Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling

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

Summary: Harry finds help in the most unlikely place. Severus mentors Harry story.

A/N: This is an AU story. This story begins the summer after the Tri-wizard Tournament. It may be a little OOC.

Unexpected Truce

Harry sat on the swing. It was a peaceful afternoon. For the first time, there were no kids playing. It was overcast but was really a nice quiet afternoon. But to Harry all he could think about was what happened at the end of term last month. To think only a couple of months ago everything was actually okay. Not great but okay. Yes, he was in the Tri-wizard Tournament. He didn't want to be in it, but he couldn't get out of it. At the time the only thing he had to worry about was getting through the final task of the tournament. Now with Voldemort now back so many things have changed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a silver coin that Professor McGonagall gave him before he left school.

“Okay, Potter,” Minerva said, sitting down behind her desk gesturing Harry to sit across from her, and he did. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm fine, Professor,” Harry said, tensely.

He was anything but fine. He had just witnessed the death of a classmate, saw the spirit of his parents, and worse, saw the rise of Voldemort. Yeah, he was anything but fine, but who would actually care about that? So he put on his best mask and looked his Professor in the eye and said everything was just wonderful.

Minerva looked at Harry and could see that he was definitely not fine, but she knew he had his father's pride and would not admit to anything that would make him seem weak. A sad smile graced her lips. She looked through her drawers in search of something. She glanced at Harry and noticed that for the first time in a while he was actually kind of intrigued as to what she was doing. After a few minutes of searching, a smile came across the Professor's face and she held out what Harry thought was a very old, very valuable coin.

“Mr. Potter, I want you to hold on to this,” she said.

“What is it,” Harry took the coin she held out for him and examined it carefully, unwilling to take his eyes off of it.

He thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd seen. Something so old and valuable and his professor wanted him to keep it. He couldn't help the small smile on his lips while he looked over the coin.

“Mr. Potter,” she said pulling him out of his thoughts, “I want you to keep this with you always. There are only three coins in the world and I would be most pleased if you didn't loose it. Understand?”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry nodded, then looked up at his Head of House. “You say there are only three in existence?”

Minerva nodded.

“Do you have one?” he asked sounding so young.

“The Headmaster has one,” she smiled.

“Then who has the other one?” Harry finally asked.

“That is not important right now,” she brushed off. “Just know that someone will always be watching out for you.”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry said sincerely standing up. “Thank you.”

Harry sat on the swing, letting the coin slide through his fingers. Then he heard it. There were rustling footfalls on gravel getting closer and closer. Harry quickly put the coin back in his pocket, knowing that what was going to happen next was not going to be good.

Dudley and his three friends came from behind the swings and stood in front of Harry.

“What are you doing here?” Dudley asked. “Shouldn't you be painting the shed, or cleaning the house?” he jibbed.

“Just leave me alone,” Harry said, not looking up. He knew if he looked into their eyes his own would betray him. He didn't want to have to go through this all over again. It's been months since he had to endure Dudley's gang. It was one thing of the teasing that they did, but the taunting and the beating he just couldn't take. Not now of all days. He had too much on his mind; Cedric, Voldemort's return, seeing his parents. It hurt so much. He was supposed to be this savior of the wizarding world and he couldn't even keep Cedric alive. He couldn't stop Voldemort's return. And all that he was an utter failure to his parents. Harry so hoped that they would just find some other victim and leave him alone, but he felt one of the boys grab his shirt and pull him off the swing. He knew he was going to be hurting again before the day was through. He just hope it would be over quick.

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Severus was walking back to his quarters. It had been a trying day. He was just coming from a meeting that didn't go as well as he would've liked. His request to become the new DADA was denied this morning before the meeting. He had gotten to the portrait of a doe and a lily flower, entrance to his quarters, when something felt wrong. His hand went into his pocket and pulled out what was burning there. He knew the only reason it would have this reaction if one of the sister coins sensed trouble. He knew that two people would have those sister coins the Headmaster, which would burn green, and the other would burn red. His hand glowed red from the coin and there was only one person had this item and his heart dropped. He turned on his heel and ran back up towards the seventh floor. Once at the door all preamble gone, he just barged in.

Minerva, sitting at her desk, looked up in mild shock at the potion professor bursting through her door.

“Severus,” she berated. “What is the meaning of this? If you're still upset about Albus' decision for you to....” She trailed off when she really looked at the young man's face. “What's the matter?” She walked over to Severus who was still standing at the door with the look of shock on his face.

Minerva began to worry. Not everyday did Severus Snape's emotion show on his face.

Severus, looked her up and down to see if there was any aliments or problems with the woman who had been nothing but a surrogate mother to him since his own mother died in his sixth year. Minerva walked over to Severus and closed the door behind him, as she like him didn't want the whole castle knowing their true relationship as mother and son. Albeit the only one that knew of the secret adoption of Severus was Albus, seeing how he preformed the blood adoption for the two wizards. To the rest of the wizarding world they were two Heads of rival Houses at Hogwarts School. But in private she was his mom, and when an old ancient coin started to burn in his pocket he just knew something was wrong. Minerva stood in front of her adoptive son and cupped his face.

“Severus,” her voice was soft and soothing. “Son, what's the matter.”

The man, who always prided himself of never letting his emotions getting the better of him, could do nothing but stand in front of his mother with the mix of anxiety that something was wrong and relief that she was standing in front of him right now. So all he did was pull out the still burning coin and showed it to her. She looked in his hand and the color in her face just drained.

“Harry,” she gasped, taking the coin out of Severus' hand. She walked back over to her desk.

“Potter,” finding his voice. “Why does Potter have your coin?” Anger laced in his voice as he followed her to her desk.

“I gave it to him before the holidays,” she said still looking at the coin, not seeing the rage and anger filling her son's eyes. “You need to go check on him.”

“WHAT,” he said almost choking on his anger. “I will not! This is the only time that I can be Potter free. I will not....”

“Severus Tobias! Don't you dare use that tone with me,” she yelled her magic shaking everything in the chamber. “You will go and check on Harry. You did not see how he looked before he left to go home. He blames himself for everything. He is not his father, as I have told you before. And I will not have your anger for James Potter spill over towards Harry. You will go. For Lily.”

“Damn you and Albus for always using Lily when it comes down to that bloody boy,” Severus sighed.

“Severus, language.”

She could see the internal struggle that her son was going through.

“Severus,” her voice was much softer now. “Please, go check on Harry. Just make sure he's alright. You don't have to stay. You don't even have to talk to him. I just want to make sure that he's okay. Please, son.”

Severus looked at his adoptive mother, his eyes narrowed. He knew when she spoke like that she usually got her way. He knew he could never refuse her. He gave a single nod and turned to leave her office.

“Oh Severus,” he stopped at the door. “Do come straight back here when you come home. I shall like to talk with you over tea.”

Severus nodded once more before leaving her chambers and closing the door behind him. She sat back down in her chair still holding the burning coin in her hand.

“Oh dear Severus, please you must learn to open your heart to more than just me. Harry is more like Lily than James. Fulfill your promise, son.” She let her head rest on the back of her chair.

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Harry ran for what seemed like forever. All he wanted was to get away from Dudley and his gang. He hated 'Harry Hunting.' But he was actually proud of himself that they only got in a few hits before he could get away from them. Breathing heavily, he ran under and underpass. Leaning on the wall, he wiped the blood off of his mouth and chin.

'Just great,' he thought. 'Just what I needed. Another bloody nose.' How was he going to explain this one?

Harry squatted down to the ground, his back still against the wall. Why did it always have to be him that they picked on? He closed his eyes and let his head hang from his shoulders. He was tired, hurting and still a little dizzy from trying to get away. And to make matters worse, he knew it was past dinner time and he would get it all over again for not being at home to make dinner for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. But as it was right now, he really didn't care. There was nothing that they could say or do that would make him feel any worse than he did right now.

Then he felt it. Something he hasn't felt in the past two years. His head shot up and he looked around the underpass. There was nothing that he could see, but he sure could feel it. Out of habit, Harry pulled out his wand from his back pocket. That's when he saw it. Or rather them. Two dementors came on opposite ends of the underpass and cornered Harry against the wall. One had him by the throat and pulling him up the wall. Harry gasping for air while at the same time trying to pry those cold dead fingers from around his neck. He couldn't draw in breath much less say the incantation to expel the dementors from around him. His vision started to blacken. He was losing consciousness as well as any happiness that he was holding on to, not that there were many happy moments in his life now. Harry could feel the blackness taking its hold on him. And after everything, Harry was really fine with what was the inevitable to occur. This is what a Kiss would feel like. And right now, after all that is happening, he welcomed the Kiss with open arms.

“Expecto Patronum!”

It was the last thing Harry heard before everything went black.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box

A/N: Here is Chapter 2. I hope that you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 2

“Expecto Patronum!”

A silvery doe rushed the two dementors and gave chase. Within seconds Harry had gone from being pinned to the side of the underpass, to falling unceremoniously on the ground, unconscious. Once the dementors were gone the silvery doe slowly walked over to the small boy laying on the ground. The translucent form pressed its muzzle on the small boys face before disappearing in the air.

Severus rushed to Harry's side. He rapidly took off his cloak and wrapped around the much too small child, for his liking, and picked Harry up to his chest and headed to the only sensible place that he knew he could get quickly.

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Mrs. Figg was a recluse of sorts. She stayed to her own house most of the time. To the outside world, she only had one true thing she loved in her life; her cats. The children in the neighborhood dubbed her 'The Cat Lady.' Most people just stayed away from her. They all thought she was just a senile old lady that loved cats.

For this reason, Petunia loved to send Harry to her when they would go on day trips or holiday, when they didn't want 'the freak' to accompany them. Petunia knew that Harry hated going there. She loved the looks that Harry would get on his face when she would tell him to make his way over towards her house. She felt the looks on Harry's face were completely priceless.

Petunia felt as though if anybody should be saddled with her dead sister's son it should be the Crazy Cat woman of Privet Drive.

This particular day, Mrs. Figg was in her lounge working on her crocheting when there was a pounding on the door. Slowly, not knowing who would be at her door of all places, she came to the front of the foyer and looked out the side window next to the door. What she saw took her by great surprise. A tall dark man with a bundle in his arms stood at her door. As menacing as he looked, if she didn't know Severus from the Order meetings and from her best friend, Minerva, she wouldn't ever have a notion to open the door.

As quickly as her hands could move, she opened the door and stood aside so that Severus could come in. The last thing Mrs. Figg wanted was to have people think that she entertained strange men at all hours of the night. Even the thought of that made her silently chuckle at the notion. She quickly let go of the idea to close the door and follow Severus into her living room where she saw he was laying his bundle on the couch.

“Severus,” Arabella said. “What's the meaning of this?”

Severus didn't answer her he just continued to remove his robe from the small boy. When she saw what, correction who, he was carrying she knew there had to have been trouble.

“What happened?” she said walking over to her couch and helping Severus free Harry from the cloak.

“He was attacked by two dementors,” Severus stated finally getting the last bid of cloak away from Harry.

He then pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell over Harry's body. Within seconds a small parchment came into view listing all of Harry ailments. Arabella standing behind Severus looking at the parchment over his shoulder gasped as her hand cover her mouth. Severus paled more reading everything that was on that parchment. It had only been three weeks into the summer holiday. How could Harry acquired so many problems in that short period of time.

“Are you connected to the Floo Network?” Severus' voice was quiet. Because of her close proximity, she might not have heard him.

She nodded her head still unable to speak. Tears pooling up in her eyes. Severus getting irritated. He turned and looked at her and asked again. This time he saw her nod and went to the fireplace and began to lite it. Once lit he grabbed some floo powder off the mantel and threw it into the fire. Once it turned green, Severus bent down in front of it.

“Minerva,” he yelled before standing straight again. Within seconds of her name being called, Minerva's head showed through the fire.

“Severus,” she said. “What's wrong?”

“Come through,” Severus demanded. “Now.”

“Severus, what's going on? How's Harry?”

“Mother, please,” Severus said. “Come through.”

Once she heard the plea come from her son, Minerva's head vanished from the fire and within seconds she walked through the fire. Stepping out of the hearth she saw Arabella sitting in her chair by the window with tears streaming down her face.

Seeing this, Minerva knew something was really wrong.

“Severus,” Minerva walked over to Severus, who was back kneeling by couch. “What's going on?”

Severus handed his adopted mother the small parchment and she began reading.

Harry James Potter

Age 14

Birthday July 31, 1980

Diagnosis

NEW WOUNDS (Skeletal)

Broken nose

Dislocated Shoulder (left side)

Cracked ribs

3 Broken Fingers (left hand)

2 Broken Fingers (right hand)

OLDER WOUNDS (Skeletal)

Improper healed right arm (broken at age 7)

Improper healed left forearm (broken at age 9)

Improper healed left foot (broken at age 9)

NEW WOUNDS (Tissue)

Slight fluid in right lung

Bruising to left lung (from cracked ribs)

Contusions

NEURILOGIAL

Slight nerve damage (right side) exposure to Cruciatus

Diagnostic Exam done by

Severus Tobias Snape McGonagall

Potions Master and Certified Asst. Healer

at

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Minerva could not believe what she was seeing. The same look was on Severus' face. Three weeks. Three Bloody Weeks. She dropped her hand to her side letting the parchment fall to the floor.

“Severus, explain this,” she said. Her own mind couldn't wrap around why the coin didn't alert them sooner than three weeks into summer holiday.

“I...I don't know.” Severus stammered. “He was being attacked by two dementors when I got to him.”

Severus' eyes never left the small boy who looked too much like his father for his liking, but couldn't stop. After reading that diagnosis, he knew all his preconceived notions about The Boy Who Lived were all just wrong. “He was just about to be Kissed when I got to the underpass where he was. They had to get to him by surprise. His wand was out, but I don't think he was able to even attempt to use it. I cast them out and gathered up Har....Potter and brought him here.”

Minerva put her hand on Severus' shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. She knew her son was struggling with his emotions. For so long Severus had it in his head that Harry would be nothing more than a doppelganger of his father. The one thing he didn't realize was that he wasn't just James' son, he was Lily's as well. Now realizing that Harry may not have had the spoiled life that Severus always thought, he truly looked at the boy and saw not James, but Harry. A boy, who Severus didn't say was giving up on his life. If Severus didn't know better, Harry did have out his wand, but him not using it and then to Severus it looked like Harry was giving in to what the dementors were doing. He was welcoming the Kiss. And this bother Severus more than anything.

Minerva walked over to Arabella, who's been her friend for years. The only person outside of Albus that knew that Severus was her adopted son. Minerva transfigured the footstool in front of Arabella into a chair so she could sit and ask her friend some questions.

“Arabella,” Minerva soothed. “Why didn't you tell me this was going on?”

“I...I didn't know,” Arabella sobbed.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T KNOW!” Severus yelled turning to face the women in the corner.

“Severus,” Minerva admonished at her son. “Calm down.”

“You had one job,” Severus tone had not changed. “One job only. You were suppose to WATCH THE BOY!”

“SEVERUS TOBIAS! You will stop this right now,” Minerva stood up and faced her son who was now standing in front of the couch facing the two women.

Severus, looking chastised and annoyed, turned back to Potter who was still unconscious on the couch. He sat back down on the edge of the couch and looked back down at the sleeping boy.

“Severus,” his mother's voice was much calmer than before. “I know that you are upset by what we have just learned. But you must learn to control your temper when it comes to anything Lily-related. It will be alright. We will handle this.” Severus looked at the two women and then turned his attention back to Harry. “But first we have to get to the bottom of this.”

Severus didn't respond other than a small nod. Minerva sat back down and faced Arabella.

“Now Arabella,” Minerva's voice was trying to stay calm. “You want to tell me why you didn't let me know what was happening to Harry.”

TBC

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

I would like to thank everyone that reviewed, favored, and followed my story.

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

Please follow my Mandancie page on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Harry Potter just the plot.

A special thanks to The Lonely God In the Box for beta'ing my story.

A/N: here is chapter 3. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 3

Arabella Figg loved to watch Harry when he would come over. She always thought he was a very sweet and courteous young man. But she didn't see him that much. Sometimes for weeks at a time. But it was nothing that she thought would raise an alarm to tell her friend Minerva. When he was younger, sometimes she would have Harry for the whole day. There was one time before he began he schooling at Hogwarts that she actually had him for a whole week. That week that she had him, she thought he had the most fun while in her care. She would let him play outside and he loved her cats. She found him talking to her eldest cat from time to time. The one thing that worried her was the fact that Harry was so small, but she always thought that it was because he would just be a small child.

Now, sitting in the living room, Arabella was under the scrutiny of two of the most feared Head of Houses Hogwarts had seen in the past century. Though Minerva would not harm her physically, she was not so sure of the Slytherin Head of House. Hearing the young Potions Master yelling at her brought a whole new level of fear. This one time she was very happy that her friend was there with her.

But then, she could not blame them for their anger. It was her job to watch Harry. But trusting the conversation she had with the Headmaster three weeks after she moved in, she took his word that all would be fine, and that all she had to do was to make sure that no suspicious people came up to Number Four Privet Drive. So she ignored the boy doing chores outside in the middle of the hot summer day, and the fact that Harry always looked younger than his actual age, and the final straw that when Harry would spend the day or days with her that she saw the edges of bruises on his back or arms. Yet still, Arabella didn't say anything to Minerva. The only reason that they are here is because of the attack that happened to the boy earlier.

Both professors were looking at Arabella waiting for her reply. Minerva knew that Severus' patience was wearing thin, and if she didn't get her friend to answer the question that mild outburst earlier would pale in comparison to what Severus would do next. The one thing she learned about her son, was that it didn't matter if they were talking or not. No one did anything to Lily and not have to suffer from Severus' wrath.

A small moan from the couch brought the adults out of their musing and directed their attention towards the couch. Severus looked down at the small boy. His brow creasing. Severus put his hand on Harry's chest. He could feel the child squirming under his hand. After dealing with homesick first years, Severus knew that Harry was in the middle of a nightmare.

Severus leaned down till he was next to Harry's ear, and very quietly, in a soothingly baritone voice he said, “Harry, it's alright. It's only a dream. Just relax to my voice. All is well. Rest now.”

Harry slowly began to calm down under Severus' ministration. After a few minutes Harry was sleeping peacefully again. Severus turned and looked at the women in the corner and could see his adoptive mother grinning at him. No doubt there would be a talk later about how he handled the boy.

Minerva watched her son as he calmed Harry down from his nightmare that he was having. It made her heart soar from the way he was treating Harry. She knew that Severus had it in him. So much time wasted from past grudges. Now here was the side of her son that a select few, besides her, has ever seen. Before turning back to Arabella, she noted that even though Severus sat back up and was putting his attention on them, he hand did not leave Harry's chest.

“Arabella,” Minerva quietly said. “Please, why did you not inform me?”

“Albus,” Arabella said. “He told me that I was to just keep an eye on the house. I was to only call if strange people were going to the house.”

“I was the one that had you come here,” Minerva said incredulously. “I told you to watch them not the house. Albus had wards besides the Blood Ward that would protect Harry from Death Eaters coming.” Her voice getting louder and louder. “I told you that I didn't trust those muggles. That's why you were here.”

Severus could feel Harry restless to Minerva rant, so he knew that it would have to end before it really started.

“Minerva,” Severus broke through her rant. “we need to go. Potter needs to be medical attention. Now.” He was re-wrapping and gathering the boy in his arms as he spoke. Minerva, who was still quite angry, stood up and walked over to Severus.

“We'll go straight to Poppy,” She said putting her hand on Harry's back.

Minerva picked back up the diagnostic parchment and put it in Severus' pocket. He maneuvered Harry in his arms so that he could grab some of the floo powder when he mother's hand stopped him. He looked at her and saw the hurt in her eyes. He knew finding out that her friend took the Headmaster's instructions over hers hurt her.

“I'll do it,” her voice was low and soft. “You hold on to that precious bundle you have.”

Severus nodded once and stepped in the hearth. He looked at his mother and once she threw down the powder he spoke firmly, “Hogwarts Infirmary.”

Severus walked out of the hearth and straight to one of the infirmary beds.

“Poppy,” Severus called out while laying Harry on the bed.

The medi-witch came out of her office and saw Severus by one of the beds.

“Severus,” Poppy said walking towards him. “What is the meaning....” she stopped mid-sentence when she saw an unconscious Harry Potter on the bed. “What happened?”

“He was attacked by two dementors earlier this evening,” Severus said handing Poppy the diagnostic parchment from his pocket. She read it with a small gasp. She left to get some phials of potions. The first thing Severus did was spell a dose of dreamless sleep into Potter's stomach so he would not awaken from them working on him. Both Poppy and Severus worked tirelessly on Potter's injuries. Putting his shoulder back in place, Severus immobilized it by tying a cloth around his neck. They both re-broke and set the wrongly healed bones and set the other broken ones. Poppy spelled Skele-grow into Harry's stomach so that the potion could get to work healing not only the bones but the tendons as well.

The floo flared again and Minerva walked out of it. Looking well pass her years. It really hurt her that her friend would listen to Albus before listening to her. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the bed next to Harry.

Poppy walked into her office to her medical cabinet and grabbed some more potions that they would need. When she got back, Severus standing by Harry's bed and Minerva sitting on the bed on the other side of him.

“How could we have missed this,” Minerva asked. Her voice soft and low. “How could we have not known?”

“I've never did a standard check-up on Harry,” Poppy answered.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Never. Not once did you.... He's been in the infirmary at least once since he started here. How could you not run a diagnostic?” His voice becoming more and more sharper with each word he said. He couldn't believe it. Harry has faced the Dark Lord in first year, lost all the bones in his arm the second year, battled dementors in his third, and let's not even think about the atrocious dealings Harry had during the Tri-wizard Tournament in his fourth year. He was subjected to the Cruicatus curse.

“Severus,” Minerva said. “Calm down. We've all failed this boy. Now is not the time to argue. We have to help Harry.”

“He is not going back there,” Severus demanded.

“No Severus,” Minerva said looking up at her son. “He is not. I will fight Albus on that.”

“Do you think it would come to that, Minerva?” Poppy asked.

“He changed Arabella's instructions. That's why I had no idea what was happening at that house. I knew it was a bad idea.”

“What do you mean?” Severus asked.

“When Albus wanted to drop him off at their house, I stay over there all day. They were horrid people. I told Albus that. But he said that he had to stay because they were the only family that he had. I should have never listened to him.”

“What are you going to do now, Minerva,” Poppy asked.

Minerva looked at Harry sleeping form and drew in a deep breath. Severus knew that when she did that she was trying to calm her nerves.

“I'm going to talk to Albus,” Minerva said standing up from the bed and making her way to the door. “Severus, I expect you will take Harry.”

Severus brow creased at his adoptive mother and then looked down at Harry. With one curt nod, Minerva turned and walked out heading for the Headmaster's office.

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Harry was pinned to the wall surrounded by Dudley and his gang. He so wanted to get away, but he couldn't. He couldn't move. Every so often, he was getting hit on his side or across the face. One of the boys was so close to the side of his head, that Harry could feel his breath on his skin. It made him shiver with disgust. He didn't like people to be so close to him.

Next Harry was in the kitchen cooking dinner. He was almost finished with the pot roast when he heard Uncle Vernon come in. It didn't take long for a hand to cuff him hard on the side of his head causing his glasses to fly off his face and the pot of mashed potatoes fall on the floor.

Harry blinked a couple of times trying to get his focus back from the assault. Once he got his bearings again he saw the mess he made from the hit and knew that what was coming next was not going to be good.

The pot was on the floor and all the potatoes were every where. The stove. The floor. The wall. Without looking behind him, Harry heard the distinct sound of a belt coming from pants, and he knew what was going to happen next.

“YOU STUPID FREAK,” bellowed Vernon. “YOU CAN'T DO ONE SIMPLE THING!”

The next thing Harry heard was the belt slicing through the air. Then the sharp sting of the belt was felt on his back. Harry instantly fell to the floor, on the very hot potatoes, curled up in a ball while Vernon continued to hit him with the belt.

Then something happened. A voice came through. It was clear not distorted. A calming voice. The more Harry listened to the voice the less the strikes hurt.

“Harry, it's alright. It's only a dream. Just relax to my voice. All is well. Rest now.”

Harry knew that voice, but it couldn't be true. There was no way that he was here. Even though Harry knew that there was no way that he would say calming words to him, much less call him Harry. The next thing Harry knew was he was surrounded by the soothing smells of potions. It caused Vernon's constant beating fade into the background until Harry was no longer in the kitchen at the Dursley's. There was nothing but blackness that surrounded him, and he was alright with that. Because in that blackness there was the soothing smells and the calm voice and there was nothing scary there.

“Professor,” Harry slurred out.

_______0000____________00000___________0000_________0000___________0000________00__

Minerva walked with such determination. The portraits did not say a word as she walked the halls of the school. They all knew that when the Deputy-Headmistress had that distinct gait they were to stay clear.

She continued on taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down. Once she got to the gargoyle, one look from her and it moved out of her way without the password. Minerva smirked at that remembering the last time it stood in her way. The battered gargoyle, they still couldn't find all the missing pieces to put back.

She went up the spiral staircase and opened the door.

“Albus.”

TBC

A/N: Many thanks to everyone that has reviewed, favored, and followed my story. :) You have no idea how much your support means to me. :)

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

Please follow me on my Mandancie Facebook page.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters belong to J. K. Rowling

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

A/N:  Enjoy

Chapter 4

Minerva walked into the office. “Albus.”

“Ah, Minerva,” Albus' voice was cheerful, trying to be oblivious to the rage that was swelling inside the witch in front of his desk. “Would you like some tea?”

“No, Albus,” her voice was very stiff. “We need to talk.”

“If you wish,” Albus said with a curt nod ignoring what he was working on when she walked in his office. Sitting back in his chair, he waved his hand for her to sit in the chair across from him while simultaneously casting a wandless protection charm on all his trinkets around his office and personal chambers.

Minerva sat down. She took a few calming breaths. The last thing she wanted to do was start a yelling match with Albus about Harry. Albus looked at Minerva with slight trepidation. What could have happened that had worked her up into such a state. The last time he saw her this upset was right before she announced that she was going to adopt Severus, and there were still cracks in the wall from her magic.

“How could you Albus!,” Minerva yelled slamming the door as she walked in.

“What has happened?,” Albus said standing up from behind his desk and walking over to his friend.

“If they weren't in my house...,” she trailed off. “I'm so angry. There are really no words that I can say.....”

Albus could feel the magic rolling off of Minerva in waves. He wondered what could have happened for her to be in such a state.

“Minerva,” Albus tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but there was an invisible force keeping him back. “Why don't you come and sit down and tell me what has happened.”

“That Sirius!,” Minerva said walking towards the chair. “I could just.... No, I will,” she took a deep breath trying to calm down.

Albus sat down in the chair next to Minerva. He figured it was best to let her try and calm herself before he got any explanation as to what was wrong.

After a few moments of quiet, the only noise that was heard was from the small items that Albus had around his office. Little trinkets that he collected in the past, Minerva spoke. One word that totally surprised Albus.

“Severus,” Minerva shook her head.

“Severus?,” Albus was now confused. Wasn't she talking about Sirius. “What has Severus done?”

Her head popped up and looked at Albus with such disdain.

“Why would you immediately think that Severus has done something wrong?,” Minerva said incredulously.

“Well, you were talking about Sirius, and I figured....”

“Well you figured wrong.” cutting Albus off. “Sirius is the one that has done something wrong, and Severus is the one that was hurt by him, again.”

Albus sat back in his seat as if he was slapped across the face. He never would have thought that his Head of Gryffindor would worry herself with a Slytherin boy.

“What has happened?,”Albus sounded drained.

“That bloody boy and his cruel pranks!,”Minerva yelled. One of Albus' prized trinkets on the far wall shattered at her yelling.

“Minerva,” Albus admonished, but quickly quieted from the look she gave him.

“Do you know what they have done to Severus?”

“I've heard some, but...really Minnie,” Albus said trying to placate his friend. “It was just boys being boys.”

Minerva couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'Boys will be boys.'

“Boys...boys will...,” she couldn't form a clear thought with the anger rising in her so fast. Just as fast as the anger was coming, waves of magic were rolling off of her. One by one things started exploding around Albus' chambers and office.

“THEY NEARLY KILLED HIM, ALBUS!,” Minerva yelled as Fawkes' perched exploded sending the bird flying across the room. “Boys will be boys,” she admonished. “That's your way of excusing what they did.” Minerva took a deep breath. “I understand why you don't want to expel Sirius for what he did for fear of what will happen to Remus, but something must be done.”

“You know I've given Sirius detention,” Albus said.

“And what about James,” Minerva asked.

“What about him?,” Albus asked. “If I know the facts right, he saved Severus.”

“Yes, yes he did,” Minerva's voice was calm again. “But he waited until the last minute. He could have gotten himself as well as Severus killed.”

“Minerva,” Albus tilted his head at his friend. “Why so much interest in Severus Snape?”

Minerva was a little shocked by the question. She really hadn't thought why she cared so much for the quiet boy, but she just knew that someone should.

“Have you seen him, Albus?,” Minerva's voice calmed again. “He's so withdrawn. And after his mother died last year, he's become more and more a recluse. He needs someone on his side.”

“How can I help you, Minerva,” Albus asked.

“It's about Harry.”

Albus blinked at his friend sitting across from him. Now, what has happened?, he thought.

“What about Harry?,” Albus asked.

“He's in the Infirmary now,” Minerva started. “Severus went to Surrey.”

“Why did he do that,” Albus said cutting her off. “You know Harry is not to leave his relative's house.”

“There were two Dementors in Surrey. They attacked Harry.” Minerva's voice gradually got louder. She really didn't want to start yelling before she got to the real reason she wanted to talk to Albus, so she took some calming breaths and began again. “Severus' coin heated up earlier today. He thought something was wrong with me, but when I informed him that I had given mine to Harry, I told him to go and check on him. Once arriving there he told me that Harry was about to be Kissed. He banished the Dementors and went to check on Harry. His findings showed that Harry had been abused. Several broken bones old and new, and slight pneumonia. It took both Severus and Poppy to administer everything that poor Harry needed. Now he's asleep in the infirmary. Severus is watching over him.”

“I would like to see him, myself,” Albus said standing up from his chair.

“Not just yet,” Minerva raised her hand to halt Albus' movements. “There is something that has to be cleared up that my boys need not hear.”

Albus hated hearing that. When the cat would start to become possessive about someone, it was never good for anyone to be on he receiving end of her wrath.

Sitting back down in his chair. “What needs clearing up?”

“Arabella,” Minerva said.

“Arabella Figg?,” Albus asked. “What about her?”

“How could you?”

“How could I what?,” Albus' brow creased. “What is it that you think I've done?”

“Just watch the house?,” Minerva asked. “How could you? You knew why I wanted her there. I didn't trust those Muggles. Your wards and the Blood ward would have taken care of anyone coming to the house to cause him harm. Arabella was there for Harry and Harry alone. How could you change her orders like that?”

“Don't you understand,” Albus started, but was cut off.

“No, Albus. I don't. Please enlighten me. Please explain to me why you would allow Harry live like a house elf. Please explain the treatment that he had to endure. This is Severus all over again.”

“Now Minerva.....”

“Don't 'Now Minerva' me, Albus,” Minerva stood up. “I promise you Albus, if you do anything that would hurt my boys, either of them, your little warding you have on your trinkets will not save you from my wrath.”

Minerva walked to the door.

“Oh by the way, Albus,” she said standing by the door. “Harry will not be going back to those Muggles again. Ever.”

With that, Minerva walked out of his office and lightly closed the door with a soft click. Which was much more ominous than if she had slammed the door loudly. Albus shook his head. How would he ever get Minerva to understand? This was how things were going to be. Severus had his job to do, and so did Harry. With the fact that Minerva is now being protective of both Severus and now Harry, it's going to be that much harder to get them to do what they are suppose to do. Albus took a deep breath and sighed.

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Severus sat in the chair next to Harry's bed thinking about what has occurred in the past couple of hours. Not four hours ago, he thought of Harry with pure loathing and disdain. But now - now, he was just a too small boy who weighed too little, who was just attacked by two vile creatures. He didn't want to believe that Harry would want to end his own life, but he surely looked like he was giving up when the Dementors attacked.

Poppy walked up to Harry's bed, bringing Severus out of his thoughts.

“What's wrong, Poppy,” Severus asked.

Pulling a phial from her pocket. “This is for his pneumonia.”

Severus' brow creased together then remembered from the parchment that Harry did have slight fluid in one of his lungs. He shook his head. How could he have overlooked that?

“Don't fret over it, Severus,” Poppy said. “We had to wait before I could administer this potion since we'd given him so much earlier. Severus nodded.

A small smile graced Poppy's lips. She leaned down to move the blanking from Harry's stomach so that she could magically put it in his stomach. The instant her hand touched Harry's shoulder, he began to buck under her hand. Quickly, Severus was at Harry's side trying to hold him down to the bed. Harry griped the front of Severus' frock coat, trying to make himself into a small ball cowering against Severus. He and Poppy both looked at each other in utter shock. Never did Severus think that the 'Boy-Who-Lived' would cling on to him like he was some teddy bear. Severus knew Harry had to be dreaming. He even doubted that Harry knew where he was. To solidify that thought, Harry had not once opened his eyes. Since there were no other children in the ward, the adults in the room began to hear the muffled cries of the boy who had plastered himself against Severus' chest. Instinctively Severus wrapped his arms around the shaking boy.

A mantra of 'I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon', 'I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia' were muffled in Severus' chest. Harry's arms encircled Severus' chest so tightly he felt that the small boy would surely break his ribs. Severus just held the shaking boy in his arms and just rocked him trying to calm him down. Poppy just stood by the bed with tears in her eyes. Harry's heart-breaking mantra filled the infirmary.

TBC

A/N: Thank you to all who have favored, followed, and reviewed. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

Please follow my Mandancie page on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. He and all the characters belong to J.K. Rowling

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

A/N: Here is Chapter 5. Enjoy!! :)

Chapter 5

Harry was curled up in a ball on the floor, trying to block the blows that Vernon is giving him. His arms were over his head. His knees were tucked up against his chest. The stings on his back hurting more and more. He could feel the blood soaking the back of his shirt as he lay on the floor, praying that his uncle would stop soon. Harry did not know how much more he could take.

Poppy walked over to the side of Harry's bed and pulled the blanket away from Harry.

Harry felt his shirt rise up. He peaked up and saw his uncle standing over him trying to pull his shirt over his head. As much as he knew he wasn't suppose to, Harry reached up and grabbed Vernon's shirt, pleading.

Severus was at Harry's side trying to hold him down to the bed. Harry gripped the front of Severus' frock coat, trying to make himself into a small ball cowering against Severus.

“I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia. I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon,” Harry pleaded, tears streaming down his face. He knew he should not have grabbed his uncle but he just couldn't take getting beat on bare skin. He knew he would probably get worse once he let his uncle go, but he just couldn't take anymore. His back just hurt too much.

Looking at his aunt, who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen while his uncle was standing over him, trying to see if she would grant him a reprieve from the beating or at least not let him get beat on bare skin.

The coldness of her eyes were just like his uncle's. There was going to be no reprieve for Harry this day and he knew it. And gripping his uncle shirt, he knew that whatever his uncle was going to do he was about to get it worse. But he continued to plead and beg for a reprieve.

Instinctively, Severus wrapped his arms around the shaking boy. Severus just held the shaking boy in his arms and just rocked him trying to calm him down.

When Harry thought all was lost, the smell of a familiar potions filled his nose. Surprisingly, it began to calm him down. Harry looked up and he still saw his uncle and aunt standing over him, but for some reason he wasn't scared anymore. He couldn't understand why. He just knew that one minute he was very much afraid of the next blow to come and then he had an overwhelming sense of peace. He couldn't understand why this particular smell would bring him so much calm but he knew he had to hold on to it. He knew he could never let it go for if he did then his uncle would begin to hurt him again.

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Harry finally calmed down enough that he stop shaking in Severus' arms. His breathing evened out as well. Severus thought he could eradicate himself from the clutches of this small boy, but was he ever wrong. Many tries of trying to remove the Potter brat away from his person resulted in either Harry whimpering in his sleep or gripping Severus tighter. Which the latter has caused him considerable pain that he didn't want to endure again. As much as Severus didn't want to admit it, Harry was not going to let him go until he was good and ready.

Poppy, who was still standing by Potter's bed, now had a teary smile on her face. Harry's pleas had completely broke her heart, but seeing Harry clinging onto Severus for dear life just warmed her heart that Harry could find peace in something or someone. Not that she was going to let Severus know what she was thinking.

“Well,” Poppy said clearing her throat. “Would you just hold Harry so that I can spell his medicine in his stomach?”

Severus glared at the looks Poppy was giving him, and like his mother, she was immune to Severus' glares. She just smiled at him. Severus adjusted himself in the bed with Harry, since he wasn't going to let him go, so that Poppy could administer the medicine. When Minerva walked into the Infirmary, that was how she found Severus. He was sitting at the head of the bed, eyes closed. Though he seemed that he was asleep, Minerva knew that he was far from it. Actually she knew that he was quite agitated, but she couldn't help the warm feeling of seeing both her protected wards on the bed.

“How long are you going to stand there and stare at us,” a baritone voice broke Minerva out of her thoughts.

“I thought you were asleep,” Minerva slightly teased. “I know that you had a tiring day.”

“Yes, stand there and make jokes,” Severus drawled, not liking being made fun of. “Just come get your whelp cub off of me.”

“How on earth did you get into Harry's clutches, anyway,” Minerva said, walking to the side of the bed were Harry was laying, with a slight cheer in her voice. His bad shouldered arm was tucked in between Severus and Harry. His good arm was draped over Severus' chest. His hand clutching Severus' frock coat.

“I fail to see the humor in this,” Severus growled, quietly. “Kindly remove this child that is hell bent on impersonating a primate.”

Minerva softly chuckled as she leaned over and began prying Harry's hand from her son's coat. Very carefully she maneuvered Harry's hands until they released their grip. Once she had the boy's hand in hers, she couldn't help but look at his hand. Her small smile that she just had completely gone from her face as she looked at the hand that was no bigger than her own. She lightly caressed the two fixed fingers that had to be re-set.

How could someone just blatantly harm this sweet boy, she thought. Severus looked up at his mother and he didn't even have to legitimize her to know what was going through her mind. He knew that she was upset about learning about Potter's home life. To be at all honest with himself, he was quite shocked of the findings of Potter's treatment while he was away from school.

Very slowly, Minerva placed Harry's hand on his own side and moved out of the way so that Severus could get off the bed. She walked away from the bed rubbing her sore hands and wrists. It had been a long time since she ached like this. Severus saw her rubbing her hands and knew that she was having those old stress pains again, and he walked over to her.

“You owe me tea,” Severus said walking pass her towards the doors of the Infirmary. “Your chambers. I'll be there in a little bit.”

With that he walked out of Infirmary. She looked at her son and noticed that his usual exit was a little different. She turned and looked at Harry, and couldn't help but truly love her son. There laying on the bed next to Harry was a black teddy bear. She knew that Severus had to have done it, so that Harry could feel something beside him.

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Minerva walked into her chambers, sat down in her high back chair. It was her most comfortable chair, although others did not understand why she would have a high, straight back chair to always sit in. It looked uneasy and unwelcoming for someone to sit in, but she found that it gives her back much support. Once she got settled, Minerva called Tami, her personal house elf, to bring up tea for two. She was in the process of pouring the tea when the floo flared and Severus stepped through the hearth. He nodded at her and took his seat across from her. She handed him his cup of tea, and for a few moments neither one said anything. They both just listened to the silence of her chambers. Minerva put her tea cup down on her small coffee table. When she straighten back up, she was rubbing her hands.

“I see your hands are bothering you again,” Severus stated over his tea cup.

“It's alright,” Minerva dismissed, rubbing her hands unconsciously.

“I'll make you the potion tomorrow,” Severus said putting down his cup. “The last time you waited until it got too bad, you were not able to hold a quill.”

Minerva smiled at him, but the look in her eyes told a different story. She was deep in thought. Severus looked at her with concern.

“Still thinking about Arabella and Albus?,” Severus asked while pouring two more cups of tea.

“Hm,” Minerva was brought out of her thoughts by a tea cup floating over her lap. She looked at the cup and then to her son who was already drinking his tea.

“Arabella and Albus,” Severus stated again. “Are you still thinking on them?”

“No,” Minerva said slightly shaking her head. “Harry. What has he really been through? He's lived with those horrible Muggles for almost fourteen years. What all did they do to him?”

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After Minerva left Albus' office, he was deep in thought. He would have never thought that Minerva would be so fiercely adamant about Arabella Figg. So he told her to watch the house. Why was that such a huge concern? He knew what he had to do; talk to Harry. Get Harry's side of things.

Albus got up from his chair. He was about to take the wards down from around his chambers and office, but quickly changed his mind. He had a feeling that there would be another outburst in his office by one tabby cat. Walking over to the fire place and grabbing some powder, Albus was about to go to the Infirmary, but quickly thought against going by floo. He knew that Minerva and Poppy would be there and the last thing he wanted to deal with were those two witches. Not together. Replacing the powder in the pot, Albus walked out of his office and took the long trek to the Infirmary.

_________0000__________0000____________0000_____________0000__________0000_________

Harry buried his face into something soft and that was the first thing that clued him that something wasn't right. He was not in pain. He was laying on something soft, so he knew that he wasn't in his room. He was beginning to worry if he was dead, and maybe this was what it's truly liked to be Kissed. Maybe he would see his parents and Cedric. Tears began to burn the back of his throat when he began to think about what a disappointment he was to his parents. They died to protect him and Harry did nothing to protect himself from those dementors.

He buried his face into the soft plushness of the bear he didn't know he was holding. The smell of potions filled his nose and he began to calm his breathing again. His tears dried up. Maybe, just maybe, all will be alright.

Albus walked into the Infirmary. He was actually happy to see that Severus and Minerva weren't there. He's already dealt with Minerva the last thing he wanted was to deal with Severus. He walked over towards Harry's bed and sat down on the edge of his bed.

“Harry,” Albus said putting his hand on his back.

Harry's eyes popped opened in such surprise. He looked at the Professor sitting on the bed. His brow creased together. Why was Professor Dumbledore here?

“Professor,” Harry asked. “What are you doing here?” Harry looked around and still did not recognize where he was. “Where are we?,” he finally asked.

A small smile crept across Albus' face. “You're in the Infirmary, Harry.”

“Hogwarts?,” Harry was stunned. Never would he thought that he would be at Hogwarts before school started. He sat up completely and looked around the Infirmary and his bed. It seemed so different being there in the summer months.

“Harry,” Albus said bringing Harry out of his thoughts. “What is the last thing you remember?”

Harry looked back at the Headmaster and was unaware that he was clutching the black bear that was sitting beside him.

“Harry.”

“I remembered sitting on the swing,” Harry started. “Then I was running. I ran as fast as I could. Then every thing got cold.” Harry was holding the bear absentmindedly to his chest. He started shaking a little.

Poppy always had alarms around each bed in the infirmary. It was always just in case she was in her office and one of her patients needed her. Well, while sitting in her office, one of her alarms were sounding. She quickly got up from her desk and hurried into the main area to check on Potter. She stopped in her tracks. Albus was sitting on the side of Harry's bed and Harry was awake, finally, clutching a black bear. She, who prided herself in walking quietly around people, was very happy that neither wizard noticed her presence, so she stayed in the background and listened in.

After telling his Professor what he remembered, Harry was sitting waiting to hear what Albus would say. Not being able to stand the silence, Harry blurted out, “Can I stay here the rest of the summer?”

Poppy, still in the background, understood why Harry would ask that. From what she overheard, Harry still did not mention any of the abuse to Albus, and it wasn't likely that he would. But the next statement is what really shocked her.

“Harry,” Albus' voice was very soothing and calm. “I know it has not been easy where you live.” Harry took a deep breath through his nose and tried to calm his panic breathing because he knew, like the back of his hand, what the response was going to be. “But you do understand that you must go back. You can not stay here,” Albus smiled warmly at Harry, but that was anything but what he felt; warming. He felt cold. He didn't want to go back.

“Yes, Professor,” Harry's shoulders sagged.

Just as quietly as Poppy came in, she left back towards her office. Once there, she closed and locked her door. She walked over to her fireplace in her, pinched a small amount of floo in the power, and tossed it the fire.

When a head finally appeared, she regaled them of what was happening in her Infirmary.

“Step back,” the voice said from the fire.

The medi-witch got up from her kneeling position and back up just as the man wearing all black stepped through.

TBC

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

Please follow my Mandancie page on Facebook!! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, though I wish I did.

