Title:
A few days more

Sequel to:
Twenty-one days

Author:
evil minded

Date:
November, 3rd 2010

Timeframe:
Fourth year at Hogwarts

Summary:
"A few days more" is the sequel to "Twenty-one days" – read and review this first or you wouldn't understand all that happens in this story.
The fourth year Slytherins and Gryffindor have survived their imprisonment in the potions classroom situated in the dungeons. How will they go on in all-day life after their survival? How will they manage to reintegrate into the castle's routine and their classes? How will they be able to go back to life at all? Watch how those who survived fight for their lives and for their peace.

Disclaimer:
Did you see Severus alive at the end of 'The deathly hallows'? no?
Do you think I would have had him died if I had written those books? no?
Then you know that 'Harry Potter' does not belong to me … nor does Severus … regrettably …
But Hereweald Hrothgar does …

Rating:
M – Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16

Author's Notes:
Uhm … alright … I have to admit … English is not my language by birth … so … please do not kill me while reading … neither for the – perhaps – sad language, nor for the subject of my writing …
Also, this is a story written for NaNo, a story written within thirty days only and even though I go over the chapters before uploading them – I do apologize if it might not have the same quality at one point or another than those stories of mine you are used to by now … thank you …

Warning:
Story contains bad language and swearing.
Don't ever use such, it's neither good manners nor proper use of language and never mind how 'cool' it might sound, it surely isn't a sign of intelligence. It won't get you anywhere and people will think less of you if you are unable articulating properly.
Story contains references to child neglect.
Child neglect is a really, really serious thing, and there are a lot of children in our world that are neglected, children that lack food, clothing, often love, and perhaps even a roof over their head – and closing our eyes, and pretending it does not exist – is no solution …
Story contains references to child abuse.
Child abuse is one of the most evil things, and there are a lot of children in our world that really would need help but have to live without hope – and again, closing our eyes and pretending it does not exist – is no solution … instead show sympathy, and understanding … and handle people, children as well as adults, which are showing any signs – whichever – of once having been abused … with understanding and with help …
What does not mean I am not as evil as I pretend to be … ^.~ … believe me – I am …

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

Previously in A few days more
When Poppy entered the private room of the infirmary an hour later, she nearly gasped at the picture that greeted her and she remembered the movement she had caught in the corner of her eyes earlier in the night.
There, in the corner to her left where Harry's and Severus' beds should be standing with a bedside table between, there they were shoved together, surely Severus having summoned the boy's bed over, and atop the now large double bed were laying one Potions Master, his arm draped over one Harry Snape and his hand laying on the shoulder of one Adrian Pucey, the boy apparently having sneaked into the infirmary
secretly.
An evil smirk spreading over her face she went back into her office and just a moment later came back with a camera.

A few days more
Chapter three
Day three – twenty-fifth of September – Wednesday mid-morning
Or – Harry and Adrian

The first sound he heard was soft sobbing and he forced his brain to work through the fuzz that was keeping his thoughts from working the way they should. The next sound he heard was soft whispering that sounded rather frantic and scared, as if the whisperers were unsure of something.

Somehow knowing that sitting up would help with the fuzz that had his brain under control, he forced his eyes open and sat up, listening to the whispers around him in hopes he would find out more.

"Wake up" was the first whisper he clearly understood, thinking with a frown that it was what he was trying to do after all, and "Neville" was the second whisper he clearly understood, wondering why those imbeciles would wake the boy. They all needed their sleep if they were to survive their current situation!

Another moment later he frowned for a moment when he realized – they weren't in those dungeons anymore but in the hospital wing and most likely Neville had just had a nightmare about their imprisonment. The children had to deal with what had happened one way or another after all and Neville wasn't the first one who dealt with their experiences in form of nightmares.

