Steal My Breath (Take My Lung) by Air_Is_Here
Summary: Harry has definitely had the worst summer known to man, but it isn't over. A strange change of heart and an extra meal from the people who kept him captive is definitely not a good sign.
Categories: Healer Snape, Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Bellatrix
Snape Flavour: Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind
Genres: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Hospitalization, Injured!Harry, Kidnapped, Kidnapped!Harry
Takes Place: 5th summer
Warnings: Torture
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 6673 Read: 1477 Published: 20 Oct 2022 Updated: 20 Oct 2022
Story Notes:
Well, I wrote this for a bad things happen bingo. It took wayyyy longer than I would have thought to write it because I kept changing my mind about what organ I should have removed.

1. The literal only chapter by Air_Is_Here

The literal only chapter by Air_Is_Here
Author's Notes:
This was beta read slightly by me and a friend at late hours, so if something is messed up very badly then please let me know.
Harry shifted uncomfortably, attempting to rub his shackled wrists to soothe the painful soreness he felt from having to sleep with them on. They were too tight with unrounded edges, making indents and cuts along Harry’s wrist.

How long had he been here? Had it been weeks? He no longer knew when it was morning or night, his personal prison only had a battery-operated lantern in the far corner. All the windows had been bolted shut after his second escape attempt, which had failed miserably. Apparently, the entire area where Harry was had been surrounded by thick woods, which were surrounded by a thick fence, separating him and the death eaters from the road and all other areas with regular people.

He groaned, licking his dry lips as he waited for someone to give him something to eat and drink, even if it be river water and a half-cooked rabbit. If it made him sick to the point of throwing up, it will have been worth it for the time he managed to keep it down and satisfy his hunger.

The teen was no better than a wild animal at this point, locked up and starved until he had lost all strength and will to fight back. Harry had succumbed to this lifestyle, knowing it would only benefit him to accept it since there would be no guarantee he would make it out alive. That didn't mean he was happy to accept living like this, it only meant he had accepted the fact that he couldn't fight, and if he tried it would cause him serious damage.

The wooden door creaked open causing Harry's head to shoot up. Bellatrix was standing at the doorframe, holding a covered platter of what was likely meat.

"Glad to see you're alive Harry!" she laughed with mock cheerfulness, earning a nudge from whoever was behind her before they walked away. Bellatrix walked towards the shackled boy, uncovering the plate of meat, this time with some vegetables to the side of it. She kneeled down and put it on the floor next to her.

Harry looked up at her in curiosity, "Why?" he croaked out. Bellatrix just laughed and twirled her tangled hair with her fingers.

"Why do you always think things against my wishes? Did I say you could ask why?" she snarled, grabbing Harry by the shoulders.

"No, I'm sorry. Please let me keep the food. Please, I'll let you do anything, just don't take it away from me again," the boy begged hoarsely, his eyes begging her.

"Oh Potty, you don't need to worry about that! It's against my orders to starve the chosen one to death! In fact, I think we ought to plumpen you up!" she mocked his pleading look before sliding the plate closer to him, causing an ugly screeching sound from the cement floor.

Harry didn't have time to cringe at the noise, he quickly dug his dirty fingers into the meat and tore it into smaller pieces, shoving it into his mouth. After he finished shoveling the somewhat raw meat into his mouth, he gasped, finally taking in air to breathe. Bellatrix was strangely silent, not tormenting him or attempting to describe what she'd do to him if it were up to her. Instead, she just sat there, quietly staring at the space above his head. Harry didn't mind the silence, though he did find it quite suspicious. He began to shovel vegetables into his mouth.

He ended up choking halfway through the steamed veggie pile. Bellatrix just stared at him before handing him a mug with water. Harry gave her a confused look before accepting it, slowly drinking a bit of it before clearing his throat. He continued eating the veggies, this time slower.

After finishing the meal, Bellatrix just sat there next to him. Harry eyed her suspiciously, to which she simply stared back with more intensity. Suddenly, she broke the silence.

