Sickness
Severus woke the next morning to an orange menace sitting on his chest and staring at him with gold eyes. The half-kneazle’s needle-sharp claws kneading into his chest uncomfortably. “Get off, you great furry pumpkin,” he grumbled as he sat up. Wait, how did the cat even get here? Severus had left him at the cottage while Avyaan and he left to set up their new quarters, but when he went back, the orange monstrosity had gone missing. He had set up wards to alert him if the cat returned, but they had never been set off, so how did he get to Hogwarts? Well, at least he wouldn't have to tell Avyaan his ridiculously annoying cat had disappeared. Severus had been dreading that conversation.
Before he could investigate the matter further, Poppy came around the curtain and shooed the beast off his bed. “Severus! Good to see you up and cognizant. You have seemed rather out of sorts even after I brought you out of your healing sleep, but I can already tell you're more aware this morning.” She lit her wand in a silent Lumos and moved it slowly back and forth in front of his good eye. “Good, now let's remove your eye patch and take a look at your injury.”
Severus squinted in pain at the blinding light. The eye was already starting to regain its sight, but for right now all he could see was bright light and shifting shadows. Really he should be grateful. Not many school healers would be equipped to regrow ocular nerves and repair such delicate tissue matter. Even so, it would be years before it fully healed and he may never have full use of that eye again. Whatever that beast was, it had some kind of toxin in its claws that slowed the healing process and resisted magical interventions.
Avi and his friends might be on to something with their theory of the creature being a Skinwalker, but the wards should be able to keep such a monster from entering the school grounds, let alone the castle itself. He would have to look into it to make sure they were functioning properly. Poppy returned with strict instructions about the care of his injured eye and a list of potions he would need to brew to restock the hospital after the recent string of attacks. He would have to charm the patch to keep out fumes, but he should be able to brew just fine. He could even make the potion needed to continue the healing of his eye to lessen the cost to the school. He also was certain that with a little tweaking, he could improve the recipe and speed up his own healing.
“Oh, and Severus, there was a slight incident with your son a few days back that you should be aware of…”
***
Severus rushed to his quarters, pausing for just a moment in the hall to catch his breath. It was a good thing it was so early in the morning, or his snakes would be wondering if the attack had driven him mad. Taking a moment to recompose himself, Severus opened the door to his quarters. He entered his son’s room. Even in the dim light, he could see that the bed was empty, although the bedclothes were a mess as if he had tossed and turned all night before giving up.
Severus backed out of the room and turned to search for his missing child. Avyaan often had nightmares still about his time with the Dursleys. He didn’t usually leave his room when they happened, instead curling up into a tiny ball on the bed frozen in fear. It was hard for Severus to even know when they happened because aside from the initial scream Avi would do everything in his power to remain silent. Something that had been beaten into him over the years of living in that house. The back of his hands even had scars from the child biting down on his fist to stifle his cries. This time though, he was nowhere to be found.
Severus checked the sitting room, kitchen, study, and even the bathroom, but Avyaan was not in their quarters. He was just starting to panic when he heard a noise from down the hall. He opened the door to his bedroom to find Avi asleep, curled around his navy blanket. His black curls were thrown across his face in tangled disarray, and his long fingers clutched a corner of his blanket so he could snuggle his nose into the soft velvet. He was snoring softly, and one foot was twitching, reminding him of a puppy having a dream. Severus’ dark green comforter was rumpled and bunched at the end of the bed. Something was uncomfortably warm in his chest as he took in the sight.
Severus sat carefully on the edge of the bed and gently brushed his son’s curls back from his face but froze. Avyaan’s cheeks were flushed, and his skin was sweltering. Getting a closer look, he was also quite pale, and his breathing was wheezing slightly as he exhaled. Severus gently shook the boy’s shoulder to wake him, but he didn’t respond. Panicking, he shook harder, causing Avyaan to sit up with a start, only to fall back with a moan. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Severus asked, truly starting to panic.
Avi blinked up at his father blearily. “Dizzy,” he moaned, bringing a hand to his aching head. “Head h’rts. Why zit so cold, Daddy?” Frightened eyes filled with tears as they met Severus, “D-don’t let him find me, Daddy, please. I don’t wa’t to hurt no more.”
Severus pulled his son close and stroked his hair, “Shhhh. He can’t find you here I promise. Let's get you to Pomfrey.” He cradled Avyaan in his arms, alarmed at how much lighter he felt. Had he forgotten his nutrient potions while Severus was gone? They would have to have a talk about that later, among other things.
Avi was unconscious again by the time Severus made it back up all the stairs to the Hospital Wing. He placed him down on the nearest cot as he came in the door. “Oh, Severus! What has you back so soon? Did I miss something?” Pomfrey asked as she came out of her office, constantly alert to the sound of her door opening.
Severus shifted out of the way as she approached. “I found him in my quarters. He’s running a high fever, has a headache, and is delirious.”
“Any other symptoms I should be aware of?” snapping right into professional mode.
“When I first got word from the Goblins about having a son, they informed me that he was suffering from core sickness after an incident with his former ‘family.’ I have had him on a regimen of extra strength nutrient potions to help with the issue and with the chronic malnutrition he was suffering from severely when I took him in.” He shook his head, “It is quite clear from the look of him that he had been forgetting his potions in my absence.”
Poppy growled, “And I’m sure Ahron’s stunt didn’t help matters either. When I get a hold of that boy, I’m going to take him over my knee.”
“I’ll do more than that,” Severus muttered.