The problem was – after having those nightmares Neville always felt ill and often had stomach cramps throughout the morning hours. He wasn't the only one, Harry and Theodore had those cramps as well, and Hermione as well as Draco suffered from headaches after those nightmares. Pansy, Parvati and Blaise had started falling into depression after nightmares, and some of the other were just unwell after them. They all suffered from what had happened.

Getting up from his bed quickly he fetched one of the relaxing potions, and without so much as a glance at the other boys Snape went over to Neville's bed who was still whimpering and muttering, awake now, but clearly uncomfortable in his after-sleep half alertness.

"Neville!" Snape ordered to get the boy's attention, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You must drink that! Open up!" But Neville didn't respond, and with an impassive face, the Potions Master more or less pried open Neville's mouth open, and dripped the clear liquid of the relaxing potion into it. After a few moments, Neville visibly relaxed and took a deep shuddering breath before he looked around, at the others and then at Snape, who had stepped back from the bed.

"W-what h-happened?" Neville whispered, glancing again.

"Come with me, Neville." Snape demanded, knowing that the boy needed something to do.

"N-now, sir?" Neville stuttered and Snape lifted his eyebrow.

"No, Mr. Longbottom, next year." He growled. "Of course, now, Neville."

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

He had known that he needed Neville doing something to distract his mind, but at the same time he had known that he couldn't leave the room, not now. Adrian and Harry were both still sleeping, both of them clearly exhausted, but he also knew that it wouldn't stay that peaceful for long, that they would wake soon, and that they would then question each other.

Harry only had him as a father for three weeks now, the first time in his life that he had a father at all, the first time in his life he had anyone who cared for him actually, and it would only be natural that he would not take it lightly to have a new presence here so close beside him who demanded his father's attention too, while Adrian was the one Slytherin who needed him the most, except of Theodore and Draco, but Theodore was used to Harry now, as was Draco – not so Adrian. Adrian had only had to share him at such a private and clingy level with Theodore and Draco so far.

Long story short – he needed, he wanted to be present the moment one of the two woke what surely would wake the other one as well. He simply hadn't been able to allow the child leaving last night, knowing that the boy wouldn't get any sleep after seeing him not only alive but cradling Harry to his chest.

Flashback

A door opening got him out of his sleep, the one sound that always woke him, never mind what, never mind how deep he had been sleeping and without taking his right arm from Harry's small form he slipped his left hand beneath his pillow, gripping his wand just the moment the door closed with a soft click.

For a moment he had thought it surely would be just Poppy, looking in on them, but one, Poppy would have left the door open and she also would have lightened more candles than the one they had burning through the night beside of the fire that spent light and warmth.

And then he held his breath when he made out a shadow in the dark, a shadow gliding through the room before stopping, looking around, looking at the table in their midst, at the shelves where the children had stuffed away their things, at the beds, at the bed he was laying in with Harry especially, and the grip he had on his wand tightened. A moment later the shadow came slowly closer and in the soft moonlight he could notice with half lidded eyes that the steps the shadow took were unsure, as were the movements generally, until the shadow stood beside his bed, unmoving, looking down at them – the soft moonlight together with the flickering fire casting light and shadows upon the pale and sad face of Adrian Pucey.

The boy stood there, unsurely, his eyes going from his, Snape's, form to Harry's, and then back to his, and it was clear that the child didn't know what to do, what to think of the situation of him, his head of house, Severus Snape, the head of Slytherin, holding Harry Potter of all people in his arms, Harry Potter, the Gryffindor, the one student that had annoyed him the most so far.

Releasing his wand slowly, knowing that the boy wouldn't be a threat, he could actually watch the boy's face going from happy over his, Severus' survival, to sad and then disappointed, hopeless even, before the boy slowly started turning, his look definitely longing, and he grabbed Adrian's wrist, clearly startling the child.

The moment the boy realized that it was only him, his head of house, his eyes grew large for a second before he gave him a weak but hopeful smile, and pulling the boy closer he summoned Harry's now empty bed over to him, knowing that three persons in his bed, never mind how small and thin Harry at the present time was, it would be simply too crowded.

