-II-

He had to breathe several times for James while the Healer moved the membrane over his chest and back. "What's wrong?" Harry asked, scared.

"No, I'm sorry, Harry. I would like to have Maria listen before we talk about it. I fear I will need another blood sample as well."

"No," Harry said, miserable. Not in real protest, just to make his discomfort known.

"I know, Harry. I will ask Poppy and Alastor to come in for it as well. A bit more support will help, right?"

Harry still looked very sad but nodded.

"Lie down and let me scan you. Then I will get your guardians and ask Maria to listen to your lungs." Five minutes later, James stood up. He could feel Maria looking at him already and hoped she was finished with her diagnostic as well. "No tears before we know for sure what's wrong, and I promise to make the blood removal as quick as last time, Harry."

Harry nodded and fought hard against his tears.

"Maria, could you please check Harry's lungs. I fear we may have a problem. I will get Alastor and Poppy as we will need another blood sample from Harry."

-II-

"Hello, Harry. James suggested I check your lungs," Maria said, trying to not frighten Harry more than he already was.

"He said there is a problem." Harry could not stop his tears anymore.

"Oh, oh, oh, sweetie. We don't know right now what it is." She let Harry hug her and sent him some calming magic. These boys had to go through a lot. Maria felt very empathic towards them. "Come on, stop crying, Harry."

The mattress beside Harry dipped down and another small hand grabbed his. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"My lungs," Harry said, still sobbing, but he was already fighting against the tears.

"Maria will make it better."

"What if she can't?"

"Then we will go down in the annals as the Cripples of Hogwarts."

"Severus Snape!" Poppy said, shocked, from the door, but Harry giggled and finally regained control.

"Thank you, Severus," Maria said and started to listen to Harry's lungs. She instructed him to breathe in deeply and then to hold his breath. By the end, Harry was totally out of breath and gasped harshly for air. Maria helped him with a hand on his chest, and soon Harry was able to breathe normally.

"So?" Alastor asked.

"His lungs are damaged by the potion. Maybe Harry already had pre-existing damage or it is just bad luck. He is developing asthma. Was that your diagnosis as well, James?"

"Yes. It's still in the early stages, and it will take some time to see how much it will influence him, but we need to supply you and anyone Harry is visiting with an emergency potion. It can be administered orally or injected depending on if he is unable to swallow. Severus should be taught how to use it as well as he will most likely be with Harry. What do you think, Severus?" James asked.

"Okay. I will watch out for Harry."

Harry still looked scared. This all sounded bad. "Why can't I take it myself? I don't want to be so reliant on others."

"You will have an applicator to use, but it will take some time for you to get used to it. The first time you will need help."

"An applicator to inject the potion?"

"No, it will release the amount of potion into your mouth that you will need to swallow during an attack. It's similar to the Muggle version of an asthma inhaler, but you need to swallow the potion. Do you know about that?"

Harry nodded. "A boy in preschool had one of those inhalers. Still, he was taken away with an ambulance four times."

"You don't need to go to a clinic, Harry. In our world we can help you better, but it will still take some time for you to get used to it. Later you will almost not be effected by it, but you need to be careful. No overdoing sports or any other exhausting activities."

"Quidditch?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Quidditch will be all right as long as you have your applicator on hand and listen to your body signs," Maria assured Harry.

"Are you sure that is wise, Maria?" Poppy asked, worried.

"I think Maria is correct. Harry will learn to get used to it. An attack can be very frightening, but with enough people around who know how to help or where to go for help, it won't be dangerous," James supported his coworker.

Poppy did not look convinced, but Alastor calmed her down so she agreed. Sometimes only time can say if something works out.

"We will teach you and the people around you how to use the potions tomorrow, Harry. Until then, no running or other exhausting activities. Can we trust you to behave?"

Harry nodded. He had no intention of getting an attack without having a potion on hand.

"To know how to measure the potion, we'll need some blood, Harry," James said and started to rummage in his bag. Maria, meanwhile, sent Severus back to his bed and helped Harry to lean against her chest. Poppy sat down on Harry's other side and held his hand.

"Okay, I will numb the spot like last time, Harry. Try to breathe calmly and don't tense." Two minutes later, it was over and Harry was finally allowed to dress.

"Now as for you, Severus," James said and went over to the long-haired boy. "I will hold you like last time, okay?"

