Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Blood Quill Consequences	By : EarthandWater Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 31160 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: We have no claim on Harry Potter nor any characters or locations thereof. We make no money from the writing of this.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
WARNING: Erm...nothing really aside from a little angst, a little fluff, a little humor.
Disclaimer: We have no claim on Harry Potter nor any characters or locations thereof. We gain only amusement from writing this.
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Neville gawked at Hermione as she finished telling them about what had happened in the infirmary. "Merlin, can't they ever get a break?"
"It doesn't seem like it but maybe we should have seen it coming." Draco replied. "You-Know-Who isn't known for forgiveness and we did sort of make a fool out of him."
Ron nodded slowly from where he lay with his head in Pansy's lap, he had wanted to go see Harry the moment he was told but Hermione had managed to talk him out of it. "Is anyone more than me afraid that this is only the beginning?"
Hermione leaned back into Draco's arms. "We all know more is coming. He's going to be even more determined to destroy the ones opposing him now. I mean he just got his backside handed to him by a small group of teenagers plus his pet was killed. I think it's safe to say he's out for blood."
"I'm not saying that we should bury our heads in the sand but we can't obsess over it either." Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione tighter. "I think we should continue to live our lives and be ready for him when he comes. If we start to live in fear he has won."
Neville nodded running his fingers through Luna's hair gently. "You're right. Not to mention it would be like spitting in Harry's face if we were all to start cowering. I mean he's been working his bum off to teach us all how to protect ourselves and even more he's spent the last five years on the front lines to protect us all. I for one don't want to let him down and it's not like he has the option of chucking it all in and running. So he has to stand and I'll stand with him."
"Well said." Luna said approvingly and almost purred under Neville's touch. "I for one will stand there right with you."
"Yeah me too." Ron nodded. "I've done it so far, it's not like I'm about to turn tail and run the other way now.
"I believe we're all in this together now for better or worse." Draco was surprised by his own words, here he was of all people, preaching unity and fighting will.
Pansy smiled, carding her fingers through Ron's hair. "Where my lion goes so shall I, plus I can't leave my house brother all the glory now can I?"
Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder. "So we're all still in it and in it together."
"Moony I've got to say this is positively heart-warming don't you think?"
"Hmm, I have to agree Padfoot. Snakes, lions and ravens working and loving together in harmony, it does warm an old wolf's heart."
Ron's head whipped around on Pansy's knee and he gaped at the two new voices.
Hermione gaped at the two men who strode into the room, wide grins on their faces then ran forward to give them welcoming hugs. "Sirius! Professor Lupin! What are the two of you doing here?" She was half worried that they were here to scold them for the 'rescue' of Snape.
Sirius' grin widened. "Oh we came by to help Cissy move her things in and to take care of a little Marauder business."
Ron scrambled up from his comfortable spot on Pansy's lap and shook the older mens' hands. "Well it's great seeing you again, it's been a while." He grinned at them brightly.
"It's good seeing you you too, it's been too long." Remus replied. "Now where's Harry?" The werewolf looked around. "We have to say hello to him."
The group quieted and no one was really comfortable meeting the Marauder's eyes. No one wanted to be the one to feel the two of them in on Harry and Snape's relationship. They could only imagine what the reaction would be.
Neville coughed a bit. "Well he's...er sitting with someone in the infirmary right now. Had a bit of a scare for them, if you need him for this Marauder business then I'm sure he'll come round later."
Sirius nodded. "Oh yes, Harry absolutely has to be here. It's required."
Remus looked somewhat thoughtful at the mentioning of Harry and the infirmary, his gaze slid over Hermione, Ron and Sirius but he didn't say anything, only pulled at his light brown hair a bit. "Ah well, I suppose we have to wait for Harry to have time for us then. For now why don't you tell us all about your latest adventure?"
Hermione moved back to her boyfriend's side. "Well it was really kind of stupid to rush in the way we did but we sort of...raided?" She sent the questioning term to Ron and got a shrug and a nod, "Malfoy Manor, while Voldemort and some of his lackeys were about."
Draco almost laughed at Sirius expression, the man looked absolutely gobsmacked and just a little bit envious too.
"We should probably scold all of you and tell you never to do it again but we won't." Remus was serious. "We would probably have done the same for someone that we care about. You were lucky though, really lucky because this raid of yours could very easily have gone very wrong."