He watched with mounting concern as Poppy did scan after scan, her face darkening further after each one. “You said there was an incident with his last family? Try thirty! No child could sustain so many injuries from one mishap! Just look at his medical records!” She performed a complicated spell that produced a scroll of parchment that was at least four feet long. “Thirty-six broken bones by the age of seven! Not to mention the litany of abrasions and contusions. All his fingers had been shattered on multiple occasions!” She threw the parchment on the floor and pointed a finger at his chest. At this point, he was just grateful it wasn’t her wand. “Severus Tobias Snape! If I find out you knew about this and didn’t dispose of those monsters I will hang you by your toes in the dungeon!”
Snape held his hands up in surrender. “I already took care of it, Poppy. His aunt and uncle are both looking at 20 years in prison and if they get off light I will take matters in hand,” it was a promise he almost hoped he would get the chance to keep.
The matron nodded in agreement. A vindictive gleam in her eyes, before turning back to her patient. “Unfortunately, Ahron’s meddling seems to have caused a relapse in his recovery. I’m not surprised. Wixen afflicted with Core Sickness are unable to regulate their own body temperature. They need to keep warm throughout their recovery to supplement the heat that their magical core would normally create. Fillius never said how long the poor lad was in the frigid water cleaning the tank, but any amount of time would be detrimental.” She gave the potion master a stern look. “I would have known to check for signs if you had informed me of his condition at the start of the school term.”
Severus coughed and looked away to hide his discomfort, “I won’t let it happen again.”
Poppy patted his cheek in a motherly fashion. “It’s alright, now. I know you're new at all of this parenting malarky, and I’ll take good care of him. Now, head back to your quarters and rest. He should be better in a few days, and you’ll not help matters by running yourself into the ground, too.”
***
Avi woke in the hospital wing later that day. He groaned as he sat up, he still felt dizzy, but his headache was gone now. He didn’t remember much about last night, but he thought he had gone home after talking to Severus. How did he get back here?
“Oh! Hello, deary. Good to see you up and about! How are you feeling?” said Pomfrey as she came around the curtain with a tray of bottles.
“I feel a lot better than I did last night. What happened?” He took one of the bottles as she handed it to him. The smell as he uncorked it was familiar. Recognizing it as one of his father’s extra-strength nutrient potions, he downed it quickly and shivered in revolution at the taste.
The matron gave him a look, “You gave us all quite a scare, young man. I discharged Severus from the hospital wing, only for him to show right back up again with you unconscious in his arms! Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well when you were here?”
Avi ducked his head in embarrassment, “It seemed like just a little headache and a chill. Nothing a good night's rest wouldn’t fix.”
The healer shook her head. “Next time don’t hesitate to ask for help. Even if the problem seems small, I should have something to fix you right up. There is no need for you to suffer in silence, dear.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good boy,” she said as she patted his cheek, before handing him the last two bottles on the tray. “Now drink both of these up. The green one will help with the dizziness and weakness, and the red one will help with maintaining your body temperature.”
Avi followed as directed, grimacing at the odd sensation of steam coming out of his ears from the red potion. By the time he was done with that, the matron was back with a tray of food with his father right on her heels. He shrank back into his pillow as he took in the stern expression on his father’s face.
The lecture that followed was long and arduous. Avi was sentenced to two days of isolated bed rest to recover from a near magical core shutdown with NO BOOKS! Avi was almost in tears at the thought of going so long without his beloved books! He had worked so hard to be able to read those books, but he had to admit that he felt too tired and weak to even read a full chapter at the moment. Then came the lecture about “forgetting” to mention vital information about his encounter with Ahron and skipping potions. He did feel bad about that now, but he had explained that he had just been worried about putting unnecessary stress on his father while he was healing. He really had meant to tell him after he had been released.
Finally, he banned Avyaan from wandering the halls by himself any longer. This is apparently a rule for all Slytherin first years as well, as they tend to be targeted for bullying and are more likely to be treated less fairly in a confrontation due to the headmaster’s bias. Unlike the Slytherin first years who could travel in class packs, though, Avi now had an assigned chaperone. “Aria Jordan was well-liked by the rest of the student body, and her younger brother was known to be friends with the Weasley twins. Because she came from a family that was mostly Gryffindor and had friends in the house too, many forgot that he was actually a snake. Severus decided that she would be the best choice to blend in with Avi’s new friends and protect him from possible bullies. Lea Jordan was just as much of a prankster as the Weasley twins and was known for pranking people relentlessly when they hurt someone they cared about. Likewise, Aria was a snake well worth her fangs, who was not afraid to plot the downfall of anyone who harmed her brother. Some upper year Slytherins who tried to retaliate for a prank found that out the hard way.
Thankfully the lecture was interrupted by the hospital doors swinging open and a distressed Professor Markhart bursting in holding his stomach. Pomfrey rushed over to his side and helped the man over to an empty bed across from them. “What seems to be the problem, Professor?”
“My stomach! Ever since lunch- Bweeeaah! ”
Pomfrey deftly conjured a bucket before the man could spew all over the nice clean sheets. “Oh dear! Looks like an awful case of food poisoning. Don’t you worry, we’ll have you all fixed up in no time!” She turned to look at the resident Potions Master. “Oh, Severus. Could you whip up a batch of your bowel cleanser? I think it’s best if we flush the toxins out of his system as quickly as possible.”
Ahron looked at the healer alarmed. “Bowel cleanser?!” he squeaked.
“No worries, dear. Severus here brews a very potent batch that will have you cleaned right out. You’ll have a bit of a rough night, I’m afraid, but it’s all for the best,” she explained to the panicked professor as she patted his shoulder in comfort. “Avi, sweetheart, you can go home with your father tonight. I fear the hospital wing will be rather noisy this evening. But you are not to leave your bed for the next two days without your father’s supervision. Is that understood?”
Avi ducked his head to hide his giggles but nodded to show he understood.