jharad17 - Whelp

"The squid! Well, no wonder, then." She spelled infirmary pajamas onto Harry, but as small as he was, he was swamped by them. Shrinking them down to fit him, she said, "I'd rather not wake him, to dose him. That shoulder's going to be painful as it heals, and he'll need a good bit of rest."

"Very well." Severus slid in behind Harry on the bed, and eased the boy up, so his back was against Severus' chest. This way, Poppy could feed him various potions with his help in making the boy swallow.

"You know, Severus," Poppy said conversationally, once she put the third empty potion bottle down and started rebandaging the boy's hand. "I'd like a day to go by in which Harry didn't end up in the infirmary."

Severus felt his own face burning. He obviously wasn't keeping as close an eye on Harry as he should be. "He has a knack," he said quietly.

"Mm." Poppy was just about done when Draco entered, with Nelli at his side. The boy was still sniffling, and Severus sent him a Look, which at least made him stand straighter.

"Is he . . . will Harry be okay, Uncle Sev?"

"This time." He nodded at a chair nearby. "Sit. And tell me what happened."

Draco sidled onto the chair, and sat stiffly, his hands folded properly on his lap. "Hagrid told us about the squid, and we wanted to see it, but we couldn't, not from the shore . . . so we decided to fly our brooms over—"

"What!!?" Draco flinched back in his chair, and even in his sleep, Harry twitched at Severus' shout. Severus gritted his teeth, and his voice was much softer, but far more menacing, when he continued. "You did what?"

"W-we flew our b-b-brooms over the lake, t-to see the s-squid. I . . . we didn't know it would come up like that!"

"Like what?" Severus felt like a parrot, but it was all he could do not to shake the boy. Instead, his arms tightened around his son.

"It just zoomed up and grabbed Harry out of the air. His broom . . . I didn't even see where it went. He was being squished tighter and tighter, and I tried to fly in and get him, but then there was this bright flash of light and the squid just . . . blew up. There were bits of tentacle everywhere, and Harry fell into the lake." Draco took a deep breath, his gaze on Harry. Tears poured down his cheeks. "I couldn't see him. I looked all over, but I couldn't find him. So I ran to find you, Uncle Sev. I never meant for him to get hurt!"

Severus exchanged a glance with Poppy, and she lifted her eyebrows. He knew what she was thinking, that Harry had blown up the squid. He already knew the boy was powerful, but this was the first instance of him using offensive magic. He would need to be reined in, or at the very least, taught some control.

Letting out a deep sigh, Severus pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's head, then rested his cheek on the still wet mane of hair. So much turmoil in this little boy's life. What were they thinking, to ride brooms over the lake? He thought the boy was afraid of deep water.

He peered at Draco. "Whose bright idea was it to take the brooms out?"

Draco bit his lip and looked away, which was as much answer as he needed, though he'd still like for the boy to tell him the truth.

"Did you bully him into it?"

"What? No, Uncle Sev! He agreed to go; he wanted to see the squid, too!" Realizing he'd just confirmed himself as the origin of the day's excitement, Draco clamped his mouth shut.

"And he expressed no reservations? You didn't say or do anything to convince him?"

Draco flushed, and Severus had his answer to that question, too. A sudden rage took hold of him and he barked, "Did you shame him into it? Did you know he was afraid? Get out of my sight! Harry could have died because of you! Get out! GO! "

Casting a last, tearful glance at Harry, Draco slipped off his chair and fled.

TBC . . .

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Next chapter:Repercussions galore!

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed! If you have any questions, or comments or corrections, please let me know. Next chapter should be out by Monday. Probably.

*Chapter 23*: Chapter 23

Whelp -- Chapter 23

By jharad17

Disclaimer:None of this is mine. Honest. She's rich, I'm not.

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" Did you shame him into it? Did you know he was afraid? Get out of my sight! Harry could have died because of you! Get out! GO!"

Casting a last, tearful glance at Harry, Draco slipped off his chair and fled.

Severus held Harry a little tighter, but even as he watched the other boy scramble out of the infirmary, he sent Nelli after him, not wanting him to come to any harm. If nothing else, Lucius would kill him.

"I cannot believe," Poppy said, just to the right of him, "that I just heard words like that come out of your mouth, Severus Snape. And to your own godson!"

Surprised, as she rarely used such a tone with him, he turned to the Medi-witch, and immediately shrank away from the rage in her eyes. "Poppy, I—"

"I did not even have a chance to look the boy over!" she spat, her voice quiet for Harry's sake, he imagined, since she looked like she wanted to scream at him . "And don't you think he felt badly enough already?! He needed comforting, not that . . . that, whatever it is you call it!"

"Poppy, I—" he started again, only to be interrupted again .

"I don't want to hear it. I will care for Harry here, and you will find your godson and apologize!"

He raised one hand to her, in supplication? He wanted to speak, dammit! He had every right to dole out harsh words when they were merited, he did ! Then why did he feel like he was seven years old again, himself?

"And don't you even think of coming back here until you do! I won't have such horrible things said in my infirmary." With that, the Medi-with aimed her wand at him and hissed, "Now, Severus!"

"But Harry—"

"Will be fine with some rest. Draco will not."

Her wand did not waver, and for the first time since he'd met the woman, almost sixteen years ago, when his Head of House had sent him up here, on the first day he arrived at Hogwarts, unnourished and sporting bruises and a broken arm courtesy of his own father, he actually feared what she might do to him. Struck hard by remembrance of that day, and the father he had always feared and hated, Severus slumped back against the headboard. He nodded, ashamed, and slid out from behind his son, lying the boy gently against his pillows.

"If he wakes . . ."

"I'll be here, and I'll tell him you'll return." Poppy's tone softened as soon as she'd seen he was doing what she wanted, or maybe she guessed at the reason for the heat in his cheeks.

She had seen him for what he was. He had never wanted to become the man his father had been, and yet, at first provocation . . . How was he ever going to teach at this school? he wondered as he made his way to the infirmary doors. Student were like to be unruly – they certainly had been in his day – and would he treat them all thusly?

Worse, how could he ever be a good parent to Harry, if he blew up the first time he was faced with a child's unthinking foolishness? What if it had been Harry who had decided to get the brooms? Would he have cast such aspersions on his own son? A sinking feeling inside told him more than he wanted to of his own nature. Doubts of his fitness as a parent reared in him again, and he pushed them ruthlessly to the side. Now was not the time to wallow in his own inadequacies. Now was the time to go grovel for a boy.

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"Draco." Severus kept his tone as gentle as he could. He was still angry, but his upset with the boy was tempered with his knowledge that his godson did not deserve all he had said earlier.