Early March

Severus slammed the latest book shut with a growl of anger and an overpowering feeling of futility. He was nearly out of books and ideas. He couldn't remember the last time he or Draco had slept an entire night and exhaustion was relentlessly tugging at him nearly every moment of the day. He was going to have to find someone else soon to aid him with the research so that he could be of more help to Draco. Taking care of Harry was taking its toll on both of them, but it was hitting Draco the hardest.

Draco stormed into the sitting room and flung himself onto the sofa. "Harry's finally asleep," he said, his voice rough with overuse. He covered his face with an arm and groaned. "It took two stories and the threat of not having a bath tomorrow morning to get him to settle down. How's the research coming?"

"It isn't," Severus replied regretfully. "Unless we can find out exactly what was done to him, finding the counter-curse is going to be nearly impossible."

"Has Kingsley found anything?"

"No," Severus said. "His duties as Minister are consuming the majority of his time and he doesn't dare to give the research to someone else. At this point, all he can do is monitor what St. Mungo's is doing with Miss Granger in the hopes that some breakthrough is discovered with her."

"We may have to take the chance and bring someone else in." Draco turned onto his side to look at Severus. "It's such a risk, though."

Severus nodded. "I know. I was thinking the same thing. If we don't get the right person, everything will blow up in our faces and Harry will end up in St. Mungo's alongside Miss Granger."

"And we will be in Azkaban for kidnapping," Draco muttered grimly, his eyes closed.

"Among other things," Severus agreed sarcastically. "Kidnapping will be among the least of the charges."

"If the bastard that did this to them wasn't already dead…" Draco growled.

"I feel the same way," Severus said, resting his head on the back of his chair. "I think I will write to Minerva."

Draco's eyes popped open. "Professor McGonagall? Can we trust her?"

"Her, Poppy and maybe Filius would be the only ones I would trust. Anyone else I would require an Unbreakable Vow of silence. Unfortunately, there's no one I know of that would be willing to make that kind of vow, has the time to help and would be an asset." Severus rose with the book in his arms. "Go to bed, Draco, you need the sleep."

"I never thought I'd ever say this, but I wish Granger were in her right mind." Draco groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. "I don't know how much longer I can do this without a proper night's sleep, Severus."

"You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to it." Severus looked hard at Draco. "It will kill him if you leave now."

"I know that," Draco said, rubbing a hand over his face. "He just takes so much time and attention and I'm tired. I wish I could have a few days to sleep and find someone to spend an evening with."

A sudden noise caught their attention and they turned to see Harry standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his underpants, glasses dangling in his hand. He was staring at them with eyes wide and tears trickling down his face. "You not wants me no mores?" he whispered brokenly. "I's a bad boy?"

Draco was up from the sofa and at Harry's side in an instant, Severus a step behind. "No!" Draco said emphatically, carefully taking Harry's glasses from him and handing them to Severus. "That's not what I said! We want you, Harry. We're glad you're here with us."

Harry was trembling and shaking his head in disbelief. Tears dripped off the end of his chin. "Sorry, sorry," he moaned. "I not means to do nuffin' bad."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and rocked him back and forth, and Severus saw regret for the hasty words on Draco's face. "I'm the one who's sorry, Harry. I would never leave you."

"But you said you's tired of me," Harry said in a muffled voice, his face pressed to Draco's shoulder. "I must have done somefings bad."

"Mr. Potter," Severus said sharply. "Mr. Malfoy did not say he was tired of you, he said he was tired. You do understand the difference, I hope?"

Harry raised his head, looked at Severus for a long moment and then turned to look at Draco. "You not angry with me?" he asked in a tremulous voice.

"No, Harry, I'm not angry with you. I could never be angry."

Harry nodded and pressed his face back into Draco's shoulder, his arms wound around Draco's waist.

"Where are your pyjamas, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked as Draco unwound Harry's arms and turned to lead Harry back upstairs.

"No like the jammies," Harry muttered. "They's bunchy and itchy."

"They're your favourites," Draco said, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. "You wear them almost every night."

"No, they not fav'ites," Harry insisted. "I no likes them no more."

The bedroom looked like a storm had run through it. Harry's covers were pushed off onto the floor and his pyjamas were flung into separate corners. Severus picked the knit pyjama top up from where Harry had thrown it. "Nevertheless, you will wear them. It is too cold for you to be running around naked."

"I's not naked." Harry said petulantly, indicating his underpants.

"Close enough," Severus said as he forced Harry's arms into the sleeves, getting the pyjama top onto him even with Harry twisting and turning to try and get away. Draco picked up the sheets and blankets to remake the bed.

"Meany," Harry muttered after Severus pulled on his pyjama bottoms in spite of his loud protests. Draco snorted as he helped Harry into bed and pulled the blankets up over him.

Severus glared down at Harry and Harry glared back at him. "Mr. Potter, I will continue to be a 'meany', as you put it, until you learn to keep your clothes on."

Harry didn't respond, just flopped over onto his stomach.