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

A/N: Here is chapter 6. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 6

Severus and Minerva was just finishing their third cup of tea when the floo flared up.

“Minerva,” Poppy quietly said. Her head in the fire.

“Poppy,” Minerva said getting up. “What's wrong? Why are you whispering?”

“Albus is here talking to Harry,” She answered. Her voice still low. “He's going to send him back to those dreaded Dursleys. He can't go back there.”

“Step back,” Severus said walking towards the hearth.

Poppy stood up just as Severus walked out of the hearth.

“Is he still in there?” Severus asked in a low voice.

Poppy nodded, and Severus walked out of Poppy's office. He saw the Headmaster sitting with his back towards the doorway and Harry was clutching his transfigured robes, the teddy bear, to his chest hanging on it for dear life. Severus narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew dealing with the Headmaster was going to take every bit of Occlumency that he could use.

“I see your awake, Potter,” Severus said making his presence know to the other two wizards in the room.

“Yes,” Albus answered. “I was just telling Harry how he worried us, after taking his time sleeping in like that.”

Severus looked at Harry and saw the hurt and shame in his face. With out Legitimizing the Boy-Who-Lived, Severus knew that statement hurt him. It hurt him deep.

“And your timing is perfect, Severus,” Albus said taking Severus out of his muse.

“I'm sorry,” Severus said. “Perfect time for what?”

“I was just telling Harry here, that he would have to go back to his relative's house.”

“And,” Severus drawled. “What does that have to do with me?”

“I want you to take him back.”

Utter shock came across Severus' face for a split second before he schooled his expression. One look at Harry and the shock and hurt on his face was all telling. He did not want to go back there.

“Please, sir,” Harry begged in a whisper. “Please don't send me back. I'll do anything.” His voice was so low that neither professors heard the boy. “Please sir. I'll do anything. Please don't send me back there. I'll prep anything for potions. I'll wash all your filthiest cauldrons.”

At first Severus and Albus didn't hear Harry, but when he started speaking about what he would do if they would let him stay at the school. Severus realized that Harry was more talking to Severus than Albus.

“Potter....”

“Please, Professor,” Harry looked up at Severus for the first time. His eyes pleading what his mouth could not. Severus knew that it would not be good if he sent Harry back. “I'll do any and every disgusting thing you use for detentions. I clean every disgusting phial, just please, please don't send me back.”

Harry's green eyes filling with un-shed tears. It was moments like this that Severus was thankful for his skills in Occlumency. His facial expressions did not betray what he was feeling on the inside.

“It will be so much worse if I go back,” Harry mumbled in the bear's head. “I don't think I can take it anymore. He might...” Harry trailed off and completely buried his face in the bear. He could not understand why this bear was giving him so much comfort, but it was. And it was actually really nice. It was something about the way the bear felt, and smelled that was just so calming to Harry. If he could just shut the world out and stay with this bear, that he knew he was way to old for but right now did not care for one single moment, it would be just fine with him.

Well that statement surprised Severus. Could there be more to what was going on at that dreaded place than just a few bruises. Surely they haven't harmed the boy more than physically. They better not have, Severus thought.

“Harry,” Albus said sitting down on his bed. “I know that you think I don't want you here, but that is not the case.”

“Then let me stay,” Harry voice was harsher than he really wanted it to be.

“Potter,” Severus chastised.

“Sorry sir,” Harry put his head back down. Harry wondered why Snape had to be there. It was bad enough that Professor Dumbledore would not let him stay. It was worse that his most hated Professor would be the one to send him back to those Dursleys. Oh why did he have to be here, Harry thought.

“Harry,” Albus said bring Harry to the present. “Severus is going to take you back home.”

“Headmaster,” Severus stated. “I will...”

“Step out into the corridor with me,” Albus said cutting Severus off. “We'll be right back, Harry.”

Harry didn't lift his head or acknowledge that anyone had said anything.

Severus stepped out of the Infirmary with Albus in tow.

“Headmaster,” Severus began.

“Severus you will take Harry back to Surrey.” the Headmaster's voice left no room for argument. Severus blinked at Albus. “Need I remind you of what you are to do?”

“No, Headmaster,” Severus sighed. “All will go as you planned. Nothing has changed.” Severus took a deep breath and let it out. “I will escort Mr. Potter back to his relatives.”

A smile graced Dumbledore's lips and a twinkle that had been absent all afternoon was back in full force. “Thank you, Severus. I always knew that I could count on you, son.” Albus walked back into the Infirmary.

Severus looked at Albus, incredulously. Son. When has Albus ever called him that. Never. So why now? Then Severus' next thought went to his mother. He sighed. This was not going to be good. Severus sighed again and walked into the Infirmary after Albus.

When he got inside, he saw Harry was still clutching that bear for dear life.

“Potter,” Severus voice was as stern as ever. Harry looked up at the most hated Professor. “Meet me at the Great Hall in fifteen minutes. Understand.”

Severus turned and walked out of the Infirmary before Harry could even answer. He left before he even noticed the evil glare that he was getting from Poppy. Severus knew that before he left he was going to have to talk to Minerva, and that alone would not be a conversation that he would readily want to have.

Poppy walked into her office after Severus left and threw some floo powder in the fire.

“Minerva!,” Poppy yelled.

Minerva's head emerged from the fire.

“Poppy,” Minerva said. “What's wrong? Is everything alright?”

“That boy...” Poppy ranted. “That boy.”

Minerva was royally confused now. What on earth could have happened that would make Poppy so angry. “What has happened, Poppy?”

Severus walked into Minerva's office. Poppy noticed the distraction in Minerva and somehow known that Severus walked in her office.

“I'll talk to you later,” Poppy sneered out before her head left the fire.

Minerva watched Poppy just leave without saying another word. She looked at her son and could tell that he knew what was going on.

“Severus,” Minerva said standing up from in front of the fireplace and facing her son. “What's going on?”

“I'm taking Potter back to Surrey.”

Minerva could not believe what she had just heard. No, that could not be possible. Harry should not be anywhere near Surrey. Severus could see the anger rising in Minerva and knew that what was to come next would not be good.

Minerva stood behind her desk looking at her adoptive son, opening and closing her mouth. She just didn't know how to respond to this new information.

“Tell me I didn't hear you right. You're taking Harry back to that awful place.” Minerva's voice continued to rise. “You and Poppy just spent two hours fixing that child. And you're standing here telling me that you are taking him back.”

Severus took a deep breath and looked at his mother. “Albus wants Harry back at his relatives. I must take him back.”

“I don't believe you, Severus! How could you? You were the one that said he was not retuning. Now all of a sudden you are sending him back to those damned Muggles!”

“I don't expect you to understand,” Severus' voice was low and calm even though he was raging underneath.

“Understand. UNDERSTAND! I'll tell you what I understand, son.” Severus could not hide the wince at the total disgust that came from his mother's mouth when she said son. “I understand that my son is letting an old rival keep him from seeing pain that he is causing.” There was no hiding the shock on his face. “I understand that your hatred for James Potter is still in you. So much that you would condemn that child to more abuse. I thought you of all people would understand what he was going through. You, of all people, should be the first one to come to aid of Mr. Potter. But no. You're hatred of his father blinds you to the abuse that is clearly found in that boy.”

Slowly Minerva walked over to Severus while ranting at him.

“What are you going to do?” Severus asked. His voice more calm than he really was. “Slap me again. Send me away.” Minerva was taken aback at the accusation. She had felt so bad for her lapse in judgment the last time. She took a step back as if she was slapped across the face.

“I didn't come here to get your blessings about what I'm doing. I was merely letting you know what was going on. And the only reason I did that was because you're my mother. Now, if you think I'm such a disgrace then it will be the last you see of me. Good day, mother.”

With that, Severus walked out of Minerva's office. She could not believe what had just occurred. In one short afternoon, she just lost her grip on both of her boys. She looked at the empty doorway where her son was just standing. A lone tear streamed down her face. Never would she forgive herself for what just happened. Her son just walked out on her, again. She was so ashamed at how she handled her son last time. She never forgave herself for that. And to this day, Severus still blamed himself for Lily's death. But this was different. This time there was only one to blame. She knew there was only one person to blame for this but she didn't have the power or the backing to state it.

Severus walked to the Great Hall on auto-pilot. He couldn't believe all the things that his mother, no Minerva, said to him. Accused him of. All he was doing was following orders. Orders that he is forced to obey without question. No matter how much he did not like or agree with. He didn't realize he was at the Great Hall until he heard a small voice.

“Sir.”

Severus came out of his thoughts and looked at Potter, still clutching that blasted bear.

“I'm ready.”

“I can see that, Potter.” Severus turned and walked towards the front doors of the castle. Harry followed him. “Let's go, Potter.” Severus opened the door. Harry walked out of the school. Severus turned and looked at the stairs going up to the seventh floor, sighed, and turned and walked out of the school.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. He along with the other characters belong to J.K. Rowling

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

A/N: Well, here is chapter 7. Enjoy!! :)

Chapter 7! :)

Severus and Harry walked out of the castle in the cool of the night. Harry followed his professor with great trepidation. He did not want to go back to the Dursleys. He knew they hated him, and with the fact that he wasn't there to make dinner the last night, he also knew that they would be especially angry as well. Harry wondered why was it so important that they leave right this second. Harry wondered why couldn't they wait until morning

Harry sighed. He looked down and saw that he was still holding the teddy bear.

“Uh...Professor,” Harry's voice was timid as not to anger Snape any more than he appeared to be now.

“What is it Potter?” Severus said, not even turning to look at the boy, or even slow down walking.

“Can we go back?” Harry asked.

“You heard the Headmaster, did you not.”

“Yes sir, but...”

“But what, Potter. Spill it.” Severus stopped walking turned and looked at Harry who was still a few steps behind him. Severus figured he was probably walking too fast for Harry, seeing how he had just healed him not a few hours ago. Harry had a sheen of sweat on his brow. This worried Severus since it was a rather cool night. Severus stood still and watched as Harry got closer and closer to him.

Severus waited until Harry was standing next to him before he asked him again, “But what, Potter?”

Harry, panting a little from the trek from the castle, holding out the black teddy bear that he's been clutching since Severus transfigured out of his cloak. “I didn't mean to take it.”

“It's yours, Mr. Potter,” Severus drawled out.

“I'm almost fifteen, and this is not mine.”

“The way you are holding on to that bear begs to differ.” Harry looked down and to his embarrassment, he was tightly holding the bear to his chest. “Keep it, Potter. Now can we continue? I would like to get back to Surrey sometime in the near future.”

Harry's head shot up and looked at his Professor. His scared, green eyes meeting black, coal eyes. Severus knew Harry didn't want to go back there. Truth be told, he didn't want to take him back. Not that he really was taking him back. He just had to tell Albus that he was. There was no way that he was going to make Harry stay with those appalling creatures that would harm a child. It really hurt that Minerva, his mother, would continue to see the bad in him. Severus knew that Minerva still never forgave Severus for taking the Dark Mark. He agreed that he was stupid and naive, but he just wasn't thinking clearly after his failure with his only true best friend, Lily.

“Why would I need your help?” Severus was embarrassed, hurt and angry, and he was lashing out his hurt to the only person around. “I don't need your help! All you are doing is making it worse.”

Lily was stunned into silence. She couldn't believe her best friend was talking to her like that. She just couldn't just stand around and watch like the others did and see that James Potter hurt Severus anymore. Lily knew the real reason that Severus was sitting by the tree alone. She was there when Professor Tibit belittled Severus during Ancient Ruins. Severus was walking out of class when all was dismissed at the end. Lily reached out and grabbed her best friend's arm. She could see the hurt in his black eyes. He told her were she could find him and walked out of the room. Being stopped by several people, was the reason she was late meeting Severus out side by the tree. By the time she got out there James already had Severus upside down.

Now, a very angry and humiliated Severus was lashing out at his only best friend.

“....don't need your help,” Severus yelled. “You're nothing but a filthy Mudblood.”

Severus did not mean for that word to come out of his mouth. That was the last thing that he ever wanted to say to his best friend. The hurt and anguish in her eyes just broke him more than he'd been all day. Oh how he wish he could have that second back.

“I-I'm sorry...”Severus immediately tried to rectify what he just broke.

“No,” Lily said backing away from Severus, as if he was a contagion. Tears burning the back of her throat. “You seem like you've wanted to say that for a while.” Lily said. One single tear rolled down her cheek.

“It's nice to know you are so easily influenced by your dorm-mates. I'll take my leave now,” Lily began to walk away.

“Lily, please, I...,” Severus' voice trailed of.

“Goodbye, Severus.” Lily turned and was about to walk off when she saw the same thing that Severus saw. Minerva was standing in the walkway.

“Back to your common rooms, Ms. Evans,” Minerva said looking at the tear stains on the child's cheeks.”

Minerva watched as she disappeared down the path. Now the only person who is left, besides Severus, was Minerva. She walked up to her son. She could see the hurt in his eyes.

“Severus,”Minerva walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Severus said, looking at the ground.

Severus moved to walk pass his Professor when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His breath hitched. He didn't want comfort now. Not after saying such a horrible thing to his best, his only, friend. But the hand wouldn't move. It just stayed there.

Severus shook his head. He didn't want comfort. He didn't deserve comfort. But he knew he didn't have the strength to move out of her grip. He was so disgusted with his weakness, and when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders in an embrace, his breath hitched again.

Minerva heard what Severus said and she knew that he would probably beat himself up for it. She knew that he didn't believe what the other Slytherin said about Muggleborns. In fact, she had seen on several occasions this bright student in her arms defend his best friend to the point of his own house ostracizing and ridiculing him.

“Do you want to talk about it?,” Minerva asked quietly, rubbing her hand up and down Severus' back. She felt his head shake on her shoulder. She sighed and just held her wayward boy a little longer. She told him that she would always be available to him when he needed her.

“How did you know I was out here?” Severus mumbled in her robes still not wanting to remove himself from her embrace.

Minerva smiled a little and stepped back. Severus looked at his Professor.

“Do you still have your Christmas present?”

Severus had a puzzled look at first as his hand reached into his pocket. He just knew that everything would have fallen out of it since that blasted Potter hexed him and had him hanging upside down. But to his surprise the small coin was still there perfectly nestled in his pocket. Severus pulled it out. Minerva looked at the coin in his hand and nodded.

“Good,” She said. “I want you to always have that on you. I had hope that it would come in handy when you went back home to your father, but I see that now it is needed for while you are in school.”

“What is this, really?”

“I have one of it's sister coins,” she began. “And it alerted me that you were in trouble.”

“That's how you knew where I was,” Severus concluded.

Minerva shook her head. “I didn't. I've been searching for you for the past fifteen minutes. When I couldn't find you in the library or the potions' lab, I know there was only one place left for you to be, and that's here.”

“So how long had you been here?” Anger began to lace his voice. “Did you stand by and watch what your precious Gryffindors did to me this time? Did you like what you saw?”

“Severus Tobias Snape,” Minerva reprimanded. “You will calm yourself this instant. I've already told you I have been searching the castle for you. I didn't get here until I heard what you said to Lily.” Severus sighed and looked down. “Now,” in a much calmer voice. “You want to tell me what happened?”

Severus sighed again and looked up at his Professor, who was turning out to be more of a mother figure towards him than a just a teacher. He told her the whole story of what happen from leaving Ancient Ruins to Lily leaving. At the end of his story, Severus was back in Minerva's arms. She embraced him again when he got to the point of him hurting Lily's feelings.

“I'm so sorry, son,” Minerva whispered in his ear, holding him in her arms. “Give it a few days. If its a friendship worth having, she will forgive you.”

Severus looked down at the boy standing next to him. Blasted those cursed eyes, he thought.

“Take my arm, Potter,” Severus commanded.

“But sir, what about...” Harry started, but Severus cut him off.

“Just hold on to the bear. You need it more than anyone else.” His voice was harsh but not mean. Harry just blinked at his Professor. “Now, grab hold.” He held out his arm for Harry to grab.

Harry maneuvered the bear in his arm that was in the sling and grabbed hold of his teacher's arm.

“Do not let go,” was the last thing that was said before a loud cracking noise and neither wizard was standing in that spot anymore.

Harry swayed a bit. He was surprised that he didn't fall. He's never encountered that feeling before. He's traveled by floo and port-key, but this was totally different. If Harry had anything in his stomach, he felt it might have made a grand re-entrance.

Severus stood still next to Potter. He knew that this had to be the first time that Harry had apparated the way the boy swayed. He stay still for Harry to let him get his barrings. Once Harry's head stop swimming he let go of the grip he had on Severus' arm. He looked around and didn't recognized where he was.

“Uh, sir?” Harry said looking around.

“What is it, Mr. Potter?” Severus drawled walking down the street.

“Where are we?” Harry began to follow Snape down the street. “I thought you were taking me back to my -- relatives.” Harry couldn't help the hesitation that came from calling out his relatives.

Severus stopped walking and turned and faced Harry. Harry couldn't help but stop and look up at his teacher.

“Do you really want to go back to those people?” Harry blinked at his teacher and shook his head. “I thought so.” Severus then turned and began to walk down the street again. This time Harry followed Severus down the street. They stopped once they got to the end. There was a two story house. Severus walked through the gate and towards the front door.

“Come Mr. Potter,” Severus said opening up the front door. “Welcome to my home.”

Harry stood in the walkway with a complete and utter shock. Never would he think that his most hated teacher would bring him to his house. Could it be that he actually heard his pleas in the Infirmary? Oh, Harry could only hope. Slowly, but surely Harry walked up the walkway and towards the door and looked inside.

Maybe, just maybe, Harry thought.

TBC

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 8! Enjoy! :)

Chapter 8

SLAP!

The sound reverberated around the room. Severus stood in complete shock, looking at his newly adoptive mother. His cheek turning slightly pink from the hit he had just endured. Not once did it ever occur to him that she would lay a hand on him. He thought the whole point of this adoption was to get away from an abusive parent, not end up in another one. Maybe taking the Dark Mark wasn't the brightest idea, but he really didn't have a choice. Lucius would not leave him alone about it. Neither would Nott, Goyle, or Crabbe. And if he wanted to have a security and belonging enough to keep the Marauders off his back, then he needed to take that mark.

“Why did you do it?” Minerva's voice was thick with tears, her hand slightly stinging from slapping Severus. Those black eyes of her son looked at her pierced with anger and fear. Severus turned to walk away, she grabbed his arm and he stayed put. “Severus.”

“You wouldn't understand,” Severus said. His voice quiet. She could hear the hurt in his voice, but she had to push him. She wanted to understand why he would taint himself with the mark like that.

“Well, help me understand.”

“I had to take the mark,” Severus turned and faced Minerva. “I wanted it. I needed it. Now Lucius...”

“Wait a minute,” Minerva cut Severus off. “Lucius? Lucius Malfoy. I can't believe you would listen to that boy. Him and his little entourage is no better than James and his friends.

“He is not like Potter! No one is like Potter, or Black. Don't compare my friends with those Gryffindors.”

“Severus,” Minerva admonished. “What's is going on with you?” She grabbed his left arm. “This is not you.”

Severus snatched his arm from her grasp. “YOU DON'T KNOW ME!”

Minerva stepped back and looked at her son. “Severus.”

“No,” Severus yelled. “I am not a Gryffindor. I'm a Slytherin. And I am proud of my decision.”

“No, you're not,” Minerva said quietly. “You've doomed yourself, Severus.” She no longer held her tears back as they streamed down her face. “Can you not see that.”

Severus looked at Minerva for the first time with disgust. “I don't need your approval. I don't need you. I didn't ask you to adopt me. So you can just leave me alone.” With that Severus turned and walked out of his adoptive mother's office.

Minerva sat in her chair. She had not moved since Severus left, telling her that he was taking Harry back to the Dursleys. Her heart was just breaking. It was happening all over again. She was losing her son again. Absentmindedly, she continued rubbing her hands and wrist. After sitting in her chair for what seemed like forever she slowly gotten up and went to bed.

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Albus walked back to his office with a serene smile on his face. All was coming into place. He had Severus under his thumb and there was nothing that Minerva or even Severus could do about it. Once he got to his chambers, Albus walked over to Fawkes and began to rub his feathers.

“All is coming to plan,” Albus said to his familiar. “Soon I will have Harry to understand.”

Fawkes shrilled in contentment at his master. Albus petted him one more time and then retired to his chambers for the night with a smile in his heart and one on his face.

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Severus showed Harry where he was going to be sleeping. Slowly Harry followed his potion professor throughout the house. Once they got to the room, Severus walked in and Harry followed. To say that Harry was surprised was an understatement. There was a big four poster bed in the corner, usual furnishing in the room that he'd seen in his Aunt and Uncle's room, but nothing that he ever had. Harry walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it.

“We will be staying here for the rest of the summer.” A voice brought Harry out of his musing.

“Sir?” Harry looked up at Severus.

“No one can know that we are here. Not your friends. Especially, Albus and M-Minerva.” His professor's stumbling over his head of house didn't go unnoticed to Harry.

“Sir,” Harry looked at his teacher and could tell something was bothering him, but he didn't know what.

“The bathroom is right in the corner. Breakfast will be at 7. I expect you to be in the kitchen to eat at that time. You'll find clothes in the cupboard. They should all be about your size. We will talk more in the morning. Goodnight, Potter.” With that Severus turned and walked out of the room. Harry stood there and looked at the doorway where his Professor stood, wondering what was wrong with his Professor. It was not like Snape to show uneasiness like that. Harry looked around the room again and sighed. He walked over to the cupboard and looked inside. He couldn't believe what he saw. There were a lot of clothes, nightshirts, trainers, trousers, shirts, anything he could think of was in that wardrobe.

Where on earth did all these clothes come from? Harry thought.

Reaching in he realized that he still had the blasted bear in his arms. He turned to throw it on the bed, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He walked over to the bed and placed it down and walked back over to look at all the clothes.

He pulled out some pajamas and walked to the small bathroom. He went in washed and changed, as much as he could with only the use of one arm, and came back to the bed. He was about to move the teddy bear off the bed, but again he couldn't. Harry climbed into bed and laid down. He use to think that the beds in the Gryffindor dormitories were the most comfortable beds ever. Well, now he realized that he was wrong. The bed was so soft, he was asleep before he knew it.

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Severus walked down to his lab after leaving Harry's new room. Once inside, his guard, mask, came down. He couldn't believe what has just happened. His chest hurt. How could he allow his heart to be broken again. He loved his mother. He still loved her. He just wish she trusted him more. Yes, there were things that he couldn't tell her, but there were other things that he would never keep from her. His feelings about Harry were genuine and he meant what he said about taking Harry in. No child deserved to live like that; in fear. And that's what Severus saw tonight when Harry was begging for his stay at Hogwarts. But there was something else that was underlining in his plea. Something that would cause a fourteen year old boy to not care if he'd been Kissed.

Severus took a deep breath and walked over to his cauldron. He pulled out his potions book and looked for the one that he made and modified for his mother. He began to brew. It took three hours but he was finished. He bottled up the potion and let it cool. He had enough of the medicine that would help Minerva with her hands. He thought about using his owl, Archimedes, but thought wiser to it. He didn't want his owl intercepted. That would mean that not only would his mother, but Albus, would know where he was and if he knew that he would find out that he didn't take Harry back to Surrey. He could not have that. So he decided on another route.

“Tami,” Severus called out.

“Yes, Master Sev'us.” Tami popped in the lab.

“I want you to give this to my mother. She is to have this with her morning tea and another one before she goes to bed. Make sure she takes nothing else with this.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

Tami reached out for the phial, but Severus lifted his hand just from her reached. Her big eyes looked puzzled at her mistress' son.

“She is not to have any hot totties. No firewhiskey at all. I know how she can be, but not with this.”

He knew his mother too well. Her way of trying to make since of what is going on, she will drink some firewhiskey or pour some in her tea. But with the brew that he was giving her, it was a stronger set since she would have to basically take all at once instead of throughout the week like she normally would have to do. Even the small amounts that she usually drinks from time to time would have devastating results with this particular brew Severus made.

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami nodded again. She reached for the phials and this time was successful at retrieving them.

“Tami,” Severus called out again. “Do not tell mother where I am. And do not let her know that you put that in her tea. Understand?”

With one final nod, Tami popped out of Severus' lab. Severus walked back upstairs towards his room. He stopped at the room Harry was in and peeked inside. When he saw, he could not keep the smirk off of his face. Harry was asleep, curled up on his side. He looked so peaceful as he slept. But looking at the little brat as he sleep was not what made him smirk. It was the fact that said boy in question was still clutching that bloody bear. The same bear he wanted to return to the Infirmary earlier that night. Severus walked in the room and to the bed. He pulled the cover up to Harry's shoulders and turned and walked out of the room and went into his own room and got ready for bed.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box

A/N: Here is chapter 9. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

“Freak, get in here!” Vernon yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Harry slowly got up from his bed, sore from all the work he did on the yard yesterday. All he wanted to do was sleep. But sleep was a luxury that he couldn't afford.

“FREAK!”

Harry opened the door to his room and walked downstairs. He walked into the kitchen, but to his surprise no one was in there. No uncle Vernon. No aunt Petunia. No Dudley. He looked around and still, no one. He saw dirty dishes in the sink, so he walked over to clean them.

Maybe this is what he called me for, Harry thought. Starting the water to fill the sink, he did not hear footsteps behind him. The next instance, white light and a blind sharp pain radiated from his head. The hit came again to the same spot as before. This time he covered his head with his arms. He did not see his attacker, nor did he want to. Soapy water going everywhere, since his hands were in the sink at the time. When the next blow came about, it was a total surprise as it was not to his head but to his lower back, knocking him to his knees. Once on the floor he began to curl up into a ball trying to protect his vital organs from the assault that was happening to him.

A kick here. A punch there. The blows seemed to be endless. Then just as suddenly they started. It ended. Harry was, laying on his stomach, on the floor hurting from what seemed like head to toe. All was quiet. The only thing Harry could hear was his ragged breathing. His attacker said not one word while beating him. Then he heard the familiar sound of a zipper. His breathing began to go faster. His heart beating so fast, Harry's afraid that it would stop at any moment. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want this to happen again.

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Severus just started to settle down. He was easing into a restful slumber when he heard it. It was very subtle. At first he didn't think it was anything, but he heard it again. It was a low moaning. It could be the only other person in the house. Getting up and putting on his robes, Severus made his way to Harry's room. When he got in the room, he could see that Harry was in the midst of a nightmare.

Severus walked over to the bed and sat down on the end of it.

This time he covered his head with his arms. He did not see his attacker, nor did he want to. Soapy water going everywhere, since his hands were in the sink at the time. When the next blow came about, it was a total surprise as it was not to his head but to his lower back, knocking him to his knees.

“Potter,” Severus leans down, with his hand on the boys chest. “Harry. It's just a dream.” His voice was low and soothing. Harry started to calm down. His movements silenced. Severus was just about to get up when a whole new set of screams came from the sleeping boy.

Then he heard the familiar sound of a zipper. His breathing began to go faster. His heart beating so fast, Harry's afraid that it would stop at any moment. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want this to happen again.

His arms flailing, his legs kicking. Severus had to grip Harry's arms and lay them across his chest to keep from hitting him.

Harry feeling pinned, tears began to stream down from his closed eyes.

“No,” cried in his sleep. “No, please don't.” Harry moaned out. He got one of his hands out of his professor's grip and absently gripped Severus' robe. Just like in the Infirmary, Harry pulled himself up to Severus and curled up next to him.

Instinctively, Severus let go of Harry's other hand and wrapped his arms around the crying child. Harry began to calm down. His crying changed to hiccups, then his breathing evened out. He fell back asleep in Snape's arms.

Once Severus felt Harry calming down, he lowered the boy back in the bed. He looked around and found the black bear on the floor by the bed. He picked it up and placed it beside Harry's head. Very slowly he began to pry Harry's hands off of his robes.

The calming smells of potions began to fill Harry's nose. The same scent that he's been smelling that has completely calmed him. That has made him feel safe and secure. He felt hands on his. Hands that weren't hurting him. They just were opening his grip. Slowly consciousness was bringing Harry to a state of awareness, the more aware he was becoming the more he was hoping that this wasn't a dream and that he wasn't living in his nightmare. He didn't want his comfort to leave.

When Severus was finally free from Harry's grip, still thinking that Harry was asleep, he stood up from the bed. A small voice stopped Severus in his tracks.

“Wait.”

Severus turned and saw a pair of green eyes looking up at him. They were looking at him, but weren't really seeing him.

“Don't leave me, please.” Severus could see the tears forming in Harry's eyes.

“You will not be alone, child,” Severus said sitting back down on the side of the bed.

“Pro-professor,” Harry stuttered out.

“Go back to sleep, child. We will talk in the morning.” With that, Harry fell back asleep. Severus deeply sighed, got up and left the sleeping child to go to his room and try to get some rest.

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Minerva awoke to her hands hurting worse than they ever had. She was afraid that she wouldn't even be able to get dressed. Once she finally got up, she called for her personal elf.

“Tami,” Minerva weakly called out.

“Here, mistress,” Tami popped by Minerva's bed. Tami saw the pain in her mistress' eyes and tears began to fill those big green eyes. “Mistress.”

“It's fine, Tami,” Minerva said through clenched teeth. Her hands and wrist throbbing in pain. “I just need my poti... oh dear.” Minerva sighed. “He's not here is he?” She was crestfallen as she laid back down on the bed. “Severus.” A lone tear streamed down to her pillow. “Oh Severus, don't stay away too long.”

Tami left with a silent pop and returned just as quick with a small tea pot. She poured her mistress a cup of tea and handed it to her. Minerva looked up at her elf.

“Drink, mistress,” Tami pleaded, not liking to see her mistress upset. “It will make you feel better.”

Minerva sat up and took the tea cup. When she put it to her lips, she smiled. It was a teary smile, but a smile none the less. One thing about having the youngest Potion Master as her son, she could smell his potions in the faintest of things. And now, in her Earl Grey tea, she could smell her son's work, and all she could do was smile.

“You must drink all, my mistress.”

“Where is – no, Tami, listen to me,” Minerva said with much more energy. “Whatever my son needs, you get it for him. No questions.”

“Yes, mistress.” A smile came across the small elf's face.

“Go. Go take care of him.” With a small pop, the elf was gone. Minerva took a long sip of her tea and a small smile on her face as she leaned back against the headboard of her bed. Even though last night didn't end as she liked. Knowing that her son was out there, but still close enough that she could still keep in contact with her son, made the morning that much bearable. From a long line of regrets that she can count with her son, the one thing she did not regret was bonding him with her elf Tami. She still remembered that bittersweet day on Halloween night almost fourteen-years ago.

Minerva walked back to her chambers. It was all so surreal. She could not believe that the Potters were dead. Gone. Just like that. As she walked to the seventh floor she remembers the last time she spoke with Lily. Oh, not to have her afternoon tea with her former student anymore. She sighed. Then she heard it. Sobbing in the distance. Minerva pulled out her wand. Carefully, she walked down the hall towards the wailing. When she turned the corner, what she saw nearly made her heart stop. Severus, her son whom she had not seen since he took the Dark Mark, was on the floor in front of her chambers, sobbing and wailing. Quickly, Minerva returned her wand up her sleeve and rushed over to her distraught son.

Severus was leaning against her chamber door. Tears streaming down his face. One look at her son and she knew that Severus got word that his best friend had died tonight. She knew that Severus loved Lily, and her heart just broke watching her son cry out his grief. She knelt down next to her son and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her heart broke more for her son, when he recoiled from her touch.

“No,” Severus sobbed out. “No.”

“Severus,” Minerva cooed. “Come on, get up.”

Reluctantly, Severus allowed his mother to help him up and they walked inside her chambers. Minerva helped Severus in one of the chairs by the fireplace.

“Tami,” Minerva called out.

A small pop and Tami appeared next to them.

“Yes, mistress,” Tami said with a slight bow.

“Bring some tea, for me and my son.”

“Son?” Tami looked from her mistress to the mean Potions teacher.

“Yes Tami,” Minerva loosing patience with her elf. “You will do as I say, and go bring my son some tea.” With that, Tami popped out of the chambers. Minerva's attention went back to her son. He was sitting in the chair with his head in his hand. The tears did not stop.

“Severus.”

“It's all my fault,” Severus' voice was raw from crying. “She's dead.”

Minerva transfigured the table next Severus in to an ottoman so that she could sit next to her son. “It's not your fault.”

“Yes it is,” Severus argued. “I should not be here.” He started to rise from the chair when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Do not even think of getting up,” Minerva said leaving no room for arguing. “Tami.” Minerva called for her elf.

“Yes, my mistress,” Tami popped in the room holding a tray in her hands.

“Sit the tray down. I'll take care of the tea. I want you to bring me a bowl and a wet flannel.

Seconds later Tami returned with the requested items. She began to wipe her son's brow with the cool flannel. At first Severus leaned into the ministration, but reality set in and he knew that his mother didn't love him anymore.

“No,” Severus said weakly. “No, I don't deserve your kindness.” His throat began to burn again with hot tears.

“Nonsense,”Minerva said wiping his brow and eyes with the flannel. “You deserve so much. So much that I cannot provide, but it will be alright.” Making sure that he didn't try to get up. “You will stay here. I'll hear nothing more about it.”

Severus looked up at his mother. His redden eyes washed with tears, gave a single nod and laid his head on the back of the chair. Once she finished, she left the flannel over his eyes. Slowly his breathing began to calm, slow down and deepen. After a few minutes, Minerva noticed that Severus was asleep. She went to the side cupboard and pulled out a heavy afghan to cover her son up in. Once she made sure that she tucked in her son, (She couldn't help but to smile at the thought of tucking in Severus Snape,) she cupped her son's face and kissed him on his forehead as he slept.

“Oh Severus,” Minerva said looking at her sleeping son. “It's been too long since you've been here. This will not happen again.” And for the third time this night, Minerva called out to her personal elf.

When Tami showed up, Minerva had one order; bond with Severus. Never again will she go months of not knowing where her son is. She regretted that argument. If she had to do it all over, she would have changed how she handled the situation. She would have still been upset about her son taking the mark, but she shouldn't have hit him.

Minerva went and got her self changed into something more for lounging, sat on the chair opposite Severus and she stayed by her son's side the entire night.

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Harry woke up and stretched in the bed. He fumbled around on the night stand to feel for his glasses. Once he found them and put them on his face, the memory of what happened last night just flooded his mind. He remembers he had a nightmare. He remembers what happened after his nightmare. Sometimes he hated that he couldn't remember what it was that scared him so badly. What did surprise him was the actions of his feared Potion Master. Snape didn't make fun of him. He didn't push him away. He held him until he stopped crying. The professor actually let him cling on to him.

There was a knock on the other side of the door.

“I know you are awake, Potter. Please get up and get dress. We need to talk. I want you to have some breakfast. You're too skinny as it is an you can't afford to miss meals.”

With that, Severus walked away. Harry listened to the sounds of his professor's footfalls walking down the halls.

Harry sighed and got up. Why put off the inevitable? He knew what happened last night was probably never going to happened again.

Harry got dressed in record time, he sighed and opened the door and headed down to the dining room to see Professor Snape.

TBC

A/N: Thank you to everyone that has favored, followed and reviewed my story. Your continuing support with my story is nothing short of amazing! :) Thank you!! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters just the plot.

A special thanks to my beta, The Lonely God With a Box

A/N: Here is Chapter 10. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10

Harry walked to the kitchen and stood in the doorway. There, at the table, was his potions professor reading the Daily Prophet.

“Good morning, Potter.” Severus said behind the paper.

“Morning, sir,” a timid voice came from the doorway.

Severus lowered the paper to look at his newest guest. Harry stood at the door. Severus was half surprised the he didn't have that bear attached to him.

“Sit, Mr. Potter,” Severus said. “We have much to talk about.”

Harry really didn't like the idea of talking. He really wasn't sure why he was in his Potion Professor's home, or when he would be really going back to his relatives.

“Sir,” Harry said sitting down across from his teacher. “Are you going to take me back?”

Severus looked incredulously at his new ward. “I thought I explained to you that you would not be going back.”

“But I thought you would change your mind.”

“And why would I do that, Potter?”

Harry lowered his head looking at his hands on the table, and mumbled something that Severus could not understand.

“Mr. Potter,” for the first time this morning, Severus' voice was as stern as if he was teaching. “I know that you can speak and speak properly. Now you will look at me and repeat what you said. Clearly this time. Is that understood. Now why did you think that I would change my mind?”

Harry nodded his head, swallowed and looked up at his professor. “Because of last night.”

Severus raised an eyebrow at the boy. Last night? Why would he think that I would change my mind about last night, Severus thought.

“Last night?” Severus asked.

“I woke you up.” Harry answered, looking back down at the table. The last thing he wanted was to be made fun of because of his nightmares. “I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to wake you up.” Harry said in a rush.

Severus sat back in his chair and looked at the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Cause-Him-Stress, and shook his head. Harry was sitting here getting himself all worked up because he woke Severus up. Severus almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. If the boy didn't look so grief-stricken, he would have thought Harry was joking.

“You think that I'm upset with you because you had a nightmare last night?”

Harry sighed and nodded his head, that was still lowered. He was back to watching the table then looking up at the adult when they talked.

“You know, Mr. Potter,” Severus began getting up from his seat and walking over to the stove to get some more tea. “Last night was not the first nightmare that I've sat with you through.”

A horrified look from Harry met Severus. Harry didn't know what to think anymore. Not the first nightmare. Harry's head began to spin.

“Yes, Potter,” Severus said sitting back down in his chair. “You've been struggling with nightmares since I got you in Surrey.”

Harry could not believe what he was hearing. His most hated professor came and got him from Surrey, but why did he agree with Professor Dumbledore to take him back if he pick him up? This isn't right. He hates me. He's never liked me. I don't get it. I'm not understanding.

Severus sat looking at the child sitting across from him going through a panic attack. He didn't think that him telling Harry that he rescued him from Surrey would garner this kind of reactions. Harry started wheezing and shaking. Severus accio'd the only thing that he could think of that would calm the boy down; the bear. He wasn't liking the wheezing. That meant that his pneumonia was starting to get worse. Severus got up and slid his chair closer towards Harry. He cupped Harry's chin and lifted his head so that he could look in the boy's eyes. Harry was shaking in his teacher's hands. Slowly Severus removed Harry's glasses so that he could get a good look at his eyes. Harry's eyes were glassy. He was not looking at anything. There was pain in the young boy's eyes.

“Harry,” Severus voice was low and soothing. “Harry listen to me. I need you to calm down. You're working yourself in a state.”

Harry closed his eyes and tried to move his head. It was getting hard to breathe and he couldn't move. He can't stay here. Things don't make since. Things were becoming the unknown. Harry didn't like the unknown. The unknown meant that he's going to get hurt. He didn't know the rules of the unknown and that meant trouble for him. He tried to take a deep breath but his chest hurts. Then he feels something soft press against his chest. He wanted to wrap his arms around the soft object but his arms felt like jello. Even though, just this morning he took off the sling on his arm, and it felt good to be able to move his arm. Now it felt like his limbs don't belong to him. Things started to get dark. The darkness was becoming inviting. Harry welcomed the darkness like an old friend.

Severus, trying to calm Harry down, was surprised at his response to everything that has happened. He didn't understand what was upsetting Harry into hysterics. He just knew that he needed to get the child's breathing back under control. When Harry's shoulders slumped and the rigid nature that the boy lazed under his hand, Severus knew the inevitable was about to occur; Harry was loosing consciousness.

“Harry,” Severus called out again. “Har....” He wasn't able to get anything else out for Harry's limped body fell sideways into his Professor's chest.

Severus picked up the child and carried him to the living room and laid him on the couch.

“Tami,” he called out laying Harry on the couch.

A small pop sounded next to Severus. A tiny gasp came from the elf.

“I need you to watch him,” Severus said without looking at his elf.

“Master Harry Potter,” Tami gasped out. “Why is Master Harry Potter here? Why he hurt?”

“Tami, please,” Severus scowled. “I do not have time for this.” Getting up from the couch. “Stay with him. I will return soon. Do NOT leave him.”

Tami looked up at her mistress' son with sad eyes.

“I will not leave Master Harry Potter.”

Severus gave the elf a curt nod and then turned and left the room. He really did not want to go to Spinner's End. Too many bad memories. That's why he purchased the small two story house in Lewisham to get away from the awful memories of his father. But Spinner's End is where he needed to go. When he needed to make a dangerous potions that were volatile in nature he would brew it there. If there were damages from the brewing then it wouldn't be any hardship or loss if the house was destroyed.

Well, right now, Severus needed to get to Spinner's End. Harry needed a potion that Severus kept stored in two places; Spinner's End and his private stores at Hogwarts. Hogwarts was out of the question, so he apparated to Spinner's End after giving Tami the order to not leave the child. It only took a few minutes to find what he needed and he apparated back to his home in Lewisham, where he had a very sick boy that worked himself into a panic attack.

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Minerva finished getting dressed and decided to have her breakfast with the other staff members that were still at the castle for the summer holidays. Buttoning up the last of her blouse and putting on her green outer robe, she realized that her hands were not hurting. She couldn't help the smile on her face when she was able to ball up her fist and they not hurt. But that wonderful feeling didn't last long. As she walked to the Great Hall, she knew that there was one teacher that would not be there having his breakfast, and that broke her heart. She hated that her son didn't feel that he could truly trust her. She knew that he was a spy and that there were some things that he would have to keep silent, but she just knew that they saw eye to eye when it came down to Harry. Something had changed. And she was determined to find out what. As she walked into the Great Hall, and saw Albus sitting at the table, she stilled her nerves. So much, she wanted to strangle that old coot with his own beard for making her son take Harry back to those dreadful people, but for right now she would hold the peace. She put on her best pinched face and walked up to the table.

“Good morning, Minerva,” Albus said. He eyes twinkled brightly.

Minerva suppressed the smirk, that would've put Severus' to shame, and just gave the Headmaster a slight nod.

As she sat down next to the Headmaster, Albus tried to hold conversation with her.

“Now, Minnie,” Albus began, as he scooped up what looked like his seconds on the eggs. “I know you must be a little upset.”

“Upset!” Minerva's voice got louder. She looked around the professor's table to see who could possibly eavesdrop on their conversation. “Let me tell you about how upset I am. First off...”

“Now Minnie,” Albus said with a mischievous smile on his face. “You can not possibly still be upset about Severus and Harry.” Minerva looked at Albus as if he really lost his mind. “Severus is a grown man, and he can do as he pleases.

But I will say this,” Albus put his fork down and turned slightly towards Minerva. “When Severus returns, I will talk with him, and I will check on Harry in Surrey just to ease your heart that he is in no danger.”

“Now Albus,” Minerva started but was cut off again.

“Will everyone please excuse me?” Albus said getting up. “I have some pressing matters that must be taken care of. I should hope to see you all at dinner.”

With that Albus walked out of the Great Hall leaving Minerva more angry than when she came in. Sometimes, Minerva thought, just sometimes, she really wish that she could strangle that old coot with his own beard.

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Severus came into the living room holding a few things. One of them, which had Tami truly starring, was that black bear.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami moved out of the way.

“Tami,” Severus said putting the items down on the small table beside him, not looking at he. “I want you to bring something light for us to eat for breakfast. Toast and black tea for me. Scrambled eggs, toast, and pumpkin juice for Potter.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

“One more thing,” Tami turned back to Severus as he called out. “No one, I mean no one, is to know that Potter is here. Not even mother.”

If an elf's face could lose color, than Tami's just did from that order. Don't tell Mistress. She started to shake her head.

“Tami,” Severus' tone was light. “I know you are struggling.” A pair of big eyes met her mistress's son. “I'm only giving this order to protect mother. If she knows that Potter is here, she and Potter may be in danger.” Tami's eyes got big. “Now, can I entrust you with this secret?”

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami said with a new founded determination. “Always to protect mistress. Protect mistress, Master Harry, and you.” With that a small pop and Tami disappeared.

Severus began his work on Harry. The first thing he did was run a diagnostic spell over Harry. This one was different from the last one Severus had done. This one specifically looked at the child's lungs. Not being too pleased at what he was seeing, he spelled the potion in his stomach. The pneumonia was not getting better, but it wasn't getting any worse.

Next, another items in which he brought in with him was a warm wet flannel. He placed it over the child's eyes. He pressed very gently on the flannel. Not to hurt, but just enough to keep the soothing warmness on Harry's eyes.

Severus noted that Harry's body started to move his head into the flannel. He knew that Harry was coming to. So for the last thing that he did before Harry truly waked. He, very gently, placed the black bear on Harry, just under his nose. Instinctively, Harry's arms came around the bear and gripped it tightly. Severus, letting go of the bear, but still pressing on the flannel, looked down at the small boy that had way too many problems for a fourteen going on fifteen year old.