"Well, someone will be back with more food during lunchtime. Then you will have dinner, but after that, I don't know how things will be," she frowned, crossing her arms. "What a shame, what a shame!" she tutted, pouting. "Now I can't leave you up to my mercy!"

Harry looked confused but decided to keep his mouth shut. "Bella, may I ask you a question?" he frowned, trying not to push his luck.

She smirked, "Of course!"

Harry hesitated, before finally spitting it out. "Well, I haven't had a shower in a while..." he waited to see if she would catch on and spare him the embarrassment of asking, however, she did no such thing. "Would you allow me to take a shower?" he asked. it had been a while since he was allowed to take one.

"Why, of course I would! But you are aware that I will be there with you just like during bathroom breaks, right? Aww, I hope it doesn't make it a dealbreaker!" she cackled, watching Harry shift in discomfort.

"Great," the teen muttered. It was bad enough the crazy woman would supervise his bathroom breaks and meal times, she would also be in the room as he showered!

Soon after Bella left, Harry shifted back to his place against the wall as he stared into space once more. There wasn't much he could do now that he was alone. Harry settled on counting the minutes manually.

When he got bored of that, he moved on to pretending to talk to the egg-shaped water stain on the ceiling.

"Do you want to hear a song?" the boy whispered to the ceiling, nodding his head (it made the egg look like it was shaking!). "Well, alright. It's not very appropriate, but I heard it on the radio when I was younger. Dudley got to listen to it.”

After working up his water-stain stage fright, he started to sing. "She's a very kinky girl... The kind you don't take home to mother…" he sang terribly off-key, gaining a little more confidence. "She will never let your spirits down...once you get her off the street. She likes the boys in the baaaand- she says that I'm her all-time favorite!"

The boy makes it to the chorus, chanting the lyrics out. "She's a super freak! Super freak! She's suuuper freaaakyyy, yowww."

Suddenly, his performance was interrupted by clapping coming from the doorway. Harry's head quickly turned to the doorway as he blushed furiously, not meaning for anyone to hear him.

Standing in the doorway this time was Lucius Malfoy, smirking at him smugly. "I must say, Potter, that was quite a lovely performance, what a shame you hadn't taken up a career in singing," he said sarcastically.

Harry, not in the mood for fighting just hung his head, slumping his shoulders. Lucius waved his wand and the packaged sandwich came flying toward him. He caught it and then threw it towards Potter, who could not catch it due to the shackles. The older man just sighed, picking up the sandwich and handing it to the boy.

Harry opened the bag slowly, nibbling on the sandwich. He still felt full from breakfast, so he wasn't in the mood for more. Lucius grimaced as he sat on the concrete ground, dirtying his clothes.

Harry didn't really trust the man, so he eyed him warily as he ate.

"So, how has Draco been treating you in school?" Malfoy said casually. Harry nearly choked on his food for the second time today, his eyes widening.

"I am being held captive, and you act as if this is a normal summer where I get to have normal conversations?" Harry shouted frustratedly. There was no way this man was being serious!

"If you... wish to talk about your situation I wouldn't mind, though you still haven't answered my question," Lucius said nonchalantly, flipping his hair back.

"Well, your son has been bloody terrible to me! We practically kill each other every year! Yeah, I see it now, he's going to turn into you, I can just see it now!" the teen spat out angrily. "And you know what's worse? That he's off having a normal summer doing Merlin knows what, and I'm over here waiting to be killed by Voldie and his stupid goons, you included! First Cedric, now me!" he shouted.

This got no reaction out of Malfoy, who just blinked at the boy. "You might appreciate a Stomach Soother. Eating too much when you can't handle it will cause you to sick up." The man pulled a bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and handed it to the boy who forced the rest of the sandwich down his throat before drinking it. "Bellatrix will be supervising your shower. I assume she will pick you up after I leave," the blond stated, before getting up and brushing his pants off with his hands. He gave a disgusted look at his clothes before walking out.

"Oh, Harry~" Bella singsonged; she was holding a towel over her shoulder and a key in her hand. She smiled at him sadistically as she grabbed his wrists and unlocked the shackles with as much force as possible, so they dug into the teen's skin for a second. He hissed in pain, rubbing his wrists before he was yanked up.

