Chapter 13: Adjustments

It was late afternoon when Severus arrived back in their quarters. The child had fallen asleep in his arms just moments after crossing the entrance gate onto the school grounds. Hoping that his charge would sleep for a few hours, Severus settled Harry into bed to continue his nap.

Rushing out of the room and into his potions lab, with barely a glance back, the dark haired man started pulling ingredients off of the shelves. Jars and vials quickly lined the workbench as Severus worked on autopilot. As soon as a fire was lit below his favorite cauldron, the potion master’s thoughts assaulted him. Taking the mortar and pestle, he set to crushing the dried lavender leaves, the sweet smell quickly filling the lab.

There was no doubt about it. Severus’ life had been drastically altered since being forced to take the boy. A mere two days with the child was causing a colossal paradigm shift in his worldview. No longer could he even consider Potter a brat, much less a spoiled prince. The boy had proved to be the exact opposite. His face alone displaced any previous notions when he saw the clothing purchased for himself. The lot hadn’t even been an extravagant purchase, which revealed the truth of the matter. Harry had never had such things purchased for him before. The headmaster had expressed such concerns to the staff upon the child’s arrival in the castle but it was one thing to see the effects the neglect in person.

Severus’ own upbringing had been far from perfect. His father, abusive and a drunk, never left much money for his mother to keep groceries stocked in the kitchen, much less enough for other necessities. Severus had been taunted for his threadbare clothing. However, the difference between him and Potter was that his family had had more than enough financially to provide for the young boy. Even the potions master had to admit that taking Potter from that muggle home was a wise decision. No child should be raised unloved if there was another option.

And the best option is you? Severus thought bitterly to himself as he stirred the finely crushed lavender into the boiling mixture. Shaking his head in frustration, Severus pushed all thoughts aside and continued with the potion, no longer allowing himself to dwell on the boy sleeping in the next room.

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*** “Back already, boy? I knew you would be too abnormal even for those freaks,” Vernon growled as Harry stared at him from the front door. The rain was pouring down, soaking the small, shivering child.

“I’m sowry,” Harry whimpered, praying to be let in. He’d known he’d eventually go back to his aunt and uncle. They had been telling him for as long as he could remember that he was unwanted by everyone.

“You’ll never be let back in here, boy,” Aunt Petunia spat. Dudley peered out from behind her skirt, laughing at his pitiful cousin. “Freaks don’t deserve families.”

Suddenly Harry was no longer standing on the front step of 4 Privet Drive. Instead he was back in the forbidden forest with the creature calling out to him. “No one else wants you, Harry. Only me.”***

“No,” Harry cried out, jarring himself awake. His eyes shot open and he looked around the room he was in. It was the room the professor had shown him. His room. Was that real? Wiping the tears from his face, Harry crawled out of bed. He didn’t remember falling asleep on the walk back but didn’t dwell on that. Not wanting to be by himself, Harry quietly poked his head outside of his room. It was quiet, which made the small child uneasy. Maybe the professor forgot him? His aunt and uncle had forgotten him once when they left for a weekend on a short holiday. They’d never said anything when they came home.

Moving quietly down the hall, Harry tiptoed into the sitting room. The fireplace seemed cold, not even an ember glowed from the pile of ashes. Just before Harry started to panic, a quiet clinking of glass from the closed door across from him alerted Harry to the location of his new guardian. Not forgotten.

Harry stood in front of the dark wooden door, studying it. He didn’t want to be alone but it was the room that the professor had said he wasn’t allowed. There was a small crack in the door, as it hadn’t been closed completely. Easing the door open a bit wider, Harry settled himself onto the floor, just outside the door. He hadn’t gone into the lab, thus obeying the rules, but this way he felt a little less alone.

Harry watched with interest as the dark haired man sliced up what looked like a giant worm. It kinda looked like when Aunt Petunia would prepare dinner, only he hoped that the worm wasn’t going to be in tonight’s supper. Yuck! Once he’d asked his aunt if he could help in the kitchen as cooking always seemed interesting to him. However, all he got in return to his request was a swift swat on his backside with a wooden spoon and a claim that he’d likely poison her precious son. Harry hadn’t ever asked again but the desire to learn to cook never really went away. Content with just watching the professor, he settled back into a more comfortable position on the floor and never made a sound.

