Harry’s eyes widened even more as the older female professor, who had brought him to the hospital wing in the morning, stepped out of the fireplace. Seeing his surprised look, the woman queried, “Did you never see the Floo network before?”

Harry slightly shook his head, wincing at the pain the small movement caused, which reminded the teacher of the reason for her visit. “Harry, how dare you leave the hospital wing without being released by Madam Pomfrey? Didn’t she tell you that you’re on absolute bed rest for a few days?”

“I’m sorry, Professor, I didn’t know that. I was asleep the whole day, and when I woke up I remembered that I had to serve detention and came here,” Harry explained in a small voice.

“Severus, did you not know that Harry was ill, considering that he didn’t attend any meal since breakfast?”

“I’m sorry, Minerva, but since you’re back I didn’t keep an eye on Mr. Potter anymore, and the boy didn’t say anything,” Snape replied silkily.

“All right, Harry. Let me take you back to the hospital wing,” the Minerva lady told him and Harry wearily followed her out of the room, unaware of the fact that he forgot to take his wand back from the Potions Master.

“I’m sorry, Professor, to be such a burden,” Harry once again apologized to the kind lady, who gently tucked him in when he lay down on his bed in the hospital wing, sighing in relief at the soft touch of the comfortable bed.

“You’re not a burden, Harry, and you’re welcome,” the woman replied softly, gently patting his hot hand, before she continued, “but you better apologize to Madam Pomfrey as well. She’ll be very angry.”

Harry noticed soon that the professor hadn’t exaggerated. An instant later, the livid Mediwitch stood in front of his bed, both hands stemmed into her sides. “Mr. Potter, you are not to leave this bed until I tell you otherwise, and I will not have you release yourself from my care. Do you understand me?” she scolded him in a clear voice, glaring daggers at him at the same time.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I only remembered that I had to serve detention and thought I’d better attend,” Harry apologized anxiously.

“If you do as much as move a leg out of this bed, I’ll use a sticking charm to keep you in it,” the Mediwitch threatened, causing Harry to cringe.

“I’m sorry, Madam Pomfrey, I won’t,” he promised in a small voice, already drifting off to sleep as the Mediwitch spelled a fever reducer into his system, which was laced with a sleeping draught.

HP

It was still dark outside when Harry was pulled out of a blissful sleep by a sudden bang of the entrance doors, causing the child to blink and hastily glance around in confusion. Before he could even reach for his glasses, he saw a blurry black figure strode through the otherwise empty hospital wing, which was only lightened by a few torches along the wall, and his frightened expression turned into a genuine smile. It was not as if the teacher was very kind to him, but since Harry wasn’t used to kindness at all, he didn’t mind the fact, and he somehow felt safe with the professor, who had been the first person to come and look after him when he was in the room with the fireplace, where he had been all on his own.

“Good morning, Professor,” Harry said softly and quickly put his glasses on.

HP SEV’S POV HP

The Slytherin Head of House frowned. “Good morning, Mr. Potter,” Snape replied silkily, wondering why the golden boy’s expression turned to delight at his sight. ‘One could assume that he had something on his mind. Yesterday and even the day before, he already tried to sit next to me at meal times, and he behaves too well recently,’ he mused. “What are you trying to achieve, Mr. Potter?” he sneered, causing the boy to throw him a confused look. ‘Either he is really surprised or he plays whatever he’s playing at really well. I’d love to look into his thoughts.’

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, sir,” Harry whispered, while his face took on a pensive expression.

“I’m talking about your recent behaviour, Mr. Potter,” Snape explained and after a quick decision cast a word- and wandless Legilimens spell on the child, carefully searching for his recent interactions with the child. He watched as Harry anxiously entered the Great Hall, sighing in relief as he sat down next to him, because he felt save in his company, and he felt that Harry had been truly pleased to see him enter the hospital wing earlier. Not wanting to aggravate the child’s condition further, Snape pulled out of his mind quickly, throwing the boy a questioning glance.