Lestrange walked him to the bathroom, turning on the lights which flickered and buzzed. The shower itself looked nasty, but it wasn't like Harry had any other place to go.

Bellatrix stared at his face the entire time he undressed, smirking at his discomfort. "Can't we have someone else supervise this? Draco's mom? Lucius? Any other person?" Harry pleaded, throwing her a pitiful look.

"You know why you shower with me supervising. Don't play dumb missy!" Bella teased, watching as Harry turned pale with discomfort and dread. He looked down and stepped into the shower.

After lathering his body with whatever cheap unlabeled soap was there, he quickly washed his hair which was now shaggy and kind of like a matted rats nest.

Bella threw in comments every now and then about him having an ugly body and Harry tried his best to ignore them so he didn't lunge at her with whatever strength he had left. After he had finished showering and drying himself off, Bellatrix walked him back to his room.

"Aw... Well, it seems like showering took away your dinner time. We can't have you eating before tomorrow, can we?" she giggled, returning Harry back into his shackles. She left the room briefly before coming back with a flask. "It seems like some of our fellows think they are too good to wash potion bottles! Just drink this anyways," she huffed, handing the flask to the boy.

Harry didn't dare ask what the potion did, hoping that it wouldn't cause him pain or death. Before he could open his mouth again to talk, he grew very tired. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes.

He never noticed Bellatrix smiling with a twisted sense of happiness.

--- ss. hp. ss. hp. ss. hp. ss. ---

Throughout Harry's very long yet dreamless sleep, he heard various phrases.

He heard Bellatrix laughing and conversing with two others. "Let's hope little Hawwy Potter doesn't die on us!" she screamed to him in laughter.

He heard Crabbe and Goyle senior murmuring to each other, and Lucious whispering "Well, don't just stand there, we need to bring him in. What a shame Severus isn't here, too busy prancing around with that old fool."

And then there were voices Harry didn't recognize.

"Alright, and how much does he weigh?"

"It's almost removed, we got it. After that, we transport the lung to the other patient before they undergo surgery."

"When will the body be given a funeral? If it's out of the morgue for too long..."

Harry didn't know what was happening, yet he couldn't really think about it with how tired he still was while sleeping. He felt the vague presence of medical machinery around him and metal things poking inside him. It didn't hurt, it only felt unusual.

He fell back into a deep sleep.

--- hp. ss. hp. ss. hp. ss. hp. ss. ---

Severus awoke to his dark mark burning. He clenched his teeth and went off to see what the Dark Lord wanted.

"Severus, my loyal spy. Tell me, has Dumbledore suspected anything of you? Has he noticed the boy's disappearance?" Voldemort asked as Severus bowed down to his feet.

"No, My Lord, he has not suspected me. Though he has sent many out on a search for that brat. Of course, I had to partake in it so that old fool wouldn't get suspicious," the Potions Master said calmly as the Dark Lord probed through his mind. Snape had his shields up, only pushing forward the memories he wanted Voldemort to see.

"It seems that you are telling the truth. However, it does appear to me that you have been slacking off with getting information about Dumbledore. Perhaps he doesn't trust you enough?" Voldemort taunted him, waving his wand carelessly. "Crucio," he said smiling as Snape fell back down, writhing in pain. After a few seconds, it was lifted. “It’s a good thing that I am generous. I will tell you where Harry’s body is, maybe bringing it to that old fool will get you some respect.”

“Yes my lord, you are very generous my lord. Thank you for helping,” Severus said calmly through his lingering pain.

“Very well then, take this map. He should be wherever the dot is. We put a tracking charm on him that will wear off within a day. I appreciate the potions you brewed… You will see that they were put to good use,” Voldemort drawled, tossing the map to Snape’s feet.

Snape’s heart plummeted to the bottom of his stomach. He had indirectly helped the boy be tortured, even if he hadn’t known it! Still, he kept a poker face. “Thank you, my lord. I am most grateful to be at your service.”