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Unaware of his audience, Severus continued on with the final steps of the calming draught. Just ten more stirs counter clockwise. Counting aloud softly, the steady movements of the crystal stirring rod finished and left a lavender colored liquid glistening from the cauldron. Quickly extinguishing the flame, Severus summoned the set of empty vials and bottled the potion. Half would go into his personal stores, and the rest would be brought to the hospital wing for the upcoming school year.

Levitating the cauldron to take it to the sink, Severus spotted his young charge sitting outside the now open door. The child’s eyes were wide as he gaped at the floating cauldron.

“Potter!” Severus exclaimed, startled by the unexpected appearance of the child. Honestly, he had been so engrossed in finishing his brewing that he’d almost completely forgotten about the additional presence in his chambers.

The loss of concentration sent the cauldron crashing onto the workbench, shattering several empty vials left from the ingredients he’d used for the potion.

“Fool!” Severus hissed at himself for allowing such a small distraction to loose his hold on the spell. Knowing Potter’s aversion to magic, Severus ignored the glass and walked cautiously, studying the now standing child.

“I didn’t mean to do it,” came a soft whisper from the boy.

“You didn’t cause the cauldron to float, Potter,” Severus said softly, “I did.” Green eyes met black as his charge looked at him in surprise.

“It wasn’t your magic this time but mine. And it was my fault that it fell. Not yours, understand?”

A small nod was all his answer but Severus could see that Potter didn’t believe him. However, the potions master was determined to finally make Harry understand the value of magic. Picking the boy up, he walked Harry into the lab and set him on a tall stool next to the workbench.

“It’s time for you to get over this aversion to magic, Potter. Whatever lies you were fed, doing magic is perfectly normal for people like us.”

“Freaks?” came the confused reply. Gritting his teeth, Severus reined in his temper.

“That word is officially banned from your lips. Don’t ever use it again. Should I hear it once more, Potter, you’ll be sitting with your nose in the corner for an hour!”

Wide green eyes stared up at him and the boy’s lips pursed together as if he was trying to lock them tight, should they betray him.

“Watch closely, Potter. Magic is nothing to be feared.” Severus turned to the shattered vials and waved his wand. A quick “Reparo” sent the pieces of glass back together into their original form.

“See?” Severus asked, turning back to his charge. The boy’s face was no longer pale and even a small smile graced his face.

“Cool,” came the soft reply.

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Severus sat across from his charge at their small dining table studying his young charge. The boy had taken his nutrition potion without complaint and was eating small bites of his chicken and vegetables. The boy was quiet; no attempts to even start a conversation with the surly potions master. Severus knew that most children Potter’s age jabbered on about things that most adults didn’t even understand. Not this child though. Attributing      the ‘unusual’ behavior to the muggles, he decided to try and get to know the boy.

“Potter,” Severus started. His charge looked up at him, seemingly startled at being addressed. “Why were you watching me work in the lab this afternoon?”

Severus watched the boy drag his fork through the remaining food on his plate as he thought. “Well, you see,” Harry began explaining. “You see, I watch Aunt Petunia but she no let me help.”

Severus quickly realized that Harry was confusing brewing with cooking, an easy and common mistake for a nearly four year old to make. “I see,” Severus responded, “but you want to help?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps for now you can watch as long as you sit quietly like today. When you’re a bit bigger then I can teach you.”

Even though Severus hadn’t been too thrilled about opening up his private lab to his young charge, the smile that beamed on the boy’s face settled any qualms he had for it. Nevertheless, I’ll probably regret it.

“Come, Harry, let’s get you in the bath and then it’s bedtime,” Severus said, ignoring the fact that he used the boy’s proper name. With a wave of his wand, the leftover food disappeared. He couldn’t help but notice the slight pause in the boy’s movements as he studied the table. However, Harry seemed to decide for himself that it was okay for the food to disappear and followed his guardian to the bathroom. Victory!