Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, blah, blah, blah…Well, you all get the point by now, right? So, on with the story!

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Where Do I Go From Here?

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Chap. 17 At the Infirmary Again

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The trek from the dungeons up to the infirmary seemed so much longer than it had any right to be, at least in Harry's opinion. He followed a step behind his professor as they maneuvered their way up moving staircases and down long corridors, and they were slowed by the fact that Harry had to stop several times along the way, much to Snape's great consternation, so that Harry could rest a moment and catch his breath. Harry counted himself lucky that they had only passed a few other students on the way, though that probably had less to do with luck, and rather more to do with the fact that it was still a rather early time to be up on a Saturday morning.

The pair had arrived at their destination sooner than Harry would have liked. Even though Harry had agreed to go, that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. Severus swept through the double doors with no hesitation, but a few steps in, he stopped and turned with a sigh to see where Harry was still standing just outside the doors.

"Come along, Potter. I don't want to be here any more than you do. Let's just get this over with before any of the other students wander in needing Madam Pomfrey's services."

Harry double checked to be sure they were the only ones in the infirmary, and after taking a deep breath in order to steel his nerves, he made his way into the room and settled himself on the bed his professor was pointing to. Severus made sure to make eye contact and directed Harry to 'stay put' before going in search of the mediwitch.

Harry watched his professor knock on Madam Pomfrey's office door, and after a few minutes wait, the door opened and his professor disappeared inside a second before the door snicked shut again. Harry knew Snape was probably explaining the circumstances to Madam Pomfrey, and he crossed his arms over his chest with a shiver of anxiety. He wasn't even sure why he was so worried; surely, it wouldn't be too bad. She'd likely just cast a few diagnostic spells, start him on a new potion to settle his stomach, and then Harry could once again escape to the privacy of his room in the dungeons. For a few moments, Harry's thoughts were derailed as he realized with a start that he actually kinda' liked his quiet room down there, even if it was located in Snape's quarters. But before he could ponder that surprising self revelation, the sound of a pair of approaching footsteps dragged his thoughts back to his immediate surroundings.

"Madam Pomfrey will be here in a few moments," Severus explained, walking over to where Harry was quietly sitting. The man summoned a chair from across the ward and seated himself near where Harry was perched on the edge of the bed. The close proximity made Harry slide a little further back on the bed in apprehension, and the serious look he was getting from his professor made him want to wilt back even further.

"Uh…" Harry scratched nervously at the back of his neck and asked, "Am I in trouble for something?"

"What?" Severus was momentarily taken aback, but was quick to reassure the boy, noting how the child was shrinking back from him. "No, you're not. But I do have something I need to discuss with you while we wait."

Harry's eyes widened a little. Whatever this was about, it didn't sound like it would be a conversation he was going to like.

"Truthfully, we should have talked about this days ago, when it first came to my attention, but with the events of the past several days, I had not had the opportunity to bring it up. But now seems to be as good a time as any."

He paused, and to Harry, it seemed as if the man was debating with himself how best to put what he wanted to say into words.

"Several days ago, when Madam Pomfrey first discovered the evidence of your cutting, she also discovered some odd shaped bruises on your body, or more precisely, on your neck, that closely resemble bite marks."

Severus paused again to see if the boy would say anything, but Harry remained silent. However, Severus didn't miss the way Harry's hand seemed to reach towards his neck as if to touch the spot where the bruises were found. The child's hand stopped in midair before it actually made contact with the healed areas of his neck, and then he slowly lowered it until it once again rested in his lap; neither of them failed to notice the almost subconscious action.

"Harry," Severus started, knowing he would have the boy's full attention that way. "Can you tell me how those marks got on your neck?"

Harry slowly shook his head in answer, but that wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Severus.

"Harry," he tried again. "Tell me who did that to you."

Worried he was about to get in trouble for not answering, Harry tried to clarify his previous answer as best he could.