Snape apparated away from Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and towards muggle Oregon.

— ss. Hp. ss. Hp. ss. Hp. ss. —

Snape waded through the roadside ditch, his pants bunched above his knee. He knew there was ongoing traffic, so pulling out his wand would be unwise. Snape checked the map and waded further toward the blinking spot of ink.

Harry was gasping in pain as he attempted to move into a sitting position. Harry seemed unable to move his legs and arms, with his torso slightly above the drainage ditch water.

Snape cursed and kneeled next to the boy, his bunched-up pants getting wet in the process. “Harry?” he tried alerting the boy softly.

Harry’s head snapped towards Snape. “Thank god,” the teen whispered, tears beginning to stream down his face. “I prayed someone would find me, I think I might be dying. The cuts around my chest burn so bad. Whenever I want to move my wrist in this water it makes me want to scream. I was just cut off the wall. I don’t remember a lot of what happened, but in my dream state I heard a lot of it,” Harry explains. After a few seconds, a realization dawned on him.

He might be missing an organ.

Harry began trying to lift his arm out of pure panic strength, poking around at his ribcage. He hissed in pain and clutched the right side of his chest, a little below his armpit. He was digging at it, trying to feel what that mark was.

Severus knew the boy was about to dig open a wound, and with the dirty ditch water around him, he really didn’t think it would be a good idea to let the boy contract an infection of some sort or get insanely sick.

“I’m going to grab your arms, alright? You can’t dig at your wounds. It’ll open, and trust me when this dirty water mixes into it, you will hate yourself for opening it,” Severus explained in a low and surprisingly calm voice. The man was panicking on the inside, worrying about getting the boy to a medical professional.

Severus grabbed onto Harry’s forearms so he sat upwards, before holding the teen in his arms and carrying him out of the ditch. After Harry settles and unclenches his teeth, Severus walks off the road and off into the forest.

Harry panics again. “No, no, please don’t take me back to the forest,” he whispers out, lifting his head from Snape’s shoulder to shake his head.

“Why not?” Severus asked calmly and emotionlessly, standing still.

“Because they- I- they-” Harry sighed, not knowing how to tell him. “Please just take me somewhere else.”

“There is a fairly unused campground around here. I assume the Dark Lord picked this spot because of it being near a few motels and a campground, places where you can easily rest after such an ordeal. I can help you better once we reach there. You may even be able to clean up a little, would that be okay with you?” the man explained, keeping his voice leveled and soothing. If he wasn’t calm about this, the boy would end up hurting himself more in an attempt to get away from Snape.

Harry thought about it for a second before replying, “What happens if my injuries can’t be treated with simple first aid?”

The Potions Professor cursed himself inwardly. Of course, he didn’t know how bad the damage was! “What do you mean by that? Do you know of any terrible injuries you currently have?”

Harry stayed silent. Snape made a mental note to revisit the topic soon.

The Potions Master began walking to the woods again, noticing Harry’s grip on his shoulders increasing. Harry’s fists trembled as he shut his eyes. “If it makes you feel better, I did go to a wilderness camp when I was younger,” Snape admitted, “and if you were to ask me any question mentioned in the survival guide we were given, I guarantee I will be able to respond.” Harry did feel better knowing that the two were not going to be fending off wolves without any knowledge.

‘Do campsite areas even attract wolves?’ The teen wondered to himself. The movement of Snape walking shook Harry lightly with each step, yet he was too tired to focus on the discomfort that brought him.

After about 15 minutes of Severus carefully walking through the woods, a campsite was finally spotted. Cabins were scattered aimlessly with only a few with lights on indicating people who were actually camping.

Severus decided to settle for a cabin towards the center left of the cluster, something that would look natural enough to deceive the average passerby into thinking they had actually booked a camping trip.

“I will put you down now,” Severus grunted as he put Harry down on the stairs leading up to the cabin door. He then cast an alohomora barely above a whisper before picking Harry back up and putting him on the queen-sized bed in the room across from the entrance door.

After delicately laying Harry down on the bed, Severus asked Harry again, “What major injury do you have?”

