Severus woke up feeling rested. He opened his eyes, saw he was in the hospital wing and he remembered everything. He moved his head looking for Harry, but he only found an empty couch. His heart clenched painfully. 'Of course he is not here' he thought 'Why would he want to stay there with the man that made his life in school a hell? I wonder why he didn’t leave before!' He was so concentrated in his thoughts that he didn't hear the steps that were heading to his bed.

"Professor, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" Harry asked concerned.

"Harry? Why are you here?" Severus looked at him with glassy eyes.

"Well, you asked me not to leave you, but if you have changed your mind I'll go." Harry said disappointed.

"NO!" Harry jumped at the shout. "I mean, please don't go." Severus said softly. "I thought... I thought you had left me... That you didn't want to stay here." Severus voice broke and he tried to control the tears from falling. Hell, he was a spy! He had been in that hospital bed thousands of times, alone. What was happening now?

"Oh, no sir, I stayed here until Poppy told me that I had to talk with some Ministry officials. They wanted to know about the Dursleys. I thought you were going to be asleep when I came back." Harry explained.

"Oh, I see. Are you OK? Is your back healed? Has Madam Pomfrey given you potions? Have you slept?" Severus asked without breathing. Idiot! He was so immersed in his thoughts that he had forget about the boy’s wellbeing.

"Wow professor! Calm down, breathe! Yes, I'm fine. Poppy healed my back and yes, she gave me a pain reliever. You know, I usually stay with the back like that about 5 days until the wounds close, so I feel perfect now. I slept until 7pm, then I stayed here until 8pm I think. It was then when Poppy called me because I had to talk with the officials. It's quarter to nine now. Poppy has gone but she has said she'll come soon to check how you are." Harry answered all the questions while Severus was looking at his eyes, verifying that his student was saying the truth.

"Oh Severus, you are awake, great." Poppy entered before Severus could continue the conversation with Harry. "Harry dear, you said Hedwig was here, could you send her to deliver this letter? It's urgent and she is the fastest owl." She asked looking at Harry.

"Oh, yes ma'am. I'm sure she'll be happy to do it." Harry said smiling. Then he turned to Severus, who was frowning. "Will you be fine? Poppy will stay with you and I'll come right after sending the letter."

Severus hesitated but finally nodded and Harry left the infirmary running.

"Why have you sent him with that letter?" Severus asked roughly while he sat in the bed.

"I wanted to talk with you and this will give us some minutes. I also supposed that the boy would want to see his familiar. So tell me Severus, when did you become so attached to the boy?" Poppy asked smiling.

"I'm not..." Severus started saying. 'I'm not attached to the boy' he wanted to say. But the medi-witch was already narrowing her eyes. Both of them knew that it wasn't true. "He will leave me; he hates me."

"Look Severus, Harry arrived cradling you in his arms this morning, and you were wrapped in a blanket, asleep with your head leaning in his chest. You didn't want to stay alone while I was doing the transformation. Harry calmed you when you were having a panic attack. He held your hand until you were asleep. He has fell asleep in this couch, beside your bed, holding your hand all the time. And he has verified three times that you were asleep before leaving to talk with the ministry officials.” Poppy said smiling.

"I'm a monster Poppy, you don't know what I've been doing these four years with the boy. He won't forgive me." Severus whispered looking at his hands.

"I think he has already forgiven you. But you'll do well apologising when he comes back. You’ll realise that the child is very different than you thought." Poppy said. "Now, drink this potion, we have some bones to heal.”

“That’s skele-grow? Yuck!” Severus said after drinking the potion.

“I know, it tastes horrible. It will be painful and your fever will be high. So be patient.” Poppy said.

Harry appeared in that moment. “Now maybe you will do some research to change the flavour. I won’t ever take that potion again if it tastes like that. Maybe it’s better if you lie down sir.” Harry said seeing that his professor was very pale, and he supposed that the potion had started working and the pain was making him dizzy.

