Once landing at Hogwarts, Severus gave Harry a moment to become acclimated with his surroundings. The child's eyes were glazed over, and his face had turned puce.

"I don't feel good," Harry said. The boy lent over and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground. Severus, feeling awkward in this kind of situation, hated to see the boy suffering, but not knowing what else to do he reached over and clumsily began rubbing circles on the boy's back. Harry flinched. Never had anyone tried to comfort him while he had been sick before. Once the dry heaves had stopped Severus waved his wand and vanished the sick from the ground. He reached down and helped the boy up.

"I'm not surprised that your body reacted that way Harry. Your body is already in a weakened state from the chemicals in your body, and the feeling that apparition creates could not have been pleasant for you. Especially since you had never apperated before." Harry nodded.

"I will now be taking you to our healer, Madam Pomfrey. She will give you a check up, and maybe there is a potion, or spell that can fix your condition." Harry, whom had no clue about magic, looked at Severus with confusion. Realization dawned on Severus’s face. The boy had no idea that magic existed. He would have to remedy that very soon.

Severus took the boy's hand and smiled at the awed expression on Harry's face. The breath taking scene of the castle with its towers would capture the attention of any child.

"Is this where I am going to live?" Harry asked. Severus wasn't sure how to answer that question. He didn't know who the boy would be staying with, although now that he had learned about the boy he hoped it would be him. After all, who better to take care of a sick child than a potions master? He would have the potions that Harry would need should he become ill, and Poppy was to busy to take care of a sick toddler full time. Not wanting to upset Harry, Severus settled for a slight misdirection to the answer of his question.

"We will figure out where you will be living after we talk to the headmaster. However, you will be going to school here once you get older, and then you will be living in the dorms during the school year." Severus wasn't about to bring up the fact that the only way Harry would attend Hogwarts was if he lived that long. He wanted the boy to have hope. Hope would give him the will to live longer, and that will itself was a powerful magic alone.

The two walked in silence until they reached the infirmary, where upon seeing them, Madam Pomfrey took charge immediately.

"The headmaster told me you were bringing in Mr. Potter. I admit that I didn't expect him to look so very undernourished, but that can be mended." Severus directed Harry to a bed and Harry tentatively lay upon it. The bed was soft and warm, not like the hard, worn beds at the orphanage.

“I could get use to this,” Harry thought to himself, as he watched the nurse and Severus go off into a corner to converse.

Severus told the healer everything she would need to know about Harry's condition and by the end of the story, the poor healer had tears pouring down her face, which she unsuccessfully tried to conceal.

"I don't know of any cure, Severus. As you know, cancer is a Muggle illness, and although there has been, at most, one or two wizards who have had it, most do not live very long because the chemo therapy treatments do not respond well to wizards bodies because of magic. It does help a little, but not as much as it helps Muggles." Severus nodded, already knowing this information.

"I will begin doing research on the child's condition as soon as possible to see if I may be able to develop a potion for him. In the meantime I think it would be best if you contacted Harry's doctor, Doctor Peterson. Harry trusts him, and he seems pretty trustworthy to me. I think we need to let him know about the magical world, just enough so that he understands about why the treatments aren't working. If he has an adverse reaction, then we can obliviate him, but I hope it will not come to that." Poppy nodded.

"I will need his medical records to properly treat him anyway." Severus gave the doctor's card to Poppy, and the healer put the card in one of her many pockets in her robe. The nurse walked over to Harry and smiled warmly at him.

"Do you mind if I look you over?" she asked. Harry nodded, already use to various doctors poking and prodding by now. However, when the nurse pulled out her wand, Harry shrank back in fear. Severus saw this and realized that Harry would have to be told about magic before Poppy continued. He stepped forward and took Harry's hand.

"Harry, I want you to know that Poppy would never intentionally hurt you. This stick she wants to scan you with is a wand. It is a magical wand. Madam Pomfrey, you, and I are all witches and wizards." Perhaps it was because Harry was so young, or perhaps it was because Harry remembered something from his brief time with his parents, but something made Harry's eyes light up and he nodded.

"I can do magic like you?" Harry asked softly. Severus nodded.

"When you are a little bit older you will be able to do magic." Harry took this answer pretty well and relaxed against his pillows. This time, when Madam Pomfrey pulled out her wand to scan the child, Harry didn't flinch. The check up was over quickly, and soon the nurse had a nutrition potion, and other vitamin potions for Harry to take. Normally children who were given medicine would put up a fuss, but Harry dutifully swallowed any potion that was handed to him. Poppy left the boy on the bed to rest, and went into her office. She needed to contact Harry's previous doctor and compare notes.

Severus, who had been sitting in a chair next to Harry's bed during the examination, reached over and squeezed the child's hand. However, the gesture of comfort was soon lost, because Severus heard footsteps coming down the hall, which could only mean that the headmaster knew that Harry was in the hospital wing. Severus put up a silencing charm around him and Albus as soon as the headmaster entered the room. He didn't want the child to overhear what they were saying, and take it the wrong way.

"I see that you found him?" Albus Dumbledore asked, raking his eyes over the small boy lying on the hospital bed. Severus nodded, with his mask firmly in place. He didn't want the headmaster to know that he was starting to care about the boy. Not yet anyway.

"I found the boy Albus, and as you can see he is nowhere near healthy." Severus then filled Albus in on Harry's condition. Albus looked grave.

"I'm afraid I have some more bad news for you Severus," Albus said. Severus just glared at the headmaster, having a feeling of what the headmaster was going to ask him.

"I'm afraid that I wasn't able to find anyone who could take care of Harry, and in light of his medical condition, I think it would be best if Harry stay with you." Severus's glare intensified.

"I thought I made it clear that I was going to have nothing more to do with the boy?" Albus nodded.

"I am truly sorry Severus, but with Poppy so busy, you are the only one left. There isn't anyone else, and we can't send him back to the orphanage." Severus agreed there.

"Alright, I will take the boy in." Albus's eyes twinkled.

"Very good my boy, very good. I shall ask the elves to prepare another room attached to your chambers." Severus scoffed.

"Do you really think I am going to spend anymore time at this castle anymore than I have to? No, Harry and I will be going to Snape Manor. It is unable to be plotted, so we will be safe." Albus wanted to protest, but in the end he agreed. With his most loyal professor keeping an eye on The Boy Who Lived, nothing could go wrong.

"May I come by and see Harry once you both are settled in?" the headmaster inquired. Severus nodded, knowing that he couldn't keep Albus Dumbledore away from Harry Potter.

"I shall send you an owl when my floo is open." Albus beamed. He took one final look at Harry, not saying anything to the child, and walked out of the room. Severus dropped the silencing charm and looked at Harry whose eyes were half closed.

"How come your lips were moving, but I couldn't hear you?" Harry asked. Severus smiled.

"The headmaster just had some things to say that weren't very important for you to hear." Harry knew what would happen to him if he asked questions so he just nodded. This man hadn't hit him, yet, and he felt like he could trust Severus, However, old habits dye hard, and he didn't want to make the man mad.

"Are we staying here?" Harry asked. Severus shook his head.

"We will be going to my home for a few months Harry." Harry's eyes lit up. It would be nice to actually be in a home, Harry thought to himself. Severus smiled at the child, knowing he was tired. He reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a dreamless sleep potion that had been placed there by the nurse before she had retreated to her office and handed it to Harry.

"Drink, it will help you sleep." The boy obliged, and within minutes the boy was fast asleep.