There was a small pop that sounded in the other room, letting Severus know that their breakfast has returned. He got confirmation of that, when Tami walked to the doorway and announced that breakfast was on the table. He nodded at her and then turned back to the boy on his couch. Severus knew what had to be done. He had to speak with Harry.

“Wake up, Potter,” Severus could feel Harry starting to tense up under his hand. “I know you're awake.”

The only thing Harry did to let Severus know that he was indeed listening; he was clutching the black bear for dear life.

“Harry,” Severus' voice was low and soothing. The same way he talked Harry out of his nightmares at Figg's house and the Infirmary. “You are not in trouble. No harm will come to you. But I would like you to wake so that you can eat some breakfast.”

For the next minute or two nothing was said. Then Severus heard the boy's voice under his hand.

“You promise?”

TBC

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

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 12. Please enjoy! :)

Chapter 12

Severus sat by Harry's bed. He knew he shouldn't have done anything to the Dursley's house, but his anger just reached a breaking point. He guessed that his only saving grace was that Albus would not know for sure who done the deed. So, Severus contented himself into the realization that as of right now, all was well. All he had to worry about was taking care of Potter.

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Albus couldn't believe what he was seeing. The house was completely inside out. If he wasn't worried to where Harry was, the whole thing would have been funny. He knew that Harry wasn't loved in this house, but he had to stay there, even if it was only for a short while. (Which is what Albus was planning.) He understood Minerva's apprehension of Harry coming back here. He wasn't blind. (not yet anyway) He was planning to have Harry stay overnight and then come pick him up and take him to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer, but it seemed that someone else had other plans.

Albus walked across the street to Arabella's house. She saw Albus walking towards her house and opened the door before he could have the chance of knocking. Albus let himself in the house and Arabella closed the door.

“How are you doing, Arabella?” Albus asked once he sat down in the living room.

“I'm doing good, Albus,” Arabella said.

“So,” Albus leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“About?” Arabella asked.

“Harry,” Albus said. She looked at Albus incredulously. The last time she saw Harry, he was on his way to the infirmary.

“Yes, Harry,” Albus said. “He's supposed to be across the street. Where is he?”

Arabella's brow creased. “Albus, Severus and Minerva took Harry out of here. That was the last time that I've seen him.”

“You're telling me that was the last time that you've seen Harry?” Albus asked.

Arabella nodded.

“Have you seen Severus?”

Arabella looked at Albus as if he grew another head. “Albus, what's going on?”

“Severus was ordered to bring Harry back here,”Albus said.

Arabella shrugged her shoulders. “If he brought him, I haven't seen him.”

“Hm.” Albus sighed. “Well, can you tell me what happened to the house?” Albus walked over to the window.

Arabella followed him and looked out the window. She looked up the street and down the street. Nothing.

“Albus,” Arabella said looking up at the man standing next to her. “Forgive me, but are you alright?”

Albus looked at her. “What is it I'm suppose to be looking at?”

“The Dursley's house.” Albus said, his voice a little harsh.

“It looks fine.”

Albus turned and looked out the window. For the second time in a row, he was surprised. There were no one standing outside. The house was fine. He knew he needed to talk to his potions professor. Soon.

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Severus sat with Harry for a little while, then he decided he would brew some potions. He knew he had to get started replenishing his private stores as well as the infirmary's stock as well. And what better time than now, since Harry was asleep. He got up from his chair and walked over to Harry. He put his hand on the child's forehead, checking to see if he was getting a fever. Feeling warm but not hot, Severus figured that he was doing alright to be left alone. He placed warding around the bed to let him know if Harry woken up, and left the room.

Harry woke up and saw that he was in the room by himself. He wondered if Professor ever came back. Still clutching the bear, Harry got up from the bed. He was heading to the door when he looked an saw that he still had the bear. Again, he wanted to chuck the bear across the room, but he just didn't have the heart. He walked back over to the bed and place it down on the pillows.

Too old to have a teddy bear. What would people think if it got out that he slept with a stuffed animal? Probably the most humiliating day ever. There was no way he was telling anyone. Now he's really hoping that Professor wasn't lying when he said that he doesn't spread rumors. Harry walked back to the door and left the room. He slowly walked around the house. While he walked, realized that if Professor Snape had a house like this then there was more to the Professor than just teaching. Everything was on the high end. Each room that he looked in, he was surprised at what he saw. The library surprised him the most. When he walked in the room, it did not look like that room belonged in that house. He couldn't keep the smile from forming on his face.

“Magic is really awesome,” Harry muttered out looking at the extensive collection of books all over the room. The other rooms in the house he just glanced in and left, but the library he had to walk in. Slowly he walked over to one of the shelves and looked at the binders of the book, so that he could read the titles. He was so engrossed in the books that he didn't even notice someone else walking in behind him.

Severus came up stairs from his Potions Laboratory with a milder potion for Harry and his pneumonia. From what Severus had been hearing, Harry breathing was starting to get a little better. When he walked up the next flight of stairs, he saw Harry walking in the library. He followed the boy inside the room. When he went inside, he saw that Harry was engrossed in the few books that were on the far wall.

“Enjoying your self, Mr. Potter?” said the baritone voice at the door.

Harry, not expecting his teacher at the door, jumped and turned, facing his professor.

“I'm sorry, sir,” Harry began a mantra of apologies. He didn't mean to scare Harry. Severus was actually surprised to see Harry show enthusiasm with reading. But then with just the few days, that he was awake, Harry has done a few things that has surprised Severus.

Severus walked over to Harry, holding his hands out in a surrendering manner. “Harry.” His voice was low and non-threatening. “There is nothing to be sorry for. I am happy that you have a devotion to reading. And you're welcome to read whatever touches your fancy.”

Harry still looking weary at his professor, took a deep breath and asked, “Why are you really helping me? Why are you being nice to me, sir?”

Severus put his arms down and sat down in the on the stool that he usually used to collect books off the higher shelves.

“You asked,” Severus sighed. “You basically pleaded. I wouldn't deny you that.”

“I didn't think you heard me,” Harry said leaning against the bookshelf. “You and Dumbledore were talking.”

“Yes.” Severus said looking up at Harry. “And while we are on the subject, there are some things that I need answers too.”

Harry looked at his professor and was beginning to dread where this conversation was leading towards.

Severus stood up and walked over to the easy chair that was on the other side of the room. He held out his hand to the small couch next to him for Harry to sit on. Reluctantly, Harry made his way over to the couch and sat down. Not really wanting to know what he wanted to talk about, Harry kept his head down and looked at his hands.

“Harry,” Severus' voice was low and calm. Not the usual bitterness that Harry was accustomed to when someone usually said his name. “Look at me.” Slowly, a pair emerald eyes slowly made their way to a pair of onyx eyes. “There were many things that you said in the infirmary that raised some concern with me. One of them, you spoke of an ominous 'he.' Who is he?”

Harry did not mean to bring him up. The last thing he wanted to talk, and to his most hated professor (that he was beginning to wonder on), was about 'him.' Severus could see the struggle that Harry was going through. While he watched the boy, he held out his hand and silently accio'd the only thing that he knew would calm Harry down.

Harry looking down did not notice the item flying in the room, nor that Severus caught it. Harry, trying to keep his emotions under control didn't notice anything until a familiar soft plush item was held against his chest. Just like all the times before, Harry's arms wrapped around the bear, almost trapping Severus' hand with it. Harry buried his face in the back of the bear's head, took a couple of deep breaths and actually began to feel himself calming down. After a few minutes of silence, Harry began to be aware of his surroundings. And the one thing he noticed was that he was again holding on to that blasted, bloody bear. He didn't understand why this one thing could calm him down as much as it did.

After a few moments of silence, a small voice carried throughout the entire library.

“Why do you always give me this bear?” Harry asked. His head still laying on top of the bear's head.

Severus looked at the small boy for a second and then answered. “For some strange reason, this bear calms you down. So instead of pushing calming draught down your throat every time you have a panic attack, the bear works just the same.”

Harry turned his head so his face was buried in the bear's head. A small smile graced his lips hidden from his professor.

“Thank you, sir,” Harry mumbled in the bear's head.

“You're welcome, Potter.”

Severus sat back in his seat and watched to boy clutching the bear. They sat in silence for a few more moments. He even thought Harry might have fallen asleep. He was about to get up and carry the child back to his room when Harry spoke. He didn't lift his head from the bear, but just slightly turned it so he could speak clearly to the professor.

“What do you want to know?”

Severus sat back in his seat and looked at the boy. “This he. Who is he?”

“Just somebody around the neighborhood. He's one of Dudley's friends.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing.”

“Mr. Potter,” Severus' voice was stern, but not harsh. “You are aware how I feel about lying. Something is bothering you. Something is scaring you. And that something has to do with what ever he did to you.”

“He didn't do anything, honest!” Harry sat up from the bear. “He just...” He put his head back down on the bear.

“He just, what?”

“He would make me feel uncomfortable. He would say things. Things that he would do to me. I know it seems stupid to be afraid of something that didn't happen, but I still didn't like it.”

“Did he touch you, Harry?”

Harry shook his head on the bear.

“Harry.”

“Sir?” said the little voice on the couch.

“Are you suicidal?”

Harry's head shot up and looked at his professor. His brow creased at the accusation. Suicidal. Never. Well, maybe he did want it all to stop, but he never really wanted to die. Not really.

“When the Dementors attacked,” Severus said bringing Harry out of his thoughts. “I know that you know the Patronus charm. I've seen you cast it. A quite powerful one at that. You had your wand out, but you didn't cast it. Why?”

“I just wanted it to stop.”

“What to stop, Harry?” Severus asked.

“Everything,” Harry turned his head back to the bear. “I'm such a disappointment.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Just look at me; a world class failure.” Tears pooling up in his eyes. “I got Cedric killed. Voldemort is back because of me. I mean, what did my parents die for?” Tears streaming down his face now. “I'm a major screw up.” Harry stood up, now fully yelling. The bear fell on to the floor long since forgotten. “You knew that. You were the only one that saw that. I'm a screw up. I couldn't save Cedric. I couldn't stop the rise of Voldemort. My parents are dead and it's all my fault.” Severus stood up and walked over to Harry. Harry took a step back.

“No.” Harry's red, teary eyes looked up at Severus. “No. You were right. You've always been right. I thought I was something I'm not. And now the whole world knows that Harry Potter is nothing but a spoilt brat that has no care for any one.”

“Harry,” Severus said standing in front of him gripping his shoulders. “Stop it. You're not a spoilt child. What happened with Diggory was a tragedy, but you did not kill him.” Harry shaking his head. “The return of the Dark Lord was not your doing.” Severus took a breath with one hand he gripped Harry's chin and brought it up so that he was looking into his eyes for this last part. “And Harry, I was wrong.” Harry blinked at his teacher. “What I've said about you, I was wrong.”

Harry put his head down, and Severus wrapped his arms around the small boy and pulled him into an embrace.

“I was wrong, Harry. I was wrong.”

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A special thanks to The Lonely God With a Box

A/N: Here is chapter 13. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

Severus looked down at the sleeping boy on the couch. Is that what he really thought of himself?

Severus thought. Harry cried himself into exhaustion. Severus laid him out on the couch, and Harry seemed to fall asleep almost instantly. Severus mulled over taking him to his room, but it was still early, yet, and Harry was merely sleeping from emotional exhaustion than from physically being tired. He knew at most Harry would only sleep about and hour or so. Severus put the bear that was abandoned on the floor by the sleeping child. Severus sat back in his chair and watched the child.

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After Albus left, Arabella floo called Minerva. When Minerva's head came through the fire Arabella began to speak.

“Where is Severus?” Arabella asked her friend.

“I don't know,” Minerva answered. “What's going on?”

“Albus just came over. He just left.”

“So, what was Albus doing in Surrey?” Minerva mused. “What did he say?”

“He was here looking for Harry.”

“Harry?!” Minerva said. “Why was he looking for him? Harry should be there.”

“I don't know, but he said Harry wasn't here. I saw Severus earlier today, but that was it. I haven't seen either of them since you all left my house for the Infirmary.”

Minerva couldn't believe what she heard. Harry was not at Surrey. Harry was not with his relatives. Severus, oh Severus.

Minerva removed her head from the fire.

“Tami!”

She put her head back in the fire. “Thank you Arabella. I must go. I'll talk to you later.”

“Of course, Minerva.”

They both removed their heads from the fire. Minerva stood up from the hearth and walked to her desk. Tami was standing there waiting.

“Mistress be needing something?” Tami asked as Minerva sat down.

“Yes, Tami. You know where Severus is, don't you?” Minerva didn't look upset, but had the look of urgency on her face.

“Yes Mistress,” Tami answered, ringing her hands and took a step back.

“He's not alone, is he Tami?” Minerva asked.

Tami didn't answer. She just took another step back. This did not go unnoticed to Minerva. She knew she was probably putting her house elf in a bad position.

“I...ple....I....oh....mistress....,” Tami stumbled over her words. Her eyes frantically looking around the room.

Minerva knew what she was looking for and knew this had to stop now before she started hurting herself.

“Tami, stop,” Minerva said quickly, reaching out for her elf. “Tami stop, I won't make you answer. It's okay.”

Tami began to calm down at her mistress calming and soothing words. She so much loved her mistress and her son. They did not allow her to hurt herself if she made a mistake. Sometimes, Tami would forget and try and punish herself if she does something, but they were right there to tell her it was okay. She so much loved her mistress.

“Tami,” Minerva's voice was the same soothing way as she just was calming her down. “I need you to get something to my son. Can you do that?”

“Yes, my Mistress,” Tami visibly relaxed and walked up to Minerva. “Anything for my mistress.”

“Good,” Minerva said pulling a piece of parchment and quill out of her desk. She began to write a note and then rolled the parchment up. “Give this to Severus.” Handing the small scroll to Tami, she left with a small pop.

There was a knock on the door. Minerva got up and went and opened it.

“Oh, hi,” Minerva said with a small smile. “Come in.”

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After leaving Arabella, Albus knew he was going to have to talk to Severus and see what was really going on. Albus wasn't blind. And he wasn't senile, not yet. He know what he saw. Even if it was an illusion, he just knew that there was a certain potion professor that caused it. And if that was the case, then that meant that Harry was with him. Albus shook his head as he walked. He walked to Hog's Head. He needed a drink.

He walked in Hog's Head and sat down at a table in the corner. A man behind the bar watched him come in and sit down. He left his position and sat down across from Albus.

“What are you doing here?”

Albus looked at him. “Please,” he pleaded.

“I thought I told you. I don't want to see you again,” Aberforth said. “What do you want Albus?”

“I just wanted to see you,” Albus said. “Is that so evil? I won't try anything. I just want a Butterbeer. That's all.”

Aberforth narrowed his eyes at his little brother. “Alright, Albus,” he said getting up from the table. “One Butterbeer.”

Aberforth left the table and walked back to the bar. Albus really needed his brother, but he knew he was still angry from before, and no amount of apologies would make Aberforth ever forgive Albus.

As he filled the mug in his hand of Butterbeer, Aberforth looked at his brother. He knew his brother was up to something. What, he was not sure, but of something. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was always nice to see his brother. But even not having seen his brother in a few years, he knew his brother and knew that if he made the trek out here, then that meant he wanted something. He walked over to the table, carrying the mug of Butterbeer and sat down.

“Alright, Albus,” Aberforth said. “What is it that you want?”

A small smile graced Albus' lips as he took a sip of his Butterbeer.

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Severus went to the kitchen. Harry was still asleep on the couch in the library, so he decided to leave him there for the time being and make some tea. While the water was boiling, Tami popped in the kitchen.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami said walking over towards him holding a small scroll.

“Tami,” Severus said taking the note. “What's this?”

“It's from Mistress.”

Severus looked at the house elf and then to the scroll parchment in his hand. Quickly he opened up the scroll and began to read.

Severus, can you ever forgive an old woman? I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I should have listened to you when we were at Arabella's. You said he would not go back. And you kept to that. I am so proud of you. I don't know where you are, but know that Albus just left Surrey, so whatever you did, he's looking for you. Stay safe. Protect Harry. And when you deem it safe to come back to me, I will be waiting with open arms.

Your Mother

Severus looked at the scroll and re-read the note again. A small sigh left his mouth.

“Tami I want....” Severus began but was cut off.

“PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR!”

“Harry, in the kitchen,” Severus said.

Severus turned just in time to see the mopped head boy come rushing in the kitchen. He looked like he just woke up. His hair more of a mess than usual. Harry clutching the bear in one hand, but in the other there was a small green light illuminating from it. Severus got up and rushed over to Harry taking the coin out of his hand.

“I didn't do it,” Harry's voice filled with worry. Backing up a little. “I promise, I didn't do it. It just started on its own.”

“How long has this been like this?” Severus asked. His voice stern.

“It-it just started.”

Severus paled. He knew that the green light from the coin meant that it was from his coin. He didn't have his coin. Minerva took his coin right before he went to Surrey to pick up Harry.

“Harry,” Severus looked at the boy with a sense of urgency. “I don't know what we are about to walk into, but I need you to stay by me. No heroics. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Harry nodded.

Severus quickly turned to Tami.

“Take us to my Mother,” Severus ordered, waving his wand over the now boiling water and grabbing hold of Harry's wrist.

“Professor?”

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami said walking over to Severus and Harry.

She grabbed hold of both of their hands and with a small pop the three of them disappeared from the house.

They all re-emerged in Minerva's office. All three were in shock of what they were looking at. The office was in shambles. Harry was clutching the bear to his chest. Tami had tears in her big eyes at the mess. Severus looked like he was about to boil over. The anger that fill him was unmeasurable.

“Professor,” Harry said walking towards the overturned desk.

Severus turned to Harry and looked him in his eyes and gripped his shoulder. “Harry, you're not suppose to be here. Do not leave my side. Do you understand?”

Harry nodded.

“We have to find Professor McGonagall.”

“Yes sir,” Harry said.

Severus and Harry began looking through the rubble to see if they could find Minerva. Severus was getting more and more frustrated. He took out his wand and with one wave everything was gone. His heart sank. She was not there.

“Professor,” Harry said walking over to a small parchment on the side of the hearth.

“Not now, Harry,” Severus said. Looking around his mother's chambers and not finding her was heart-breaking.

Harry bend down and picked up the parchment and opened it. His brow creased as he read it. He looked up at his Professor then back at the parchment.

“Professor,” Harry said a little louder. “I think you need to see this.” Holding out the parchment.

Severus looked over at Harry and saw he was holding out a parchment. He walked over to Harry and took the parchment from him.

Harry has seen his Professor angry before, but this was different. He was shaking. Harry instinctively took a step back.

“T-tami,” Severus struggled out, not looking at either her or Harry.

Tami looked at Severus then rushed over to Harry and apparated the two of them out of Minerva's chambers. Severus' magic was coming off of him in waves. His hands clutching the parchment. He tried to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. Someone took her. Someone took his mother. That was all that was going through Severus' mind.

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Poppy was in her office checking over her stock of potions and ointments when she felt the castle shake a little. She looked up at the chandelier over her desk swaying a little. She knew that there were only a few people who's magic could shake the castle like that and Minerva was one of them. She put the parchments down that she was working on and rushed up to her friend's chambers.

The closer she gets to the Minerva's chambers the more destruction she encounters. Poppy looked around. Seeing the damages, she knew that this wasn't Minerva. Whoever did this, it wasn't Minerva.

She made her way to Minerva's chambers and the door was blasted off the hinges. Standing in the middle of the room was a tall man in all black. Slowly she walked in and walked over to the man in black.

“Severus,” Poppy quietly called out so not to startle him. “Severus. It's alright. It's just Poppy.”

Severus stood in the same spot not even acknowledging that someone was talking to him. He was still clutching the parchment in his hand.

“Severus,” slowly, she reached out for his arm. “Severus, come with me.”

Very slowly, Severus looked over at Poppy. Poppy cupped his cheek.

“It's alright,” she soothingly said. “Let just get you to Infirmary, okay?”

Severus blinked, but allowed himself to be lead out of his mother's ruined chambers.

Once Poppy saw Severus, she knew that he almost depleted his magical core with that outburst and she had to get him in the Infirmary and resting before he hurt himself more.

“It's alright, Severus. It will be just fine.”

She continued to talk low and soothingly all the way to the Infirmary. As they walked, she almost dreaded finding out what got the Potions Professor this angry.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Harry Potter.

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

Warning: It is implied of physical abuse in this chapter. Nothing Graphic. This story will NOT deal with sexual abuse.

A/N: Here is Chapter 14. I hope you enjoy it. Please take the time and leave the review.

Chapter14

Albus knew he could just apparate back to the school, but it was such a calm night, he decided to walk. He was at the edge of the school grounds when he saw something in the distance that did not look right. In the distance, there were flames at the edge of the forest. He thought it rather peculiar. It was coming from Hagrid's hut. Even if the half giant had a fire going in his chimney, it would not be that bright. Albus swiftly walked over to the blaze. When he reached the hut, it was completely engulfed in flames. Albus produced the Aguamenti Charm and doused the flames. Once the fire was out, Albus quickly searched the grounds.

“Hagrid,” Albus called out.

No answer. Albus walked up to the hut and with the wave of his wand the debris by the door was gone. Carefully Albus walked in the charred hut and searched for his former student. Very softly he cast the Lumos to bring a little light to the burned out husk of a hut. By the look of everything, there was nothing that could be saved. He lowered his wand and turned to leave the hut. On his way out, something that was laid out in the corner of the hut caught his eye. Slowly, he walked over to whatever it was and when he saw he heart just broke.

There lying, seeming like he was in his sleep, on his bed was Fang. Hagrid's boar hound. Who would do such a thing? Albus thought walking out of the hut for the last time. He walked to the end of the walkway that headed towards Hagrid's place and turned and faced the charred remains of what use to be the Gamekeeper's home. With a flick of his wand, Albus, not wanting anyone to just stumble on to this, destroyed the last of the house. His heart was heavy, but the only bit of consolation was that Hagrid was not in the ruble, like Fang was. Which meant that Hagrid could still be alive. Now what state he would be in, is a different story, but he's alive. Which gave the Headmaster a little hope.

After the hut turned to dust, Albus erected a large wreath in honor of Fang. A lone tear as Albus walked away from the memorial and headed back to the castle. Seeing Hagrid's hut in that dismay, Albus was very worried to what he would find when he got to the school. When he got to the school, what he found showed he that something really bad happened while he was away. Two of Hogwarts guards were standing at the door. As he got closer towards the school, he could see that the guards were starting to brandish their weapons and the last thing he wanted was to start something tonight.

“I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of this school. You will let me pass.”

The stone guards made no movement for a few seconds and then a loud rumble and they stepped aside allowing the Headmaster passage through the front door.

Albus prepared himself for the worse, when he walked in the school he was surprised to see it had little to no damage. Nothing more than the usual wear and tear of the old school showing its age. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief that there was no damage in the school. He was just starting to relax when a piece of parchment floated towards him. He opened it and read it. His face fell. He rushed up the stairs and headed for the Infirmary. When he got close, he saw Poppy walking out of it.

“Oh Albus,” Poppy sighed when she saw the Headmaster. “You got my message. He's in here.”

“I just arrived back,” Albus said. “What has happened? You have Hagrid, then?”

“Hagrid?” Poppy stopped at the door and looked at Albus. “No, Severus.”

“Severus,” Albus was now confused.

“Yes,” Poppy sounding very tired. “He almost depleted his magical core.”

“What?” Albus rushed in the Infirmary and saw Severus resting on one of the beds. For the last two hours, Albus had been trying to figure out what was going through his potion master's mind. Why did he not return Harry like he was suppose to, and now, here he lay almost dying. What was going on?

“Poppy,” Albus said not taking his eyes off his Head of Slytherin. “Tell me what has happened?”

“Albus,” Poppy said walking over to stand next to Albus. “I really don't know. I was here. Then I felt the castle move. I knew there were only a few people that can move this castle. Minerva being the only one that was currently inside the castle. I was surprised to see Severus, but I had to get him down here before he did any more magic.”

“What did he do?”

“He destroyed Minerva's chambers.” Poppy reached into her pocket and handed Albus a small piece of parchment. “He had this clutched in his hands when I got to him.”

Albus took the parchment and read it.

“Merlin's stars,” Albus gasped. “That may explain what I saw outside.”

“What did you see outside?” Poppy looked up at Albus.

“Hagrid's hut was in flames when I got back from Hogsmead. In searching for Hagrid, I found Fang, dead.” Poppy gasped. “Hagrid's whereabouts are still unclear. He wasn't at the hut.”

“Do you think he's still alive?” Poppy asked.

“I'm hoping he is, Poppy,” Albus said. He looked at the parchment one more time and then looked at Severus. “How long do you think Severus will be under?”

“I don't know, Albus,” Poppy said. “That's up to him. His body is in shock right now. It took so much just to get him to rest. We have to find out who took Minerva and why? If not, I fear what Severus will do when he gets his strength back.”

“I as well, Poppy. I as well,” Albus looked at the parchment again. “And this was the only thing that was left?”

“Albus,” Poppy said looking up at him. “Severus destroyed the entire chamber. Her chamber is in complete ruin. The last time I've seen anything like this was when Minerva told you that she was adopting Severus.”

Albus' brow creased at her admission.

“You knew about that?”

“Yes, Albus. I knew. Remember, I treated Severus. I know what damage he was in. I was here when she saw the damage.”

The horseless carriages let the students out at the front of the school as it does every year. This year, sixteen year old, Severus, stumbled out of the carriage that he rode alone. He knew that all the other children were already in the school. He chose to stay behind. He was planning to sneak to the potions lab and brew himself up some healing salve and potions. His dad was very thorough with his end of summer beating. There wasn't a part of Severus that didn't hurt. He was glad that he had packed the herbs and ingredients to make what he needed. He just hoped no one would stop him. He didn't think he had the strength to talk with anyone.

He made it up the first flight of stairs that led to the Great Hall. He really didn't want to go that way but because he wanted to get to the potions' laboratory he knew he had to go that way. He was just about to make the turn to head down the side hallway when...

“Mr. Snape.”

Severus put his head down. He really didn't want to talk. Not now. He decided to act like he didn't hear his name being called.

“Severus Snape,” Minerva said. “You will stop right now and face me.” Her voice was low but stern.

Severus took a shakily breath and turned and faced his Professor. When he turned and faced his professor, he heard her gasp. His ears began to burn with embarrassment. She was the last person that he wanted to see him like this. He knew he looked bad. His dad did not care where he hit him, so his face was bruised, badly.

Minerva knew when she didn't see Severus walk in with the others that it was worse than she feared. She had warned Albus that he should not return to his father over the summer, but as always Albus would not listen. She walked up to the boy who had stolen her heart. She always worried about Severus. She didn't like that he was a loner. She was happy that he and Lily were at least friends.

“Severus,” Minerva's voice was much softer. “Come, let's let Poppy look you over.”

“Please,” Severus begged. “Just let me do it myself. I don't want anyone else to see.”

Minerva walked up to Severus and put her arms around his shoulders and brought him to an embrace.

As much pain as he was in, and as much as he didn't feel that he deserved her care, right now, he could care less. He missed Minnie this past summer. Minnie, Severus was allowed to call her that since his, second year, but only when they were alone. Oh, did he miss these hugs. Minerva just stood there and held Severus for as long as he needed it. After a minute, Minerva held Severus out at arms length. With one hand still on his shoulder, Minerva cupped Severus' cheek softly and lifted it so that he was now looking at her.

“Severus,” Minerva said. “It will be fine. I promise.”

With great trepidation, Severus allowed himself to be led to the Infirmary. Walking all the way there seemed to take no time at all. Severus did not want to face the medi-witch. He just wanted to heal himself and forget that this summer ever happened. The last thing he wanted was for her to run a diagnostic on him, which he knew she was going to do.

They walked into the Infirmary, and Minerva led Severus to the far bed at the end of the hospital wing.

“Poppy,” Minerva called out. She felt Severus tense up. She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. They got to the bed and she sat Severus down on the bed. Not once did Severus look up. He was too ashamed.

Poppy walked out of her office when Severus and Minerva were walking to the end of the wing. When he sat down, she was already there with her wand out.

Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew Madam Pomphrey was casting the diagnostic spell on him. He knew once they saw that dreadful parchment they would know how awful he really was.

He heard the gasp come from both witches. He tightly closed his eyes. He did not want to look up. He felt someone sit next to him on the bed. He just knew the yelling would start, but he was surprised. He felt arms wrap around him and pull him into an embrace.

“Oh Severus,”he heard Poppy say. “Why didn't you tell us how bad your dad beat you?”

Severus looked up at Poppy and saw tears in her eyes. He looked around and did not see Minnie.

“Where's Minnie?” Severus whispered out.

“She's about to fight for you, Severus.”

To this day, Severus never knew how much those words affected him. Tears flowed freely from Severus' eyes. Poppy just held him and let him cry.

Once Minerva saw that parchment she knew what she had to do, and there was only one answer she was going to accept. Albus was going to grant her guardianship over Severus and allow her to take him from his dreadful father.

Minerva walked up to the gargoyle.

“Let me pass.” she demanded.

“Password.”

Minerva arched her eyebrow, then lifted her wand and within seconds the gargoyle exploded out of the way. Minerva made her way up the spiral stairs and to the office at the end of the stairs.

She let herself in, parchment in hand.

“Albus,” Minerva said. “We need to talk.”

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Albus walked back to his chambers. Yes, he remembered that conversation very well. The gargoyle to the entrance to his chambers still didn't have all the pieces. Slowly, he climbed the stairs. All while wondering who could have came onto the grounds, killed Fang, then came into the castle and taken Minerva. Now, not only Hagrid is missing, but Minerva as well. And Severus. Albus just shook his head.

Albus walked into his chambers and sat down behind his desk. He looked up at the closed door and remembered Minerva storming in that day.

“Albus,” Minerva said. “We need to talk.”

“Ah Minerva,” Albus looked up at her as she walked in the chambers and sat down in the chair across from him. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Minerva looked like she was trying to keep her temper under control. Albus looked at her. It was the start of a new term. She shouldn't be having problems with a student already.

“Would you like some tea?” Albus asked trying to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

“No, Albus,” Minerva said through clenched teeth. “I don't want any tea. I want you to start guardianship papers on Severus Snape.”

“What ever for?” Albus asked.

Minerva stood up and walked up to the desk and put a small piece of parchment down in front of Albus.

“I want guardianship of Severus.”

Albus looked at Minerva and then looked down at the parchment.

Severus Tobias Snape

Age 16

Birth date: January 9, 1960

Diagnosis

NEW WOUNDS

Skeletal

Fractured clavicle (right side)

Broken nose

Fractured ulna (left arm)

3 Broken fingers(right hand)

4 Broken fingers (left hand)

3 Cracked ribs (right side)

2 Broken ribs (left side)

Fractured ankle (right side)

3 Broken toes (left side)

Tissue

Contusions

Lacerations

Diagnostic Exam done

by

Madam Poppy Pomphrey

Certified Healer for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

and

St. Mungus Wizarding Hospital

Albus looked at the parchment and the color just seemed to slide off of his face as he read. There was no way this could be true.

“I want guardianship of Severus,” Minerva repeated after giving Albus ample time to read the parchment.

“Why?” Albus asked looking up at Minerva. “He's just a Slytherin.”

Minerva tilted her head to the side, looking at Albus as if he grown another head. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

“Did...did...”Minerva gasped, exasperated. “I know you didn't just....”

Minerva started pacing the office. She couldn't believe that Albus was that prejudiced with the houses like that. Trying to understand, Minerva rubbed her temples as she paced up and down the headmaster's chambers.

“No,” Minerva shook her head. “You can't tell me that you actually feel that way.”

“Why do you care so much about this boy?”

“MAYBE BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE IS!” Minerva yelled. “How dare you?” Minerva was now standing in front of Albus. “He is a student in this school. It should not matter what house he's in. He should be kept protected and felt safe because he's a student at Hogwarts. Not looked over because you felt he was in an undesirable house.”

“Now Minerva,” Albus sighed. “You know I didn't mean it like that.”

“There is only one thing I want to hear come out of your mouth.”

“Now, see here, Minerva...” Albus was cut off by everything, trinkets and keepsakes exploding one by one.

“Give me Severus,” Minerva's voice was calm and low. “You will give me guardianship.” Minerva was getting tired from the wandless magic she was doing. “Give me the papers. I will go and get them signed by his father.”

Albus pulled out the necessary paperwork for Minerva. He looked up at her when she said that she would go to Tobias' and talk to him.

“I will have to decline that. I don't think it would be wise if you see Tobias Snape.” Albus said.

“And why not?” Minerva looked at Albus. “I need those papers signed. Severus will not be going back to that man.”

“No,” Albus sighed. “No, he won't, but I don't think it will do him any favors if you're in Azkaban for his father's murder. It's one thing to destroy my trinkets that I have way too much of, but another to actually take it out on the man himself. I will get your papers signed. I promise, Minnie.”

Minerva narrowed her eyes at Albus, wondering if she should trust him.

“Alright, Albus,” Minerva said. “I will trust you, but if I don't get that signed paper back tonight, so I can perform a blood adoption, you will be next.”

Albus nodded and Minerva got up and left the Headmaster's office.

Albus sat back in his chair and sighed.

________0000____________0000___________0000____________0000____________0000________

Poppy was in her back store room going through her supplies trying to find something that could possibly help Severus recover faster. She found the potion that she was looking for. She knew that she had it. When there where one (now two) wizards that can just about deplete their magical core, she knew she would need to keep more than the hospital stores of the potion.

Poppy came out of the storeroom just to see Severus sitting up in the bed. She walked over towards him.

“Severus,” Poppy said. “I'm glad to see you are awake. How do you feel?” She walked over to the side of the bed and pulled out her wand and cast another diagnostic charm over the Potion's Professor.

Severus looked up at Poppy.

“Why am I in the Infirmary?” Severus drawled out.

Poppy's brow immediately creased at Severus' question.

“Severus,” Poppy said sitting down on the edge of the bed facing him. “Someone took your mother. You destroyed her chambers. I had to bring you here. You almost depleted your magical core. One more spell out of you and you would have been a squib.”

Severus took a deep breath. Everything was beginning to come back to him; the letter from mother, the coin, the note, Tami and Harry. Harry.

“Where's Harry?” Severus blurted out.

“Harry,” Poppy was confused. “You took Harry back to those blasted relatives.”

“No, I didn't, you foolish woman,” Severus sneered out. “Harry's been with me for the past few days.”

Severus swung his legs out of the bed and sat up.

“TAMI!”

A small pop and the elf was standing in front of Severus.

“Master Sev'us,” a small smile on her face.

“Where is the boy?” Severus asked rubbing his hand down his face. He was still tired and drained, but he knew there where things that needed to be taken care of.

“Master Harry's asleep. Master Harry's very worried about you.”

“Severus,” Poppy said walking up to the two of them and putting her hand on the little elf. “Albus knows that things are not going as planned for him. If Harry's with you, I have a suspicion that Albus knows that. And with the disappearances of Minerva and Hagrid, and you having Harry, he's coming back and won't be too pleased.” Put a phial in Severus' hand. A small smile on the medi-witch's face, “Take this. You know what it is. You know there isn't much you can do until you truly rest.”

Poppy turned to Tami and patted her shoulder.

“You take care of them,” Poppy said smiling. “You hear me. Take care of them.”

Poppy turned and looked at Severus one more time and cupped his cheek.

“Get some rest. Take care of Harry. Find your Mother.”

Poppy left the office. Severus just watched her leave then turned back to Tami. He drank the potion that Poppy gave him. He coughed. Even though he made it, the taste was still vile.

“Take me to Harry,” Severus gasped out.

Tami nodded once, grabbed hold of her mistress' son and they left the Infirmary in a small pop.

Poppy stood in the corner of the room and watched them disapparate from the room and thought back to the day Severus eased his way in her heart.

“Where's Minnie?” Severus whispered out.

Poppy looked down at the boy in her arms, and with a small smile, “She's about to fight for you, Severus.”

Those words played over and over in Severus' head. Someone cares. Someone's going to fight for me. The tears just spilled from his eyes. Poppy just held him as he cried.

It didn't take long for Minerva to return to the Infirmary. When she returned, she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips from what she saw.

Severus was asleep, looking very peaceful in the bed, the covers up to his chest. His hands laying on top of him.

My boy, she thought.

Poppy came out of her office and walked up to Minerva.

“How did it go?”

“Albus is going to get Tobias to sign the release forms,” Minerva said smile leaving her lips. Her eyes never leaving her sleeping ward.

“Do you really trust Albus to do something like this?” Poppy voice full of concern.

“He has until tonight to get me the papers signed,” Minerva said then looked at Poppy. “Or I go.”

Poppy nodded her understanding. Both witches turned back to the boy lying in the bed.

“How is he?” Minerva's voice much softer.

“He has a long recovery,” Poppy said. “Physically, I've healed him, but whatever happened in that house, that may take some time.”

Minerva walked closer to the bed and sat down on the edge of it and took Severus' hand in hers.

“How long has he been sleep?” Minerva asked.

Poppy stood on the other side of the bed. “He finally closed his eyes about ten minutes before you came. The boy is stubborn. He wanted to see you. But the Dreamless Sleep and Calming Draught were just a little bit stronger.”

Minerva smiled, but couldn't keep the hurt of her heart showing. Tears pooled in her eyes. Poppy saw the tears and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“Minerva, what's wrong?”

“How long has this really been going on?” Tears began to flow from the woman's eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“He was headed to the potions lab. He didn't want to come here. I made him come.” Minerva sighed and looked over at her friend. “How many times did he come to school beaten to a pulp and just went to a corner and licked his own wounds.”

Poppy got up and walked over to the other side of the bed and embraced her friend.

“How many times?”

“He's with us now,” Poppy said over the large lump in her throat. “And we'll take care of him.”

Minerva just cried.

TBC

A/N: I can not express how much your reviews have made me feel. (good reviews or bad reviews) I love to know what you think of my story. Please leave a review.

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 16. I hope you enjoy it! :)

Chapter 16

Tami and Severus popped in his library. There Severus saw Harry was laying on the couch, asleep. He was barely holding on to a book that was loosely in his hands. Still exhausted, Severus sighed and walked over towards Harry. Upon closer inspection, Severus saw that Harry had the bear under his arm and the book he was looking at was one of Severus' older potion journals. He leaned down and removed his journal from the sleeping boy's hands. Tami stood and watched her mistress' son. She knew that Severus was weary on his feet and she would be right there if he needed her. As much as she was worried and frightened as to what happened to her mistress, she knew that she still had two very special wizards to take care of.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami whispered out.

Severus straightened up and looked at Tami. “Yes, Tami.” His voice was tired, but not harsh.

“You need to rest, Master Sev'us,” Tami said wringing her hands. “Tami will continue to watch Master Harry Potter. Master Sev'us must rest before he falls.”

“I'll be fine,” Severus said sitting down in the chair next to the couch. He rested his head on the back of the chair.

Within minutes, Severus was asleep. Harry woke up feeling something different in the room. After living with the Dursleys for so long, Harry learned to sleep light when he was worried about something. Usually he was worried when the next hit would come, but for the past couple of hours he had been worried about his Potions Professor. He could not remember seeing Professor Snape look that angry before. Professor was literally shaking back in Professor McGonagall's office .

Harry opened his eyes. He stretched a little, being a little stiff from the position he was in on the couch, but he refused to go to bed. Not until he knew that Professor Snape was alright. Which in itself confused him. Who would have thought that in such a short time he would care about the Professor?

The first thing Harry noticed when he woke was the book that he had wasn't in his lap. He sat up, bear still in his arm, and looked around. He saw that his professor was sitting in the chair next to him, asleep. Harry wondered how long he'd been asleep? When did Professor Snape get back?

Harry looked at his professor. He noticed that he seemed to be in a fitful rest.

Harry got up and went closer to Severus and placed the bear in his lap. Harry stepped back a little bit and took in what he was looking at. After all that has happened in the past few hours, he didn't know why he took on a mischievous nature and place the bear on his Professor's lap. A silent chuckle slipped from his lips as he looked at his teacher.

“Mr. Potter,” a baritone voice sliced through the quiet of the library. “Would you be so kind as to remove your bear from my lap?” His eyes still closed.

“I was just giving you back your robes,” Harry chuckled out.

Severus lifted an eyebrow as he opened his eyes and looked at the brat standing in front of him. For the first time in a long time, Harry actually had a smile on his face. It was nothing spectacular, but it was genuine. And in that small moment, Severus allowed himself a small reprieve in Harry's little joyous moment.

Severus sat up in the chair and held out the bear to Harry. Harry, with a small smile still gracing his lips took to offered bear from Severus and sat back down on the couch.

“Sir,” Harry said, the smile leaving his lips.

“Yes, Potter,” Severus answered looking at the child sitting next to him.

“Do you know who could have taken Professor McGonagall?”

“No, Potter,” Severus' voice was voided of any emotion. “But I will find out.”

“You called her mother,” Harry said. Severus looked at Harry.

Severus sat up and looked at Harry. He was about to open his mouth when a red envelope popped in front of them and landed on the table across from them. Tami instantly popped into the library. Her face was not the sweet smiling as she usually had. Her brow was creased and her ears were behind her head. Before either wizard could even lean forward and retrieve the envelope, she snapped her fingers and the red howler disappeared. Severus looked at Tami, almost confused.

“What was that?” Severus asked Tami.

“Following mistress' orders,” Tami said with finality.

She popped out of the library. Severus was about to stand up when Tami popped back into the library holding a tray with tea and biscuits on it. She set the tray on the table.

“Master Sev'us,” Tami said. “You're needed at the Headmaster's office.”

“How do you know that?” Severus asked.

“That's what letter says,” Tami said tilting her head.

“Why did you take the letter away?” Severus leaned forward and handed a tea cup to Harry.

“Master Sev'us does not need to hear yelling. Still weak.”

“You said Mother's orders.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami said picking up the plate of biscuits and walking to Harry. “Mistress told me to take care of Master Sev'us and Master Harry Potter.” She offered the biscuits to Harry with a small smile.

Harry took one.

“After you get some rest,” Tami said firmly. “You will go to Headmaster.”

“Tami,” Severus said.

“No buts,” Tami said. “Mistress' orders.”

Harry could not believe what he was hearing. He wanted to laugh, but knew it probably would not be a good idea. Tami popped out of the room. Severus looked at Harry.

“Is there something amusing, Mr. Potter?” Severus drawled.

Harry almost choking on his tea, looked up at his professor. His eyes big as saucers. Severus thought he saw fear in the boys eyes.

“Sorry, sir,” Harry whispered.

“Calm yourself, child,” Severus sat back in the chair. “If you're done laughing at me, you can go and find something to keep your self busy for a while.”

Harry got up and walked to the doorway.

“Harry,” Severus called out putting his cup back on the table. Harry looked at his teacher. “I want you to get some rest. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said walking out of the library.

Severus put his head back on the chair and re-thought out the events of the day. So much has happened. From Harry's emotional confession to his mother's apology. But now, he had a new dilemma. Where was his mother and who took her?

________0000________0000___________0000___________0000__________0000________000____Harry went to his room. It amazed him how in just a few days he felt more comfortable with his Potions Professor than he ever did with his relatives. He has gotten food, clothes, and a soft bed. What more really could he ask for? Professor Snape promised that he would not be returning to his relatives. He really hope that remains true. He honestly didn't think he would survive it if he went back to them now. Harry sat down at the desk. It was placed by the window. Harry looked out of the window and couldn't help the smile that graced his lips.

Off on the horizon, Harry saw something coming towards the house. He squinted to see what was coming. After a few seconds of trying to see what it was, a huge grin came across his face. Hedwig was flying towards the window. Harry climbed up on the desk and opened the window, so that Hedwig could come in. She flew in and landed on Harry's shoulder. His heart filled with such joy having his familiar with him. He hadn't seen Hedwig since the last day of term, but it was his own doing. He did not want her to come back to Surrey with him. Harry thought it would be safer for her if she stayed with Sirius instead of him.

That was the hardest day for him, but he knew that he had to protect his snowy owl. On so many occasions, Vernon had threatened to kill his owl, and Dudley really came close last year. Two weeks before the Quidditch World Cup, Harry was doing the usual chores. He came up to his room and saw that the door was opened. When he came in the room, he saw Dudley standing next to Hedwig's cage shaking it. She tried to nip at his hands but the more she tried the harder Dudley shook the cage. After a few stunned seconds, Harry rushed to Dudley and hit him across the back to get him to let go of the cage. Harry paid for that hit dearly, but at that moment he didn't care. He knew he had to protect his owl. Well, now, he didn't have to worry about that. His professor made sure of that. Harry still couldn't believe how much has changed with him and Professor Snape.