Harry just wordlessly lifted his trembling hand, rising his shirt up to see a poorly stitched-up wound as well as…

Underboob?

‘No, that can’t be right. It’s probably just some inflamed skin. I know better than to jump to conclusions,’ Snape reasoned as he looked at the cut.

He tried to magically remove the stitches, to magically heal the wound that ran halfway through the right side of his chest and halfway through his back using spells. Nothing worked, not even the more complicated healing spells. When casting a diagnostic spell, nothing showed for that area.

“It appears that I will need to collect a first aid kit and some medical supplies. Would you be okay with Madam Pomfrey helping me?” the man asked. Harry mumbled out an unintelligent string of disapproval. “Should I require additional hands, Madam Pomfrey will be called despite your protests. You know her, so you should know that she will not hurt you,” he added, just to make sure that Harry knew she still might come.

“Don’t leave. Please,” Harry whispered hoarsely. A million what-ifs were running through his mind. What if Voldemort sent people out to retrieve him again?

“I promise that I won’t take long. I just need to apparate to my house, grab the first aid kit, floo to Hogwarts, grab some potions, and then come back here,” Snape reassured the boy. “It should take me less than 10 minutes. I will come back to help you. I did not carry you all the way to a cabin which I managed to break into only to leave you here.”

Harry gave a thoughtful yet worried look before he nodded his head. Snape quickly left, the boy, apparating to his house.

—ss.hp.ss.hp.ss.hp.ss—

“Where is it? Where… is… it…” Snape murmured to himself frantically as he searched every cabinet and drawer he could find. Had he gotten rid of it because he found it useless for a wizard?

Damn! His muggle neighbor had a point when he mentioned “never knowing when you’re going to need it”, but it still hurt Severus to know he was in the wrong, and that being wrong was taxing to the current situation. The man had no choice but to ask his neighbor for help. He slid off his robes that he had realized he was still wearing and tossed them on his couch.

Practically running out of his house, Severus hurried to the house across from his. He knocked three times praying that they were home.

Thankfully, Severus heard people on the other side of the door.

“Hello, Neighbor! Though I must say, you are dressed rather nicely! That coat is lovely! Is there an event I missed?” Bradley joked.

“No, It’s for an event I was going to, but there seems to have been an accident there with one of my friends. I was wondering if you had an unopened first aid kit? I’m in quite a hurry, no time to explain. Besides, it’s quite gruesome. I think it’s best you don’t ask about it,” Severus lied quickly, realizing a coat in the middle of summer was not usual.

Severus was even more shocked when Bradley nodded solemnly, before hurrying to grab the first aid kit.

“When I was a wilderness ranger in America, it taught me that having a lot of these really does come in handy. Hope your friend is okay.” Bradley said, handing Severus the first aid kit. He thanked the man profusely before rushing into his house, throwing floo powder into the fireplace, and going to Hogwarts.

“Severus! I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Was there a potions accident?” Madam Pomfrey questioned, surprised that she was getting company this late in summer. She was currently repacking the shelves with potions that Severus had supplied, given the school year was starting in less than a month.

“No, there isn’t time to talk. I found Mr. Potter in a roadside drainage ditch, struggling to get up. He is currently in Oregon. I need to hurry back, as I think he fears I will leave him to rot in that cabin. Hand me a wooden crate with three pain-relieving potions, a bruise balm, two wound cleaning potions, Essence of Dittany, and a few calming draughts.”

Poppy was taken aback by the long list of potions, yet she said nothing as she grabbed a crate and started pulling items off her shelf. She handed it to Severus quickly, realizing his rush was urgent and didn’t require her questions. She trusted the man to know what he was doing.

So, Severus floo’d back to his house and then apparated to the cabin in Oregon.

“I have returned with everything I need,” Severus said as he approached Harry, putting the crate of potions on the bedside table.

“Does that mean you need to work on my injuries?” the teen asked quietly, not bothering to turn his head to look at Snape.

