Chapter 18 - The demon is real. And powerful

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Severus felt sick. He had read quite a bit about mental illnesses in general and psychoses in particular by now, but non of the books had said anything about an actual foreign... well, what? Presence? Being? - in the patient's head. Although, he had to admit, since he himself had only accidentally discovered that... thing by using Legilimency, it was unlikely that muggles had ever noticed it.

Thinking about it... it had clearly been this... being... that had reached out for Severus own mind, apparently while Harry himself had had a panic-attack or something similar. But then... only a magical being could have done this. No muggle - or muggle-illness or anything that wasn't somehow connected to a magical being - could have intruded, or at least tried to intrude, a wizard's mind.

That, however, left only two possible conclusions. Either all people who had been diagnosed with psychosis had been... well, 'possessed' by some sort of unknown magical being or Harry wasn't psychotic at all.

And even Severus Snape, who had seen his fair share of dark and darkest things, both in the wizarding and in the muggle world, had to admit that it seemed... unlikely that over centuries - or more correctly millenniums (since the first reports of something akin to psychoses dated back to a time long before even the founders of this very school had been born) wizards - or any other magical beings - had hexed muggles so that they appeared to be ill, insane. No, this didn't add up. If wizard's or other creatures known to the wizarding world had been responsible for this, surely some people must know about it? But not even the Dark Lord - or anyone of his followers - had ever referred to a conspiracy against muggles that had begun ages ago!

But then... could it be that Harry suffered from something they normally dealt with at St Mungo's? Some sort of mind damage caused by magic? Or indeed possession? But how? And perhaps more importantly, who? If everything Albus had said was true, the boy hadn't had contact with any magical being - well, apart from that squib - until the previous summer. Either Albus was lying - which wasn't a very far-fetched assumption, Severus thought - or the wards that were supposed to keep Harry safe had been all but useless and someone (or something) from their world had found him and... done something to him.

Or... but that couldn't be, could it? It just wasn't possible that it had something to do with That Night... the night the boy's parents had died. No.

###

The longer the professor was silent, the more dejected Harry became. He should have known better than to ask such a thing! As if anybody would voluntarily go into Harry's crazy head where that evil thing kept lurking around!

He had hoped the professor might be different, yes. Well, perhaps he even was! After all, he did listen to Harry, and he really seemed to be interested in what Harry said. He didn't act as if he knew everything and didn't make Harry feel like a stupid, worthless, crazy little kid. But then, even if he was different, it didn't mean that he wouldn't be disgusted by actually seeing Harry's demon. Dr Green had never seen it (at least as far as Harry knew), and even he had said that he would be happy if the demon went away!

Perhaps he should apologize? Mostly, apologizing was a good thing. If you had offended people, they would be less likely to shout at you, and if you hadn't, they would just tell you that you didn't need to apologize. Yes, if Harry apologized, perhaps Professor Snape would still be friendly and forget the unseemly question Harry had asked!

"Ehm, Professor? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to ask something like this, I know that nobody would want to deal with the demon, I really just... well, I'm really sorry I asked such a stupid thing!"

Severus snapped out of his thoughts. What was the boy babbling about? Oh. Perhaps it hadn't been smart to let Harry wonder whether he was actually thinking about his request. "Stop apologizing, Potter, I will help you. Yes, I certainly will!"

"You... you will?" Wide-eyed, Harry looked at his professor.

"Of course I will! I have already said so, didn't I? I must admit I haven't considered the possibility that the - demon, you call it? - might actually be... well, somehow 'real', but the fact that it is - or seems to be - only emphasize the importance of someone competent helping you getting rid of it!"

"You will help me? Really?"

"Potter! Pay attention! I have said so, and I don't tend to make promises I don't intend to keep! Now, but what about all that mud in your head?"

"Mud?" Harry asked, blankly.

"Yes. All of your mind seems to be contaminated by it. I have never seen something like this before. Care to explain?"

"I don't know, Sir... I don't know about mud. I'm sorry..."

