At the sound of crashing and breaking glass, Severus rushed to the storeroom, ready to verbally rip the boy apart. "What in the bloody hell is going…" He stopped yelling the second he stepped foot into the room and spotted Harry.

Harry was lying on the ground close to the remains of one wall of shelves. The top four shelves from that side of the storeroom were covering most of Harry's body and one of his legs was bent at a grotesque angle. Bits of broken glass and potion ingredients were covering him with many pieces of glass piercing his skin. He had some cuts on his face, arms and hands and was bleeding from various locations.

With his heart almost pounding out of his chest, Severus quickly rushed over to Harry and started to remove the shelves and the larger pieces of broken glass from on top of him. "Harry! Are you all right?" he asked, his voice shaking with worry.

Harry didn't answer at first. He was too shocked. The man hadn't blown up at him at all about the destruction to the room. He was so sure the professor would be livid and screaming at him about the destruction. He really didn't understand it.

A few seconds went by while he was staring up at the professor in shock before he finally decided to answer. The second he took in a breath of air to speak, pain radiated from his lungs outward. Squeezing his eyes shut he let out a small sob. He was in too much pain when he breathed, so there was no way he was going to speak. He then made the mistake of trying to move a little, and as much as he didn't want to, he cried out in pain.

"Don't move." Feeling slightly panicked, Severus rapidly finished removing all the broken jars from around Harry. He knew he didn't have the expertise to see to Harry's injuries and needed to get the boy to the hospital wing and into Madam Pomfrey's care. He bent down and gently lifted Harry in his arms. "I need to get you to the Hospital Wing."

As Harry again cried out in pain at being moved, Severus quickly changed his mind. With the pain Harry was obviously in, the trek to the hospital wing would be far too long. And traveling through the floo was definitely not an option. "We'll go to my quarters instead. It's closer."

Harry didn't move or say anything. He just stared up at the potions master, his face beginning to turn pale because of the pain.

With Harry in his arms, Severus rushed out of his office to his quarters as quick as he could all the while trying not to jostle the boy and further aggravate his injuries.

When the two entered his quarters a minute later, Harry had part of Severus' robes gripped tightly in one of his fists while biting down on his lower lip. His breathing was shallow and he was extremely pale. And as much pain as he was in, he was not going to cry out again.

As Severus stepped out of his fireplace, he immediately headed to his bedroom and gently laid Harry down on the bed. He then returned to the fireplace to firecall the medi-witch.

Before Severus even returned to Harry's side, the medi-witch exited the floo and quickly walked to the bedroom, pulling her wand out of her pocket on the way. She almost gave a gasp the second her eyes landed on Harry. She hadn't seen him since he left the castle the end of his fifth year, so his change in appearance was a shock to her. Poppy kept her composure, however, and continued walking towards Harry. "What happened to you, Mr. Potter?" she asked as she began to perform her diagnostic.

Harry was in too much pain to answer, but moved his eyes to look at Severus, silently asking him to respond.

Severus met Harry's pained eyes and knew instantly he would have to explain. "I'm afraid I don't know all the details Poppy, but I found Mr. Potter on the floor in my storeroom with shelves and broken vials and jars on and around him. I'm assuming he fell from the ladder and brought down the shelves with him."

"Oh my," Madam Pomfrey stated after hearing what possibly happened. She turned to Harry. "Let me finish this up and we'll see how you stand Mr. Potter." She ran her wand up and down Harry's body three times while muttering some charms. After finishing her tests, she placed her wand away and looked to Severus then Harry then to Severus again in confusion. "Please excuse me for a few minutes. I need to check on something." She then flooed to the hospital wing.

While the medi-witch was gone, Severus retrieved an arm chair from the other side of the room and sat down next to the bed. He watched Harry wince while he moved his head on the pillow. "Does your head hurt?" At Harry's slight nod, Severus gently ran his fingers over the back of his head. Harry gave a small whimper as Severus hit a sensitive spot. "It looks like you hit your head in your fall. There's a pretty large lump back there."

Poppy came back to Severus' quarters two minutes later, her pockets laden with items that would be needed to assist Harry. "I'm afraid, Mr. Potter, that you have a broken right leg and right wrist, one broken rib, two bruised ribs and a slight concussion. Not to mention the numerous cuts on your arms, hands, face and head. Now I can mend the bones in the next half hour, but I'm afraid you will have to spend the next twenty four hours in the hospital wing for observation."

Those were the last words that Harry wanted to hear. He did not want to spend a second in the hospital wing. He already seemed to end up there every term more than any other student he knew. And to be watched over for a full day? That was pure rubbish. He would be fine once Madam Pomfrey mended his bones. He didn't know what the big deal was about needing to be watched.

Severus looked over at Harry and seeing the expression on his face, knew what the boy was thinking. "Mr. Potter, a person with a concussion needs to be watched for twenty four hours to be sure they don't lose consciousness and to assist in the event complications arise."