Hermione nodded. "We know. Especially since it was short notice and we really didn't have time to prepare but we couldn't leave him there. If Voldemort had killed him...I think it would have killed Harry, would have broken him and I, we couldn't let that happen. We were lucky though, surprising them gave us a heavy advantage and Voldemort hit the wall just right thank goodness."
Sirius raised a brow. "Hit the wall?"
"You should have seen it." Draco gushed. "Hermione threw a Reducto spell You-Know-Who's way and he smashed right into the wall and passed out."
"As I said, really, really lucky." Remus' tone were dry. "So is the person Harry is with the same person you saved? I wonder who has grown that important to our little Harry...He you said?"
Neville answered the former professor. "Yes, he. It's up to Harry to tell you who he is though."
Sirius sidled over to where the quiet boy sat with Luna. "Aw come on, not even a little hint? After all we've done for you kids?"
"You'll know when Harry is ready for you to know." Luna answered amused by the man's eager expression. "Is that flutterfleas in your hair?" She leaned in closer to look.
"He is a mutt but I don't really think he has fleas Luna." Ron said, trying to hold his laughter in check.
Pansy smirked at Black's affronted expression. "You never can be too sure, I think maybe his head should be shaved, just to be sure. It'd be too hard to check under that wild, messy mop."
Hermione had her hand over her mouth, holding in laughter as Sirius jumped away from the dreamy blond girl with a yelp and put his hands over his hair protectively.
"You are not touching my hair! It's just fine how it is and I do not have fleas!"
Hermione giggled. "Oh I don't know with all the time you spend as Snuffles that might not be accurate and really, you could actually use a trim."
"As much a dog as he is Sirius does not have fleas. I can vouch for that." Remus had a bit of trouble hiding his own smile. "The hair could use a trim though Siri, you are sporting somewhat of a caveman look."
Draco sniggered and hid his face in Hermione's hair. He had been a bit nervous as Remus Lupin had entered the room, Draco hadn't been very nice to the man when he taught DADA. Fortunately Lupin didn't appear to be one to hold grudges.
Sirius pouted and went to plop his butt down next to where Remus stood. "Traitors the lot of you, traitors I say. And Moony I may be a dog but I'm yours," he leaned his head on the other man's leg, "You know you're the only one I'll let put a leash on me, metaphorically I mean."
Hermione chuckled, "What about Lady Malfoy?"
Sirius shuddered. "Cissy doesn't use a leash, she uses a whip!" He looked up at Remus with the most perfectly pitiful puppy eyes. "Remus you're going to be around to protect me from her from now on right?"
Almost of their own will Remus' fingers went into Sirius hair. "Well since she's moving ín here for the time being you won't need protection but yes, I'll be around from now on. I've done what I can in regards to the wild flocks out there." He ran black tresses through his fingers. Despite the light tone it had hurt being away from his mate and Remus was relieved to be back with him. Being parted from a mate was a real physical ache.
"Woohoo!" Quick as a flash Sirius had managed to tug Remus down to snuggle beside him. "Okay so what else happened? Oh Malfoy Manor, that means Lucius was there oh please tell me someone hexed his balls off please? I'd settle for a Levicorpus but castration would be so much better."
Hermione laced her fingers with her boyfriend's. "Draco subdued Lucius, he also did really brilliantly against the other Death Eaters in the dungeon."
"Oh please, none of us hold a candle against you." Draco turned to face the people of the room. "You should have seen her, she was absolutely incredible against the Death Eaters. She showed no fear what so ever as she took them straight on. She turned some of them into sparrows and fluffy little things and she had these fantastic hexes. I have never seen anything like it...She was truly amazing and there's no way any of us would have gotten out of there without her."
"Wow..." Ron didn't really know what to say. He knew Hermione was brilliant but to hear Malfoy talking her up like that...That was unexpected.
Neville just nodded sagely, knowing how formidable Hermione could be when she felt it was needed. He still remembered that total body-bind in first year. Pansy just saluted the bushy haired girl in respect, Hermione had won her respect ages ago with how well she treated Draco.
Hermione herself turned a bright red and ducked her head shyly, mumbling, "It wasn't that special. I just had to keep you all safe."
Sirius roared with laughter. "Not that special she says! She knocks Voldemort out, turns some of his prize Death Eaters into fluffy creatures-"
"Well there were newts and turtles too."
