Harry awoke slowly and noticed he was having more trouble breathing than usual. It wasn’t really that he was having any real trouble, it was just different. Something was weighing him down a bit.

He opened his eyes against the harsh light of morning and grimaced at how… ‘yuck’ his eyes felt… like his eyelids were made of sandpaper. Well, maybe not that harsh. He looked down and saw Snape’s head on his chest like Harry was a pillow. The professor looked stressed even asleep.

Harry took stock of himself, trying to find a reason for the other man’s presence. That’s when he noticed how dirty he felt, like he was covered in dried sweat. He looked around as well as he could without disturbing Snape. A bowl of water was on his nightstand along with a bottle of pills. On the other side of the room, he could see that his desk was full of packages and letters.

Now, the packages on the desk. Harry gently lifted Snape’s head off of his chest and scooted himself to the other side of the bed and put a pillow under the man’s head. Then he got up from the bed… and fell straight to the floor.

“Harry!” Snape’s head shot up as he was startled from his sleep. He looked around in confusion before realizing his situation and seeing Harry on the floor. Harry almost laughed when he saw the embarrassment on the man’s face before it was hidden and concern for Harry took over.

“Harry, you shouldn’t be up and wandering about yet. As you’ve just found out, you are still weakened from being ill.”

Snape circled around the bed and helped Harry back onto it. Harry then noticed his own arms and a red rash on the inside of his elbows.

“How long was I sick? What do I have?” Harry asked, distractedly as he examined himself looking for more rash sites.

“Scarlet Fever. There’s no magical cure so it took longer to get it under control… your birthday was yesterday. I left the gifts from your friends on your desk.”

“Scarlet Fever? But I thought that was some old disease that people didn’t get anymore… and where did I get it? I’ve been here with you most of this time.”

“Scarlet Fever is nothing more than another strain of the strep virus. People do still get it… especially if they are especially sensitive to it or if their immune systems are not up to par. As for how you were exposed to it… I’m afraid that might be my fault. I’ve had to go out a few times while you were asleep. I spent several of those visits with an acquaintance that was taking care of an ill grand daughter. I may have carried the virus back and your immune system has not fully recuperated yet… and when you overtaxed your body with dehydration and too much sun, you had no defenses and the illness took over quite quickly.”

Harry nodded and held out his arms. “And the rash?”

“That is where Scarlet Fever gets its name. The red rash that appears on the face and neck and sometimes other parts of the body.”

“It’s on my face?! Great…” Harry moaned self consciously, making Snape chuckle.

“Do not worry about that. While there is no magical cure, there is a salve that will help heal the rash quickly. You can apply the salve twice a day while you take your muggle medicine.” Snape went through the process of tucking Harry bad in bed much to Harry’s annoyance. He felt better and did not want to stay in bed. He also needed a shower.

“So I saw a doctor?” Harry motioned to the pill bottle.

“No need. When I knew what was wrong, I had Madame Pomphrey send the proper medication.”

“But you can’t diagnose! You’re not a doctor.”

Snape leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Would you like to see my Medi-Wizardry degree? I assure you, I am quite qualified to diagnose and treat you.”

“But how… you’re a Potions Master, not a Medi-Wizard.”

“Do you think they let anyone become a Potions Master? To become one, you must be a qualified medi-wizard or witch. Remember what we talked about with the Dreamless Sleep potion? One wrong move and a helpful potion becomes a dangerous one.”

“Oh,” Harry felt pretty dumb then and couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

“Do you think you can eat today? You weren’t able to eat while yore fever was too high, but I was able to get you to drink some nutrient potions.”

Harry really didn’t feel hungry, but nodded anyway. He was expected to eat and he knew Snape would be unhappy if he didn’t. Snape then left him to go to the kitchens and Harry contemplated attempting to reach the desk again, but found himself unable to lift the blanket from his body. He realized it must have been a spell, but he couldn’t recall Snape reciting any spells or using his wand.

“Argh, now what? I can’t even reach my book.” Harry glared at ‘The Once and Future King’ sitting on his nightstand, wishing he could call on accidental magic to give him his book… or anything thing else to keep him from getting bored while he was stuck in his bed.

Harry settled on reciting every defensive spell he’d learned in the past year and then trying to think of happy memories to call on for a patronus until Snape came back into the room with a tray that held a bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice.

“Sit up. Don’t want you to choke on the soup.” Snape said.

“Haha, funny. You know I can’t sit up.”

“You can now. It’s a commonly used non-verbal wandless spell that many parents learn and use on their children.”

“Then how do you know it?” Harry almost sneered.

Snape stiffened slightly, but his face remained impassive.

“I did my research in preparation for your arrival.”

Normally subtleties went over the Gryffindor’s head, but this time he definitely noticed that something was off with Snape’s tone when he said that. Maybe the man did have some mysterious kids in hiding that he never got to visit? No, his wife was dead so who else would they be with? He probably was just feeling bad because his wife had died before he could have any children. It seemed like the best explanation Harry could come up with and it almost made him feel sorry for the older man, but he quickly brushed that feeling away.

“Ahh… chicken noodle, of course.” Harry observed when he sat up and Snape set the tray in front of him.

“It’s good for the immune system,” Snape stated. “As is the orange juice. But if your throat is too raw for that kind of acidity, I will bring milk. And take your medicine. I’ve got the salve for you to apply when you finish your meal.”

----

For the next few days, Severus hovered over Harry until he was sure that Harry was back to his normal level of health. After that, they settled into a comfortable routine that included time spent together when Harry wanted to learn more about potions. He was finding it much more interesting now that things were actually being explained to him.

And since Harry’s sickness, most of the tentative awkwardness had faded. For Harry, it was knowing that he had been so dependent on Snape and the man hadn’t minded, and also that he had held onto him in his fevered state and that hadn’t been used for any sort of teasing.

For Severus, it was that he’d felt needed by Harry and that he’d been able to take care of his son. And now they were bonding somewhat. He’d helped Harry with his homework until it was finished and he sometimes ventured outside to watch Harry fly on his beloved broomstick.

Severus was thinking that with things going as well as they were, he might tell Harry the whole truth soon. He just needed to get up the guts and prepare himself. He was no Gryffindor and the situation made him quite nervous.