"Anderson." Snape growled in the hallway.
Anderson and Ravensdale were in a whispered argument in the hallway. Anderson heard Snape and, when he saw Snape approach, he walked the other way.

"You're not getting away from me, Anderson." Snape muttered as he gave chase.

They both turned into the hallway that held Anderson's office. Snape grabbed Anderson by the scruff of the neck and dragged him into the office. With a quick flick of a wand, the door was locked, the blinds were shut, and Anderson had no way out.

"What would you not tell us?"

"We told you all that we know. We're getting..."

"That's cadswell and you know it. You would have never came if that was all that you needed. Someone got cold feet in there."

"We just..."

"No excuses, Anderson. Tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

Snape knew that Anderson was hiding something. He also knew Anderson's weakness and he was about to pull that card. Snape stepped close to his former student.

"Anderson, if you don't tell me then I will be forced to do something that I will regret."

"And what would that be!?" Anderson shoved Snape away from him.

Snape took Anderson by the neck of the coat and pinned him on the desk.

"You have three seconds to tell me what I need to know. If not, I will. kill you. I will tell our master what you have been doing and I am wholeheartedly sure that he will kill your father."

"You wouldn't do that." Anderson squeaked out, having slight difficulty breathing because of Snape's arm resting on his throat.

"I don't make empty threats, do I?" Snape asked. "You have three seconds. One...Two..."

"Alright, Stop!" Anderson squeaked out. "We found significant damage to a specific lobe of Harry's brain. This lobe controls fine motor skills. That's why he can't pick anything up. It doesn't help that he significant nerve damage either." Anderson spoke quickly.

"What are you on about?" Snape asked, removing his arm from the other man's throat but keeping him pinned on the desk.

"Every time the boy tries to pick something up, his brain won't send the signal because it has been damaged. Even if it did, it wouldn't get there because of the nerve damage caused by the Cruciatus curse. I swear that is what we wanted to tell you. Please don't hurt my dad." Anderson finished weakly.

Snape kept him pinned to the desk for a few more moments before releasing him. Snape stalked away from anderson and began pacing in the office, trying to wrap his mind around this new information.

The boy who lived, the only one who could destroy the darkest wizard of all time, couldn't even pick up his wand.

"What do you suggest we do then?" The pacing man asked.

"We are currently finding a healer who can work with him to get back those fine motor skills. They'll do something that muggles call occupational therapy. We are also giving him potions for the nerve damage. That's all we can do right now."

"When do you plan on releasing him?"

"We want to heal the nerve damage, then keep him here for a few more days."

The two men stared at each other for a long time, in silence.

"If you don't believe how badly he is still injured, you need to go see for yourself." Anderson spoke as he reached for his wand.

Snape stormed out of the room before Anderson had a chance to get a comfortable hold on his wand. He did believe the healer, but he still needed to see it for himself.

"Potter, sit still." He ordered when he entered the boy's room.

Snape wave a hand over Harry's arms, muttering a spell.

"What are you doing?" Harry questioned, moving his arms.

"Potter, you need to sit still. I'm casting a diagnostic scan and if you don't sit still, I will be forced to immobilize you. Since you have been in a coma for more than a week, I'm sure you don't want to be imprisoned like that again."

Harry stopped moving, allowing Snape to scan both his arms and head. When Snape finished, he violently swore under his breath.

"What is it sure?" Harry questioned, fearfully. He didn't want to know what caused the man to swearlike that, but he needed to know.

Snape turned to Dumbledore.

"I should have seen this before. I don't know how I missed it. I could have done more had I seen it."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Severus. Please, start from the beginning."

"How high did Harry fall from his broom?"

"No more than twenty meters from the student grandstands."

"How did I not see this earlier?!" Snape shouted, knocking over a tray of silver medical equipment.

"What did you not see?" Dumbledore questioned.

"The cause...The reason, whatever you want to call it. We should have known a long time ago how badly he was hurt."

"You're not making any sense Severus."

"The brain damage...The nerve damage...It's why he can't pick anything up. The nerve damage can be easily repaired but the brain damage...the boy should be dead or severely crippled. He's not though and this damage may never go away."

"What are you talking about, sir?" Harry asked.

"The reason..." Snape began, turning to Harry. "You can't pick anything up is because of some brain damage that you acquired when in your attempt to save my life."

"What are the healers doing about it?" Dumbledore questioned.

