(A/N: Well I'm back again with another chapter for you good folks. I hope that you have enjoyed the story so far and that this chapter will not disappoint. But for now that's enough from me, on with the show!)

The Apology

Part 7

"Is there anything else I should know? I will need to have his things fetched from the dorms if he is to be living with you Severus. And it couldn't hurt to inform his classmates that he won't be returning to his studies until he is healthy enough to do so," Minerva spoke up about an hour before curfew. For the most part all three of them had kept silent vigil over the boy, occasionally they would check his vitals, but none of them quite knew what else to say about the matter.

"Once I adopt him he is being Sorted again. It seems that he was under some outside pressure during the original Ceremony to select Gryffindor. Of course I will not prevent him from being placed there again if that is what the Hat decides, but he wanted to try it all the same," Severus provided and Minerva frowned softly.

"I see, well while it is most unusual, I will not fight you on the matter. I only wish the best for him, even if that means that he is no longer a member of my House," Minerva said gently. She then rose from her chair and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress and robes. With a gentle nod she bid Severus and Poppy a good night and made her way out of the Hospital Wing.

"Severus you should be off soon as well. I still have to enforce visiting hours," Poppy stated plainly and Severus nodded as he absently flicked some invisible lint from his sleeve.

"Of course, I don't expect you to break protocol for him or me. I will be back first thing in the morning for the Blood Adoption Ritual. I just hope that he accepts me as his new guardian. Otherwise this will get a whole lot more complicated," Severus said, finally giving voice to a fear that had been tugging at the back of his mind for the last several hours.

"I don't think that Lily would have picked you if Harry wouldn't be okay with it. For that matter you're the first adult to show him any such kindness or protectiveness, it will go a long way with him, I promise you that," Poppy assured gently and then stood when Severus stood.

"Be that as it may, I still intend to ask him formally to be my son. I wouldn't presume to force such a bond on him," Severus stated quietly.

"And I'm sure that he will appreciate the gesture more than you know. But for now it is getting near to curfew and I'm sure that you have a few wayward students to see back to the dorms," Poppy said and gently shooed him from the Wing.

Once he was gone she locked and Warded the doors to the Wing so that not even the Headmaster could get in without her permission. It was a task that she preformed every night, but now, with Albus acting strangely concerning the child, she was doubly careful of her wand work.

"Rest easy Mister Potter, you may have lost the only family you've ever known, but you're about to gain a father that would bend Heaven and Earth just to keep you safe," Poppy said quietly as she paused once more by Harry's bed. The boy did not react but for the first time Lily appeared to Poppy alone, and this time she was smiling.

The night passed uneventfully and the next morning came quickly for the teachers and staff of the school.

Severus turned up just in time for Poppy to let him in and for Harry to wake from his potion-induced slumber.

"Sir? You didn't have to come back just to check on me. I really am sorry for being such a bother," Harry said gently as Severus took up the seat that had been left at his bedside. Severus smiled softly and reached out to hand Harry his glasses.

"You're not a bother Harry. In fact I came here to check on you because I wanted to do so. Besides that I have something very important to discuss with you," Severus said in what had to be the softest voice he had used on a child in the last 10 years.

"Something important?" Harry asked and yawned widely, looking sheepish that he had done so.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey and I went through the proper steps with your case. As such your relatives are being investigated by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This means that you are no longer under their care, and will not be ever again. So someone else needs to be your guardian, and I wanted to offer to be that for you. Would you allow me to adopt you Harry?" Severus said in a low and even tone, careful not to imply that any punishment would come to the relatives on Harry's behalf.

For several long moments Harry's expression was blank as he repeated what Severus had said over and over, looking at the man for any trace of a joke. Severus did his best to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn't quite hide the hopefulness that had crept into his heart over night.

"I'm sorry sir, I would love for you to adopt me, but I don't think I can remember the last time someone wanted me for anything other than keeping a clean house and cooking meals for them," Harry admitted and Severus nodded, offering a nearby tissue as Harry's eyes began to cloud with tears once again.

"I can promise you Harry that the only chores you will have in my household will be making your bed and doing your homework. On top of that, I would also like to promise you that this has nothing to do with you being Harry Potter. I seek no fame in associating with you. I only wish to keep you safe and take care of you as any parent should," Severus affirmed gently and Harry cried harder despite the smile that had formed on his lips.

"You really want me to be your son?" Harry whispered between sobs, wondering if he was feeling another asthma attack coming on. Severus nodded earnestly in response.

"Yes of course," Severus stated simply.

"What would I call you?" Harry asked as the tears seemed to reach their end and his breathing started to level out. He was still wheezing for breath, but at least he wasn't choking on sobs anymore. There had been times when he had been left to deal with worse symptoms on his own. But he wasn't made to; Severus had summoned a familiar phial of potion and quickly handed it to Harry to drink.

"You can call me whatever you like. In classes it will still be Sir, or Professor. But when we are at home or not in a school setting you may use whatever feels natural to you," Severus said, watching in relief as Harry's breathing returned to normal. It warmed his heart to know that something as simple as what to call him had been his concern.

"I will figure something out. How do you go about adopting me? Doesn't it take forever?" Harry asked softly.

"It won't take more than an hour. Here in the Magical world things work a little differently. You won't just be my son on paper, you'll be my son by blood as well," Severus said, smiling at the wide-eyed reaction that netted him.

(A/N: Well that's it for now. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as you have enjoyed the ones in the past. If you enjoyed it or just want to say hi, a comment or a review would mean the world to me. But for now, thanks for reading and I hope to see you nest time.)