Better Be Slytherin!

regained consciousness.

A moment later, Poppy was beside him, and he told her about the chest wound and what he'd already done to prevent the shock from worsening. She nodded, and rather than pour the Blood Replenisher down the boy's throat, spelled it directly to his stomach, then followed it with another potion . . . he recognized it as one of his own. Blood Replenisher, but with a dose of dopamine, specifically for shock victims. Finally, she cast a spell to increase the concentration of oxygen in the air directly above the boy's nose and mouth.

'Now we just need to watch and wait,' Poppy said with a sigh. She gave him a hard look. 'Dare I ask what brought him to this?'

'I have no idea.'

'Tell me what you do know.'

The boy's breathing had evened out, and when Severus felt for the pulse again, he was glad to find it more steady than it had been ten minutes ago, though still weaker than it should be. His relief made him more forthcoming than usual as he related the events that led up their present situation. If pressed, he would say he rambled. 'I had an alarm go off in my quarters, alerting me that one of my students had opened the portrait door to their common room from the outside. When I investigated, I found Potter, standing in the middle of the room looking . . . lost.' He couldn't find the right words to describe the look in the boy's eyes when he'd spoken his name and he had turned to look at Severus. 'Haunted' was almost right.

'I was about to ask him what the hell he was doing out of bed when I noticed his robes were covered in blood. He was standing, though, so I made him follow me here, to question him. I assumed . . .' He trailed off. He'd assumed since the boy was mobile, he was fine and had gotten someone else's blood on him, somehow. He hadn't thought the boy was bleeding out, for Merlin's sake. Did Potter have no sense of self- preservation?

'And then?' Poppy prompted.

'And then I told him to sit,' he pointed, 'right there, and to remove his robe and shirt so I could see if he was hurt. He did, and he was, and when I asked him what he had run afoul of, he claimed he didn't know and then fell to the floor.'

'And you have no idea how he came to be injured?'

'None!'

'All right, Severus. Don't get your knickers in a twist.' She frowned at the boy. 'Do you know why he didn't check in with me today?'

Severus scowled. 'He didn't?'

'No.'

'The little—'

Poppy cleared her throat before he could finish the sentiment. 'I wouldn't be too hard on him,' she said. 'I imagine he had quite enough of my company the last few days. Do you know if he has been drinking the nutritive potion?'

'Yes, I made sure of that.'

'Good.' She leant over and checked Potter's pulse again and nodded to herself. 'He's stable enough to move. I want to get him to the Infirmary.'

'Very well.' Severus Levitated the boy's body and followed the Medi-witch out of his office and upstairs. They had hit the second floor when a huge crashing sound startled them both. Severus' wand was already out, but he was surprised to see Poppy now clutching hers, and blocking the boy's floating body as much as she could from where she stood.

A few seconds later, the cause of the ruckus became apparent as Peeves flew out of a classroom down the hall and, screeching to high heaven, careened toward them. His laughter was more . . . ebullient than Severus had ever heard it.

'His Bloodiness is sick today,

'Letting Peevesy out to play!' the poltergeist howled, and then hurled gobs of some sticky, pale green substance at them as he sped by.

Severus ducked automatically, and heard a wet, pulpy splat hit the floor just behind him. The green ooze sank into the floor, leaving only a damp spot, as it did everywhere it touched, except where it hit the wool of the Transfigured blanket wrapped around Potter. There, of course, it started to smoke and hiss as if acidic. Severus jabbed his wand at the offending ectoplasm and snarled, 'Scourgify.' Thankfully, the ooze vanished before eating through to the Potter Brat's skin.

Madam Pomfrey scurried ahead to the Infirmary and inside, then led Severus and his Levitated bundle to one of the beds closest to her office.

There, they made Potter as comfortable as possible, while still keeping his feet elevated. After casting a Warming Charm on his bed, Poppy unwrapped him from the blanket so she could clean him up and get him into non-blood soaked clothes.

Severus stayed to watch her work. He was just making sure the Brat wasn't going to die, he told himself. And he wanted to be sure he could ask his questions when the boy regained consciousness. It wasn't because he needed to reassure himself about the boy's well-being, or make sure Potter wasn't frightened when he woke. Not at all.

More than two hours passed before Potter's eyes flickered and his breaths – which had deepened significantly after Poppy spelled a pain relief draught into his belly – came more rapidly. A few minutes later, and he blinked his eyes open and stared around him, with that same lost, haunted look. Then those green eyes widened considerably when the boy saw who was sitting beside his bed. Even so, the boy fumbled for glasses weakly for a moment before Severus snatched them up and put them in his hand.

'Thank you, sir.' Potter's voice was dry, rasping. He unfolded the dark frames and hooked them over his ears. His face was still pale, but not the grayish hue it had been earlier.

'Thirsty?' Severus asked.