Severus finished out his day at Hogwarts and flooed straight home. His head was throbbing, and his patience gone. All Severus wanted to do was eat, and then go straight to bed. When he stepped out of the floo in his sitting room he could see Harry's crayons and books laying about the floor, and Lucy busy in the kitchens. He had told Harry time and time again about picking up his things when he was done with them. Severus was about to go and look for Harry so he could clean up his mess, when Lucy announced dinner was ready.

Severus sat down in his chair while Lucy began placing the food on the table, but after ten minutes had gone by and still no Harry, Severus started to wonder.

"Lucy, where is Harry?"

Lucy refilled Severus' coffee cup, "Master Harry is in his room sleeping. Would you like Lucy to go and wake him?"

"No, that will be all Lucy," Severus announced, getting up from his chair. How could the boy be sleeping in the middle of the day. Perhaps some chores were in order to occupy his mind, or a bit of assigned reading. By the time Severus got to the door he was fuming at the child. Slinging open the door he saw Harry curled up with the book he read him each night and some of his anger waned.

Walking over to the bed, Severus reached out and removed the book from his grasp, and then shook Harry's shoulder.

"Wake up Harry, it is time for dinner."

Harry tried to fight off the sleep, but it was a losing battle it seemed, mumbling he answered his father.

"Not hungry ... tired Dad. I want to go back to sleep."

"You will get up this instant, and march yourself to the table. I will not have you falling ill because you skipped meals," Severus sternly said, while yanking the covers away.

Harry sat straight up in the bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and fled into the other room. Once seated he rubbed his arm a bit. It was still swollen the tiniest bit, and a red mark had started to appear on it. Before his father got to the table Harry quickly pushed his sleeve back down, and grabbed up his fork.

"I would have you finish everything on your plate young man, and then clean up the mess you left in the sitting room."

"Yes sir," Harry replied, looking down at his plate as his father scooped a few things on it.

Harry wasn't really that hungry, but he knew his father's rule about cleaning your plate. Stabbing one of the potatoes he popped it into his mouth and chewed. Harry didn't even bother to chew half of his food and cleaned his plate in only ten minutes.

"May I be excused?"

"You may be excused to clean up your mess, and then you may read a bit before bed if you wish," Severus said.

"Can't I just go back to bed, I really am tired."

"Are you ill? Is there some reason you should be in bed before nine?"

Harry couldn't think of a reasonable answer, and finally shook his head no in defeat. He shuffled into the sitting room and started picking up the crayons. This was not hard at all, but when he tried to grasp the books, his arm seemed to give way, and they went falling from his hand back to the floor.

Severus had finished his own meal and entered the sitting room, cup of tea in hand. He sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, trying to fight the migraine that was attacking him.

Over and over Harry tried to pick up the books, but each time his arm gave way, and the books slid back to the floor. He didn't think of picking it up with his other hand, the thought never occurring to him, he just went about using the hand he was accustomed to, and each time failing in the task.

The fourth time he picked the books up he made it to his feet, biting his tongue against the pain. He made his way carefully around the coffee table, but just as he passed Severus' chair the books fell from his hands again, and to the floor. Harry froze in his place.

"Why, are you tormenting me tonight?" Severus said, coming out of his chair towards Harry.

"Is it because I won't let you go to bed? Is it for some other reason?" Severus yelled at Harry.

Harry blinked, his eyes going wide. His knees began to shake, and he almost wet himself in fear, but no explanation would come.

"I asked you a question Harry," Severus spat, grabbing Harry by the arm, so that Harry was facing him.

Harry's reaction to the pain was to yell out in agony and fall to the floor, clutching his arm to him.

Severus stood stunned. He hadn't meant to frighten the boy that bad, and surely he did not hurt him, but the look of pain in Harry's face made him think otherwise. Shocked at his own actions, Severus knelt down beside Harry and gently lifted the arm Harry was holding. Severus pulled back Harry's sleeve and stared down at the red mark on Harry's arm, and the tears on Harry's face.

"Harry ... I didn't mean to harm you son, I hope you believe me."

"You didn't hurt me Dad," Harry told him, but Severus thought the boy trying to put on a brave front.

"Come, let me put something on that."

Severus led Harry down the hall to his room and sat him down on the bed. He went into the bathroom and emerged seconds later with the healing balm he kept. Severus took Harry's arm and began rubbing the balm in circles over the red mark, and yet it still didn't go away. Puzzled, Severus rubbed even more balm onto the arm, and yet the red mark still remained.

"This should be working. I don't know why it isn't," he said to Harry.

"Really Dad it is fine," Harry replied, trying to ease his arm out of his father's reach.

Severus sat on the bed thinking, and then it came to him. No, he couldn't have, could he? Severus' brow furrowed in thought. Could he in his anger, have broken Harry's arm? There was only one way to find out.

"Harry I need you to flex your fingers for me."

Harry didn't know why his father made such a strange request, but he extended his fingers as much as he could before the pain became to sharp. It was not until Severus grabbed one and pulled it straight that Harry yelped in pain.

Severus dropped Harry's finger like it had burned him. He knew the truth then, that Harry's arm was indeed broken. While not broken in two, it was definitely broken. Severus felt a sense of shame wash over him. He had hurt his son, not meaning to, but the end result was Harry was in pain from his actions.

"Harry ... I am so sorry. I didn't mean to," Severus choked out, before standing up and walking back into his bathroom. When he returned Harry noticed his face looked red, as if he had been crying, but no tears were on his face. Severus leaned down in front of Harry, and handed him the cup of Skelegrow.

"This will help mend it, one glass should do."

Harry took the cup and smelled it. It smelt of old socks, and feet, and he did not wish to drink it.

"Trust me, it is not the best smelling stuff, but it will help you."

Harry trusted his father about potions above all else, so with one big gulp he swallowed what was in the cup and then fought off the urge to vomit. Harry took big breaths trying to keep from being sick, and once the urge passed he felt very sleepy. He did not lay his head down though, but instead swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Where do you think you are going?" Severus asked.

"I have to go clean up my mess in the sitting room," Harry mumbled.

"You will do no such thing. Lucy can clean up the mess this one time, you will be going to bed.

Harry laid back on the pillows, laying his arm carefully beside him. He was so tired, so sleepy, and soon his eyes drifted shut. Severus' own head was throbbing, but one look at the red arm and he sat down on the edge of the bed. The guilt of it was killing him, and yet Harry had acted as if it were all right. Severus' own father had often abused him, then came back later to tell Severus he didn't mean any of it. Many broken bones, and several bruises later Severus vowed never to harm his child in this manner, and yet Harry was hurt, and he was the cause.

Severus wanted to close his eyes, and yet he couldn't bring himself to lay beside Harry, in fear of rolling over on his arm. Severus did not want to leave his side, so he laid down on the end of the bed, so he would be there should Harry wake up.