Severus nodded. He knew there was no way around it and he wanted it to be over as soon as possible. The pain was horrible when Maria started to stretch his fingers and move his stiff joints, and Severus whimpered and pleaded for them to stop. The magical stimulation of the joint fluid was not so painful, but it was very uncomfortable and his hands grew painfully hot. James spoke calming words in Severus' ear like last time, and it helped a bit, but not knowing when it was finally going to be over was agony. "All done, Severus," Maria said after five minutes and sent magic into Severus' hands. James also applied magic as he realized Maria was only concentrating her magic on Severus' hands. He let calming magic flow into Severus' body and soon the boy relaxed.

/

"Hey, Sev," Jessica said when she passed him in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Severus was early in hopes of getting a place in the back so as not to be in Remus' direct view. He was glad that the second years were not as bossy as the elder Slytherins and did not dare to annoy him. They just stared uneasily at him. One of the boys that the older Slytherins wanted him to befriend dared to ask him to sit beside him, but Severus' glare made him back away quickly.

"Hey," Severus greeted Jessica and then quickly made a decision. "Ehm, can we sit together? I mean...ehm..."

She smiled at him. "Sure you can. I don't have a partner, so I often have to team up with Professor Lupin. It's a bit embarrassing since we didn't have this class at my old school. So you should be aware that I'm not very good. Maybe it would be better for you to team up with one of the others." Seeing Severus' hurt expression, she quickly added. "Still, I would love to have you as my partner, Sev."

"I don't really like that name," Severus said uncomfortably, looking around if many of his classmates had heard that nickname.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just feel more comfortable calling people by nicknames. 'Severus' is such a...well...were I lived, people often call you by nicknames. I will try to not do it again."

Severus looked at her innocent face, and before he could stop himself, he said, "It's not that bad...you can call me...Sev." He screwed his face at his name. "Harry and some others have been calling me that very often lately."

"It's a nice nickname."

"Yes, maybe that's exactly why I hate it."

"Hate is a strong word, Sev." She turned and led him over to her desk. To Severus' horror it was in the first row. So much for not being in Remus' direct view.

"So how are you? The older ones say you ran out of the common room angry at them. They are very scared of that Malfoy guy now."

"That Malfoy guy was...is my godson." Severus felt cold sweat form on his whole body.

"Are you all right? You look pale and sick," Jessica asked, worried, and took Severus' hand.

The body contact snapped him out of whatever had overcome him. "I...it's hard to describe. I see his face and know I should feel like a godfather or a father figure, but there is nothing. I just see a boy to whom I feel very close. It is all so confusing."

"I can imagine." Jessica looked emphatically at Severus, her thumb still caressing the back of his hand. "I'm sure things will become clearer when you meet him. It seems he is very fond of you. He is making the older Slythrins report to him every day and pressures them to take better care of you."

"I don't want them to take care of me. I already have enough people caring for me."

Jessica laughed. "Yes, it does seem that way. Maybe things will settle down in a few weeks. Don't worry too much."

Severus sighed. He missed the warmth of her hand on his his when she removed it. "I wish some weeks would already have passed. I would have a lot of things off my chest."

"Things like what? Maybe I can help you."

"No, I have to go through it. No matter what. I'm used to dealing with problems on my own."

"That was when you were an adult, Sev. You have to get used to other people helping you."

Severus could not reply to this because Remus came into the room. The first half of the class was theory, and Severus' hand hurt from all the writing. The second half they practiced spells in teams. Jessica and Severus both needed some help from Remus. Severus feared that Remus would team him up with someone else. Fortunately, he was very patient, and in the end, both Severus and Jessica were able to perform the two new spells.

/

Harry groaned. He would like to crouch behind one of the big plants and not come out until the class was over. His classmates were as annoying as they had been the previous two days. They were trying to speak with him all the time and everyone was trying to befriend him. Why did they not understand that he did not want to befriend them? Never had Harry felt so lonely and foreign amongst so many people. Why could they not be like Severus' classmates?

"Hey, Harry. I can do that for you," Stan said and grabbed Harry's morning flower out of his hand to plant it.

"I can do it alone!" Harry said angrily and tried to pull the flower out of Stan's hand. The flower wasn't taking the fight over her well, and when the first leaves were pulled out she bit. Unfortunately, it was Harry's hand that she dug her sharp little teeth into. "Argh!"