"I don't know, Sir. I really don't." This time, Harry could not keep his hand from rubbing at the spot where the worse of the marks had been. "They just appeared one morning."

Severus though about it for a few moments and then asked, "What were you doing the night before? Who were you with?"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember, but no matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn't seem to come up with anything. Seeing how the boy was struggling with his thoughts, Severus asked, "Well, do you at least remember what day it happened?"

Harry thought back to when he had first caught a glimpse of the marks as he had looked in the mirror that fateful morning. "Um, the first time I saw the marks was the morning after I had a detention with you."

It was now Severus' turn to narrow his eyes in thought. After a moment, he asked, "Where did you go after leaving the Potions classroom?"

"I remember-" But then Harry stopped speaking. He had been about to tell his professor about how he had eaten the food that the man had told him to return to the Hogwarts' kitchen, but afraid he would get scolded for having disobeyed that night, Harry decided to skip that part. With a forced cough to cover up his indiscretion, he continued, "-Uh, I remember returning the platters to the kitchen, and then…"

Again, Harry nervously scratched at the back of his neck before concluding, "I guess I must have fallen asleep in one of the corridors, because I remember waking up on the floor, just a short walk away from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Severus was eying him up and down, and Harry felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as the professor finally scolded him, just as Harry knew he eventually would.

"And you didn't think, for even a moment, that it was odd to wake up in the middle of a corridor with no recollection whatsoever of how you came to be there?"

"Yes, I though it was odd," Harry attempted to explain, "but-"

Harry floundered trying to find the right words for what he had to say, "but I've had a lot on my mind lately, and when it happened, I-" Harry threw his hands up in frustration, "I had bigger things to worry about at the time."

Severus nodded his head in understanding. "Calm down, Harry. I believe you."

He waited for Harry to settle down some, and as soon as the boy's breathing evened back out from the harsh, somewhat panicked breathing from moments before, he continued.

"However, that does bring me to the next thing I wanted to discuss with you."

Severus wanted to say more, but Poppy chose that exact moment to come bustling through her office door. Severus glanced at Harry and couldn't help but notice the relieved sigh that left the boy's lips at what he saw as his reprieve. As soon as the child looked in his direction, Severus gave him his best 'we will discuss this later' look, which Harry obviously understood, because he gave a quick nod in return just as the mediwitch neared.

"Sorry it took me so long, Severus, but I had to gather a few supplies," she smiled warmly as she patted the black medical bag she had carried with her from her office. She sat it on the foot of the bed, and as she opened its clasp and reached inside, she turned to Harry.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. Professor Snape informed me that we'll need to do another full check up on you. So," and with this she pulled a muggle-looking hospital gown from her bag and held it out to Harry, "I'll need you to undress and slip this on, dear."

Harry stared down at the swath of fabric he now held in his hands. She has got to be kidding! I'm not putting that thing on! His thoughts ran rampant in his head as Madam Pomfrey went about setting up a partition around his bed with a few well-practiced flicks of her wand.

"Uh, I-" Harry stammered a bit, then swallowed down his nervousness and said, "I thought you were just going to do a few spells on me to find out what's wrong."

Madam Pomfrey patted a warm hand on Harry's shoulder and explained, "There's more to it than that, dear. I'll not only be looking for the cause of your nausea, but I need to find out how much it has affected your physical health."

Harry shot a look from the mediwitch, to his professor and Severus added, "Your weight was already dangerously low, we have to make sure it hasn't worsened."

Severus stood and instructed Harry, "Do as she says. We'll step out to allow you some privacy; just call out when you're ready, we'll be right outside the curtain."

Harry wasn't sure if Snape was telling him that as a type of reassurance, or as a way of making sure Harry knew that he didn't have a chance if he tried to leave; and the way he was feeling right then, he wasn't so sure he wouldn't make a break for it if he had a chance to. The two adults stepped past the curtained divider and Harry slowly removed his clothes, piece by piece until, with a shiver, he slipped the gown over his head and pulled the blanket off the bed to wrap around his shoulders as well. Feeling a little more protected with the blanket draped over him, he quietly called out, "I'm done."

