Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box for beta'ing my story.

A/N: Here is chapter 11. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 11

“You promise?”

Severus moved the flannel away from the young boys eyes and looked down to a pair of emerald eyes, Lily's eyes, looking up at him. Pleading with him. Pleading that someone, anyone, would believe him, and take care of him.

“I won't have to go back to my aunt and uncle?” Harry asked gripping his bear tightly.

“I promise, child. You will not go back.”

To this day, Harry would never understand how those words affected him so much, but it did. What he did next surprised Severus more than he would care to admit. Harry sat up, letting his bear fall on the floor and wrapped his arms around his teacher's neck. Severus awkwardly patted Harry's back.

“Calm your self, Mr. Potter.” Severus said trying to dislodge himself from Harry's clutches. “If you would be so kind as to detach your self from me. I am not your bloody bear.”

Harry didn't care what his professor said. He wasn't going back to his relatives.

“Potter,” Severus said. “Let me go, this instant.”

Harry let go of his teacher's neck and slid back on the couch.

“Sorry, sir,” Harry said, his head down.

Severus sighed, standing up rubbing his neck. “Stop apologizing, Potter. Again, not the first time. But I do have a liking to breathing and I would like to continue breathing. Come, Potter. I want you to eat something.”

Harry looked up at Severus as he walked out of the living room. He sat there thinking about all that his professor said. He doesn't have to go back. He's free of them. All of them.

“Potter,” called from the other room, bringing Harry out of his musing. “I would like you to get something in your stomach other than that potion.”

Harry got up off the couch and was walking out of the living room when the next thing he heard was, “Leave that bloody bear on the couch.”

Harry looked down and saw that he was still holding on tot he bear. Slightly turning pink, Harry put the bear down and walked into the kitchen.

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Breakfast went as uneventful as two rivals could be. Even though Harry was ever so pleased to not have to go back to his relatives, he was still worried that doing the wrong thing would still change his Professor's mind and make him be sent back. Once the dishes were gone, Severus instructed Harry to follow him. Harry did and they were back in the room where he slept the previous night.

“I want you to get some rest,” Severus pulled the cover on the bed back. “I don't like the way your lungs are sounding. Go change back into the pajamas you were in.” Harry walked into the bathroom and changed and came back to the bed. “I do not want you getting up for anything unless you're going to the privy. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said getting in the bed. Severus pull the cover up to Harry's chest.

“I'll be back in a little while,” Severus started to turn and leave the room when he felt a hand on his sleeve. He looked down and saw Harry gripping his sleeve rather tightly.

“What if...,” Harry began, but trailed off. Severus tilted his head looking at the boy.

He held out his hand and just said one word. “Accio.” Within seconds that blasted bear was in Severus' hand. Harry looked at the bear. He didn't want to admit that he wanted, no he needed the bear. But he was fourteen, going to be fifteen in a couple of weeks. What would it mean if Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, needed a bloody teddy bear to sleep?

Severus could see the struggle in the boys face. That boy, he could read him like a book, Severus thought.

“Because of the potion that I gave you earlier,” Severus stated. “I can not give you dreamless sleep to stem off the nightmares. You're fine when you have that bear, and even if you do have a nightmare, you'll have something to clutch to.” Harry ears burned with embarrassment.

Now what a wonderful time to be made fun of, Harry thought. He would never live it down now. Everyone will know that Harry Potter sleeps with a teddy bear.

“Potter,” Severus' voice was stern, but only enough to get his attention. “You will stop this right now. Your emotions show on your face and this will end. There is nothing wrong with having this.” Holding the bear out to Harry, in which Harry took and clutched it to his chest. “You are not weak for needing this.”

“You're going to make fun of me. Tell everyone that I need this bear to sleep.”

Severus sighed and looked at the boy who looked to young for his age, clutching a bear for dear life.

“Listen to me,” Severus said sitting down on the end of the bed and facing Harry. “I want you to hear this and understand. No one will make fun of you. I do not make fun of this. I specifically transfigured this bear for you, Potter.”

“What,” Harry really couldn't believe his ears. “You- you made...”

“Yes, Potter,” Severus sighed. “I permanently transfigured my robes into that bear. When you were having a nightmare in the infirmary, while I was trying to keep you on the bed you clutched on to me, about the same way you're clutching that bear now. It took Minerva to free me from your hold, and contrary to popular belief, I do not go around telling other children in my house about what is happening to other students in other houses. I do not start rumors. Do we understand each other, Potter?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry mumbled into the bear's head.

“Good, now, get some rest. I'll check in on you later. If you need something, call Tami. She will get it for you. Just Tami and no one else.”

“Yes sir,” Harry slurred out. He eye lids were becoming heavy. It surprised Harry how tired he really was.

Within minutes, Harry was sleeping peacefully. Severus made sure that Harry was tucked in and the bear was closely by the boy before he walked out of the room. Severus really didn't like the fact that he had to leave Harry alone, but he needed to make a trip to Surrey, and after what happened in the kitchen this morning, he didn't want to subject Harry to going there, even if it was just to pick up his things.

Severus walked out of the bedroom and went to his own.

“Tami,” Severus called out. A pop and Tami was standing next to her mistress's son.

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami said.

“How is mother?” He asked sitting on the chair by his bed. “Did you give her the potion?”