"Hmph." But Severus had to admit that it wasn't really surprising that Harry didn't know about the mud. Sensing a foreign force inside one's own head was one thing, but that mud... if you had never practised Occlumency, it was unlikely that you knew about something like this being in your head. Harry might just have perceived it as being drowsy, unable to think and move and act like he wanted to. And if the mud had been there long enough, it was quite possible that the boy thought all of this was normal!

###

Suddenly, there was as sharp knock on the door and both Severus and Harry startled.

"Severus Snape, you will open this door at once or I will blast it away!"

Severus groaned. Oh no. He wasn't prepared to deal with an angry McGonagall just now. However, a glance at the clock that hung above the door confirmed that it had already been more than an hour since he had banned the Weasley-boy from the classroom. No wonder he had gone to find his head of house in order to rescue Potter from the bat of the dungeons. Sighing, he pointed his wand at the door - he didn't yet feel like standing up, and it wouldn't do for the transfiguration-professor to witness him staggering and swaying through the classroom - and it banged open.

"Severus Snape, what is the meaning of-" Minerva stopped, completely astounded. Of all things she had expected to find, this wasn't one of them. When the newest Weasley had come into her office, red-faced and panting from running up all those stairs, and begged her to rescue Harry because "Snape has trapped him and now he's probably about to kill him in order to brew potions with the organs of the boy-who-lived himself" she had thought that the potions-master - insensitive as he was - was interrogating the poor boy about his previous life and everything that could help to solve the mystery about the mesin-stuff and everything else.
She had expected to find a tearful Harry and an annoyed Snape and had been prepared to tell the bat that he should leave her lion alone and that she (together with Poppy) would find out what had happened to Harry and how to help him. Oh, she had cursed herself for even thinking about asking Severus to help Harry! He would only torment the boy further, and even if she understood the animosity the man held against Potter senior, she wouldn't let Harry pay the price for James' misbehaviour!

So when she saw Severus Snape sitting on the ground - which was a rather odd sight in itself - with Harry Potter next to him, the transfiguration-professor wasn't sure whether this was some kind of strange dream. And Harry, she noticed, didn't seem to be uncomfortable or intimidated at all but - it couldn't be, could it? - the boy was leaning on Severus! And her colleague even allowed it!
Both of them looked exhausted, though, and Minerva, completely at a loss for what to say, simply gapped.

"Will you shut the door, woman!" Severus snapped, annoyed. It was worse enough that Minerva saw him like this, he didn't need anyone else witness his embarrassment.

"What the-" Minerva caught herself. It wouldn't do to swear in front of a student. "I must admit I'm quite curious how it comes that you and a first-year are sitting on the floor of the dungeons although classes are long over and dinner has already started... What is going on, Severus?!"

"Will you just shut the door!? And properly!" Severus wasn't sure whether a Gryffindor - even if it was the head of house - was smart enough to figure out that shutting a door properly included setting up silencing-spells, but he was surprised. Again. It wasn't as if the annoying Gryffindor currently sitting practically in his lap (and who seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep) hadn't surprised him already.

After Minerva had closed and warded the door to Severus satisfaction, he saw no further reason to delay the inevitable discussion and started to tell the increasingly agitated head of Gryffindor what he had discovered during the last one and a half hours. Not everything, of course. He didn't think it was necessary for the boy's head of house to know every tiny detail of what Severus had seen in his mind and about the things they had discussed. No. Using Legilimency - particularly on a child - was a rather sever violation of privacy in itself (even so he hadn't meant on using it on the boy) and he wouldn't tell anything that wasn't strictly necessary.

"So, you mean," Minerva asked when Severus had arrived at the point where the transfiguration-professor had interrupted them, "you mean to tell me that Harry was in a hospital and that these muggle-healers gave him potions because a wizard meddled with his mind? But - Albus said that he only put Harry with his relatives because no one would be able to harm him if he stayed with them!"

"I know," Severus answered wearily, "and I didn't say that anyone has attacked him while he stayed with those muggles. I'm not even sure whether this... thing in his head is indeed something created by magic. It might just be something that feeds on the boy's own magic, or some kind of mental illness only wizards can get or a normal muggle psychiatric disorder that causes these specific symptoms because of Harry being a wizard... I don't know, Minerva, but at least I have a clue at what to search for now."

