"Here's the thing," Wilcox started, tapping his chin as he spoke, "Proximity is key. Stretch the bond too far and it will snap, rendering the bond-mates mentally damaged-" He ignored Snape's horrified expression. "- but bring them together and the bond solidifies, melding their magical cores into one."

"And that's bad?" Pomfrey asked, a hand laid over her heart.

"It can be. It might not be. That is hardly the point," Wilcox said.

"It would seem to be a rather important point," Snape said. His black eyes became beady slits when he added softly, "How do you intend to fix my son, Mr. Wilcox?"

"It is possible for the bond to fade on its own given enough time. Though, I doubt that will happen in this case. The bond was unofficial, no ritual was followed and the bond-mates didn't volunteer. That puts us on shaky ground. I've never attended a bonding this dangerous. The connection of two minds is a delicate thing. One wrong step on our part and they might both be damaged beyond repair. We must be patient. I will need to wait at least several hours to see how the connection progresses. If it remains steady then we have some breathing room to find a solution. If not...well, we'll stupefy that boggart when it jumps at us."

Snape drew in a breath, hissing between his teeth, and turned his attention away from the bald man - whom he would have liked very much to hex - and back to Harry. The boy was on the couch, a maroon and gold blanket covering his still form. Hazy green eyes watched the ceiling, blinking rarely, as his mouth formed a single word over and over. Snape had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"Do what you must do," the headmaster said finally, not moving from his spot next to the boy.

Wilcox studied the man's bowed head. "I must consult with Hagrid momentarily. It will be important to monitor both bond-mates. M'lady, if you could accompany me, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," Pomfrey said.

Snape didn't look up as the floo burst to life. He kept his gaze focused on Harry. Young, idiotic, brave Harry. If he had been capable of crying, a single tear might have slipped down the Slytherin's cheek at that moment, but his time as a Death Eater had cured him of that weakness. The idea that the boy might never awaken from his state was almost more than Snape could bear.

Pulling Harry into a sitting position, Snape sat and drew the boy to his chest. "It's going to be alright. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

There was no way to tell if the words were reaching Harry.

-

In the recesses of his unconscious mind, Harry heard Snape's voice calling out to him. For a moment, it lessened the all encompassing need to find Fluffy.

"Dad?" He called out into the darkness.

-

A finger twitched. Snape drew himself up from the half-stupor he had fallen into. He watched Harry's hand, but it didn't move again. The boy's blank expression was unchanged, but there had been a twitch, Severus was certain of it. Reassured by the single movement, he let out a steadying breath, the edges of his mouth bending upward.

Belatedly, the headmaster realized that the students probably deserved an explanation to the days chaotic events. No doubt rumors were already spreading about the events at the front entrance. Summoning a quill and parchment, Snape wrote a series of instructions for the other teachers, listing McGonagall as the interim headmaster until Harry was out of danger. He sent it off with a flick of his wand and it darted up the fireplace.

-

It was several hours later when Harry slipped out of the potion induced calm and back into full awareness. He felt something warm against his back and he looked around, instantly recognizing his father's black robes. Chin resting on his chest, the headmaster had fallen asleep at some point. Harry felt a heavy blanket of guilt settle over him.

Inching carefully away from the man, Harry slowly worked his way off the couch. An insatiable need to find Hagrid's Cerberus propelled him forward. Clearly his father didn't want him to go to the creature so Harry needed to make sure the former spy didn't wake up. It felt like forever before Harry was able to get out of the room, but to his relief Snape had not been awakened. Turning, the boy ran away from the headmaster's quarters, magic guiding him to Fluffy.

It wasn't as scary now, the fuzziness in his brain and the overwhelming need to be next to the Cerberus. With each step he took his fears were replaced with a warm acceptance of whatever strange magic had taken him over.

-

Snape snorted, head jerking up. Something was wrong. He glanced down at Harry and found only empty space at his side. He stood and quickly checked the other rooms. The boy was gone. Ice cold horror bubbled up in his chest, but he ignored it. He firecalled the infirmary and Pomfrey answered.

"Have you seen, Harry? He's missing from my quarters," the headmaster said, trying to hide his festering terror.

"No, I haven't," the mediwitch answered, concern furrowing her brow.

"He'll be with the Cerberus, then," Wilcox said, his face hovering into view. "Hagrid's keeping it at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"What?!" Snape ended the call abruptly and hurried out of his rooms.