Harry stirred in his arms for a moment when Adrian came to lay beside him, but Severus immediately placed a calming hand atop the small shoulder.
"Hush, child." He gently said. "Go back to sleep. You too, settle down and sleep, everything will work out well."

End flashback

Well, he had seen Adrian's pale and drawn face in the moonlight, and it had been no surprise to him that the boy had immediately fallen asleep the moment his head had touched the pillow beside Harry's head.

"Would you please write down – just along general lines – what had happened the past three weeks, Neville?" He then asked, pointing at the table that still stood in the middle of their room. "I have, of course, held account, but I am sure that the ministry would like to have a report from your, the children's, point of view as well. You do not have to go into too many details, Neville, just a rough outline will suffice, even if they are just random thoughts."

The boy smiling at him, nodding and sitting down at the table, was enough and while he knew, of course, that Neville knew exactly why he had asked him to write this report, namely, to distract him, he didn't mind. It just showed that the boy was more intelligent than he had always given him credit for, and he gave him a short inclining of his head himself.

A moment later he noticed slight movement to his left and looking over he was looking into the startling blue eyes of one Adrian Pucey who was watching him blearily but calmly, the boy looking over at Harry's still sleeping form for a moment before he looked back at him, and squeezing Neville's shoulder for a second he then went over to the two beds which still were forming one large.

"Good morning, Adrian." He softly said. "I take it you have been sleeping better than you have during the past three weeks?"

There was a soft "yes, sir" and the boy looking up at him, hopefully, before blue eyes were lowered back at nervously twisting fingers.

A moment later there was a soft and strangled sob, and then he had an armful of a second year student in his arms, clinging to him while he wrapped his arms around the small, thin and trembling form, scowling at how thin this child was. Had he not eaten anything since he'd been at Hogwarts? Had Cameron and Montague not made sure that their house was cared for? Had Albus not looked after the Slytherins while he had not been available?

He didn't say anything, knowing that it wasn't necessary right now, he just held the child whose entire body was tense with the harshness of his crying until the violent sobs ceased somewhat, making way to soft and calm crying.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

Shivering slightly, he woke, immediately noticing that it was slightly cool, enough so that Harry was – for once – glad for the oversize hoodie he had 'inherited' from Dudley this past summer, pulling the hood over his head while at the same time, he noticed that immediately it got warm. So, Severus must have cast another warming spell on his bed-clothes, and he smiled.

A moment later he heard soft sobbing beside him and slowly opening his eyes he blinked at the bright light that immediately dimmed slightly, and he turned to his side, where he was not at all surprised to find his father staring down at him with concern – again, the man having placed his hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright light of the late summer morning sun shining into the room.

Another moment later he noticed the boy that lay in Severus' arms, sobbing, a boy younger than them, one who was not from their group, and he lifted his green eyes at the man's dark black ones, curiously.

"That's Adrian, Harry." Severus softly said while running his hand up and down the other boy's back, calmly. So, surely it had to be one of his father's Slytherins, and suddenly he realized that they must have been very worried over their head of house – and he frowned.

The thought of students outside worrying over Severus, it was a strange thought.

He definitely could understand, now, after he had learned to know the man better during their last three weeks of imprisonment, after he had learned how caring Severus could be, how protective, after he had learned that the man would give his own life if it could safe his students, but nevertheless – it was a strange thought, and he was sure that no one except of the Slytherins would worry about Severus, that some of them maybe would be even glad ...

For a moment he couldn't help scowling at the thought that some of the students might be even glad if Severus had died. It made him angry, and suddenly he realized that maybe he would have to battle one or another fight over the subject. Surely not everyone would take it lightly, Severus being his father now.