~hp~ss~dm~hp~ss~dm~

"I received a reply from Minerva a few minutes ago. I'm flooing over to see her shortly." Severus said quietly to Draco from the door of the bath. Harry sat in a half-full tub surrounded by a dozen little yellow duckies, splashing and throwing water everywhere. "I should be gone no more than two hours, so keep him as occupied as you can."

Draco nodded, his face dripping with water, the old t-shirt and sweats he normally wore to bathe Harry soaked through. "I'll do my best to keep him from knowing that you're gone," he muttered, keeping one eye on Harry to make sure he didn't hear anything.

"I'm leaving in ten minutes, don't let him out of the bath before then."

Draco snorted. "Keeping him in the bath is not the problem."

Severus smirked as he raised the teacup he was holding in a mock salute, and then drained the last of the tea with a swallow. "I've left breakfast for you on the table."

"Thank you," Draco said turning back to Harry with a flannel in his hand. "I'm starving."

"Ray!" Harry said loudly, bringing his palms down sharply into the bath and sending gouts of water all over the walls, floor and Draco. "Pays attention!"

Draco mentally hexed Severus for escaping before the battle to get Harry out of the bath began.

"Come on, Harry, it's time to wash."

"No wash! Wanna play! Play, play, play!" Harry sent a jet of water towards Draco, hitting him in the chest.

With a sigh, Draco wiped his face and neck with a towel, then sat on the edge of the tub. "No more playing. Wash, then out."

"No out, no out!" Harry insisted.

"Don't make me tell Daddy Sev that he has to come and get you out, Harry," Draco warned in a solemn tone.

"Eep," Harry squeaked and immediately sat still. "No tells Daddy Sev. I's be good."

Twenty minutes later, Harry was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, his hair damp and sticking up in all different directions. While Harry was occupied with his eggs and toast, Draco retrieved his wand and cleaned up the lake of water left on the bathroom floor, drying all the surfaces and levitating Harry's duckies up to a shelf that Severus had installed just under the ceiling and out of Harry's reach.

"Where you goes, Ray?" Harry asked when Draco came back into the kitchen and sat next to him.

"I had to clean up the mess left over from your bath," Draco replied, pouring a cup of tea and helping himself to some toast.

"I not makes a mess!" Harry insisted indignantly. "Water won't stays in baf!"

"I know," Draco said reassuringly. "Bad water."

"Yup," Harry nodded his head soberly as he picked up a bite of banana. "Bad water. Good Harry."

~hp~ss~dm~hp~ss~dm~

Severus stepped out of the fireplace in the Headmistress's office expecting to be hit with a devastating number of bad memories. He was surprised and pleased to find that the office looked nothing like he remembered it. Even the desk was different from the heavy mahogany antique that Dumbledore had favoured, and all the former Headmasters' portraits had been removed. The wall was now blank, grey stone.

Minerva stood behind her desk as Severus emerged. "Nice to see you alive, Severus," she said sarcastically. "Care to explain how you managed that feat?"

"I would not, Minerva," Severus replied, sitting in the nearest chair. "Suffice it to say that after Arthur was attacked I took certain…precautions to safeguard myself from Nagini."

Minerva nodded. "I should have known that you couldn't be taken by surprise like that, but Mr. Potter insisted that he saw you die."

"He saw what I wanted him to see. It was necessary for my safety and his."

She came around the desk and settled in the chair next to him. "Shall I call for tea?"

"Please," Severus said.

The house elf that brought the tea swiftly prepared each cup, laying out the tray on the low table between them, and then popped silently away.

"Since I know that you didn't write to me just for a visit, please tell me what you came for," Minerva said after a few minutes of silence.

"Minerva, before I can do that, I must tell you that I require the utmost secrecy." Severus stirred his tea, then set the spoon aside. "You must swear never to mention this conversation to anyone unless I allow it."

"That's rather strict, Severus. Is this about your supposed death?"

"No. While I don't want the fact that I'm alive getting out to the Wizarding World just yet, this is much more serious."

"I see," Minerva said thoughtfully. "What can you tell me that will help me make a decision?"

Severus stared at her for several seconds before speaking, carefully gathering his thoughts. "Do you remember when Miss Granger was cursed?"

Minerva nodded sadly. "How could I forget? She was found naked and unconscious next to the Forbidden Forest. The Death Eater who cursed her was dead a few feet away."

"Have you kept up with St. Mungo's supposed treatment of her?"

Minerva shuddered. "The things that they have done to that poor girl in the name of finding a cure are criminal. Honestly, why don't they just put her with competent people who can care for her and let her live out her years as a child?"

"They have no prognosis as to whether or not she'll stay the way she is, or eventually grow up again?" Severus asked curiously. He knew the answer, but wanted to find out what Minerva knew.

"No, they have no idea even what they're doing because no one has ever seen or heard of a spell that de-ages the mind but not the body.  With the damage that they have done with their 'treatments' so far, she may never recover her sanity even if she starts to age again mentally." Minerva eyed him speculatively. "What does this have to do with you?"

Severus placed his teacup on the table and folded his hands in his lap. "There was someone else with her when she was cursed."

Minerva's mouth fell open. "Someone…someone else? Who? Where is this person?"