“Mistress, is fine.” Tami said walking closer to the Potion Master. “I gave mistress her potion just like you told me. She drank all. Tami didn't have to help with dressing.”

Severus nodded.

“Does Master Sev'us need anything? Do you want Mistress?”

Severus looked at the elf. Tami's big eyes looked like they were pleading him.

“Tami,” Severus sat up in the chair. “Do not tell mother where I am. She can not know.”

“No, I will not tell Mistress where Master Sev'us is.”

“Thank you,” Severus sat back in the seat. “I'm going to need you to watch over Harry while I'm gone. Make sure he's alright. He's resting now. I have an errand I must take care of.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

Severus nodded and then got back up and walked out of the house. He turned and looked up at the window of the room where Harry was sleeping and then turned and apparated away.

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Severus popped at the end of Privet Dr. Surprisingly, there were no one around. Which was really good for Severus. He knew he only had a few minutes to get to Number 4 Privet Drive, before wards of magic being used outside Potter's relatives home notified that he was there and that his was the only magical signature in the area. In the quiet form, the same he did when he walked up behind students unexpectedly, Severus made it to Number 4 in record time with no problems. Once at the front door, he did a complicated spell and saw that no one was home. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face to this knowledge. With a silent Alohomora, Severus made entrance of the house. At first glance he saw that the house was full of love and hope, but Severus knew the truth. This family was far from perfect. Far from what they wanted to portray themselves as.

Even though no one was in the house, Severus didn't want to take any chances. Just as stealthily as he came into the house, that was how he was throughout the entire house. He went through each room. With each room, the angrier he was getting. Where are his things? Severus thought. The last room he went to in the upstairs part really made his blood boil. There in front of him was a door that had no less than six locks on it. It took every bit of control he had to not blast the door completely off its hinges.

He opened the door, and when he walked inside he couldn't believe what he saw. This was no place for anyone much less a growing boy to live in. He walked over to the small crate that was used as a table and saw a picture that solidified that this room was indeed Harry's. There on the crate was a magical picture of Lily and James dancing at the fountain in the middle of Godric's Hollow. Severus picked up the picture, shrunk it and put it in his pocket. He cast a locator spell that made the room turn gold, red, and finally green. If there were any of Harry's things in that room the locator spell would have turned black. Once that was done, Severus turned and walked out of the room. He knew Harry's things should be here, somewhere. But where? He's looked in every room. Severus came back down stairs and cast the same locator spell that he did in Harry's room. It started gold, then red, and finally green. Well, not all the places were green. There was on part in the hallway that was black and not green.

The cupboard under the stairs were a dark black, looking like the robes he wear. Tentatively, Severus walked over to the cupboard and opened the small door. He didn't know what hit him first; the smell or the sight of how small the place was. Severus knelt down in the doorway of the cupboard to get a closer look inside.

“Lumos.”

A light from the end of Severus' wand shown brightly. What he saw in that small room, made him more angrier the more he looked. Shrinking his trunk that took up the entire space and placing it in his pocket as well, he got a good look around. Broken toys on a make-shift shelf. On the inside of the door was a paper that said 'Harry's Room.' How could they do this to Lily's child? The more he looked in the small room the more he wished that he didn't get there when there was no one here. But he knew it was time to leave. He'd been here long enough. Slowly, Severus got up and closed the door to 'Harry's Room' and walked to the front door. He peaked through the curtain of the window and saw that still there was no one there. Severus casually walked out of the house and walked to the end of the driveway. He was about to leave the property when he stopped and turned and looked at the house. The more he stood there looking at the house the more he knew that he had to leave. But he couldn't leave without leaving a parting gift. With a quick, and subtle, wave of his wand, Severus turned and walked down the street just as he came. Once down at the end of the street, the potion professor apparated back to his house.

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Tami sat with Harry the entire time that Severus was gone. Harry was sleeping peacefully. Tami was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. Severus walked into the room and sat down on the bed. Tami walked over to Severus.

“Master Harry didn't wake,” Tami said.

“Thank you, Tami,” Severus said still looking at Harry. “You can go. We should be fine. Just make sure that mother takes her last potion.”

“Yes Master Sev'us.” With that and a small pop, Severus was once again alone with his sleeping guest.

“What did they do to you, child?” Severus said to the sleeping boy. He took the items he acquired and re-sized them. He knew there were other things that he needed to do, but for the life of him he couldn't leave the child right now. Not after what he just seen in that house. So he sat down in the chair that was next to Harry's bed and just watched over the child.

“Never again,” He quietly said. “Never will you have to worry about those Muggles.”

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Albus just left the Ministry. He had a meeting with the Board of Elders. He wasn't expecting it to last as long as it did, but none the less, things were coming together as Albus saw. He decided he wanted to take a stroll down London for a while to just relax. As he walked, he remembered that he promised Minerva that he would check on Harry and put her worries to ease. So after having a light snack and tea, Albus went to the back alley and apparated to Surrey. Once he got there, there was a small gathering at the other end of the street. As to not draw attention to himself he walked on the other side of the street and continued on his journey to Number 4. There are very few things that surprises Albus Dumbledore, but what he walked to completely had him dumbfounded. The house was in shambles. It was completely gutted and reversed. It look like someone turned the house inside out. Albus looked at the shambles that use to be a normal house and knew that a wizard had done this. He knew who did it, his signature was all over here, and Albus knew that he was going to have to find his Potion Master.

TBC