There isn't much in the way of violence, but certain discoveries are made. 

Severus was rightly concerned.

As soon as he'd seen Potter lying on the bathroom floor, unmoving, he'd felt his heart in his throat. The last student casualty at Hogwarts had been half a century ago, and while students were nearly always getting injured in some way, Madam Pomfrey could easily fix them up.

Once he had realized that Harry was still breathing, Severus had picked him up, and hurried to the hospital wing, Mcgonagall right behind him with her own student.

It had taken several minutes, and a strong calming draught, for Granger to calm down enough to tell then what had happened.

They were lucky to still be alive.

Granger's shoulder was dislocated, though Madam Pomfrey had easily fixed it, she'd insisted that the girl remain at least over night. Meanwhile, Harry still hadn't woken up.

Severus and Minerva stood off to one side while Poppy did one final check on Harry with a diagnostic charm.

After several minutes, Poppy straightened, frowning in concern at the student in front of her, before tucking him in carefully, then heading over to the two waiting teachers.

"He needs to rest. There doesn't appear to be any lasting damage, but I won't know for certain until he wakes. Blows to the head can be very nasty." She twisted her wand in her hands, looking over at the boy in question.

"That... isn't my main concern."

Severus and Minerva shared a shocked look, before Severus asked,

"Then, what is?"

Poppy seemed to think it over a moment, before she beckoned them closer to Harry's bedside. When the two professors were next to his bed, Poppy standing across from them, the school matron gently lifted one of Harry's arms. Rolling up the sleeve of his robes revealed fresh bandages, wrapped almost expertly around the upper half of his forearm. With a small flick of her wand, the bandages fell away, leaving the skin beneath them in full view.

Minerva's hand flew to cover her mouth as she gasped softly, while Severus clenched his fists, his lips thinning from how tightly he pressed them together.

Harry's arm was covered with small nicks and cuts, layered on top of pale scars.

"What happened?" Minerva asked, almost too quietly to hear.

To Severus it looked obvious, but perhaps Minerva simply didn't want to believe what she was seeing. Severus certainly didn't want to, but ever since the welcoming feast he'd had a bad feeling in his gut. And he wasn't foolish enough to think it wasn't possible.

It was... distressing, that Harry was still so young. But now that they knew, they could help. Trying to pretend it was anything else would be counter productive.

Poppy shook her head. Blood was already beginning to seep out of the most recent cuts again, and with a sweeping motion, Poppy conjured new bandages, which wrapped Harry's arm gently. The matron rolled Harry's sleeve back down, before she gestured the professors towards her office.

Once inside, she conjured a tea pot and cups for all of them, indicating the two seats in front of her desk for Severus and Minerva, who both sat down rather stiffly.

When they all held a steaming cup of strong tea, Poppy began,

"From what I saw, there are scars more then a year old. And while most of them are reasonably small, there is one on his left arm, that is... rather large." She turned her cup around on its saucer, running her fingers absently across the pale floral pattern. The worry on her face made her look older then her sixty some years.

"They are piled so closely together, it is hard to tell how old some of them are, but... I would say he's been hurting himself at least, a year and a half. Perhaps longer." She shook her head sadly.

"It is sad to see one so young, in the frame of mind to hurt themselves."

Poppy looked Severus and Minerva both in the eye, her hands closing gently around her tea cup.

"I can heal the more recent ones. And I will do my best to help the scars fade, but..."

"Some will remain." Severus finished softly, voice barely above a whisper.

Both older women looked at him, neither said a word, though they both were aware of his... experience, on the matter.

Sighing, Severus set his cup back on its saucer.

"I will try to speak to him once he is awake, and feeling better. There may not be much I can do. He may not want help." He sighed again, so much for despising the son of James Potter.

"But I will try."

Minerva placed her hand gently on his shoulder,

"That is all anyone can ask."

Severus brushed her hand aside, through there was no malice in the gesture, as he got to his feet.

"As nothing can be done at this moment, I will return to the rest of my students, and inform them that the troll is no longer a threat."

Minerva followed his example, and stood.

"As should I. Miss Granger, and Mr Potter are both in good hands."

Poppy gave them both a slim smile, standing to show them out.

As Severus headed down the main stair, he couldn't help but think of the corridor on exactly the opposite side of the castle from the hospital wing.

When Nott had informed him that Harry hadn't been at the feast, he had headed off to find him. But it had left Quirrell the opportunity to try for the stone. That the man had followed Filius to where the troll was found...

Was he unable to get past Hagrid's beast?

Severus shook his head. As much as he felt he should check on it now, his students were more important. The rest of the security around the stone would insure it was safe for the moment.

He just hoped it was enough.

}-{|>

His hand slid lightly across the smooth stone walls. The small black ring on his index finger glistened in the torch light. A sign of his birthright. As was another.

He came upon a wooden door. Pushing it open, he entered the bathroom. In the center stood a group of sinks, ancient mirrors hanging above each one.

For a moment he caught sight of his reflection in one of them. Dark hair and pale skin, a prefect badge glistened on his chest.

He turned away. He held no interest in his reflection, he never had a need to fuss over his appearance. No. What he wanted was on the sinks themselves. And he found it.

Carved into the side of one of the faucets, was the vestige of a snake. It really was here.

He'd found it.

"Open to me, and reveal your Secrets."

Just as he finished speaking, the sink pulled away from the others, a piece of the floor moving aside, as the useless plumbing sunk into the stone floor, leaving an opening in its wake. He'd found it. Truly, after three years, he'd found the-

|

Harry became aware of a light shining across his eyes. Which was strange, since the light that shone through the lake wasn't usually that bright, and he normally had the curtains drawn.

As he turned his head away from the offending light, Harry slowly started to recall what had happened.

Granger had run into the bathroom just as he was about to leave. Harry had caught a glimpse of a huge creature he didn't know, just before a large tree shape had hit him.

Prying open his eyes, Harry tried to ignore the pounding in his head, as he slowly sat up, reaching towards the shape he assumed to be his glasses on the table next to his bed.

Sliding his glasses on his face and looking around, Harry realized that he was in the hospital wing. That explained why he wasn't feeling worse.

He spotted the girl, Granger, on another bed a little ways away, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. At least she was alright.

The light that had woke him up was the dim lamps hanging around the large room, and not sunlight as he'd first assumed. Since it was probably very late, Harry laid back down, finding sleep surprisingly easily.

The end might seem abrupt. That's because I am desperately trying to find a way to escape the corner I've written myself into.

The conversation Snape and Harry are going to end up having is one that can't really be avoided, if I want to keep any feeling if reality I might have managed this far. (Doubtful, but I can hope.)

But also, I'm only okay with this chapter because i had someone else read it, and while neither of us have experience with these sort of things, they said it didn't sound completely trash, (I may be paraphrasing a little, as I have zero confidence in myself) and I'm pretty sure is the best im ever going to come up with in regards to this situation. 

There was really no other way for this encounter to turn out. There is no way a professional like Madam Pomfrey would miss something like that, and there is no reason she wouldn't bring it up to Harry's head of house, and the deputy headmistress.

I might just skip actually writing out that discussion, and vaguely mention it in passing as a past tense. We'll find out another time I guess.

For now, peace

Bakeku67