"Even better, turns them into creatures that can barely defend themselves, leads a charge into and out of one on the most heavily warded, heavily guarded, dangerous houses in the wizarding world, and all with minimal casualties and it's 'nothing special' to her. Moony we need to make this girl a general in the Order!"
"She certainly has the courage for it." Remus agreed with a smile. "We've always known you're brilliant Ms. Granger, your wit only outmatched by your courage and the size of your heart."
Draco nodded eagerly, agreeing with everything that Lupin said.
Hermione felt like her face was about to catch fire. "I...well...." she gave a wan smile, "Gryffindor you know."
Pansy barked out a laugh. "It's not the house Granger, it's you. Even I've got to admit that you are a special person. I even had to admit it back when we were still 'enemies' and Krum took you to the Yule Ball. Potter has some brilliant taste in friends I have to say, picks the best of the lot." She slid a smile at her own boyfriend.
Ron smiled back and leaned back until he was resting in her lap again. "You are quite special yourself Pans, despite being Slytherin that is." He chuckled and avoided the swat she sent his way playfully.
"We're all great, we kicked Death Eater ass." To everyone's surprise that statement came from Luna.
Neville smiled and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly. "If I hadn't known better I'd have sworn I was looking at a Valkyrie instead of my Moonflower during our own fight. I think they saw a delicate little girl they could easily deal with and that was very much their mistake as they got hexed out of their minds."
"That's only because you were right there with me, all fierce, valiant and protective." Luna nuzzled closer to Neville, smiling dreamily at him.
Remus smiled to himself, his fingers still running through Sirius' hair. 'Ah to be that young again.'
Sirius grinned and murmured quietly. "You remember when we were like that Moony?"
"I do." Remus' bent down lower and buried his nose in Sirius' hair. "I remember it like it was yesterday, both the good and the bad."
"I guess we've gotten old but you know what they say, love ages like fine wine. Ours is the perfect vintage."
"Oh we have a few years left in us before we can be called old. And I will always love you, because you're you and you're everything that's right just for me."
"We're getting sappy Moony." Sirius moved so that he could plant one on his mate, his everything. "Good. It's nice to know we still can." He rolled to his feet. "Well I think Moony and I are going to go grab something to eat, I'm starving!"
Remus got up too. "Yeah, I'm hungry too and it's quite late...Besides I should at least try to keep the doggy out of trouble." The werewolf nodded goodbye to the gathered youths and followed his mate out of the room.
Sirius snagged the werewolf's hand in the hall. "Come on, let's head to the infirmary and see who Harry's boyfriend is." He began tugging an amused Remus down the halls towards the infirmary. "I wonder why Harry hasn't said anything to me about having a boyfriend yet. There's no way he'd be worried about me reacting badly to him liking a guy instead of a girl since he knows about us."
"He's sixteen Siri, did you tell the grown ups around you about your crushes back then." Remus chuckled but following Sirius willingly, he was curious about Harry's boyfriend too. "Maybe he's from Slytherin, both Ron and Hermione has found partners from that house."
"I'm a much cooler grown up though. I'm like the uncle who gets to know all the dirt cause he's the confidant. Slytherin? Maybe. Why would he keep that a secret though? I mean I didn't have any problem with Draco being added into the group mix." They reached the infirmary and, after making sure Pomfrey wasn't about, snuck towards the end of the ward where the only curtained off area was. Apparently the bubotuber victims had been released. He reached out to pull back the curtain to peek. "I don't have a problem if he goes for a snake. I mean it's not like he'd be dating Sniv-eeeeeeh?!" The sound Sirius' voice ended on was somewhere between a squeak and a gasp as he saw what lay behind the curtain.
Remus stepped forward wondering what could possibly have made his mate let out such a sound and his own eyes widened to the size of saucers as he watched the two people lying entwined behind the curtain.
Harry's arms and legs were wrapped tightly around Snape and he still rested his head over the other's heart. Green eyes shot open when he felt he was being watched and he looked at the two people at the edge of the bed blearingly, seeing only shadows since he wasn't wearing his glasses.
Sirius wheezed out in a questioning whine. "Pup you and Snape?"
"Snuffles?" Harry felt around for his glasses and placed them on his nose. He looked at Sirius and Remus questioningly and a smile spread over his features at seeing them. Then he took in their shocked expressions and he remembered where he was and who he was with. Harry's cheeks pinkened a little but he shifted in front of Severus protectively, he wouldn't let even them hurt him.
