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Sighing, Harry let his broomstick float down to the ground. Quidditch practice was finally over and Harry couldn’t wait to return to the Gryffindor common room and sit in front of the raging fire with Ron and Hermione to finish up his last Potions essay of the term.
It was miserably chilly, but thankfully the last practice of the term had just ended. Midterm exam week was coming up and Professor McGonnagal had strictly prohibited club meetings of any kind to allow everyone plenty of time to study for exams.
“Great way to end the term, everyone! Have a happy Christmas, and good luck on your midterms!” Oliver Wood called out as everyone changed out of their practice robes and into their regular clothes.
Trudging back to the castle from the Quidditch pitch took longer than Harry would’ve liked because of the freshly fallen snow that was ankle deep and slippery as ice. His breath was coming out in puffs around him, and he looked up at the stars as he walked towards the castle. They were brighter here than they were on Privet Drive and it still surprised him how many were up there.
“Alright Harry?” Fred asked, coming up next to his young friend.
“Yeah, just looking at the stars.”
Fred looked up too, stopping in his tracks for a moment. “Amazing, innit?”
“Sure is. They always seem brighter when it’s freezing cold out,” Harry shivered, wrapping his jacket tightly around himself.
“Long practice?” Ron asked as Harry sank into the arm chair by the fire.
“You have no idea,” Harry groaned. Sleep was tugging at his eyes and his Potions essay was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about.
“Are you alright?” Hermione questioned, watching him carefully over her Potions book. “You look a bit flushed.”
“Of course he’s flushed, it’s bloody freezing outside and now he’s toasty by the fire,” Ron exclaimed.
Harry nodded in agreement. “I’m fine, 'Mione. Just wiped out and a bit chilly.”
“Want me to get the house elves to bring up a pot of tea?” Ron asked, hoping his friend would say yes so he could get a snack for himself.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks, Ron.”
It was close to midnight when Harry finally finished his essay. He could barely keep his eyes open despite the pot of tea he’d drunk, and Hermione had gone up to bed ages ago.
Ron was slumped over his essay and was snoring softly.
“Let’s go to bed,” Harry said, nudging his friend in the ribs.
Ron woke with a start and looked around, confused about where he was for a moment before he nodded and began to gather up his homework.
Harry slept like a rock that night, and thankfully it was a Friday so he didn’t have to be up early to go to class the next morning; the sun was high in the sky and no one else was in the dormitory. Stretching his arms above his head, Harry winced at a sudden spike of pain that bloomed in his stomach. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, so Harry thought nothing of it as he got up and ready to start his day studying for his midterm exams.
“Nice of you to finally wake up,” Hermione said as he sat down next to her, thumping his bag on the ground.
“Didn’t realize I’d slept so long,” Harry responded, flipping open his Transfigurations book.
“Looks like you needed it. Hungry?” Ron asked, butting into their conversation. He pulled a few rolls and a peach out of his pockets and set them next to Harry.
“Thanks mate,” Harry said, grabbing a roll to gnaw on while he studied. He noticed he wasn’t all that hungry.
After a weekend full of studying, Harry awoke on Monday morning feeling prepared for the two exams he had that day: Transfigurations and Charms. They went as well as Harry had hoped, but by the end of the day he had an odd gurgling feeling in his stomach. It wasn’t that he felt sick, exactly, not nauseated at all. Just weird.
Harry made eye contact with Snape as he entered the Great Hall for dinner. Ever since Snape had become his guardian the summer before, he and Harry had a secret way of checking in with each other without raising the suspicions of others.
Snape raised his eyebrows slightly and Harry immediately dropped the arm that he had curled around his stomach. He didn’t want Snape to think that there was something wrong with him.
Snape knew little bits and pieces of Harry’s past abuse, but he didn’t know everything that went on at number four Privet Drive. Harry wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible because he hated the way Snape looked at him when he explained some of the things the Dursley’s had done to him.
Being sick was one of those things. At the Dursley’s, Harry got locked in his cupboard under the stairs when he wasn’t feeling well. It was easier to pretend he was fine so that he would still get fed and be able to take a warm shower or two.
Ducking his head, Harry sat down across from Ron and Hermione and made a point to look back up at the staff table.
Hermione was going on about how she was worried that she answered one of the Charms essay questions wrong. Harry had stopped listening as his stomach flipped uneasily. He knew better than to try and eat dinner, so he drank some tea and tried to ignore the feeling that there were live fish flopping around in his stomach.
