After an hour, they finally got Harry to calm down enough to take a Dreamless Sleep potion. While he hadn't quite become hysterical, it had been very close, and putting him to sleep had been necessary, considering he was still very weak.

Severus and Sirius both still sat with Harry, while he slowly drifted off to sleep, hiccups from crying still making his body jump. As he finally fell asleep, the hiccups stopped.

Severus carefully shifted Harry to Sirius's arms, stood up, and turned toward the mediwizards, fixing them with a glare that would make the bravest seventh years wet themselves in fear. 'What is wrong with him? Why can't he see? What did you do?'

Pomfrey carefully walked over to Severus and eased him into his chair. She knew the look in his eyes, and it usually came just before he made an earnest effort to throttle someone with his bare hands, magic be damned. She'd seen it often while he was a youth, dealing with the pranks thrown at him by Sirius and company, which often landed Severus in the hospital wing with minor injuries.

'Severus,' she whispered soothingly, 'calm down. Harry doesn't need you in Azkaban. He needs you here. Please, just listen to them first, before you attack. Let them explain.'

Severus relaxed slightly, but his expression didn't change. 'Answer my questions,' he ground out, teeth gritted so hard that Remus imagined he could hear a tooth cracking under the pressure.

Mr Patterson ran his hand across the nape of his neck, the wheels in his head turning rapidly, trying to come up with possible answers for the young man's blindness, but he kept coming up blank. He remembered well Harry's injuries, and he knew there had been some damage caused by bone chips, but he thought that they had taken care of that. Finally, he decided to consult his files, to make sure that he didn't miss anything.'

'Well, I remember Harry's injuries accurately. While we were working on his head injuries, trying to fix the most significant damage before swelling could cause damage to the brain, we noticed that the trauma from the Bludgers and the ground had caused several bone fragments to break off and lodge around the optic nerves, damaging them in certain areas. The retinas sustained a slight amount of damage, but the damage wasn't life-threatening, so we left it until the swelling and the life-threatening injuries were taken care of.'

Sirius scowled. 'Are you saying that this area was never healed at all?'

Mr Patterson shook his head. 'No, I'm telling you that this area was a low priority, considering that Harry had at least fifteen other injuries that could potentially end his life at any moment. As soon as those were taken care of, we went immediately to the eye injuries. We were able to heal them, even though a significant amount of time had passed. I really don't understand what is wrong, unless we managed to miss something. His eyes should function normally. At worst, his eyesight would only be a bit worse, but the blindness is unexpected.'

Remus gazed at the mediwizard thoughtfully. 'How can you figure out if there was something that you missed? Perhaps you missed some fragment somewhere.'

Patterson nodded and continued to consult Harry's file. 'We can go back to see if we missed anything, once Harry is stronger. Right now, he is too fragile, physically and emotionally. We may have missed something, or perhaps there is some damage that is entirely physical. I just don't understand how we could have missed anything.'

'And what if there is no damage?' Severus asked wearily. 'What could it be?'

'Well, it could be psychological,' Patterson said, almost afraid of the reaction.

'Psychological? Are you serious?' Remus asked.

'Yes, I am. This young man has been through a lot in his young age. This may have been too much for him, but I'm not a psychotherapist. We don't even know that this is the problem yet.'

'If it is psychological, could it come back on its own?'

Patterson nodded. 'It would have to. I've read about cases where, even with psychological therapy, the person suffering from psychological blindness never regained their sight. Others have had their sight return within a few days, weeks, months, and even years. It's all according to the patient, and what's causing the trauma. But as I said, I am not an expert in the field of psychiatry. I can only rule out the physical problems.'

Severus sat back, his mind reeling. Harry could be blinded for the rest of his life. Severus couldn't imagine such a loss. He couldn't imagine what Harry must be thinking, what he must be feeling, and it was the fault of those two little bastards that had been in his house…

Crabbe and Goyle had been expelled soon after Harry started to recover, and since the Quidditch Rulebook stated that any activity (such as that of Crabbe and Goyle) that happened after the Snitch was caught, was prohibited and the offenders could be held liable for any injuries, and could be prosecuted in a court of law. This being the rule, the two offenders were arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and malicious intent. They were now sitting inside the Ministry's jail, awaiting their trial.

Severus was of a mind to Apparate to the Ministry and kill the little brats with his bare hands, but one look at Harry's seemingly small form lying in Sirius's arms quelled that idea. He couldn't leave Harry now just to satisfy his own thirst for revenge, even if it was to avenge Harry.

Severus saw Remus staring at Harry, his eyes sad. Severus motioned for Remus to take his former spot beside Harry, and Remus did so eagerly, wanting to hold his godson, to give the young man all the comfort he could give.

Sirius shifted Harry into Remus's arms and got up. He glared at no one in particular and muttered, 'I need some air, while Harry's still sleeping. I'll be back in a moment.'