To Harry's surprise, both adults reentered his curtained off area. He knew Madam Pomfrey would come back, but he had assumed his professor would remain on the other side of the partition. But sure enough, the man sat himself back down in the chair he had earlier occupied and, after taking in Harry's strained expression, he asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"No! Uh," Harry hadn't meant for his reply to come so quickly and with such force, but he was still anxious and he didn't want to feel alone just right then. "I mean, no, sir. You can stay if you want."

Severus could pick up on the false bravado, but decided to ignore it. He could tell the boy was somewhat scared, and he scooted his chair just a little bit closer. He knew he had made the right move, because he watched as some of the tension left the boy's stiff shoulders.

Madam Pomfrey started with the basic spells that checked for wounds and genetic abnormalities. But when those didn't provide her with the answer she was seeking, she moved on to a more complex spell; one that would detect whether Harry had been subjected to any hexes or curses. When that fell through with no results, she switched tactics, and preformed a spell that would measure the amount of Harry's body fat.

Harry didn't know what spells she was doing, but he could tell on the last one that the results must not have been good. She had gotten quite a serious look on her face and slid her wand back into her pocket to scribble something down on a piece of parchment she had with her. This, of course, drew his professor's attention as well, and the man stood from his seat and stepped close enough to her to read what she had written. When Harry saw the thin-lipped look of what had to be concern on Severus' face, he clutched at his blanket all the tighter.

Severus sat back down as Madam Pomfrey proceeded to pull a muggle type scale from her bag as well. Harry figured her bag must be charmed, because he knew there couldn't possibly be room for that thing in the small satchel otherwise. The scale was sat upon the floor, and Madam Pomfrey instructed him to stand on it.

"Come along, dear. We need to get your weight the old-fashioned way, much more accurate reading that way."

Harry stood, and Severus reached out to slip the blanket off Harry's frail shoulders. "You can have this back in a moment, let's get your weight first."

Harry nodded and stepped onto the scale, sure that the thing would start shaking with the amount of shivering he was doing. Mercifully, Madam Pomfrey was quick, and Harry was back to his warmed spot on the bed and under the blanket again in the matter of a few seconds.

Madam Pomfrey scribbled some more down on her piece of parchment before telling Harry to lie back on the bed.

"What? Why?" he asked, wrapping the blanket even more securely around himself. He wasn't even sure what he was so scared of; he just knew he hated being under close scrutiny of any kind.

"It's just part of the check up, Mr. Potter. My diagnostic spells weren't able to tell me why you've been having such a problem lately with food, so I'm going to examine you physically."

Harry was already starting to breath faster, and Severus, who was evidently prepared for this scenario, pulled a vial out of one of his pockets, uncorked it, and held it out for Harry to take. But rather than take the potion, Harry merely stared at it instead and asked, "W-what's that for?"

"It's a calming potion, Harry. I think it would be in your best interest to take it."

The man forced the small bottle into Harry's hand, and with another shiver, Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and swallowed the entire dose down in one gulp before he could change his mind.

Harry could feel the potion spread through his body like warm honey through his veins, making his limbs feel heavy and forcing his muscles to go limp. As the tension started to drain out of his body, Harry released a sigh and felt a little light headed.

Severus watched the boy's shoulders droop down and his hands fall slack to his sides from where he had been gripping the edges of the blanket. Worried that the child would fall over, likely right off the bed, Severus decided he had better get him to lie down before he could hurt himself. He gripped the boy by the shoulders and guided him down to the mattress. Harry settled where he was laid with a renewed shiver as he felt the coldness of the sheets.

Not missing the signs of how cold the boy seemed to be, Severus pulled the blanket free from where Harry seemed to be laying across part of it, and covered the child up to his waist. Instinctively, Harry grabbed it and tried to cover up fully with it, but Madam Pomfrey had just stepped over to the other side of the bed, opposite Severus, and laid a warm hand across one of Harry's cold ones, staying his movements with a light bit of pressure. Harry was about to complain about how cold he was, but Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to explain why he had to stay partially uncovered.