"That is right," agreed Madam Pomfrey. "Now, Mr. Potter, I have something else I need to discuss with you, but I feel you should be fixed up first." She pulled two vials out of her pocket and handed them one at a time to Harry. "You should be familiar with this one. It is a pain reliever. The second one is a bone mender. It will assist your bones with healing properly, but it won't completely fix them. You will need to take it easy for the rest of the week. I'll let these two take affect and I'll be back in five minutes to clean you up and heal all your cuts."

Severus stood up before the medi-witch could leave the room. "Poppy, if possible, I feel it would be more appropriate for me to clean up and heal Potter. I would like to be sure none of the ingredients that were destroyed entered into his bloodstream. Knowing what was destroyed, I'd be able to find evidence of them before you would." That was a lie of course. Severus knew none of the ingredients could really do any harm and that by healing the boy with magic, any ingredient which did make its way into his bloodstream would immediately be harmless.

Madam Pomfrey hesitantly agreed, wondering why the professor would want to take care of Harry. Especially considering she knew that her diagnostic would have told her that same information. "I guess that would be fine, Severus. It would give me more time to prepare for my leaving this evening for tomorrow's conference at St. Mungo's. When you are done, please firecall me. I'll be in my office."

"Thank you, Madam. Of course."

The medi-witch looked at Severus then Harry and figuring she did all she could currently do, left for the hospital wing.

Severus immediately went to his bathroom and returned with a bowl of soapy warm water, an empty bowl, a cloth, a pair of tweezers, and some healing cream. He placed the items on the night table and brought the chair he had been sitting in closer to Harry's side. He was about to grab the tweezers and start to remove the glass from Harry's face when the boy interrupted him.

"Professor, why don't you use your wand?" Harry was slightly confused. He couldn't understand why the professor was going to help him, and by the looks of it the Muggle way. Shouldn't the professor have just waited for the potions to take effect, drop him off at the hospital wing and return here to his quarters?

"I'm afraid that any type of magic used to heal you could possibly have an affect on the potion ingredients that you were covered with. I don't think any chances should be taken. Do you?"

"But Madam Pomfrey used her wand to run her diagnostic."

"That is a different kind of magic Mr. Potter."

Harry looked at Severus skeptically, but eventually nodded his head. "Okay."

Satisfied that there would be no more immediate questions, Severus picked up the tweezers and began to gently remove the glass from Harry's face, head, hands, and arms. Luckily the boy's clothing protected him from getting glass in the rest of his body. Severus worked as quickly and gently as he could. He wanted to remove all the glass as soon as possible so he could begin cleaning all the cuts. He had an extremely urgent need to touch the boy after finding him in the condition he was in back in the storeroom. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew his heart stopped the second he spotted Harry sprawled on the storeroom floor. It was a new and confusing feeling for him.

After what seemed like an eternity to Severus, but was only a few minutes, he was finally able to start cleaning the cuts to remove all the blood and potion ingredients. When he was done, he began rubbing in the healing cream.

Throughout the entire time, Harry alternated between looking at Severus' face and at the cuts the man was cleaning and healing on his arms and hands. He couldn't believe the man was being as gentle as he was with him. It was almost like the man cared about him.

No one ever seemed to take the care the professor was doing just now. Not even Madam Pomfrey. And the look on the man's face? He couldn't even describe it. He had never seen anyone look at him with that type of emotion before.

When Severus was almost finished, Harry finally spoke. "Thank you sir."

"You're welcome Harry." Severus finished rubbing the last bit of cream above Harry's left eye then lowered his hand to cup his cheek. "I trust you are not in any pain?"

"No, sir."

Severus finally removed his hand from Harry's cheek. The extended touch not going unnoticed by Harry.

"Good." Severus replaced the cap on the tube of cream and placed it on the table. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Just lie here and rest."

"Yes sir."

After watching Harry lay his head on the pillow and close his eyes, Severus stood up to firecall the medi-witch.

Once the professor left, Harry opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was in so much pain earlier he didn't even look to see where he was being taken. As he looked around the room, he spotted an old walnut dresser, two mismatched night tables, the arm chair the professor was sitting in, and a small table. As he spotted potion's books stacked on the far night table, he realized where he was. He was in the professor's bedroom and more importantly, was lying in the man's bed. He thought he would have been dumped on the floor or a table. He couldn't believe the potions master would let him into his room. Why did the man bring him to his bedroom? He wouldn't even allow Harry to see his room at Spinner's End, let alone go inside.

Poppy was going through some of her older research work and comparing it to Harry's diagnostic results. The change in Harry's appearance along with some of his results had looked very familiar and she wanted proof of what she thought was the cause.

At the sound of Severus's voice emanating from her fireplace, she looked up from the file she was studying. "I trust you are done Severus?"

"I am done."

"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Severus nodded and removed himself from the fireplace. He went over to his living area and began pacing the length of the room.

Madam Pomfrey entered his quarters five minutes later. "Severus, did you find anything?"

Severus stopped his pacing and faced the medi-witch. "There has been no contamination."

"That is good news." She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. "Why don't you take a seat? I've got a few things to discuss with you." Severus disregarded the offer, as weird as it was coming from a visitor in his own residence, and stood in front of the sofa. "Severus, I'm concerned about Mr. Potter."