Severus got up. 'I'll join you,' he said. He leant over and kissed Harry's forehead before leaving the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius and Severus walked in companionable silence, crossing the grounds, going toward the lake. There wasn't much for them to say, especially with the students staring at them as if they expected them to divulge some deep, dark secret. One glare from Severus sent off in a run any curious student bold enough to question them about Harry's condition.

Soon enough they were alone, any students still outside giving them a wide berth. As they walked along the edge of the lake, Sirius dropped to his knees, releasing a frustrated, guttural growl.

'I know the feeling,' Severus said, sitting down next to Sirius. He stared across the lake and let his weariness take over, just for moment.

'This is so unfair,' Sirius moaned, lying back on the ground and covering his face with his arms. 'He's only sixteen. He shouldn't have to deal with all of this. Hasn't he suffered enough as it is? His eyesight has to be taken away as well?'

'I know how you feel, but what can we do right now? Nothing, except to be there for Harry, especially if there is no medical reason for his loss of sight. If it is psychological, we'll have to help him deal with it, and get some professional help, to see if we can't find the basis for his loss. If it is psychological, he'll have to learn how to do many things again, including most of his magic. There's no telling how long it may take before his eyesight returns.'

'Can he even do magic in this condition?' Sirius asked.

Severus nodded. 'Hogwarts has had a few students who have been blind, though all that I know of were blind from birth. Contrary to popular myth, even wizards cannot fix every problem in the world,' Severus said. 'The blind wizards and witches need special tutoring, one-on-one teaching, and performing magic is more complicated for them, but they can do it. I had one student who finished school the year before Harry came, and she was quite adept at Potions and Transfiguration. Harry is strong and determined. I have no doubt that Harry will be quite capable of passing the N.E.W.T.S. next year, provided that we teach him this summer.'

'Do you even think that it will be necessary?' Sirius asked. 'What do you think about his problem?'

'I truly don't know, Sirius. We'll just have to wait and help in any way we can. If that means spending the entire summer teaching Harry, then so be it. I, for one, would be more than happy to do that for him.'

'Same here. I guess that means that we'll be staying here at Hogwarts this summer,' Sirius said.

Severus nodded. 'We could go home for a bit, but most of the time will need to be spent here, teaching Harry what he'll need to know, tutoring him in the classes that he'll miss. If the worst happens, and Harry is blind, then he'll be spending the next few months learning the most basic things. If his sight does return, he'll have to catch up with the rest of his year. Either way, we'll be spending most of the summer here.'

Sirius sighed. 'How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why can't he live a normal life, like he wants to? Why does he have to be the one to suffer all the time?'

Severus shrugged listlessly and stood up. He offered a hand to Sirius. 'I don't know, Sirius, but I do know that there is a young man in the hospital wing who needs us. Come, let's go back.'

Sirius took Severus's hand and stood up. The two walked back toward the castle in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'I can't see,' Harry murmured, his voice devoid of all emotion.

'I know, Harry,' Sirius whispered, soothingly stroking Harry's hair. 'I'm sorry this had to happen, love.'

'Why? Why does this have to happen to me? Haven't I done enough? I mean, I got rid of Voldemort, I watched my family die, my parents were murdered in front of me, and now this?' Harry sighed and snuggled into his father's embrace. 'And even worse, I may be doing this to myself! I don't understand.'

'None of us do, honey. I wish there was something that I could do, but the mediwizards can't examine you until you are a bit stronger. Which means that you need to take good care of yourself now. You need to eat and rest and get strong. Besides, do you really want to get another ten-minute lecture from Severus and Remus? I mean, listening to those two trade off telling you about what they think is almost like watching Fred and George talk,' Sirius said, his amusement lightening the moment just a little.

Harry smiled and let out a small chuckle. 'That's disconcerting, the way they do that. I wonder if they've been practising.'

'I wouldn't put it past them,' Sirius murmured in Harry's hair.

It had been four days since he had awakened, and he was just now past the near-hysterical stage of his recovery, thanks to a lot of care and love from his extended family. The denial had been brief, a part of the first day or so, and Harry knew that there was indeed no use in denying what his eyes were so plainly not seeing. After going through the initial shock, he was trying to come to terms with the fact that he was currently blinded, and he didn't know if it was permanent or not. He didn't want to come to terms with the fact that he just might not see for quite some time, or maybe never again, but that was precisely what he was trying to do.

And he hated it. He was so angry, with Crabbe and Goyle, with Voldemort, with himself, with the world in general. He hated the vulnerability he was already feeling. All of his life, he had always depended on himself, and now he couldn't do something as simple as feed himself.

In this current stage, he really didn't want to eat, which annoyed Severus and Remus to no end. Sirius found their mother-hen behaviour quite amusing, and now Harry was at the point where he would tell them that he wasn't hungry just to hear the frustrated growls they released, though the lectures were fast becoming a bore.