“Hedwig,” Harry smiled. “I'm glad that you found me.”

Hedwig hooted and lightly nipped at Harry's ear.

Harry thought about it and wanted to share the fact that he would no longer have to worry about his relatives anymore, and the first person he thought of was his godfather, Sirius. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and began to write.

Sirius

How are things going? I've missed you so much. I have some wonderful news. I've finally gotten away from my relatives. And it's wonderful. I'm staying with Professor Snape now. He has really be wonderful to me. He treats me a whole lot better than the Dursleys.

I hope this letter finds you well.

Harry

Harry rolled up the piece of parchment and placed it on the small pouch on his leg, after a few seconds of rubbing Hedwig's chest. Hedwig flew back out of the window to take the letter to its intended place. Harry had thought of writing to Hermione and Ron, but in the few weeks that he was back with the Dursleys, not one letter came from either of them. It broke his heart that neither one of them wrote to him. But he soon got over it and figured that if Hermione and Ron wanted to talk they would have to be the first one to owl him.

_________00000______________00000____________00000___________0000__________000_____

It didn't take long for Hedwig to find where she was going. She landed on the edge of the window sill and lightly tapped on the window. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. Actually he was bored out of his head because he had been cooped up in his parent's house since he escaped from Azkaban. The only bright side to his second imprison was that his childhood friend was staying with him. Right now, Remus was upstairs asleep. The last full moon, that was a couple of days ago, really took a lot out of him, so he was resting.

Sirius was taken out of his daydreaming by a small tapping on the window. When he saw that it was Hedwig, a smile graced his lips. He had just released her that morning, so that she could spread her wings. And to see her back with a note to her leg, lets Sirius know that she had made her way to his godson.

Sirius got up and opened the window. Hedwig came in a landed on the table. Once Sirius removed the parchment, Hedwig flew off the table. Sirius sat down with a contented sigh. He was excited to see what his godson, Harry, had to say. He opened the parchment and read. His face fell. He re-read the parchment three times. Each time he was getting more and more angry.

Remus was upstairs asleep. He was awaken by his name being screamed throughout the house.

“MOONY!”

Remus opened his eyes and sighed. He knew whatever it was, it was not going to be good.

TBC

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 17. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 17

This past full moon had been very stressful for Remus. Even though, he had his potion of Wolfsbane, this month's change was very hard on him and his body. After the full moon had passed and he was back to himself again, Remus decided to get some much needed rest. Having lost his position as Defense Against The Dark Arts two years ago, he was really grateful to his best mate for letting him stay with him at Grimmauld Place.

The day was going great. The heavy drapes on the windows were closed, so it was completely dark in his room. Remus was sleeping peacefully when he heard it.

“MOONEY!”

Remus opened his eyes and sighed. He knew that whatever it was, it was not going to be good. Considering the sound of feet charging towards his room, Remus knew he'd better be ready for whatever was bothering Sirius.

Not a moment after taking the covers off, did his room door slam open and a very livid Sirius came bursting through the door.

“I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT,” screamed Sirius.

Remus put his hand over his eyes.

“Please, Sirius,” Remus squinted his eyes. “I have a headache. What's wrong?”

“That bloody bat,” Sirius ranted. “I'm gonna kill that bloody bat.”

“Who are you talking about?” Remus asked looking Sirius. His brow creased.

“HE KIDNAPPED MY GODSON!”

“Sirius, please,” Remus held up his hand. “Stop yelling and tell me what you are talking about.”

“Snivellus kidnapped Harry and brainwashed him.”

“What?” Remus stood up and walked over to Sirius who was now pacing in the doorway.

“Snape,” Sirius pushed the parchment onto Remus' chest. “Read it.”

Remus flick his wrist his wand came into his hand. One thing Remus learned, from his younger days with his friends, was the use of a wand strap on his wrist for easy access of his wand. With a wave of his wand, the drapes opened up and the room became lit. After adjusting his eyes to the light, Remus looked down at the parchment and read it. A smile came across his lips. He could feel Sirius harsh breathing next to him. As he read the note a small chuckle escaped his lips.

“What's so funny?” fumed Sirius.

Remus looked up at his friend and couldn't help the small laugh that came out. “I'm sorry, Sirius, but I don't see how you got that Severus kidnapped Harry from this.” Holding up the parchment. “It would seem that Harry is fine and wanted to spread the news.” He sat back down on the bed. “So why are you so angry?”

“BECAUSE IT'S SEVERUS SNAPE THAT HAS HIM!” Sirius shouted. Remus put both his hands over his ears and sighed.

Remus wanted to tell his best friend that Severus couldn't be all bad if Harry was enjoying his time there, but with the way Sirius was ranting he felt his friend would not hear him.

________0000___________0000__________000__________0000__________0000_____0000______

Severus slept for three hours. When he woke up, he realized that he slept in the library. Standing up, rolling his neck to get the kinks out he decided to go and check on Harry. Slowly he strolled up the stairs to Harry room. Once he got there and looked in, he saw that Harry did take his advice. Harry was asleep, but where he was asleep Severus knew it was just to uncomfortable for him. Harry had his head down on the desk quill loosely in his hand. Severus walked over to the sleeping child and began to move him to the bed. Carefully, he picked the sleeping child up and carried him the few steps to the bed. Severus loosely draped the cover over Harry and went to straighten up the desk. There he saw what Harry was working on before sleep claimed him.

The desk had pieces of parchments everywhere. He saw that Harry's Potions book was opened and each parchment had different little notes from few of the chapters. Severus couldn't help the small smile that came across his lips as he saw the intense effort that Harry was going through to do his summer Potions homework. After clearing and organizing the desk, Severus took one more look at the sleeping child and saw that for the first time since he's brought Harry to his house, Harry was actually sleeping peacefully. There were no worry lines on the child's brow. He actually looked like an average child taking a nap. Severus left the room. As much as he didn't want to leave, he knew he had a meeting with the Headmaster that pretty much was put off thanks to his house elf.

“Tami,” Severus called out once he got to the front door.

A small pop and the elf was standing in front of Severus.

“I am going to Hogwarts,” Severus stated. “Keep and eye on Potter. When he wakes up, make sure that he eats something.”

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

With that, Severus turned and walked out of the house and apparated to the front of the gate of Hogwarts. Slowly, Severus walked up towards the castle. He really didn't have the energy to face Albus right now, but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. The one thing he regretted was that he never read the howler that Albus sent. Thanks to Tami, she made the howler disappear before the envelope began screaming.

Severus walked into the school. With his mother missing, the feel of the school was off to him. It didn't feel like home anymore. He walked to the gargoyle and uttered the password. The gargoyle slowly moved to the side and allowed passage to the spiral stairs. Severus walked up the stairs knowing that whatever was about to be discussed was not going to be good. He was about to knock on the door when it opened by itself.

Severus walked in the office and saw Albus was sitting behind his desk looking at him.

“Sit, Severus,” Albus voice was void of emotion.

Severus sat down in the chair across from Albus' desk and looked at his employer.

“Yes, Albus,” Severus said.

Albus leaned forward on the desk, looking at his potions master. “Where is Harry?”

Severus looked down at his hands and then back at Albus. He knew lying was out of the question.

“Safe,” Severus schooled his features as if he was talking to the Dark Lord.

“Do we really need to have this conversation again, Severus?” anger lacing Albus' voice. “I told you to return Harry back to his relatives. He's safer there.”

Severus took a deep breath. There was so many things that the Headmaster was holding over his head threatening him with. So many things that, if it came out, would put him in Azkaban without the benefit of a trial. Things that would shame his adoptive mother and she would probably want to reverse the adoption. Yes, Minerva knew that he took the Dark Mark and she took him back with open arms, but there were other things that he'd done before the Mark and after that he's never told Minerva.

“If I refuse?” Severus asked. “Potter does not want to return.”

Albus narrowed his eyes then went through his desk. Once he found what he was looking for he placed it on the desk. His eyes void of its usual twinkle stared at his potions master.

Severus stared at the small flask containing a silvery strain. He knew what that was. His breathing seemed to catch in his throat. There it was. His past coming back to haunt him.

“We had a deal, Severus.” Severus stood up. “All it would take,” Albus said. “Is one floo call to Kingsley and you know where you would be going.”

Severus backed up away from the desk.

“You'd have me arrested.”

“Bring Harry back to me.” Albus' voice was like venom. “Or you will go down. For murder.”

Severus sneered. Severus didn't kill him on purpose. Albus knew that. He was just defending himself. He couldn't help what happened.

“I'm not a murderer,” Severus said. His voice did not hold the same confidence as before.

“No,” Albus said standing up. “Let me ask you, did you tell your precious mother about it?” Severus blinked at him. “Yeah, I thought not.”

Albus shook his head. He looked at the man standing before him with disgust.

“You're nothing but a coward, Severus. And cowards do not get a say in where special, important people stay at. You know,” Albus walked over to Severus. “I don't know why Minerva cares so much about you. You're nothing but a Slytherin. And then you are worse than the Slytherin that came before you and after. Your nothing but a filthy half-breed that just wants to fit in somewhere. Someone that wants to think he's important.”

“If you think me so awful,” Severus said his eyes closed. “Then release me. Let me go. I don't want to do this anymore.”

With a speed that Severus did not know Albus had, he was in the potion master's face within seconds.

“The minute I release you is the minute you are taken to Azkaban. Don't forget the only reason you're not in there now is because of me. The only reason you are breathing free air is because of me. So I would think you would be a little more grateful towards me. So when I say, Harry is to go back to his relatives, that is where you are to take him!”

Albus stepped back from Severus and walked back behind his desk.

“Now,” his voice was less harsh and his twinkle came back to his eyes. “Severus, I will give you 12 hours to take Harry back to his relatives. I don't care what he says happened or will happen in that house. Harry goes back. Is that understood?”

“Perfectly, Headmaster,” Severus tilted his head slightly as an affirmative. He turned to walk out of the office.

“Oh, Severus,” Albus called out when Severus was at the door. “One other thing, if you do this again, I will not save you from Azkaban.”

Severus turned and walked out of the door. He knew without a shadow of a doubt, Harry was not returning to those relatives of his. Especially, after what Harry had told him. As he walked down the spiral stairs, Severus noticed that the entire time there, Albus never once asked about Minerva or wondered where she was. This worried him more.

As he walked back to his quarters, he tried to figure out where he would take Potter and not land himself in Azkaban to do it. He knew that his house was under the Fidelius charm, but he didn't want to take a chance that Albus knew how to get around that. Especially since his secret keeper was missing, his house was no longer safe.

“Tami,” Severus called out.

With a small pop, Tami was standing in front of her Mistress' son.

“Yes, Master Sev'us.”

“How is Harry?”

“Young Master is still asleep,” a small smile graced her lips.

Severus nodded. “Take me to him.”

Tami reached up and took his hand and they apparated back to Severus' house and straight into Harry's room.

Harry, still in the same position, looked so peaceful sleeping. The thought still plagued Severus; where could they go where he could protect Harry? He couldn't help but shake his head looking at the small boy. When did he become Harry and not Potter? Walking over to the bed, looking at the sleeping child, he moved a few strains of hair out of the child's eyes. Harry stirred but didn't wake. Severus looked out of the window and saw something coming towards the window. As it got closer, Severus recognized it as Harry's owl. So as to not to wake Harry, he opened the window to allow the bird access. Once the snowy owl made it into the house, she dropped a note on the desk by Severus. He picked and saw who it was from, Severus closed his eyes.

He knew if he was going to have to protect Harry, he was going to have to swallow his pride and ask for help. He just didn't want to ask him, but there was no one else that would care for Harry as much as he did. Severus took a step back away from the bed. That last thought scared him. Cared for Potter. When did going to check on Potter change to caring for him? When his life turned out to be just like yours, Severus answered himself back. He sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was admit that to either Albus Dumbledore or Tom Riddle.

Severus looked down at the scrawl on the parchment and knew if he was to keep Harry safe, he would have to talk to Sirius Black.

TBC

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 18. Enjoy!

Chapter 18

Severus sat at the desk and watched Harry sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the meeting he had with the Headmaster. He hated all the control that Albus had over him. Severus sighed. He just wanted to be free. He was tired of spying. The one good thing in all of this that actually brought a small smile to his face was Minerva. Her taking him away from that house and adopting him made everything he went through worth while. She made him feel loved. Now he looks at the small boy laying on the bed and see the same thing happening all over again.

“No,” Severus said looking at the boy. “Not again.”

Severus turned towards the desk to sit properly. He pulled out a piece of parchment and quill. He figured if he was going to swallow his pride he would still need a mediator when dealing with the dog. With a deep sigh, Severus began to write.

Remus Lupin

I know I am probably the last person you would expect to hear from, but something has happened that causes me to send out an olive branch. I know that I am the last person you would want to talk to. So first off I would like to offer my apology towards the way I was two years ago. Old grudges.

The reason for this message is about Harry Potter. He needs a safe place to stay. For reasons that I can not get into without his consent, know that he is not safe with his relatives or Dumbledore. Harry is currently with me, but after recent events he is no longer safe here.

The favor that I need to ask of you is the only other place that I know of that Harry can be remotely safe is with Sirius Black. I know that he cares for Harry, but will not like that I have him. I just want to make sure that Harry is safe.

Please send reply that you will help with the switch.

Severus Snape

Severus rolled the parchment and attached it to Hedwig.

“Please take this to Remus. I know you know who that is.”

With a small chirp from the bird, Hedwig took off and flew out of the window for the third time today.

_________0000______0000_________0000________0000__________0000_________0000________

He walked through the house. It was a disaster area. Furniture either splintered in to bits or impaled on the wall. He walked past the living room to the back rooms where he found what looked like a bedroom. There was a small cot in the corner, but that was all that showed that this room was a bedroom. On the far wall, he saw shackles hanging from chains. He walked out of the room and continued his search for the occupant of the house. Upon walking into the kitchen this had to be the most devastated room in the house. There were no furniture in the kitchen, but there was a body on the floor.

Albus walked up to the body and knelt down by it. Having met Tobias once before, Albus knew that this poor soul was indeed Tobias Snape. Albus looked around the room and could still feel the residual magic in the room. Whatever happened in here, their magic was strong. He knew there was a certain student in the infirmary that he needed to talk with.

Severus had just woke up to a tray of food sitting on the table next to his bed. On the tray was a note from Minerva that said he was to eat all of the food on the plate and that once she was done with her last class she would be by and sit with him. A small smile graced the sixteen year old as he pulled the tray closer towards him. After he finished his lunch, Severus looked around to see if there was anything that he could do to keep busy. He was tired of staying in the bed, but Poppy refused to let him walk around just yet. The damage to his foot and ankle needed to completely heal before he could put weight on it. For once he wished he had his books with him. He could have read up on his school books so he would not be too far behind in his classes. Not finding anything to do, Severus decided to lay back down and close his eyes for a minute and wait for Minnie to come and visit.

After a half an hour, Severus woke up to the sound of the door to the Infirmary opening. Sitting up with a small smile thinking that Minnie finished early and had come to visit, much to his surprise when seeing the Headmaster walking towards his bed.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Severus said.

“How are you fairing, my boy?” Albus voice was full of concern. He sat down on the edge of the teenage boy's bed.

“I'm doing better, Headmaster,” Severus said looking down at his covered lap.

“I've heard some disturbing reports, Severus,” Albus reached out put his finger under Severus' chin and lifted it so Severus was looking at him. “That there has been problems at home.”

Severus' heart was beating so hard he feared Headmaster would hear it. The last person he wanted to talk to about his home life was the Headmaster.

“Sir?” trying to sound confused.

“Severus,” Albus soothe out. “There is nothing to fear. I am just trying to find some understanding. If your father was such a tyrant as you told Minerva about, then why did you kill him?”

Severus clutched the blanket tightly. He could feel the trembling starting from his legs. He desperately tried to stop the movement, but he couldn't. He didn't mean for what happen to happen. It was an accident. He just wanted his father to stop. He was in so much pain and his father would stop. His dad went from a slipper, to a belt, to a cane, to (what seemed like the worst) a frying pan. The frying pan was the last straw for Severus. He really didn't want to hurt his father. He just wanted him to stop. Severus didn't even remember what happened. He just remembered the beatings, that wouldn't stop, and then, just before he passed out there was a bright light and the next thing he knew, he was laying face down right next to his cot in his bedroom. He didn't see his father. He didn't know where he was, but he decided to use that reprieve time to gather up his things and leave the house.

“Now, Severus,” Albus pulled Severus out of his musing. “You know that it is a terrible crime of Patricide, a crime punishable by imprisonment.” Albus tsked, shaking his head. “What a talent wasted. I shall miss you when the aurors come for you.”

There was nothing but fear in his eyes. So last night was a lie. Minnie didn't fight for him. He really had no one. The headmaster wouldn't lie to him. Severus knew he needed to plead his case. It was the only way not to get arrested.

“Headmaster, please,” Severus pleaded. “I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't even know he was dead until you said something.”

“You know, Minerva stood up for you,” Albus said. Severus looked stunned at that revelation. Minnie did fight for him.

“I don't understand what she sees in you,” Albus continued. “But for some reason she is very protective of you. You, who your own house shuns away from. You better be happy that she is on your side.”

“Please,” Severus pleaded, tears burning the back of his throat. “I'll do anything.”

A small smirk came across the Headmaster's face.

“Yes, Severus, I believe you will.”

Severus knew that when he pleaded for his life when he was a child he sealed his fate. A fate that was worse by all accounts than that of a Death Eater. He knew his life was cursed and numbered, but he refused to let any of that happen to Harry.

Severus was brought out of his musing by a letter being dropped in front of him. The wolf had responded, Severus thought. The last thing he thought would happen would be a response from Remus.

Severus opened the letter and read it.

Severus

Anything that is needed to take care of Harry Potter is at your disposal. I am currently staying with Sirius so Harry will not only have his godfather, but me as well watching over him. It worries me that you would be wary of Albus along with Voldemort in regards to Harry. But one thing I have learned about you, Severus, is that if something isn't right, it usually is not. So you being worried, worries me. If need be you also are welcome to stay and get your bearings as to what your next move will be.

As to Sirius. He is just as bullheaded and stubborn as you are.

Come as soon as you feel it safe

Remus

After reading the note, there was a stir on the bed. Severus looked up to see Harry looking at him.

“Mr. Potter,” Severus drawled. “How long have you been awake?”

“Since Hedwig came,” Harry said sitting up. “Is everything alright?”

Severus knew that what he was going to say, Harry may not take it well, but it had to be said.

“There's been a change in plans,” Severus started out. “The Headmaster knows that you are with me, and he wants you to go back to your relatives.”

Harry's face dropped. He with pale and started shaking. Go back. No. He couldn't go back. Professor Snape promised. I can't go back, Harry thought.

“Harry,” Severus stood up and walked over to the bed and sat down next to the boy.

“Please,” Harry's voice no louder than a whisper. “Please don't take me back. I promise I'll be good. Please, professor.”

Harry's breathing started to become shallow and rapid. Severus knew that if he didn't calm down soon he would hyperventilate an possibly pass out. Wrapping his arms around Harry and bring him into a firm embrace, he was slightly rocking rubbing Harry's back soothingly.

“Harry, calm down,” Severus soothed. “Just breathe, child. You will not be going back.”

Harry, as soon as he felt the arms embrace him, gripped hold of his professor's frock coat as he tried to bring Severus closer to him.

“Harry,” Severus said trying to calm Harry down. “I have given you my word that you will not be going back to your relatives, and I meant that.”

“B-but sir,” Harry tried to say.

“No buts, Mr. Potter,” Severus said. “I will keep my promise, but it's not safe for you to stay here. I have made arrangements for you to stay somewhere else.”

“But I want to stay with you,” Harry said. Severus couldn't help the warm feeling hearing that from Harry.

“I will not be going anywhere.”

After a few more moments, Harry let go of Severus' coat. Severus got up and walked over to the door.

“I want you to pack a bag and meet me at the door. You'll be staying with them for the rest of the summer.”

“Yes sir,” Harry shoulders slumped hearing that where ever he was going he was going to be there the entire summer.

Harry walked down the stairs, backpack in hand, and met the Potions Professor at the door. They walked out of the door and Severus held out his arm. Harry sighed and took his professor's arm.

They arrived at a house that didn't seem to actually be there. Severus started walking and Harry followed. Once they got to the door, Severus opened the door and let themselves inside.

The two wizards walked down the narrow hallway till they got to the door at the end of the hall.

Harry walked in the room and what he saw brought a big smile on his face.

Sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet, Sirius was drinking tea.

“Sirius,” Harry exclaimed.

Sirius looked up from the paper and saw his godson standing in the doorway. He got up from the table and went to his godson and brought him into an embrace.

Severus knew that if he saw him it was not going to be good, but he wanted Harry's reunion with his dogfather go with no drama. At least for right now.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural

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

A/N: Here is chapter 19. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 19

Remus came down the stairs when he heard the front door close. He saw Severus standing at the doorway. He could hear Harry and Sirius in the other room.

“Keeping your distance, Severus?” Remus asked, walking up towards him.

“Just giving Harry some time with his dogfather,” Severus answered.

“You know,” Remus walked over to Severus and put his hand on his shoulder. “If this is going to work and you two need to get along for Harry. The insults are going to have to stop.”

Severus looked at Remus.

“Come on,” Remus moved Severus closer towards the door. “You've hidden long enough. It's time to get down to business.”

“Yeah,” Severus drawled. “This should be loads of fun.”

________0000________0000________0000_______0000_______0000________0000_____000_____

Sirius pulled Harry from the embrace and held him out at arms length.

“So how are you, really?” Sirius asked.

“I'm fine, now,” Harry smiled. He couldn't believe he was with his godfather. Earlier, he was so worried where his professor was going to bring him, but being here was just great.

Severus and Remus entered the room and the mood quickly changed. Sirius turned and faced Severus and moved Harry to stand behind him.

“Sirius,” Harry sounded worried. “What's wrong?”

“Stay behind me, pup,” Sirius said. “He won't have a chance to hurt you.”

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. Remus walked over to Sirius.

“Sirius,” Remus said. “Would you just calm down?”

“No,” Sirius' anger was rising. Right now, he didn't know who he was more angry with Severus for taking Harry away or Remus for acting like he didn't care.

Harry stepped out from behind Sirius. He looked at his godfather trying to see what was wrong.

“Sirius,” Harry brow creased. “What's the matter?”

“Harry,” Sirius said gripping Harry's shoulders. Because of the anger that Sirius felt he didn't know how hard he was gripping and Harry winced in pain from the grab. This infuriated Sirius more. Sirius looked up at Severus.

“What did you do to my godson, Snivellus?” Sirius fumed.

“Nothing,” Severus drawled out.

“He didn't hurt me, but you are.” Harry said trying to lighten the mood in the room. He was trying to smile through the grimace of the pain in his shoulder but it wasn't working well.

Severus could see the pain in Harry. He walked over towards them. He was reaching out for Harry but the quick reflexes of Sirius caused more damage than he was planning. Sirius, still having his grip on Harry's sore shoulder, yank poor Harry behind him again so that Severus couldn't touch him. Harry yelped in pain.

“Sirius,” Remus admonished. He pulled Harry away from his godfather.

“What did you do to Harry?” Sirius yelled at Severus.

“Nothing. But I can't say the same about you,” Severus tried to walk over towards Remus and Harry, but Sirius stood in the way. “Move dog.”

“You will not harm Harry.”

“I have no intention of harming Harry, but you're so blind that you can't see the only one hurting Harry now, is you.”

Severus stood next to Harry.

“I'm warning you Snivellus,” Sirius warned. “You touch my godson, it will be the last thing you do.”

Severus wasn't paying Sirius any attention. Severus walked over to Harry. He turned him away from Remus and looked at the child. Before Severus could even open his mouth to ask Harry something, there was a flash of light and Severus fell against Harry.

Severus' face etched in pain, leaning against Harry as they both fall to the floor. Harry, not even noticing anything but his potions professor in front of him goes down with Severus with true fear in his eyes. Remus completely shocked at what just happened.

“I warned you,” Sirius said. Anger laced his voice as he walked over to the heap on the floor. “Come Harry,” Sirius held out his hand to reach for Harry.

“Stay away from me,” Harry screamed his eyes still on his professor. Severus' head was on Harry's unhurt shoulder. He had his arms wrapped around his professor. He wasn't going to let anyone else hurt his professor. His cheek leaning on Severus' forehead.

“I think you better leave, Sirius,” Remus' anger matched what Harry was feeling.

“How can you side with him?” Sirius yelled at Remus. “It's just Snape.”

Harry cringed, tightening his hold on his professor when he heard the pure disdain and hatred come from his godfather's mouth.

“All he's going to do his hurt Harry,” Sirius argued.

“The only one that has hurt Harry is YOU!” Remus was screaming when he finished. “Severus did not ONCE provoke you. He came here for a favor. Which is something that we owe him from what we put him through during school.”

Sirius looked at his friend. He looked into his eyes and knew that Remus was angry with him. His eyes weren't the usual brown. During his rant, his eyes changed to a dark amber, which meant his anger was waking up the wolf inside of him. Sirius anger forgotten, he knew he would have to calm his friend down, but now really looking at the scene in front of him; his godson clutching hold to his school time nemesis in the most of protective states. And his best mate standing in between them who's anger was calling on the wolf inside him.

“It would be best,” Remus' voice was low with a small growling undertone. “If you left from this room. We will talk later.”

Sirius truly looking well chastised looked down at his godson and saw that he wasn't even looking at him.

“Harry,” Sirius voice finally lost his anger. “Harry, look at me.”

“Leave us alone,” Harry whispered out, holding Severus tightly against his chest.

Sirius stepped back as if he was hit. He couldn't help the pang of jealousy that he was feeling seeing Harry trying to either seek comfort or receive comfort from his enemy.

“Just wait in the hallway,” Remus said.

Remus watched his friend leave dejectedly as if his tail was between his legs. He shook his head at his friend. One day Sirius is going to have to control that temper of his before more people will get hurt.

Once the door closed, Remus turned to Harry and knelt down next to him.

“What's wrong with him?” Harry asked in a slight panic. “Why won't he wake up?”

“I don't know,” Remus answered. “Why don't we take him into the parlor? We can lay him on the couch.”

Remus went to reach for him and saw that Harry tightened his hold.

“Harry, I promise I will not hurt him, but we need to get him off the floor.”

Harry looked up at his former professor and gave a small nod. Remus felt that after what Sirius did hexing Severus in the back, it figured it would be a better idea if he let Harry know everything he was going to do with Severus when he pulled out his wand.

“Harry, listen to me,” Remus voice was low and soothing. He didn't want to upset Harry anymore than he was already. “I am going to levitate Severus and take him to the parlor, okay?”

Harry nodded. Remus pulled out his wand and slowly levitated the potions professor. Remus was met with resistance when Harry refused to let go. He went to stand behind Harry. He leaned over an lowly whispered in his ear.

“Harry, you must let go,” Harry shook his head. “Harry, I promise I will not hurt him. But we must get him out off of the floor.”

Very slowly, Harry let loose his grip on Severus and stepped away. Remus stood up and pointed his wand at Severus and muttered the levitation spell. Very slowly and easily, he lifted Severus off the floor and they walked out of the room with Severus' unconscious form floating behind them. Once they got out of the room, Remus noted that Sirius was not in the hall anymore. Harry didn't notice or didn't even presume to care about his godfather. The only thing on his mind was Severus. When they got in the parlor, Remus, very slowly and carefully, lowered Severus on the couch. No sooner did Severus touch the couch was Harry at his side. He walked over to Harry and put his hand on the boy's shoulder but there was no reaction.

“I am so sorry, Harry,” Remus said ruffling Harry's hair.

“Is Professor Snape going to be alright?” Harry's eyes never left his Professor.

“Sirius just stunned him,” Remus said. “We'll just wait it out. He'll be fine.

Remus turned and walked out of the room to find his wayward friend, that let his pride get the better of him, and see if he's alright.

Harry sat on the floor beside the couch and leaned his head down on Severus' shoulder.

How could things have gotten so wrong? Harry thought. He was so happy to see Sirius, but he didn't understand why he would go after Professor Snape like that. He had told him in his letter that Professor Snape was good to him. Why would he act like that?

Harry did not move from that spot and wouldn't move until his professor woke up.

Remus walked through the house looking for his hotheaded friend. It didn't take long to find the animagus. Sirius was sitting in his room on the bed, his face full of dejection. Remus sighed and walked in the room.

“Padfoot,” Remus called out.

“I really screwed everything up didn't I?” Sirius asked.

Remus sighed as he sat down on the bed next to his friend.

“Did you see how he looked at me?” Sirius asked. “He actually had fear in his eyes.”

“Sirius, you are going to have to reign in that temper of yours.”

“But Snivellus...”

“That's another thing,” Remus admonished. “If you want Harry to see you other than an attacker, you need to stop insulting Severus. You owe him more than you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, if you weren't so eager to hurt Severus, he was going to tell you. He was coming to ask for your help with Harry. But now, it looks like you're going to have to win Harry's trust now. Right now, he is sitting at Severus' side and I doubt Harry will move until he awakens.”

Remus stood up and walked towards the door.

“Fix this.”

With that, Remus walked out of the room and left Sirius alone with his thoughts.

TBC

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 20. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 20

Harry sat on the floor in front of the couch for the rest of the evening. Sirius watched Harry from the doorway. He just couldn't understand it. How could things be so different now? Not two years ago, Severus was ready to send him to the Dementors and Harry was defending him from the bat. Harry even hexed the potions professor in order to protect him, somewhat. Sirius could still remember the fear he was feeling when Harry pointed that wand at him. But when he attacked Snape, Sirius knew that he had his best mate's son back. It was James back with him again. Defending him against Snape, and having his back.

What on earth happened? Sirius thought. Now look at him. Harry was sitting there in constant vigil. Harry won't talk to Sirius, not that Sirius tried after Remus told him to leave. Sirius actually kept his distance.

Harry stood up to stretch his legs when he saw his godfather standing in the doorway. They both looked at each other neither one saying a word. Harry just didn't think that Sirius would hurt him like that.

“Can we talk, pup?” Sirius' voice was quiet.

Harry looked at his godfather and then down at Severus, who was still unconscious from the hex that Sirius put on him. Harry looked back at Sirius.

“What do you want?” Harry sat on the other end of the couch that Severus was laying on.

“Pup,” Sirius said walking in the room. “You have to know...”

“Why did you attack him?” Harry's voice was void of emotion. He just looked at his godfather standing in front of him. “He did nothing to you.”

“Pup,” Sirius knelt down in front of Harry. “Severus is not a good person. There's a mutual hate between us. We've never liked each other.”

Harry looked at his godfather. He didn't understand what he was feeling, but he knew that his godfather just hurt him.

“You know what I think,” Harry said looking at Sirius. “I think that most of the problems that you say you and he had was because of you and my dad. For four years, that man has hated me, and I never really knew why. I never understood. I remember the first time I saw him, he looked at me with disdain. And the first day of potions, even though I was really looking forward to it, it went horrible.” Harry closed his eyes and shook his head at the memory of his first Potions class. “All the kids told me that Professor Snape was really strict and that you had to take good notes when he gives his lectures. So that first day, I thought I was ready. I took notes and wrote down everything he said until....” Harry looked over at his teacher and then back at Sirius who was still kneeling in front of him. “The tone was set for our relationship. He berated me for not paying attention. Sneered at me calling me the new celebrity. Then he asked me questions that not only I didn't know, but the only one who did from the entire class was Hermione. I always wondered why he hated me so much. Then I learned about my dad, and in my third year I learned about you and Remus. You know I was really excited when you said that I could stay with you. No more Dursleys. No more Number 4 Privet Drive. You were going to take me away from them. But then you couldn't, and that hurt.”

“Pup what are you telling me?” Sirius asked.

“I'm getting to it,” Harry continued. “Then the fourth year came and so much happened. Voldemort's return. Cedric dying. Me seeing my parents.” Sirius looked incredulously at Harry and his admission. “And then, back home again. I had to go back to them. You know I hated it there. But you know, the weirdest thing happened while I was at my relatives.” Harry looked over at Severus and then back at Sirius. “Two Dementors came to Surrey.” Sirius' brow creased. “And do you know who saved me? He didn't have to but he did. Professor Snape. He then saved me again, when he went against Headmaster's orders. Headmaster told my Professor to take me back to my relatives. But he didn't. He took care of me. He stayed up with me when I was sick. He held me. He was good to me. I told you that. In the letter, I told you. And what did you do? You hexed him. You called him names. You were nothing but a bully to him. And he stood there and took it. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead.” Harry shrugged his shoulders at his admission. “You know, I've learned one thing about bullies and being bullied. They never change. If they were a bully as a child, then they will be a bully when they get older. You are a bully. Which probably means that my dad was a bully too. And now I know why Professor Snape hates me. I look like James Potter. You've said it. Remus has said it. Mostly everyone that knew my dad has said it. Between you and my dad, you most likely made his time at school a living hell. I should know, because I'm paying for your heartlessness. I get bullied by my relatives. Just to come here and know that there is a teacher that hates your guts, and with good reason. I look like his tormentor. Even though what he did was wrong, I completely understand it. I am a young James Potter doppelganger. Trust me, when I get older and a see a boy that looks like my cousin, I would probably treat them like Professor Snape treated me.”

Sirius looked at his godson. He didn't know what to say. How could he soothe the anger from the child. An anger that he, himself, put on him. Here was his godson, sitting, keeping vigil to the slimy Slytherin, but showing him no love. How could he screw this up so much? Sirius thought.

“Harry,” a voice said from the doorway.

Harry and Sirius looked over at the door and saw Remus standing there.

“Harry, come get something to eat,” Remus said.

“I'm not hungry,” Harry tuned and went back to watching Severus.

“Harry,” Remus' voice was neither harsh or cold. “You need to eat something. Severus will be fine.”

“Please eat something, pup,” Sirius pleaded.

Harry looked from Remus to Sirius. He really didn't want to leave his Professor, but he guess he really didn't have a choice.

“I promise,” Remus said. “He will be fine. Come on.”

Harry stood up and walked around Sirius. Harry gave him a wide birth and walked to Remus. Sirius put his head down. He got up off the floor and followed Harry and Remus to the kitchen.

They went into the kitchen where Remus had a light lunch prepared. The three wizards sat in silence as they ate. Well, two of them ate the teenage boy just moved his food around.

“Pup,” Remus softly said. “Try and eat something.”

Harry looked at Remus and picked up his turkey sandwich and took a bite. He was so worried about Severus that the food didn't taste right in his mouth. It felt like lead in his stomach.

“Harry,” Remus voice was soft as not to rile Harry up. “Can you tell us why you are staying with Severus?”

Harry looked up at his godfather and his favorite professor and wonder if he should really confide in them. He hadn't really talked to Professor Snape about what happened. He only told him a few things. He always thought that he could confide in his godfather, but after what happened earlier, now he wasn't so sure. Yes, he cared for Sirius and Remus, but even though he couldn't understand it, he cared for his professor more. Maybe it was because of the circumstances around them now. He spent more time with Professor Snape than he did with his godfather.

Yes, his godfather was a window to his parents, as was Remus, but when Sirius hexed Severus and wouldn't let him speak, he just couldn't understand it.

Harry looked at the two adults and without saying a word shook his head.

“But, pup,” Sirius argued. “You have to tell us what is going on.”

Harry looked back up at his godfather. Sirius saw the hurt in the boy's eyes.

“I really don't want to talk to a bunch of bullies right now,” Harry said.

A familiar drawled baritone voice sounded from the doorway.

“You should not be that hard on your dogfather, Harry.”

__________0000________0000__________0000_________0000_________0000__________0000___

Minerva woke up to find herself laying on a small cot in the corner of a very damp and dark room. She had no clue where she was. Slowly she sat up and rubbed her temple. She had the worst migraine. It was a pain that she had never experienced before and hoped that she will never again. The movement of just sitting up was enough to cause her to feel the bile coming up the back of her throat. She knew she should probably lay back down, but Minerva McGonagall was not one to lay about all day and do nothing. She rubbed her hand across her eyes in hopes of soothing out the pain from behind her eyelids. Once she controlled her breathing to ease the pain a bit, she began to think about all the reasons why someone would take her. The last thing she remembered was Hagrid coming to her chambers. Hagrid?! She opened her eyes a little wider to see if she could see where she was and hope that she would see her Games keeper. Sure enough, there was a very large form laying on the other side of the room.

Carefully, the Transfiguration professor made her way to the Games keeper. When she got to his side the first thing she checked on was to see if he was alive. She waited with bated breath as she checked. Her sigh of relief came when she indeed felt and saw Hagrid take a breath.

“Hagrid,” she shook the half giant slightly. “Hagrid, wake up.”

A low moan escaped the half giant's lips. His enormous face scrunched up. He lift his massive hand, almost hitting Minerva in the process, and rubbing his head as he sat up. Even sitting down, Hagrid came up to Minerva's chest.

“P'fes'r,” Hagrid moan. “What's going on? Where are we?”

“I wish I knew, Hagrid.” she walked over towards Hagrid and put his hand on her shoulder. “What is the last thing you remember?”

“I was,” he said, trying to remember. “about to feed Fang. There was a knock on my door. And...that's it. I'm waking here.”

Minerva didn't like this. Not one bit. She remembered a knock on her door, but it was Hagrid on the other end, and if he didn't even remember that he came to her chambers meant that maybe he was under the Confundus Spell and had no clue as to how.

“Do you remember who knocked on your door?” Minerva asked.

“No, Pr'fessor.”

“Well, it's nice to see the two of you deciding to join the land of consciousness. You've been unconscious for a day.”

A day, Minerva thought. People must be worried where I am. Severus. Oh no, Severus. He probably has no idea that she's missing.

Minerva was brought out of her musing when the door opened up wider and several people walked in the room.

“You,” Minerva gasped.

________0000____________0000_______000________0000________0000___________0000______

“Professor,” Harry exclaimed, getting up from his seat and rushing towards his professor. Harry wrapped his arms around the potion professor's neck.

“I'm glad you're awake,” Harry mumbled in Severus' shoulder.

Severus, though felt awkward, wrapped his arms around the teenager. It was the last thing he expected since the child's godfather was sitting in the same room. He figured he might as well hold the child that was now hanging from his neck. It was just for supporting his neck. He did not care for this little primate that felt he had to attach himself to his person.

Severus tried to rationalize in his head that he was not really caring for Potter, but the more and more that time he spent in the child's presence, he was starting to see that train of thought was rapidly changing.

“You shouldn't be hard on Black,” Severus said trying to keep the venom out of his voice when speaking of his childhood nemesis. All for the sake of Harry, and he still required both of their help.

“He hexed you,” Harry still didn't remove himself from Severus.

“Again,” Severus sighed. “Not the first time.”

Harry let go of Severus and stood in front of him. His eyebrows raised so high Severus couldn't see them from under the fringe of the boys hair.

Harry turned and looked at a very uncomfortable man sitting at the table. Sirius squirmed under the glare of his godson. When Harry jumped up and ran towards Severus, Sirius felt jealousy. It hurt that his godson would run to that slimy git for comfort, but when Harry turned at looked at him, Sirius realized that maybe he may have taking things a bit overboard.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

Here is chapter 21. Enjoy!

Chapter 21

“Aberforth,” Minerva sneered. “Why are we here?”

“Insurance,” Aberforth answered, waving his wand in a large circle then walking towards the cot.

“Insurance. Insurance, for what?”

Aberforth sat down on the cot and looked at Minerva.

“You know, I never congratulated you on your new son.”

“I beg your pardon,” Minerva raised her eybrow.

How did he know about Severus? Minerva thougth.

“You care about your son, don't you, Minerva?”

“How do you know about Severus?” Minerva's getting nervous. Her breath catching in her throat. Not even Hagrid knew about Severus being her adoptive son.

“I know a lot,” Aberforth nodded. “I know that he's a Death Eater.”

“He's renounced the Death Eaters,” Minerva cut in.

“I know that Albus owns him,” Aberfort continued without acknowledging what Minerva said. “I know that if he doesn't take Harry Potter back to his relatives, things are going to happen. Bad things. Hurtful things. Especially for you.”

Minerva unconsciously took a step back. She was so close to Hagrid that she was almost leaning on him for support. Hagrid, being the friend he's always been to any Hogwarts Professor, allowed it.

Minerva couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were using her to make Severus take Harry back to those relatives.

“What are you planning on doing?”

“Well,” Aberforth drawled out. “We are going to be waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“We have about,” Aberforth said looking down at the watch on his wrist. This was always one piece of Muggle artifact that he was fasinated with. Having his watch, showed him that Muggles weren't as useless as some thought. “Three hours left. Once I have confirmation that Potter is back with his aunt and uncle, then I will let you go.”

“No, he won't hurt Harry like that,” Minerva demanded.

“Well,” Aberforth drawled. “For your sake, he better deliver.”

Aberforth walked out of the room. Minerva stood there in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed.

They were blackmailing her son, she thought.

“What's going on, Professor?” Hagrid asked, bringing Minerva from her thoughts.

Minerva looked at the Grounds keeper.

“Let me ask you something, Hagrid,” Minerva said walking towards him. “When you delievered Harry's letter, what did you see?”

“Well,” Hagrid began. “He was wear'n clothes that were too big for 'im. His uncle was fiercely apposed of Harry going. I may have done somethings that I shouldn't have.”

“What are you talking about?” Minerva's eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

“I know I shouldn't,” Hagid began. “But his was just awful. I gave him a tail.”

Minerva's eyes widen in shock. “You gave his uncle a tail?!”

“No,” Hagrid shook his head. “His cousin. He was eating Harry's cake. Harry was such a tiny thing when I got him. He needed that cake, and his cousin just ate it. I was mad. And I gave him a tail to show what he really was.”

“Oh Hagrid,” Minerva said.

She walked back to the cot so that she could sit down, and came to some resistance. There was an invisible barier in the middle of the room. She waved her hand to what seemed like nothing. Hagrid looked at her.

“What's wrong, P'fessor?”

“It would appear that we are stuck here,” Minerva sighed.

Hagrid took off his jacket and folded up.

“P'fessor,” Hagrid called to her holding out his hand.

Minerva turned and faced the Groundskeeper. Hagrid was holding out his hand towards her.

“Come sit,” He offered. “I know that you must be tired. I don't have much to offer, but at least you won't be on the floor.”

Minerva saw that Hagrid's folded jacket was on the floor. A small smile graced her lips.

“Thank you, Hagrid.”

Minerva took the preoffered hand and he assisted in lowering the older Professor down to the floor. No, it was not ideal, but she wasn't just standing. A small sigh left the professor's lips.

“Everything alright, Professor?”

“When Harry and Severus are safe, everything will be fine.”

Hagrid nodded in agreement, then another thought came to his mind.

“Professor,” Hagrid asked.

“Yes, Hagrid.”

“How long has P'fessor Snape been your son?”

Minerva smiled at the question. She remember the blood adoption ceremony as if it just happened. With a contented sigh, “In his seventh year. I have never been more proud.”

Minerva couldn't wait for the end of her last class. She had been destracted all day. Her mind wasn't on teaching, or patroling the halls during breaks. It was on the sixteen year old in the Infirmary. She hated that she couldn't get away so that they could have lunch together, but she sent him a parchment telling Severus to eat and get some rest and she would see him after her last class.

Once the final bell rang, Minerva dissmissed her 3rd year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff class with a reading assignment. When the last child left the room, she gathered her things and went into her office behind her desk. She didn't want to walk from her office to the Infirmary, so she went through the Floo. Call it impatience, but she was just to excited to see her boy.

Adopting Severus. Just the thought of finally taking him out of his home environment and giving him the support that he needed just brought a smile to her face and warmed her heart. When she walked through the hearth, she saw Severus was laying against the headboard, asleep. Quietly, she walked over towards him and sat down on the edge of his bed.

The sudden dip in the bed woke Severus up with a start. Minerva quickly cupped his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. She could see that when his eyes opened he didn't recognize where he was, but slowly recognition shown on his face. When he saw how was holding him, a small smile came across him.

“Minnie,” Severus sighed out. He leaned into the touch. After the Headmaster coming to see him at lunch time, Severus was relieved that it was Minerva that woke him up. He looked up to her so much. After his mother died, he didn't think there would be anyone, besides Lily, that would care for him. That would show him love. But that was what he felt when he was around his Minnie.

“How are you feeling?” Minerva asked still cupping his cheek. She could tell he was needing the phyical contact.

“Better.”