“Again?” Severus said in a whisper while Harry helped him. He was feeling awful. Poppy was right, about the pain, and it was only the beginning. The potion would last 8 hours.

When Harry was going to answer a patronus came warning the medi-witch that they needed her help in an emergency.

“Harry dear, could you stay with Severus tonight? There is an emergency and I don’t know what to do.” Poppy asked.

“Yes ma’am, I will stay with him.” Harry answered. He was going to stay with him even if Poppy was there, so there wasn’t a lot of difference.

“Thank you so much. You know he can’t take potions until tomorrow morning, and he will have fever. Send me a patronus if his temperature is higher than 40.5ºC or if there is another problem.”

“I will do it ma’am. You can go.” Harry said giving her a little smile. Poppy took her briefcase and she went.

“You can produce a patronus?” Severus asked frowning.

“Yes, I learnt in my third year. Professor Lupin taught me when…” Harry stopped, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell Professor Snape that.

“Yes?” Severus said looking at him interested.

“Well, I hear my mum pleading for my life when the dementors are near me. That’s what happened in the Hogwarts Express. So I asked him if he could teach me.” Harry answered in a low voice.

Severus looked at him with wide eyes and he flushed. Perfect, another thing the boy had had to suffer. He didn’t know what to say.

“It’s a stag, and yours, professor?” Harry asked, seeing that the professor didn’t have any words for that.

“A doe.” Severus answered, and decided to change the topic of the conversation. “So, you have said that you wouldn’t take the skele-grow again. When did you take it?”

“In my second year, sir.” Harry admitted with a grimace. “When Lockhart vanished all the bones of my arm.”

“He was horrible.” Severus said with a little smile.

“Yeah, he was an idiot. Madam Pomfrey said you have to eat something, do you want to do it now or later, professor?” Harry asked.

“Ugh. Later, I’m not hungry.” Severus told the boy.

“I imagined that. Then you should try to sleep, sir, before the pain is worse and your temperature raises.” Harry said. His professor’s eyelids were falling while they were talking, although he was trying to stay awake.

“I’ve slept 5 hours, I’m not sleepy. And stop calling me sir, we are not in class. I prefer if you call me Severus.” He answered grumpily.

‘Sure’ Harry thought ‘But you’ll be asleep in less than five minutes I talk to you.’

“Oh, good. So I will tell you how was my night when I took the skele-grow. It was the night that Colin Creevy was petrified. Before the professor took him to the infirmary Dobby came to visit me.” Harry started the story.

“Dobby?” Snape asked more sleepily.

“Oh yes, the Malfoy’s house elf. He was trying to save my life. You know, he was the one who stole the gillyweed for my second task. He took it from your cupboard.” Harry continued, saying that to see if his teacher was listening.

“Good.” Severus said with his eyes already closed.

“Yes. So you weren’t sleepy. You are already breathing slowly with your eyes closed, so I know you are asleep. Like when you were a cat. The only reason why I’m talking to a sleeping man like an idiot is because I know that you will wake up if I stop.” Harry answered laughing a bit.

The boy covered the man’s chest with the sheets and called Dobby. He asked for some food and the little elf took a huge dinner for the boy with pride. After dinner Harry took a quick shower, not wanting to leave Severus alone for a long time. He was used to take a shower in five minutes, so it was easy for him. Then he went back to the couch and fell asleep listening the rhythmical breathing of his professor.

Harry woke up and he heard his teacher breathing in short panicked gasps. He was sweaty, with his t-shirt soaked, and he was tossing in the bed. Harry decided to take the man’s temperature before waking him, he knew that if he woke up he wouldn’t want to sleep again. He went to pick one from Poppy’s office and when he went back Severus was talking in his sleep.

“No Potter, don’t do that. Black, Potter, please!” Severus was saying panicking.

“Professor?” Harry asked confused. Was he dreaming about his dad and godfather? He moved closer and put his hand in the man’s arm and Severus flinched.