"That's the reason I need you to swear a Wizard's Oath, Minerva," Severus said evenly. "I trust you, but mistakes happen."

She nodded and took out her wand. Severus watched the magic briefly swirl around her as she swore her oath.

"Satisfied?" she asked, putting her wand away.

"Yes, thank you," Severus said gravely, accepting her oath with the respect it deserved. He refilled his teacup and settled back into his chair. "The other person who was with Miss Granger that day was Harry Potter."

The shattering of Minerva's teacup on the floor of her office was the only sound. Severus sat in silence as Minerva wept into her hands, offering neither comfort nor condemnation.

When she had composed herself, a damp handkerchief now clenched in her hands, she said hoarsely, "Tell me."

"I don't know how they wound up in the Forbidden Forest together, or how they were discovered by the remaining Death Eaters. I was still recovering and had heard nothing of the incident. Two days after it happened, I was out in a little known part of the forest looking for some ingredients I needed for my potions. I found Potter at the bottom of a small ravine. He was filthy, cold and severely dehydrated. I suspect that if I had not found him when I did, he would have been dead within hours."

Minerva nodded. "That would be why the search turned up no one else," she said. "He had wandered too far away from the original site of the attack."

"Yes," Severus said. "I was too weak to get him out of the ravine on my own, and my magic was unpredictable at best because of the snake bite and the antidote potions I was taking. I managed a weak Patronus and sent it to Draco Malfoy to come and help me. He was the only one at the time who knew I was alive."

"He found you?" Minerva asked. "In the Shrieking Shack?"

"He came to get me after Potter defeated the Dark Lord so that I could have a burial. Imagine his surprise to find me still alive," Severus said wryly.

"I can imagine." Minerva's voice was filled with humor. "Please continue."

"We took Potter to Grimmauld Place, but it wasn't safe." Severus gazed at the cup of tea in his hands. "The Ministry was making noises about searching the house for so-called Dark Artifacts and was within a few days of finalizing the paperwork for the search. Kreacher helped us move Harry and certain items from Grimmauld Place that we didn't want to fall into the hands of the Ministry. Even now he is the one who keeps us supplied with food and other necessities. Harry was comatose for nearly two weeks and we almost lost him twice."

"Where did you move to?" Minerva asked.

"We moved to one of the old Order safe houses that hadn't been used since the first war. I don't think that anyone even remembered its existence."

"How did you find it?"

"Dumbledore's portrait told me about it during my time as Headmaster. He recommended it to me if I needed a place to…escape to." Severus looked at the blank wall where the portraits had hung. "Where are they now?"

Minerva laughed. "I moved them to another section of the office. I can't remove them from the Headmaster's suite, but I couldn't stand their constant chattering and so-called 'advice'."

"I don't blame you. They drove me mad on more than one occasion." Severus waved a hand, dismissing the topic. After a long sip of tea he continued. "When Potter woke, I realised that I had more to deal with than just an extremely sick man. Draco did some investigating for me and found out that Miss Granger had been hit with the same curse. It was some time before we could find out any particulars of how they were treating her and we made a few of the same mistakes during that time."

Minerva sucked in a breath. "What happened?"

"I tried Legilimency on him. His mind was a seething pit of dark magic. It nearly killed both of us and he screamed in agony for two days afterward." Severus looked at the fire crackling cheerfully a few feet away from him. "Then Draco used magic in front of him. It was just a simple cleaning charm, but Harry turned into a raging maniac, nearly beating Draco to a bloody pulp. I have never seen anything like it. Even the sight of one of our wands will bring out an aggression so fierce that we have to lock him up until it stops."

"I assume you've come to me after all this time because you need help," Minerva said.

"Yes. Draco has been the primary caretaker for Harry and I have been helping when I can while trying to do most of the research. We are both exhausted and Draco is nearly at the end of his endurance. Kingsley knows about what we're doing, he has for months, but he can't do anything significant to help because of his duties as Minister." Severus grimaced. "I need assistance with the research and someone to take care of Harry a couple of times a week so that Draco can get a full night's sleep."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

"No," Severus admitted. "I was hoping you could help me find someone. The person who's going to help with Harry must be physically strong, but not a bully. Harry can be…resistant."

Minerva snorted a laugh. "Aren't all toddlers?"

Severus smirked at the statement, then turned serious. "Unfortunately, Harry isn't just any toddler, he's a grown man with the mind of a small child. He doesn't understand most of the world anymore."

"You'll need at least two people, one of whom excels at research and has access to the sort of books you won't find in a regular library. I assume you'll want an Unbreakable Vow from them?"

"Most likely," Severus replied. "If it's someone I already know I can trust, I'll settle for a Wizards Oath, but I can't let them in without one or the other."

Minerva looked contemplative. "Give me a couple of days, I'll let you know who I can find."

Severus rose to his feet. "Thank you," he said as he took a pinch of floo powder. "Try not to recommend anyone from St. Mungo's. They're just a bunch of barbarians and I won't have them anywhere near Harry."

Minerva smiled at him. "I thought you might feel that way. I'll stay away from there."

Severus nodded, and then called out "Baron's Cottage" as he disappeared in swirl of green flames.