"And you're sure it wasn't you who entered Harry's head? I'm not an expert when it comes to these sort of things, but it's quite... remarkable for an eleven-year-old to lure one of the most skilled Legilimences there are into his head, isn't it?" Despite Harry's obvious contentedness with the current situation (he had indeed fallen asleep while Severus had been telling Minerva what had happened), she was still suspicious.

Severus huffed. Not only that he didn't like being wrongly accused of lying, but apparently not even grown-up Gryffindors knew the difference between "head" and "mind". No wonder hardly anyone of that bunch was proficient in mind-magic! "Yes, I'm quite sure, Minerva! Didn't you listen to what I just have told you?! If it hadn't been for this... incident I would have never thought that the demon the boy keeps talking about might be more than a cry for attention or perhaps some kind of hallucination! That thing is powerful, magically powerful! And I don't think it would be in the boy's best interest if it remained in his mind! I don't know what to do about it yet - I don't know if there is anything that can be done - but I will find out and I expect you not to interfere with the way I choose to deal with this - or the boy!"

"But surely you can't mean-"

"You can always go to Albus if you don't trust me!"

"Hmph." Minerva didn't deign to respond to this. Even so Severus hadn't said it directly, the transfiguration-professor was well able to deduce from what he hadn't said that their employee had - at best - neglected his duty to ensure Harry was healthy and truly unharmed after that fateful Halloween. And she knew Albus well enough to know that it was rare that he simply 'forgot' things. No... if the old coot was planning something involving Harry, it was unlikely that he would listen to her concerns. "OK. Let's pretend I agree to letting you handling Harry and everything, what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Well... first of all, the boy needs to see Poppy." He glanced down at the child next to him. Yes. The medi-witch clearly hadn't cast one of the more thorough spells on the boy when she had determined that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with him. Not only that, but he wanted the healer to strip down the boy to make sure there wasn't anything else they had missed so far and it wouldn't hurt to scan Harry for any residual effects from all those drugs either. Sure, some disorders of the mind couldn't be detected by the means a healer normally employed. It would be Severus' job to search for that kind of things. But on the other hand, the medi-witch might (if she examined the boy carefully and not just in a rush) find things Severus wouldn't. He wasn't a healer, after all.

"Very well. I certainly won't disagree with that. After all, it's not normal for an eleven-year-old child to fall asleep in the middle of the day." She pointedly glanced at Harry who was snoring against Severus shoulder. "Who knows how this mind-magic has affected him, not to mention those things the muggles have done to him!"

"Exactly. Then I think it would be prudent to have regular meetings with Ha- the boy. I have already promised that I will help him to figure out what prevents him from casting simple spells. After what I have seen in his head, his inability to perform magic might even have something to do with all that mud in his mind..." Severus stopped. He hadn't had time yet to think properly about this possibility, but it seemed to be obvious. Even the simplest spells required a minimum of concentration, intention and a clear idea of the desired result. It was difficult to imagine that anybody whose mind was stuffed with some sort of (clearly unhealthy) mucous substance could meet those preconditions.

"Well, the boy is likely to insist on those meetings anyway, and it would be wise to find out what's wrong with his magic as soon as possible, given who he is... I don't think it'll be that difficult to question him some more about his previous life, especially about anything that might be related to that... thing."

"All right, but you won't abuse those meetings to hurt Harry in any way! I will ask the boy, Severus, and if I hear any complaint about your treatment of him..."

"While it is nice to see that you care for the welfare of your charges, I would like to remind you that it wasn't me who bullied less... respected students only to have fun!"

Minerva blushed. "I know that I-"

But Severus interrupted her. He didn't want to dwell on old times. "Let's don't talk about those times any more, there are more pressing matters. I only want to make it clear that if I am to do as you asked me to and help the boy, I don't want to justify everything I might do or not do to you. It's not as if this is something that could be corrected by giving Harry (damn! Now Minerva had witnessed his constant slips!) a potion or two, I might have to employ more... unorthodox means to get rid of those things in the boy's head, but I won't purposefully harm him!" He glared at his colleague. When she just swallowed and nodded, he continued. "All right, and I will examine those drugs in more detail. Perhaps I can find out whether it's possible that they have different effects when administered to a wizard."

