All This Time, You Were Missing From My Heart

Chapter Six

When Severus got back to the classroom, Neville had already blown up his cauldron. Most of the students had finished and had taken up talking about Harry. The Slytherins were snickering, saying things like they had in their third year. The Gryffindors were all worried about their golden boy.

"Longbottom! You're a seventh year! A third year could easily make a Numbness Potion! Are you really that incompetent, or are you making a special effort today?" Even Severus himself was surprised at the virulent words coming from his mouth. He knew he'd said some vicious things before, but never with such hostile disgust towards the bumbling Gryffindor.

Snape quickly gathered himself and returned to teaching mode. "Bottle your potions and set them on my desk. Longbottom, you will stay after to clean your mess."

***

Severus picked out the five best potions from the seventh year class and took them to Mme. Pomfrey. As he passed Harry's bed, he felt a pang of sadness. Potter was breathing shallowly, as if he'd trained his body to take smaller breaths because of his broken ribs. The mass of bruises stood out to Severus as he looked at the son of James.

He'd never seen such brutality done to a child by his family before. Somehow, seeing the Boy-Who-Lived battered and broken was far worse than and of the deaths, recent and old, he had witnessed as a Death Eater. For some reason, this struck his cold heart with such a wave of guilt and sadness, and anger for the ones who'd down this, that he felt the need to rid his stomach of all he'd eaten. He looked away quickly, fighting his stomach.

Madame Pomfrey hurried to him and took the phials of Numbness Potion from the Potions Master. As she was putting the concoctions away, Severus's eyes wandered back to Harry; to the scars adorning the wrists of the famous wizard. The flesh around them was yellow with faded bruises. He saw red as he thought of the horrible people who'd beaten such a beautiful creature.

'Ugh! Stop it, Severus! This is you student. The student you hate with a passion!'

Severus berated himself.

~Ah, but you know what they say. There's a thin line between love and hate! ~

His little voice had a singsong quality to it. Severus was about to argue back with it, but he remembered it would be futile. Unfortunately for Severus, his little voice was not only very annoying but was also usually right.

"Thank you, Severus. I have a feeling he might need a Dreamless Sleep Potion next time he needs to sleep. I'm not going to need it for a while, though; he'll sleep until he has most of his strength back, so there's not hurry," Poppy told him.

Severus gave her a curt nod, and left the Infirmary quickly, wanting to get away from the sight of the broken angel.

'ANGEL?! You're losing it, Snape,'

Severus mentally kicked himself.

~He is angel-like, though, isn't he? Poor thing. ~

Was it just him, or did his little voice sound like Molly Weasley and Minerva McGonagall?

"Well, I'm the only one hearing it, so it's prolly just me,'

Severus shook his head. 'I've really go to get out of the dungeons more.'

Severus was heading back to his office, when he remembered that he still needed to tell the Headmaster. Minutes later, he was sanding in front of the gargoyle.

"Mars Bars," Severus said, a bit of distaste lining the words, to the gargoyle. It jumped aside and he trekked up the stairs. When he reached the top, the door opened for him. When he looked inside, he groaned. Harry's godfather and the werewolf sat inside, talking to the Headmaster.

~Harry? Harry, and not Potter? ~

The little voice giggled. Severus told it to shut up.

"Ah, Severus! What can I do for you?" Albus smiled at the Potions Professor.

Severus sneered at the other two before speaking. "Potter fainted in my class. You..."

Black cut him off. "What's wrong with Harry?"

"Had you not cut me off, you would know that," Severus snarled at him.

Lupin and Albus sighed at the two's behaviour.

"Let's just go to the Hospital Wing and see for ourselves, Sirius," Lupin tugged at Black's sleeve before he could hit the spy.

Sirius Black scowled at Severus but changed into his animagus form and left Albus's office with the werewolf following.

***

Severus and Albus walked into the Infirmary just after the other two men. The ex-convict changed back into human and dropped next to his godson's bed with a gasp.

"Good Merlin," Remus's eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh, god Harry!" The animagus cried out.

Severus turned away, for he knew if he continued to look, he would have tears in his eyes as well. Madame Pomfrey came over to the four trying to hold back her own tears.

"How bad is he?" The former D.A.D.A. teacher asked the medi-witch.

"He had three broken ribs, his wrist was broken, and I healed all of the cuts on him. He's still severely malnutritioned," She replied. "He was also...he was...raped."

All of the men looked up at her in shock.

"R...raped?" Sirius asked, hoping he had heard her wrong. His hope vanished as she nodded.

"Oh, holy Merlin's ghost," Remus whispered. Severus had to agree.

End Chapter Six