"You should be," Severus interrupted.

Poppy huffed before explaining. "Not about his current injuries, though I am worried about them. I found some older injuries during my diagnostic; broken bones that didn't heal correctly along with signs of being malnourished in the past. With these findings, as well as my observations of the boy these past five and a half years, I'd say he's been abused. I hate to say it Severus, but it looks like he's been abused for quite a few years."

With those words, Severus sank down into the sofa behind him. His mind immediately went to a comment Harry made during the holidays when he told Harry about his childhood bedroom. Our childhoods were not so different. At the time Severus didn't really want to believe it, even with some of the boy's memories flashing through his mind. But now…now he had solid proof.

"Thank you for the information Poppy," he stated very quietly.

"I will meet with the Headmaster later tonight before I leave for St. Mungo's. He needs to know what has been going on with Mr. Potter."

"No!" Severus shouted. He wanted to be the one to talk to the headmaster. He had many things he needed to speak to him about, but needed to do it on his own time.

"Excuse me Severus?" Poppy questioned angrily. "I know you've got it in for the boy, but please be reasonable."

Severus turned his attention away from the medi-witch and looked at the flickering flames in his fireplace. Ten months ago, he would have agreed with Poppy. But now…now everything was different.

While replaying Poppy's words of abuse over in his head, he couldn't help the feeling of anger he had towards the Headmaster and the boy's relatives. Someone was going to have to pay. At least now Harry had someone to look out for his best interests, someone to rely on and depend on. As he sat there thinking about Harry, his gaze turned to his bedroom and his features unknowingly softened.

Noticing that Severus was looking towards his bedroom, seeing the expression now on his face and the feelings that seemed to be pouring out of him, Poppy could tell the man might actually care for the boy. Possibly more than a teacher would for a student. "Severus?"

At the sound of his name, Severus returned his attention to Poppy. "I'm sorry for my outburst, Poppy. Please do not relate any of this to the Headmaster. I will speak with him. It is my responsibility."

Poppy was slightly confused as to why it was Severus' responsibility, but one less thing she had to worry about tonight was better for her. "Very well." Poppy stood up. "Why don't we go talk with the patient? I would like to let him know the results of his diagnostic tests."

"Of course." Severus' shock over Harry being abused was slowly receding as he stood up. Unfortunately his reasoning was slowly coming back. And because of that, he then began to get angry at the medi-witch. "I've got a question to ask first," he stated very tensely. "Is this the first time you noticed the abuse?"

"Unfortunately it is, Severus. When Mr. Potter visited me in the past, I only tended to the bumps, bruises and scrapes he had. The only time he had a complete diagnostic was the beginning of his first year. I never had reason to run another complete diagnostic since then."

"Very well, I suppose." Severus wasn't satisfied with that answer, but let it go as another thought crossed his mind. "Poppy, I know you have a meeting to attend to and other patients as well, so I would like to relieve you of one patient. I will watch Potter down here tonight."

Madam Pomfrey looked at Severus in surprise. She hadn't expected the potions master to offer to watch Harry. As hard as she tried in the past to have him watch any of her patients, he always denied her request. "Thank you for the offer Severus. I will take you up on it if you're sure. But if I hear anything from Mr. Potter about you belittling him or harassing him in any way, I will go straight to the headmaster."

Severus wasn't all that surprised at her statement. With his past with Harry, it was fully understandable. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Am I correct in assuming you know what to watch for Severus?"

"I do. I have one request though. I would like a copy of Mr. Potter's medical results since he started Hogwarts."

"Of course, Severus. I'll get a copy prepared and have it sent here before I leave. I'll also make sure you have anything that might be needed for Mr. Potter's recovery. I feel it best that he have bed rest for the next two days. Before I take my leave, I will inform the headmaster. I should be back tomorrow evening if you'd like to bring Mr. Potter back here."

"That won't be necessary. I will continue to watch him."

Poppy nodded then headed toward Severus' bedroom. "Now how about our patient?" She began speaking the minute she entered the bedroom. "Now that you're all patched up Harry, I've got a few more things I need to discuss with you."

Harry nodded and pushed himself up so he was sitting against the headboard.

"After running my diagnostic I found something troubling that I had to compare with my last scan of you taken your first year here. First of all, there is evidence of broken bones which haven't healed properly. That would not have happened if you had broken anything while at Hogwarts or if they had gotten the proper attention. There is also evidence of malnourishment. Now these findings will have to be discussed with the headmaster. I'm sure he would want to speak with you also."

At hearing those words, Harry became pale again. He didn't want to discuss anything that happened over the summers with the Dursleys.

Upon seeing Harry's reaction, Madam Pomfrey gave a significant look to Severus. It was obvious Harry would need some reasoning as to why it had to be discussed with the headmaster. But now that fell on Severus, not her. She then returned her attention to Harry. "I also found some small scars on your lungs. Have you had the symptoms of a cold at all these past eight months?"

Harry nodded his head. "Yes. I had a cold in August with a cough that wouldn't go away."

"I see. I'm afraid that wasn't a cold you experienced back then."