“Well,” Minerva straightened up. “I'm very happy to hear that.”

Minerva looked at the boy and gauged how to proceed in telling him.

“Is something wrong, Minnie?”

“No, baby,” Minerva smiled. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“You, actually.”

Severus' eyebrows rose to his hairline. What could he had done to make her think about him? He was a nobody. Just a half-blood. According to his housemates and the Headmaster, no one would ever give him a second thought. Why Minnie?

Severus tried to swallow down his nervousness. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. And the longer his Minnie – no he wouldn't think of her like that if she was going to refues him – Professor McGonagall was looking at him and not talking, she was trying to find the words to let him down easy.

“Severus,” Minerva broke through Severus' musing. “When you walked in here, I...no, I will not let this happen again.” She could feel the lump in her throat growing bigger, but she was not going to break down. Not yet. “I can not allow you to go home to that man any more.”

Severus looked up at Minerva with pure shock on his face.

“Ma'am.”

“Severus, have you been coming to school like this every year?” Minerva asked. Deep down she knew the answer, but she had to be certain.

“I – I don't....”

“Severus,” Minerva mildly admonished. “Don't lie to me. Nothing will happen if you tell me the truth. Do you come here this hurt and sneak off to the potions lab and heal yourself?”

Severus put his head down. He could not look at her any more. He just couldn't bare seeing the shame on her face.

“You weren't suppose to find out,” Severus mumbled out.

By that admission, Minerva slid closer to Severus and pulled him into an embrace.

“Never again,” Minerva said holding her boy. “You will never feel that pain again. I will not allow it.”

Severus tensed when Minerva first put her arms around him, but after her decleration, he melted into her embrace.

“Severus,” Minerva said slowly rocking back and forth with her heart in her arms. “I know you're in your last year here at Hogwarts. And I hope you know how much I care for you.” Severus didn't respond. He just buried his head in her shoulder and tightened his hold on her.

“I know that you will be of age by the end of the school year, and I just don't trust Tobias to continue to...” Minerva's heart ached with anticipation and worry. She didn't know how he would respond. Would he turn her down? She was the Head of Gryffindor, so she took a deep breath, gripped Severus shoulders and pulled him out to arms length. Her eyes met his.

“Severus, how would you like it if I adopted you?”

She looked at the boy. There was very few times since she's known Severus Tobias Snape that he has shown his emotions on his face. But in that moment, she was privy to see three emotions. She saw surprise, then hope, and finally happiness.

Severus could not believe his ears. She wanted him. Severus Snape the half-blood. Could it really be true that someone would love him. Looking at his Minnie's face, there, it said everything. There was no falsehood in what she asked. There was no joking or ridiculing laced in her words. There was only love and kindness in those words. He put his head down trying to control his emotions that seemed to be all over, and in a very quiet voice as he did not trust himself speaking right now said, “Yes, please.”

Tears pooling in the Transfiguration Professor's eyes, she once again, pulled her now ward and soon to be son in her arms.

Minerva sat on the floor with her back leaning against Hagrid's arm. With every thing that has happened, the only thing that worried her more was Severus.

Looking around the room, Minerva thought of her son and her student. What do they have over you, son? Why are they making you do this?

She couldn't help the heartbreak she was feeling. She knew there was something that they were using against her son. And now, they were using her to make her son do what they wanted.

“Oh, Severus,” Minerva sighed.

TBC

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 22. I hope you like it. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 22

After Severus and Tami left the Infirmary, Poppy walked back into her office. She sat behind her desk with her head leaning back on the backrest of the chair and thought about everything that had happened in the past few days. How so much had changed and all that she'd learned in those few days. What she didn't know was that the changes were not just to Severus and Minerva. As she sat in her office, she got a slight jolt from her warding that someone has entered the Infirmary. She got up and walked out to see who has come in.

This place has seen more people while the school's closed than if it was opened, Poppy mused opening up her office door.

When she walked out, the first thing she noticed was no one was around. So what caused her wards to go off? She walked throughout the entire Infirmary and saw no one. She shook off that maybe her warding didn't really go off, that it was just nerves from everything that has happened in the past few days. Walking back to her office, that's when she felt it.

Poppy Pomfrey was never good at wizarding duels as Filius or Severus, but she prided herself in holding her own in a battle. With a flick of her wrist, her wand was in her hand. Slowly, she turned around and looked throughout the Infirmary again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. It was a flash but enough to get her attention. Very quickly, she cast Protego and blocked the curse flying towards her. Once the first curse was passed, an onslaught of curses came at the medi-witch. Poppy tried to block all the curses flying her way, but one got through and she fell back against her door that lead to her office. The medi-witch slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor. Once she was down, the curses stop flying. Breathing heavily, Poppy looked around and saw that she was never alone as she had once thought. Five wizards came into view. A Disillusion charm, she thought. The wizards walked up to her. She looked and recognized them as Death Eaters. She, being a very strong willed person, she wasn't particularly in fear of her life, not until the last Death Eater walked up. Greyback. For the first time, true fear enveloped in the medi-witch. Greyback bent over her, grabbed her collar and stood her up.

She gasped at the forcefulness of the actions since she was still sore from the attack against her earlier. The werewolf pinned her against the door. He was so close to her, she could smell the distinct stench of blood on his breath. She slightly turned her head to try and get some fresher air than to smell the many odors from the werewolf that had her pinned to the wall.

A low growl escaped Greyback's lips. A sinister smile crossed his lips when the medi-witch turned her head. It exposed her neck. As she wanted to get away from him, he saw it as an opportunity to make her one of his pack.

She could feel his breath on her neck. A chill went down her spine. Now she really wanted to move from his grasp, but because of the position they were both in, she couldn't move or even protect her neck from the imminent bite that she just knew was about to happen. Greyback leaned down until he could feel Poppy's skin between his teeth. A whimper escaped her lips when she felt his teeth starting to clamp down on her skin. Her breathing becoming more and more erratic.

“Fenrir, step away.”

Greyback leaned more into Poppy hoping beyond hope that he could just change her. Wouldn't be great to have a medi-witch in his pack?

“Greyback,” the voice was stern and loud now. “You will step back from Madam Pomphrey. She must not be harmed in that way.”

Fenrir lifted his head off the medi-witch's neck and she couldn't help the sigh of escape her lips. She was so close to being changed, from being cursed in the worse way possible.

The werewolf tuned from Poppy and faced the man standing behind him. He walked over to him, leaving Poppy trying to compose herself.

“Just because you're with us,” Greyback growled. “Does not mean that you are running this. This is my operation.”

The man just looked up at the werewolf and just as quickly hit the werewolf in the throat. With a mixture of gasping, gagging and coughing, the werewolf collapsed on the floor. Poppy watched with scared eyes as she witnessed the take down of the werewolf. When she got a clear look at who took down Greyback, her eyes became as large as saucers. She could not believe who she was seeing.

“No,” she gasped. “Not you, A....” SCREAM!

She was cut off by the Conjunctivitus Curse. Within seconds, she was pressing her palms against her eyes blood soaked tears streaming down her face. He walked over to Poppy and leaned down until his mouth was right next to her ear.

“It will probably be hard for a medi-witch to take care of the sick when she can't see,” he taunted her.

“W-what....do......y-you want,” she had her teeth clenched from the pain. Never in her life had she ever felt such pain.

“Where is Severus?” the man's voice was low and almost soothing. This made Poppy shiver more.

“Gone,” was her answer.

“Yes, I can see that.” He pulled her hands away from her eyes with great resistance from her. He looked at her now marred face.

“You brought this on yourself. You knew I needed Severus and you let him go.”

He pinned her hands on the wall above her head and leaned in close to her. Poppy lowered her head and she felt her head on his shoulder. With one last deep breath, she resigned herself to whatever he was going to do to her.

____00000___________0000__________0000__________0000_____0000________0000_______0__

After several hours of convincing Potter that he was fine and did not need a primate clinging hold to him, Severus finally talked Harry into going in the other room and resting a bit. He was still under his care and Severus did not want him to relapse with his pneumonia. Once Harry left the room, the three wizards sat down at the table. Severus and Sirius sat opposite of each other and Remus sat next to Sirius.

“So you want to tell us what this is about, Snivellus?” Sirius growled out. He knew he should probably start trying to trust Severus, but he could not shake the jealously of Harry wanting to stay attached to the Slytherin git.

“Sirius,” Remus admonished. “Knock it off.”

“Sorry,” Sirius said through clenched teeth. “Sn...Snape.”

Severus noticed the tone of hatred when his name was spat out. And as much as he would love to go toe to toe with the mutt, there were other things that needed to take precedence. Namely the Boy-Who-Started-To-Chisel-His-Way-Into-The-Potion-Master's-Heart.

“Listen, I'm not here to be your friend,” Severus growled out. “But I do need your help.”

“How can we help, Severus?” Remus said.

Sirius crossed his arms against his chest and sat back in his chair and snorted. The glare he got from Remus told him that he needed to behave. Because of the letter that Severus sent earlier, Remus knew a little about what Severus needed, but wanted to get the entire story before bringing Sirius into it.

“I need you to hide Ha-Potter,” Severus said.

“Yeah, I'll hide him from you,” Sirius mumbled out.

“Sirius, would you stop!” Remus was at the end of his tether. “You're acting like a spoilt brat now.”

“Really,” Sirius retorted. “HE shouldn't be here. Not with Harry. Dumbledore can protect him.”

Remus and Severus looked at each other.

“What?!” Sirius saw the exchanged look. “What is it?”

“Well, if you would listen and stop interrupting me, I'll tell you,” Severus leaned in close toward Sirius.

The animagus could tell by the looks he was getting that he was losing patience with both Severus and Remus. He knew he should reign in his temper, if for no better reason, than for Harry. But at this rate, Remus would probably kick him out before he learned anything and he again would be separated from his godson. Looking between Remus and Severus, Sirius calmed himself down and sat back against the chair.

Remus could see the dejected look on his friend's face, but whatever was going on between Harry and Severus it was more important than Sirius' pride.

Feeling the tension lessen in the room, Remus took a deep calming breath to soothe the wolf inside. He then looked back to Severus.

“Okay, Severus, I think we can continue now,” Remus looked back at Sirius, who nodded, then turned his attention back to Severus. “Why does Harry need to be hidden?”

“A few days ago, I was asked to go to Surrey and check up on Potter,” Severus pinched the bridge of his nose at the realization that so much has happened in the past few days. “When I got there, he was being attacked by two Dementors.” Both wizards across from him looked at him with disbelief. Before they could interrupt him, Severus continued. “After banishing the Dementors, I took the boy to Arabella's house. There it was discovered that he had been abused.” Severus pulled a small parchment out of his pocket and looked at it. He couldn't believe he still carried this around with him, but he knew the wolf and the mutt would need proof of what he was saying, so he slid the parchment across the table.

Remus reached out and took the parchment first. Severus had witnessed first hand the unbridled fear that the wolf could bring out. It was the last thing he ever want to see again, but he knew this was the only way to get them to see his point of view. Remus read the parchment and tried to calm the wolf inside him. The other men in the room saw Remus' eyes change from brown to amber. Severus braced himself for what was to come, but Sirius reached for the parchment and read it.

Sirius looked at the parchment and saw what was making his friend so angry. He looked up at Severus and then back at the parchment.

There was a low growl coming from the wolf and Sirius knew they would have to calm Remus down before the wolf completely took hold.

“Remus,” Sirius said trying to calm down his friend. “He's okay. Harry is alright. He's in the other room. He's here.”

Remus looked at Sirius then at Severus. “What has Dumbledore said about this?” He demanded.

“That's why I need your help,” Severus sighed. “Albus wants me to take Harry back to his relatives. I have two hours.”

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Harry was in the other room laying down on the couch that Severus was on not a few hours ago. He wasn't really sleeping, but Severus did ask him to get some rest, so he figured he would just lay here, hoping that his Professor would come back soon.

Things were quiet for a while, then he heard something that raised panic in him. There was a very loud bang and yelling, then there were heavy footsteps approaching. Banging! Heavy footsteps! Yelling! Oh no, Uncle Vernon, was the first thing that came across his mind.

But his professor promised he would not return him. Harry started hyperventilating. Too quickly he rose from the couch and backed into a corner. He slid down to the floor and covered his head with his arms hoping that the blows wouldn't be too bad. But it didn't matter, the angrier Uncle Vernon was the more he would hurt.

When the door burst opened, Harry tensed up more in the corner trying to make himself smaller and smaller. Once Remus and Sirius saw the way Harry was in the corner, their rage and anger quickly dissipated. There in front of them sat a small boy cowering in the corner.

“Harry,” Sirius quietly called out. He didn't want to scare Harry any more. “Harry it's just me. It's Sirius. Severus!”

Severus stayed in the other room so that the wolf and mutt could talk to Harry alone. What he didn't expect was to be called. Severus got up and walked into the lounge where he found Harry cowering against the wall and Sirius trying to coax him out. Severus walked towards Sirius and Harry.

Severus could hear Harry's low mantra of apologies towards his uncle.

“Harry,” Severus knelt down next to the boy. He got close to Harry's ear. “You're not there. You are with me, Sirius, and Remus. You're not at that house.”

Severus continued on talking to Harry in a soothing manner, but he knew the only thing that would calm him down was not here. He didn't want to embarrass Harry, but he needed him to calm down.

“Tami,” Severus called out.

With a small pop, Tami was standing next to Sirius.

“Yes, Master Sev'us,” Tami smiled. But her smile didn't last as she looked at Harry.

“Master Harry Potter,” the small elf's voice full of worry.

“Tami, Harry forgot his therapy. It's on his bed back home. Get it,” Severus ordered.

Tami nodded once and disappeared. Not two seconds later she reappeared holding Harry's 'therapy.' Sirius was shocked to see what the elf was holding, and Remus had a sad smile on his face. Severus took the bear from Tami and pressed it against Harry's head.

Very slowly, Harry reached for the bear and pressed it against his chest, burying his face into the back of the bear's head. Severus began again his soothing mantra of the fact that Harry was not with his relatives but with his godfather.

Harry was so scared once he heard the door open up. He just sat there waiting for the blows to start. After a while, he felt something that was familiar and comforting. Soft plushness. He put the softness in his hands and brought it to his chest. Once he buried his head in the softness, the familiar smell of potions filled his nose and he began to calm down. Then he heard it. The soft tones of his professor talking to him. He leaned into the voice in the hope that the voice would never leave.

Severus felt the boy leaning towards him, so he sat himself on the floor and wrapped his arms around the child who was now basically in the potion master's lap.

Sirius looked at the two of them. He took a deep breath trying to calm down his anger. He looked at Severus and asked, “What do you need from us?”

__________0000____________0000____________0000___________0000__________0000________

Poppy woke up. The first thoughts in her mind was she was surprised to still be alive and how long had she been laying there. When she tried to open her eyes, she realized something was truly wrong. She could not see. Very slowly and carefully, she turned over so that she could get to her knees. The pain she was in was unbearable. Everything hurt. Once she was in the position of all fours, she began to crawl towards her office. The one thing to her advantage, since she had been the medi-witch for Hogwarts for the past 37 years, she knew every inch of the Infirmary. So getting to her office was not that difficult. Once she got in her office, she crawled to her desk and climbed up it. She began to feel around her desk for her quill, her inkwell, and a spare piece of parchment. Once she felt all three items she tried to write and make it legible for whoever would read it.

She knew that she was going to need help and there was only one person that would have the expertise to help her heal.

“Archimedes,” the medi-witch weakly called out.

After a few moments, Poppy felt the small breeze of wings flapping. A small smile graced her bloodied face. She felt for the bird's leg and carefully placed the parchment on it.

“Take....it....to him,” Poppy gasped out before sliding back to the floor and passing out.

She passed out without knowing if the owl got the message or if help would really be on the way.

TBC

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 23. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 23

After finally calming the boy down from his panic attack, Severus managed to get Harry from off the floor and back on the couch, but couldn't convince his primate from cling hold to him. So the Potion Master was sitting on the couch with a small boy next to him that seemed to be glued to his side. All three wizards sat in the lounge deep in thought. After the panic attack that both Remus and Sirius caused, they didn't want to leave his side. They both needed to know what was going on.

Several things surprised Severus in these last few moments. Sirius was now very adamant about helping Harry. Both Remus and Sirius were understandably angry about what happened with Harry. The three of them were now sitting in the lounge together. No one was throwing hexes at each other. He was amazed how one boy could change everything so much. A rivalry that was going on for over twenty years seemed to vanish in just one afternoon. Severus looked down at the sleeping boy that was laying against his chest.

What power do you really possess, young one? Severus thought. And the first person that popped in his head that showed that same kind of compassion and love: Lily. He couldn't help tightening his hold of Harry as the small boy snuggled down closer to his professor. Now, sitting here with his arm draped across the small boy's shoulders, Severus looked out the window in the lounge and saw something coming towards the window.

“Archimedes,” Severus said, pulling the werewolf and animagus out of their thoughts.

Sirius saw Severus looking out of the window. He saw what he was looking at and got up to allow the owl access to the room.

The owl landed on the table in front of Severus. Seeing that the Potion Master was pinned on the couch by the fourteen year old, Remus got up and removed the small parchment that was attached to the owl's leg. The distinct smell of blood filled the werewolf's nose as he looked down at the parchment. Seeing the distress on Remus' face, Severus held out his hand for the missive. Once Remus handed it over to him, Severus couldn't believe what he was seeing. He tried to stand when he felt pinned. In that moment, he forgot that Harry was leaning on him, asleep.

“Tami,” Severus called out.

Remus walked over towards Severus. Tami popped in front of Severus.

“Go get Poppy,” Severus ordered. “Be careful. Bring her here.”

Tami nodded and popped out of the room. Remus reached down for the sleeping child. He was a little surprised that Harry was still asleep after all that. When he grabbed hold of Harry, he noticed that Severus' arm tightened around the small child. Remus couldn't help the smile on his face. This was the same thing Harry did when he tried to move Severus from his arms.

“Severus,” Remus said. “Let me take Harry. I'll put him to bed. Once Poppy gets here, you will need both your hands to help her out, what ever the problem may be.”

Severus looked up at the man. His hardened look didn't change but his arm did loosen around the child. Remus picked up the child with a grimace. No fourteen year old should be this light. Once they had successfully made the switch of who was holding Harry, the bear dropped on the floor. Sirius picked it up and handed it to Remus. Remus, cradling Harry to his chest, turned to walk out of the room when a small pop made him turn around.

The three wizards were surprised to say the least when the elf came back with a battered medi-witch. Sirius and Severus were at her side within moments of her arrival. There was blood everywhere. The two, once rival wizards, now were working together both cradling her against them, walking slowly to help the hurting Poppy to the couch.

As they laid her down on the couch, Severus saw that Remus was still standing in the doorway.

“Take Harry out of here,” Severus ordered. “I don't want him waking up and seeing this.” Remus hesitatingly turned and left.

“Make sure he has that bear next to him,” Severus then called out.

Without being asked, Tami left the room and appeared seconds later with a small basin filled with water and a flannel to try and wipe the blood off of the medi-witch's face. Severus and Sirius worked on cleaning up Poppy. Remus returned to the lounge. The three wizards worked in concert of trying to make the medi-witch as comfortable as possible. Once they got most of the dried blood off of her face, Sirius and Remus gasped at what they saw. Her eyes were burnt and slashed up. The Potion Professor, the ex-Auror, and the former DADA teacher all knew what curse was thrown at the woman to make her eyes like that. Severus placed the wet warm flannel over the medi-witch's marred eyes. He spelled it so that it would stay put on her eyes. Poppy woke up with a gasp.

“It's alright,” Severus soothed. “You're safe now.”

“Sev...Severus, is that you?” Poppy sounded weak.

“Yes, it's me. You're at Grimmauld Place.”

“Sirius,” Poppy gasped. “Where's Sirius?”

“I'm here,” the animagus reached for her hand and held it. “What happened?”

“Where's Harry?” Poppy started to panic. “Where is Harry?”

“He's safe,” Remus answered.

“Remus?”

“I'm here, Poppy,” he put his hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze.

Severus' face darken at the medi-witch's urgency for Potter.

“Tami,” with a small pop the elf re-appeared. “Go watch Harry. Do not let anyone in that room unless it is me. Do not let him out of your sight. Do you understand?”

“Tami is understanding, Master Sev'us.”

Severus turned back to Poppy, “Poppy, what happened?” his voice much calmer than right before.

“Greyback,” Poppy said as tears slipped under the spelled flannel over her eyes.

Sirius looked up at his friend and saw his face darken.

“What about him?” Severus wanted her to continue.

“He was there with some other Death Eaters,” Poppy voice was shaking. “They showed up after you left with Tami.”

“What did they want?”

“You, Severus,” Poppy tried to not start crying. But the tears flowed non-stop. “Then Albus showed up.”

“Albus,” Severus raised an eyebrow at her.

“That seems highly unlikely,” Sirius said. “Albus would never associate with known Death Eaters.”

Severus glared at Sirius. “I'm a Death Eater.”

“No,” Remus interjected. “You're a spy.”

“You're the one my godson trust.”

Remus nodded his head with agreement.

“Albus...he was the one that did this,” She completely broke down after that confession.

Sirius gently pulled her up an embraced her as she cried on his shoulder. All three wizards looked at each other in shock of what they they were witnessing and what they just heard. Poppy Pomfrey has always been a strong, independent witch. Feared by many. So to see her breakdown in front of someone, it surprised the three wizards. Each one lost in their own thoughts. The only sounds in that room was the muffled cries of the medi-witch.

Severus believed that if Albus was so bold as to attack Poppy, then Harry could not stay here. Quickly, he got up from kneeling by the couch, and rushed towards the door. Remus was right after him to stop him.

“Severus,” Remus called out. “Where are you going?”

“I'm taking Harry out of here,” Severus looked incredulously at Remus.

“And where are you going to take him?” Sirius asked. “You're both safe here.”

“Are you completely insane, mutt,” Severus voice rose a little. “Don't you think I know who your secret-keeper is for this place? I knew it was a risk to bring him here, but I needed your help...”

“Yes,” Remus cutting Severus off. “You do. Both you and Harry. Well, let us help you.”

“He wants you, Severus,” Poppy said letting go of Sirius and laying back down.

“He wants me to return Harry,” Severus said. “I...”

Severus was cut off by the distinct sound of a apparition pop. They all looked towards the ceiling as the sound came from upstairs.”

“Where did you place the child?” Severus looked at Remus.

“Upstairs, first door on the right.”

Severus rushed out of the lounge and up the stairs. Remus was right behind him. Once they got to the room and opened it, did the two men take their first breaths again. Harry was still asleep on the bed. As the Potion Master looked around the room, trying to find where that apparition pop came from. He noticed that Tami was no where to be seen. His brow creased at not seeing his mother's elf. Harry started showing signs of waking up. Severus entered the room and sat on the end of the bed.

Harry stretched and saw his Professor sitting next to him. He didn't remember getting in the bed, but he really didn't care one way or the other. As long as he was near his professor, he was fine. Harry shook his head at the thought that he, in just a few short days, had grown accustomed to waking up and seeing the dour man. How much more comfortable he had been, and how he did not want to loose that feeling.

“Feeling better?” Severus drawled.

Harry nodded. He was about to sit up when he saw that he still had the bear locked in his arm. Embarrassment began to show on the boy's face.

“Oh now, calm down,” Severus said moving out of the way so that he could pull Harry's cover off of him. “You had a panic attack earlier. I had to calm you down.”

“I didn't want them to think I was a baby,” Harry whined not knowing that Remus was standing at the door.

Remus put his head down, hiding his smile at Harry's childish whining. So much that child has been through, Remus thought.

“No one thinks you're a baby,” Severus sounded bored. “Listen,” his voice became more serious. “There is something I need to tell you. Madam Pomfrey is downstairs.”

A smile graced the boy's lips. He really liked Madam Pomfrey. She was always motherly towards him. She reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. He always wanted to have someone to make a fuss over him. Sitting up, Severus handed him his glasses, and he saw that one they were not alone, that Remus was standing in the doorway, and the both of them had grave looks on their faces.

“What's wrong?” Harry's smile leaving his lips.

“She was attacked,” Remus said.

Harry looked from Severus to Remus, getting up from the bed. “Why? Why would someone attack her?”

Remus and Severus looked at each other, then Severus looked back at Harry.

Severus said, “Because of me.”

Harry looked over at his professor. “It wouldn't have happened if you were not helping me. Don't think I forgot that the Headmaster wants me back with my relatives.” Harry lowered his head and sighed. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew it would probably be for the best. Even though, the past couple of days have been peaceful, Harry knew that peace and nice was never in his cards. It was a wonderful dream, but it was time to wake up. Besides, him going back meant that no one else would be hurt.

“Harry,” Severus looked at the boy standing in front of him.

Harry lifted his head and looked at his professor, making eye contact.

“Take me back.”

“Harry, no,” Remus said walking over to Harry. “There are other ways. You don't have to go back to that.”

Harry's eyes never left Severus'. Severus knew why Harry said that, and he couldn't help the feelings of pride and respect for Harry. Maybe the dour wizard was feeling more for the brat. Severus made Harry a promise that he would not be taken back to his relatives. By Harry asking to be taken back and not being forced the way Albus wanted, Harry was taking the choice out of Severus' hands.

Severus knew that he would eventually have to take Harry back to those vile people before the week let out. And now the child standing in front of him, just made it easier for him to do that. But he wouldn't leave him unprotected.

“Severus,” Remus yelled. “You can not actually be considering taking Harry back there.”

“No,” Severus said, still looking at Harry. “You are.” He looked up at the werewolf.

“Me?!”

“Yes,” Severus said, standing up and facing Remus. “And you are going to have a long talk with the male Dursley.”

“If you think I'm going to let you take my godson out of here, you're very much mistaken.”

Severus sighed and turned towards the door. Sirius was standing at the door with his arms folded.

“Yes, you are,” Severus drawled out. “Because you are going with him. And you are staying with your precious godson.”

Astounding looks were all that Severus was getting. Sirius was dumbfounded. Remus was trying to work it all in his head. And Harry was looking at his professor with a gleam in his eyes.

“You didn't think,” Severus said, looking at Harry with his hand on his shoulder, “that I would have you taken there and not protected you. Silly child.”

Severus walked out of the room and went back downstairs to check on the only other Slytherin in the house. No one was there to witness the small smile that was on the dour man's face as he made his way back down to the lounge. Once there, he began working on Poppy, bandaging her eyes. A moment later, the three Gryffindors walked into the room and the four of them plotted and planned on taking Harry back to his relatives and keeping him safe while the medi-witch rested.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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

Enjoy! :)

Chapter 24

Harry was walking from Arabella's house. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He took several deep breaths as he walked across the street. One thing for sure he was happy that he wasn't alone. On either side of him, were his dad's best friends. Even though he was happy that they were with him, the one thing that actually gave him peace of mind was that he knew standing in the window at Mrs. Figg's house was his dour Potion Master. He hated that he had to leave his side. But Sirius would stay by his side the entire time.

Standing in the window, Severus watched at the unlikely crew walked across the street to Number 4. It took quite a bit of convincing Remus to not bring harm to the male Dursley when he had his talk. But if everything went the way that Severus planned, then he knew Harry would be safe even if he had to stay under the roof of those vile muggles. But Severus was not a stupid man, and he would not be a good spy if he did not have a contingency plan. That was where Sirius came in. It didn't take much to convince the animagus on what he had to do and it also seemed to put the boy at ease as well. Even though Harry had initially asked to be taken back, he did not fool the Head of Slytherin. Severus knew that once Remus left, things would just go back to being the way it was or even worse. This was the contingency plan. Sirius would stay with Harry. Twenty-four seven. He would not leave the boy's side. He would have to stay as a dog while he did it, but Harry would no longer fear anyone coming into his room to beat him. He would not have to worry about being attacked from behind. With having Sirius there, Harry would be ensured a safe holiday. Even if it was without the Potions Master. Not that he would say it aloud, but if he was to truly protect Harry, he knew he couldn't do it behind bars in Azkaban.

As the three walked across the street, both Remus and Snuffles could tell that Harry was nervous. Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed a little and Snuffles brushed his head by Harry's hand. Harry really appreciated what they were doing. He rubbed behind Snuffles' ear while leaning into the touch from Remus.

Once in front of the door, Harry knocked. When the door swung open, Harry instinctively took a step back not knowing that Remus was right behind him.

“Well,” Dudley said. “I thought you ran away. That's what I told dad.”

“May we come in?” the sultry voice came from behind Harry.

Seeing his cousin, Harry quickly forgot that his godfather and Remus were with him, but a small squeeze on his shoulder seemed to relax the child.

“Who are you?” Dudley snapped. “And that dog can't come in.”

Snuffles made a slight growl and pushed his way passed the teenager at the door and walked into the house. Harry couldn't help the smile that came across his lips seeing Sirius walk in the house. It didn't take long for the rest of the house notice the intruder. A scream and a broken dish later and Dudley was actually starting to look nervous.

“I think it would be in your best interest to let us in.”

Harry just looked at his cousin. A second later he stepped aside and allowed the two entrance.

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Severus watched the entire exchange from the window. When Sirius left Harry's side and barged his way into the house, Severus was tempted to rush out there to Harry's side, but he could see that the wolf had a hold on Harry so he stayed put. Once the door closed and Harry was inside the house, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest that he had never felt before. Could he actually start caring for Harry Potter? If that question was asked of him last week, he knew the answer would be a definite no, but now, he really couldn't say. He had seen much in the child that had started to change his view point of the boy.

Not caring where Arabella was in the house, Severus made his way to the hearth and Floo'ed back to Grimmauld Place. When he got to the lounge, he saw that Poppy was still in the same place she was when they left. He walked over to her, cast a feather-weight charm on her, and very carefully, he picked up the medi-witch. She began to stir in his arms, her head leaning against his shoulder.

“It's just me, Poppy,” Severus soothed. “I'm taking you to St. Mungo's.”

“Severus,” Poppy words slurred from her mouth.

“I've done all I can with your eyes,” Severus explained as he walked towards the hearth. Cradling Poppy to his chest, he maneuvered her in a way that he could get a handful of Floo powder and dropped it in the hearth calling out, “St. Mungo's Emergency.”

With a flash of green, the Potion Master and the medi-witch were gone.

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The tension in the house was extremely high. Vernon and Petunia sat on the sofa. Petunia's face was drained of color from her anger over a dog not only in her living room, but walking around on top of the furniture.

Vernon, on the other hand, was so angry that he was no longer red. He was turning a deep shade of purple. Harry looking at his uncle in almost amazement. He'd only seen his uncle get that angry once before, and the outcome for Harry was less than stellar. A week of no food. Two weeks of extra chores. But what hurt the most was the nightly beatings from his uncle during that whole time. Not only was he weak from not having food, and tired from all the chores he had to do, by the time he got to his room at night, thinking that he just wanted sleep, well, that didn't happen. Not as long as Vernon had anything to say about it. The first night was the worst. It felt like he beat Harry the entire night. Harry didn't remember if he passed out or they never let him sleep. He just knew that he was in pain the entire day after.

Snuffles gave a small whine causing Remus to look over at Harry. The wolf saw that Harry was lost in a memory or something unpleasant, because of the look of hurt and anguish on his face. Remus walked over to Harry, placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and leaned down by his ear.

“Harry,” Remus whispered in his ear. “Harry, you are not there any more. We won't let anything else happen to you. I will make sure of that. It will be alright.”

Remus continued to calm Harry down. Vernon, loosing the last of his patience, decided he had enough of the freaks in his house. At first, he was furious when Dudley told him that Harry was missing, but as the night passed along and it became a day, then two, Vernon started to really enjoy and love the idea of that freak not being there anymore. Finally when the Dursleys thought that they can get their lives back to normal, the little bastard came back and knocked on the door like he was welcomed here. The senior Dursley got up and waddled over to Remus and Harry, not knowing that Snuffles was also making his way over to them.

Remus, continuing soothingly talking to Harry, trying to calm him down, saw the male Dursley get up and walk towards them. Without changing the tone of his voice towards Harry, he quickly grabbed the wrist of the arm that was coming towards Harry's head. Harry was completely oblivious to what was happening, but Remus was looking at Vernon Dursley.

Dursley, thinking he was going to catch them by surprise, was surprised himself at the lightning speed that this man standing next to the freak possessed. Now the man is looking at me, Vernon thought. Then he saw something that made him re-think what he was about to do. He could have sworn he saw the eyes of the man in front of him turn colors. It went from brown to amber. He paled looking at that.

“Harry,” Remus said, his eyes not leaving Vernon. “Why don't you take Snuffles up to your room? Get some rest.”

Harry didn't acknowledge what was going on around him, but he felt a shaggy head under his hand. Very slowly, he began to rub the head, and with a small whine from the dog, Harry looked up at Remus.

“Go to your room and rest, Harry,” Remus said.

Harry nodded and headed upstairs. Snuffles followed. Remus watched the boy and dog walk upstairs, when he knew that Harry was out of listening range, the wolf turned back to the man next to him.

“Let's talk,” Remus growled.

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Severus stepped out of the Floo at St. Mungo's carrying his friend at his chest. A healer that was standing near the Floo when Severus emerged walked up to the Potion Master and helped him with Poppy. The healers worked on the medi-witch for an hour before placing her in a room. Once they got Poppy settled in a room, Severus sat with next to his friend.

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The door opened and they walked in. Aberforth canceled the shield keeping his prisoners to one side of the room. Both of his prisoners were asleep. Not comfortable, but trying to rest. Once the barrier came down the curses flew. They hit their mark of the half giant. Minerva woke up to Hagrid grunting in pain. She looked up just in time to be grabbed by the arms and lifted off the floor by Fenrir Greyback.

He slammed her into the wall behind her.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Hagrid yelled.

“Shut up,” he growled. Fenrir moved closer towards Minerva. “I know things about your precious son.”

“What does this have to do with Severus?” Minerva struggled in his grasp.

“He thinks he's better than us,” Fenrir growled.

“He is better than you,” Minerva said proudly.

Fenrir stepped back and pulled his arm back to hit the Transfiguration professor.

“NO!” Hagrid tried to move against his bonds. “Leave her...”

“Stop,” Aberforth growled. “She is not to be harmed.”

The werewolf got close to Minerva again. “You're lucky they need you.”

“Whatever you are doing, Severus will not go with you.”

“Well,” Aberforth said walking up to Minerva and Hagrid. “It's a shame you won't remember this. Stupefy.”

A red beam came from Aberforth's wand and hit both Hagrid and Minerva. Minerva, who was still standing fell against the wall and slid down, unconscious.

“Obliviate.”

Aberforth walked up to the two unconscious forms on the floor, then said to Greyback, “Take them where it was planned, so that a message can be left.” He walked out of the room.

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Severus had been sitting in the room with Poppy for what seemed like hours. It probably wasn't that long ago that he sat down in the chair, but with everything that was going on, there were other stuff that was on Snape's mind. With Harry now in the capable hands, the only thing on his mind was his mother. Not knowing was the hard part.

Putting his hand over Poppy's and squeezing it a little, Severus got up and walked out of the room to stretch his legs for a minute.

Severus walked the halls aimlessly. Not really looking around. He was just thinking. He crossed the front of St. Mungo's and turned to go back.

“Severus.”

It was low and tired sounding, but Severus knew without turning around who's voice that was.

Minerva looked tired. Her hair, that was normally kept in a tight bun in the back of her head was no loose past her shoulders. Her robes were dirty. Severus turned and looked at his Minnie.

“Mother,” Severus slowly walked over towards her.

She wrapped her arms around her son's neck as he pulled her into an embrace. Severus Snape didn't usually show emotion, but after the fear of not know where his mother was and now seeing her, he did not care who saw.

“Severus, what happened?” Minerva mumbled in his shoulder.

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Tami popped into a room. There were trinkets on shelves that covered the walls. There was a big desk that sat in the middle of the room with a perch behind it.

“Ah, Tami.”

Tami looked up at who was talking, fear showing in her eyes. For whatever he wanted, it was not going to be good.

“Let's have a discussion, shall we?” he said, sitting behind his desk looking down at the frightened house elf.

TBC

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 25. I really hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 25

Harry closed the door after Snuffles walked in the room. He walked over to the tattered bed and sat down dejectedly. The black dog walked over towards the boy and laid his head on the child's lap, whining ever so lightly. Harry absentmindedly rubbed the dog's head, his blank stare not moving from its spot.

Sirius knew his godson needed some comfort, and what he was about to do would be very risky, but he couldn't just sit there and watch his godson wallow in his own depression in the dark crevices of his mind. He moved his head from the boy's lap and walked back over to the door. Putting his ear to the door, he could hear Remus talking to the relatives, so he concluded it should be safe. Sirius transformed to himself and transfigured a lock for the door and made sure it was securely fastened to keep out unwanted guests.

Harry made no indication that he noticed Sirius standing in front of him. Sirius sat down next to Harry and, not saying a word, wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. For the first time, Harry leaned into the embrace with his godfather. Neither one said a word; they just sat quietly.

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Hagrid walked aimlessly through the forest. He didn't know where he was or where he was going. Honestly, the half-giant had a problem remembering the last few days. He remembered he was going out to feed Fang, but everything else was a blank.

As the half-giant continued on his trek, things around him started to look familiar. The Forbidden Forest. How did he get here? Hagrid did not even remember going into the forest. Once he got to the clearing, he couldn't believe what he saw. His house was gone. There was nothing left. The only thing that was there was a large wreath.

“Fang!” the half-giant called out. “Fang, come here, boy. Come on you mangy mutt!”

Hagrid's throat began to tighten. His breathing began to speed up.

This was not right, Hagrid thought. Fang should be here.'

“FANG! FANG!”

Hagrid walked up to where his house use to stand. His massive feet crumbled the charred remains of his house. While walking through the debris, he heard a distinctive sound. A sound that broke his heart in two. He looked down under his foot and saw what was remained of Fang's collar. His tag only slightly charred from whatever happened. Tears began to pool in his eyes as he came to the realization that his trusted friend and companion was gone.

The half-giant began to cry as he brought the burnt leash to his face.

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Fenrir was sitting at the table. Aberforth walked up from the doorway.

“So did you do it?” Aberforth asked sitting down across from the werewolf.

“Yeah,” the werewolf answered. “It's done. One is on his way back to Hogwarts and the other is on her way to St. Mungo's.”

“And you put the devices on them both?”

Fenrir nodded his head as he drank from the goblet in front of him. “They're charmed so that they will go off at the same time.”

“Wonderful,” Aberforth said sitting back in the chair. “Now, there is one more place I need for you to go to?”

Fenrir looked at the man across from him with anticipation.

“Number 12 Grimmauld.”

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After everything that happened in the past few days, Severus felt absolutely elated to have his mother in his arms.

“Severus, what happened?” mumbled into his shoulder.

Severus pulled his mother from his arms and held her at arms length, and truly looked at her. Her clothes were dirty. Her hair was a mess. Her eyes were dark and sunken in.

“You don't remember?” Severus looked at her incredulously. She shook her head.

“What is the last thing you remember?”

Minerva looked up then back at her son with a small smile on her face. She reached up and cupped his face, “I am so proud of you.”

Severus' brow creased.

“Arabella told me that she never saw you, and Tami knew where you were. You had Harry that entire time, didn't you?”

Severus eyed his adoptive mother, but nodded.

“Where is Harry now?”

“Safe.”

“Severus,” Minerva began to get worried by the way her son was looking at her.

“You've been gone for two days. Someone took you.”

Minerva stepped back from him and tried to remember the last two days. Two days. She had been missing for two days.

“Severus,” Minerva looked up at him. “Why are you here?”

“Poppy was....”

A healer walked over towards the two wizards cutting Severus off as he spoke.

“Excuse me,” the healer said. “I'm sorry to interrupt, but Madam, you need to come with me now.”

“What's going on?” Severus demanded.

“I'm sorry,” the healer said reaching out and grabbing hold of Minerva's arm. “We need to go now.”

Severus and Minerva looked at each other. For the first time, Severus saw pure fear in his mother's eyes.

“Severus,” Minerva gasped out as she was pulled away from her son.

The healer and Minerva began walking down the hall, but Severus wasn't letting her out of his sight again. He followed.

“What is this about?” Minerva asked, while she was being manhandled down the corridor.

“Our wards are going off,” The healer explained. “There is something foreign on your person that could be a danger to everyone here.”

Minerva's eyes got large. She turned her head behind her to see Severus was right behind them. After a few minutes the trio of wizards made there way to a secluded room. As the healer entered with Minerva, he then turned to Severus as to stop him from entering.

“You may not want to enter,” the healer said only to be the recipient of a glare that usually made some seventh year students cower in fear. “Fine, but you need to stand back. I don't know what we are dealing with.”

Severus and Minerva exchanged glances as the healer left out of the room.

“Floo-call an auror; have them come here immediately. Get Healer Williams down here as well! Hurry!”

The medi-witch rushed to get done what was ordered, as the healer walked back in the room.

“Please forgive me for this, but it has to be done.”

“What is going on?” Minerva asked. Fear laced in her voice.

“With the rise of terror attacks in London and across the world, the Prime Minster insisted on there being precautions placed on Muggle hospitals. And since he's about the only Muggle that has no ties with the wizarding world, but knows about us he insisted that the Minster of Magic do the same. There are new wards that were placed on the hospital a few months back. The warding went off in the administrator’s office, I'm assuming, when you came inside the hospital.”

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. The healer rushed to open it. On the other side, were Healer Williams and two aurors, Kingsley and Tonks.

“Professor McGonagall,” Tonks said.

“Nymphadora,” Minerva gasped out.

Healer Williams walked over to Minerva with his wand out. He cast a form of diagnostic spell with a distinctive wand movement.

“Professor McGonagall,” Healer Williams' voice was calm. “I am Healer Williams. There seems to be a volatile device on your robes.” Minerva gasped. “I want you to very slowly take your robe off.”

Minerva and Severus looked at each other. Very slowly, she did as instructed.

___0000________0000________0000________0000________0000_______0000______0000_______

Remus walked back to Number 12. It has been a very tiring and mentally exhausting day for the wolf. Having to talk to those blasted Muggles really drained him. He was really happy that it wasn't a full moon. He didn't think his body could take the abuse of transforming after the stress he went through today.

“Let's talk,” growled Remus.

The whale of a man's color seem to drain almost immediately. With force, Remus let go of Vernon's wrist and walked over to the chair and sat down.

“You will leave this house, sir,” Vernon said. His voice not as harsh as it once was.

“No,” Remus said. “I don't think I will. Not yet. There are a few things that need to be said before I leave.”

“If you think I'm going to allow you freaks to stay in this...” Vernon was cut off by a hand to his throat.

“It would be in your best interest to sit down and listen,” Remus' voice was calm, but his eyes showed that the wolf was trying to come through.

Vernon took a tentative step back when Remus released him.

“Now sit.” Remus' voice left no room for argument.

Vernon sat next to his wife who had been silenced by fear when Remus grabbed Vernon.

“Now,” Remus began. “You were charged with watching over my cub, as I have been unable. But that does not mean that I am unwilling to defend him if so necessary. Now, I have learned that you have not been taking your task rightfully. As a matter of fact, you have been abusing that task as well as my cub. I am here to let you know that stops now. You will not lay a hand on Harry. You WILL leave him alone.” Vernon looked like he was about to object when Remus held up his hand. “Please understand me, you will not touch Harry in a manner that is not a loving embrace that he should receive from his relatives. Do not delude yourselves in thinking that just because I am not around that I will not know that you are hurting him. Believe me, I will know. And if you do hurt him again, you will make me very angry. And the last thing you want is to make me angry. Now, I wish you a very pleasant afternoon.”

Remus left the two of them shaking in fear.

Remus walked into the house and headed to his room. He would never understand why Severus thought it would be a good idea for him to be the one to talk to the Dursleys and not him. He understood Sirius not doing it, as volatile as he could get when it came to Harry, but it was really hard trying to keep the wolf at bay while he talked to those vile creatures.

He sat on the edge of his bed, laid back and closed his eyes. His eyes popped open to a strange sound. Remus got up and walked to where the sound was coming from and saw that Hedwig was still in the lounge.

How did we forget you? Remus wondered.

“Come on, girl,” Remus held out his arm. “Let's take you back to Harry.”

Remus walked over to the hearth and through floo powder in the fire. “Arabella Figg.”

Like many times before, Remus through in the powder and then walked through, but something went wrong when he stepped in the floo. Just as the flames turned green, the house around him exploded. He was knocked off of his feet. He landed unconsciously on Arabella's floor. Hedwig came through with such force that it took her a second to regain her flight before she hit the wall.

Arabella screamed as her floo flared and debris and dust covered her living room.