'I know, but I'm not too optimistic, Dad. If they missed something the first time, how can they fix it after nearly three weeks of healing? Or better yet, what if it's not a physical problem. What if I'm going barmy, and I did this to myself?'

'You are not "barmy" and I don't know what Mr Patterson will find, but it won't hurt to have them look. Besides, you need your strength, and you need to eat. You've got to get better, so that we can get you started on your tutoring. Even if you get your sight back right away, you still have much work to make up in all your classes. If you still have problems with your eyesight…'

'I'm blind, Dad. That's a bit more than a problem,' Harry reminded him.

'I know that, Harry. Don't be impertinent.'

'Big words now, hmm? You've been keeping Severus company for far too long,' Harry commented.

Sirius chose to ignore his son's baiting. 'If your blindness happens to be around for a little while, Poppy is already taking measures to ensure you the best tutors. She's already contacted wizards and witches that specialise in teaching the blind, both in the Muggle and wizarding world. They can teach you all the basics, like how to find your way around, how to read in something Poppy called Braille, and how to write normally without it being all crooked…well, less crooked than normal,' Sirius teased, commenting on his son's abhorrent writing.

Harry stuck his tongue out at Sirius. 'Amusing. You should take your act and go on tour. You'd be a hit in no time.'

'Now who has been spending too much time with Severus?' Sirius shot back. 'Now shut up. They also said something about a guide dog for the blind.'

'I could probably use Luthien to help me get around.'

'Possibly, but it would be impractical if you want to go into the Muggle World. Walking around, hissing at a snake isn't exactly a normal thing in that world…in fact, you might scare the hair off many wizards and witches, if they hear you speaking Parseltongue.'

'True,' Harry said, leaning his head on Sirius's shoulder and sighing wearily. 'Everyone already thinks I'm a freak. Don't want to add to that, now do we?'

'That's not what I meant, and you bloody well know it. Now quit trying to pick a fight with me. I'm not going to give you an excuse to push me away. Now, I don't have all the details of what they'll teach you, but it sounds promising.'

Harry shrugged listlessly. He wasn't so sure, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he said, 'I guess that if I'm blind, I won't be a wizard anymore.'

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead. 'Of course you will, love. You will finish up this years work during the summer, with the staff's help, and then you will take your N.E.W.T.S. next year, just like everyone else.'

Harry was still unconvinced. 'I'm blind, Dad. How am I going to practise magic if I can't see?'

'Severus said that there have been blind students that have come to Hogwarts. He even had a student that completed her schooling the year before you came to Hogwarts. He said that the classes are private, one-on-one sessions, and doing magic is more difficult for the blind, but it is quite doable. I have no worries. You are one of the brightest, most determined people that I have ever met. And Remus, Severus and I will be right by your side. So will Draco and Fred.'

Sirius looked up and smiled as the door burst open. 'Speak of the devil.'

'Ah, I see you were talking about me. After all, I am bloody hot,' Draco boasted. He was carrying a large tray. 'I come bearing food. It's time for lunch, and I thought that you could do without the lecture for once.'

Harry laughed lightly, his heart feeling a bit lighter. He had thought that if he was permanently blind, his days as a wizard were over, but if Severus had taught blind students before, and they were able to become full wizards, then that meant that he actually had something to work for. Over the last few days, he had been worried that he could be nothing more than a big, blind lump that would be in everyone's way.

'Okay, we have sandwiches and chips, and we have chicken and roast beef. We also have French beans and carrots. I wasn't sure what you two were in the mood for,' Draco said, sitting the tray on the table next to Harry's bed.

Harry thought for a moment. Now that he knew that he wouldn't be completely worthless, if he was like this for any length of time, he discovered that he was actually starving. He hadn't eaten much at all since he woke up. 'I think that I'll take two sandwiches, some roast beef, some chips, with salt and vinegar, please, and a piece of chicken.'

Draco laughed. 'I'm glad to see someone's hungry for a change.' He piled the requested food onto a plate and he set the plate on Harry's hospital tray. 'All right, Harry, the first lesson is how to learn where everything is on your plate.'

Draco positioned the hospital tray in front of Harry and said, 'I've been doing a bit of reading on blindness, and one book I found showed how to know where your food is on your plate.' Draco grinned at Sirius and then said to Harry, 'I assume that you know how to tell time.'

Harry heard the amusement in Draco's voice. 'Ha-ha. Yes, I know how to tell time, you prat.'

'Good. Okay, your fork and knife are to the right of your plate. Your pumpkin juice is to the left, at the upper side of the tray. Now don't worry about spilling anything or dropping anything. I tried to do this yesterday, while blindfolded, and it wasn't the easiest thing to do. It took me over an hour and about six glasses of spilled pumpkin juice to finally figure out what I was doing, so don't worry. That's what cleaning spells are for.'

