The next morning Harry and Snape got an early start. By the time the students were seated in the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry and his professor were walking across the grounds to the gates. A clouded gray sky promised rain and as the chilliness of the morning sank into his skin, Harry was glad Snape had insisted he wore a jumper over his tee shirt.

Reaching the large iron gates, Harry waited for Snape to take down the wards before they passed through them. "Remember, stay close to me at all times," Snape said after resetting the wards.

"Yes, sir," Harry nodded. He had no wish to anger the Potions Master today. He was getting to go to Diagon Alley! No one had ever taken him shopping before unless it was for school supplies. Well, perhaps Aunt Petunia had when he was a baby and too young to leave at home or with a sitter, but he didn't remember that.

"Have you apparated before?" Snape asked stopping a few meters from the gates.

"No. Is that how we're getting to Diagon?" Harry wondered why they hadn't just flooed.

"Yes, you'll have to side-along with me, and to do so you must take my arm," Snape explained, holding up his arm for Harry to grab onto. "It will feel strange, so be prepared."

Harry gulped. Of all the forms of magical transportation he had experienced, he only liked flying. Every other form didn't agree with him. Taking a deep breath, Harry placed his hand onto Snape's arm, and in that instant it felt like he was being sucked through a tube, stretched out and squished together before being stretched out again until finally Harry felt his feet hit solid ground.

Strong arms wrapped around his torso as his knees buckled preventing him from falling flat on his face while at the same time his stomach rebelled leaving him no choice but to vomit at Snape's feet. The Potions Master cleared the mess away with a wave of his hand without a hint of anger.

"Better?" Snape asked, releasing Harry after a few moments passed.

"I think so," Harry said waiting for his mind to catch up with his body.

"Here," Snape passed Harry a bright blue filled phial.

"What is it?"

"Mouthwash. Try not to aim for my shoes this time," Snape said, his eyebrow quirking in amusement.

"Sorry, sir," Harry apologized, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

"There's no need to apologize. It's quite a common side effect when side-along apparating for the first time. Now, hurry up. We have many things to accomplish today."

Harry tipped the phial of mouthwash into his mouth, swishing the mint-flavored liquid around before spitting it out, well away from Snape's shoes. "Thank you, sir."

Snape gave him a nod. "Come, our first store is just around the corner."

He blinked. When had Snape transfigured his clothes to Muggle attire of black pants and a crisp white long-sleeved oxford and why? And how come it was so loud?

"Sir?" Harry questioned.

"You didn't think we could enter Diagon Alley looking ourselves, did you? Muggle London is much safer and has everything we need," Snape explained leading Harry out of the dingy alley.

"But you said we were going to Diagon?"

"One of those precautions I mentioned in case you had a vision last night."

"Oh." Harry found himself slightly disappointed. He was hoping to visit Gringotts to withdraw some money to buy a few things.

"Let me know if I need to slow down," Snape said as they turned the corner, mixing in with the crowd of a busy London street. Harry stayed a step behind his professor as they weaved in and out of people walking up the street to turn right at the intersection where a large department store stood.

Surprised, Harry followed Snape into the upscale department store. Snape couldn't shop here. Harry knew for a fact they didn't sell black robes like the Professor preferred.

"What size do you wear in Muggle clothes?" the Professor asked as they stopped in the entranceway, Snape turning around to look at Harry.

"Huh?" Harry asked even more surprised. Why was Snape asking him what size he wore? Harry didn't have money with him to buy clothes.

"Do you shop in the Mens or Boys section?" Snape tried again.

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted, not having a clue what size actually fit him. "I have enough clothes, sir."

"What do your pajamas or loungewear consist of?"

"Sweats and a tee shirt. I have money, sir. You don't need to buy me anything," Harry protested feeling uncomfortable. No one ever bought him anything except for his friends on holidays, and Harry was used to Dudley's hand-me-downs.

"My mother insisted," Snape said placing a hand on his shoulder. "She wishes you to be comfortable for your treatments, and I'd rather not deal with her displeasure. Think of it as an early birthday gift."