___________0000__________0000___________0000__________0000_________0000____________

Minerva slowly pulled off her robe and Healer Williams quickly took it from her. He walked over to a corner of the room and quickly worked on the robe to try and disarm the device that was on there. Once the robe was off, Severus was at Minerva's side.

Everyone in the room watched with bated breath as the healer worked. The tension was so high in the room that it was hard to breathe. After a few moments the healer straightened up and turned to the other witches and wizards in the room.

“It's disarmed,” Healer William sighed.

Minerva put her head down and took a breath. Severus put his arm around her.

“Professor,” Healer William said, walking over to the mother and son. “I would like to keep you here and run a few tests on you.”

Minerva, shaking profusely, nodded.

__________________0000__________0000____________0000___________0000_____000________

Hagrid, still filled with grief, slowly walked towards the school. He couldn't believe that his beloved dog was dead. He was walking through the courtyard towards the front door, when there was an explosion and he was thrown through the front doors of the school. Blood and debris were everywhere.

TBC

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 26. I really hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 26

Sirius held Harry until his breathing evened out.

“You want to talk about it?” Sirius whispered.

“I-I don't think I can do this,”Harry gasped out. “I don't want to be here.”

“I know, pup. But this was the only way. Just remember what Snape and Moony said. If you say that, everything will be fine.”

Harry sighed. “I just don't know.”

“And anyway,” Sirius interjected. “I'll be there. I will be right by you. And if you have any problems or if those bastards try anything, Snuffles will be right there to stop them. Know that.”

“Okay, Sirius. Thanks.”

Sirius stayed in his human form most of the night holding Harry. Before changing back to his dog animagus, he removed the magical lock on the door. The next morning, Harry woke up to Snuffles' head on his chest. A small smile graced the child's lips. He felt better than he had in a long time. He tried to get up, but the weight of the big black dog's head really had him pinned to the bed. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at this, but knew that he would have to get up soon to make breakfast.

“Come on, Snuffles,” Harry chuckled. “I have to get up.”

The next thing he was met with were a pair of paws barely missing his face as the black dog stretched on top of him. Snuffles jumped off Harry's bed the minute he was done stretching, then he started pacing around the room and whining. Harry quickly got out of the bed and the both child and dog went downstairs. Harry opened the back door to let Snuffles out and then he began breakfast.

Harry was into making breakfast; eggs, kippers, toast, and tea. Snuffles was laying on the floor behind his godson. He really hoped that his relatives would leave him alone. Thirty minutes into him cooking, Harry began to hear the noises of his relatives waking up. The table was being set up with the last of breakfast when the senior Dursley came into the kitchen. Harry's heart was beating hard. He didn't know how this breakfast was going to go, so he stood back a little from the table. Snuffles saw the tension in the boy and whined a little then stood by the boy nudging his head under Harry's hand. Absentmindedly, Harry softly scratched behind Snuffles' ear. Vernon walked in the kitchen and sat down.

“I see you decided to make yourself useful,” Vernon sneered.
“Good morning, Uncle Vernon,” Harry responded.

Vernon snorted at the boy. Snuffles made his presence know by growling at the male Dursley. Vernon looked down at the dog and his face sneered more. Harry thought he would have a fit at that moment, and his uncle did not disappoint.

“Why is that dog in the kitchen?” Vernon yelled.

Before Harry could respond, Snuffles left the boy's side and pounced on Vernon. Between the weight of the dog and the man, the chair could not take it and collapsed on its side. The dog had his paws on Vernon's shoulders and pinned him to the floor. Vernon tried and failed to get the dog off of him. Harry looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but laugh, feeling his tension melt away.

This is going to be awesome having Snuffles here, Harry thought amusingly.

In the midst of tirades that Vernon was spewing out of his mouth, Snuffles heard his godson laugh. Truly laugh. If a dog could smile, he would be grinning ear to ear at that sound. To Snuffles, that was the only sound in the room: Harry's laughter.

Petunia rushed downstairs to see what the commotion was. When she entered the kitchen, Petunia instantly started screaming at the sight of this huge black dog looking like it was attacking her husband and standing by the stove, was that 'Freak' laughing about it.

“See, I knew you were no good,” Petunia yelled over the screams of her husband, pointing her finger at Harry.

Harry sobered up from laughing immediately. He looked at her and for the first time he wasn't afraid. For he knew if he said something back, he would not be hit from behind.

“I didn't do anything,” Harry said.

“Get that filthy beast off of my husband!” demanded Petunia.

Harry looked at her then over at the scene that made him laugh. He looked back at Petunia and a small smirk came across his lips.

“I'll get him off,” a new found defiance came across Harry. “On one condition.”

The fury that Petunia had on her face completely left and for the first time, since her sister's friend, that wretched Snape, threatened her with magic, she felt fear in her own house. She knew that whatever the boy was going to say she was not going to like it.

“I'll get my dog off of Uncle Vernon,” Harry began. “But, I have a few conditions. You will leave me alone. I am not your servant. I will help out around here, but I won't do everything.”

Snuffles long since stopped trying to nip at Vernon's face, for he wanted Vernon to hear what his godson had to say. Snuffles knew that this was a long time coming and he was going to make sure that they heard what he had to say.

“You will stop hitting me,” Harry continued. “I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me here, but I have to stay. And if you stay out of my way, I won't let Snuffles here eat you.”

“Alright, fine,” Vernon struggled out. “Just get this bloody dog off of me.”

A smile of pure defiance came across The-Boy-Who-Lived. “I think I'm going to go for a morning walk.” He walked passed his aunt and out of the kitchen.

“BOY!” bellowed Vernon.

Harry turned back around and came back into the kitchen. Anger boiling over Harry. Harry walked over to where Vernon and Snuffles were on the floor and knelt down.

“My name is Harry,” Harry whispered. “You will stop calling me 'Freak', 'Boy', or any other name that is not Harry.”

Harry stood up and walked out again. Once he got to the front door, he called out for Snuffles to come. Snuffles tried to nip at Vernon one more time before getting off. He walked over to the table of food, stood on his hind legs and grabbed the biggest kipper of the platter and walked out of the kitchen.

For the first time, Harry really felt good. He told his relatives what was on his mind and he really loved what his godfather did to his uncle. They walked as he ate half of the kipper that Snuffles stole off the table. Snuffles ate the other half before they started walking.

They found themselves back at the park. Harry looked at the swing that he was sitting on a few days ago and remembered how sad and depressed he was. He remembered all those feelings. As he sat back on the swing, Snuffles right in front of him, he couldn't help the happiness and joy that he was feeling now. But there was something else he was feeling. He was missing his Potion Professor. It had been only a day since he wasn't in Professor Snape's presence and he was missing him. Harry shook his head at the mere thought of missing his professor, and if someone told him three weeks ago that he would miss the dour man, he would actually laugh in that person's face. But now, he did miss him.

Snuffles noticed the feeling changed around his godson and faced the child. He noticed that Harry was longing for something, but he wasn't in the same state he was in last night when he comforted him. Harry looked like he was missing something. Snuffles was about to face his godson, when he heard footsteps coming closer. His ears became alert and a low growl escaped the dog alerting Harry.

Harry saw Dudley and his gang of friends coming towards him. Even though he told his aunt and uncle how things were going to be, he did not really want to deal with Dudley's gang. Snuffles stood in front of Harry. A low growl could be heard from the black dog. The boys walked up taunting Harry, but Sirius was in search of just one of them. He waited to see which one would show him what he was looking for.

“Listen to me,” Severus said pulling Sirius to the side. “Keep your eyes on Harry and protect him.”

“I know how to take care of my godson, Snivellous,” growled Sirius.

“Yeah, sure,”Severus dismissed the name. “There is a child I want you to watch for. He has done something to Harry. Something that has that boy trembling in fear at night.”

“What are you telling me?”

“There is someone making Harry feel uncomfortable.”

Realization of what Severus was saying appeared on Sirius' face.

“You don't mean, that someone....”

“He says nothing's happened, but it doesn't change the fear that I saw in his eyes when I asked the question. Look, I don't like you, but I'm entrusting you to use the hatred you have for me and the love you have for that child and protect him from that person.”

“Consider that person dead,” Sirius said.

“Don't kill them,” Severus admonished. “Harry is still going to need you later on. Just scare them.”

Sirius nodded.

“Do I have your word?” Severus asked.

“You have my Wizarding Oath that I will protect Harry with my life.”

Severus nodded. He was about to walk away when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked down at the hand and then back to Sirius.

“I want you to do the same,” Sirius declared.

Without delay Severus looked at Sirius, “You have my Wizarding Oath that I will protect Harry Potter with my life.”

Snuffles watched as the boys tried to surround him and Harry. But Harry got up from the swing and stood next to his black dog. The boys came up and Snuffles looked at all of them. And just as he thought, the one he was looking for was standing next to Harry.

Harry didn't like him standing so close to him. Snuffles barked.

“So, Freak,” Dudley started. “Where did you get the mangy dog from?”

Before Harry could even answer, again just like at breakfast Snuffles pounced. This time, though, actively biting Dudley's hand. Dudley screamed and fell back to the ground after the attack. Snuffles barked again and the boys turned on their heel and ran off. Snuffles chasing after them, but didn't miss the laughter he again heard from his godson.

Snuffles chased the boys down the road. They all got into their minds that they would split up. This pleased the black dog even more, because the one that he wanted was running down an alley way, alone. He could tell the boy was getting tired, but because of his form of being a dog, Sirius' endurance was much better than this boy's. When he saw the boy run to a dumpster and lean against it, he knew it was really time to have some fun.

Stealthily, Sirius crept to the other side of the dumpster and transformed back to his human self. He walked around the bin and was upon the boy before he knew what happened. He gripped the boy shirt and slammed him against the wall behind him.

“Who...who are...you?” the boy wheezed out. He was still trying to catch his breath from running and the breath he did recover left from him out of shear fright of this strange man grabbing hold of him and pinning him to the wall.

“You know Harry Potter,” Sirius said. His voice was surprisingly calm.

The boy nodded.

“You will stay away from him. You will not come near him again. Whatever you have in your mind to do with him, you had better change it. Harry is NOT interested. Don't make me come back here again. Tell your friends: Harry is off limits.”

The only response Sirius got was the sound of water hitting the pavement below. Sirius looked down and saw that the boy had wet himself. He moved closer to the boy's ear and whispered, “I do not want to have to see you again. I will be watching.”

He then let go of the boy and walked off. Once he knew he was out of sight, Sirius transformed back to a dog and went back to Harry, who was actually swinging on the swing with a content smile on his face.

TBC

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 27. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 27

Night had fallen and Sirius transformed back to himself. He looked at his godson as he slept. Today was a positive day for him. He stood up to his relatives and his cousin's friends learned that it would be a bad idea if they were to harm Harry again. When they returned back to Number 4 Privet Drive, Harry was talking about everything that happened. He was proud of himself, and that made Sirius happy, but he noticed there was a longing that Harry was displaying. He knew Harry wanted Snape.

Harry longing for Snape was a hard pill to swallow. He was the child's godfather. Not Snape. But that's who Harry wanted. Sirius looked at Harry one more time, then went to the boy's trunk and pulled out his Invisibility cloak.

He knew it would probably be a bad idea if he left, but he knew that to make his godson happy he would do whatever he needed. And what he needed was bloody Snape.

_________0000____________0000___________0000____________00000_________00000________

Minerva was lying in the bed resting comfortably under Severus' watchful eyes. Looking at his adopted mother, Severus couldn't believe that someone would try to kill her. Who would put an explosive device in her robes? That thought alone infuriated the potion master, because he knew whoever this witch or wizard was, they were trying to make a statement.

“Do you not remember what happened?” Healer Williams asked after putting Minerva's robes in a plastic container.

“I do not,” Minerva answered. “I don't even remember how I got here. I-I just remember being at Hogwarts and...and then I'm here.”

Severus standing next to Minerva with his hand on her shoulder for support. Minerva reached up and squeezed his fingers. She may not remember where she was for the past two days, but she knew that if Severus Snape was reaching out for her then that meant that he was worried. And that worried her because her adopted son was never one to show any kind of emotion when others were around.

Healer Williams waved his wand and cast a intricate diagnostic spell on Minerva. This particular diagnostic would show what curses, spells or charms that have been cast on a witch or wizard.

A small parchment began to form with the results. It wasn't long, but what was on there gave the healer mixed feelings. The first that was shown was a parenting charm. Healer Williams looked up and looked at the pair standing across from them. He knew that both were Professors at Hogwarts, but what he didn't know, that he just learned, was that they were mother and son. A faint smile crept the healer's lips. Then when the final spell showed on the parchment, the ghost of a smile was gone.

Severus, who was very adept in reading faces, noticed there was something that was bothering the healer.

“What did you find?” Severus asked.

Minerva instantly stiffened with worry.

“It appears that you've had a charm put on you for several years now,” Healer Williams announced. Since the room was not private he did not say what the charm was but looking at Minerva, he knew she was well aware of that particular charm. “The others were curses that were cast within the last several days.”

Minerva's hand tightened around her son's fingers.

“You were hit with the Stupefy curse twice, and the Oblivate curse.”

Tonks gasped at what was said. “Who would do that?” Though no one answered.

“So,” Healer Williams continued. “You wouldn't remember what happened. Now, because the Stupefy curse was done at a very close range I would like to keep you here to make sure that there was no damage done.” Minerva silently nodded. “I'll bring a medi-witch in here and we can get you into a room.”

Severus stayed by Minerva side the entire time. The door opened to the room, but Severus did not hear the usual footsteps of the healer or the medi-witch. With the flick of his wrist, his wand was in his hand. He did not move so that he could give the element of surprise for whomever dared enter this room. When nothing was said, Severus turned and looked around, but saw nothing, then a blurry figure came to be in the middle of the room.

Sirius emerged from the Invisibility cloak and could not help the smirk at the look he was getting from the Potion Master's face.

“Why the bloody hell are you here?” Severus fumed the minute he got his voice. To say he was surprised that the mutt was standing in the room was an understatement. But if he was here then that meant no one was protecting Harry.

“We need to talk,” Sirius said walking over to the opposite side of the bed.

“If your here, then who's with Harry?” Severus asked, through clenched teeth.

“Don't worry,” Sirius waved his hand. “Between what Moony said to those Muggles and what happened this morning, I don't think they will be bothering Harry anytime soon.”

Sirius' caviler attitude about the situation just infuriated Severus more.

“You bloody mutt,” Severus fumed. “Harry is more worried about what his relatives will do to him while he's asleep in his room than when he's awake.”

“Then I guess it was a good thing that I put a magical lock on his door before I left.”

Severus had to admit that was clever, but he would never tell the mutt that.

“Why are you here?” Severus asked again.

“It's about Harry,” Sirius sighed. “He misses you.”

Of everything that could have come out of Sirius' mouth, hearing that Harry Potter, who has been in the presence of his dogfather this entire day, missing the bloody bat from the dungeons, was not something Severus expected to hear.

“Here,” Sirius continued. “Take this and go see him.”

The animagus reached over the bed and handed Severus the Invisibility cloak.

“Look,” Sirius sounded defeated. “This is not easy for me because I don't like you. But Harry does and he misses those few days you spent together.”

Severus looked at Sirius and took the cloak. He looked down at the cloth in his hands. This one object has been the source of his headaches when he was in school both as a student and a professor. James and Sirius would prank and bully him while he was in school. And when Albus gave Harry the cloak as a Christmas present, the headaches began again, because he couldn't protect the child if he was going around the castle trying to get that blasted stone with that cloak. Him and his bloody friends.

Severus slightly shook his thought from the memory to look at his nemesis across from him. The last thing he wanted to admit was that the child has weaseled his way through his heart.

“Do not leave this room.”

“I'm not suppose to be here.”

Severus wandlessly cast a protection charm over his adopted mother, wrapped the cloak around himself and left the room.

Sirius lowered his head when he saw the dungeon bat disappear. As much as he did not want to do this, he knew it was the right thing to do. He also knew that Harry would love to see him, and if Sirius wanted to do right by Harry, he would have to swallow his pride and get his godson what he needed.

“Sirius.”

Sirius lifted up his head to see his Head-of-House looking at him, and for the first time she didn't have the look of wanting to string him up by his toes on her face.

“Professor,” Sirius said. He couldn't help sounding like he was still in school.

“I'm very proud of what you just did. I heard everything that was said. For the first time, you've thought of others first other than yourself. It is a very becoming trait. I hope you embrace that side of you more. You have a big heart and you are loyal to a fault.” Minerva sat up to get more comfortable on the bed and then continued. “You always thought that just because you were placed in Gryffindor that you were different from your family. Being put in different houses does not determine that. What makes you stand out from your family is the ability to do what is right for everyone involved and not what is just right for you. Houses mean nothing. It's the friendships and relationships for one another that has the most meaning. If Remus was in Ravenclaw, would you have loved him as a brother any less? Do not let prejudice of the Houses define you. With your loyalty and Severus' cunning ability, you two would make a formidable team that no one could break apart. Because Harry is going to need both of you when the time comes.”

___________00000_____________0000__________0000___________0000_______0000__________

Filius was always the only professor that never went home during the Summer months. Yes, Minerva and Severus would stay most of the time, but they too went home for at least a few weeks out of the summer.

This particular day, the Charms Professor decided to take a leisurely walk through the forest. Because of his small stature, there were many places he could go to that were not easily assessable to his colleagues. It was these places that Filius found to be very tranquil. He would go to his secluded spot in the forest with a good book and his favorite drink and just relax and get himself lost in the words of the story his was reading that day.

On his way back to the castle, he saw something that made the small wizard draw his wand. The bridge that he normally took to and from the castle was destroyed. He wasn't worried that he would be stranded or trapped for he knew of another way in, but he did not like the fact that when he left that morning everything was just fine and now chaos.

It took him a little bit to walk around til he got to the main entrance, and when he did, things were even worse there.

The front door was in complete rubble. Very slowly, the Charms Professor made his way towards the door. When he got there, he could not believe what he saw. Hagrid was laying amongst the rubble as if dead. Filius was not a certified healer, but he did know how to do a simple diagnostic charm.

Once he did the charm and the parchment started to fill up, the first thing that the wizard looked at with a huge sigh of relief. Hagrid was alive, but he was extremely hurt.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A special thanks to my beta The Lonely God With a Box. Awesome job as ever.

A/N: Here is chapter 28. I hope that you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 28

Arabella's week had been an eventful one. She had not had this many callers in the thirteen years she has been living on Privet Drive. First the unsuspected call from Severus carrying an unconscious Harry. Then, Minerva stopping by. The look on her friend's face broke Arabella's heart. She really thought she was doing so good following Albus' order of watching the house, but after learning Harry's state when Severus performed the diagnostic charm, she had no excuse for her failure. She had let Minerva down. She had let that sweet boy down. Severus was right. She only had one job to do: watch over Harry. How could she ever make it up to Minerva? How would she be able to look Harry in the face? After Severus and Minerva left with Harry, Arabella had not slept the entire night.

I will make it up to Harry, Arabella thought, sitting in her chair in her small living room.

The next day and a half it was quiet again. There was a different feel around the neighborhood since she didn't see Harry anymore. At the end of the second day, she happened to be looking out of her window when she saw a man in black walking with determination towards Number 4. It didn't take her long to recognize that it was Severus. She also noted that he was alone. Harry wasn't with him. She watched him go into the house. She saw flashes of gold, red, and green from the windows. After about thirty minutes, Severus reemerged from the house and walked back down the street. What she saw next had her laughing for the next two hours. When she looked back at the house again, she couldn't believe what she saw. The house was inside out. She laughed and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Later on that night, after sobering from her laughing, she began to get ready for bed when again she received another caller at her door. This knock was rather forceful so she quickly moved towards the door. Looking at the side window by the door, seeing Albus Dumbledore on the other side, she was not expecting to see him. When she let him in, she noticed that the house across from here was back to normal. Not that she would ever tell anyone what she really saw.

After trying to get the pleasantries out of the way, Dumbledore spoke out as to why he had graced her with his presence. She could tell that he was upset about something so she did the only thing that made since to her. She knew he was fuming about the condition of the house and it took every bit of her strength to keep from laughing at what Severus did to their house. What she did do was play dumb to what Albus was asking. She had never seen Dumbledore so flustered than he was that night.

Finally, thinking that everything was going to be alright, Arabella decided that she could finally relax. Harry was safe. He was with people that she knew could watch out for him.

Then just yesterday, she was graced with more callers. This time it was from her Floo and it were four young men. Severus was the first to walk through followed by Harry then by, who she later learn was Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

When Harry gained his footing after coming through the Floo, she quickly enveloped the teenager in a hug, which Harry was more than happy to give. Harry really liked Mrs. Figg. She was the only person on this street that, he felt, loved him. After letting the boy go, Severus pulled Arabella to the side and informed her of what was happening. Her heart became heavy when she watched Harry walk back to his relatives' house. The only thing that kept her from arguing against this plan that the gentlemen cooked up was the fact that Harry would not be alone while staying with his relatives.

When Severus left that afternoon, Arabella thought things may just be a little better. Remus came back to her house about an hour after Severus left and he too left through the Floo. It had been three hours and while keeping an eye on the house, Arabella didn't see any unusual movements from Number 4. She continued her needle work, sitting in her favorite chair looking up every so often at the house across the street from her.

It was becoming late and her stitches were so tedious that she was beginning to see double. She placed her needle work in the carpetbag that was next to her chair. She was about to stand when her Floo flared and debris and dust came through. She screamed, covering her face with her arm to guard against anything hitting her face.

Once the dust cleared, she looked around to see if there was any damage and to see what caused her Floo to flare. She was not expecting anyone. Carefully, she walked around. She heard flapping towards the ceiling and saw through the dust clouds that were all around her living room an owl. It didn't take long for her to recognize that it was Harry's owl. Taking a step she felt her foot hit something. Looking down she saw the unconscious form of Remus. She knelt down beside the young man to see how hurt the young man was. Looking at him, she knew that he would need medical attention quickly. Upon looking at her fireplace, she saw that using the Floo was out of the question, so she found a piece of paper and wrote out a small note. Hedwig, once was able to right herself landed on the back of the chair that Arabella was just sitting in. Getting up and slowly walking towards the snowy owl,

“Please, I mean you no harm. Take this to St. Mungo's.”

Arabella knew from when her late husband was sick that healers and medi-witches would apparate to extreme cases to help wizards or witches that can not get to the hospital on their own. While waiting on Hedwig to deliver the note, Arabella went and got a basin of water an a flannel and started slowly cleaning the dirt and blood off of Remus' face. After about thirty minutes, the distinct pops of someone apparating could be heard in the small house. Within moments of apparating in, three healers and four medi-witches began working on stabilizing Remus so that he could side-along apparate back to St. Mungo's.

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Severus walked out of his mother's room and headed for the door. While walking towards the door, he thought back on everything that has occurred. Poppy being attacked. Minerva being kidnapped. Albus threatening him to turn him in. The alliance with the Mutt and the Wolf. But what really stuck out in his mind was Harry. How did that boy weasel his way into that stone heart. Everyone knew that Severus Snape has always been one that had never shown emotion. There were only a few people that he would open his heart to. In the beginning, it was only four people that knew the real, caring side of Severus Snape, and two of those people were dead. His mother, Eileen. His adoptive mother, Minerva. His colleague, Poppy. And his only true friend, Lily. Those four women were the only ones that truly saw Severus. They were the only ones that knew his pain and were there for him to comfort him.

Now, Potter was opening up that part of Severus, and he really didn't know how he was going to deal with that.

Severus walked into the night air. With a resounding pop, Severus disapparated.

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Harry was asleep in his bed. For the first time while living with his relatives, did he truly feel comfortable being asleep. When he first came back, he did not believe that what Snape, Remus or, his godfather, Sirius had planned would work. He remember his Professor talking with him before they Floo'ed to Mrs. Figg's house.

Harry was sitting on the bed. A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“What are you doing?” Severus asked walking into the room.

“I...I,” Harry hesitated. He put his head down.

Severus walked over towards the bed and sat down next to the child.

“What's wrong, Harry?”

“I really don't want to go back,” Harry confessed.

“I know, child,” Severus sighed. “The last thing I want to do is send you back to those vile people. But you will not be alone.”

“They don't like dogs. I think they only tolerate Ripper because he's my Aunt Marge's dog.”

“Well, that will give you an advantage,” Severus said. “Sirius will not leave your side. As much as it pains me to say, he loves you and is very loyal to you.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Harry deadpanned.

“Potter,” Severus admonished. “You will stop this right now. You will be fine. You will not be alone. And it is only a couple of weeks.”

Harry looked up at his professor. “Will you come and check up on me?”

Severus was taken aback by the request. It has only been a few days and already the boy wanted him near.

“Probably not,” Severus shook his head. Harry put his head down. “You will be fine. Just tell them what we talked about. Remus will handle the rest.”

Harry, his head still down, just nodded.

Harry didn't know why he wanted to be near Professor Snape so much, but all he knew was that as much as his most hated Professor in school for the past few days has been the only person that he has felt calm around. Harry couldn't even say that about Remus and Sirius.

“We must go,” Severus said, standing up and walking towards the door.

Harry watched Professor Snape leave the room. He really didn't want to go, but his Professor was right. All he had to do was just tell his aunt and uncle that they needed to stop and all would be fine. He just wished that he could believe it. Harry stood up, took a deep breath, and walked out of the room. Walking down the hall, the first thought that popped in his head was that he wished that it was Professor Snape staying with him. Harry stopped in the middle of the hall.

Where did that come from? Harry thought, since when did he want to always be with his Professor? Come to think of it, Harry thought. Since when did he start thinking of Professor Snape as his Professor? For the past four years, Professor Snape had, he thought, made his life impossible and miserable. Standing there thinking about it, now he wasn't so sure. It was just Professor Snape being Professor Snape. A small smile graced Harry's lips and he walked the rest of the way down to the parlor.

Harry was startled awake by a pop in the middle of his room. Reaching for his glasses and his wand, that he now keeping under his pillow, Harry sat up in the bed.

Casting the Lumos Charm, Harry watched as one minute no one was standing in the middle of the room to Hedwig's cage and his desk began to shimmer in the light and then disappear. Looking around, he noticed that he was alone. Snuffles was no where to be seen. His heart beating so hard Harry felt it might come out of his chest.

One second he did not know who popped into his room to the next second recognizing who was standing in front of him.

The biggest grin came across Harry's face as he looked at his Potions Professor standing in the middle of his room.

As quickly as he could, he pushed the cover off of his legs and ran to his Professor, wrapping his arms around his neck hugging him.

Severus, keeping the child from again hanging from his neck like a primate, wrapped his arms around the child.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 29

“Mr. Potter, must you cling to me like a primate?” Severus said, but there was no venom in his words nor was he trying to release the boy.

Harry grinned in Severus' shoulder then lowered himself off of his Professor.

“You said you wouldn't come,” Harry smiled, walking back to his bed and sitting down.

“Yes, well, your mutt seemed to think that you wanted to tell me something.”

The biggest smile came across Harry's face as Severus sat down on the bed. Harry began telling Severus everything that happened since that morning. How awesome Sirius was with his uncle and then Snuffles biting Dudley and chasing after the other boys.

Severus sat and listen to the boy regale him of his day, talking like they didn't even have a shady past. Never in a million years did he think that Harry Potter would want to eagerly share his day with the Greasy Bat of the Dungeons. Severus knew what the children called him at Hogwarts.

“....so Professor, what do you think?” Harry asked pulling Severus out of his musing.

“I think you've done a wonderful job. And after you came back here, you were not a victim to any backlash for what you said this morning?”

Harry shook his head. “I think they were more worried about what Sirius would do. You should have seen there faces. It was wicked.”

“I'm happy that it all worked out for you.”

“How long are you staying?” Harry asked.

“Not long. I'm going to leave now.”

Harry's smile left his lips. He never thought the fact that Professor Snape wasn't staying would hurt him so much.

“I must get back to St. Mungo's.”

“Is Madam Pomfrey going to be alright?”

“She's in very capable hands,” Severus soothed Harry's anxiety. “As to her eyes, I don't know.”

“Are you going to look for Professor McGonagall?”

“She's at St. Mungo's as well.”

“Is she alright? What happened to her? Can I go see her?”

“Harry, child, breathe,” Severus said. “She's fine, now. You will see her when term resumes. Right now, she is resting.”

Harry looked at his Professor, biting his lip. He was trying to decided if he should even ask this next question.

“What's on your mind, Potter?”

“You called Professor McGonagall mother.”

“Yes,” Severus said. “Let's just say we have similar backgrounds. Minerva helped me...”

“Like you are helping me?” Harry asked.

Severus never really gave it much thought that what he was doing with Harry was the same thing Minerva did with him while he was in school. Watching over him. Making sure that he was safe and happy. Never in his wildest dreams did Severus think he would feel this way about the son of his school time nemesis.

“Yes, Potter.” Harry covered his mouth as he yawned. “You have had an exhausting day. You need to get some rest.” Severus stood up from the bed.

“Professor,” Harry called out, laying down on the bed. “Can you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“No,” Severus said, shaking his head. He could see the disappointment that was molding on the child's face. Severus pulled the bear out from under the covers and handed it to Harry. Harry absentmindedly wrapped his arms tightly around the bear. “Now before you work yourself up into a panic, the reason I will not stay is because I do not want you to think that this was a dream and you believe that I did not come when you asked. So to insure that you know that I did, I will leave you now. I will see you when term resumes.”

“But you did,” Harry argued. He's eyelids started to become heavy.

“Yes, child, I did,”Severus said. “Now, I want you to do something for me.”

A small surge of awareness came as Harry looked at Severus expectantly.

“I need you to take care of yourself, and not call for me again.”

“But sir,” Harry started, more awake than he just was, but was cut off by Severus' hand.

“I need to know that you are safe. The only way that's is going to help me is that Black stays with you. Having him come and get me does not make for good judgment on your part.”

Harry sat up again. “But sir, I didn't ask him to get you.”

Severus blinked at the boy then walked back over to Harry. With his hand on the child's shoulder, he lightly pushed Harry back to laying down on his bed and pulled the thin cover over the boy.

“Mr. Potter, get some rest.”

Severus got up and walked over to the door with the cloak in his hand. Before he put it on he turned to Harry and said, “When you come to school, please do not come in the manner you did in your second year.” Harry rolled his eyes as he laid his head on the bear.

“Oh, one last thing, you have permission to bring that mutt on the train.”

“Sir?”

“I still do not want you alone, even if you are with your friends. Sirius will stay with you.” With that, Severus put the invisibility cloak over his head. Before walking out of the room, he did not fail to see the huge grin on the fourteen year old's face as he snuggled into the head of the bear. The one thing Severus loved about being under the cloak was that no one saw the rare happenings under there. Seeing the boy smiling, laying back down in the bed, Severus smiled at the boy that weaseled his way into the stony heart of the Potions Master.

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Tami sat in the cold dark room for a day now. Her hands finally were starting to heal after the abuse she put herself through with the Headmaster. Tears leaking out of her eyes. She missed her family. She didn't know when she would see her Mistress or Master Sev'us again. Headmaster told her it was all her fault and had to be punished. She didn't understand what it was she did wrong, but it must have been bad if Headmaster took her from her Mistress.

Several times she tried to pop out of the room only to find that it was warded against elven magic. So she was stuck in the room until Headmaster said she could leave. How long would it be?

“Please take a biscuit,” said the sweet sounding voice behind her.

Tami learned long ago, that voice no matter how sweet sounding it was, it was never a good thing. She shook her head at the offering.

“Don't make me sad, Tami,” Albus knelt beside her chair. “Don't you always want to see me happy?”

“Y-yes, M..master Headmaster,” Tami stuttered out.

“Then take a biscuit,” Albus voice lost the once sweet sound.

Tami's hands shook as she reached for the small dessert.

“Good,” Albus stood up and walked behind his desk. “Now Tami dear, why don't you tell me what it is I want to know?”

“I have nothing to report, sir.”

“Oh, I believe that you do,” Albus sat back in his chair, stroking his long white beard. “I pulled you from where Harry Potter was staying.” Tami shaking her head. “Which means that you know exactly where he is.”

“I can't, Master Headmaster.”

“You can and you will,” Albus' voice got sharper. “Where is Harry? He needs to go back to his relatives' house.”

Tami tried to stand up, but Albus waved his wand over his chambers and sat back with a satisfied grin on his face.

“Let's get something straight, Tami dear,” Albus popped a lemon drop in his mouth. “I own you. You may be bonded with Minerva, but you're mine. And when I tell you that you are to let me know what is going on between my two Head-Of-Houses, then I expect that to happen.”

Tami had fear in her eyes. She always thought that if she could get from under the Headmaster that she would be fine, but now she was learning that she was anything but fine.

“Now,” Albus sat up in his chair. “You have been a very naughty elf. And I think it's high time that you punish yourself before you can do more harm than good.”

Tami's big green eyes filled with tears as she saw the now glowing iron float over towards her. Mistress and Master Sev'us always told her that she was not to harm herself, but Headmaster told her she was naughty. Naughty elves must be punished. Tami reached up and grabbed hold of the handle and looked at the Headmaster as he smirked at her when she pressed the hot iron on her fingers.

Tami sat in the corner of the dark room. Her knees to her chest. Her head laying on her knees as tears escape her eyes.

I'm sorry, Mistress, she thought. I'm so sorry.

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“I have another address for you,” Aberforth said pouring his companion a drink.

“Do tell,” the voice growled.

“Number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey,” Aberforth slid the drink over to the werewolf.

“Seeing how we didn't see anyone at the Grimmauld place, what is so special about this one?” Fenrir said after drinking the amber liquid with one gulp.

“Two words: Harry Potter.”

An evil smirk came across the werewolf's face.

“I thought you would like that. But this time,” Aberforth leaned on the table. “Do not destroy the house.”

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Severus returned back to St. Mungo's and walked straight to his mother's room. Sirius looked up from where he was sitting with his wand in his hand. Severus had to admit he felt that maybe he really could trust the mutt.

“It's just me,” Severus announced as he took off the cloak.

“Did you have fun?” Sirius asked putting his wand back in his wrist holster.

“You mustn't do this again. You have to be firm with the boy.”

“What are you talking about?” Sirius' brow scrunching up in a frown.

See pup, you can't do anything nice for the git, Sirius mused.

“The brat asking to see me and you indulging him,” Severus admonished.

“You really can't help it, can you?” Sirius asked incredulously. “Are you suggesting that Harry asked to see you?”

“It would be the only reason that you are here. You coming on your own...”

“Gentlemen,” Minerva said from the bed, but neither wizard was paying attention.

“You really are a git,” Sirius fumed.

“Look mutt,” Severus said not backing down.

Minerva looked at both of the men and knew this was going nowhere so she decided it was time to end it. She reached under her cover and pulled out her wand and simultaneously cast a silencing charm on both wizards while making them move a few feet away from each other. Both men looked over at the witch in the bed.

“Much better,” Minerva smirked. “Now, this is pointless. This bickering does not help Harry, so quit it. You two are grown men and you're arguing like you're still in school. If you are to work together, then you both need to put this animosity behind you. You're both working for a common goal; protect Harry. He needs both of you. Cunning and loyalty will be key to helping him. Work together.”

Severus and Sirius looked at each other. Both feeling well chastised. Severus was about to say something when there was a commotion coming from the hall. Severus pushed the cloak to Sirius and walked out of the room. Sirius was about to follow.

“Sirius,” Minerva said. “You're not suppose to be here.”

Sirius looked at her and stepped back. Severus rushed back in the room and closed the door. Looking at Sirius, “You need to go, now.”

“What's going on?”

“Something's happened,” Severus said. “Grimmauld Place was destroyed.”

“Remus,” Sirius headed for the door only to be stopped by Severus.

“He's here,” Severus said. “You have to go back to Harry. I will take care of things here. I need you to watch out for Harry.”

“But, Remus...”

“Is alive,” Severus cut him off. “Go back to Harry.”

Sirius looked at Severus and then at Minerva. He put on the cloak and the apparating sound filled the room.

TBC

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 30. I hope that you enjoy it.

Chapter 30

It was a quiet night. The lights were out in all of the houses on Privet Drive. Everyone was in his or her home sleeping the night away. No one noticed four hooded people walking down the street. Once they got to their destination, the smallest of the four walked up to the door and knocked. They waited patiently for someone to answer the door.

By the time that second circuit of knocks rang throughout the house, Vernon waddled down the stairs, tying the belt to his robe, grumbling all the way.

“Who in their right mind would come at this ungodly hour?” Vernon muttered to himself. “Coming,” He called out towards the door. “Coming.” His voice was laced with the bitterness of having been woken up in the middle of the night.

Once he got to the front door, Vernon slightly moved the curtain by the door from the side window to see who was on the other side of the door. While it definitely wasn't a good idea to open the door to someone he didn't know, his anger won out over his common sense and he opened to door to let the people on the other side know how he really felt about having his sleep disturbed. He didn't get a word out. Once he opened the door a green flash illuminated the doorway and Vernon fell with a loud thud.

Harry woke up with a start, instinctively clutching his bear to his chest. Used to sneaking out of his room to get something to eat or go to his cupboard to try and do his homework, Harry got out of bed and quietly walked over to the door and put his ear to the door with the ease of an expert. He could hear whispering, but did not recognized the voices. Then he heard his cousin coming out of his room and walking down the hall. With his ear next to the door, it didn't take long for Harry to know what happened next. He heard a curse that he hoped he would never hear again.

“Avada Kedavra.”

“Find the boy.”

Harry quietly stepped back from the door, towards the middle of the room, just in time to see green light illuminate the cracks of the door. Clutching the bear and his wand in his hands, Harry's heart was beating out of his chest. He was so afraid. Whoever was in the house just killed his cousin. True, he didn't like the fact that Dudley would bully him, but he didn't deserve to die.

Harry didn't know how long it was dead silent in the house. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality just a few minutes had pass when he heard a pop and a scream. Since he was so caught up in what was happening in the house, Harry didn't hear the soft apparating pop that was just behind him.

Aunt Petunia was awake, Harry frighteningly thought.

The only thoughts going through his mind was that he wished she would go back to her room and hide from whomever was in the house.

The next thing Harry felt was an arm wrapping across his chest and him being pulled into someone behind him. He felt something cover over his head and then he felt the tug in his navel of being apparated away, but not before hearing the scream of his aunt and another flash of green coming through the cracks of the door again.

Harry had no idea who just took him. The only thing that went through his mind was that he wished that his Professor didn't just leave. If his Professor was here, then he knew he would be safe.

Everyone from the Order who had a hand in putting up wards to Number Four Privet Drive felt something against their personal wards that night. It was an extra precaution added so the witch or wizard would know if anything happened to the Blood Ward that was the original protection to the house. Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, and Arthur Weasley put up extra wards on the house along with Albus' Blood Wards.

On this night, the Blood wards did not go off because Vernon Dursley opened the door. Nor did it go off when he was killed. It did, however, set the other wards off when Petunia Dursley nee Evans was killed. The bloodline that protected Harry was now severed with Petunia's death. Once she was killed, all the warding fell from the house.

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Moody was in his house recovering from the diabolical of the previous year. He, the most feared auror, getting jumped by Crouch Jr. He knew how important his presence at the school last year and, because he dropped the ball, Harry was forced into having to go through the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He was sitting in his chair, resting his bum leg, when he felt a jerk from his warding, and he dropped his tumbler of fire-whiskey as the pain radiated throughout his body.

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Arthur had just gotten home from a very long day at the office. He was happy to get home and see his wife and family. Molly had his supper waiting for him under a stasis charm so that it would stay warm. When he walked in the door, he was greeted by his wife. She looked like she had as hard of a day as he did, but the love between them was unwavering. As he sat down to eat, Molly sat beside him and they began to tell each other about their days. In the middle of Molly telling him about what happened between the twins, his fork clattered on the floor bringing Molly out of her musing. She saw that her husband was in pain. She was at his side instantly trying to comfort her husband. In the painful grunts that Arthur was making, only one word was understandable; Harry.

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Severus walked into Remus' room. Remus just woke up.

“Severus,” greeted Remus.

“Lupin,” Severus walked in and sat in the chair next to Remus. “What happened?”

“I was lucky,” sighed Remus. “I just got back to Grimmauld after talking with those vile people. Oh by the way, don't have me do that again. Talking to them was very tiring. I had to keep the wolf at bay the entire time.”

Severus raised his brow in disbelief. Remus was always the calm one out of everyone and he had to control his temper and the wolf with Harry's relatives.

“So when you got back home?”

“I was just about to lay down when I heard Hedwig,” Remus sat up in the bed, swinging his legs out of the bed. “I got the owl and headed for the Floo. The last thing I remembered was calling out Arabella's name.”

“I talked with Mrs. Figg,” Severus stated. “She said when you came through there was a huge explosion accompanying you. She said the owl almost hit the wall. You came flying in and landed at her feet. She said there was debris everywhere. She surmised that Grimmauld Place was destroyed when you came through.”

“Why now?” Remus stood up. Severus stood next to him. “I thought it was under Fidelius Charm.”

“It is,” Severus answered. “I don't...”

Severus stopped mid-sentence and looked at the door.

“What is it?” Remus asked.

Severus didn't answer. He just left the room. Remus followed. The two wizards entered the next room. What they saw worried them. Minerva was in her bed with a pained look on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, her hands tightly clenching the sheets. Severus and Remus were at both side of her bed instantly.

“Minerva,” Remus soothingly said, prying one of her hands from the sheet and holding it.

“H...harry,” Minerva stained out.

Remus and Severus exchanged worried glances.

“The...the wards,” Minerva sobbed.

There was an apparating pop in the room. Severus pulled out his wand. Severus looked over at Remus when he thought he heard a low growl coming from the other side of the bed. His attention went back to the middle of the room where it appeared to be empty when the far wall started to disappear.

When the cloak was removed, there stood Sirius and Harry. Sirius had his arm wrapped around Harry's chest and Harry was clutching his bear and holding his wand.

The shock about the two of them standing there quickly passed when Severus lowered his wand.

“What are you doing here?”

Harry opened his eyes when he heard the familiar voice. Not looking back at who was holding him, Harry forced his way out of the arms that were holding him and into the arms of his Professor.

Severus' breath was taken from him by the force of the child colliding into him. After the initial shock of Harry leaving his godfather's arms to go him wore off, Severus wrapped his arms around the boy to only find that Harry was shaking.

Remus walked over to Sirius.

“What happened?” Remus asked.

“They attacked,” Sirius said shaking his head. “When I got there, they had just killed the uncle. I apparated into the Harry's room and grabbed him and left.”

“They killed Dudley,” Harry sobbed into Severus' shoulder.

Severus rubbed circles on Harry's back trying to calm the child down.

“He didn't deserve that,” cried Harry. “He was a bully but he didn't deserve to die.” Harry tightened his hold on his Professor. “Don't leave me again,” Harry mumbled out so only Severus could hear him.

“While we were leaving,” Sirius continued. “I think they killed the aunt.”

“Yes,” Minerva said, as the pain finally was subsiding. “The Blood Wards dropped. They were connected to her.”

“How do you know?” asked Remus.

“When Mr. Potter was dropped off at the house,” Minerva began. “A few of us in the Order wanted to put a little more protection around the house. In hindsight, I know it should have been more warding to add how they would treat him. But we wanted an insurance that whatever would happen if someone tried anything we would be notified instantly should they fall.”

“Who all placed the wards?” Sirius asked.

“Alastor, Arthur and myself,” Minerva answered. “Harry?”

Harry slightly turned his head so that he could see his Head-Of-House, but didn't let go of his Professor.

“Yes, Professor?”

“Are you alright?”

Harry nodded, then turned his head back into the safety darkness of his Professor's robes.

“I guess the next question would be is how did they find Harry?” Remus asked.

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked.

“He's been living there for almost fourteen years. There haven't been any attacks. Now, someone attacks the house, killing the occupants. Why now?”

“Not to mention the Dementors,” Minerva added.

“Dementors?” worry in Sirius voice was apparent.

“Dementors attacked Harry. That's why he's been with Severus in the first place.”

“We need to find a place for you and Harry to stay,” Severus said, looking at Sirius.

Harry raised his head and looked at Snape.

“I'm not going anywhere without you,” sheer determination laced Harry's voice.

TBC

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think about it. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 31

“Arthur! Arthur!”

Molly walked into the living room where she saw Alastor's head in the fireplace.

“Alastor,” Molly greeted. “Come through.”

Within seconds the Auror came through the hearth.

“He's in the kitchen,” Molly said walking out of the room. Alastor limped after her.

Arthur was sitting at the head of the table with his head in his hand nursing a nagging headache.

“Arthur,” Molly quietly called out. “Alastor is here.”