'Now, on your plate, at twelve o'clock, are your chips. They're already doused in salt and vinegar, just the way you like them so don't worry about that. At two o'clock is your chicken, at six o'clock are your sandwiches, and your roast beef is at eight o'clock. One is ham and the other is turkey.' As Draco told him this, he took Harry's hand and positioned it at the edge of the plate, physically showing him where each portion was.

Harry nodded and concentrated on Draco's words. 'Okay, let's see if I can get this right…. Juice is in the left-hand corner of the tray, fork to the right of the plate. On the plate, chips at twelve, chicken at two, sandwiches at six, and roast beef at eight.'

Draco smiled. 'Exactly. Dobby also sent you some chocolate cake for afters, but you'll get that later. Now eat.'

'Yes, Mummy,' Harry sneered. His hands shaking slightly from nervousness, Harry carefully reached for his tray. He found the edge of it with his fingers, and he slowly moved his hands until he found the edge of his plate. Sighing, he reached for a sandwich.

Sirius smiled as he watched Harry happily munch on his sandwich. It may be a small thing, but it was an accomplishment for Harry, who was starting to resent being fed, even after only a few days. 'Thanks, Draco,' Sirius said, pulling Draco over and kissing his cheek. 'Thanks for everything.'

Draco nodded, knowing what Sirius was referring to. He grabbed his own plate and sat down on another bed to eat.

Harry got through his food without any big blunders. He almost knocked his pumpkin juice over the first time he reached for it, but with a little more care, he was able to get through the meal without embarrassing himself.

Sirius could tell that getting through this meal without help had done Harry a great deal of good, giving his son the sense of self-confidence, making him realise that he could indeed do things for himself. Sirius couldn't wait to tell Severus and Remus about Harry's slight mood change.

Sirius got up. 'I'll take the trays back to the kitchen. Why don't the two of you talk for awhile? It's been some time since you two have had some privacy.'

Draco waited until Sirius was out of the room. Then he turned to Harry. 'How are you, really?'

'Better, now that you helped me. I was feeling so pathetic. I mean, I couldn't even feed myself, not that anyone had actually let me try. I know that it's not their fault, and that I've been weak, but it was getting irritating, being fed by my lover and my parents. Thanks.'

'Don't mention it, gorgeous. I'm just glad that you're still with us. I thought we had almost lost you there for a moment.'

Harry smiled sadly. 'I'm scared, Draco. This is so overwhelming. I'm blind, and I don't know if I'll ever get my sight back. Do you know how much it hurts to think that I'll never see Severus's face again? That I'll never see you, or Sirius, or Remus, or anyone? It's almost unbearable, and I hate that I might be doing this to myself!'

Draco sat beside Harry and brought Harry's hands to his face, placing them on his forehead. 'I don't know what's wrong, but see me now, like this. Feel my face. I read that this is the way that the blind 'see' others. You already know what I look like, but give it a go anyway.'

Harry sighed but did as Draco asked. He started with Draco's hair, which was soft and silky. 'Much better than when you put all that goo in your hair,' Harry commented. He smiled when Draco snorted. Harry's hands slid down and mapped out Draco's ears. 'At least we know that you don't have elephant ears.'

Draco scowled playfully. 'I'll leave right now if you can't be nice,' he teasingly threatened his friend.

Harry laughed and moved his hands back up to Draco's forehead and slowly mapped out the shape of his forehead. 'You've got a pimple above your right eyebrow,' Harry said. 'Does it hurt?'

'Yes, if you're going to keep pushing on it,' Draco replied dryly.

Harry chuckled. 'Sorry about that.' He continued his exploration of Draco's eyebrows and when he got to Draco's eyes, Draco patiently waited, eyes closed, while Harry ran his thumbs lightly across his lids.

Harry's fingers slid down the slope of Draco's nose and back up to slide across his friend's cheekbones. Finally, Harry's thumbs slid across Draco's lips. 'My, my, what big lips you have.'

Draco stuck out his tongue, brushing it against Harry's thumbs in the process, and Harry smiled. 'Stick your tongue back in your mouth and save it for Fred. I'm not interested.'

Harry slid his hands down Draco's jaw and then dropped them completely. He smiled at his friend. 'That was interesting. I never thought about looking at someone with my hands before.'

Draco snorted and leant closer. 'With the right person, it could be damn near erotic,' he whispered.

Harry blushed, but grinned. 'I'll have to remember this, and try it out later.'

'He'll love it. So, when do you think Madam Pomfrey with let you have visitors? I mean, besides Fred, the staff, and me?'