The two teachers agreed on Severus accompanying Harry to the infirmary. The boy seemed to have developed a liking for his potions-professor and additionally he could tell the medi-witch at what to search for far more precisely than Minerva.

"Potter? Harry!" Why didn't the boy wake up? He couldn't have fallen asleep this deep while sitting on the cold and uncomfortable floor of the dungeons. "HARRY!"

"Mmmmh... wa' th' mat'er?"

"You have to wake up now, Harry, it's rather late and you won't get dinner if you don't hurry up." Minerva gently said.

"Hu?" Confused, Harry looked around, only to discover that he was sitting on a very hard surface, that his bum hurt accordingly and that directly next to him was... "I'm sorry Professor! I didn't mean to fall asleep like that, it's just I couldn't sleep very well last night and-"

"Stop apologizing, Potter! Have you heard what your head of house told you?"

"Uh, yes... I will go to dinner right away." And he started to get up. Ouch! His back hurt, too.

"Potter, wait! Here, take this-" he gave the boy a pepper-up draught, "I don't think you'll manage all those stairs otherwise."

Obediently, Harry swallowed the medicine.

"When you have finished dinner, you will wait until I am ready, too, and then we'll meet outside of the Great Hall. I will accompany you to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey will examine you properly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" He wasn't stupid, Harry thought annoyed. "Em, can I... I mean, can you perhaps tell me where the loo is, Sir?" Harry quietly asked, embarrassed. He was glad that Professor Snape was here, though, it would have been far worse to ask the transfiguration-professor.

While Harry attended to his needs, Severus addressed the Minerva again. "I may need to pay a visit to his family. As his head of house, I suppose you are able to access the boy's record and provide me with the necessary details of their current whereabouts?"

"Of course, Severus."

"Why do I need an examination, Sir?" Harry asked, curiously. It wasn't that unusual for him to have examinations, but he liked to know what to expect. At the ward, there had been different kinds of examinations, after all. Sometimes, they had put strange plugs on his head to determine whether his brain functioned properly (or at least that was what Harry had guessed). Other times, he had to strip and the doctor would poke and prod him, or the nurses would take his weight and blood pressure.

Severus considered his answer. They were on their way to the infirmary to meet Poppy and he had already informed the medi-witch that the first scanning-spell she had cast on Harry had obviously been insufficient and that now she would have to spend her evening re-examine the boy.
"After what I have seen in your mind, I think it would be prudent to let a healer have another look at you. You don't need to worry, it won't hurt." The Potion Master told the boy who was walking next to him

"I don't worry, Sir."

Just then, the two of them reached the hospital-wing where the medi-witch already waited for them.

"Ah, Severus, Harry! Now, if I have understood correctly, Severus, you think it's necessary that I examine Mr Potter more thoroughly?"

"Yes. Mr Potter, perhaps you can already change in one of those gowns while I tell Madame Pomfrey what to look for?"

"Uh, ok... I don't have to lie down on one of those beds, do I?" Harry asked, worried.

"No, Mr Potter, your exam will take place in the room over there." Severus felt a stab when he was reminded of the boy's fear of sleeping in beds. After what he had seen in his mind, it made a great deal more sense. Briefly, he wondered whether Harry would be able to lie down on the examination-table, but dismissed the though. They would deal with one thing at a time.

He pointed at a door on the other side of the room. "Kindly wait there, we will join you shortly."

"You stay?"

"If you feel more comfortable, I can wait outside the room. However, I need to stay in the hospital-wing since Madame Pomfrey might have certain questions regarding the condition of your mind."

"No, I didn't mean... I would like you to stay with me, Sir..." Harry blushed. He was acting like a baby, wasn't he? The Professor didn't seem to mind, though, he just nodded and Harry took this as a signal to leave the adults to discuss his upcoming examination.

"Poor dear, I wonder whether he actually sleeps in his bed in the dorm..." The medi-witch sighed. "Now, Severus, what exactly was wrong with my scanning-spell that you insist on me examining the boy again, and even right away?!" Poppy didn't like being called incompetent.

