Having heard Harry scream from his bedroom where he was changing out of his teaching robes, Snape had immediately ran to the young Gryffindor’s aid. When he opened the door to his chambers a moment later, he had found Harry lying on the ground, still screaming and rolling about as though under the Cruciatus Curse with sharp glass lying on the ground nearby.

“Poppy!” Snape bellowed as he kicked the door to the hospital wing open. Cradled in his arms was the unconscious form of Harry.

He gently placed his adopted son on a cot and was about to bellow for the mediwitch once again when he heard her voice over his shoulder. It was as if his mere presence had activated her mediwitch programming.

“What happened, Severus?” Poppy questioned, even as her wand began scanning Harry up and down.

“I don’t know. I found him lying on the ground screaming as if being tortured.” He then drew in a slow breath. “I had to stun him in order to bring him here.”

Poppy made no indication that she had heard him before uttering, “My God, man” in response to her scans.

“What?” Severus asked, more concerned than before. It was rare for Poppy to react with such emotion.

“I . . . I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Dammit, Poppy! Tell me what’s wrong!”

Finally turning to face him, Poppy pointed towards her office. “Go wait in my office, Severus. I have to perform surgery immediately.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Severus’s heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t lose his son. He just couldn’t.

“Listen to me. Whatever this is, it requires emergency surgery. So I don’t have time to be arguing with you, Severus. Just go and wait in my office.” Poppy’s tone was cold as ice and brokered no room for argument. Also, the way she was fingering her wand, Snape figured she would likely stun him if he didn’t comply immediately. At his hesitation, she added, “Severus, you know resistance is futile, so don't even attempt it.”

With a brief nod and a final glance at Harry, Snape moved away from the cot towards the office.

“Take a calming draught while you’re in there. You know where they are,” Poppy called after him before curtaining off the bed and magically sealing it against intruders.

By Severus’s count, it took five hours thirteen minutes and three calming draughts later for Poppy to finish with Harry and make her way to her office where Snape was impatiently waiting. Snape almost envied the completely emotionless persona Poppy was able to wear when she played the part of the mediwitch. Normally, he could do the same thanks to his Occlumency, but this was Harry, his son.

“Severus, I did all I could, but . . .” Poppy swallowed. “The damage is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Something has intertwined so extensively with his spinal column that I can’t remove it without causing severe spinal damage. It has fully embedded itself in his nervous system. If I were to wake him now, Severus, he’d suffer. Therefore, I’m keeping him heavily sedated. This is only temporary, I’m hoping.”

“How is that even possible?” He had heard of spells causing severe spinal injuries, but whatever this was, it was almost otherworldly.

“I’m not sure,” she said, frowning in an almost resigned way.

“There must be something you can do, woman!” Snape snarled, jumping from his chair.

“Perhaps, Severus, but it relies solely on you finding what did this to him,” Poppy said before returning to her patient.