'I'm not sure. She wants to make sure that I'm all right, and I won't go mad in front of them. She also wants to make sure I'm physically strong enough, so they won't wear me out. I'm hoping that she'll let me go to the dungeons soon, even if I have to be on bed-rest there. I think I'll go insane if I have to stay here for length of time.'

'I know what you mean. I hated staying in here after the attack. I was ecstatic when I got to leave.'

'Why did you want to know when I could have visitors?' Harry asked, knowing his friend well enough to know when he was asking for a purpose.

'Well, Hermione is itching to get in here and see you…and so is Ron.'

'Ron? Well, that's a surprise,' Harry said. 'Obviously something's happened with him, if he's going to speak to me outside of Quidditch.' Harry winced at the last word, knowing that if his blindness were permanent, he wouldn't be able to play Quidditch anymore. Not that he wanted to play professionally or anything, but it still hurt to think that he might not be able to play during his last year at school.

'Ron's changed significantly, since you were hurt. The initial change was instantaneous. You could see that he was sorry that he had ever caused you any problems. The day after you were hurt, he came in to see you, after begging Pomfrey for about fifteen minutes, and he apologised profusely to Uncle Severus.' Draco laughed loudly. 'You should have seen the amount of self-restraint Uncle Sev had to use not to say something really horrid to him. I thought he was going to pop a vessel, the way he was trying so hard to keep all his nasty comments to himself. Uncle Sev knew that Ron really was sorry, but he wanted to sting him. He didn't though, for you.'

Harry nodded thoughtfully. 'You said the initial change. What about afterwards?'

'It's a lot of things, really. He's not as loud and obnoxious as he was before. He's more studious, if you can believe that. Sometimes he even outdoes Hermione. It's not unusual to see him sitting by himself at meals, a book in his hand. He spends much time in the library, and he's started studying for his classes with more enthusiasm than Hermione's ever seen. He's particularly interested in Potions now. He's come in several times over the last two weeks, after a bout of begging at Pomfrey's feet, and braving Uncle Sev's wrath, to ask him many things. I've come in several times to see Uncle Severus explaining things to Ron, in great detail, and Ron is actually enthralled. I'm thinking about therapy…not for him, for me. I don't know what he's up to, but he seems to have reached some kind of turning point in his life.'

Harry sat back and smiled softly. 'Perhaps Ron has finally figured out what he wants to do with his life. I hope so. He's been worried lately, not knowing what he could do that he would love, and that wouldn't be overshadowed by his brothers. At least something good will have come out of this mess, if he has.'

'That's my thought, Hermione's, too. I'm curious as to find out what it is.'

'He'll let us know, when he's ready. Don't push. I think I maybe able to wheedle Madam Pomfrey into allowing at least those two to come and visit. I'm not adverse to bribing or pouting, if need be.'

Draco laughed. 'So, do you want me to read to you or something?'

Harry shook his head and laid back. 'I'm tired anyway. I know you have revising to do, so why don't you just tell me what you're doing, instead of reading a book. Maybe I'll absorb something. If Sirius is right, I'm going to have a ton of work to do this summer, and every little bit helps.'

'All right. Let me run to the dungeons and get it. I'll be right back.' He leant over and kissed Harry's cheek, laughing when Harry made a face.

Draco turned and saw his uncle watching the two of them, a slight smile in his face. Draco winked at him and then ran out the door.

Severus came over to Harry and sat on the bed. 'Hello, Harry. How are you feeling?' Severus slid a hand up Harry's chest and then cupped his cheek.

Harry sighed contentedly, leaning into the caress. 'Much better, now that you're here. Will you lay with me, until Draco gets back?'

'Do you even have to ask that, love?' Severus helped Harry move over and slid in beside Harry. He pulled Harry into his embrace, and Harry tucked his head under Severus's chin.

'No, but it's much more polite than an order,' Harry quipped. 'Dad said that we're staying at Hogwarts this summer.'

Severus nodded against Harry's head. 'Yes, we are. You're going to have to play catch up with the rest of your year. If your blindness decides to stay with you for awhile, you'll have to learn to cast spells and brew potions, and such. It will be harder, but you can do it.'

Harry sighed. It scared him, thinking of his future, but he was glad that no one was sugar-coating what his future may hold. 'Dad told me that you taught a girl who was blind, before I came to Hogwarts.'

'Yes, and she was more competent than most of my students. She was much more attentive, and she was quite remarkable, like you.'

Harry snorted. 'You're biased.'

'You're right. I am,' Severus murmured. 'Have you eaten yet?'

'Yes, Mummy, I have. Draco, Dad, and I had lunch, as I'm sure you well know. I know that Dad found you as soon as he ran out of this room.'

Severus smirked. 'There's no fooling you, is there? I'm glad you did eat, Harry. I was getting worried.'

'I know. I'm sorry. This is just so hard to believe, and I hate being so dependent on everyone.'