The dog animagus grabbed the chair near the bed and plopped into it, face still utterly surprised. "Harry, you and Snape? Seriously, I need plain spoken confirmation here."
Remus petted Sirius back awkwardly though he was as shocked as his mate was. He couldn't imagine a more unlikely couple.
"Yes Sirius, me and Severus." Harry met his eyes straight on. "I love him."
"Well...hell." Sirius blew out a breath and ran a hand over his face. "I guess that means I'm gonna have to learn to put up with him doesn't it? Don't expect like...not for a long long time, way too much history for me to like him off the bat but I can be...civil. But just because you love him. If he was just a shag I'd be scandalized and nasty."
Harry got out of the bed slowly and walked over to Sirius. At first he just looked at him but then he wrapped his arms tightly around his godfather in a warm hug. "Thank you, and I really do love him."
"Good boy." Remus whispered in Sirius' ear, he was extremely proud of his mate for taking the high road. It proved just how important Harry was to him. "He better be good to you Harry or else he'll have both a wolf and grim on his tail."
"If I were Snape I'd be more worried about Lil's ghost." Sirius gave a half grin as he pat his godson's back. "But yeah. He ever hurts you let's see, A wolf, a Grim, a harpy," here he coughed out Narcissa's name, "a fox, a badger, an entire herd of redheads, what's-her-name dating Ron, and Neville's little Valkyrie....he'd be insane not to be good to you."
"He is good to me, very good. No reason to worry or go all growly." Harry slowly released Sirius and went back to the bed, crawling into it next to Severus again. "Now if he would only wake up. Voldemort activated some sort of poison through his Dark Mark, professor Flitwick managed to remove it but we don't know the damage yet." Harry's voice was small and his fingers trailed lightly over Severus' cheek as he spoke.
"He'll be fine pup. I doubt the Grim Reaper himself could take Snape is he wasn't ready to go. He's the...second most stubborn man I've known."
"I hope you're right." Harry replied but he was still worried. He had come so close to losing Severus several times now, he was just scared.
"Siri is right, he'll be okay. He has you to stick around for." Remus said softly.
"And even if he did kick it, your mum would send his arse back in short order." Sirius let the humor fade from his tone. "Really. I don't like him and may never but if he's entered into a relationship with you Harry, he'll crawl over broken glass to stay with you. He won't let Voldemort win."
Harry simply nodded, feeling comforted by his godfather's words.
"Come on Siri, let Harry and his beau have their rest, we can talk more tomorrow when everyone is feeling a little more awake." Remus smiled at Harry and grasped his mate's hand and started to pull him away from the bed. "I really could use some of that food you spoke of earlier."
"See you later pup." Sirius walked with his mate from the hospital ward and headed for the kitchens. "Harry and Snape. Merlin it's going to take time to wrap my head around that."
Remus nodded slowly. It really would take some time to get used to their little Harry pup being in a relationship with Severus Snape of all people. "Love is strange." Was all that he said as he followed his mate.
Harry listened to them go, the meeting had gone better that any expectation he could have had and he was happy. He had no illusions that Sirius and Severus would suddenly become bussom buddies but they were both extremely important to Harry and as long as they didn't tear each other apart on sight was progress in Harry's eyes.
He shivered a pit at the chilly air of the infirmary and pulled a woollen blanket up over himself and Severus and then he placed his head back on Snape's chest, being lulled to rest by the steady and comforting thumps of the man's heartbeat. "Wake up soon please, I already miss you." Harry whispered.
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Hermione slipped into the infirmary with a loaded school bag and a tray of food from the kitchen then walked back to where Harry sat reading in a chair beside Snape's bed. She set the tray down on the bedside table and reached over to fuss with Harry's messy hair. It had been two days since the Dark Mark had tried to poison the potions master and though his body was healing brilliantly from the injuries incurred in the Malfoy dungeon during that time, he hadn't so much as twitched otherwise. "Still no change?"
"None." Harry shook his head and gave Hermione a weak smile. He only looked at the food before shoving the tray a bit further away from him on the table. He wasn't hungry at all. Dumbledore had been up several times, asking Harry to leave, to return to his classes and his dorm room but Harry absolutely refused. There was no way that he would leave Severus' side. He was starting to get scared though...Nothing that anyone did had any reaction. It was as if it was only Severus' body there, not his mind. "What if he never wakes up Mione?" Harry looked at his friend, deep purple shadows resting under his eyes. "What if I messed up and took to long working the threads of the spell? I don't know what to do..."