"What?" Harry asked, beginning to feel slightly scared. He glanced quickly at the potions master, and was again wondering why he was still in the man's quarters.

Severus looked from Madam Pomfrey to Harry. He immediately knew what the medi-witch was about to reveal. And now it made sense why Harry wasn't getting better back before term started.

"Besides the scars, your entire physique has changed. Permanently. Am I correct in assuming you've also had pain throughout your body for the past few months?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. It hurts even when someone touches me. That was actually why I fell earlier. My leg gave out with a burst of pain. It happened a few weeks ago too. But I don't think I understand," Harry replied, looking more terrified by the second.

"Mr. Potter, this is actually more common than you would know. I don't know the reasoning why, but your parents placed a charm on you when you were just a baby to alter your appearance. The charm obviously wasn't a permanent one and your body has been taking on its real form for many months. Most of these types of charms take months to reverse and during that time, the child would experience cold-like symptoms and have pain throughout their body."

"But I…" Harry stopped talking the second the words hit him. With his mouth hanging open, he quickly looked at Severus. He then put two and two together.

"NO!" Harry got out of the bed and left the professor's bedroom, ignoring the pain and dizziness he was feeling.

The second Harry was out the door, Severus turned to Poppy. "Please send everything down here as soon as possible. Please keep everything to yourself. I will handle it all." He then immediately left the room in search of Harry. Poppy took that as her cue to leave, and though she had many questions, returned to the hospital wing.

Severus knew Harry hadn't left his quarters and because of his condition, didn't go far. He would probably be in too much pain. Even so, he had to find him. He knew Harry shouldn't be left alone, because of the concussion, but most importantly, because of what the boy just realized. With the way Harry had been acting since he read the letter two months ago, Severus knew he was still in denial.

Harry didn't know what to feel as he ran out of the bedroom. All he knew was that he needed to get away…far away. He needed to get outside to get some air. However, he didn't know the layout of Severus' quarters and turned left instead of right, and ended up in the small kitchen. As he was about to leave the kitchen, the pain and dizziness became too much for him. He slowly sunk down to the floor with his back against the wall. He pulled up the knee of his good leg, wrapped his arms around his leg and rested his forehead atop his knee, waiting for the dizziness and pain to pass.

He sat there in shock. He couldn't believe it. The medi-witch's statement meant that the letter was true. THE LETTER WAS TRUE! He didn't want it to be true. Did he? No, he definitely didn't. It wasn't right. The thought that Professor Snape was his…his…he couldn't even say the word. No!

As Severus walked quickly through his quarters searching for Harry, he wasn't sure what state he would find him in. But he knew it didn't matter. He needed to find the boy as soon as possible. When he came upon his kitchen, he spotted Harry sitting on the floor. He walked over and sat down next to him. "Harry. Are you okay?" he asked a few seconds later.

"No," Harry whispered not lifting his head. "Can I please be alone?" he asked gloomily into his knee. He really didn't want any company right now.

"I'm sorry Harry, but no. You are hurt and have a concussion. Even without the concussion or your injuries, I wouldn't leave you alone. I know what you just realized." Severus sat silently for another minute before speaking again. "I'm not sure I know what you're feeling at the moment, but everything will be okay. It will take time…believe me it will take time…but everything will be fine in the end."

Harry remained quiet. He didn't know what to think or say. His thoughts were currently one big mess.

Severus squeezed Harry's shoulder then stood up. "Come on now, you need to get off this cold floor and lie down. I've offered and Madam Pomfrey has agreed…you'll be staying down here for the next two days instead of the hospital wing."

At those words, Harry quickly looked up to the professor. Was the man serious? He actually didn't know which was worse, spending the night in the hospital wing or in the professor's quarters. He didn't want either one. "Please, can I just go back to my dorm room?"

Severus looked at Harry through narrowed eyes. "You need to be under observation tonight. Madam Pomfrey and I already explained this to you."

"Please sir. Can't Ron look after me? I'm sure he won't mind. I don't want to stay in the hospital wing or here."

"You need to be watched by someone who knows what to look for. Weasley couldn't even spot someone coughing."

Harry would normally have argued with the man about putting down his friend, but he wasn't in the mood. "How about Hermione then? If you tell her what to look for, she could watch me."

Getting slightly fed up, Severus grabbed Harry's arm to stand him up. "It's either the hospital wing or here, Potter."

If those were his only choices, the professor's quarters might be better. Anything had to be better than the hospital wing. The smell alone made him queasy. "Here then," he said dejectedly. He really just wanted to go up to his dorm room. Spending more time with the professor was not something he was looking forward to.

Severus dropped Harry's arm and led the way back to his bedroom. Harry followed with his head down. When they entered the bedroom, Severus motioned for Harry to get into bed. "I want you to lie down and rest for a while Mr. Potter." After Harry reluctantly lay down in the bed, Severus pulled the sheet and blanket out from under his legs and placed them on top of him. "I need to inform Professor McGonagall of your whereabouts for the next few days. I will be back shortly."

Harry didn't say a word. He just turned his head away from the professor.