'I know you are, but remember that you are not a burden on any of us. We all love you very much, and we would do anything to help you. Besides, you're supposed to be milking this treatment for all you can. The mediwizards have indicated that we're supposed to be at your beck and call for the next month.'

Harry grunted sleepily. 'Does that mean that I can get a kiss out of you?'

'Do you really think you have to ask for something that I'm willing to do anyway?'

Harry leaned back and tilted his head up. He slipped a hand around Severus's neck and pulled his head down slightly. Severus adjusted to Harry's positioning and sealed their lips together in a sweet, soft kiss.

Harry wasn't content with that, however. He slid his tongue across Severus's bottom lip, prodding Severus to deepen the kiss. Severus complied, his tongue darting out slightly, sliding across Harry's teasing him.

Harry moaned softly and opened his mouth, sucking on Severus's tongue as soon as it darted past Harry's lips.

They pulled apart quickly when they heard several people loudly clearing their throats. Harry blushed furiously, not knowing who was in their presence, and Severus smirked.

Remus, Sirius, Draco, and Albus all found the situation amusing, but Madam Pomfrey did not. 'Severus, you're not supposed to be taking advantage of our patient.'

Severus snorted. 'I assure you, I was not the one taking advantage of this situation.'

Albus laughed. 'Poppy, leave them alone. You know that Severus won't hurt him.'

Pomfrey sniffed. 'I just don't want my patient to tire himself out too much, that's all. He's still weak, and he will be for quite some time.'

'It's my fault, Madam Pomfrey,' Harry said. 'I asked him to kiss me.'

'All right, Harry. I'm not upset. I just want you to rest.'

Harry nodded. Severus made to get up, but Harry tightened his grip. 'I take it you don't want me to leave,' Severus said, not hiding his amusement.

'No…I like my pillow,' Harry murmured sleepily.

'All right, Harry. But you had better go to sleep,' Madam Pomfrey said. 'The rest of you go away. He needs his sleep, and if there are any problems, and there won't be, Severus or I will call you. Now out!'

Remus and Sirius kissed Harry and told him to sleep well. As soon as all was quiet, Harry moved over and slid down, turning his back to Severus. Severus slid behind him and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist. He tightened his grip on Harry, and Harry moved back until they were in full contact, his back to Severus's front.

'I love you,' Severus murmured into Harry's hair. 'I can't believe I almost lost you,' he whispered, holding Harry tighter.

'I love you, too,' Harry whispered sleepily. 'And you didn't.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Madam Pomfrey, will you please let my friends come and see me? I'm bored!' Harry complained three days later. 'It's been a week since I woke up, and I've done everything you wanted. Please? Just Ron and Hermione, at least. You let Fred and Draco come.'

Madam Pomfrey grinned and laughed silently. Harry had been extremely compliant the past few days, and she knew that he wanted something. She figured that it had to do with the same two visitors who found her several times a day, trying to beg their way in.

To Harry, she said sternly, 'I don't want you to do too much. You have too many visitors as it is. How are you supposed to rest, if you're constantly bombarded with visitors?'

'They won't tire me out, I promise. You wouldn't let them. Please?' Harry put on his best pout and batted his eyelashes in Pomfrey's direction.

Madam Pomfrey all but melted onto the floor. 'All right, all right. How can I resist that face? They can come and see you, but only for half an hour each day, until I say otherwise. Take it or leave it.'

'I'll take it,' Harry said, smiling happily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Harry!' Hermione half-yelled, running to the bed. She gently sat down and hugged Harry carefully. 'I'm so glad to see you! Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us in.'

Harry smiled and hugged his friend back. 'I know. I've been asking for three days. I finally played the "I'm just a pathetic blind boy, look at me pout" card and she gave in.'

'Don't expect it to happen often, Mr Potter,' Pomfrey said fondly. She placed two more pillows behind his head, to help him sit up. 'Half an hour, you two, and then out.'

Harry moved his face toward the direction that he heard feet shuffling. 'Ron.'

Ron sat down in the chair next to Harry's bed. 'Hiya, Harry.'

'Were you just going to stand there and say nothing the entire time?' Harry asked, amused.

'No, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. Harry, before you say anything else, I want to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've been such a prat. You can love whomever you wish, and I should have respected that. It's your life, and you have to be happy. I should have been a better friend, even if I didn't understand your choice then. I'm sorry I told my parents. I hadn't planned on it, honest, but they kept bothering me, and it just slipped out when I got really mad. I'm sorry they caused you problems. I didn't want them to do that, not really, but when I came back to school, I started acting like an idiot again. I don't have any excuses for my behaviour, but I am ashamed of myself. Can you forgive me?'

Harry sighed as if he were doing Ron a great favour. He could tell that Ron really meant it when he said that he was sorry, and Harry wanted his friend back. 'I guess that this one time I can find it in my heart to forgive you,' he said.