Looking at the younger Slytherin, and he was sure that it was one, even if he didn't know him, his scowl deepened when he realized how thin the boy looked, and how pale. He could easily go as one of their group after being locked away for three weeks without food. What had happened? Had this boy, Adrian, been so worried over his head of house? Had no one seen to the Slytherins while Severus hadn't been there?

And suddenly he understood.

Suddenly, he understood why the Slytherins loved Severus as much as they did, why they trusted him unconditionally, never mind what, why ... because no, there probably hadn't been anyone ever who had looked after them, except of Severus. And suddenly, he understood Severus as well, understood why he had always protected the Slytherins the way he had, giving them points while he took points from other houses ... because there was no one else who did, who looked after them, except of him, and he knew it.

Severus had looked down at Adrian, who had started forcing himself to cease his crying, most likely feeling ashamed of crying in front of Harry, in front of any Gryffindor, trying to suppress the last few hiccups, but a soft growl coming from Harry made him looking over at the Gryffindor, preparing himself for the fight of jealousy he had known would come between those two, but the moment he looked into those angry green eyes he knew – it hadn't been a growl out of jealousy, but of anger, and it had been anger over Adrian's condition.

"Harry?" He asked, startling the boy who looked at him with large green eyes for a moment before looking back at Adrian who was just now working his way out of his arms and he increased the hold for a moment, showing the boy that he was to stay where he was for now.

"Sorry, dad." Harry said, startling Adrian with his way of addressing him, and again, he increased the hold he had on his young snake, knowing that his actions right now could either destroy something, or help the children coming to terms with the situation, Harry as well as Adrian. "I, just for a moment, wondered if no one has looked after the Slytherins while you've been gone." Harry then said, and for a moment he stared at the boy he had adopted, being reminded, again, at the fact that this boy thought of others before he thought of himself – before his look became proud.

"A thought that crossed my mind just as well a moment ago." He softly answered. "I will have the house elves bringing breakfast." He then said and a moment later he was nearly startled when small and thin fingers reached out for the small and thin form he was holding in his arms still, Harry trying to pull the still softly hiccupping Adrian from his arms so that he could prepare for breakfast.

He looked over at the boy for a moment, even wondering if he should allow Harry to take Adrian's form – and not only because Harry was so very weak and fragile himself, but also because Harry was so very emotionally scarred, too, needing someone who held him, too, instead of holding others, but then he allowed it, knowing that it would help both finding their place in this new constellation. But not to pull the boy close himself.

"Lean back against the headboard." He softly ordered, waiting until Harry had done so, and then he placed Adrian beside his son, his second-year snake looking startled for a moment, but then accepting Harry laying his arm around the other boy. "Do not lean too much against Harry, Adrian, he is still too weak for my liking." He softly ordered. "But stay where you are for now. I am proud of you, of both of you." He softly added before turning quickly and then calling for the Hogwarts house elves.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

"This is the first meal during which – all – of you are awake and present." He said, looking at the eighteen students, having included Adrian for their breakfast. "So, I will take this chance to set a few ground rules."

There were a few groans, a few sighs and a few other noises that clearly showed the children's dislike about rules, but a lifted eyebrow from him was all it took to keep them in line, like always, now more so than in the past, he realized.

"One is – we will stay here for the remainder of the week, until you have all regained at least most of your strength." He started. "I expect you to rest and to eat. I will have you partaking in each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as three snacks between – in the mornings, in the afternoons and late evenings. I will also have you outside in the infirmary gardens. Fresh air and sun are just as important to you right now as is sleep and food."

"We have slept enough during the past three weeks." Dean said, and he nodded.

"Yes, you have, Dean." He calmly answered. "But the sleep you had, especially the sleep in the end, it has been a restless sleep, it has lacked true comfort, rest and recovery. Your bodies have not been able to draw any strength from your sleep, and neither have your minds been settled by sleep due to nightmares you have suffered from – and so yes, you have been sleeping a lot, but not rested."