Severus returned to his quarters forty-five minutes later and went immediately to his bedroom. Finding Harry asleep, he went back out into the hall and closed the bedroom door behind him. On his way to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea, Severus realized he really needed Harry to have his own bed. The boy could not recuperate in a transfigured bed. And Severus was not about to let Harry have his bed while he slept on a transfigured bed, or worse, the sofa.

For once Severus was glad that the headmaster had all the professor's private quarters furnished with a guest room. Unfortunately, when Severus moved in to Hogwarts, he sealed his up. He had urged the headmaster to remove the room, stating he didn't want to have unnecessary rooms or to have access to his quarters from two different locations. When the headmaster had the rooms added, he also added an entrance to them, stating guests may want to have their own entrance. The entrances and corridors leading to them were only known to the professors.

Pulling out his wand, Severus returned to the small hall and past his bedroom. He stopped in front of the blank wall eight feet away from his bedroom door and raised his wand. A minute and two incantations later, a door appeared in front of him. He opened the door and entered. Even though the room had been sealed up for many years, it was still pretty dusty and dirty. He raised his wand again to fix the room. When he was done, he stood in the doorway and admired his handy work. The room looked almost exactly like the room he gave Harry at Spinners End. He was about to leave when he took one last look and frowned. Something was missing. He gave his wand another wave. Finally satisfied, he closed the door.

Still wanting a cup of tea, Severus returned his wand to his robes and went to the kitchen. As he entered, he looked at the clock on the wall. It had been two hours since he left Harry. It was now time to check on him.

When he entered his bedroom, he luckily found Harry lying on the bed awake but with a look of extreme pain on his face. Glad the medi-witch left the required potions and Harry's medical file on the small table in his bedroom, he went over and grabbed a vial of pain relieving potion and returned to Harry's bedside. "Here," he said as he handed Harry the vial. "It's the pain relieving potion."

Harry sat up and gladly accepted the vial. He downed its contents immediately, and then sat there fidgeting with the empty vial.

"It's now time for me to check on you." Severus took the empty vial from Harry's fingers and returned it to the table. "I will be repeating this every two hours. As Madam Pomfrey and I stated earlier, you need to be watched for twenty four hours because of your concussion."

"Yes sir," Harry replied hesitantly, not knowing what was going to be happening.

"What is your name?" Severus began.

Dumbfounded, Harry sat there staring at the potions master. Was the man serious? Maybe he was the one that needed checking every two hours. "I'm sorry professor, I don't understand," he replied. The man knew his name.

At Harry's response and the expression on his face, Severus began to get a bit worried and began to panic. Did Harry acquire a head injury when he hit his head? He repeated the question. "What is your name?"

Harry continued to stare at the professor like he was crazy. It was then that he saw the worry and slight panic beginning to form in the man's normally cold eyes. The professor was serious. "Harry James Potter," he finally answered. Immediately he saw the worry and panic disappear slightly from the man's eyes.

With slight relief, Severus asked his next question. "And how old are you?"

Realizing these questions were part of the professor's checking on him, Harry decided to just answer the questions as they were asked. "Sixteen."

"Now what is today's date?"

"Um…it's February 5, 1997."

Severus let out a deep breath. So far, Harry was doing fine, but there were still twenty-two more hours to go. "Very good, Mr. Potter. Now go ahead and lie down with your hands at your sides. There are a few more things I need you to do." Severus removed the sheet and blanket that were covering Harry's lower body.

Harry did as he was told and looked up at Severus expectantly.

"I'd like you to move your right hand so you're reaching for the ceiling."

As Harry raised his right arm, he hissed as his bruised and broken ribs were jostled. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it still did hurt, even after downing the pain relieving potion just a few minutes ago.

Severus noticed Harry's reaction as he raised his arm. "I'm sorry about causing you pain, but this needs to be done. I'll remember to wait a half hour or so for the pain reliever to take effect before I ask you to do this in the future. Go ahead and lower your arm. Now raise your left the same way." Severus watched Harry's movement with a critical eye. The right arm seemed to rise slower, but it was probably caused by his bruised and broken ribs. It would be something he'd keep an eye out for in the future.

"Now I'd like you to lift your right leg a few inches off the bed."

Harry again hissed in slight pain. This was the leg that had been broken.

Looking at Harry in slight sympathy, Severus gave his final instruction. "Good. Lower your leg and repeat the same thing with your left leg." He watched Harry raise and lower his left leg. "Good. We're done for now."

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Harry began to let his body relax, hoping that the stillness would ease his pain.

Severus walked over to the table and picked up Harry's medical file. "I'll let the pain reliever work for a bit and then I'll come get you. I've got a place set up for you to stay these next few days." Severus was almost out of the door before he turned around. "I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Would you like one?"

"Yes please," Harry replied, still surprised his professor would go through so much trouble for him.

"Very well. Rest." Severus closed the bedroom door, leaving it slightly ajar, and headed to the kitchen. After making two cups of tea, he delivered one to Harry and returned to his living area with his tea and Harry's medical records in hand. He sat in front of the fireplace and opened the file, sipping his tea as he read the contents.

