Family Problems
That same night Harry waited patiently in the living room with his essay and other finished assignments from the week that he had received as homework. He realized that perhaps it was true what his father wanted to convey to him and although he was not completely satisfied by the situation , Harry understood that what his dad wanted was his safety . He deeply regretted telling him that he didn't love him and how horrible he had been to him. At the end of the day he gave him shelter, food, books of the best quality and love .
Severus opened the door and what he least expected to find was a Harry running up to him to give him a hug . His heart melted and he lifted him around his waist to give him many kisses. He knew all was forgiven. He allowed himself to relax and smile as he dipped his face into the boy's neck .
" I'm really sorry "
"Shh, it's okay don't say anything."
" I..."
"No words are necessary, I really understand."
Severus carried him around his waist as he tried not to get tangled in the oxygen cannula and finally sat down on the plush couch next to Harry.
" I missed you."
"Me too, lion. It was a heavy day with all the new ones running around."
"I hope you didn't scold them too much. Besides, I did the week's homework and the essay like you said."
"I'm very happy about it. You'll be able to take the weekend easier. Talk to Granger and Weasley. They'll be able to talk over the weekend in plenty of time so you can tell your friends what happened."
"Forgive me again. I didn't mean to mess up and I also didn't mean for you to be disappointed in me or my attitude. I really did."
" Oh Harry, I... I said things without thinking. I really said things I shouldn't have."
" I understand. " Harry sighed as he felt Severus press kisses to his forehead, that was warmth.
"I'm bored, Dad" He said stifling a few chuckles in the black scented robe.
"Would you help me grade some first year quizzes?"
" Dad! That's not exactly what I wanted to do, maybe a game of chess?"
"Whatever you want, but after I grade the exams. I need to get the grades ahead of time to turn them in."
" Deal."
Harry got up and settled at the table as he watched his father pull out the tower of papers and set them down for grading.
Weekend:
Severus bent down to arrange the scarf more snugly towards Harry's face. He had sent an owl to Granger and Weasley so that they could meet in the clearing of the forbidden forest without the indiscretion of gossiping students all over Hogwarts.
"Dad, it's not even winter and you're already planning to take my nose off . It's too tight."
" It's cold Harry , it's autumn . "
" But I'm not that cold . And enough with the two jackets , hat , gloves and sweatshirt I'm wearing !"
" I don't want you to get sick ."
"Okay, can we go now?"
" Do you have your inhalers?"
"Yes daddy"
"Do you have your bracelet?"
"Dad!"
"Just checking."
After this, Severus ruffled Harry's hair and smiled at him. The two of them left the rooms when all the students were sleeping peacefully with a disillusionment spell...on a Sunday morning. It was early and he knew that maybe Ron wouldn't be too happy about them seeing each other at 7am , but...well, it was the free hour they had available.
Severus made sure to go after Harry with the oxygen concentrator when as little noise as possible, almost as imperceptible as a ghost, because after all it was very early and he didn't want peeping toms in the corridors, although the activity itself was already risky.
When they reached the clearing, two boys were there and of course one of them was Ron complaining about the cold and how he could be sleeping late on a weekend, obviously the other was Hermione, nudging him and telling him that there might not be many opportunities to be able to enjoy a space with privacy, along with a reprimand of laziness.
"Guys!"
"Harry!" The three boys hugged each other as Severus held his implacable Potions professor face glaring at them with disdain.
"I...I'm left over here. I'll be hovering nearby. If you need anything you can turn a handle."
"Yes, sir."
Severus just nodded and went on his way which was split between being close by in case something happened and being far away because he already knew the sort of thing the trio would come up with.
"So it almost killed us, but it didn't really?"
"Ron you guys got really lucky this time, you're like a trouble magnet."
"Easy Mione, it's not like the punishment wasn't enough."
"You could have been killed or worse, expelled from school. You know that after that no magic school would accept us, what's more, we would have to do home schooling which I don't think we can afford."
"I'm sorry Hermione, I'm sorry, but it was all so..."
"So what? Ron. We have to be more careful."
"Let's change the subject Hermione, enough with the howler my mum sent me this week, what a horror, I made a laughing stock in front of everyone"
"It was hilarious Harry, you would have seen his face"
The trio laughed for an extended five minutes as Hermione recounted in detail what had happened, it was something...unforgettable to see Ron's face and his mum's scolding.
After meeting they talked for a long time about their class schedules, the teachers, Ron's family and Fred and George's antics, Hermione's parents and their new brand of dentistry that was starting to make a name for itself in the UK.
"Harry we brought gobstones do you want to play some?" Hermione said as she stretched out on the grass.
"Sorry guys, Snape has forbidden me to play that."
"What, why, is that a new punishment?" said Ron with a worried look on his face as he put the gobstones back in a small box.
"No Ron it's just, I think it's the smell. We played once last summer and the smell gave me an asthma attack. It wasn't pleasant."
"Sorry mate."