"Oh." The boy made, looking at him startled. "So that's why I'm still so tired." He then said.

"Exactly." He answered. "For now, this will do, but as the days pass, I will have you doing physical exercises, too, so your muscles will be able to recover and to rebuild. You will have need to rebuild strength and physical exercises will help with that. However, I expect you to go slow about that, anyone I notice overdoing it, will get into trouble with me, and believe me, you won't want that. We will start slow, no physical straining activities except for those physical exercises I prescribe, individually, and that goes for you as well, Adrian. For now, I will take you from your house and into this group here, because you, too, will need rest and food. Did I make myself clear?"

There were a few nodding heads and there were a few "yes, sir", and he himself nodded satisfied.

"Down in the classroom you've said we shouldn't do physical exercises." Gregory frowned at him, and he lifted his eyebrow. Of course, Gregory Goyle would complain about physical exercises. Not even Vincent was as physically inactive as was Gregory, and he sighed.

"Yes, I have, Gregory." He explained. "But back then you did not have any food at all, and you needed your body as calm as possible to save energy for as long as possible. You still will have to be careful, but you will need to do physical exercises so the energy the food provides your bodies with now won't go waste in running to fat alone but muscles as well."

"Don' wanna, Severus." The boy sighed, leaning his arms at the tabletop. "I don't feel up for those exercises."

"Understandable, Gregory, but you will have no other choice because I won't have you skipping them." He said. "I actually appoint them as one of your classes until further notice. You will see that I won't have you doing anything you won't be able to, Gregory, so stop worrying, you should know me better than that."

"I do." The boy sighed, closing his eyes, about to fall asleep at the table. "That's what's worrying me."

"Go to bed, Gregory." He softly said, knowing what the boy meant. He often was harsh to his students, even to his snakes, demanding not only fifty percent and not even only a half-heartedly seventy-five percent either. He expected his students to at least try and give hundred percent. If they didn't manage, then that was a different story, but he expected all of them to do as best as they could. And Gregory knew that, and therefore knew that he wouldn't be satisfied with a half-hearted attempt. But honestly, what was Gregory expecting? That he would have them running ten laps around the lake? Surely not!

Well, at the end of the school year, perhaps, he smirked, but surely not now!

"You would get much better marks if you stirred your potions as well as you do the porridge, Harry." He remarked, unable to keep himself from doing so at watching the boy for a while now, stirring the milky porridge clockwise, then in a figure eight, and finally counterclockwise in a continuous pattern after he had done the first three or four spoonfuls of the boy's breakfast. "I am not fooled by your stirring, I expect you to eat more than that."

"But I'm not hungry anymore." The boy said, letting his spoon sink into the bowl and he could clearly see – the child felt nausea at alone the thought of eating more. "I have eaten!"

"Two more spoonfuls." He said, his dark eyes on the child.

"I'm not three anymore." The boy sighed, pushing his bowl away a bit.

"Regardless of your biological age or the age you are acting – you need to eat." Severus said, sliding the bowl back to the boy.

"I have eaten." Harry answered, looking up at him with green eyes that bordered on hurt, eyes that clearly held tears.

"I know, Harry." He calmly said, knowing what Harry thought he was implying. "And I did not say you are not eating. I have seen that you have, and I know that you must feel full already, but you need to eat more. I do know that it will be hard for you, especially, seeing that you have not eaten a decent meal in three months, that is the quarter of a year after all, Harry, and I do acknowledge that. But you have to. Your stomach has to get used to eating again, and I need you to eat more than three spoonfuls."

Merlin, this would be a fight, getting that particular child back to health, a fight the child surely wouldn't be able to battle alone.

And yet, he didn't mind. He didn't mind fighting battle for battle in a war to get that child back to health.

He had known after all that it would happen, he had known the moment he had adopted the boy, and he had known again the moment he had informed Albus about the new circumstances when the headmaster had been here last night.