The next three days passed in much of the same way: studying late into the night, taking his exams, and skipping meals. If Ron and Hermione hadn’t been so preoccupied with their own exams they would have noticed the way Harry was downing tea and nursing his stomach, but Harry was grateful that they were too distracted to pester him with questions.
Snape, on the other hand, had been watching Harry like a hawk ever since he’d come into the Great Hall cradling his stomach. He noticed how little the boy was eating and finally decided that something needed to be done about it.
“Potter!” Snape barked, stopping Harry in the entry way to the Great Hall after dinner one evening. “Please come to my office. Now.”
Harry nodded, lowering his gaze. “Yes sir.”
Snape whisked away towards the dungeons and left Harry to cast sideways glances at his friends.
“Must be about my essay,” Harry said, swallowing thickly around the flopping of his stomach.
“Good luck mate,” Ron said, patting Harry on the shoulder as he and Hermione headed up to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry pulled his robes close around him and made his way down to Snape’s office. He didn’t doubt that they would end up in Snape’s private quarters like they usually did when Snape wanted to check in on his ward.
Clearing his throat quietly, Harry knocked and waited for a response.
“Enter,” Snape called.
Harry pushed the door open and looked sheepishly at his guardian.
“Come in, sit down,” Snape said, dropping his stern look as soon as the door to his office was shut. He conjured a fresh pot of tea and motioned for Harry to take a cup. “Now. Care to enlighten me as to why you haven’t been eating?” Snape leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of his chin.
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Not really?” he offered, knowing Snape wouldn’t let him get away that easily.
Snape let out a small chuckle and pushed a plate of sandwiches toward his ward. He took notice of the way Harry swallowed thickly at the sight of the sandwiches. “You know how I feel about lying,” he paused, deciding how to word his thoughts. “So. What’s going on? I thought we had moved past not eating as a punishment. Did something happen?”
Harry shook his head quickly. “No, nothing like that!” He had had trouble feeling like he was worthy enough to eat when Snape first became his guardian and he knew how serious Snape was about correcting his behavior. “I’ve just been feeling a bit queasy, that’s all.”
“Nervous about your exams?” Snape asked as he moved the sandwiches away from the boy, notching he was beginning to look green.
“No, I don’t think I’m nervous. I’ve been studying really hard and have felt confident about the ones I’ve taken so far.”
“Have you gotten sick?”
Harry shook his head and took a sip of his tea.
“Have you been to see Madame Pomfrey for a stomach soother?”
Harry shook his head again and Snape tusked at him.
“That is why she’s there, you know.” Snape conjured up a stomach soother and watched as his ward downed the contents. “Now, will you be staying down here with me or will you return to the tower?” Snape asked, standing from his desk. Harry already had more color in his face than Snape had seen all week and he felt confident that his ward would be just fine.
“I’ll go back to the tower. I have some more studying to do, my toughest exam is tomorrow,” Harry said, knowing that Snape knew the only exam Harry had the left to take was his Potions exam.
Snape smirked at him and raised his hand towards the door, signaling Harry’s dismissal.
“Good night Sev,” Harry said, standing up himself.
“Good night Harry.”
The next morning Harry awoke to a pain in his stomach along with the gurgling, flopping feeling that still lingered from the days before. He knew that he only needed to make it through one more exam before he would be on Christmas holiday, but he felt like staying in bed for the day. Or, at least until his stomach got back to normal. He was feeling a bit more nauseated than he had in the days before, but he hoped with another stomach soother he could ignore it until he was finished with his exam.
Groaning, Harry rolled out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
“You alright mate? You’re looking a little green,” Ron said, looking his friend over as Harry came down the stairs into the common room.
“I’m a little queasy, truthfully,” Harry replied as the trio made their way to breakfast.
“Me too, Snape’s exams are always the hardest. I’ve been dreading it all week.”
“Oh, Ron, obviously he’s sick. Look at him!” Hermione interrupted, reaching over to feel her friend’s forehead. “You’re a little warm, Harry.”
Harry pushed her hand away. “I’m fine, I just need to eat something.”
Snape was watching Harry as he walked into the Great Hall and didn’t avert his eyes until he watched his ward drink the stomach soother he’d told the house elves to put at Harry’s place. It worried Snape a little that Harry’s stomach was still bothering him. Maybe he wasn’t just nervous after all.
Harry gave Snape a small nod of thanks and put a slice of toast on his plate. Maybe he could try to eat something now that he’d taken a stomach soother.