"I guess," Harry relented, "but only because I don't want to make your mother mad. She seemed nice."

Snape nodded. "Mens or Boys?"

"I really don't know," Harry shrugged, his hands balling up the sleeves of his jumper.

"Then we'll start in the Mens section," Snape decided, directing Harry to the Mens department by the pajamas.

He gasped at the prices listed on the clothes fixtures. While Harry didn't know much about what things cost in the Muggle world, the prices seemed higher than he'd ever pay. "Sir, but this is really expensive."

"Harry," Snape said directing his eyes to him rather than the price signs. "I knew what prices to expect when we walked into the store. Your job today is to not worry about what things cost, but to pick out what you like and will be comfortable in. Don't worry about the total, the Prince family is an old and noble family just like the Potters and Blacks."

"Okay, I'm just not used to this."

"That's fine. Now, we must address a few things before you start picking out things to try on. Remember what he discussed yesterday?" Snape asked.

Harry nodded. How could he forget?

"Good, then you'll remember where your Hickman line will be placed, and any clothing you pick out should accommodate that."

Harry pulled his arms around himself. He didn't want to think about that. The thought of having a line inserted in his chest still creeped him out. When would that happen? He assumed before his treatments started on Sunday, but Snape never told him the day it was going to happen.

"You'll get used to it," Snape promised. "Let's find a set you like first, and go try that on so we know if we're even in the right department." 

"Okay," Harry gulped. He spotted a matching navy blue silk pajama set and was immediately drawn to the table. The color was perfect to match his bedroom, and the fabric felt smooth against his skin. He picked up a medium and held it up, trying to gauge the size, but since it was folded and tied with a ribbon it was useless.

"Try a small," Snape suggested, offering him the bundled set in a small. They moved to the back of the department to the dressing room where an attendant opened up a room for Harry. "Try it on, and let me see."

Nodding, Harry entered the small dressing room where he toed off his trainers and started to undress. When he pulled his shirt over his head, Harry gasped at his own reflection in the full-length mirror. The majority of his lower ribs were visible. He looked worse than after a summer at the Dursleys.

"Are you all right?" Snape asked through the door.

"Fine, sir," Harry called back, his eyes fixed on the mirror. He brought his right index finger up to his right side slowly until he poked his rib. Jumping back, Harry was surprised at how hard his rib felt, like there was no fat between his rib bone and his skin. Quickly, he turned around having enough of the mirror for the day.

Instead, Harry pulled on the pajama bottoms and top before buttoning the top up and pulling the drawstring tight on the bottoms that refused to rest on his waist and kept slipping down. He kept one hand on the bottoms as he opened the door to show Snape.

"Too big," the Potions Master said upon looking him up and down before dropping his voice to a whisper. "However, if you wish to have a set made of silk, adjustments can be made once we return to Hogwarts." Snape fingered his wand in suggestion.

Liking how the fabric felt against his skin too much to not get the set, Harry nodded. "How will the line work?"

"The line will come out about here," Snape explained placing his hand on Harry's upper right chest. "Depending on what's more comfortable for you, you can either leave a button or two open and snake the Hickman out there or thread it between two buttons."

"Okay." It was going to take time getting used to having something sticking out of his clothes, and it was hard to imagine how it was going to work.

"Go change, and then we'll go to the Boys section. We'll have better luck there."

Harry shut the door and changed back into his clothes refusing to even glance at the mirror. After handing the navy pajamas to Snape, they perused the Mens section for a few minutes longer, enough time for Snape to make a few selections for himself.

"But sir, you really should get the red flannel bottoms," Harry suggested, pointing to a rack of flannel bottoms.  He was relaxed when it came to picking things out for someone other than himself. "Flannel is soft and keeps you warm."

"Do I ever wear red, Harry?" Snape asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no, but it doesn't mean you can't deviate from black," Harry said using an ounce of his Gryffindor courage.

"Go on," Snape gently pushed Harry forward, "to the Boys department for you."

-----

Hiding a pair of navy blue and green flannel pajama bottoms among his armload of clothing, Severus followed Harry out of the Mens department across the store and up an escalator to the Boys department.

