Air

Upon opening his eyes, Harry felt the welcoming air and noticed the gentle glow of candles piercing the darkness. Sitting up, he gazed at the full moon and let out a slight hiss of pain. He removed the medical cords from his body, stood up, and began to search for his clothes, finding the hospital gowns uncomfortable. Once dressed, he left the private room and was greeted by distant screams.

He recognized the screams as belonging to his two best friends. Harry ran towards the sound, leading him to the forest. His face lost color at the sight of a werewolf aiming at his friends.

"Hey, beard face!" he screamed.

Suddenly, the werewolf turned its eyes towards him and growled as it started to walk toward him. Harry knew he didn't have much time before it reached him. 

"Harry!" Hermione called. "What are you doing here?!"

"Saving your lives, why else!" He called back. "Go get help; I got him distracted!"

His friends rushed to get help, leaving him and what could be his demise. 

As Ron and Hermione sprinted towards the towering castle, the fading light cast a familiar shadow of their potion professor. His eyes widened with alarm as they approached.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape demanded, his voice both icy and filled with concern.

Ron gasped for air as he explained, "Werewolf... Harry... in the forest."

Snape's eyes widened with urgency as he swiftly ushered them inside before racing toward the dark forest. He knew time was of the essence, propelling him to run even faster.

"POTTER!" his voice reverberated with worry as he continued to call out for the boy.

"OVER HERE!" Harry's voice pierced through the night.

Relief washed over Snape as he reached Harry. "Oh, thank Merlin," he muttered before turning to the boy. "We're going to have a long talk about this later."

Harry exhaled deeply. "Yeah, I know, but it's coming right at us!"

Snape turned away with his wand ready, shoving the boy out of the werewolf's sight. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Then the werewolf froze and fell to the ground. Snape returned his attention to Harry, who was already turning pale. "Let's get you back to the medical wing before you pass out." 

Harry nodded and allowed the man to lead him back to the castle. They walked in comfortable silence, with Snape's hand resting on the boy's shoulder.

"I heard them screaming, so I had to come and save my friends," Harry finally spoke.

The man stopped walking and faced the boy. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" he asked.

The boy nodded. "I had no choice."

"You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't."

"This time," Snape added. "What if next time, you're not so lucky? Have you thought about that at all?"

The truth was, Harry hadn't considered that. "Professor, I know it was risky--"

"If you were killed, I'd be the one to bury you," the man admitted quietly. "I already had to watch them bury your mother. Don't make me bury you."

With that resonating in the boy's mind, Snape led him to the medical wing and made sure the boy had lain down for the night. 

"We'll talk more in the morning," the man said, sitting in the chair next to the boy. "Get some sleep." 

Harry, who was already comfortable in bed, turned to face him. "Night, professor," he mumbled before falling asleep. 

Snape stole a glance at the boy. "Goodnight, Potter," he whispered.

And if he stayed there all night, Madam Pomfrey didn't mention it. But she didn't mention the photos she took of the scene in front of her...just in case.