She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into a comforting hug. "Shh. I don't think you messed up Harry. The mark was poisoning him and even with the antidote poison does a number on the body. I don't know if you ever got the chance to sneak about to see any television programs or read about health stuff with the Dursleys being the hideous things they are but in the Muggle world, even with antidotes and antivenins, it can sometimes take weeks for someone to wake up from being poisoned or bitten by a venomous creature. Knowing Voldemort that was a very nasty poison, probably modeled off a snake venom. It's not surprising that he hasn't woken up yet. He will, if only to scold you for not taking care of yourself and starting to fall behind on your classwork."
Anguis, who had taken up camp next to Severus' head. made an agreeing hiss. "Guardian's friend is correct. The mate is still healing but he hears and will be very upset if Guardian makes himself ill."
"I'm not making myself sick." Harry answered both of them at the same time since he knew Anguis understood human speech. "I'm still doing my homework...I'm still doing the lesson plans for Severus' DADA class too for his substitute to use." He ran his hand through his hair, making it stand at all ends. "I'm just...I'm just worried.
Hermione lifted a brow and pulled a mirror out of her bag, holding it up in front of Harry's face, showing him the dark circles under his eyes and the sharp edges his cheekbones made in his pale face as well as the awful mess, worse than usual, his hair was in. "Only two days and you've already lost weight Harry, not much but still. You're not eating and barely sleeping. You are going to make yourself sick. But I understand how you feel so I will make you a deal. I'll come down each day and help you study and you will eat the breakfast, lunch, and dinner trays brought to you, if you don't I will stupefy you so Madam Pomfrey can keep you under until Professor Snape wakes. Understood?"
"Understood." Harry nodded and pulled the food tray back towards him, where he lifted the bread and took a bite out of it. He had to admit that he did look like crap, there was no denying that. He didn't want Hermione to hex him either and he believed that she would if she felt forced to.
"Good. I may enlist Draco for Potions lessons help for you since he's the one teaching it. The substitute is...well he's pathetic, a complete dishrag. Even the Gryffindors have almost voted that Draco be allowed to deduct house points as this wet cloth absolutely won't. He just tuts and hovers and then spends a solid lesson drinking who knows what from a black bottle on the desk. DADA is much better as the Headmaster is having Professor Lupin do the substituting there but I miss you and Snape in the lessons. Remus is wonderful but a bit too gentle on us all I think."
"Remus doesn't have it in him to be mean in human form, besides I think he knows that the smallest growl out of him in front of a student would lead to more protest letters about a werewolf being allowed to teach their precious young." Harry was proud that he had managed to keep the bitterness almost completely out of his voice. "I miss teaching too, I really do but I can't leave Severus alone. I need to be here for him, even if he doesn't know I'm here."
She pat him on the shoulder. "I'm sure he does know though. That you're here I mean." She moved to sit on the floor Indian style and pulled out the Transfiguration text and summoned a footstool. "Now first lesson. Today it was turning a footstool into a rabbit." She settled into lecture and explain mode as he ate, figuring more would get down his throat if his attention was focused elsewhere as he ate on auto-pilot.
Harry gulped the food down as he listened, not really tasting it but that didn't matter. He pulled out his books from the bag resting at his feet and his wand from his back pocket. "Is there any situation where you're really pressed to know how to turn a footstool into a rabbit? Oh and tell me...Ron wasn't able to turn it back at the end of class was he? I know how he feels about small fuzzy things even though he'd never admit it."
She giggled. "No he wasn't, he actually snuck it out of the class though I've no idea what he did with it from there. As for purpose, the idea I think is to start introducing us to size differential for inanimate vs. animate. The footstool is a lot larger than a little bunny. Eventually we'll be making small inanimate things into large animate things so this is an introduction to that, building blocks you could say."
"Okay." Harry still didn't get the purpose completely but he knew that Hermione did and he trusted her. "Let's do this then."