Flashback

"I won't allow the boy back there." He growled, his eyes resting on the small form laying in bed, sleeping peacefully for once, scowling at the atrocious clothes the boy was wearing, the much too large hoodie. But well, seeing that he was unsure, knowing that most likely anything would look much too large on the boy at the present time, even clothes that would fit him under normal circumstances, he hadn't shrunken the hoodie. Not to mention that the boy had wrapped himself into the piece of cloth, and he had thought that the additional warmth it provided would do rather good at the present time.

He would have to have a word with the child about his clothes at a later point.

The house elves had brought the children's trunks to the infirmary, seeing that they would reside here for a week, had placed them at the ends of the children's beds, and the infirmary room looked rather like a dormitory right now than like an infirmary room to begin with, and so he had seen the boy's clothes in his trunk. Atrocious clothes, and the hoodie as well as the pyjama bottom and the mismatched socks the boy was wearing right now, definitely, were the better ones of the boy's possessions concerning clothes.

"He has no place else to go." Albus said and Severus scowled angrily at the headmaster. "The blood– ..."

"The blood wards have fallen." He hissed darkly at the man. "Minerva and Filius have confirmed that. They are of no use since the ritual of the blood adoption. He won't go back there, to those monsters. He will stay with me, Albus."

The headmaster's light chuckle made him realize what he had just said, how he had said it, his emotional outburst and being so very angry on the boy's behalf, but well – what did the blasted headmaster expect? He had adopted the boy, of course he would be angry on the boy's behalf after such a stupid and irresponsible suggestion of the headmaster.

"He seems to trust me and ... I find him – tolerable." He finally growled, trying to do damage limitation and he briefly closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have adopted him after all, and surely you did not think that I would have my son back with Petunia and this idiot man called Vernon Dursley." He said, re-opening his eyes. "On the contrary. I will press charges against both of those imbecilic and sad excuses Harry has as his relatives and former caretakers. And don't you dare twinkling at me, old man!" He warned the moment he saw the beginning of a sparkle in his mentor's eyes, signaling that Albus had – what the headmaster surely was positive about – a great plan. "You have not read all of those reports yet. I do know what they contain, seeing that I have written them."

"Of course, my dear boy." Albus said, his voice suddenly sounding old. "You are right, of course. I am just so happy that you have all survived, that I did not have lost you, sometimes I seem to forget what it all means to you, to all of you. You have my apology, Severus. You do not know what this means to me, that you have survived, you do not know what you mean to me. I felt as if I had lost a son – and a grandson for that matter. You do not know how much I always loved you, Severus."

Albus' voice had gone very soft, the older wizard perhaps not even wanting him to hear his words, most likely knowing that they would be answered by a cold and denying sneer before a scathing remark would come.

"I fear, I have a ... confession to make to you, too." He said, again closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, hard this time. He really couldn't believe what he was about to say, but it seemed to be the night for the impossible. "I fear that I should have told you many years ago already but was unable ... or unwilling ... to express. The past few weeks in those dungeons however have made me re-think a few things."

"Severus?" Albus asked when he stopped to take a deep breath. "What happened Severus?" The man then asked, sounding worried.

"Nothing, you blasted old man." He growled to mask his own unsureness and strange feeling, the pain in his chest. "I just wished to thank you, Albus, for being more than only a friend and mentor but for being a ... father ... to me for these past long years, something that surely has not been always easy, and I do appreciate it more than you can ever know. Especially that, when I pushed you away, you just pulled back harder, you crazy old man, whatever you would do such a foolish thing for. So yes, I do ... well ... 'like' ... you too ... somewhat."

A moment later the older wizard had rushed over and had grabbed Severus into a tight embrace.

"Oh, my child, when I thought you had been dead, my heart died along with you." The old idiot fool then gave away in a near sob. "Merlin! I never thought I would hear you say those words. I love you, too, Severus, and would be proud for you to consider me your father, even if you do think I'm an old coot, you insufferably bad-tempered child!"