"Oh Harry, I didn't really know though I brought a magic chess set for us to play a little bit"
"That's fine, but only for an hour because I have to go organize my room and next week's notebooks."
"Oh, that's fine Harry"
Everyone settled down on the grass as they organised the game pieces and a pleasant sunshine fell on them.
Snape's rooms
"Harry, would you like some tea?"
"No, I'm not really hungry. I just want to get some sleep, I'm very tired."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, it's just...I get tired of breathing. But it's sometimes, just sometimes."
"Hey, hey."
Severus took three steps and was leaning next to Harry watching him closely, noticing a bit of difficulty breathing.
"I think a treatment while you sleep would be nice, don't you?"
Harry just nodded as he mopped his eyes and walked up the stairs with a slow pace. Severus picked him up and carried him on his waist all the way up.
After that they lay down on the bed and Snape set a nebuliser treatment to work on Harry as he drifted into a deep sleep.
Quickly Severus took his tea with painkiller and dozed beside Harry for the rest of the morning. He would have to make the most of these moments, the following weekends would not be the same.
"Master Snape," said Winky whispering briefly in Snape's ear. Winky thought he had positively overdropped the painkiller in Master Snape's tea.
"Still not awake, Winky?" said Harry as he munched on a chocolate biscuit in the doorway of his room.
"I think that was a bit too much of a dose for Master McGonagall to give Master Snape, Master Potter" Winky was visibly worried, she was already thinking about being kicked out of Hogwarts.
"Let him sleep it off Winky, he deserves a break from everything he's been through, do you want to help me select my notebooks for each subject?"
"Are you sure, Master Potter?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Let's go."
"All right, Master Potter."
For the rest of the half day, Harry was left decorating his notebooks, placing motion stickers, picking out coloured quills to carry in his pencil case and briefly getting ahead of the subjects that had passed. However, he sighed at the thought that on Monday and Tuesday he would still have to get ahead of the assignments and subjects they saw, fortunately Ron was in almost all of them and he could look at his notebooks to try and decipher what they had seen in class.
At 2pm sharp Snape woke up falling out of Harry's bed and very sleepy. Harry was eating a banana quietly at the table while selecting some stickers for his books when he saw his dad coming down the stairs. He did indeed laugh.
"I think I've slept for about 300 years."
"What an exaggeration, Dad, it was only four hours."
"Merlin's beard! I had to keep an eye on you, I'm sorry...I..."
"Don't worry, Winky woke me up to take my meds and to eat lunch."
"Uff, yeah eat, eat. Winky!"
"Master Snape" Winky appeared in front of them snapping towards the table to find lunch for Severus.
"Thank you very much Winky."
"You don't have to remember sir."
"No problem. Winky, has Potter taken all his medications today?"
"Yes sir, it should be noted that Madam Pomprey left as a message that she would like to see young Potter on Wednesday when he resumes classes to do a reformulation of his medication."
"Thank you very much Winky, you are dismissed."
"As you command."
"Do you think I'll take the injections again?"
"Harry, don't worry about that just yet, do you?"
"It's alright, you know... I've already packed my stuff for class next week."
"Take it easy, lion."
"But you said that..."
"Harry, take life a second slower, every day with its eagerness. Keep picking out those stickers, Tuesday will be here. For the time being you can read the first chapter and all your subjects, I would think the topics for everything are there and you won't have to fast forward much."
"I already have, as a matter of fact."
"Well, I would expect no less" Severus winked at Harry as the boy lay on the couch choosing which drawing was best to put in his Potions book.
Honestly, Severus secretly loved the comforting moments at home and all things homely. By the way, the chicken was really delicious...
Sunday afternoon
"Hey Harry, wake up a bit" Severus moved the boy who had fallen asleep among the sticker cut-outs.
"Mmmmphmm"
"Hey mate, it's daddy. It's time for your meds"
"I don't want to."
Severus laughed for a second as he watched the drool fall on the cushion and sat a sleepy Harry against his lap. He took the ipratropium and formoterol and let Harry breathe in the soft mist through the spacer, while Winky set the table for dinner.
"Master Snape, will you be wanting a glass of wine tonight?"
"No Winky, a smooth cocktail would be fine."
"Perfect Master Snape."
Severus spelt cetirizine syrup into the boy's stomach and thought that perhaps it had been a mistake as he hadn't eaten anything between lunch and dinner and now it would be impossible to wake him up.
"Hey Harry, come on, wake up. Winky made turkey sandwiches for dinner. I know you love them."
"Very tasty!"
"Yeah, and I'll eat them by myself if you don't wake up."
Harry opened one eye and looked at Severus questioningly.}
"I don't like blackmail," Severus laughed as he messed up his hair and they stood up to eat.
Harry stretched a little and thought he wasn't done with 1000 line essay yet. Severus would ask him soon, but... for the moment he would enjoy the sandwich, tomorrow he would finish it.
After all, home sweet home.