Bonds of Affection

The following morning, Harry brought breakfast back into the bedroom, and they stayed in bed simply talking. They told each other the missing parts of their misadventures. Severus laughed slightly, when he heard that Harry had been microchipped “like a turnip”, in words of Hermione Granger. Severus, having been out of touch with Muggle technology since his father\'s death, could not quite understand how the GPS tracking worked, and Harry could not explain, finally giving up and saying, “Just think of it as Muggle magic.”



When Severus told Harry that Draco was the one who had woken him while he was buried alive, Harry groaned quietly and buried his face in the pillow.



“Just when I thought it couldn\'t get any worse,” Harry muttered.



“What do you mean?” Severus asked.



“I owe a life-debt to Draco-fucking-Malfoy!” Harry cried out. “Do you have any idea what it\'s like to owe a life-debt to someone who absolutely despises you, and makes your life miserable every day, and....”



Severus chuckled softly at the irony of that statement. “Well, Harry... I\'ll grant you that, when you are sixteen, you really do believe that there\'s nothing worse in life. But... when you are thirty-eight, with a Dark Mark on your forearm, you realize that, in the grand scheme of things, it\'s a rather trivial matter.”



Harry snickered slightly. “I guess you are right,” he said peacefully. “I won\'t let him get to me.”



“Good,” Severus said seriously. “Make peace whenever you can.”



Harry snorted. “You begin to sound like Dumbledore. Freak.”



“Brat.”



“You love it,” Harry said with certainty, and pushed him on the bed, face down. Severus allowed himself to fall, and Harry straddled his hips, summoning a jar of massage oil, splashing it generously on his back. The strong, young fingers caressed his back, seeking to ease the tension and the ache of the past week. Severus found himself wincing slightly, when Harry pressed against certain spots.



“What\'s wrong?” Harry asked instantly.



“Nothing. Just a little bit of soreness, I think,” Severus said absently. Harry withdrew his hands instantly.



“You sure?” he asked with hesitation.



“Positive,” Severus said, even though the soreness began to intensify slightly.



Harry nodded and let him go, but watched him with concern throughout the morning and afternoon.



By the late afternoon, Severus already knew what was wrong. The soreness had turned into burning and stabbing pain that was spreading around the Scorpion injuries. Hermione Granger had done a great job stopping the blood flow and healing the superficial damage, but apparently, Lucius had inflicted some tissue and nerve damage that did not become apparent until the effect of the numbing potion wore off. Severus said so out loud, and Harry paled slightly.



“St. Mungo\'s,” Harry demanded. “Right now. Let\'s go.”



Severus did not even protest. He already felt fever coming on, and spreading throughout his body, and he was in no mood trying to brew home-made potions and attempting to heal himself. And really, he said out loud, he had too much to live for, and too much happily-ever-after to catch up on, to be inconvenienced by something this trivial.



“It\'s not lethal, is it?” Harry asked, his voice shaking slightly. “Severus...”



Severus rolled his eyes. “Harry, it\'s nothing. I am sure of it.”



However, when they arrived to St. Mungo\'s, the look on the healer\'s face, once he heard the details of the injuries, and completed the scans, told them otherwise.



“The tissue and the nerve damage aside, the tool that was used to torture you was laced in cockatrice venom, presumably to ... ensure maximum suffering.” The Healer said sternly. “You do realize that it can cause severe complications if left untreated for more than a day?”



“The tips of the Scorpion,” Severus whispered with dread. “Harry!”



The healer cast several scanning spells on Harry, while Severus watched and waited in absolute, mindless terror.



“The boy is fine,” the healer said finally, and Severus chuckled in relief. Apparently, the venom was Lucius\' special touch just for him. Not that he was overly surprised – Lucius was exquisitely creative in his approach to tormenting people.



“You, on the other hand..,” the healer spoke abruptly. “Why did you not come to the hospital right away? It did not occur to you that after being tortured by the Dark Lord, it would be a good idea to request a full physical check-up?”



Severus was going to say something spiteful, but the faintness spreading through his body left him weakened and almost disoriented. “Now what?” he asked finally.



“I am going to place you in a healing coma for the next six hours,” the healer said, and looked at Harry. “Are you his next of kin?”



“Yes,” Harry said instantly.



“Very well. You may pick him up in six hours. He will need two days of bed rest, and I do mean, absolute rest. If you are not able to provide that for him, I will simply keep him in the healing coma for two days instead.”



“I can do it,” Harry said instantly. “I\'ll take him home. Severus?”



“You don\'t have to, you know,” Severus mumbled weakly, while the healer was already stretching him out on the hospital bed, taking off his shirts, and beginning the preparations. “This isn\'t life-threatening, and I am sure you have better things to do with your time during your summer holidays...”



Harry\'s fist clenched the pillow right in front of Severus\' face, and then, Harry knelt before him, until their faces almost touched. Harry looked like he was fighting to subdue a temper outburst, and finally succeeded, because when he spoke, his voice was almost calm, with just a touch of hurt in it:



“Severus – I want to. It\'s no chore. Anything I can ever do for you - you don\'t even need to ask. Please, just let me.”



Severus nodded agreeably. “If you like. Just don\'t feel like you have to. If you change your mind, it\'s fine...”



Harry leaned to silence him with a kiss, and Severus returned the kiss weakly, feeling himself drifting off. Harry\'s hand caressed his hair, and his lips lingered against his cheek.



“I\'ll be waiting for you when you wake up,” Harry whispered in his ear. “I\'ll take you home. I\'ll cook for you, I\'ll dote on you, I\'ll read to you... I\'ll water your stupid plants... I even promise I won\'t pull your hair for the whole two days...”



Severus smiled wryly. “Now, Mr. Potter. Don\'t make promises you can\'t keep.” He drifted off to sleep, with Harry\'s hand still on his head, and Harry\'s lips still pressed to his cheek.



....To Be Continued....