“Yes, which also means I need you to take your shirt off. It has come to my attention that you have a poorly stitched injury that has not been cleaned. I will need to clean it,” the man explained while he cut off the protective plastic wrapping on the first aid kit with his nails.

Harry knew there was no avoiding it, Snape was going to find out eventually. However, it was worth a shot to at least try to save himself from the awkwardness. “Well, I don’t think I can lift my shirt off myself seeing as how shaky and weak my arms are- and it would probably be too painful for it to be taken off me anyways…”

“Well, it seems like we will need to cut open the shirt then. It does seem like your arms are weak,” he replied, not missing a beat. Snape opened the kit and rummaged around until he found the scissors, preparing to cut Harry’s shirt off.

“Wait wait wait!” Harry said, closing his eyes. “I don’t have anything underneath this t-shirt,” he breathed out.

“If there was anything other than cuts and bruises we would have an issue. Rest assured Potter, this is all medical as I am a trained healer. It was part of the requirements for my masters,” Snape deadpanned, proceeding to snip upwards at Harry’s ragged shirt.

Reaching to the top of his shirt, Snape snipped carefully while Harry squeezed his eyes shut. He was holding his breath, waiting for Snape’s reaction.

Snape was confused. He was right about the underboob. He grimaced, unsure of how to proceed.

Realizing the boy he was currently tending to was not going to breathe unless he gave a response, he spoke. “You are… transgender?”

Harry let out his breath, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Yeah. I’m sorry. You don’t need to help me, just hand me the potions and I’ll manage.”

Snape was bewildered, “Sorry? For what, living? I assure you that it won’t matter too much to me. You don’t have anything I have not seen already. I suppose that since we are both of the male gender, it should not affect anything. Even if you were uncomfortable with this situation, I still need to remove the stitches, which I can’t do unless I have access to that area,” the man explained, hoping to provide comfort in a situation he knew little about. He hoped his big fancy words would confuse the boy into being comforted.

The boy gave a short nod, still not looking Snape in the eyes. The man handed him a pain-relieving potion, which he downed, gagging at the aftertaste.

Snape tore the thin plastic wrap off the first aid kit and opened it, grabbing the tweezers and a pair of scissors. Severus used his left hand to slightly pull the skin while his right hand picked at a stitch with the tweezers. Once he picked the stitch up, he slid the scissors into the stitch, earning a yelp from the younger boy.

“Oh jeez, I can still feel it, it hurts when you pull on it,” he breathed out, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I know it does, pain potions work like muggle medicine, if you are being stabbed but were given Tylenol before that, you would still be in a lot of pain. Do you know what Tylenol is?” Severus spoke in a soothing voice, encouraging the younger boy to talk while he worked.

Snip, pull out stitch. Stretch, pick, put scissors in stitch. “Yeah, it’s something Aunt Petunia gave me when I was menstruating,” the boy explained, trying his best to look away from his chest.

Snip. Stretch, pick. “Do you know what the generic for Tylenol is? The not-branded version?”

Scissors in stitch, Snip. Pull out stitch. Stretch. “Acetaminophen? My primary school teacher called it Paracetamol too, but I don’t know what that is. She said she took it because she had a headache.”

Pick, put scissors in stitch, cut, pull out stitch. “Yes, though only the Americans call it Paracetamol.”

Stretch, pick, put scissors in stitch. “Oh, cool. Was muggle first aid a part of your wizard medical training?”

Cut, pull out stitch. “It was a voluntary extra course that I thought would be interesting to take. It turns out it was useful, even though I doubt I will ever need to use CPR on someone. Though, I also doubted that I would ever do something like remove stitches from another person. Sewing your skin together seems barbaric.”

“Well, it’s not like people are out rawdogging stitches. They numb the area first.”

Severus continued working, noticing that the boy wasn’t as focused on the removal process anymore. “Oh? But they numb it with a needle, wouldn’t you feel the needle first?”

“It’s not like I ever got stitches before this. Sure, sometimes I’d get beaten up pretty bad, but it wasn’t anything a few bandages couldn’t fix.”

“Why were you getting hurt badly?” Severus questioned.