“NOO, NOO PLEASE!! PLEASE STOP!!!” Severus shouted.

Harry started shaking him and saying softly “Shh professor, everything is fine, you are having a nightmare, wake up.”

“DON’T BEAT ME DAD! I’LL BEHAVE, I PROMISE!” The man continued shouting hoarsely. Harry didn’t know what to do and in an impulse he hugged the man and started talking.

“Sev, it’s me, Harry. You are having a nightmare. Please, wake up.” The tensed man relaxed a bit.

“Harry?” He asked in a whisper.

“Yes Severus. It’s me. You were having a nightmare because of the fever. How are you feeling?” Harry said rubbing in circles the man’s back.

“Sore.” The teacher said.

Harry helped Severus to sit in the bed, putting some pillows behind his back. The older wizard stiffened when Harry lose his grip around Severus' body. Harry saw the fear in the man's eyes and talked in a soft voice.

"Don't worry Severus, I'm only going to pick another pyjamas shirt and I'll help you to put it on. You'll feel better."

He picked a glass and cast an aguamenti spell, giving the cold water to his teacher. Severus accepted the glass and started drinking gratefully. He had finished the water by the time Harry came back with the infirmary robes. Harry helped him to change his t-shirt and saw the old scars in the man’s torso and back. They were similar to the ones he had in his body and supposed that his teacher wouldn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t say a word. Then he put a wet flannel in Severus’ forehead and he climbed into the bed putting his head in Severus’ shoulder, who felt a warm glow in his chest. Harry always had hoped someone could comfort him after a nightmare, so he imagined the teacher would be grateful. He knew that maybe his friends would comfort him, but he couldn’t let them to see how weak he was.

“Harry, I’m sorry.” Severus said, and felt some tears in his face.

“Why?” The young wizard asked confused.

“The way that I treated you during these years was unacceptable.” The teacher said in a very low voice. “I was a monster; I don’t know why you are still here. I can understand if you can’t forgive me and I’ll arrange something if you don’t want to see me again. Maybe Dumbledore can teach you potions.” Severus felt his heart break with his words. Now that he was listening to his own words it seemed more real. He didn’t know what he would do if the child wanted that.

“What? Well, you weren’t perfect in the past, but you were a spy. In fact, if you hadn’t been in my life I would have been dead now. Like I told you two nights ago, you’ve saved my life a lot of times. So yes, I forgive you.” Harry answered and put his hand on his professor’s hand, who took it and squeeze it.

“Thank you child, you don’t know how much it means for me.” Severus said thrilled.

Harry smiled, and stayed in that position some minutes. He knew his professor was crying and that he was going to be embarrassed if Harry looked at him in that moment. He squeezed his professor’s hot hand to let him know that he wasn’t going to leave.

“I’m not going to sleep again.” The man said at the end.

“I know; I didn’t sleep after my first nightmare in my second year. I have to take your temperature.” Harry said picking the thermometer that he had left in the couch and he frowned when he saw that Severus had tensed.

“Sorry, I felt asleep while you were telling me what happened.” Severus muttered.

“Yeah, you did. But don’t apologize. I knew you were going to sleep while I was talking. It always happened when you were a cat.” Harry said laughing.

“I see” Severus answered, not knowing what to say. Why did Harry know him so well after only 3 days with him? And Harry had talked to him to make him sleep. The boy surprised him all the time. “Could you tell me the story now? I won’t sleep this time” He said.

“Yes, of course. Let me look the thermometer first.” Harry said taking it. “39.8ºC; not too bad.” Harry left the thermometer in the couch and he change the flannel from Severus’ face (that was already hot) putting a new one.

Severus closed his eyes relieved when the cold flannel touched his forehead. “What temperature did you have?” He asked curious.

“Between 40.1ºC and 40.5ºC most of the time. It even raised to 40.8ºC during an hour and Madam Pomfrey was very concerned, but finally it went down a bit.” Harry told his professor leaning his head on Severus’ shoulder again.