Arthur looked up and could see the slight pained look in the Auror's eyes.

“What happened?”Arthur asked.

“That's what I came here for. I just left Privet Drive. Is Potter here?”

“No,” Molly looked at Alastor. “Why would Harry be here?”

“I was afraid of that,” Moody resigned sitting in one of the chairs.

“What is going on?” Molly asked looking between her husband and Moody.

“Something happened tonight,” Arthur tried to soothe his wife.

“I gathered that, Arthur. My question is what and how would you know?”

Arthur and Alastor traded glances before looking back at Molly. Arthur kept this from his wife for fourteen years so that she wouldn't worry. Now he knew that if he told her, not only would she be worried she would be upset.

“Molly, sit down. There are some things that I need to tell you.”

Molly looked between the two wizards sitting at her kitchen table and had the feeling that she was not going to like what she was about to hear. Arthur began telling his wife about the warding over Privet Drive and the suspicion that Minerva had in placing Harry with his relatives. For a while it was quiet in the kitchen, but Arthur knew his wife. And he knew that any second now, there was going to be a rage of anger that was going to fill the room.

“HOW DARE YOU, ARTHUR WEASLEY!” her voice traveled throughout the entire house.

“Now, honey,” Arthur tried to soothe his angry wife.

“I would have easily taken Harry.”

“Ron was about to turn two and you were pregnant with Ginny. When would you have been able to take care of Harry?” Arthur tried to rationalize with his wife.

Angry tears streamed down Molly's face. She knew that what Arthur said was true but it didn't help the fact that something happened in that house and they didn't know where Harry was.

“Have you talked with Minerva yet?” Moody asked after being quiet while Arthur and Molly talked.

“No. No, not yet.”

“Well, maybe she's got more information about Potter.”

“Do you think we should tell Albus?” Molly asked wiping her eyes trying to calm down.

“I think he would already know,” Moody speculated. “The Blood Wards fell. He knows. He's probably going to call everyone soon. But it will not do any good if we don't know where Potter is.”

“I'll try and contact Minerva,” Molly said getting up and leaving the kitchen.

Once she left, Arthur looked at Alastor.

“You said that you just came from Privet Drive.”

Moody nodded.

“What did you see?” Arthur asked.

“Death Eaters were there. They destroyed the house.”

Arthur put his head in his hands letting out a sigh.

“There's more. Arabella's house was destroyed as well.” Arthur lifted up his head and looked at the Auror incredulously. “We have to find Potter.”

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Every one in the room was silent. Remus and Sirius were sitting by Minerva's bed. Severus and Harry were on the other side. Harry still refused to leave Severus' side. After a long silence, Minerva spoke up.

“You cannot stay here.”

Everyone looked at the Transfiguration Professor. She could see each of them were about to argue her statement, but she knew she had to stop them.

“Listen to me,” she began. “Sirius, you're still a wanted man. You can't be here. Harry, it's not safe for you here.”

“I'm only safe with Professor Snape,” Harry said.

Sirius was about to comment on Harry's declaration when he was stopped by Minerva.

“There is one place that you can go that you would be safe. It was a meeting place in case the Blood Wards fell.”

“Where is that?” Severus asked.

“The Burrow.”

Remus, who was deep in thought, wasn't really paying attention to the conversation around him.

“Why now?” Remus asked to no particular person.

“Why now, what?” Sirius asked.

“Why attack now? I just don't understand. Fourteen years there was nothing. Now, Grimmwald Place, Privet Drive, Hogwarts. What the connection? Why now?”

“It's Snape,” Sirius said. “He's the reason.”

Severus eyes narrowed. Harry looked angered. Remus shook his head.

“Sirius, the last thing....”

“Think about it,” Sirius defended himself. “Mere hours after he's left someplace either the people or the place was attacked or destroyed.”

“What part of 'the two of you need to put aside your differences and work together' escapes you?” Minerva reprimanded.

Sirius looked at Remus for support, but all he saw was disgust.

“Look, I'm not trying to be mean,” Sirius defended.

“He's right,” Severus sighed. Everyone in the room looked at the Potion Master. “The mutt's right. The only thing that had not been different was me. I went to Surrey. I was taken to the Infirmary. I was in Grimmwald Place.” Severus looked over at Harry who was trying not to believe what he was hearing. “I was inside Number 4 hours before they attacked,” Severus said to Harry.

There was a pregnant silence after Severus' admission. He looked at his mother and then stood up.

“I must go.”

Severus stood up only to feel a tug on his robe. He turned to see something that if it were a couple of weeks ago he would not believe it. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Weaseled His Way Into The Potions Master's Heart, was clinging on to him. Very gently, Severus pried the small hands from his robe, then walked over to the door.

“Severus Tobias Snape McGonagall, don't you dare leave this room,” Minerva sternly said waving her wand at the door locking it. Severus put his head down then turned towards his adoptive mother. “You will take Harry and Sirius to the Burrow and you will stay there until I get there. I will not lose you again.” At the end of her declaration there were tears brimming in her eyes. Right now, she didn't care that more people knew about the adoption. She was not going to let her son walk out of that room thinking that this was all his fault.

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Aberforth paced back in forth in his office. He closed the Hog's Head after sending Greyback to Privet Drive. He paced the length of his office until he heard a commotion in the alley. Opening up his window, he got the entire story.

“Death Eaters went onto a Muggle street and destroyed two houses killing the occupants that resides in there.”

Once Aberforth heard that, he withdrew his head and slammed the window closed. One thing. That's all those fools had to do was one thing. And they couldn't even do that right. He gave them one order; Do Not Destroy the House.

He wasn't in his angry musing long when he heard the door to his bar open up. Aberforth walked out of his office to see Fenir and Bellatrix standing at the door.

“What did you do?” Aberforth growled.

“What do you mean?” Bellatrix asked. She was calm as if it was an innocent night.

“I told you not to destroy the house. What happened? Where's Potter?”

“He wasn't there,” the werewolf growled. “You said he would be there. You lied.” The werewolf began advancing towards the barkeep.

Aberforth eyes narrowed as the werewolf began to walk towards him. The advancing stopped when the door opened and a very angry Headmaster of Hogwarts entered. Waving his wand, Albus caught the two Death Eaters by surprised and cast Crucio on them. While the wolf and woman were on the floor withering in pain, Albus walked up to his brother.

“What part of low profile escapes your understanding?” Albus growled. “Destroying Number Four. Destroying Number Seven. Destroying Grimmwald Place.”

“I'm doing your dirty work for you. You wanted him to not have a place to turn to. I'm doing that. But you listen and listen well, brother, I will not be your punching bag. You want Severus complacent. You want him alone and following orders. You want Harry to follow you unconditionally. Then maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't have had Dementors in Surrey in the first place.”

Albus' anger deflated. “I didn't send Dementors to Surrey.”

“Well, maybe not,” Aberforth's voice calmed. “But you did preform the Blood Adoption. And no matter what happens, Severus will always have that support.”

“I made him think that he killed his father.”

“Yeah, about that, why would you have that vile man killed? If you wanted Severus under your thumb, he would have helped. Anyway, what good did that do? He has Minerva and Poppy for support.”

“He hasn't told them.”

Aberforth looked at his brother incredulously.

“Do you really think that Severus kept that from his adoptive mother?”

“Yes,” Albus nodded. “Yes I do. Because one thing I do know about Severus Snape is that he keeps secrets. And this is one secret he doesn't want to get out.”

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 32

Severus, Sirius and Harry were walking up the path that led to the Burrow. Harry was a few steps in front of the older wizards. He was actually excited to see everyone. He hadn't talked to any of them since the ride home on the train. Harry was so caught up in his excitement that he didn't even hear the conversation between Sirius and Severus behind him.

“So,” Sirius had a small smile on his face. “Snape-McGonagall, huh?”

“I don't want to discuss it,” Severus retorted.

“So how long have you been a Gryffindor?” Sirius snorted, trying to keep from laughing.

“I am not a Gryffindor,” Severus sneered.

“You are a lion in snake's clothing,” Sirius shaking his head. “Or well, bat's clothing.”

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache already starting to come on. There was already a lot on his mind and now he was now suffering Sirius' mocking. This day just couldn't get any worse.

“Seriously, Snape,” Sirius sobered. “I'm really happy for you. I'm glad that you have someone on your side.” Sirius left a shell-shocked Severus standing in the same spot while he caught up with Harry.

Severus stopped, shocked, and watched a man that in the past two days surprise him over and over. He was completely dumbfounded by Sirius' declaration.

He's happy for me, Severus thought. Since when had Sirius Black, the man who made my school days hell on earth, pretty much told me that he was happy for me?

“Professor,” Harry called out bringing Severus out of his musing. “Come on.”

Severus walked on and caught up with Sirius and Harry.

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After Severus, Sirius and Harry left, Remus stayed with Minerva. There was a comfortable silence between the two. After a few minutes Remus cleared his throat and Minerva looked over at him.

“So,” Remus smiled a little. “Snape-McGonagall.” A shy smile came across the Transfiguration Professor. “When did you adopt him?”

“Oh, I think it was when you all were in the seventh year, but I've been there for him since his mother died.”

“May I ask, why?”

Minerva looked at her former student.

“You know, Severus is a very quiet, personal man. He doesn't like to put his business out there. Yes, he can be unapproachable and stubborn, but deep down he has a wonderful heart. He's had a hard life. And you boys did not make it any better for him. To be tormented at school and then when he got home....” Minerva trailed off.

Remus was beginning to feel uncomfortable at the way the conversation was going, but he couldn't stop the questions since she started down the path that led to Severus' past.

“What happened at his home?” Remus found himself asking. “Forgive me,” he quickly said. “It is none of my business.”

Minerva settled into a comfortable spot on the bed and looked at Remus.

“No, maybe not,” she began. “But if things are going to be clear, maybe you need to know.” She paused before continuing. “I'm sure that since you've now started working together that Severus has disclosed what has happened to Harry in his lifetime while with those Muggles?” Remus nodded. “Well, Severus' past is really no different than Harry's. Maybe even worse than Harry's.”

Remus' eyes got as big as saucers. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Severus was abused. That couldn't be possible. He was a git during school, but he never seemed withdrawn or a loner.

As if reading his thoughts, Minerva broke through the werewolf's musing.

“If you haven't noticed by now, Severus was, is, a very prideful man. He's always been like that and will continue to be that way. Up until his seventh year at Hogwarts, Severus would come to school after the Summer holiday and sneak off to the Potions Lab so that he could fix himself up so that he would go unnoticed with teachers and students. Because he knew that once he stepped inside of Hogwarts, his housemates, the headmaster and four Gryffindors would torment him while he was there.”

“I never did anything to Severus,” Remus quickly defended himself.

“Maybe not,” Minerva shrugged her shoulders. “But you stood there and watched. You're right. You may not have lifted a finger against Severus, but you didn't even lift a finger to help him. In my eyes, that's worse that what Potter and Black could ever do. You had the power to stop it, but you didn't.”

“How was I suppose to stop Sirius and James?” Remus said, feeling like a small chastised child under the scrutiny of his elders, still trying to defend his actions. “Once those idiots got something on their minds they stuck with it. Of course, I tried to stop them. Tried and failed. They would not listen to me. Do you think I liked being part of their prank? I didn't find out that they brought Severus to the Shrieking Shack until the next day.” Remus was shaking in the chair by the end of his rant.

Minerva blinked at her former student, then narrowed her eyes.

“I'm not blaming you for the Shrieking Shack fiasco. You, sweetie, had no control over what happened there. You didn't know.” She saw that Remus began to calm down by what she was saying. “But,” her voice low. “what about at the lake? What about in the halls? No, you may not have participated. Maybe you even hated what they did. But I think things would have been a whole lot different if you did not just stand by and watch it happen. Maybe you would not have been popular with Potter and Black, but you might have gained a friend with Severus. And you would have seen what a truly remarkable child he was.”

When they started this conversation Minerva did not mean to go into a rant or really to upset Remus, but these things needed to be said. She cared for her Gryffindors. Still did, but if they were going to work together for a common goal, then they would have to let go of bad blood between them. She knew she could never be able to talk to James Potter or Peter Pettigrew, but she still had Remus and Sirius and she would not let this hang over her and her former students.

She looked over at her student and saw that he was in a true state of remorse and dejection. Remus sat with his head down and his shoulders slumped. She did not want to leave it to where Remus thought that she only blamed him for what happened. It wasn't completely his fault, but he did need to own up to what he did, or rather didn't do.

“Remus,” Minerva called out, holding out her hand. “Look at me.”

When he lifted his head, she couldn't help that her heart clenched in her chest for her student. Remus had un-shed tears in his eyes.

“Come here,” Minerva opened up her arms.

Remus stood up and walked over the few steps to her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down till he was sitting on the edge of the bed and she brought him towards her in an embrace.

“Listen to me,” Minerva soothed in the werewolf's ear. “It's over with and done. But this needed to be said.” She rubbed his back soothingly as he slightly shook in her arms. “It will be alright.”

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Flitwick sat with Hagrid for the last few days as he waited for him to wake up. After Filius found Hagrid in the entrance way, he levitated the giant and brought him to his room. Since his room was closer than the Infirmary, it would be easier to stop there and bring Poppy to him than try to take Hagrid up to the Infirmary. He was later disturbed that Poppy was no where to be found. He knew he was not one to take care of the sick, but he just couldn't turn a blind eye to the Gameskeeper so he just kept watch over Hagrid and hope that he would awaken when he was ready. His wait finally ended when the half giant began to stir. The Charms Professor was at the giants side when he heard him waking up.

“Hagrid,” Filius quietly called his name.

“Where...where am I?” Hagrid asked, looking at the short wizard.

“In my chambers. You've been unconscious for three days.” Filius levitated his high back chair and sat next to the giant. “Do you remember what happened?”

Hagrid blinked a couple of times. He tried to remember the last few days. Then it came back to him. His beloved dog was dead. Tears began to pool in his eyes.

“Fang's dead,” Hagrid sobbed.

Filius knew how much Hagrid loved his dog. As a matter of fact, he knew how Hagrid loved all his animals that he took care of, but Fang held a special place in his heart. The Charms Professor reached over and tried to give the gentle giant some comfort. He patted his shoulder as Hagrid cried. He sat in silence as he watched Hagrid morn the loss of his beloved dog.

After some time, Hagrid began to calm down, Filius called down to the elves to order up some tea. When the tea came, they sat in a comfortable silence. Hagrid was very grateful for the Professor sitting with him, and being there for him. While they sat, Hagrid began to feel a piercing ache behind his eyes. Filius looked up at Hagrid and noticed that he was squinting.

“You alright there, Hagrid?”

“I'm okay,” Hagrid pinched the bridge of his nose. “I'm fine. Just a small headache.”

“Well, let me know if there is anything that I can do for you.”

“Thanks, Professor.”

The piercing pain continued to hurt more and more. Hagrid was not scrunching his face from the pain. He dropped his tea glass. As it shattered on the floor, images began to flood the games keeper's mind. He began to remember more than walking aimlessly through the Dark Forrest.

Hagrid had just finished feeding Fang when there was a knock on his front door. Fang began to bark.

“Coming,” Hagrid called out. “Quiet, you mangy dog.”

When he opened the door, he saw three hooded people standing on the other side. Fang's barking did not stop.

“Can I help you?” Hagrid asked.

The one closest to the door quickly pulled out their wand and pointed it at the dog. “Avada Kedavera.”

A green jet stream flashed past the giant and hit the boarhound on the head. The barking stopped instantly.

Before Hagrid could even react to what just happened, the other person standing in front of him pulled out their wand as well.

“Imperio.”

All the fight left Hagrid's face the instant the Unforgivable was cast. The last ounce of free will left Hagrid as a lone tear streamed down his cheek.

“You will bring Professor McGonagall here,” ordered the hooded intruder.

With a slight nod, Hagrid made the trek towards the castle. With determined steps he walked through the castle and made it to his destination. He lightly knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

When the door opened, Hagrid was greeted with a warm smile from Professor McGonagall.

“Oh, hi. Come in.”

Hagrid did not return the smile. Before she could ask if everything was alright, Hagrid slammed Minerva into the door frame, knocking her unconscious. He then picked up the Transfiguration Professor and walked back to his hut.

Hagrid opened his eyes and quickly stood up, upsetting the side table that held the tray for their tea.

“Hagrid, careful,” Filius admonished trying to save the tea tray and his table.

“Professor McGonagall,” Hagrid called out not paying attention to Filius.

TBC

A/N: I am not bashing Remus in this chapter.

I just always thought that Remus standing by and not saying anything about the treatment that Sirius and James did towards Severus was appalling.

Please note that this was a very emotional chapter for me. please be kind if you want to leave a review.

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 33. Enjoy

Chapter 33

After being somewhat chastised and comforted by his former professor and colleague, Remus walked the hallways trying to clear his head. Yes, he was thinking about the things that he and Minerva talked about, but there was something else nagging him in the back of his head. He really couldn't put his finger on it, but it wouldn't go away. As he continued to walk, it became apparent what it was. It was a smell. It was a smell that he, even though he hadn't smell it in a very long time, would always remind him of when he was turned when he was just a small child.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, the smell was just as powerful as it was earlier. Remus turned and saw where he really was. He was standing outside Poppy's room. He knew that she was attacked by Albus and a few Death Eaters. She also mentioned that one of them was Greyback. As long as he lived, he would never forget Greyback. Now, standing in front of Poppy's door, Remus' eyes got large with realization as to why he was having a nagging feeling. Quickly, he turned and headed back to Minerva's room.

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“We have got to find out where Harry is,” Molly said, waving her wand so that the kettle on the stove could fill up with water and begin to boil.

“We'll find him, Molly,” Arthur soothed.

A knock on the door brought the adults out of their on musing. Alastor and Arthur were sitting at the table and Molly was standing by the stove.

“Who could that be at this hour?” Molly absently wiped her hands on her apron walking towards the door.

She opened the door and couldn't believe what she was seeing. There standing in front of her was the very child she has been worried about since Arthur started feeling phantom pains from his warding.

“HARRY!” she shrieked, gripping Harry's shoulders and bringing him into a bone crushing hug.

“Hi, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry mumbled in Molly's shoulder.

All the fear of not knowing where Harry was just poured out of Molly. She's always loved Harry like he was one of hers. And when she learned that the warding fell, she couldn't help worrying about the child that was no taller than her youngest child, but felt that he was one of hers. Now that she had her arms wrapped around the child, she vowed to herself that she would never let this boy out of her sight.

Harry always felt welcome when he came to his friend's house. Even though he felt that he was imposing in on the family, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley never made him feel unwanted. At one time, he wanted to stay with Ron and his family, but never really asked because he knew that, even though he knew he would be loved, he didn't want to be a burden towards them. Harry knew that money was not in abundance with the Weasley family the last thing they would need is another mouth to feed, so to speak.

Arthur and Alastor heard Molly's exclamation and rushed out to the front room to see what was going on. Both wizards were relieved that Harry was alive and standing in the door way. Arthur could see that Harry was struggling in his wife's clutches.

“Molly,” Arthur said, walking up behind his wife. “Let him go.”

Now standing by the door, Arthur saw that Harry didn't come alone. Severus and Sirius were also waiting to enter. Arthur almost did a double take on the fact that neither wizard was at each other throats.

Finally, Molly released Harry, but only arm's length. Not paying attention to anyone else in the room, she began to usher Harry into the kitchen. Harry looked back to make sure he wasn't alone. He turned and saw that Professor Snape was following him along with Sirius and Mr. Weasley. Harry couldn't explain the small sense of calm that he felt when he saw that Professor Snape was behind him. Almost like it everything was alright.

Everyone sat down at the table. Molly began pulling the leftovers from their dinner out and heating it up.

“Have you eaten, Harry?” Molly asked, but before he could answer more questions came. “When was the last time you ate? Where they even feeding you in that house? You're just skin and bones. Well I'm going to take care of that.”

Arthur knew it was just best to let Molly fuss over Harry. Now that she was busy with feeding their guests, everyone could learn what happened.

“Severus,” Arthur said, sitting down next to the Potions Professor. “What happened?”

“A very long story,” Severus drawled. “One that started about over a week ago.”

Between Severus and Sirius, they began to tell what has happened as they became involved. Severus began and Sirius added as he could. They told of the Dementor attack, Minerva missing, the attack on Poppy, the destruction at Grimmauld Place, Arabella's home, and Number 4. The last thing they spoke about was Albus. By the time they got to Albus and what he had Severus do with regards of Harry, Severus, Sirius and Harry, to an extent, ate what was placed in front of them. Arthur, Alastor, and Molly just listened as they spoke. During them telling what had happened, not once did Harry make an utterance. He really wasn't even listening to what they were saying. He was lost in his own thoughts. He remembered how bad he felt when Professor Dumbledore wanted him to go back to his relatives the first time. How hurt he was by that. He remembered how good and safe it felt staying with Professor Snape. After listening to his godfather and his Professor tell the story again, Harry realized that he felt his most safe when he was with Professor Snape. He didn't even feel that safe with his godfather. He believed his is godfather left him when it mattered most. No, his safety net was with his Potions Professor.

At first he couldn't understand how he could feel this way about the most hated Professor in the school, but now, it was almost like he didn't want to leave Professor's side.

When they finished with the tale, the others were just stunned. Questions began to fill their minds. Where was Minerva? Why would Albus attack Poppy?

“Where is Minerva now?” Moody asked.

“She's still at St. Mungo's,” Severus said. “Once they discharge her, she will be here. Lupin is with her now.”

Arthur shook his head. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Albus had, one, attacked Poppy, and, two, wanted Harry to stay with his relatives.

“Wait,” Arthur interrupted, “I get that you were sent because of he Dementor attack, but why, if Albus wanted him back, didn't he stay with his relatives then? Why was it a few days before Harry even went back?”

Harry put his head down. Severus didn't want to tell the Weasleys or Moody about Harry's home life. The only reason he told the wolf and the mutt was so that they could help Harry. Here, Severus figured that it would be embarrassing to Harry to have them learn what he went through. Looking across the table, Severus could see the slight pink cheeks on Harry letting him know that he was right.

“Potter,” Severus called out. “Do you want me to tell them?”

Harry's head popped up almost immediately looking at his Professor. He didn't think that he would ask him. He couldn't believe that he could feel more for his Professor than he did right now. His Professor actually cared what he thought. Which was more than any other person has done. Just looking at his Professor, Harry nodded.

“Very well,” Severus said. “When I gathered Mr. Potter after the attack, I noticed some things that had me worried. When I got to Arabella's house, I preformed a diagnostic charm on him. There I learned that Mr. Potter came from what looked like an abusive household. His injuries were not consistent to just the cause of playing Quidditch.”

Molly gasped. Sirius sat quietly. Arthur and Alastor looked between Severus and Harry. Harry had his head down.

“What did you....” before Arthur could even finish his question there was an apparation pop. Not another second went pass and there was another pop and Harry was gone, leaving all the adults sitting at the table completely stunned. None more than Severus for he saw Harry's eyes before he vanished. What Severus saw made his heart skip a beat; he saw pure fear in Harry's eyes.

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Remus rushed back into Minerva's room, where he saw that she was no longer laying down, but sitting up gathering her robes.

“Ah, Remus,” Minerva said, a small smile on her face quickly changing when she saw the disturbing look on Remus' face. “What's wrong?”

Remus walked into the room and sat down in the chair in front of Minerva.

“Do you remember anything, anything small, from when you were missing?”

“No,” Minerva shook her head.

“I think I may know who had you while you were gone,” Remus said.

“What?”

“It was very faint, but I could smell it.”

“Forgive me, Remus. What are you talking about?”

“Please trust me on this,” Remus pleaded. “When you embraced me, I could smell it, but it was very, very faint. I couldn't recognize it. But as I walked around to clear my head, the smell became more acute. I was standing outside Poppy's room. I think Death Eaters took you. As to why, I'm not sure.”

Minerva's brow creased. “How can you be so sure?”

“What I was smelling was the wolf that turned me when I was a child.”

Minerva hand went over her mouth as she gasped.

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Filius was huffing his breath, trying to keep up with Hagrid. After his exclamation, Hagrid got up and rushed out of Filius' chambers. By the time Filius caught up with the half giant, he was standing in utter shock and disbelief. Once Filius caught his breath, he looked to see what had stunned the giant. Looking, Filius could not believe what he was seeing. Minerva's chambers were in ruin. There was no door. All of her furniture was either in splinters on the floor or overturned against the wall. The only thing that was recognizable in the chambers was the fireplace. Filius looked at the ruined chambers and then up at the half giant.

“Hagrid, what did you do?”

TBC

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 34. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 34

“Harry,” both Severus and Sirius called out, Severus on the verge of standing up.

“FRED! GEORGE!” Molly screamed bringing the Potion Master and animagus out of their thoughts. “Just because you can do magic does not mean that you can pop in and out whenever you want!” Molly screamed at the ceiling right before heading towards the stairs.

Upstairs, Harry didn't even get a chance to call out for his Professor or his godfather when he disappeared. It took a moment for Harry to even get his footing when he landed. Looking around, wide eyed, for a second he didn't know where he was or who took him. The only thing that was going through his mind was that he was alone and he wished that he was sitting next to his Professor so that it would have been harder for someone to take him.

“Heya, Harry.”

The voice, though very recognizable, still didn't calm the young teen's heart.

“Calm down, Harry.”

“We just...”

“...wanted to take....”

“....you out of all that....”

“....serious talking,” finished one of the twins.

Harry finally able to catch his breath. He looked up and saw the twins sitting on the bed in front of him. A wave of emotions washed over Harry. First he felt relieved that he wasn't taken from the house, but then anger set in because he was taken away from his professor's side. No one had a right to take Harry away. As Harry turned and made his way towards the door, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw that Fred (or maybe George) was keeping him here. The anger of being away from his Professor was beginning to boil over. He really liked the twins. Outside of Ron, they were the first ones to treat him like a brother. Especially in his third year when they gave him the Marauder's Map. All he wanted to do now was get away from them and head back downstairs, but they were preventing him from achieving that goal.

“Wait, Harry,” Fred said.

“We wanted you to know how your investment was going,” George chimed in, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders.

“I-I don't mean to be rude,” Harry rushed out, trying to get from under the twins. “But I really need to get back downstairs.”

“It's alright, Harry,” George said.

“Yeah,” Fred smirked. “I think they can survive without you for a few minutes.”

But I don't think I can, Harry thought. His breathing started to become more and more erratic. All he wanted to do was go back downstairs. Why didn't they get it?

“Please, tell me about it later,” Harry pleaded. “I need to let them know I wasn't kidnapped.”

“But you were....”

“....kidnapped, Harry.”

The twins laughed at their own joke, and Harry took that opportunity to walk out of the room. He was glad that he knew the layout of the house. There were so many twists and winding turns that one could actually get lost.

Making his way towards the stairs, Harry could feel his panic slowly ebbing away when it was blown back full force when he ran into Ron.

“Harry,” Ron said was totally surprised to see his best friend in his house. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Ron,” Harry said, trying to calm his breathing and talk normally so he would not raise suspicion with his best mate. “I'll talk to you later. I need to get back downstairs. Professor Snape is down there looking for me.”

“Why would that greasy git be looking for you?” Ron sneered.

“I've been staying with him.”

Harry really didn't want to have this conversation now, but it was about to be inevitable.

“Why would you stay with him?” Ron all but yelled out. Harry tried to pass Ron so that he could go down the stairs, but Ron stood in front of him preventing Harry from passing. “You know that git doesn't like us. Why are you with him?” Ron looked at Harry. Harry could feel the disgust coming off of his friend in vast amounts. This caused Harry's anger and rage to multiply in his belly. Harry tried to calm himself down, but the longer he stood there the more angrier he was getting, and right now, he didn't care who was in front of him. All he knew was that he needed to get downstairs and by his professor as soon as possible. What he didn't understand was why everyone seemed to be trying to stop him.

“Ron,” Harry's voice was no longer calm. It was coming out very harsh. “Move.”

Again, Harry tried to walk around Ron, but Ron sidestepped into Harry's way again.

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you are with that greasy bat!”

By this time, Fred and George made there way to where Harry and Ron was.

Coming up the stairs, Molly was on her way to chastise her twins for taking Harry the way that they did. Half way up the stairs she saw that Harry got away from her wayward twins' clutches, but was not in a standoff with her youngest son.

Harry, once again, tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and once again asked Ron to move. Ron's glare at his best friend did not waver. He wanted to understand why Harry was with their most hated Professor, and he wasn't letting Harry go until he got his answer. What happened next surprised everyone in that hallway. Harry narrowed his eyes, looking at his friend. No one noticed that Harry's hands were balled up into fists until it was too late. With out any warning, Harry hit Ron with all his strength. Ron, being unaware that he was about to be assaulted, was not ready for the punch and fell back causing him to begin to tumble down the stairs. The twins rushed over to Harry and each one of them held one of Harry's arms while Molly, seeing her son tumbling down the stairs, had her wand out to stop his fall and he landed gracefully in her arms. Because of the force of the hit and him hitting his head on several steps before Molly could stop it, Ron was unconscious.

Harry was trembling with rage. Not that he totally understood why he was so angry. The only thing that was on his mind was that he needed his Professor. He shook his arms loose from the twins. His anger at his friends for keeping him upstairs and his hurt that he couldn't get to his professor began to boil over. For the first time since he found himself on top of his Primary school trying to get away from Dudley and his gang, Harry had accidental magic that made him apparate away.

Severus sitting in the Weasley's living room with Sirius, Arthur, and Alastor, was not expecting what happened next. One minute the four wizards were talking about what has occurred in the past few weeks, the next Severus let out a grunt when a small boy popped onto his lap.

“What in Merlin's name?” Severus strained out from the impact of a fourteen-year old teen landing on his lap.

Harry instantly recognizing his Professor's voice slightly turned, not getting off of his lap, and wrapped his arms around his Professor's neck not wanting to ever let go. Severus was completely shocked, as was everyone else in the room. Severus wrapped his arms around the child and noticed that he was shaking. Severus looked over Harry's shoulder to Sirius and saw that the mutt was just as confused as he was as to what could have possibly happen within the last ten minutes.

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Remus sat next to Minerva on her bed.

“You don't remember anything?” Remus asked.

Minerva shook her head. “Nothing.” She looked at her former student. “You said that Poppy is here?”

“Yeah,” Remus said, standing up.

“Take me to her,” Minerva said, also standing. “Severus told me that she was here, but never told me what happened.”

“After you were taken,” Remus began, “Poppy was attacked. She was hit with the Conjunctivitus Curse.”

“Take me to her,” Minerva repeated. She wanted to see her friend.

They walked out of the room and made the trek towards Poppy's room. Once there, Minerva lightly knocked on the door. She waited until she heard a soft “Come in” from the other side of the door. When Remus and Minerva walked in the room, what they were met with brought tears to Minerva's eyes. Poppy was laying on her bed her cover pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were covered with gauze and tape. To see her friend like this was really hard for Minerva. But she knew she had to be strong for her best friend.

“Who's there?” Poppy's voice was soft.

“Poppy.”

A short gasp came from the medi-witch and she reached out. “Minerva.” Even though her eyes were covered, both Remus and Minerva could hear the tears in her voice.

Minerva walked over towards the bed. The Transfiguration Professor grabbed hold of her friends outstretched hand and lowered the side rail and sat on the end of the bed.

“Minerva,” Poppy choked out. “When did you get back? Is Severus with you? Are you alright?”

“I'm okay,” Minerva reassured her friend. “Poppy, what happened?”

“Minnie, where's Severus and Harry? Are they safe? ”

Minerva could hear the worry in her friend's voice.

“They're fine. They are at the Burrow,” Minerva said, patting Poppy's hand.

“They're together?”

“Yes,” Minerva said, nodding. “The wards fell at Privet Drive. Harry's safe.”

“Harry's not the only one I'm worried about,” Poppy stated.

“What do you mean?” Minerva said, looking incredulously at Poppy.

“Minnie, Albus did this to me. He came to the Infirmary looking for Severus.”

“The Infirmary? Why was Severus in the Infirmary?”

“You had just been taken,” Poppy explained. “Severus was upset to say the least. In a fit of rage, he almost depleted his magical core when you disappeared.”

“What?”

“He destroyed your chambers. The last time someone used their magic to that magnitude, you were angry with James and Sirius with the prank they did to Severus. He shook the castle. I happened to get to him first and got him back to the Infirmary. He was there for a couple of hours, but then left to go back to wherever he was hiding with Harry. Albus came with associates and they attacked. Albus took my eyes.”

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“Arthur,” Molly's voice could be heard from upstairs. “Get up here, now.”

Arthur got up and went to see what the problem was. When Arthur made it half way up the stairs, he saw that Molly was holding their youngest son and the twins were standing as if petrified in that spot. No one could move.

No matter how much coaxing either Severus or Sirius did, they could not remove Harry from Severus' lap. When they tried prying Harry off of Severus, Severus was met with a very clingy child. Both wizards tried to soothe Harry, but the grip the child had on Severus' robes did not and would not slacken. At one point, Sirius tried to pull Harry off of Severus. It was almost like Harry placed a sticking charm on himself so that he could not be removed.

Once Harry realized where he was and felt the familiarity of his Professor, all the anxiety that he was feeling began to completely go away. He wrapped his arms around his Professor and buried his face in his teacher's neck. When he felt arms being wrapped around him, the only thing that Harry felt was safety.

This was all he wanted. He just wanted to be safe. Why no one in this crazy house understood that was beyond him. But right now he didn’t care. Right now, he was in the only place he really wanted to be.

TBC

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Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

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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 the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 35

I just want to get to Professor Snape. Why are they making this so impossible? They are suppose to be my friends. Why is he stopping me from getting back down stairs? All I want is my Professor. Why is that so hard to understand?!

Harry looked at Ron standing across from him. The more that he didn't move the angrier Harry was becoming.

“Why are you with that Greasy Git?” Ron yelled. “You know he doesn't like us. Matter of fact he hates us. Especially you.” Ron poked Harry's chest for emphasis.

“He does like me.” Ron shook his head. “He DOES! Get away from me, Ron.”

“He doesn't like you. He hates you. And you know it. He's never liked you. It's all a show.”

“THAT'S NOT TRUE. HE LIKES ME. HE LIKES ME. HE TOOK CARE OF ME!”

“Not true, mate,” another voice came from behind Harry. “You know he hates you.”

Harry turned around to see the twins standing behind him.

“Snape's never really liked you. Ron's right. He doesn't like anyone.”

“Pup,” Harry turned around and saw Sirius coming up the stairs behind Ron. “What's going on?”

“They're saying bad things about my Professor,” Harry said as Sirius walked closer towards him.

“Your Professor?” Sirius brow creased. “Who are you talking about?”

“Professor Snape,” Harry looked at Sirius. “They are saying that he doesn't like me.” He said pointing at the redheads. “He does.”

“Snivellous,” Sirius looked at his godson. “That git is incapable of liking anyone.”

Harry looked at his godfather incredulously. “That's not true.”

“Harry, dear,” Molly's motherly voice came from the side of Ron. “You know that the only ones that care for you are right here. Severus Snape does not care. Not like we do. We're always there for you.”

Harry stepped back from Sirius, looking from him to Molly.

“That's not true,” Harry said, backing away from the Weasleys and Sirius. “He took care of me. He stayed up with me when I was scared. He made sure I was fed. He gave me medicine when I was sick. He loves...” Harry trailed off from his rant.

“You see,” Molly's sweet voice came through. “You know he doesn't love you. He will never love you. And you want to know why? Because he blames you.”

“Blames me for what?”

“For killing her, pup,” Sirius said. “You said that he took care of you, right? Well, did you ever think that he's only doing that because he was told to?”

Harry blinked at his godfather. Why was he saying all these hurtful things?

“Why are you saying this?” Harry's voice becoming thick with tears.

“Snivellous is just a foot solider. Dumbledore's pawn. Voldemort’s lackey.”

“That's not true.”

“It is, pup.”

“It's NOT TRUE!”

“Harry,” a baritone voice from downstairs rang up. “Harry, come here.”

Harry perked up, recognizing the voice. Trying to get pass his godfather and friends, Harry headed for the stairs.

“Professor,” Harry called out. He got pass Sirius and again headed for the stairs. When he got his foot on the first step, he felt a hand on his elbow.

“I can't let you go down there, mate,” Ron said, holding on to Harry's arm.

“Professor,” Harry called out. “Professor help me! Please!”

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There was much chaos in the Weasley house. Molly caught her son on his way down the stairs. Fred and George were frozen at the top of the stairs where Harry was just standing. Arthur rushed up the stairs and helped Molly with their youngest son. He grabbed hold of their son and carried him back up the stairs, Molly walking right behind him.

Downstairs, Sirius and Severus were both trying to calm Harry down. Severus could feel Harry shaking in his arms. Sirius was now sitting on the coffee table that was right in front of Severus, rubbing Harry's back.

“Severus,” Alastor said. “You must calm the boy down.”

“How very insightful,” Severus sneered.

“You don't understand,” Moody replied, dismissing the last remark. “Harry's magic is causing all this. He's frozen the twins upstairs, and he has a Sticking Charm on you.”

“How would you know that?”Sirius asked looking over his shoulder to the ex-Auror.

“Because I can see it, Black,” Moody spat back, pointing to his magical eye.

“Black,” Severus' voice was staining. Sirius turned back and saw that Harry was actually tightening his grip around Severus' neck. “Where's the bear?”

Sirius looked puzzled for a second. Bear? Then he remembered the only two things that Harry was holding when they left Number 4 Privet Drive was his wand and a stuffed bear. When they got to St. Mungo's, and Harry left his arms for Severus', he dropped both the wand and bear on the floor. He remembered shrinking them and putting them in his pocket. Standing up and going in his pocket, Sirius pulled out the shrunken bear and re-sized it.

“So, how do you want to do this?” Sirius asked sitting back down across from Severus.

“I'm going to try and move him enough so you can put the bear under his nose,” Severus said through clenched teeth.

“That may not be a good idea,” Moody piped in.

“What? Why not?” Sirius turned and looked at Moody.

“That's no ordinary Sticking Charm. It looks different. It may not go well.”

Looking at the Potion Master across from him, he could see that Severus was in a lot of pain. Whatever Harry was doing to him, was causing him great discomfort.

“We're doing this,” Severus grunted, trying to move his hands from Harry's back.

Sirius saw whatever was going on, Severus was going through a lot of pain. His eyes were tightly shut, sheen of sweat on his brow. It seemed like an eternity for him to get his arms off of Harry and towards the boy's head. Trying to move, finding the slightest movement causing him excruciating pain, Severus gritted his teeth as he tried to pull Harry's head from under his neck.

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Minerva and Remus apparated to the Burrow. Minerva was deep in thought that she didn't even realize that Remus grabbed hold of her arm and started escorting her towards the door.

Minerva always thought there was something with the Headmaster, but she would have never guessed that he would attack a faculty member. Her first thought that if he wielded that kind of power that he was allied with known Death Eaters what did he really have over Severus. Poppy's fears for Severus was troubling, but to really voice it out really worried Minerva.

They walked into the Weasleys' house and were shocked at what they were seeing. Severus and Sirius were sitting on the couch. Harry was sitting on Severus' lap. His head on his shoulder, asleep. His arms were holding on tightly to the bear while one of his hands were gripping Severus' frock coat so tightly that his knuckles were white. Minerva looked at her son's face and could see the pained expression on him.

“What happened?” Remus asked.

Sirius stood up and walked over towards his friend.

“Harry displayed accidental magic,” Sirius sighed. “Very powerful accidental magic.”

“What do you mean?” Minerva asked.

“Come sit down, and I'll tell you,” Sirius said walking back to the chair across from Severus.

Minerva walked over to Severus and cupped his cheek. She could see the pained lines on his face. His forehead had a sheen of sweat on it. When he didn't react to her touching his face she quickly turned to Sirius.

“What happened?”

“He passed out from the pain,” Sirius said as he sat down, rubbing his hand down his face. “Like I said, Harry did some extraordinary accidental magic.”

“Where's Arthur and Molly?”

“Upstairs with their kids,” Moody said walking down the stairs. “The twins are in the bed resting and Ron's finally woke up. He's still a little groggy but okay.”

Minerva could not believe what she was hearing. What on earth happened? Severus was unconscious. Harry is gripping him as if his life depended on it. And the Weasley children were in the bed.

“I don't know what happened upstairs,” Sirius started, bring Minerva out of her musing. “I just know that we were sitting here talking, and Harry just appeared on his lap,” Sirius gestured toward Severus. “When he asked what was going on, Harry just attached himself on him. He wouldn't let him go.”

“So how did this happen?” Minerva's voice was full of worry.

“The longer Harry was holding on, the tighter his grip was becoming. He was slowly choking Severus.”

“Harry's magic was working all over the house,” Moody started. “He froze the twins by the stairs. He knocked out Ronald. I had to help Arthur get the twins into bed.”

Minerva looked between Severus' and Harry's unconscious forms to Sirius and Alastor. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“Well, what started this?”

“Fred and George apparated to the kitchen while they were eating,” Molly said walking down the stairs. “And took Harry away. I guess in his panic he wanted to get back down here. Fred told me, when he woke up, that Harry was trying to come back downstairs, but my children being as they are, prevented him from doing so.” Molly walked over towards Severus and began wiping his brow with the wet flannel she brought down with her. “And then poor Severus, I've never heard him scream like that before.”

If she was shocked before, now she was completely speechless. As long as she'd known Severus Snape, he had never been known to vocalize pain. So whatever happened for him to scream in pain, it had to be beyond unbearable.

“The Binding Charm that was attached on them,” Molly said. “Severus was trying to disconnect it.”

“How?” Minerva asked, taking the flannel from Molly.

“The Bear,” Sirius answered. “We wanted Harry to calm down. Even being in Severus' arms wasn't calming him down.”

Remus could see that whatever happened, it really shook Sirius. Sirius was sitting in the chair; his shoulders were slumped. He looked completely crestfallen.

Remus walked over to Sirius and put his hand on his best mate's shoulder. “What did you do?”

Sirius looked up at Remus with bloodshot eyes. “I helped him pull Harry off of him. Just enough to get the bear under his nose.” Sirius shook his head at the vivid memory. “It wasn't just Snape screaming. Harry was wailing as well.”

Remus and Minerva looked back at the two unconscious forms on the couch. Harry indeed had dried tear-stained tracks down his cheeks. Since Minerva was still holding the one flannel to Severus' eyes, Molly conjured another flannel and carefully wiped the small teen's face. Sirius put his head down. Remus squeezed his friend's shoulder to comfort him. He knew it had to be heartbreaking to hear those screams.

“Once I got the bear in Harry's face, his magic stopped. The twins fell where they stood. The Sticking Charm on Severus was lifted from his chest, but, as you can see, not from his lap. The only real contact between the two is Harry's grip of Snape's coat.

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“You are not going down there,” Ron's grip tightened on Harry's arm.

“You will unhand my boy,” the baritone voice came from the bottom of the stairs.

The surprise of hearing the deep voice gave Harry the ability to free his arm. Not giving Ron or anyone else the chance of grabbing him again, Harry, smiling, ran as fast as he could down the stairs to his Professor. Harry didn't make it to the bottom steps before leaping into the open arms of his Professor. Wrapping his arms and legs around his Professor, Harry couldn't help the biggest grin across his face as he buried he head in Severus' neck. He was finally in the safety of his Professor.

“You would never hurt me, would you Professor?” Harry mumbled.

“No,” Severus soothed. “You silly child.”

Severus walked back to the couch and sat down with Harry still in his lap.

“Do you hate me?” Harry lifted his head. He pulled back to look at his Professor, but did not and would not let go of his neck.

“No, Harry.”

“Will you always be there for me?”

Severus looked into those green eyes and saw the pleading that was coming from them.

“I will always be there for you; I will protect you with my life, Harry Potter,” Severus declared.

A grin came across Harry's face, and for the first time, Harry saw a small smile on his Professor's face. Harry closed the hug back, tightening his hold.

“Thank you, sir.”

Severus just rubbed small circles on Harry's back, rocking from side to side.

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All the adults just sat around waiting for some movement from Severus or Harry. Each one was lost in his or her own thoughts. Minerva sat next to her son and student and continued to hold the damp flannel over Severus' eyes. Sirius stayed sitting in front of them on the coffee table. Remus sat in the chair that Sirius was sitting in before everything happened. None of the three would take their eyes off the two that were still unconscious on the couch. Then it happened.

Harry started to slide off Severus' lap. Before Harry's head could leave Severus' shoulder Sirius was grabbing hold of Harry's limp form. Sirius was surprised that he could lift Harry from Severus' lap.

“Severus,” Minerva called out, shaking his shoulder.