Becoming enraged at what he was reading, Severus roughly placed the file on the side table and stood up. "What the bloody hell did those Dursleys do to the boy these past fifteen years?" Wanting an answer, but knowing he'd have to wait, he went to his bedroom to see if Harry was ready to move to his own room.

He entered the bedroom as Harry finished the last sip of tea. "Do you think you're able to walk a little bit Mr. Potter?"

Harry jumped slightly at the professor's voice. He hadn't realized the man entered the room. "I think so." He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Slowly he stood up, wincing slightly as he put all his weight on his legs. His right leg was still very sore. He wasn't sure he was up to walking, but knew he had to.

"Your room will be right next to mine," Severus began, as Harry slowly reached the end of the bed. "You will be confined to bed rest for the next day. Once it has been determined you have no serious injuries resulting from your concussion and you are not in any pain, you will be allowed out of bed. I will show you around tomorrow evening."

Turning around at the bedroom door, Severus was surprised to see that Harry was still far from the door and when he placed any weight on his right leg, he squeezed his eyes shut and hissed in pain. "You are not required to make it to your room without help Mr. Potter. All you need to do is ask." Severus walked back to Harry and put his arm around him to help him walk to his room and to bed. It was then that he noticed Harry was shaking slightly. The pain and strain were obviously too much for the boy. He didn't understand why Harry would not ask for help or say he was okay when he wasn't.

When they reached Harry's bed, Severus pulled the blankets back and settled him in. "If you need anything or need me to help you at all, just say my name. I've set a charm to the room that will alert me whenever you say my name."

"Thank you sir."

Severus walked to the bedroom door and stopped just before leaving. He turned around and gave Harry one last look. "It's almost time for bed, but I left some things for you on the night table in the event you get bored. Good night."

Harry looked to the night table to see what was left for him. He spotted a few books and magazines. And sitting on top was his puzzle book. He turned toward the professor with a very small smile. "Thank you and good night, professor," Harry mumbled in reply. He was still slightly shaking, though it was beginning to lessen.

Severus swept out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar.

A few minutes after the professor left, Harry slowly reached out and turned on the small lamp on the night table. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he looked around the room he was staying in. It looked almost like his room at Spinners End. This room was, of course, smaller, it didn't have the two window seats, fireplace and sitting area, and attached bathroom, but it looked just like his other room. Even the bedcoverings were the same. It was then that he noticed the tall slim package that was leaning against the foot of the bed.

With a few grimaces and hisses of pain, he had the package in his lap a short while later. Seeing an envelope on the outside, he opened that first. He pulled out the piece of parchment and began reading.

Harry,

I know this gift can never replace the one you lost, but I hope one day you will look upon it with the same affection.

You may also think you don't deserve this gift, but you do. You deserve the best there is. You always will.

Enjoy!

Severus Snape

Harry placed the note on the night table and cautiously unwrapped the paper and opened the box. His mouth fell open as he stared at the gift in the box. It was a Firebolt Deluxe, the newest model and currently the best racing broom available. He had read about them in Ron's January Quidditch magazine. They were very expensive racing brooms.

He carefully removed the Firebolt and ran his hand up and down the broom. He then placed it back in the box and set it on the floor out of the way. Spotting the letter on the night table, he picked it up and read through it again. Swallowing thickly, he returned the letter to the table, flicked off the light and lay back down.

With nothing else to occupy his time, Harry decided it would be best to go to sleep. But as he lay in the dark thinking over what happened since his detention earlier and what Madam Pomfrey told him just a few short hours ago, sleep wouldn't come.

He couldn't believe it. His parents had placed an appearance altering charm on him when he was a baby. No, that wasn't right according to the letter Professor Snape had him read. His mother placed the charm on him. Either way, the letter was true. That meant he actually had a living parent. But no, NO! It wasn't true. I couldn't be. He didn't want it to be true. He didn't need a parent. And Professor Snape as that parent.

When he was little, he remembered he used to lie in his cupboard and dream about having parents and what his life would be like. Whenever he was scared, sick or hurt, he always wanted a parent to make him feel better. He wanted to be cuddled and hugged for no reason at all. He wanted to be wanted. But as he grew up, those dreams died.

He didn't need a parent. He didn't need someone he could take his problems to, someone who would care for him, someone to love him, someone he could love. He lived without that for fifteen years. He didn't need it now.

Besides, the professor hated him. And he hated the professor. The man made his past five and a half years a living hell. Well, except for the various times he saved his life since starting Hogwarts…when he was given his bedroom at Spinners end…when he had his breakdown over Sirius…when he had his first real Christmas two months ago and was given a Christmas gift that actually belonged to the man…when the professor made sure he ate when he was skipping meals…when he didn't wake up from a vision alone…when the professor tenderly and gently tended to his injuries…when the professor made him a bedroom in his personal quarters that was just like the one at Spinners End…when the professor gave him the fastest broom currently being sold…

"NO!" he yelled. The man truly couldn't want to be anything more to him than his professor. And that was the only relationship he wanted with the man. He would never see the man as anything other than his professor. Plus, the way the man was treating him these past few months couldn't make up for the way he was treated for five and a half years. Those horrible years told the truth of how the professor felt about him.