End flashback

Well, at least none of the students had been awake to witness his absolutely foolish outburst, and for a moment he wondered how Albus had managed to not feeling embarrassed by his display of emotions last night, and closing his eyes he nearly groaned, willing those thoughts away. That had surely only happened, because he was still so damn weak and tired, unable to concentrate, and unable to keep his own emotions under control! He would recover, and such a thing would never ever happen again! And he would soon forget about it, too!

"The first thing I will do today however, is a complete medical scan of all of you." He then said. "The last scan Poppy has made was Monday night, and I want to be on the safe side, not to mention that the scan she has done back then has been a cursory scan only, as neither she nor me were ready to risk flooding you with too much or intense magic."

"Shall I go to classes, sir?" Adrian then asked, looking up at him, and again there was so much hope in eyes that otherwise were distant and dead – once more, he wondered why no one had looked after his Slytherins. He clearly would have a word with Poppy about that! And with Albus Twinkling Dumbledore, too – never mind their emotional outburst last night.

"No, you won't, Adrian." He answered. "You are far from being ready for classes, and I can see as much even without a medical scan. You will stay here and partake in the treatment I bestow upon the others."

"But I'm smaller." The boy said, his eyes large. "Surely I won't be able to ..."

"Younger, Adrian, yes." Severus growled while looking at Harry. "But surely you are not the smallest here."

"Just great." He heard Harry mumbling between another spoonful of the porridge he fought with, and he couldn't help smirking at the child, knowing what he meant with his comment. "Really, just bloody great!"

"Language, Mr. Snape." He said lifting his eyebrow at the boy and when his dark eyes locked with the green ones, he felt another wave of ... affection, because it surely was not love ... filling the space where his heart surely had to be if he had one. He had never thought that he, of all people, could be a father one day, that he, of all people, would have a son one day, and now he had Harry – and since he no longer would spy on the death eaters – the place where his heart was supposed to be, it was no longer filled with the bitterness, and suddenly he felt so much lighter, felt so very free.

"I'm sorry, sir." The boy said, hanging his head, and he couldn't help thinking that just a few weeks ago the boy would have looked up at him defiantly, trying to seem brave and strong in front of him out of pure self-defense.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." He softly said. "It is only understandable that you feel frustrated at the fact that even a second-year student is slightly taller than you are. But let me assure you, Harry, with regular meals and with healthy food, plus the nutrient potions, you will catch up. It will take time, and you will have to fight, but you will manage."

"I will work hard, I promise." The child suddenly said determinedly. "I will be a good son, I promise."

"You already are a good son, Harry." Severus assured him, getting off his chair and kneeling in front of the child, his heart clenching at his son's desperate words. "There is no need to change anything, child."

"But I'm still far too weak." Harry said.

"You are not weak! You, in fact, are much further along than others in your position would be." Snape answered. Harry looked up at Severus, and for a moment the child looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from Harry's chest. "And I am proud of you, because in truth, you are so much taller than many others, child. And now let's get you outside for an hour." He then said, leading the students out of the room behind the hospital wing they were occupying and through a double winged glass door that led them out, directly on a veranda and the adjoining gardens that were secured from the prying eyes of the student body.

Breåk· … ·~†~*~*~*~*~*~†~· … ·Łine

To be continued

Next time in A few days more
A fewer, basilisks and other deathly creatures ...

Added author's note
thank you for reading - and yes, I would be glad if you took the time to review this chapter, thank you
also, of course I have re-installed the house cup – with each review, please state your house, so that your house can get a point. There won't be loss of points, only gains … may the best house with the most reviews win …

House Cup:
At the present time it looks like this:

Slytherin 93
Gryffindor 53
Ravenclaw 27
Hufflepuff 14
Hogwarts 21
Durmstrang 04
Tennessee Institute of Magic & Technomancy 01