over the coals, I'll hope we can kiss and make up," Albus teased. He hissed when her sitting on the edge of the mattress caused it to dip.

"That fire's long dead; besides won't Severus get upset if we start playing Beater and Chaser?" Minerva questioned. "You've bonded the boy, Albus. You two are linked now, Albus, which is probably why you two keep setting each other off. You're feeling his emotions, and he's feeling yours."

"I'm not just feeling his emotions, Minerva. I Saw what they did to him." Albus sighed and closed his eyes. "I wish you had confided in me years ago that the boy was desperately fixated on me. It would have explained so much."

"Albus, you have this incredible inability to refuse to see the painfully obvious. Severus has been infatuated with you since he was a first year."

"He was astudent, Minerva!" Albus shrilly protested, his pain causing him to lose his composure. "I'd never promote an inappropriate relationship between myself and a student."

His right hand was compulsively massaging his left arm as though it would give it some relief. Minerva could almost feel sympathy waves of agony radiating in her left arm.

"Albus, you're preaching to the choir," Min softly stated. "You've taken only two former students as lovers, and both of us were well over the age of consent, and a long time past our formative school years. But when Severus was a first year, he wasn't in love with you; he just wanted kindness from you, a parental figure. You always spread your kindness among your Gryffindors, Albus. You never sprinkled your benevolence among the other houses…,"

She interrupted his soft protest, "Well yes… sometimes an exceedingly brilliant Ravenclaw or an exceptional Hufflepuff would be bestowed some benevolence from the Head Master, but never a Slytherin."

"Slytherins remind me too much of my past, Minerva, and how my reckless ambition and my insane desire for more than I deserved destroyed my family. I fear flaming the embers of my ambition if I become too comfortable with the Slytherin students," Albus easily admitted. "I intimately know my weaknesses. If I was an alcoholic, I wouldn't drink. I'm dangerously ambitious, and too comfortable in the idea of using my power to promote the greater good. I need limits, Minerva."

His blue eyes were full of tears, and his voice trembled as he continued. "Are we discussing the Remus incident again? I could not stand bye and let Remus be executed for Sirius' crime. Yes, Sirius reminded me far too much of Gellert. Without the calming influence of Remus and James, who knows what he would have done if I had expelled him? I've known for years that particular incident was a Gordian knot, with no easy, fair solution that would be evenhanded for all involved. But I made the decision that I did because I could not risk another innocent like Ariana. Remus was innocent. His attack on Severus was not a conscious choice!"

"Deliberate or not, he would have killed Severus if James hadn't intervened," Minerva retorted.

"Ariana killed my mother, Minerva. But she had no true comprehensions of her actions due to her illness. Neither did Remus!"

That scrap of information surprised Minerva, as Albus mentioned Ariana, his mentally ill sister on only the rarest of occasions. . But Albus had only described her as a hurt angel; never had he just casually dropped into the conversation Ariana had murdered her mother during a spell of madness.

Merlin's bloody scrote, Seeing Remus as Ariana and Sirius as Gellert, no wonder Albus had made such a momentously bad decision as he had been attempting to rectify his previous mistakes.

Those that don't learn from their mistakes often just end up repeating them, while those that were so fearful of making the same mistake again often times completely cocked up the situation when they were faced with it again. Damn, she could almost feel sorry for Albus, but the ramifications of Sirius Black getting away almost scot-free with attempted murder had helped push Severus to the Death Eaters. No doubt the trauma of realizing that the man on which he was hopelessly fixated, cared not an even a lick for his safety had caused Severus to look for camaraderie elsewhere.

"And instead of protecting an Ariana, you successfully created a Severus," Minerva reminded him.

"I need to tell you something, and I know you will be horrified. You're quite aware that they used polyjuice potion…." Albus paused before he continued. "They drugged Severus and convinced him that he was once again a Hogwarts student. He was in trouble, in risk of expulsion from the school for whatever reason, and he was so desperate to stay in school that he offered to do anything…"

"Oh, Albus," Minerva whispered.

"Severus learned to quickly enjoy being the Head Master's dirty, little Slytherin whore who shared his bed. He needs help, Minerva. You must speak with Horace, bind him to secrecy, and inform him that if he refuses to help, he will deal with me, and I will not be forgiving," Albus snapped.

"Very well, I'll speak to him now," Minerva agreed.

"Then go to bed, Minerva," Albus ordered. "You need to keep healthy."

"But I want an answer to two questions," the witch announced. "Answer me truthfully, Albus. Don't sham me or evade the issue. I want to know the answer."

"What do you want to know?"

"Severus said that you don't want the sprogling. That in fact, you'd prefer if you didn't have to deal with the two of them," Minerva whispered that, and waited for her answer.

Albus looked away from her, and simply answered. "Yes and yes."

"Albus, then why are you pushing Severus so hard? Why don't you let the boy be?" Minerva asked. "I'm not condemning you, I just want to understand."

"What I want and what is morally correct are not always the same. Such as in this case," Albus admitted.

"My second question is, why did you bond the boy?" Minerva questioned. "Yes, he was close to dying, but it wasn't necessary to permanently bond him."

"Repeatedly, you have shamefully reminded me on how often I have failed Severus in the past. I can't fail him again, but don't expect me to giddily delight in the news that I've fathered Severus' child. Now go speak to Horace, Minerva. Let me know tomorrow what he says."

"Horace, may I speak with you?" Minerva politely questioned.

The balding Potions Master beamed at her. "Absolutely, my dear. It would be a definite pleasure! Come right into my office!"

Horace Slughorn grandiosely ushered her into his office, and he stopped smiling. No, instead, his face was somber, and Horace had his arms crossed.

"Has the Head Master decided to trust me with the truth with what happened with Severus? Or have you been selected to attempt to sell me a retrofitted Blue Bottle broom as a Nimbus 2003?"