Ron grinned. 'Thanks, mate.' He pushed Hermione out of the way and sat by Harry's side. 'How are you doing? Really?'

Harry sat back. 'I'm okay. I'm still trying to get it through my head that I might not see again, or at least not for awhile. It's hard, but I've had a lot of support, and now I have even more,' he said, squeezing Ron and Hermione's hands. 'Draco has been reading our class work to me, to help me, but I won't finish the rest of this school year until this summer. After I recover my strength, they're going to look at my eyes again, to see if they missed anything, but I doubt it.'

'What happens if there isn't?' Hermione asked. She had been reading about blindness, like Draco, and she'd read many interesting things. She'd also had her parents send her everything they could on coping with blindness in the Muggle world, and she was prepared to help in any way she could.

'Then it most likely means that my problem is psychological. It means that I'm doing this to myself, and I guess I'll have to live with it and learn what I need to. I have to catch up on my class work, and I can't just sit around and do nothing, waiting for my head to figure out that there's nothing wrong with my eyes.'

'I've been doing some reading-,' Hermione started.

Ron interrupted her, snorting loudly. 'What else is new?'

Hermione glared at him and turned her attention back to Harry. 'As I was saying, I've been doing some reading, and Hogwarts gives special classes for students with impairments such as this.'

'Really? That's great, isn't it, Harry?' Ron exclaimed.

Harry nodded. 'I know. Severus taught a blind student before. She finished school the year before we came. Fred said that he remembers her, and he said she was really nice, and smart.

'Wicked,' Ron said lightly. 'Well, you know that I'll help you in any way that I can, mate,' Ron offered.

'I know you will, Ron. Thanks.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five days later…

'Poppy,' Harry whined for the umpteenth time.

'What is it, Harry?' she snapped, completely exasperated with her only patient.

'I'm bored. I want out of here. Let me go to my rooms. I promise that I'll be good. I'll only get up to go to the toilet, or to go into the living-room, and I won't leave the sofa. Please, Poppy?'

Madam Pomfrey sighed. She knew Harry was ready to leave the hospital wing, but she was loath to let him go so soon. She wanted to make absolutely certain that he was fine, but she knew that it wasn't fair. Harry was well enough and strong enough to go, but the fact was, she didn't want him to. She enjoyed having him around, and since it was discovered that he was blind, she'd felt a certain motherly instinct for the boy.

'All right, Harry. As soon as either Severus or Sirius comes in, I'll let them take you home. But you have to promise me that you'll be careful. Don't do too much at one time, and stay in bed most of the time, or lie on the settee.' Madam Pomfrey slid her hand over Harry's hair and then caught his chin between two fingers. 'If you insist upon being intimate with your…significant other, make sure that he doesn't hurt you.'

Harry blushed furiously, but he protested. 'Severus would never hurt me!'

'I know that, Harry, but this is still a necessary warning. If, after you've been intimate, you feel any kind of discomfort, let him know and he can bring you back if it doesn't go away. I don't see a problem, but you never know. I know this is an embarrassing conversation for you, but I just want to ensure your recovery. Oh, and Harry, not too often, at least for the next few weeks. Skip at least a day between encounters. You don't want to tire yourself too much. I'll have them bring you back here, if you do not comply.'

Harry nodded, his cheeks still burning. 'I'll behave, I promise.'

Pomfrey leant over and kissed Harry's forehead, forcing Harry to wonder why everyone was so into kissing him all of the sudden. He figured it was the near-death experience.

Pomfrey said, 'I know you will behave. You've been a good patient, despite all your nagging.'

Harry grinned. 'Thanks for taking care of me. I don't know what this school would do without you.'

'I shudder to think. Ah, Severus! Just the man Harry has been waiting for. I've given him clearance to go to his quarters, and he's ready to bolt. Since you're here, I'll go and inform Sirius and Remus.'

Severus watched, surprised, as Pomfrey walked past him and out the door. He turned to Harry, eyebrow arched. 'I take it that you used just the right amount of nagging to get her to let you go.'

'Well, you know me,' Harry said, grinning mischievously.

'Yes, I do. Since you can go, you should get dressed. Would you like some help?'

Harry shook his head. 'If you could hand me my clothes, I can do it myself. I don't know where Draco put the clothes that he brought me the other day.'

Severus looked around and found them on the bottom shelf of the bedside table. 'Here you are,' he said, placing the clothes in Harry's hands.

'Thanks.' Harry pulled off his hospital gown while Severus closed the curtains around the bed, just in case someone decided to stop in.

Harry had no problems with the trousers or the shirt, and when he finished, he raised his head and smiled triumphantly toward the area where he heard his lover. 'I did it!'

Severus smiled at his lover's exuberance over his accomplishment. 'Very good. Can we go now? I'm rather tired of this wing. I've missed my dungeons terribly.'