"There are looking for a healer who can work with Harry to get back some of his fine motor skills. I believe I have a contraption that may be of some use, if you grant me leave to my private quarters."

"Yes, go. Take as long as you need. I will stay with Harry in the meantime."

"I will be back within half an hour."

Snape concluded the conversation by walking out of the room.

"Everything will be taken care of Harry." Dumbledore assured, breaking the silence.

Harry stared back at Dumbledore, wondering how the man knew that Harry was worried.

"Do my friends know what happened? Do they know that I am okay?"

"They do not know, but I will inform them when I return to the school."

"Snape seemed apologetic." Harry pointed out.

"Professor Snape did indeed seem apologetic. Why do you think that was?"

"He was apologizing to you, Professor, not me. He was apologizing to you because your mad at him for hurting me."

"I am not mad at him, Harry. I asked him to do the life threatening job that he is currently doing. You should know that, had Professor Snape not intervened, you would have been hurt worse or dead. He has apologized not to me, but to you. He regrets not spotting the damage sooner because he feels, had he seen it earlier, he could have done more to help you."

"Why are you so insistent that he feels sorry towards me? He has hated me since the first day that I walked into Hogwarts. He hates me because he hates my father."

"Professor Snape is a good, trustworthy..."

"He's a Slytherin!" Harry exclaimed.

"He may be a Slytherin; however, the world is not just good and bad. If I recall, Sirius told you that once. It's best that you remember that. Professor Snape is a good and trustworthy man who will always do what is necessary. I have seen no evidence to refute that claim, and more to support it. I know that Professor Snape has saved your life more time than you know." Dumbledore replied before leaving the room.

Harry stared after him in shock. What has gotten into Dumbledore? He's never spoken to Harry like that. Something can't be right with Dumbledore. He returned some time later with Snape by his side.

"Harry, this is where I must leave you. Professor Snape shall be staying with you and I shall be placing him in charge of you."

"NO!" Both men shouted simultaneously.

"Headmaster, I hate this man." Harry spoke as Snape argued.

"Albus, this is a very very bad idea."

"Enough, both of you!" Dumbledore rose his voice. "Harry, you need to learn to trust Professor Snape again."

"I never trusted him in the first place!" Harry shouted over Dumbledore , who gave no hint that he heard the boy.

"And Severus, you know what Harry has been through and you know what kind of care he needs."

"There are much more advanced healers here who know what Potter needs." Snape rebuked.

"There shall be no argument to my choice. My word in this matter is final. I will be by tomorrow to check on the two of you." Dumbledore left the room without another word, his traveling cloak whipping at his ankles.

Snape spoke once he knew that Dumbledore was out of earshot.

"What the bloody hell, Albus?!"

"I don't like this anymore than you do." Harry muttered. Snape sat down without saying anything.

"Has Headmaster Dumbledore been acting strange lately?" Harry questioned.

"Why do you ask?" Snape questioned curiously.

"I'm just wondering."

"Potter, you don't have to tell me. I can just as easily look into your mind if you don't" Snape threatened.

"Dumbledore was acting strange after you left. He shouted and lectured at me."

"Oh, Dumbledore has never lectured his precious little Potter. How sad." Snape mocked.

"No, he's lectured me plenty of times before. Just not like this."

"He has, in my opinion, been acting out of character lately. We can't do anything about it at this time. Before you sleep, Healer Anderson wanted you to take these potions." Snape informed harry as he produced two vials of clear liquid. "One will help the nerve damage and the other is a muscle relaxant." Snape continued as he saw the look on Harry's face.

Snape handed the nerve agent to Harry, who drank it down in one gulp, before handing the muscle relaxant to the injured child. Both potions tasted repugnant, but Harry showed no signs that it bothered him. If he had, Snape would make some snide comment. Harry began to get exceedingly drowsy.

"Good night, Harry." Snape whispered to him as the boy's eyes began to close.

The muscle relaxant was not a muscle relaxant at all. It was a dreamless sleep potion. Snape had to lie for Harry's own good because he knew that the boy would not take it under his own will.
At the moment that Harry was fast asleep, Snape let out a sigh of relief. Harry was alive and awake. It was the best outcome that they could hope for, given the circumstance which the boy had been brought to the hospital. Snape saw Harry's hand twitch and he watched it for a long time. It twitched uncontrollably, a sign of extreme nerve damage. Had Snape's curse been the one to cause this damage? Was it the one that finally pushed his body over the edge?

Snape sat back in his chair and watched as he had done so for the past fifteen days.