However, as Harry turned onto his left side and rested his head on his left hand, he realized he was crying and wasn't able to stop.

After leaving Harry's room, Severus headed to his study. He had homework to grade before he went to sleep. As he finished the first years' homework, he realized there would be no way he could teach lessons tomorrow...not with having to check on Harry every two hours. He needed to speak with the headmaster. Glancing at the clock, he decided to write a quick note instead. He wouldn't make it back in fifteen minutes. To pass the time, he began grading the sixth years' homework.

Fifteen minutes later, Severus approached the door to Harry's room. Through the sliver of light shining into the room, he could see Harry lying on his left side facing the door. And he was crying. Not just a few tears, but full out crying. The only time he recalled seeing the boy like that was during the Christmas holiday. Knowing this, Severus was instantly on alert and rushed over to the bed, speaking on the way. "Harry? What is it? What hurts?" He was imagining the worst.

Startled and not wanting the professor to see him crying, Harry turned over as quickly as he could to face the other direction.

Severus turned on the lamp. "Harry?"

"Nothing's wrong," came Harry's strangled reply. He knew why the man was in the room and wanted him to leave immediately. "My name is Harry James Potter, I'm sixteen and I think it's still February 5, 1997. I'm fine. Please leave." With the thought of why he had to say those things and why he was saying them to the professor instead of the medi-witch, he then began crying a little harder.

Severus wasn't convinced the boy was fine. "Do you take me for a fool Mr. Potter?" he asked a little too harshly.

Harry flinched at the tone. This was the real professor finally showing himself after being absent a few months. And what was with the man calling him by his first name and then by his last name just a short while later?

Seeing Harry's reaction to his tone of voice, Severus mentally kicked himself. He sat down on the side of the bed. "The state you are in tells me you are not fine. Do you need a stronger pain reliever? You're not due for another dose for another four hours."

"I…" Harry stopped. He didn't want to tell the professor the truth, but he knew he couldn't lie. Not now. "I'm not in any pain. Can you leave now?"

"You know there is one more thing I need to have you do," he responded softly, waiting for Harry to turn onto his back. Without any movement from the boy, except for his hitching shoulders, he spoke again. "Turn over onto your back."

"I feel fine professor," Harry sniffled.

"I'll be the judge of that." Still seeing no movement from Harry, he leaned over and placed a hand on Harry's arm. "Harry," he began reassuringly, "just turn over and this will be over in a minute. Then I'll leave you alone."

Harry wiped a hand across his eyes and turned onto his back, keeping his head facing away from the professor. As he was given instruction on what to do, he tried his best to stop crying, but wasn't able to. He just wished he knew exactly why he was crying in the first place.

When he wasn't watching Harry raise and lower his arms and legs, Severus was intently studying Harry's face. He didn't look like he was in any type of pain so that didn't seem to be the cause of the boy's state. Knowing up until tonight Harry believed Lily's letter to false, he had a good idea that that was why the boy was crying. Though what his thoughts were, he had no idea. And if he were to admit it, he didn't think he wanted to know, lest he be disappointed.

When Harry finished the exercise, Severus stood up from the bed. "Very good. So far your concussion doesn't seem to be causing any complications." He watched sadly as Harry rolled back over to his side, and tried to curl up. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you when it's time for another check."

Without a word from Harry, Severus turned off the lamp and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Once the professor was out of the room, Harry rolled over on to his back. He wiped at his eyes again and just stared at the ceiling trying to calm down. He knew he was acting like a baby. Sixteen year olds were not supposed to cry.

Having finally calmed down fifteen minutes later, Harry realized he needed to use the restroom. Not wanting to bother the professor, and thinking he could find it on his own, he slowly got out of bed and made his way to the hallway. When he was almost to the door, his leg gave a spasm. Already in the condition he was, Harry lost his balance and fell down to the ground, landing on his broken right leg. He hit the door on his way down and it flung back into the wall. He sat there feeling completely helpless. While contemplating what to do now, a shadow loomed over him.

Severus was getting ready to retire for the night when he heard Harry's door bang into the wall. He detoured to Harry's room and saw him sitting on the floor. "Are you all right?"

Harry looked up into the potions master's concerned face. "I was trying to go to the restroom."

"Why didn't you ask for help?"

"I thought I could make it on my own."

Severus began admonishing him. "Without knowing where it was? With knowing you need to be careful because you are healing? Do you want to end up doing more damage to yourself? You need to learn to ask for help."

"I…" Harry turned away as he felt his eyes begin to burn with tears again.

"Come on." Severus reached down and gently pulled Harry to his feet. Once the boy was standing, he put his arm around him and started to help him walk to the restroom.

They only went a few steps before Harry turned slightly and grabbed tightly on to Severus' arm. Landing on his right leg caused the pain to return. "I can't…it hurts too much. Stop please."