The trip was going better than he thought it would. Severus expected to have to fight Harry over buying him clothes. He could tell the teen was embarrassed at first, but seemed to be warming up to the idea. It was important for Harry to have appropriate clothing for his treatments for accessibility to his Hickman and also for comfort. Plus, if the teen lost any more weight, which was likely, the clothes he already had wouldn't just be hanging off him, but would fall off completely.

"Sir?" Harry questioned looking to him for guidance on selecting a size. Severus couldn't believe that the boy had no idea what size he wore. Had the Muggles treated him that horribly to never take him shopping for new clothes?

"Pick out what you like in the largest size. Any smaller and the length will be too short," Severus told the teen.

Harry still looked puzzled as he scanned the racks.

"You have a question?"

"What other types of tops would work for the...you know?" Harry brushed a hand over the spot his Hickman would be placed.

"Anything that buttons or zips down, a Henley if there are enough buttons, tanks. Any of all of those would be appropriate," Severus suggested, shifting his armload of clothes to his right arm. Where was a salesperson to offer assistance? "You might also wish to pick out a robe. It can get chilly even in the summer months down in my quarters."

The teen wound through the racks picking up a variety of colors and styles until he had an armload himself while Severus discreetly picked up a few hats of varying styles and colors for later on before they headed to the nearest dressing room. Severus waited while Harry tried on his selections.

"Are you wishing to be resorted into Slytherin? It can be arranged," Severus asked with an eyebrow hitched when Harry opened the dressing room door dressed in green and black flannel bottoms, a black tank, and a black zip-up.

"Green was the only color left in this size," Harry insisted.

"The correct answer, Mr. Potter, would be that while Slytherin is an honorable House, it is unheard of for a student to be resorted after taking his O.W.L.S," Severus teased pulling up the hood of the zip-up to cover Harry's head. Smirking at the disbelief written across Harry's face, the Potions Master waved the boy back into the dressing room to try the next outfit after commenting they had found the right size. Sometimes it was just too easy to rattle Harry to not take advantage of the opportunity though what possessed him to tease the boy, he had no idea. Severus didn't tease. He scolded and rarely complimented, but never teased.

A half-hour later Harry was armed with a bundle of clothes that came out to seven sets of pajamas, two extra packs of tank tops, and a navy robe with matching slippers. Struggling with their armloads, Severus was happier than ever to spot a wandering saleswoman as they left the Boys department.

"Miss?" Severus called out to the middle-aged woman who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there.

"What can I do for you today?" the woman said, sounding like it was a phrase she was forced to repeat to every customer she came in contact with.

"Is there a place we can set our purchases down so we can continue our shopping?" Severus asked hating the Muggle version of customer service. It was so much easier in the wizarding world where everything could be shrunk or levitated over to the counter.

"Yes, you can place your items at any of the counters while you continue shopping. The nearest one is to your left in the Girls department," the woman said before taking off.

Severus growled, but followed the woman's instructions. He dropped off his armload with a friendlier saleslady before helping Harry to lug his armload on top of the high counter.

"Sir, what else do we need here?" Harry asked once his arms were free.

"A few things for your room and my quarters," Severus answered directing Harry towards the linens.

"But Professor, you've already done enough, really. I don't need anything else," the teen protested, stopping in the middle of the aisle.

"Harry," Severus said, turning to face the teen, "you need more than one set of sheets for your bed. It's also your room, and as such it should have personal touches picked out by you. Now, come and as I said before your job is to pick out things, not worry about the prices today."

The teen nodded, reluctantly following him to the linens section with a yawn. Severus checked his Muggle wristwatch he wore when he went out into the Muggle world. They had left Hogwarts three and a half hours ago making it four and a half hours since Harry woke up. The Potions Master hadn't realized how long they'd been gone. No wonder the boy was tired. Even without taking into account Harry's leukemia, the teen still suffered from magical core depletion.

"Sit," Severus directed Harry to one of the bed displays, not caring that they weren't for sitting. It was likely a salesperson wouldn't even come by anyway. "It shouldn't take much longer. We'll stop for a bite to eat after we're finished here, and there's just one other place we need to visit before returning."

