Chapter 3: Ceasefire
I'm sorry that it took a while for me to update. My computer crashed yet again and I had to have my uncle fix it for me. Which he did Yay! free of charge double Yay! I have been really busy with school. Lots of papers and essays to write, lots of tests, projects, and lots of homework. -- Goddess I hate school. Anyway, this chapter isn't as…graphic and disturbing as the last two chapters, but don't worry I'm sure there will be chapters coming up will be. PS.- Severus is a bit OOC...
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Severus observed Albus's reaction to seeing the boy silently. His slightly widening as he listened to Albus avow that the boy didn't want to go back to that house but he forced Potter to go back. There was slight twinge in his heart as he listened to the older man comfort and apologize to the younger man laying helplessly on the hospital bed unconscious. Severus watched as the Headmaster walked out of the infirmary, tears streaming down his face and his head down.
'Never in all the years I have known that man has he ever to look so worn out, so old.' He looked from the now closed infirmary doors to Poppy who was still sitting next to the boy. Poppy looked up at him, tears sill flowing freely from her eyes.
"Severus. Could you help me heal him?" She asked her voice tired and slightly breaking from crying. He nodded and followed Pomfrey's instructions to help heal the boy. While Poppy used he want to heal some of Potter's injuries, Severus forcing potions for healing and pain down the unconscious boy's throat.
After healing Harry the best they could, few injuries would have to heal the muggle way, Poppy had the Potions Professor put some pajamas on the boy. Severus's eyes looked at the pale body, tracing all the scars that were scattered across the sickly skin, as he placed the pajamas on the boy. He looked at his cloak that Poppy had taken off the boy to check and heal his injuries. The school nurse had cleaned the cloak and placed it at the end of Potter's bed so he wouldn't forget it. He took the blankets and pulled them up to cover the boy.
After "tucking" the boy in he took a glance at Harry's recumbent body on the bed, then turned and walked out of the infirmary. He started his trek down into the dark and dreary dungeons that he considers his home. All the while thinking back to earlier. Once he entered his chambers he walked over to the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Fire Whiskey and a glass, then went over to a high backed chair in front of the fireplace. He sat down in the chair, poured the Fire Whiskey into the glass and watched the fire burning.
'How can some one do that to a child?' He thought angrily in his head. His mind kept going back to what happened earlier. The image of Harry lying naked in a pool of his own blood. Pomfrey's confirmation that the boy was raped is what shocked him the most.
'I wonder that Albus will do. What will happen next? Harry can't go back to the Dursleys, so where will he end up staying?' His hand tightened around the glass when he thought of the Dursleys. 'I wonder what Albus will do to them. Whatever happens I hope it's painful. They deserve it for what they have done to Harry.'
A sudden thought came to his mind that made his eyes widen and his teeth clench in anger. 'How long has this abuse has been going on?' His mind wandered to what the other Order members would say and act when they found out.
'The person you'd really have to look out for it the Wolf. The Wolf in Lupin sees Harry as a son to him, a cub in his pack. Sure the Weasleys will flip and protect him since he's like another son to them but Lupin will want to kill the Dursleys.' He smirked at the thought of Lupin getting his hand on the Dursleys.
'I really do hope that Albus will let us do what we please to the Dursleys.' Severus smirked, thinking of all the ways he could torture or kill the monsters that hurt Harry. He downed the rest of the Fire Whiskey in his glass. His mind wandered to how Albus reacted when he saw Harry in the infirmary. He had never seen the older man so…heart broken. Severus poured himself another glass of Fire Whiskey. After several glasses, Severus felt his mind haze and his eyes start to blur.
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Severus groaned when he came to in the morning. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking them to clear his vision. He groaned and placed a hand over his eyes.
'Damn I have a bloody hangover.' The events from yesterday flashed through his mind. 'Harry' He thought opening his eyes. He got out of the chair and walked over to one of the cabinets. Severus opened the cabinet, pulled out a hangover cure, uncorked it and downed the potion in one gulp.
Once his hangover and pounding headache were gone he stormed out of his chambers. As he swiftly walked through the castle on his way to the infirmary he muttered a cleaning spell on himself. When he reached the infirmary doors he stood there for a second, took a deep breath then pushed open the doors and walked though. As he entered his eyes glanced around the room searching. He let out an inaudible sigh when his eyes fell on what he had been searching for.