Harry snorted. 'You're tired of the hospital wing? What about me? I've had to sit here and not stare at the ceiling while everyone else is in class. How boring my life has been,' Harry said, sighing dramatically.

'Oh, I'm so sorry. I feel your pain,' Severus said dryly. 'At least you don't have to deal with a first year student who is worse at Potions than Longbottom ever was.'

Harry sniggered. 'Okay, so perhaps I've had it a bit better than you have. I mean, I've had someone at my command these last two weeks.'

'Yes, and I'm sure you've loved every single minute of it, you spoilt brat,' Severus sneered. He took Harry's arm and helped him up.

'Yes, I have,' Harry said proudly, taking his lover's arm. When they started walking, Harry stiffened. Sure, he'd been led to the loo at the back of the hospital wing, but he was going out into the castle. He realised how big it was, and not being able to see where he was going, it was rather a scary place.

Severus wrapped his arm around Harry. 'I'm not going to let you fall, and I'll tell you when and if something is in the way. I'll let you know everything, all right?'

Harry nodded and a little of the tension left his body. Severus clasped Harry's arm in his and slowly led Harry out of the hospital wing.

'There's nothing in this hallway that is in the way. It's perfectly clear. I'm sure you remember which way we have to go to get to the dungeons, do you not?'

Harry nodded. 'We have to go straight for a bit, and then we turn left to get to the staircases.'

'Let's proceed, then,' Severus said, keeping a slow pace for Harry's unsure steps. Severus saw Sirius come into the hallway and nodded at him.

'Hello, Sirius,' Severus said, alerting Harry to his father's presence.

'Hi, Dad. Poppy said I could go.'

'So she told me,' Sirius replied. 'This calls for a celebration. How about Remus and I tell the house-elves to cook you anything you want?'

Harry thought for am moment. 'Can we have hamburgers and chips? I haven't had that in a long time,' Harry said, thinking of all the times that the Dursleys had taken Dudley to the hamburger bars and didn't take him along.

'Whatever you want. Remus and I will be down at seven.'

'Thanks, Dad. I'm going to have a nap when I get downstairs. I told Poppy that I wouldn't overdo it.'

'All right, honey. I'll go and tell Remus that you've been released from the hospital wing. I'll see you this evening. Have a nice nap.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry got down to the dungeons with no problems, and thanks to Severus's detailed descriptions, he was able to at least look good in front of the few students who dared to stop them and express their relief that Harry was okay, despite the warning glares Severus sent their way.

Harry tugged off his clothes and slid into bed. 'Oh, Merlin, this feels good!' he moaned, snuggling deep into the pillows. 'I've missed this bed so much,' he murmured.

'I'm sure it's missed you, too,' Severus teased as he lit the fire. There was a slight chill to the air, and he didn't want Harry to come down with a cold. 'It's time for you to go to sleep.'

Harry pulled back the blanket and patted the bed. 'Come lay with me, please? I want to feel you next to me while I sleep.'

Severus took off his robes and shoes, and he slid underneath the bedclothes. Harry snuggled into Severus's warm embrace and sighed. 'I missed being here with you. You don't know how much I missed this.'

'I know all too well how much you've missed this,' Severus murmured.

'Oh, that's right. I almost forgot.'

Severus smiled to himself. 'Go to sleep, Harry,' he ordered.

'I will. I'm just happy that I'm back here. How is Luthien?'

'Luthien is fine, sitting in the take, minding his own business. You can see him later and tell him all about your little adventure. I'm sure he'll be enthralled.'

Severus frowned when he didn't receive an answer. 'Harry, what's wrong?' he asked when he heard a sob. 'What is it?'

'I can't see him,' Harry sobbed. 'What if I can't see him anymore? What if I can't see you anymore? I want to see your face again.'

Severus pulled Harry closer. 'You will, Harry. Whatever it is, we'll fix it. I promise.' Pulling Harry up with him, he said, 'Here, touch my face.' Severus pulled Harry's hands to his face, mimicking what he saw his nephew do earlier in the week. 'Look at me like this. You can touch me any time you want to.'

Harry calmed a little as his fingers explored his lover's face, but the tears still fell. 'But what if I never see it again?'

'You will, someday, I promise,' Severus said, pulling Harry back into his embrace. 'You will always have me.'

'I know,' Harry said, wiping his eyes. 'I just wish that none of this had ever happened. I wish I had never got on the Quidditch team.'

'We both know you don't mean that, Harry. You're tired, weak, and angry. I don't blame you; no one does. Try to rest. You need sleep.'

'Don't leave,' Harry said, holding Severus tighter.

'Never,' Severus murmured, rocking his lover until he heard the even, deep-breathing that signified sleep.

Severus knew that the next few months were going to be difficult.

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