Harry looked uncomfortable, “Can we talk about that maybe when I’m not getting stitches removed?”

Damn it. Now Harry was back to thinking about that and how tempting it was to look back down and watch Severus working, even though he was afraid that if he looked at it, he would flinch and get stabbed by scissors.

“Almost done, just ramble on about something,” Severus instructed, noticing the boy was likely thinking about what he was doing.

“Uh… Words words words word blah blah blah aaaaahhhh arrgrgrggrgrgr aaaaaahhhh words more words words words words raaaaah,” the boy said, pretending to be intelligent while babbling his nonsense.

“Perfect. I’m finished,” Severus smiled at the boy softly, thankful that he kept still and didn’t make it harder for him to remove stitches. He then frowned again. “Why would they have made such a large scar along that area?”

Harry hesitated, “I think they might have… removed something?” he said tentatively.

“Like what, an organ?” Severus asked, dread washing over him.

“... Yeah.”

“Shit.” Severus groaned, putting his hands over his face.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Harry strained out.

“For what? It isn’t like you handed over your lung,” Severus quickly said back, not wanting the teen to think he blamed Harry for the lost lung.

Severus pondered for a bit on what to do, it wasn’t as if he could just find a way to magically regrow a lung on such short notice! After a few long minutes of silence and letting his inner monologue do its job, he decided that he would leave the insides be and that Harry would be able to regrow the lung within the first week back at Hogwarts.

“Harry, you won’t be doing anything too strenuous or even jogging. We need you in top condition if you want to get a new lung, which you are in no shape to regrow or be transplanted with another one at this moment,” Severus explained carefully as he didn’t want to upset the boy. Harry, however, seemed to be handling the news pretty well. He didn’t burst into tears or shout out his complaints to Snape, even though the situation would have allowed it- and for that Severus was grateful.

“Can you just disinfect me so we can use the essence of dittany?” the boy sighed, shifting back into a position where his ribs would face the raven-haired man more. The man nodded mutely, grabbing the would cleaning potion and a cotton swab from the first aid kit and dabbing it along the edges of the cut. After that, Severus uncapped the Essence of Dittany and poured a small amount over the cut as he held it together, causing it to scar over in a pink sort of way, like a thin layer of skin had grown on top and tried to connect itself with the regular skin, only sticking out slightly. Severus then put a few drops on some gauze and used tape bandages to tape it to the cut so that it was covered.

After the main injury was finished, the man went around and rubbed bruise balm and put some dittany on the rest of the minor scrapes and bruises. Severus took note of the sickly thin manner Harry held himself up, and how his bones were visible and sticking out in places. He would need to plumpen him up so he would have a better chance of being able to properly regrow his lung.

“Would you happen to be hungry at the moment? You look quite thin and I would like for you to at least eat something before you sleep,” Severus explained carefully. Harry looked at him with wild eyes as he nodded slowly in hopes of not seeming too desperate for food. “Great, I’ll go apparate back to my home and bring back something for you to change into. I don’t expect you to sleep in dirty clothing, not to mention how damp the fabric is.”

“Thank you, please don’t take too long,” Harry whispered out.

There was a crack and suddenly Severus was gone back to Spinner’s End. He looked around his kitchen while silently praying that he had something, anything that wasn’t expired. Fortunately, after scouring the pantry and cabinets for food, the man found some canned soup. Snape then walked into his room and looked for clothes he could give to Harry- something that was way too small on him. He reached for a dark blue cotton pajama set that Snape hadn’t touched in years, slinging it over his forearm as he apparated back to the cabin.

Hearing Snape arrive back, Harry let out a thankful sigh, glad that Snape hadn’t used food as an excuse to abandon him. He looked at the soup can Snape placed on the table, it reading ‘Cream of Mushroom: real mushrooms used’ on the packaging in flashy text. The soup in the picture made Harry’s mouth water. It had been a while since he had canned soup. The Dursley’s always thought of themselves as too good for that.