There was more than one place they needed to visit, but a trip for groceries could wait until that evening or the next day. Worse cast scenario, Severus could send a house-elf to the store for him.

"Okay," Harry agreed sinking into the many pillows the store had used for the display.

Severus walked down the aisles picking out sheet sets to match Harry's room, the whole time making sure he could see the boy out of the corner of his eye. With a stack of the highest quality linens, the Potions Master returned to the display to find Harry with his eyes closed, his breathing deepened in sleep.

"Harry," he gently shook the boy's shoulder after setting his stack of sheet sheets down. Harry jerked awake, bolting upright into a sitting position.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"I know. There's no need to apologize," Severus motioned to the stack, "Which ones do you like?"

"Pale greens and blues," Harry said, peering at the stack, but not going through it.

Severus sighed softly refusing to lose his patience. It wasn't the boy's fault he was exhausted.

"Which material do you prefer? Egyptian cotton or silk?" Severus asked trying to get the task over with as quick as possible.

"Doesn't matter," Harry commented, his eyes drooping shut once again.

Severus set aside four sets, a pale blue and a pale green in both Egyptian cotton and silk. Then, the Potions Master strode through the rest of the department picking up a couple throw blankets to use around his quarters and a pale green silk coverlet and down comforter for Harry's room. He returned to the display waking Harry again before they walked back to the Girls department to pay for their purchases.

Once outside the department store, Severus led Harry into an alley so he could shrink their purchases before they found a small café to eat a light lunch of soup and salad. Allowing Harry to doze off while waiting for their meal to be served gave the teen just enough energy to accomplish their last errand of the day, a stop at a Muggle pharmacy.

Severus grabbed a basket as they walked into the small pharmacy. He and Harry walked or shuffled in Harry's case to the back of the store to the pharmacy counter where Severus pulled out a stack of prescriptions Miss Adamson had flooed down that morning for Severus to fill along with a list of over-the-counter medications Harry might need.

"Are those all for me?" Harry asked, dread lacing his voice.

"You may not need to take all of them," Severus explained in a whisper. "I told the specialist we were going out today, and she wrote them all just in case so we won't need to make a special trip."

"Okay," Harry looked up at him, fear in his eyes at the reminder of what was to begin soon.

"Harry," Severus said squeezing the boy's arm. "It's going to be all right."

The teen nodded, but Severus knew he didn't believe the Potions Masters' words. Throwing caution to the wind, Severus shoved the prescriptions back into his pocket before pulling the teen into an awkward hug.

"It'll be all right," Severus repeated to the boy who came no higher than his shoulder. He gave Harry a moment to soak in the awkward comfort, and then released him to turn back to the pharmacy counter to submit the prescriptions to be filled.

While they waited, Severus gathered the over-the-counter medications and supplies into his basket, leaving Harry to sit on the bench by the pharmacy counter, not wishing to drag the boy needlessly around the small shop.

When Harry's name was called, Severus returned to the counter to pick up Harry's prescriptions and to pay the bill. The pharmacist bagged up their purchases along with the prescriptions. "I wish you luck with your son," she said as she passed the bags to Severus.

Severus blinked. His son? The boy looked nothing like him. He was all Potter.

"Thank you," he forced out, turning to leave, too unsettled to correct her. He supposed he and Harry looked like father and son to an outsider just by the errands they were completing, but it was so unexpected. He hadn't prepared for that assumption.

"Sir?" Harry interrupted his train of thought as they stepped out onto the busy street. "Do we have to apparate back?"

"Yes, it's too risky to enter The Leaky Cauldron to use their floo," Severus said, nudging Harry to follow him into an alley. With a flick of his wand his clothes were transfigured back to his normal robes giving him plenty of room to stash the bags from the pharmacy that couldn't be shrunk because of the medications. "Come closer."

Harry stepped in front of him shuddering from the thought of apparating again. Vowing to shield Harry from the force of apparition better this time, Severus wrapped his arms around the boy before apparating them back to the gates of Hogwarts where Harry landed firmly on his feet and able to keep down his lunch.