"You can drop the act now Severus" Poppy said with a slight smile as they entered the Hospital Wing. "No students around any more."
"I beg to differ" he replied deadpan.
"Mr Potter is likely to stay asleep for a good few hours, much more than your promised ten minutes Severus. Unless of course there's something you're not telling me?"
"Given that the efficacy of a bezoar is directly comparable to the toxicity of the poison it is counteracting and that he was vomiting over my office floor barely one minute after ingesting said bezoar, I would have thought Potter would be your more pressing concern right now. My Vow would really not appreciate him dying after being delivered into your care" Snape countered.
"If you insist. I would have thought you'd want to get "the whole bloody business" as you so often put it over with as soon as possible, that was all. If I am to assess him first, you will have to wait here until I have done so."
"I shall be in my quarters." Without another word he spun on his heel and strode out.
As he walked through the castle he knew that he was going to get into trouble for that. Poppy did not take kindly to her orders being ignored and it would make her more suspicious of what he was hiding. Hopefully he had put her off the scent with the comment about the toxicity of the poison. It had given him some grace time though, enough to finish what Potter's throwing up had rudely interrupted.
As he was about to enter his office, his sharp ears caught a sound on the other side of the door and he swiftly changed his path to an empty classroom nearby. He wouldn't be surprised if Minerva, Albus or even Poppy herself were waiting for him, in order to try and prevent him from doing the thing that he was, in fact, just about to do. Locking the classroom door behind him, he got to work.
Ten minutes later he was finished. He was fully healed with only his leg and stomach showing any signs of recent magical activity. He'd made sure that no trace of the other stuff could be discovered without some very invasive tests and those he certainly wasn't about to consent to.
There were in fact all three people in his quarters when he got there. All three of them looked fierce.
"I do not recall agreeing to host a gathering this evening" he said by way of greeting.
"I do not recall agreeing to you healing yourself after meetings either" Albus retorted. "Especially considering your delay in getting here. We've all seen Minerva's memory. Poppy, if you would?"
The Healer's wand was over him in a flash and Severus was infinitely glad he had planned for some occasion like this. Poppy scanned it and then handed it to Albus.
"May I?" Minerva asked, once Albus had examined the parchment to his satisfaction.
"Of course" he replied, handing it over.
"Healing my leg was simply a matter of preventing blood loss and the stomach seemed such a pitiful thing to bother anyone about when I could do it just as well myself. It was only some bruising and slight inflammation."
"And the pain reliever?" Minerva questioned.
"What pain reliever?" asked Poppy sharply, grabbing back her recent diagnostic.
Severus glared at Minerva. He had forgotten about the damned pain reliever and with the time dilation it would have run its course now. But according to the three in front of him, he had taken it at the most two hours ago.
"I took a light pain reliever to dull the pain in my leg whilst I sealed it" he lied quickly. "It wore off about half an hour ago."
The others sighed. He'd won again.
"Very well, I take it his current condition does not require hospitalisation Poppy?" Albus asked.
"No Headmaster, but I would like to monitor him for a day or two."
"You are excused teaching for the rest of the week Severus. I would advise you do everything Poppy asks. I would like to see your report when it is completed Poppy."
"Certainly Albus."
"Excellent. Do not do this again Severus, you won't like the consequences. We'll leave you to your rest now. I imagine Poppy will be by in the morning to see you. Any inkling of something more going on and you will find yourself in the Hospital Wing in short order. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Severus replied with a curt nod. "Good day Headmaster, Minerva, Poppy."
During the next few days Severus found his colleagues pestering him at dinner, inviting him to various social activities and once or twice simply turning up in his quarters unannounced. Added into that Poppy's continual hawk-like watch and he simply never got any time to himself. He thought Albus might even have turned the ghosts and portraits into spies. Mercifully he wasn't called to any meetings and as more time passed their watch got less vigilant and something closer to normality was restored.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The oddest thing about the next few weeks was one particular evening when, gone midnight, Severus heard a knock on his office door. None of his wards had tripped so it wasn't dormitory mischief and he had said goodnight to his colleagues merely fifteen minutes before. He shook his head lightly with an inward chuckle, rather than trying to guess, he should just open the damn door and see. He flicked his wand and the door swept open silently.
Only superb self control kept the dour man's mouth from dropping open. There, fully dressed in his school uniform, standing of his own accord outside his office was none other than Harry Potter.
"Potter, what on earth are you doing?" He hissed. "It's far past curfew."
Harry just looked at his shoes and said nothing. Severus covered the ground to the door in two strides, grabbed the teen's shirt collar and dragged him inside the office.
The door shut with a click and then there was silence.
"Yes Potter?" Snape snapped after several seconds.
Harry slowly raised his head and opened his mouth but then closed it again and went back to staring at the floor.
