Anything beyond the most basic of comforts would have to wait, Severus decided as he carefully clambered to his feet, lifting the boy with him. The child was freezing, and his ankle looked alarmingly swollen. So much so, in fact, that for the moment, Severus decided to forego the Hospital Wing and instead took Harry to his own chambers in the dungeons, only a few corridors away.

Harry said nothing during the short trip, simply clinging to Severus's robes and sniffling every once in a while. Chancing a glance or two downward, he could tell the boy was still crying. The spreading dampness on his robes, for one, was a dead giveaway. He said nothing, however, letting his new ward compose himself as best as he could.

Finally, he reached his chambers, where unfortunately, arrangements had not yet been made for Harry. Still, the sofa was free, and he set the child down, gently prying him off his chest and wrapping him in the thickest blanket he owned. He did nothing for the ankle, knowing that he couldn't really heal it, and knowing that Poppy would be more than willing to come down to the dungeons and do it for him. In fact...Severus mused and then Floo-called the Hospital Wing.

"Poppy?" he called softly. She was there at once, kneeling and peering into the fireplace.

"Did you find him?" she asked, her eyes red-rimmed and her voice suspiciously raw.

"I did," he said, moving slightly to one side so she could see the huddled shape on the couch. "But his ankle still needs tending-even more so now. Could you?"

"Of course," she nodded. "Give me a few moments to gather my things." With that, the Floo call terminated and Severus moved to sit beside Harry, careful not to jar the bruised and painful-looking ankle. Harry latched back onto him with startling strength, fingers digging into his ribs.

"Harry, it's all right now," he said, as gently as he could. "I'm here, okay? It's all right."

The child looked up at him with startlingly green eyes, swimming in tears, and nodded, but didn't relinquish his grip. Not even when Poppy came through and tended properly to the much abused ankle, did Harry let go.

Severus didn't know what to think.

Blue felt like the biggest baby in the world (mixed with an enormous dose of awkwardness at being thought a boy), but she had to admit, she'd never felt safer, tucked against the Potions Master like this. Madam Pomfrey had come in and fixed her ankle, leaving it slightly sore but much more manageable, bandaging it up with a swift, sure hand, and tucking the blanket even more securely around her. No one had said a word to her about their panicked flight earlier, and she'd begun to believe that perhaps it wouldn't be brought up at all.

Of course, such dreams were meant to be broken.

"Harry?" Madam Pomfrey asked, conjuring a chair and sitting in front of her. She looked concerned, but determined. "I'd like you to tell me why you ran earlier. If you can," she amended with a glance at Professor Snape that Blue couldn't quite understand.

"I don't know," she whispered, staring down at her hands, hidden beneath the thick wool. The blanket was a muted green colour she found quite pretty. "Something you said."

"I'm very sorry that I scared you like that, Harry," the mediwitch said. Blue regarded her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I didn't mean to. Can you try, next time, to tell me that something's wrong instead of running off? We were all very worried about you, and it must have been very scary for you, getting lost on top of everything else."

"I'll try, ma'am," Blue whispered. Her breath hitched in her lungs, a sure sign the panic was beginning to return, fluttering around the edges of her mind like the delicate brush of butterfly wings.

"Thank you, Harry," Madam Pomfrey said, patting Blue's shoulder briskly and ignoring the automatic cringe. "Well, Severus, I need to return to the Hospital Wing if there's nothing else."

"Yes, it's fine," Snape nodded. Despite her earlier clinginess, Blue felt a momentary stab of terror. Being left with Snape? Alone?

If he acts like an arse, I'll deck him, her twin reassured her, and she had to stifle an attack of the giggles, lest Snape think she'd gone round the bend. As it was, a muffled snort escaped and she could feel his eyes on her.

"Well, Harry," Severus said when the silence had gone on just that much too long. "I thought you'd like to know that I spoke with the Dursleys today."

Sheer terror flooded her senses. Blue stared up at him dumbly, trying to break the fear-borne paralysis, and having not the slightest bit of luck.

"They signed over your guardianship to me, and Vernon and Petunia were arrested," he continued. Her jaw dropped open and she felt so dizzy, she had to lean back against the comfortingly plush corner of the sofa.

"What?" she managed to say, her voice so weak, it was amazing that he even heard it.

"The Dursleys are now in Ministry custody," he confirmed. "They'll never be able to hurt you again."

In retrospect, he should have expected the tears that followed.