“I don’t know why she was concerned.” Severus said sarcastically resting his cheek in Harry’s head.

“I fell asleep after that and I had an awful nightmare. I stayed the rest of the night awake after that.” Harry said.

“What was your nightmare about?” Severus asked.

“My uncle was beating me for doing accidental magic. He said I couldn’t come to Hogwarts if he locked me in my room.” Harry told him honestly. He couldn’t lie to Severus; he always knew when he wasn’t saying the truth. And more important, he didn’t want to lie.

“Did that happened in your life?” Severus asked frowning. He would have to do something with that whale.

“Yes, but not in the same time. In the dream my uncle beat me for doing accidental magic to Dudley the summer before my first year. He locked me in my room before my second year. Ron, Fred and George rescued me in the Ford Anglia. He also put bars in my window.” Harry answered. He felt fine talking about this with Snape, he trusted him.

“You won’t go back there, Harry. Never. I promise, I won’t let you. You don’t deserve that.” Severus told him and Harry relaxed. He had already been told that, but it was reassuring to hear it from Severus.

“Was your nightmare about my dad and Sirius, sir?” Harry asked.

“Call me Severus, and yes.” Severus answered reluctantly. The boy had told him everything he wanted to know, but he couldn’t tell Harry about this. The boy would think that he was weak. He would agree with them. “It was also about my father.” Severus finally said.

“I’m sorry Severus.” Harry said and squeezed Severus hand a bit.

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” Severus told him.

“No, but they are my father and my godfather. And I suppose they didn’t apologize.” Harry answered with a sad voice. “Anyway, when I woke up from my nightmare Dobby came and I discovered he had enchanted the bludger. Dobby was the Malfoy’s house elf. He kept trying to protect me. I almost got expelled because of him, and then I almost died.” Harry continued smiling, now the story seemed funny.

“You mean when you came to Hogwarts with Weasley flying in a car, I guess.” Severus said.

“Yes, and we finished in the whomping willow.” Harry said.

“I’m sorry for trying to expel you.” Severus whispered.

“Don’t be. I would have done the same if I were you.” Harry said chuckling.

“What happened with Dobby?” Severus asked curious.

“I put a sock in Tom’s diary. I gave it to Lucius Malfoy when he came to the school. He handed the diary to Dobby. He’s a free elf now. Lucius was pretty mad though. He tried to kill me.” Harry finished.

“You are an impossible boy. I don’t know how do you manage to be still alive.” Severus said.

“I have you.” Harry answered looking at him with a smile.

They continued talking until 5.30 am. Severus temperature went down as they were talking. Harry realized that the 8 hours had finished and Severus could have a pain reliever. He helped Severus to walk to the bathroom and he called Dobby.

“What can Dobby do this time for Harry Potter sir this time?” Dobby asked when he appeared in front of Harry.

“Hi Dobby. Can you bring us two mugs of hot chocolate and some biscuits?” Harry said.

“Yes Master Harry, I’ll do it right now.” Dobby said disappearing.

Harry took the potion for Severus and put it in the side table. When he and Severus were back from the bathroom, the hot chocolate appeared with the biscuits.

“You can take a pain reliever now Severus, but you have to take the chocolate first. And some biscuits. I don’t know when was the last time you ate. Then we can sleep a bit.” Harry said handing the chocolate to Severus.

Severus flushed. The last time he ate was the day before Minerva found them, but he had ended throwing up the little chicken he had eaten.

After taking the potion he lied down and looked at Harry, he wanted the boy to stay in his bed, but he was embarrassed of asking him. However, Harry saw the look in Severus’ face, it was like the one he had when he tried to put the black cat in the box that first night. He was surprised about the fact that he was able to understand Severus’ eyes in only three days. Harry lied with his head in Severus shoulder, who put his arm around Harry. The boy started talking in the soft voice that he used when he wanted Severus to sleep. Two minutes later the exhausted teacher was asleep.

“Sleep well Sev.” Harry said, and he closed his eyes.