Harry tried to pull the flower from his hand, but she just bit harder. Harry could feel little hooks fastening into his flesh and the wound started to burn. He had not been paying attention when Professor Sprout had told them about the flower, so he did not know if it was poisonous.

"Everyone, out of the greenhouse! Go over to Professor Hagrid's hut. Tell him that he shall keep you occupied until I'm back," Professor Sprout instructed the students while she came over to Harry. "Stop pulling on her, Harry. She will only bite harder and release more poison. I will bring you to the hospital wing."

Harry felt sick. The hospital wing again. Why the hell could he not survive one week without being sent to the hospital wing?

Professor Sprout summoned a cold cloth and wrapped it around Harry's swollen hand. "Don't worry, Harry."

The moment they stepped into the hospital wing, Poppy was all over Harry. One look at Harry's hand and Poppy told Pomona to call for Charlie. She needed an antidote or at least Mostermoss to get the flower to let go of Harry's hand with as little damage as possible.

Harry quickly was in one of the hospital bed and in his pajamas. He would spend the day here. Harry was already frustrated. His next class would have been Transfigurations with Severus, and he hated to think about Severus being alone in that class. He knew that it was Severus' most feared class of all.

When Charlie arrived, Harry had a cold and wet cloth on his forehead and his chest. Harry's hand had swelled to twice its normal size. The stress was slowly taking a toll on him, and he felt his chest and his lungs tighten as he gulped for more oxygen.

"You need to stay calm, Harry," Poppy said and stroked a sweaty wisp of hair out of Harry's face.

"I can't! My chest."

"I will get your potion, but let Charlie get the flower off you." With that, Poppy disappeared out of Harry's view and Charlie took over.

"This will hurt, Harry, but I will try to make it as fast as possible." Charlie took Harry's swollen hand and put some oily moss over the plant that still was hooked into his flesh.

"It's biting harder, Charlie!" Harry said miserably.

"I know; it will stop soon." After a few seconds, Charlie grabbed the flower and pulled. Meanwhile, Poppy came back and injected Harry's asthma potion in his belly.

"Poppy, what...why?" Harry gulped for breath. Then a movement to his left and a sharp pain in his hand made him look at Charlie again, who held the wild and snarling morning flower in his hand.

"I'll take it, Charlie. Take care, Harry. I will visit you in the afternoon to see how you are," Professor Sprout said and left the hospital wing.

Harry felt his lungs relax, and he could breathe better. The pain in his hand was his first priority now. "It hurts and it looks as if it will explode."

"It won't explode, but there is poison in your body now. We need to neutralize it. I'm sorry, but this potion tastes very bad." Charlie uncorked a vial with brown glop in it that made Harry gag just by looking at it. "There is no way around it, Harry." Charlie pressed the vial to Harry's lips, and Harry had no other choice than to drink the foul-smelling potion.

It was the most horrible potion Harry had ever taken. Not even Skelo-Grow was that bad. He choked violently, but nothing came up.

"Relax, Harry. You need sleep now. Things will look much better in a few hours," Poppy said while she helped him to lay down comfortably.

/

Where the hell was Harry? Everyone else was in the room already except for Harry. Severus became nervous.

When Minerva started the class, Severus could not concentrate on anything. He was too worried. Not even when Minerva stepped close to him and told him that Harry had a small incident in his first class but was all right did he calm down. He did not manage even one bit of tranfiguration in the class, but he did not care. After class, he did not go into the Great Hall to eat lunch but ran up to the hospital wing.

"Severus, what are you doing here?" Poppy asked when Severus stormed into the room.

"I want to see Harry," Severus explained and looked around. One of the beds was hidden behind a white curtain.

"Harry is sleeping, Severus, and that won't change until this afternoon. He is healing from morning flower poisoning."

"Morning flower poisoning?" Severus racked his brain until he found the information he was looking for. Very painful but not serious. "Has he been in a lot of pain?"

"He is all right now, Severus."

"That wasn't the answer to my question, Poppy," Severus protested.

"That's all you will get before you eat lunch, young man. Alastor is in the Great Hall, and I would hurry down there to eat if I were you." She looked sternly at him while she crossed her arms over her chest. "Harry can tell you all about his accident when you come back here after classes."

Severus sighed. "Yes, Poppy."