Hermione smiled at him, and the empty tray, and began walking him through the steps until they had a pretty white rabbit bouncing around the ward. They went through all the classes he'd missed during the few days Snape had been in the hospital ward one by one until Hermione was satisfied that he'd grasped each lesson perfectly. Just before dinner another pair of footsteps made their way towards them and the curtain was drawn aside to show Draco Malfoy, looking severely put out and carrying three dinner trays. One tray was handed to Harry, one to Hermione, and he sat beside his girlfriend on the floor with the third.
The girl tilted her head. "Bad last class?"
"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it." Draco stabbed the potatoes viciously with his fork. "The idiot just smiled and nodded when Padma Patil added the newt tails early and caused the potion to become a wart draught. Who does that? The poor bint of a girl drank the stuff and I had to spend two hours after class brewing a counter potion for her." Another stab with the fork. "I got a little...upset and believe it or not but the bloody git of a so called teacher ran out in tears."
Harry hid his smile behind his goblet of pumpkin juice. He had been of the receiving end of Malfoy's scathing tongue on several occasions during the years and he could believe that it could cause a weaker person to cry. Malfoy had learnt from the best after all. Harry tossed the still sleeping Snape a fond look.
"Oh dear. Um permanently ran out?" Hermione's voice was half hopeful.
"I bloody well hope so because there is no way I'm letting the loon back into that classroom." This time Draco stabbed the poor potato so hard that it bounced right off the plate.
Hermione watched the vegetable skitter over the floor. "Professor Snape would agree with that sentiment, especially after he tried to 'rearrange' the potion ingredient cabinet. I'm surprised Snape didn't feel the disturbance in the force before you stopped Pugglepoint."
Harry snorted into his juice at Hermione's comment.
Draco on the other hand was completely clueless regarding the small joke and just nodded in agreement which only caused Harry to laugh more. "Well hopefully we have seen the last of Pugglepoint now." Draco added and dug into his steak now that his potato had escaped.
Hermione hummed. "True but the Headmaster won't let a student, no matter how good you are, have free reign over a classroom so let's hope Snape recovers by next class, if not then you'd better have a substitute suggestion at the ready until he does finally throw the last bit of the poison's effects off."
"Well I hope Snape will wake up of course but it really doesn't matter, no one can be worse than Pugglepoint." Draco had finished attacking the food, feeling a little bit calmer now that he was in his girlfriend's presence.
"Oh good lord never say that! Don't you know what happens when you say that something or someone couldn't be worse?" Hermione's eyes were wide.
"It...becomes...worse." A rough, wheezy voice came from the hospital bed.
Harry's tray went crashing to the floor and he was next to Snape in an instant. "Severus?" He stroked his finger down Snape's cheek and looked worriedly at him.
Draco looked up with wide eyes too, almost afraid to believe that his godfather had finally woken up.
Hermione rose to her knees to watch as the professor struggled to open his eyes and then the dark orbs were on Harry's face.
"You've...not been...eating right."
Hermione had to press her face into the back of Draco's shoulder and muffle her laughter into it at that. It just figured. The first, well second, thing out of Snape's mouth was a scold to Harry.
"Oh shush you, you're not one to talk." Harry replied softly and leaned down to press his lips against Snape's for just a second. "I've been eating just fine. Welcome back."
"Hm...weak." The dark eyes searched Harry's face. "Where's...Poppy?"
"I'll go get her." Draco jumped up from his seat on the floor and hurried out of the infirmary.
"She's just down in the hall having dinner, Malfoy will have her here shortly." Harry stroked Snape's hair soothingly.
Severus closed his eyes and took comfort in the hand gently petting his hair. "The...Mark?"
"It's gone Severus, completely gone." Harry answered softly as he continued to stroke and caress Snape's hair.
It wasn't long at all before Draco burst through the doors again, followed closely by Poppy.
The medi-witch bustled over and efficiently began scanning and examining Snape. She asked him if he felt this or could move that, making the normal hums and hmms that doctors tended to do before nodding once, decisively. "No long term effects that I can determine, you're very very lucky Severus. You'll be bedridden for another two weeks and then are to take it easy for another two afterwards to let your body and magic recover. You'll need to suggest another Potions substitute as Mr. Pugglepoint has decided to leave us."
"Puggle...point?" Weak and raspy though it was, you could still hear the disbelief in Severus' voice. "That...incompe...tent...fool? What was...Dumble...dore...thinking?"
"Well do you have a better suggestion for the duration of your convalescence?" Poppy propped her hands on her hips and stared down at him.