HP HARRY’S POV HP

“Are you having any problems, other than your current health condition, Mr. Potter?” he queried in a friendlier voice, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Probably,” Harry whispered anxiously, scrambling out of the bed in search for his robes. “I have to...”

“What do you think you’re doing out of bed?” the angered voice of the Mediwitch suddenly penetrated his ears, causing his face to pale immensely. “Do you remember what I told you what was going to happen if you set as much as a foot out of your bed, Harry?”

Harry cringed at her stern voice. “I’m sorry, Madam, but I wanted to show the Professor something,” he whispered frightened, hurriedly climbing back on his bed.

“I am sorry, too, Mr. Potter,” was the stern reply, before Madam Pomfrey cast a sticking charm that made his complete body stick to the bed. He could still move each of his limps but not raise them from the mattress. Even his head could only be moved to the side.

“I suggest that you take your leave, Severus. Mr. Potter is still too ill to have visitors,” Pomfrey told her colleague with a still angered expression, before she cast several diagnostic spells on the child and spelled three different potions into his system.

‘Thank God,’ Harry mused as he felt his body cool down a bit and his headache receded some. ‘The medicine they have here is brilliant.’

“What was it that you wanted to show me, Mr. Potter?” Snape queried as he stood up from the edge of the bed.

‘What was that?’ Harry mused, suddenly feeling warm and drowsy. “Oh right, I’m sorry, Professor, it was a letter from Hermione.”

The professor’s expression changed into one of a mixture of surprise and disgust, before he raised an eyebrow at the child and sneered, “And why would I be interested in a letter from one of your fawning fans, Mr. Potter?”

Before Harry could get out of his stupor the teacher’s expression had caused, Madam Pomfrey shooed the man out of the hospital wing, shouting, “Don’t use that tone with my patients, Severus.”

Harry sighed, closing his eyes in despair. ‘Oh no; what am I going to do now?’ he pondered. ‘When will he come to visit me again, if he comes back at all after his reaction when I mentioned Hermione’s letter?’

“Harry,” Pomfrey’s voice pulled him out of his reverie. “It’s still very early, and I suggest that I give you a light sleeping draught that’ll make you sleep for a few hours. If you feel well enough to get up for breakfast in the Great Hall, you may accompany me for a while and gather your Christmas presents from under the tree.”

“I’d like that,” Harry mumbled sleepily. “I don’t think I’ll need a sleeping draught,” he added, succumbing to the spell the Mediwitch had unobtrusively cast at him.

HP

When Harry woke up the next time it was already light; however, due to the lack of sunshine the room didn’t look as warm as the day before, and Harry couldn’t see through the window, which was completely covered with frost patterns. ‘Thank God she took the sticking charm off me,’ he mused, looking around the quiet hospital wing.

All of a sudden the Mediwitch strode into the room, followed by the Minerva Professor. ‘I really have to learn the teachers’ names,’ Harry thought, frantically searching his mind for the professor’s surname.

“How are you feeling, Harry?” she queried in a soft voice, sitting down on the edge of his bed, while Madam Pomfrey once more waved her wand over him.

“His fever came down half a degree, which means that it is still very high,” the Mediwitch told her colleague, who threw Harry a piercing look.

“I feel a bit better, thank you, Professor,” Harry replied in a small voice, pondering if he wanted to attend Christmas breakfast at all. ‘Maybe they let me try to do magic again and I get into trouble because I have no idea how to cast a spell,’ he mused.

“Are you feeling well enough to get up for a while?” the professor enquired, and hearing Harry’s faint ‘yes’, she transfigured his pyjamas into dark blue trousers with a green jumper, covered by green dress robes, causing the child to look down at himself in amazement.

Pomfrey and McGonagall slowly walked down to the Great Hall with Harry in their middle, exchanging unbelieving looks when the child automatically took the empty seat next to the Potions Master.