Snape pried the can’s tab open and cast a simple heating charm on it. He then grabbed a plastic spoon from the kitchen and handed both the can and the spoon to Harry. The boy gratefully took the soup, taking one savory sip straight from the can’s mouth and letting a small groan out as he closed his eyes. After the first sip, he wasted no time and ended up practically chugging the soup as if someone was waiting around the corner to snatch the can. It was perhaps one of the most disturbing things Snape had seen a kid do, that and hearing Draco Malfoy badly singing Material Girl by Madonna.

“You can take your time eating- or rather, drinking your soup. We are in no hurry,” Snape commented, frowning slightly. Harry quickly finished drinking and wiped his mouth on his arm.

“Yep, I know,” Harry replied before yawning slightly.

“If you wish, we can go back to my house so I can get you a proper bed to sleep in.” Snape got up and brushed invisible dirt off his pants as he waited for a response. “I mean, since you’re in a better condition to apparate, it should be fine. If you have any objections, however, I could hear your idea.” Severus grabbed his crate of things and the pajamas and faced back to Harry.

Harry blinked slowly, eyes showing confusion. “Sure…” he said slowly, looking away from Severus. Harry didn’t know if he wanted to go to someone’s house, but it would probably be better and warmer than a campsite with no heater.

Severus hesitated as he was unsure if he should just grab the boy’s arm or ask him beforehand. Luckily, Harry made this choice easier by holding his arm out a few seconds later. Severus grabbed his arm, and the two apparated back to Spinner’s End.

The minute the two hit the ground again, Harry fell to his knees, panting and keeping a hand over his mouth as if he were about to throw up. Severus hovered above him wondering what he could do to help. Harry looked somewhat ill.

“Do you want some water? Can you get up?” Severus questioned, earning a cough and a shaking of the head from the boy. “Alright then, I’ll pick you up and carry you inside. Maybe that would help you feel a bit better.” The man tucked his hair behind his ears and bent down, scooping Harry up into his arms and carrying him inside.

When Harry was put down, not even five seconds later he got up and looked around, running toward the kitchen and throwing up in the sink, heaving.

“Damnit, this is not the time to breathe heavily or hyperventilate! You only have one lung for now, breathing is somewhat limited!” Severus yelled frustratedly before getting some water from the tap and handing it to the boy. “Now drink.”

After another few minutes and a few cups of water, Harry was back to normal. “Maybe we shouldn’t have apparated that soon.”

“That may be true, yet since we are already here we might as well go to sleep. Follow me,” Severus said. He led Harry to his room and left the night clothes next to him before stepping out.

After Harry was changed, he got into bed. “Where will you sleep, Professor?” the teen asked.

“I’ll be sleeping on the chair,” the man said as he pointed to the chair in the corner of the room. Harry nodded.

Snape moved to turn the lights off and sat down in the comfy and worn-out cushioned chair.

“What will happen in the morning? What about the rest of the summer? When will I get my other lung grown back?” Harry questioned.

“Well, I’ll probably make you breakfast and then if you’re up for it, I could wash your hair since it looks like a jungle up there. I think I’ll be keeping you here the rest of the summer, or at least until you feel like you can be introduced to other people without freaking out. If all goes well, within a few months you may get your lung back,” Severus answered.

“That sounds good. Hey, does it… y’know, bother you that I’m trans? Like, if it makes you uncomfy you can probably hand me off to the Weasleys or someone…” the teen bit the inside of his cheek.

“You aren’t the first transgender student I’ve had. I’m not bothered by it at all. No, I will not be handing you off. You were terrified by the thought of a school nurse seeing you, how would you feel about the Weasley family as a whole?” Severus replied reassuringly.

“That’s true I guess… Thank you for staying through this Snape. Sorry for getting all emotional on you when you first found me.” Harry turned slightly red, although the older man wouldn’t be able to see it since the lights were off.

“It’s normal to be emotional after such an… ordeal. I wouldn’t have left you to die even though I act unpleasant during the year,” the raven-haired man smiled softly, closing his eyes.

“Alright, well, goodnight sir,” Harry said, going deeper into the blanket.

“Goodnight, Harry.”
The End.


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