"Nar...cissa. She can...keep the...brats...in line." Though it took more energy than he liked to admit, Snape fixed a smirk on his face.
"Mother?" Draco gaped, feeling rather ridiculous that the hadn't thought about that himself. Narcissa Malfoy was the one who had taught him from a very early age after all.
"I think Lady Malfoy would love having something to do, she doesn't strike me as someone who likes being idle." Harry said. "It's a great suggestion Severus. She will look after your potions class just as Remus will look out for the DADA one."
"Ugh...Lupin? Where he...goes...so does...the...fleabag."
Hermione coughed to cover her amusement, especially considering the conversation a few days previous. "He does have Snuffles with him, used him as a rather brilliant demonstration of a Grim." Her eyes twinkled merrily as she hooked her arm into Draco's. "Speaking of Professor Lupin and all Harry, he wants to see you soon."
Poppy hrumphed from where she was marking a medical chart. "He'd better see him soon," she swished the quill at Harry, "No more haunting my infirmary now that he's conscious do you hear me Mr. Potter? You will go to classes and eat your meals in the Great Hall, and sleep in your dormitory from now on. You are free to visit as your schedule permits but no more staying throughout the night. I trust I make myself clear?"
Harry wanted to protest, he was not ready to leave Severus for such long periods of time but one look at Pomfrey's expression showed him that this was a battle he couldn't win. "Perfectly clear Madam." He answered. Harry wasn't too worried. He had his map and his cloak, there was no way he would spend the nights anywhere but by Severus' side.
"I'll go see Remus and Snuffles later, I promise." Harry turned his head and answered Hermione.
Hermione smiled and tugged on Draco's arm. "Come on, let's give them some time to themselves before Harry comes up for the night." She knew, of course, that nothing short of the Apocalypse would keep Harry away from Snape tonight, and probably not even then either, but still she felt they need their privacy now.
Madam Pomfrey sighed and nodded. "Eat something Potter, and make sure Severus drinks the potions," she pointed at the two bottles on the table, "and if you can, do something about that bird!" She pointed at the phoenix, which had been napping up to this point, that lifted it's head, trilled a note and fluffed its feathers happily when it saw that Snape was awake.
Harry nodded pleasantly at everything Pomfrey said and took a breath of relief when she finally moved away to her little office, giving them some alone time. "Hi." Harry pulled his chair as close to the bed as he could get it. "I've missed you." He brought the two potion bottles closer and uncapped the one closest to him. "Here drink this." He put his arm under Snape's head and raised it a bit so it would be easier to drink. "Fawkes haven't left your side...I think I have a rival for your affections in that one."
Snape swallowed the nutritional potion with a little difficulty. Once it was down he wrinkled his nose. "Other...way...round. Fawkes...worries...over...you."
"Me?" Harry's eyes went to the fiery bird. "Why on earth would he worry about me?" He placed the empty potion bottle back on the table and reached for the other one. "Here you go, just one more...And just so you know, your position first in my heart...Completely unthreatened."
The older man drank the other potion, a purification potion to clear all traces of poison from his body. "Silly Gry....ffindor. Know that." He closed his eyes. "You don't...take good...enough...care of...yourself. Especially...when you...are worried for...someone...else. Have to...fix that...after I...get better."
"You do that." Harry smiled and put away the other bottle too. "For now though, just rest and concentrate on getting better, no worrying about anything else." Harry kissed him again, just as softly as before. "I love you."
“Love...you...too.” Severus closed his eyes. “Tired...see you...tomorrow.”
“Yes see you tomorrow, sleep now.” Harry ran his fingers through Snape’s hair one more time and pulled away from the resting man. He pointed his wand at the tray of food that had crashed to the floor earlier and vanished it to the kitchen. He might as well go and visit Remus and Sirius and make an appearance in the common room before sneaking back for the night later on.
“Will you watch over him while I’m away Anguis?” He asked the young basilisk who still rested on Snape’s pillow.
”Of course Guardian. The fire bird and I will guard your mate well.” The snake shifted to slide the smooth scales of her head affectionately along the uninjured skin of Snape’s cheek.
”Thank you little one.” Harry walked over to Fawkes and ran a hand over almost glowing feathers. “And thank you firesinger.” He slung his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll be back later.” Harry cast one last look at the sleeping man in the bed and turned away before the urge to stay would be too strong.
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Blood Quill Consequences