The last things thing he needed was a confused and mentally influenced Harry wandering lost in the forest. Unbidden scenarios started playing through his head. Harry being carried off in the maw of an Acromantula or stampeded to death by a herd of Centaurs was enough to send him practically flying down the corridors. Luckily, the students had returned to their classes so there was no one to noticed his undignified sprint except the spirits and Filch.

Pomfrey and Wilcox met him in the castle square and together the trio ran down the stone steps toward Hagrid's hut. By this point all three adults were huffing and puffing, propelled along through adrenaline alone. They finally reached the edge of the forest and a few yards in saw Hagrid staring down at something, unmoving.

"Harry," Snape asked between gasps, moving forward. "Where's Harry?"

Hagrid turned and put a shushing finger to his beard. Just beyond the half-giant was a sleeping Fluffy with Harry curled up against its chest. They were both fast asleep. Snape froze in shock. Here he had been expecting the worst possible outcome when his son was safely locked in the furry embrace of a Cerberus. Two humongous paws hugged Harry while two heads lay on either side of him, the third propped up on the boy's head. A line of drool was dripping steadily down on the sleeping boy's shoulder. Soft huffs of contentment came from all three dog heads while Harry snored gently. It was the cutest bloody thing Severus had ever witnessed. It made him shudder even as relief flooded his system.

"Well, I guess that wasn't so bad," Wilcox spoke up finally. "Unfortunately, it only takes moments for a bond to solidify so they are, essentially, magically linked. Fortunately, there doesn't appear to be any ill effects. I will, of course, need to take a few scans to confirm, but it is my professional opinion that the Cerberus be legally acknowledged as the boy's familiar and they be allowed to continue growing their connection."

"But I thought it was dangerous," Pomfrey said.

"I said it could be. There is never any telling with unplanned bondings how things will proceed, but the danger is definitely over now. Let them sleep, they deserve the rest."

"And then?" Snape asked. "How will this bond affect Harry magically and physically?"

"He'll have greater stamina, the bond will feed him energy from the creature should he need it, and once the bond is settled they will not be required to be in close proximity. That takes roughly three days and in that time they should not be separated by more than a room." Even as he spoke, Wilcox perfomed a series of magical exams which all glowed a healthy gold in the air. Satisfied, he sheathed his wand. "They seem to be in good health. Everything is normal, but they will need that rest period." 

Pomfrey nodded in understanding. "Three days in the infirmary will do him good. I'll make sure they are uninterrupted."

Wilcox clapped his hands together; the sound echoed in the forest and both the boy and dog shifted, but didn't wake up.

"I'll be off then. If you have any further questions my floo is always open," the bald man said cheerfully. "Now, good day, sirs, M'lady." He bowed to Pomfrey and then straightened. He disappeared with a loud pop, disapparating from the forest.

"He's a character, 'at one," Hagrid said with a shake of his head.

"Agreed," Snape said dryly. "Now, the question is how to get them both to the infirmary. I suppose we could wake them."

"Wouldn't recommend it. Fluffy's not in the best of moods today." Hagrid turned his arm so they could see a pink soaked bandage on his left forearm.

"Mobilicorpus, it is," Snape said. "This should be interesting."

It must have looked quite comical for anyone watching, the headmaster levitating a dog roughly the size of a small car that still held Harry in immobile paws. The walk to the infirmary was a long one, but made without incident.

-

"But I'm fine now. Fluffy can come with me to class. I've already been up here for two days and it's boring," Harry said.

Severus held up a hand for silence. "I'll not have any of your whinging, Harry. You gave us all quite a scare and while I know it wasn't technically your fault this time, I can assure you that my peace of mind is dependent on you and your new familiar staying in the infirmary for one more day."

Harry leaned back against the stack of pillows, hands crossing over his chest. "Well, why can't I just go to your rooms? You said I could always go there and Fluffy won't cause any trouble. Will you, boy?"

The Cerberus barked in response from where he lay on the next bed, furry limbs flopping over the sides, one head resting on the side-table.

"Fine. I guess that is permissible. After all, we'll need to get used to the great lout-" Fluffy growled while Harry made a sound of discontent. "-wandering around our rooms," Snape conceded.

"Yes!" Harry pumped a fist in the air. Fluffy watched, one head turning sideways in confusion. "We're getting out of here, Boy."

At this the dog leaped to his feet and started jumping up and down in excitement, the force rocking the infirmary floor.

"Merlin save us," Snape said in despair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Come along, Harry....and...Fluffy."

The boy followed his father, the dog less than a step behind him, heads crowding around the boy's shoulders. They were headed home.