"I told you what I have seen in Potter's head! I want you to cast every single spell that somehow determines the state of someone's mind, and then I want you to make sure that the medicine hasn't had any detrimental effects on his mind, his body or his magic - as far as medical means can tell, that is. I'm well aware that certain things can't be detected by the means of a healer, but I won't spend my time figuring out how to help Harry if you doesn't make sure you haven't overlooked something!"

"All right, all right, Severus. You aren't the only one who is worried about Harry, you know..." And with that, the medi-witch left for the room reserved for examining and treating patients in a more privet atmosphere than the large hall that held the beds provided.

###

When Harry had changed into the gown they had given him, he waited nervously. He hoped he wouldn't have to lie down on the table that stood at one side of the room and looked alarmingly like the one Dr Green had. The doctor hadn't been able to convince Harry that nothing bad would happen if Harry lied down, and in the end, he had examined him while Harry was sitting on a stool. But a few times, when he had wanted to palpate Harry's stomach, he had asked a nurse to hold Harry down. No no, Harry didn't want to think of it. Of course, it hadn't been as dreadful as being actually tied to a bed for days and days, but still...

"Ah, Mr Potter," Harry startled when the medi-witch and the potion-master entered. "If you would please lie down on the table..."

He inwardly groaned. "No."

"But - oh well, you might sit on the chair while I'm casting the first few spells but I fear... well, just sit down on the stool, Harry."

Grateful not to have to lie down, the little boy did as he was told.

"Now, just sit still while I cast a few spells on you. You might feel a bit of a tingling, but it won't hurt a bit!"

Harry heard the medi-witch (not doctor-witch, he had learned by now) saying some funny-sounding words and felt the same tingling as he had had when Madame Pomfrey had first cast a spell on him on his very first morning at Hogwarts. He tried to sit as still as possible, but his shoulders just wouldn't obey and kept twitching.

Poppy interrupted her work. "Harry, you have to sit still. The spells doesn't work when you move too much."

"I'm sorry..." He really tried to make his shoulders stop twitching, but the more he tried, the more they twitched. After receiving another stern look from the medi-witch, Harry gave up. "I'm sorry, I really try but they just... I can't keep them still!"

"You need to hold still only for a few minutes, surely this can't be - "

"Perhaps you could move on to the spells that don't require Harry sitting still?" Severus interrupted Poppy. "Considering the drugs he took- eh, takes, it's quite possible that he is unable to exert full control over the movements of his body."

"If you think so..." the medi-witch answered, doubtfully. She had never heard of such a substance. But then, hadn't she asked Severus to help her because he was more knowledgeable about those things? "Mr Potter, I will now cast a few other spells on you. They don't require you sitting still, but it would help if you did. You might feel a bit of a pull on your mind, but it will be over right away."

Harry tensed, he hoped it wouldn't hurt, but still, he couldn't make his shoulders stop twitching. The medi-witch again mumbled some words and waved her wand.

At first, it felt as if something inside him, inside his head, was vibrating. It didn't hurt, but it felt weird. Then, the feeling became stronger and stronger and now it was almost as if someone was ripping on his thoughts, his senses, his very being - Harry though he might be sick if it didn't stop soon. "Stoooooop... please stoooop!"

"It'll be over soon, Mr Potter, just a little bit more, I'm sorry, but-"

"No no no STOOOOP" He couldn't bear it any more, it hurt and his brain seemed to push against his skull, almost as if it wanted to escape... his mind would break, he would break if this didn't stop, no longer Harry was sure whether he actually existed... "oh please stooo-" just then, he was violently sick for the second time this day and all his dinner landed on the floor in front of him. Dimly, Harry heard a snapping sound, but he didn't care, he just crouched down and tried to crawl away from the pain, away from the medi-witch.

Poppy felt sorry for the boy in front of her, it really wasn't a nice spell. She hadn't wanted to frighten Harry by telling him that it might feel very uncomfortable, but perhaps it had been better if he had been prepared for what was to come? He was almost screaming by now, but the medi-witch felt that the spell was almost finished, it needed only a few seconds more...

Then, two things happened in very quick succession. Harry had just bent forward and was throwing up on the floor when she felt the spell she had cast on the boy's mind shiver, cracking and then - her wand snapped in two.