Harry was able to eat several slices of plain toast and a small orange, as well as a cup of tea before he and his classmates headed down to the dungeons for their Potions exam. Because it was a midterm exam and not a normal class, the period was twice as long as normal. Halfway though, Harry began to regret eating anything at breakfast. His stomach was just gurgling at first, like it had been all week, but soon began to cramp painfully. Harry began to sweat despite the chilly atmosphere of the dungeons and his hands began to shake.
Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to push aside the nausea and focus on the exam in front of him. Unfortunately for him, his body had other plans. He wrapped an arm around his stomach when a particularly painful cramp ripped through him. His mouth began to fill with saliva and he knew he was going to throw up, as much as he didn’t want to.
Raising his hand, Harry prayed that Snape was watching the class. Thankfully, Snape noticed Harry’s distress and nodded at him, dismissing him from class with a frown. His ward was white as a sheet and Snape could see the sweat dripping down his temples from where he was sitting across the classroom. Growing concerned, he glanced at the clock. There was still an hour of the exam left and he couldn’t just leave his students to go check on Harry.
Harry didn’t waste any time and scrambled out of his seat and into the hall. There was a bathroom down the not far from Snape’s classroom, but Harry decided to go to their private quarters instead. It was a bit of a risky move, but he would much rather throw up in private than the school bathroom where anyone could walk in on him.
Clamping a hand over his mouth, Harry stumbled the last few steps to the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toilet. He gagged, his mouth opening on its own accord, but nothing came out. He took a deep breath and tried to will his stomach to stop rolling inside of him. Of course it didn’t work, though. He gagged again and his breakfast made its reappearance. It took a few rounds of vomiting before Harry felt like he was empty. He didn’t leave the safety of the bathroom, but took his cloak off and used it as a blanket. He was shivering and sweating at the same time, and his throat was burning.
Having lost track of the time, Harry was surprised when he heard Snape enter their quarters.
“Harry?” Snape called, stopping in the bathroom first before he searched the rest of their quarters. He’d checked the school bathroom as soon as the last student had passed in their exam, but Harry hadn’t been there.
"I’m in here,” Harry responded quietly, his voice raspy. “Sorry I didn’t finish my exam. I tried to stay for as long as possible.”
“No need to apologize for being ill, Harry,” Snape said softly, kneeling down next to his ward. “You’re burning up. Why didn’t you say anything?” Snape stood and bustled around the bathroom, getting Harry a drink, a fever reducer, and a stomach soother.
“It wasn’t bad until I asked to leave, honestly,” Harry replied. He took a sip of water with a grimace.
“Here, take these,” Snape said, holding out the potions.
Harry shook his head. “They won’t stay down,” he said as he moved himself to lean over the toilet again. He was getting goosebumps and sweat began dripping down his neck.
Snape knelt down again and rubbed Harry’s back as he vomited up the water he’d just sipped at.
After a nasty round of dry heaving, Harry reached up and flushed the toilet, leaning back against the wall with a thud. He was shaking with exhaustion.
“You’ll be more comfortable in bed, yes?” Snape asked, helping his ward to his feet.
Harry leaned heavily on his guardian as they walked the few steps to Harry’s bed.
“Here, sit down while I remove your shoes.”
Harry sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes against the spinning of the room. He felt goosebumps rise up on his skin again. “Sev, I think I’m going to be sick again,” Harry croaked, swallowing thickly. He knew he didn’t have anything left in his stomach to throw up, but it would be embarrassing if he gagged while Snape was taking his shoes off for him.
Snape placed a small wastebasket in his lap almost immediately, and sat on the bed next to Harry, rubbing between his shoulder blades. “Let it all out, then you’ll feel better,” Snape said, concern etched all over his face. Once it seemed like Harry was done heaving, Snape pulled his wand out and ran a diagnostic charm over the boy. “It seems as though you have the flu,” Snape stated, reading the results of his charm.
Harry shook his head. “No, I’m fine, really, I just need to sleep.”
Snape helped Harry lie back on the bed and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders. “Sleep will help, but my diagnostic charm is never incorrect.” Snape had a feeling that Harry’s reluctance to admit his illness had something to do with the Dursley’s. “But don’t fret about that now. Just try and rest. We’ll talk about this later.”
Harry nodded and rolled onto his side, pulling his knees to his chest. “Thanks for taking care of me, Sev.”
Snape paused for a moment. “You’re welcome Harry. That is what I’m here for.”
There was definitely more to this than Snape first thought, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Just, some other time. When Harry didn’t look so ill.