Severus stopped walking and turned towards the teary-eyed boy. "It seems you've aggravated your injuries." Without a second thought, he lifted Harry into his arms and started walking towards the restroom. "When we get back to your room, I'll give you another dose of the bone mending potion. And when it's time for the pain reliever, I'll up the dosage."

Once in the man's arms, Harry felt absolutely mortified at having to be carried to the restroom.

A few seconds later, they arrived. Severus pushed the door all the way open with his foot and walked in. When he was by the sink, he set Harry down. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Harry did his business and while waiting for the professor to return to carry him back, he stood in front of the sink, using the counter as support, and stared at his reflection in the mirror, though not really seeing anything including the tears in his eyes. He was wondering if this was what it was like to have a parent care for you.

Severus knocked on the bathroom door a minute later, startling Harry. "Harry, are you ready to go back to your room?"

"Yes," Harry sniffed, and through the mirror watched the door open.

Still surprised to see the tears in Harry's eyes, he approached the boy and gently lifted him into his arms, thinking the tears were a sign that he was still in pain.

Once the professor had him in his arms, Harry immediately turned his body into his and hid his face in the man's chest. At that moment he realized the answer to his thought in the bathroom had to be yes. It was then the tears that had been threatening to fall began their decent.

Before even leaving the restroom, Severus felt wetness on his chest. He looked down and saw that Harry was crying again. "Everything will be all right Harry," he said quietly.

At those words, Harry wrapped his left arm around the man as best he could and gripped the back of his shirt.

When they entered Harry's room, Severus sat Harry on the bed. Once released, Harry immediately dropped his head into his hands and continued crying.

Severus sat down next to him and began to rub his back. "Where are you hurting Harry? You should not be in this much pain."

The second Harry felt the comforting touch his tears began to fall faster. He tried his best to answer through them. "I, I'm not hurting that much. I'll be okay until the next dose of pain reliever."

"You don't look like you're not in that much pain." He continued to rub Harry's back while he spoke. "If it's not the pain, what is wrong? I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Harry shook his head in his hands. "It's nothing." He then took a few deep breathes in attempt to stop crying.

"It is something if it's got you in this state." Severus took hold of one of Harry's hands and lowered it down to his knees.

Harry finally did the same with his other hand a few seconds later, but kept his head down. His tears had almost stopped. There was no way he could tell the professor what was wrong. He couldn't even figure it out himself.

"Please look at me," Severus almost all but pleaded. Getting no response, Severus gently lifted Harry's chin so the two were looking at each other. "What is wrong Harry?"

When Harry made eye contact, he still couldn't get over seeing the professor look at him with worry and concern. This made his tears return, and though he willed them not to fall, a few did.

Seeing the tears, Severus, without a thought running through his head, gently wiped them away with his thumb. This caused more tears to fall.

Harry finally shook his head in response. "I don't know what's wrong. I can't explain. It's something I need to work out on my own."

"Very well," Severus said, slightly disappointed. He placed a hand on Harry's arm. "If you need someone to talk to, I'll be here." He gave Harry's arm a pat then stood up. "You need to take another dose of the bone mending potion." He grabbed the vial of potion he placed on the night table just a few minutes before and handed it to Harry. Harry downed it and gave the vial back. "Now lie down, Harry. You'll never get any rest sitting up." Once Harry was lying in bed, he pulled the blankets up to cover him. "Sleep." After Harry closed his eyes, he left the bedroom for his own, knowing he'd be back in about an hour.

When the potions master left his bedroom, Harry laid there with his eyes closed, trying to figure out what was going on with him. He knew it had to do with the truth of the letter, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what he was feeling. He decided he wouldn't sleep until he figured it out.

Severus returned to Harry's room an hour later to check up on him. When he walked into the bedroom, he was slightly surprised to see that Harry was awake. Or, actually trying to stay awake if he really looked at the boy.

Harry answered the necessary questions without any problems, except for the date. It was now February 6. During the check on Harry's arms and legs, Severus watched Harry yawn quite a bit. The boy was obviously tired, but was trying to stay awake. "Harry, you need to sleep. You will heal faster if you get some sleep. I know you're thoughts are probably running rampant in your head right now, but please sleep. When the morning comes, you'll have a clearer head and will be able to make sense of everything."

Knowing the professor was right, Harry nodded, turned onto his left side and closed his eyes.

Two hours later, a very tired potions master entered Harry's bedroom. He was glad to see the boy was asleep and hated having to wake him. But unfortunately, it was necessary. He turned on the lamp and called the boy's name. Getting no response, he gently shook Harry's shoulder then called his name.

Harry's eyes slowly blinked open. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry to wake you but I need to check on you."

"M'kay," he responded groggily.

Severus went through the list of questions and even added a new one in. Satisfied with the answers, he moved on to check the movement in Harry's arms and legs. Harry was beginning to fall back asleep between movements. "Come on Harry, wake up. Only a few more seconds."

"I'm tired."

"I know you are. Now finish with your left leg and you can go back to sleep." Glad Harry's movement seemed to be normal, as normal as a tired boy's could be, he turned off the lamp. He then ran a hand through Harry's hair and returned to his own bed.

This scene was repeated two more times during the late night and early morning.