"Harry, I'm going to need you to leave the blanket where it is; I'll be doing the next part of your check up now, so I'll be pressing around your tummy a bit to make sure there's nothing wrong with you on the inside. I need you to lay straight on your back and be still; it shouldn't take but a few moments to get done."

After that, she looked at Severus and gave a little nod, and while she turned back to write something else on her parchment, Severus stood and started to raise Harry's gown, pulling the end of it free from where it was trapped under the blanket at Harry's waist, and pushing it up to Harry's chest. At first, Harry gasped in surprise and gripped the fabric of the gown in each fist to try to prevent it, but finally complied when his professor explained what he was doing,

"Calm down, Harry. She can not check what she can't see. As soon as she is done, you can cover up again."

And again the man was saying his name as if it was a spell in and of itself to calm Harry down, and as far as Harry was concerned, it might as well be, considering how it always did just that. He relaxed his grip and allowed his gown to be arranged as the man saw fit. Helplessly, he shivered again, feeling somewhat embarrassed to be laying practically half dressed in front of his professor. Harry turned his head away and shut his eyes tight as he tried to ignore what was going on, but when a feeling of warmth suddenly enveloped his body as if he had just lowered himself into a hot bath, his eyes flew open just in time to see his professor slide his wand back up his sleeve. It took his foggy brain a moment to realize it, but the man had just cast a warming charm on him.

"Thank you."

It barely came out as more than a whisper, but Severus heard it all the same. He acknowledged the gratitude with a slight incline of the head and Harry couldn't help but grin a little. This experience wasn't nearly so bad now that he didn't feel as if he were about to freeze to death.

Madam Pomfrey had put her parchment away by then and was once again at the side of the bed, already reaching over Harry to continue the exam. As she pressed her fingers down just above his bellybutton to feel for abnormalities, Harry squirmed a little at the discomfort; his stomach muscles were sore from all of the vomiting he had been doing the last few days. She pressed a little harder and Harry couldn't help it, he rolled to the side, away from her questing hands and complained, "Stop! You're hurting me."

"Mr. Potter," she started firmly, but not unkindly, "I know it can be uncomfortable, and I'm sorry for that, but if you will just be still, I will be done all the faster."

"Alright, I'll try," he answered. But again she pressed a sore spot and in an effort to keep himself from flinching away, Harry threw his hands out to either side of his body, hoping to find some kind of anchor. His left hand ended up curled around a fold of the blanket that was pooled around his waist, but the other hand felt warmth, and he grabbed onto it, not knowing what it was at the moment, but beyond caring as the mediwitch's fingers moved to yet another sore spot.

It was a few moments before he shifted his gaze to see what he had grabbed, and in shock, he realized it was his professor's hand. Harry's eyes panned upward to see how angry the man was about it, but he seemed to be just as surprised as Harry was. He certainly hadn't meant to grab Snape's hand, but now that he knew, he found himself reluctant to let go.

Madam Pomfrey was done a few seconds later, and as soon as she pulled away, Professor Snape did as well. The man quickly slid his hand out of the boy's reach, leaving Harry feeling bereft at the loss of warmth and human contact. But a second later, Harry shook himself out of it. He wasn't some baby; why should he want to hold someone's hand? And if he were to hold someone's hand, Professor Snape would likely be his last choice. Harry quickly pushed his gown back into place and yanked the covers back over himself just before turning on his side, away from his professor, trying to hide the embarrassment he knew could be seen on his face. If he had known how this visit to the infirmary was going to go, he never would have agreed to come in the first place.

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A/N: I wanted to post this a long time ago, but I've been dealing with a lot of internet issues here at my new house. Urgh! Well, better late then never I guess. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. And I would love to see what your thoughts are on the cause of Harry's illness; I'll let you know if you get it right!