'Harry.' Severus slowly walked over to the infirmary bed where the young boy was laying on. 'Young man.' Severus mentally told himself. 'There is no way that he can be called a boy after all that he has been through.' He thought to himself. Madam Pomfrey looked up at him from her spot next to Harry's bed.
"Hello Severus." Pomfrey greeted. Her voice full of emotion and sleep.
"Hello Poppy. How is he doing?" Severus asked moving next to her.
"Still asleep. Some of his wounds are still healing. Physically he will be okay, the only thing that might be a slight bother for him for a little while is his right wrist. Mentally and emotionally it will take him longer." Poppy said looking down at Harry. Severus looked down at the still body lying on the bed. The blankets were pulled up to his shoulders trapping heat in to keep Harry warm. The younger man's eyes were closed tight as if trying to will away the demons from inside his mind. His lips were drawn into a frown, showing displeasure in whatever was going on behind closed eyes.
"Has Albus come back to see him yet?" Severus asked, eyes still locked on the pale figure laying there.
"No he hasn't. I haven't seen nor heard from Albus since last night." Poppy replied. She stood up from the chair she was sitting in and turned to Severus. "Severus, do you think you could stay here and watch Harry while I go take care of something? I don't want him to be alone if he should wake up." Severus nodded and watched Poppy walk out of the room.
Severus sat down in the chair that Poppy recently vacated. He sighed and leaned back into the chair and sat there, his eyes trained on Harry, filled with concern.
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His whole body felt numb and yet he was still in pain. He felt consciousness slowly overcoming the vast darkness and his memories of what happened jumping out in his mind. Trying to escape the nightmares he tried to open his eyes. When he was finally able to open his eyes he was hit by a bright light. He blinked his eyes so they could get use to the light. He looked to the right and saw a blurred figure next to the bed. He started to panic, not knowing where he was.
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Severus's eyes widened a bit when he saw the young man open his eyes. He became worried when he saw Harry starting to panic. He grabbed Harry's glasses when he realized that he was panicking because he couldn't see. Severus handed the glasses to Harry, who quickly grabbed them out of his hand and put them on his face.
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Harry saw the dark blurred figure hand him something.
'My glasses.' Harry thought when he grabbed the object out of the figure's hand. He quickly placed his glasses on and looked at the figure to see who is was. 'Snape!' Severus sat there looking at Harry who looked back at him in shock.
"How are you feeling Harry?" Severus asked, his voice a little less harsh than normally. Harry's eyes widened even more at Severus's odd behavior.
'Did he just call me Harry?' Harry wondered.
"Hurts.." Harry croaked out. Severus grabbed a glass of water and gave it to Harry. Harry looked up at him, squinting his eyes.
"It is only water. Poppy left it here incase you woke up." Severus said, reinsuring Harry that he wasn't going to harm him.
"Thanks." Harry whispered taking a drink of the water. Severus nodded is head. "Where are we?"
"We are at Hogwarts, in the infirmary." Severus informed him. "Do you remember what happened last night?" Harry's eyes became unfocused.
"Yes." The younger troubled man whispered.
"You don't have to worry about it Harry. You never have to go back there again. I will make sure of that." Harry looked up in surprise.
"Why? Why are you being so nice to me? You hate me." Harry asked, bitterness in his voice.
"I had believed that you would be and were just like your father. I thought you grew up getting whatever you wanted and treated like royalty. When you came to Hogwarts I wanted to put you in your place. To take you off the pedestal that everyone else put you on. I hated your father for what he had done to me when I was in school. I took that hatred that I had for him out on you because you are his son, it didn't help that you look so much like him. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I am sorry." Severus said staring at his hands so he wouldn't have to look Harry in the eyes.
"It's okay Professor. I should also apologize for what happened last year. I am sorry for looking in your pensive. It was wrong of me. I also want to apologize for what my father done. I apologize for not trusting you all these years." Harry said also looking down at his hands.
"It's okay Harry. You have nothing to apologize for. Can we call a truce?" Severus asked holding out his hand. Harry stared at him slightly shocked then smiled lightly. Harry took Severus's hand in his.
"Truce." Harry said shaking Severus's hand. Severus smirked.
"I better go and get Pomfrey before she realizes that I didn't come and get her when you first woke up or she might have my head." Severus got up out of the chair and started walking in the direction he saw Poppy disappear to. Harry watched the older man walk away, both shocked and amazed at what had taken place just moments ago but had a small smile on his face, the first smile he really smiled in what felt like years.
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Hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Please review.
Thanks, Moonluna