"Potter, you obviously came here for a reason, and if you don't tell me in the next fifteen seconds I'll have you scrubbing cauldrons until breakfast. What. Do you. Want?" Severus snapped again.
"Might I use your room again please sir? To finish my homework?" Harry asked to the floor, his face going bright red.
"Potter it is generally considered good etiquette to look at someone when you talk to them. Good manners will get you into places that even your name would not."
Harry fearfully lifted his head. The Slytherin Head looked tired and slightly impatient, but by Snape's standards that was almost a smile.
"Why have you not done your homework in your free time like every other student Potter? Do you think that I would let a resource like that, a secret like that, into untrained hands just because the great Boy-Who-Lived asked? If you do you are going to be out of that door so fast even your damn Quidditch reflexes won't save you."
Harry begun to drop his head but Snape caught his chin and lifted it back up again.
"I'm still waiting for an answer Potter" he said curtly. "And don't you dare try and lie to me."
"I was in detention sir" the boy replied with a large sigh.
"Detention is not reason for not completing your homework Potter. Perhaps you'd best give up your spot on the Quidditch team if you can't manage your studies adequately."
"She's banned me anyway" Harry muttered.
"Excuse me?" Snape asked silkily.
"Umbridge banned me from Quidditch. Apparently gouging lines into my hand wasn't enough for her."
Snape mentally recoiled in shock though his face gave nothing away. The toad was doing what now? He knew Potter was an incredibly annoying and arrogant toe-rag that he dearly would love to take down a peg or two from the pedestal the Headmaster and the world put him on, but even he wouldn't go so far as actual torture. His mind raced ahead on the possibilities; his mouth said the only thing he could think of.
"Show me" he demanded.
Harry tentatively held out his bandaged right hand. Snape grabbed it firmly, but not harshly Harry noticed, and removed the bandage. Harry hissed in pain as the removal took with it the top layer of healing skin.
"Accio Essence of Murtlap and Dittany."
"Sir?" Harry queried.
"Why haven't you been to Madame Pomfrey with this Potter?" Snape asked, catching the summoned jars.
"She'd get into trouble."
"Believe me Potter, Madame Pomfrey would deal with more than just an annoying teacher if one of her charge's health was at risk. Tomorrow you will go and see her. Promise me." He dunked Harry's hand into the soothing potion as he spoke.
Harry smirked. "Ah yes, you'd know about that wouldn't you Professor?"
"Whatever do you mean with that ridiculous statement Potter? She is a Healer it is her job to heal."
"Just to heal? Or to make sure that injury does not occur again?" Harry asked with a wink.
Severus now had no idea what had possessed Harry Potter, but it had to be something. As he stared at the boy, he started drawing lines across his stomach. It didn't take long for Snape to realise what was being written there.
"You wouldn't" Snape hissed. "I told you the consequences of what would happen then."
"Can't give me detention, already got it every night with Umbridge. And I doubt Madame Pomfrey would agree with your decisions."
"My detentions would take but one minute Mr Potter. I could hold you behind after your Potions lesson for that long."
"And risk me telling what I know? Sorry sir but you won't do that. And if you wait until after I've said anything then you'll be locked up so tight in the Hospital Wing that you won't be able to give me detention."
Snape drew his wand so fast that Harry flinched. "Who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?" he snarled.
"It's me!" Harry squeaked, backing away. The bowl of murtlap essence fell onto the dungeon floor with a crash. Both occupants ignored it.
"Prove it."
"Errmm... Expecto Patronum!"
A white stag galloped around the room before fading. Only in the stony silence that followed could the hurrying footsteps be heard outside. They were getting louder, and quickly.
Snape pushed Harry towards the door of the secret room.
"Go" he hissed. "Now."
Harry threw a look at the Potions Master but hurried off. Seconds after the door closed behind him, Dumbledore blasted the door off its hinges and entered with wand raised.
"Se-Severus?" Albus croaked. "Are you alright? Minerva heard an almighty crash and-"
"I just knocked a bowl off the table Albus, it wasn't anything big."
Poppy appeared next to the Headmaster, head raised and sniffing the air.
"Why do you have need of combined murtlap and dittany at this hour Severus?"
Severus was stumped. What could he say? Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to hide the boy after all.
"I... I-" he tried.
"I thought as much" snapped Poppy. "Come with me. Now."
"Poppy I-"
"No Severus."
Severus sighed. At least this time he didn't actually have anything to hide. And it would get them out before Potter reappeared.
"Very well, if I must."
The other adults were shocked, and a little suspicious. He was agreeing? To a visit to the Hospital Wing?
"After you" Snape said, gesturing through the broken doorway. Just as he followed them out, he caught the opening of a door and hoped that whatever being had possessed Potter, it would keep quiet until they were out of earshot.