Remus was on the other side of Severus. Severus began to slide off the couch, but was stopped by Remus grabbing hold of his arm, and Minerva holding her son's head. They lowered him down till his head was on her lap. She put the flannel back over his eyes, while running her fingers through his hair.

“Lift his legs,” Minerva told Remus.

Molly walked over to Sirius, who was cradling Harry against his chest. “Come, let's put Harry to bed.”

Sirius looked back at the three on the couch.

“He'll be fine,” Minerva said without looking up. “Take care of Harry.”

Sirius followed Molly upstairs. They walked into a room that only had one bed.

“It's Charlie's room,” Molly said turning on the light. “Put Harry on the bed.”

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Minerva looked down at her son. Remus sat down on the coffee table.

“What do you think happened?”

“No idea,” Minerva didn't look up, running her fingers through Severus' hair. “I do know that these two have been through a lot, and they have more on their shoulders. I just know that we have to be there for them.”

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Sirius, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked down a the sleeping child on the bed.

“What happened to you, pup?” Sirius sighed.

TBC

A/N: On February 24, 2015, my Great-aunt Vera Johnson, whom I was taking care of for the pass 19 years passed away.

On March 9, 2015, my Uncle Jack passed away.

So, with a heavy heart, I am dedicating this chapter to my Great-aunt and my Uncle.

A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed, favored and followed this story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter.

Many hugs and kisses to you all.

Mandancie :)

Please follow my Mandancie pages on Facebook and Tumblr.

Chapter 36

Severus sat on the couch holding a now sleeping Harry in his arms. Not long after Severus made his claim to always be there for him, the child fell asleep. Severus found that it didn't even bother him that he had become attached to the child. The fourteen year old boy, who was draped over his chest, sitting on his lap, was a comfortable burden he was willing to take on. Absently rubbing soothing circles on the child's back, Severus didn't notice someone walking towards them. Not until that someone was standing directly in front of them.

“Snape.”

Looking up, Severus' grip tightened on the sleeping child as he sneered at the intruder standing before him.

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Aberforth walked from behind the bar holding two shot glasses of Firewhiskey. Albus was sitting at one of the tables with his head in his hand. He had already banished Greyback and Bellatrix from the bar before they regained consciousness. Aberforth sat across from his brother and slid one of the shot glasses towards him.

“So.” Aberforth's voice was no where near as harsh as it was earlier that evening. “What are you going to do?”

“I honestly don't know,” Albus sighed. He took a sip of the Firewhiskey, grimacing as it burned slightly going down his throat.

“So, you're giving up?” Aberforth raised an eyebrow.

Albus' brow creased as he looked up at his brother. “No, I'm not giving up. There is one other thing I can try and will ensure Harry's devotion to me.”

“And what is that?” Aberforth asked, leaning back in his chair.

“A Magical Bonding.”

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“What are you doing here?” Severus sneered, holding Harry tighter.

He reached in his sleeve and couldn't help and mutter a curse when he realized that his wand was not there. That didn't stop his willingness to protect Harry if it came to it.

The man smirked at how Severus' body language showed that he really did care for the child.

“I didn't come to fight.”

“So, you've come to torment me some more, Potter. Didn't get enough in life that you have to come even still after death and still torment me?”

James walked over to the table across from Severus and sat down.

“Like I said, I'm not here to fight. I'm actually here to say I'm sorry. You're a better man than I was.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You're watching over my son.” James had sad smile when he looked at the boy draped over Severus, Harry's arms just barely on the man's shoulders, his head nestled under his chin. James could see the content, peaceful look on his son's face.

“I despise your son,” Severus spat out.

“You do realize that Harry is currently in your arms as we speak, and you have yet to loosen your grip upon him,” James smirked. “I have been watching, and I know that, even though you try to hate my child because he resembles me, you still repeatedly saved his life.”

Severus snorted at the insinuation. He might care for the child now, but that didn't mean that he did the first four years at Hogwarts.

“I did what any other Professor would do,” Severus dismissed.

“Don't sell yourself short, Snape. You can lie to yourself and to others, but you cannot lie to me. I'm already dead. I can see your heart. You went above and beyond to save my son. Your past and his lineage be damned.”

“Absurd.” Severus shook his head.

“Tell me, Severus,” James said crossing his arms over his chest. “How do you feel about Quidditch?”

“A barbaric game that doesn't need to be at a school,” Severus answered quickly, without even thinking of the answer first.

“A barbaric game, you say?” James nodded. “And yet, in Harry's first year, you refereed. I wonder, why was that?” Severus narrowed his eyes, looking at his former nemesis. “You don't like the sport. And from the first game, where Gryffindor was against Slytherin, you made yourself more than capable to watch out for Harry and protect him from being knocked off his broom.”

“Alright, so I wanted to make sure he would be alright in the next game. Again, what any other Professor would do.”

“What about his third year?” James asked.

“What about it? The wretched brat hexed me.”

“The same 'wretched brat' that you have still yet to put down. You are still cradling said wretched brat protectively in your arms.” James had a full smile on his face, trying to suppress his laughter.

Severus pursed his lips at the mirth on James. He looked down at the child in his arms, but still didn't have the heart or the will to remove his arms. Severus looked back up at James and saw the smile that, at one point in his past, would be followed by his, Severus Snape's, expense and humiliation. Readying himself for an onslaught of hurtful insults, Severus eyed the man across from him. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Severus spoke up.

“What do you want?”

“I'm trying to tell you something. Trying to finish what you and my son started, but you have to be honest with yourself for this to work. You are a formidable wizard. And there is no one that I would be more honored to stand by my son for the life that he is about to face. You may be brash, a little rough around the edges, but I know that you care for my son. I know you will watch out for my son.”

Severus listened to what James was saying still every so often looking down at Harry and back to his father.

“Now,” James said, bringing Severus out of his musing. “Third year. You said that he hexed you, but you still shielded him along with his friends from Moony.” Tilting his head to the side. “Why?”

Severus really didn't have an answer for that. Yes, he was more than furious that Harry had hexed him, but he couldn't in good conscience stand by and let Lupin attack them, no matter how much of an insufferable brat Harry could be. Severus looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. Harry stirred a little, not waking, but moving just enough to ensure that he was still safe before nuzzling more into Severus' neck. James couldn't keep the small smile off of his face watching his son slumber, completely relaxed against his protector's chest. Now all James had to do was to get Severus to admit that he was Harry's protector.

James didn't wait for an answer before he asked one more.

“Why did you protect Harry from Karkaroff?”

Severus looked at James. He remembered exactly why. He hadn't trusted Karkaroff. He had been pestering Severus about the Dark Mark for months. The Potions Master had been trying to avoid the man for weeks, especially after their talk during the Yule Ball.

Well, that particular night, the Drumstrang Headmaster cornered Severus in one of his Potion store cupboards. They had a heated discussion till Igor pulled up his sleeve to show the dreaded tattoo. Like Severus needed a reminder of what the Mark looked like. All but physically kicking Igor out of his store room, Severus remembered being slightly amused at the appalled look on Karkaroff's face when he realized that he was being dismissed. Slightly tightening his hold on Harry, Severus thought about how Harry had the worst timing in the world. At the same time, he was just coming from wherever, and Igor leaving at the same time. They met in the hallway. He towered over Harry and Severus knew they locked eyes with each other. Now, having a history with Igor, Severus knew that if Igor didn't get what he wanted, he would throw a tantrum. And those said tantrums were usually disastrous for some poor bystander, not for the person or persons that upset him. That night, Snape remembered, he knew Harry was going to be that bystander. He could not have that.

Seeing Harry in the hall walking in the same direction as Karkaroff had headed, Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy. He knew he needed to delay him somehow.

James leaned forward and placed his hand on the back of Harry's head, letting his fingers get lost in the locks of his son's hair.

“Severus,” James whispered, bringing Severus out of his musing. “Like I've told you, I know your heart. I know the real reasons you did what you did. I'm trying to get you to stop lying to yourself. Once you do that, you can truly protect my son. He has Lily's forgiving heart. Whatever you two may have felt about each other before, that's nothing. When Harry forgives, he forgives wholeheartedly.”

“And how would you know that?” Severus sneered.

“Because it's the same thing Lily did. You do know that she forgave you, right?” Severus looked at James in confusion. “She went looking for you. She wanted you to meet Harry. Everything.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Severus snapped, cutting James off.

James sighed. “You and Harry started some very powerful bonding magic. This bond is equal to the bonds between a parent and child. I'm here to complete it, but first I must get you to listen.”

“Listen to what?” Severus asked.

“To your heart,” James answered. “Right now, you're struggling. And you're letting your damned pride get in the way of what your heart is trying to tell you. I asked you those questions so that you can be completely honest with yourself. I know you care for Harry. Your body language tells it all, but you're fighting it in your head. If you're worried about rejection, don't be. Like I said, Harry is like Lily in that respect. But if you require further proof that Harry will not ever reject you, then look down. Look at the boy in your arms. Look at my son. He's not clinging to just anyone. He's clinging to you. He is, as we speak, displaying to utmost trust someone that someone can show. He is currently unconscious, laying against your chest with his hands in fists, gripping your clothes. He feels safe, secure. Which, as long as Lily and I have been watching him, he has not felt like this. Ever. It hurt Lily and I so much that we couldn't protect Harry, but now, he has someone. He has you.”

Severus looked back down at the messy head boy currently in his lap.

“Severus,” James said. “Be truthful. How do you feel about my son, Harry James Potter?”

Still looking down at the child, and finally looking at James, he said, “I wish he was mine.”

James smiled at his confession, and with his hand still on Harry's head, he stood up and placed his other hand on Severus' head.

Everything in the room lit up. The light was getting too much for Snape's eyes and he closed them. The last thing he heard was James' disembodied voice in the back of his head saying,

“Take care of my son, now your son.”

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Minerva sat on the small couch, Severus' head in her lap. She had a warm damp flannel covering his eyes. She knew that one little act soothed Severus. Deep in thought, Minerva sat there, one hand over the flannel while the other absently combed through his black locks with her fingers.

Severus began to moan, bringing Minerva out of her musing.

“Severus,” Minerva quietly called out. “Severus, it's alright.”

“Potter,” Severus mumbled. “Where's Potter?” He brought his hand up to his face, trying to remove the flannel, but came to a little resistance. “What?”

“Severus, you've been unconscious for sometime now. I know how your eyes get when this happens,” she slightly admonished. There was no heat behind her words, for she was just happy that her son was waking up.

“When did you get here?” Severus asked, sighing and putting his hand back over his chest.

Minerva lifted her head and sighed, looking over at the small clock over the mantle. “We got here about three hours ago.”

“Where's Harry?” His voice much weaker than previous.

She could tell that he was about to fall back asleep. She began rubbing his scalp again, trying to soothe the residual tension in her son. “He's upstairs resting, Severus. Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning.”

Minerva could feel the last bit of tension melt away from Severus as he began to slumber. She could feel herself calming down. Ever since she had adopted Severus, she had her fill of worry. Him taking the Dark Mark, then becoming a spy. Both of these has had her worried, but never has she been this scared for her son than tonight. Not knowing what all happened and why he wasn't waking had really worried her. That, and worrying about Poppy, and what she told her at St. Mungo's.

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Albus walked back to the castle. He had a lot on his mind. How was he going to make the Magical Bonding work? He knew that he would have to first get Harry away from everyone. After the attack on Privet Drive and Grimmauld Place, he knew just the way to get Harry alone. A smile began to form on the Headmaster's face as he planned it. Things were starting to look up for Albus, or so he thought.

TBC

“Harry.” Harry tightened his hold on the dark wool fabric that was under his hand, nuzzling his head, and taking a deep breath, breathing in the smells of potions.

“Harry, darling, you have to wake up,” the sweet voice said again.

Harry turned his head, but did not lift it. He wasn't ready to abandon the soothing comfort the shoulder he was laying on was bringing him. When he opened his eyes, he was met by a woman with beautiful red hair and a pair of eyes that were as green as his.

Recognizing her from the pictures he had, Harry lifted his head to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

“Mum?” Harry gasped out.

A warm smile graced the woman's lips.

“Yes, Harry,” Lily said. “It's me.”

“Mum.” Harry felt his throat burn with tears. “I wish you were here.” Harry laid his head back down on the shoulder but kept his eyes on her.

“I know, baby,” Lily soothed. “But I'll always be with you. Both your dad and I will always be with you. I want to tell you, I'm very proud of you.”

Harry began to grin at his mum's admission, but the smile soon faded when he thought back over the past year, alone. He remembered seeing his parents and Cedric at the cemetery and he couldn't help the feeling of disappointment for not being able to save anyone and for everything being his fault.

Lily could see the change of emotion on her son's face, and as much as she wanted to hold her son, she knew she couldn't. She was there for a reason, but she would comfort her distressed child first.

“Why do you look so upset, my love?”

Harry looked up at his mum and couldn't help the tears that slid over his nose, down to the black wool robe he was laying on. Her heart clenched seeing her baby crying.

“I'm sorry, mum,” Harry cried. “It's all my fault. You and dad died because of me. It's all my fault.”

“No, baby. It was not. It was a very dark wizard's fault.”

“You died because of me.”

“I died doing what any mother would do for her child. If I had to do it over, I would do the same thing. Harry, you are my child. You were my baby and I would have put my life before yours in an instant. Your life was, is and will be very important. Knowing that you lived made my sacrifice that much more. I do not blame you. Your father does not blame you. Do we wish that we were the ones raising you, protecting you? Yes. Do I regret what I did that night? Not on your life. You, Harry James Potter, are my son and I would and did die to protect you. Now, there is something that I must share with you. And this is something that I must entrust you to do and complete for me. Do you understand?”

Harry, his head now off the comforting shoulder, looking at his mom, nodded his head.

“Now, before I died, I placed a protective charm over you that was built on love.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, Professor Dumbledore told me. That protection kept Voldemort from touching me.”

“That's right,” Lily nodded. The pride in her child began to show on her face. “But certain events this year have circumvent my charm.”

“Voldemort coming back.”

Lily nodded.

“You need the love protection of another to override mine.”

“I won't have your love anymore.” Panic began to fill Harry's voice.

“Oh no, baby,” Lily soothed her child. “My love will be there, always. No, this love will be added to mine. This will amplify my original charm so that you will still be protected by my love, but with the love of another.”

Seeing her son's shoulders relax, she knew she had calmed down his fear of losing her love.

Harry's relief of still having his mother's protection along with someone else's made him sigh and lay his head back down. Lily knew that she didn't have much time, but before she could continue with why she was there, she knew she had to soothe and comfort her child.

“How do you feel about your Professor?” Lily asked.

Harry's head shot up once again and he looked at his mum. He thought about the question. How did he feel about the Professor? At one point he was scared of him. But then who wasn't scared of the Potions Professor? He had that way about him. In his first year, he would have thought that he was evil, but only to find out that he was protecting him throughout the entire year was a little unsettling for him since he always thought that Professor Snape hated him. Then second and third year just seemed to amplify his fear of the Head of Slytherin. But even after he did what he just knew he would be expelled for, Professor Snape still tried to protect him and his friends from Remus when he turned to a werewolf. His fourth year, Harry thought, was the most confusing regarding their mutual feelings for each other. When Harry's name came out of the Goblet, aside from the sneers and jeers he was getting from the student body, when he was walking towards the back where the champions were suppose to go, he saw Professor Snape's face. There wasn't his usual sneer whenever he saw Harry. No, there was genuine concern on his face that moment they stopped and looked at each other. Then after Harry left Dumbledore's office, he almost ran into Karkaroff as he stormed out of the Professor's store cupboard. He didn't know why he was so angry, but when Karkaroff looked at him, Harry's first thought was he knew he didn't want to be in a dark alleyway alone with the man. Still thinking on what he saw while at the Headmaster's office, he wasn't paying attention to the fact that he was about to do that very thing; being alone with Karkaroff. Not that it entered his mind, but he was brought out of his musing by Snape calling his name. At first he made it seem like Harry was going to get in trouble for walking around, but he just held him there for a few minutes. Accusing him of stealing from his stores, but Harry knew he hadn't. He didn't want to tempt fate a second time. Even though that fear he once had for his Professor subsided, it was still there. But his fear of his Potions Professor quickly went away when he found out that it was he who once again saved and protected him. Once again, it was Professor Snape who made sure he was taken care of. It was Professor Snape that shielded him from his relatives even when Professor Dumbledore wanted him to go back.

“Harry,” Lily said, bringing the child out of his musing. “How do you feel about Severus?”

A smile came across the boys face. “I wish he would always be there to protect me.”

The redheaded woman smiled at her son, leaned down until her mouth was next to her son's ear. She then whispered what he was to do. When she stood back up, she saw the bewilderment, and disbelief in her son's eyes.

“Just trust him, Harry.” Lily soothed. “All will be well.”

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Hermione woke up very excited. She had been waiting for this day all summer vacation. Before school let out, she was called to Headmaster's office. He told her that she would be going home to her family, but to be expected to be port-keyed to the Order's headquarters. He then gave her a small worn sock. She looked incredulously at it, and with a twinkle in his eye, he informed her that the sock would turn into a port-key when it was time to meet together.

Even though it has been almost a month, and she loved being with her parents, she was eagerly excited to see her friend's. Her parents were fine with the fact that she would be leaving earlier than before. Actually, after meeting one of her friends parents right before her second year, Mr. and Mrs. Granger didn't mind Hermione staying with the Weasleys during the summer.

Hermione was packing up her satchel. She'd been practicing an extendable charm since her third year because of all the classes that she took that year. Even though she didn't take that many classes anymore, knowing the charm had been a huge convenience, especially being friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. After finishing packing, Hermione headed down stairs.

“Good morning, mum,” Hermione greeted her when she saw her mom sitting at the kitchen table.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Mrs. Granger responded with a smile. “All packed?”

“Yes mum,” Hermione said, filling her plate with the small breakfast that was laid out on the table. “Where's dad?”

“He had an emergency last night and just got home about an hour ago,” Mrs. Granger said, going back to the paper she was reading.

The Grangers were well known dentists in the community. Very rare did they get called out in the middle of the night for an emergency, but when it did Hermione had accustomed herself to know they would be home soon. This time it was her dad who had to leave. She knew it had to be something horrific if they called her dad to come at night.

Mrs. Granger seeing the worried look on her daughter's face she quickly reassured her, “It's not as bad as you're thinking. A couple of boys decided they wanted to try their hand at dentistry and knocked a kids tooth out and broke a few others. They called your dad so that he could try to fix the damage that they caused.”

“Oh,” Hermione sighed.

“What time do you leave?” Mrs. Granger asked, while pouring herself some more coffee.

“Professor Dumbledore told me that the port-key would activate at ten. I hope that dad is up so that I could say goodbye before I leave.”

“I'm sure he will be,” Mrs. Granger assured. “I am going to miss you.”

Hermione looked at her mum and could see tears starting to build up in her eyes. It was always hard to say goodbye to her parents. Hermione could feel the lump in her own throat as she saw the tears in her mum's eyes. Hermione got up from her chair and walked over towards her mum. She climbed into her mum's lap and encircled her arms around her neck. Mrs. Granger wasted no time in enveloping her only daughter in a hug, slightly rocking side to side.

“I'll write, mum. I promise,” Hermione muffled in her mum's shoulder.

“Of course you will.” A smile graced Mrs. Granger's tear-streaked face. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will, mum,” Hermione promised.

They sat like that for a few minutes. Hermione, not even caring that she was fifteen years old, loved the small moments when she could just be a child and sit on her mum's lap. When Mr. Granger came down for his morning cup of coffee, that was how he found his two special ladies.

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Harry began to stir bringing his hand to rub his eyes. When he opened them, fear began to seep into his stomach. He did not recognize where his was. He had never seen this room before. He reached for his glasses that where on the bedside table. Putting them on, Harry looked around the room. There were pictures of different dragons plastered over the walls. For the way the room was shaped, Harry figured he was still at the Weasleys. He thought about his mum and what she said, and he couldn't help but feel hurt. For again, when he woke up he saw that he was alone.

Where was his Professor? Harry thought.

Harry was about to get up when the door to the room opened.

“Pup,” Sirius said, as a smile spread across his face. “You're wake.”

“Where am I?”Harry asked. His voice was a little groggy.

“Charlie's room,” Sirius answered. “You've been unconscious for about a day.”

“What happened?” Harry asked, sitting up. Sirius sat down on the bed beside his godson.

“What's the last thing you remember?”

“Being taken away from Professor Snape and you.” Harry scrunched up his brow. “The twins. Then all I wanted was to get back to m- the Professor.”

Harry hoped that Sirius didn't catch his slip. He didn't know how Sirius was going to take that Harry's protector was going to be Professor Snape and not him.

“You had displayed some very powerful magic last night. You apparated onto Snape's lap and were stuck to him for about three hours.”

Harry couldn't help the flush he felt to his face upon hearing that. Not only did he embarrass himself in front of his professor and Sirius, but he was clinging onto his professor like a baby. Now he knew there was no way that Professor Snape was going to make the charm to protect him if he was going to become an inconvenience.

Unaware of the struggle that Harry was thinking on, Sirius continued.

“We didn't know how to calm you down. You were shaking so badly. And even being in Snape's arms didn't calm you down.” Harry looked up at Sirius.

“What did calm me back down?” Harry asked.

Sirius didn't answer he just looked over Harry's head and towards the pillows on the bed. Harry turned his head in search of what his godfather was looking at. There he saw one more reason to be embarrassed. There laying at the head of the bed, being used as a pillow, the black bear that Professor Snape gave him had now made its way to the Burrow.

Oh great, Harry thought. Now the Weasleys know I have a teddy bear.

Now, sensing the turmoil that is going through Harry, Sirius looked at his godson with a small smile to reassure him that all will fine.

“No one will make fun of you, Harry,” Sirius said. “We were all just worried about you.”

There was a knock on the door and it cracked opened to reveal who was on the other side. Remus poked his head in the door. When he saw Harry awake, he opened the door all the way.

“Harry,” Remus smiled, walking in the room. “Come, cub, Molly's getting breakfast ready.” Remus held out his hand to help Harry up and Harry took it. Standing up on shaky legs, Harry stood between his father's two best friends. Once steady, all three headed down to have breakfast with the others in the house.

TBC

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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

A/N: I am so sorry for the lack of updates, I've been dealing with a very bad case of writer's block. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 38

Lucius Malfoy walked down the corridor to his manor with a slight edge in his step. He did not want to be the one to deliver this news, but he knew that the Dark Lord would want to know. It had been a long and stressful few months inside Malfoy Manor. Within the past few months, the manor had taken up a few more residents. The Malfoys were now hosts to a few Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself. Lucius knew that Narcissa was not pleased at having all those people, (he used the term loosely,) or the Dark Lord for that matter, in her house. But there was nothing that she could do. Malfoy senior knew that refusal was not an option, especially after what happened at the graveyard in June. They just had to put up with their house guests.

If having Death Eaters in his house wasn't enough, lately he had been charged with finding Bella and Fenir. Those two had been missing for a couple of weeks and Voldemort was not a patient man when it came to wanting his followers found. Well after weeks of an exhaustive search, Lucius was able to track down where the two missing followers were. After finding them, Lucius found out about their little extra curricular activities. Everyone knew that Voldemort did not want to make any premature moves. After coming back into his body, he wanted Harry Potter to be seen as crazy, to make his resurrection quiet for now. So that meant no raids. No attacks. Everything was to stay as it was at the beginning of the year.

Now, things had happened that Bellatrix and Fenir were going to have to answer to. Lucius wasn't surprised by the werewolf's actions. That creature had always acted on impulse. If it was something to do right now, then Fenir was right there. But what really surprised him was that Bella would defy the Dark Lord like that and so willingly.

Even though Lucius did not care for his sister-in-law, he was not looking forward to telling the Dark Lord that she had gone behind his back and attacked several people and places.

Lucius made his way to his study, knowing that was were The Dark Lord was. He carefully opened the door and immediately knelt down to him.

“My lord,” Lucius humbled himself.

Voldemort looked up from the paper he was reading from behind the desk. He looked at his loyal follower.

“Yes, Lucius.”

“I have found them.” Lucius did not make an attempt to raise his head from the position it was in.

“Look at me,” Voldemort sneered, waiting for his statement to be complied. “Where are they?”

“Downstairs.” Voldemort stood up from his seat, but Lucius held up his hands in a surrendering motion. “But, my lord, I must inform you. There have been a few incidences.”

“Incidences?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Lucius told Voldemort everything that the two wayward Death Eaters had been up to the past couple of weeks. Within seconds of Lucius explaining what happened, Voldemort stormed out of the study and headed towards the sitting room where the two soon to be very punished Death Eaters were.

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“Have you lost your mind?” Narcissa raged. “Have you completely lost your mind? Do you have any idea what you have done?”

“I don't need a lecture, Sissy,” Bella said, looking up at her sister pacing back and forth in front of her. “I did what I know our lord would want.” Bella's voice was filled with pride. She truly believed that she was doing what the Dark Lord wanted.

“He has ordered us to leave Potter alone,” Narcissa sighed, sitting across from her sister, falling in a matter that was uncharacteristic for her.

Lady Malfoy was exhausted. She didn't like all these...she couldn't even come up with a proper adjective for the lowlifes who were currently in her house.

“You disobeyed him.” Narcissa's voice no longer had the harshness as before.
“I did what I know he would have wanted.” Bellatrix, even though she was still feeling the remnants of the Curciatus curse she suffered from Aberforth, sat up in her seat with pride.

“He's going to be angry,” Narcissa sighed, shaking her head.

“He will want to praise me for my efforts. We have learned so much,” Bellatrix countered.

“And you of all people know that I do not give out praises often,” a voice said from the door.

Both Bellatrix and Narcissa turned and saw who was standing at the door. Narcissa sat back in her seat. For she knew by the look on the Dark Lord's face he was not pleased, and her addle brain sister was too obsessed to see that.

“My lord,” Bellatrix stood and walked over to the two men standing at the door. “You will be most pleased at what I found out.”

“And what have you found out?”

Bellatrix was a little shocked by the indifference in her master's voice, but continued on.

“I have been on the search for the Potter brat. I learned where he been hiding.”

“And where is he?” Voldemort drawled. “I don't see him here.”

“Uh, no, my lord. He wasn't at the house. But I was able to locate the Order's Headquarters and where Potter is staying. Much more than Snape has ever told you.”

“And what did you do when you found out this information?” Voldemort asked, walking into the sitting room. “Seeing as that Potter isn't here. Where are his relatives?” Voldemort sat down on the couch where Bellatrix was sitting earlier. “Surely since you were able to find where Potter's relatives were, you were able to bring them to me, so that I can handle them.”

Bellatrix gulped. Her feeling of being proud of what she had done were quickly dissipating.

Voldemort, increasingly getting tired of waiting for an answer, pulled out his want and pointed it at her.

“Bella,” his voice was strangely calm. “I will ask you one more time, where are Harry Potter's relatives? Since you've discovered where they live, surely you've brought them for me to deal with.”

Bellatrix fell to her knees and crawled towards the Dark Lord's feet.

“His relatives are dead, my lord,” Bellatrix grovelled at Voldemort's feet. “Forgive me, my lord, I only did what I thought you wanted.”

“And why would you think that I wanted Harry Potter's relatives dead?” Voldemort was clearly not swayed by Bellatrix's actions.

Bella looked up at her lord with shock and sadness in her eyes. Her mouth opening and closing, but nothing coming out.

“Live bait makes better traps then dead ones.” He kicked his leg out, moving Bellatrix off of him. “You disappoint me, Bellatrix.”

“But, my lord...,” Bellatrix sobbed.

“Enough,” cutting off her begging. “Now,” sitting back on the couch. “You will pay for what you've done.”

Voldemort lazily pointed his wand at the grovelling witch and cast the Cruciatus at her. Bella began withering from pain. With all her might, she tried to keep her screams inside. She knew that she deserved this punishment. She disappointed her lord.

Narcissa stood by, trying not to show her displeasure for what was happening to her sister, but she also knew that Bella couldn't take much more since she was recovering from the same curse when she arrived at the Manor.

“Please, have mercy, my lord,” Narcissa cried out, not being able to stand her sister being in pain much more. Voldemort looked up at Narcissa with disgust.

“How dare you?”

“Stop this,” Lucius whispered to his wife. “Forgive her, my lord,” he said towards Voldemort.

“Please, my lord,” Narcissa begged, getting away from her husband. “She's already been under the Cruciatus for a long period of time not a few hours ago. Please have mercy.”

Voldemort stopped the curse on Bella. He was now intrigued by this new information. With his arms on his knees, he leaned down and looked at the cringing witch on the floor.

“Who have you been working with, dear sweet Bella?”

Trying to gain back control of her body, Bella looked up at the Dark Lord with fear in her eyes.

“D-dumbledore,” she stuttered, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. “A-aberforth Dumbledore.”

Voldemort did not expect to hear that name.

“Find Severus for me,” Voldemort said.

“Yes, my lord,” Lucius bowed and walked out of the sitting room.

“Take your sister out of here. I do not want to see her for the rest of the night.”

Narcissa bowed. “Yes, my lord.”

“Narcissa,” she looked up at Voldemort as she gripped her sister's arm. “This will be the one and only time I will grant you mercy. Do not ask me again, or you will receive the same fate.”

Narcissa blanched at his words, but could only nod at his words. As Narcissa helped her sister out of the room, Voldemort sat back an contemplated what this new information would bring.

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Hermione, after her lengthy goodbys from her parents, waited the last few seconds before the port-key became active. Looking at her parents one last time, she could feel the tug at the back of her navel and instantly she was gone with a quiet pop.

Seconds later, Hermione fell unceremoniously on the ground. When she stood up and looked around, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

This couldn't be Headquarters, she thought. What happened?

Walking up towards what was left of the door, she looked inside. Everything was in shambles. The only thing that was still standing was the frame of the house. She couldn't help the feel of dread wash over her. Gathering up all her courage, she stepped over the threshold and walked inside. She had to see if anyone was inside.

Walking over the ruble, she couldn't keep the tears from flowing. She made her way inside one of the rooms and could see what were the remains of some furniture. Walking over towards it, she saw that even under the dust there was remnants of blood. Not having the strength to go on any further, she walked back outside. Sitting down on the only part of the steps that didn't have rubble on it, Hermione tried to calm herself down. She had to be logical about this. Something like this would be disastrous, but it would be known throughout the entire country if something happened. Knowing that she was not close to home, she decided that maybe she could stay with Harry or maybe find a way to get to Ron's.

Lifting up her head, she called out, “Hedwig.”

Within seconds a snowy white owl came flying towards her. A smile graced her lips when she laid eyes on the bird. Going through her little satchel, she pulled out a small bit of parchment and a quill. She quickly wrote her missive and tied it to Hedwig's leg. She watch the owl fly away.

Feeling a little better about things after seeing Hedwig, Hermione sat back and waited for a response.

A quiet pop pulled Hermione out of her thoughts she looked up and a smile graced her lips.

“Ms. Granger.”

“Hello, Professor.”

TBC

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone that has favored, followed and reviewed my story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

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Mandancie :)

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Chapter 39

Narcissa took her sister to one of the guest rooms on the second floor. Once she approached her towards the bed, Bellatrix lay down.

“I can't believe you,” Narcissa sneered. “What were you thinking?”

“I don't need this from you,” Bellatrix said through clenched teeth. There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't hurting.

“You should be thanking me,” Narcissa said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “How am I going to protect Draco now?” The last part she said more to herself.

“Thanking you?” Bellatrix looked at her sister. “For what? I didn't ask for your help. I don't need your help.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Bella turned so that her back was facing her sister. “I thought the Dark Lord would be proud of me.”

Lady Malfoy looked at her sister and shook her head.

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“Ms. Granger.”

“Professor, do you know what happened?” Hermione stood up from the step, turned back, and looked at the door hanging off the hinges.

“There's a spy and a traitor in the Order. Come with me. It's not safe here.”

Albus Dumbledore held out his hand towards the girl and she walked over towards him.

“Grab hold of my arm,” Albus said. “I will apparate us near Hogwarts.”

Hermione did as told and grabbed hold of the arm that was extended towards her. After she felt the tug at her navel and a resounding pop, when the young witch opened her eyes she saw that they were standing at the outer gates of the castle and in the distance stood the brilliant building that many children and professors called home.

“Come, Ms. Granger,” Albus said, walking towards the castle. “We have much to discuss and I think it would be more comfortable inside.”

Hermione followed her Headmaster back to the school. Once they got inside, they headed straight for his office.

“Please sit, Ms. Granger.” Albus said, sitting behind his desk. “Would you like some tea? Tami.”

There was a small pop next to Hermione. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips when she looked at the condition of the elf that popped in next to her.

Tami, who was usually a bubbly spirited elf, was now withdrawn and despondent.

“Master Headmaster calling Tami,” Tami deadpanned.

Hermione looked at the small elf standing next to her and her heart just broke. All her work on S.P.E.W., this was what she was fighting against. Yeah, there were some elves who didn't want to be in servitude, but the look of this poor soul looked like the world just ended.

“Please bring Ms. Granger and me tea and some of those cauldron shaped biscuits I love so much,” Albus said, his eyes twinkling madly.

With a small nod the tiny elf popped away. Seconds later, Tami came back with the asked items on a tray.

“Will you need Tami anymore?” Albus waved his hand and the tea poured itself into the provided tea cups. Tami's ears slightly perked up and her brow creased watching the Headmaster pour the tea.

“No, that will be all,” Albus said. “Oh Tami, do cheer up. You know how I dislike seeing you sad.”

Hermione looked from the Headmaster and the elf. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to that last request than just what was said. Tami popped out of the office.

“Now, Ms. Granger,” Albus started.

“Professor, what has happened?” Hermione asked, cutting the Headmaster off.

“There have been a few incidences. Things that do not concern you, but I would like to stem on the side of caution.”

“So you've gotten Hedwig?”

“Hedwig? No.” Albus shook his head. “The warding went off when you were port-keyed there. I came straight away.”

“Oh,” was all that Hermione said, sitting back in the chair after accepting her tea.

“Now, Ms. Granger, I would like to ask you some questions.” Albus sat back in his chair. “Drink up. Drink up,” he encouraged her.

Hermione brought the tea cup to her lips and was about to drink when suddenly the chair she was sitting on flipped to its side. Both witch and wizard were surprised at what had just occurred. Hermione, though her bum was still in the seat, found herself laying on her side, her tea cup flung from her hand, spilled and smashed against the desk. Albus quickly got up and was at the young witch's side. Helping her up in the chair, Albus saw there were no outward bruising appearing on the child.

“Are you alright?” Albus asked.

Hermione nodded. “What was that, Headmaster?”

“I'm not sure,” Albus said, standing back up and walking back to his chair, but not sitting down. “Tami.”

Hermione looked at the Headmaster, confused. Why was he calling her back? She thought.

Another small pop and the elf was back standing in the office.

“Yes, master Headmaster, sir.”

“What did you do?” Albus asked. His back was still facing towards Hermione and Tami. When he turned around, Tami instinctively took a step back and Hermione cowered a little in her chair.

Never had the young witch ever seen the Headmaster look downright evil. There was no twinkle in his eye. The grandfather look that he bestowed on the school was absent on his face. He looked truly scary.

“What's happened, Master Headmaster?”

Hermione looked from Tami to the Headmaster. She could see the fear in Tami's face. Hermione was a little frightened from the way the Headmaster was looking.

“Are you trying to hurt one of my students?”

Tami's eyes got big as tears began to well up in her eyes. Never had she been accused of physically harming a student who resided within the walls of Hogwarts.

“No, Master Headmaster,” Tami shook her head. “Never.”

“I think you did,” Albus countered. “And I think you need to be punished.”

Tami's mouth fell open, and began to back-step away from the Headmaster. Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that she just couldn't sit idly by and watch the poor elf harm herself.

“It's alright, Professor.” Hermione stood in front of Tami. “She said she didn't do it. There should be no need for punishment.”

Albus looked at the girl standing in front of him, and by the look on her face, he knew he was acting differently in front of her. And if he wanted to receive her help, he knew that he couldn't show his true nature in front of her.

“Leave, Tami.” Albus ordered. With a squeak and a pop, Tami was gone. “I do apologize, Ms. Granger. I will not hold you any longer. You will floo to the Burrow. If you would be so kind as to explain to Molly and Arthur that I will be calling on them in a few days, I would much appreciate that.”

“Yes, Professor.” Hermione walked over to the fireplace. She was about to light the fire when it lit on its own. She looked back and saw the Headmaster with his wand, pointing it at the fire. He then levitated the canister of floo powder towards her.

“Do have a safe journey, Ms. Granger. Enjoy the rest of your Summer holiday.”

Hermione didn't verbally respond. There was a lot on her mind and after what just happened she began to worry about the sanity of the Headmaster. Usually with his eccentric ways the Headmaster usually took on, it was uncommon to see the Headmaster without his twinkle.

Stepping into the fire after throwing down the powder, Hermione spoke clearly, “The Burrow.” And the teen was gone, leaving an angry Headmaster in her wake.

_______00000_________0000________00000_______00000________00000___________0000_____

Tami popped into the kitchen. Dobby walked over to her. She looked at him and wrapped her small arms around her friend's neck.

“Thank you's so much,” Tami said, after letting her friend go.

“Did it work?” Dobby asked.

“Yes,” Tami nodded. “Girl did not drink funny tea.” Dobby nodded.

“Dobby happy he could help.”

Tami smiled at her friend. She really liked Dobby. He was different from the other elves. He was a free elf. He helped her when she had to iron her hands. She missed her Mistress and Master Sev'us. The only solace she had was that school would resume in a little over a month, and she would be able to at least see Master Sev'us again. She really did hope they found Mistress.

________0000_________0000________0000__________0000__________0000_________0000_____

Severus had been up for about ninety minutes when his arm started to tingle. Waking up in the Weasley's house, laying on his mother's lap, Severus shook his head. For years, only a select few knew that Minerva had adopted Severus. Now in the span of a few days, that number that knew seemed to double, if not triple. The Potion Master, when he was younger, used to speculate that if people knew that, he would be ridiculed. As he got older, he thought that people would think ill of Minerva, and shun her for her decision. Severus was used to being left out of the fold. He was used to be secluded. But Minerva, everyone loved the animagus. Even though she was strict, most of the students still loved and respected her. And Severus would just hate it if she was shunned and disliked because she had the 'Greasy Git from the dungeons' as her son.

Severus was pulled out of his thoughts by a hand on his arm. He looked over to his adoptive mother standing next to him.

“Are you alright?” Minerva asked. “How are you feeling?”

Before he could answer, the tingling in his arm intensified to a dull ache. Minerva felt the slight flinch in her son and quickly let go of his arm. They looked at each other neither one saying a word. As much as it broke her heart, Severus was a spy and needed to go whenever he was called. After the scare she had last night, she really wasn't ready to let Severus go, but knew that she couldn't hold him back. Minerva reached up and cupped her son's face. Severus, enjoying the contact with his mother, closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. She held him for a few seconds more and then let him go and stood back. Severus gave his mother a slight nod and walked out of the house.

______0000__________0000___________0000___________0000__________0000________0000___

Harry, Sirius and Remus were standing at the bottom of the stairs when they saw Severus with Minerva. Neither one said anything or let on to their presence while Severus and Minerva were together. When Severus turned and walked out of the house, Harry found his voice and called out to his Professor. Getting away from Remus and Sirius, Harry ran after Severus out the door.

“Professor!”

Severus was walking down the path towards the edge of the wards, so that he could apparate away when he heard a voice.

“Professor, wait!”

Severus turned around and saw the messy headed boy who had wiggled his way into his heart, and for the first time, he didn't feel annoyed or angry at the thought of the child, like he did when Potter first walked through the Great Hall about to be sorted. He didn't feel hatred for the child like he did when Harry had his first Potions class. For the first time, Severus actually felt love and protectiveness for the child as Harry ran towards him. As the child got closer, Severus found himself opening up his arms and was rewarded with a small child rushing and colliding into them.

“You're leaving me,” Harry mumbled into Severus' robes.

“Never,” Severus voice was low and soothing. “I have things that I have to do. I'll be back, but if I can't, I will see you when school resumes.”

“Don't stay away long,” Harry said, looking up at Snape.

“I'll try not to, child,” Severus smirked. “Now,” he said, letting go of Harry, “get back to the house. I'm sure Mrs. Weasley has a breakfast feast waiting for you.”

Not wanting to let go of his Professor, with great reluctance, he did so.

“Even though there are anti-apparition wards around the house, I do not like you out here by yourself. While I'm gone, you will keep your wolf and mutt by your side. Understood?”

Harry nodded, “Yes sir.”

Severus turned and continued on his trek outside the wards and Harry made his way back into the house. Harry couldn't help the feeling of worry that he was getting, the further and further apart he and Severus were becoming. Harry just hoped that everything would be fine and his Professor would come back.

Harry walked back into the house and saw Sirius and Remus waiting for him. They were walking towards the kitchen when the Floo turned on.

After a flash of green fire, the traveler walked through the fireplace and into the house.

“Hermione!” Harry called out.

Dusting the soot off of herself, her head snapped up when she heard her name and then was shocked at the familiarity of that voice. One that she did not expect to hear here.

“Harry.”

They both rushed towards each other and embraced.

TBC

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked.

“I should ask you the same thing,” Hermione said, smiling. “How long have you been here?”

“We got here last night,” Harry said.

“We?”

“Professor Snape, Sirius and me.”

Hermione looked at her friend. There was something different about him.

“You alright, Harry?”

Harry's brow creased. “Yeah, why?”

“You seem different.”

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I'm fine. Come on, let's go eat.”

Harry and Hermione walked into the kitchen. Everyone was there. Molly looked up when she heard the door to the kitchen open.

“Hermione,” Molly said, her voice filled with surprise. “When did you get here?” She asked, wiping her hands on her apron, walking over towards the teens.

“Just a few minutes ago,” Hermione said, hugging the Weasley matriarch.

“We were so worried about you,” Molly said, holding Hermione out at arm's length. Both Harry and Hermione were confused by that statement.

“What do you mean?”

“Hedwig came about fifteen minutes ago with a note from you. Alastor left to go find you.”

“Professor Dumbledore came,” Hermione said, sitting down at the table. She didn't miss the look that was shared with everyone in the room. “What's going on?”

Harry sat down on the small bench next to Hermione. “There's so much to tell you.”

____________00000_____________0000___________0000__________0000____

When Severus apparated away, he decided to change his course at the last second. He knew that with the lack of intensity from the mark, it meant that it wasn't the Dark Lord indicating the call, but someone that was of higher rank, most likely Lucius Malfoy. With that being the case, Severus knew that if they wanted to locate him, they would have to find him. Severus was aware that he needed to occlude. With everything that has happened in the past week, picking up Harry, Minerva's abduction, Poppy's attack, forming an alliance with the wolf and mutt, and the bonding with Harry, he knew before he even went to see anyone he would have to put back on his mask of indifference.

It had been a few days since Severus was here, but he knew that no one knew of his house in Lewisham. He wanted to keep it that way.

Severus walked into the small house and headed straight for his lab. He looked over the one cauldron that had a potion that he was ordered to make for the Dark Lord. The only thing was it took two months to complete, and he wasn't even sure if it would do want the Dark Lord requested.

Making sure that everything was going as it should, Severus put a stasis over the cauldron again and headed back upstairs to his sitting room. Once he sat down, leaning his head on the backrest, Severus began meditating over everything that had happened, but this time he wanted to calm himself and look at everything logically and unbiasedly. The two things that stuck out in his mind were Minerva's abduction and Poppy's attack.

Poppy was attacked, according to her, right after he and Tami left the Infirmary. Why would Albus attack her? To what purpose did it make to maim the medi-witch?

The potions master could not think of a clear reasons as to why Poppy was attacked. But he didn't doubt that whatever the reason was it would soon come to light.

Severus thought about Minerva. He had struggled so much to keep their relationship a secret especially after he turned spy for the Light. In the beginning only a few people knew that Minerva had blood adopted Severus. Poppy, Albus, and Arabella. Poppy knew because she healed him. Arabella knew because she was close friends with Minerva. And Albus knew because he performed the adoption.

Now there were countless people that knew. The question was how many. Minerva's abduction was calculated. Someone else knows how much she means to Severus. He pondered the questions; how many people really knew the true facts regarding Severus and Minerva, and why now?

The mutt speculated earlier that it was because of him. Maybe he was right, for once. Not that Severus would ever admit it to the man, but it seemed like a logical choice. If he really thought about it, the only connection between Poppy and Minerva was him.

There was a knock on the door, bringing Severus out of his thoughts. Already knowing who was at the door, Severus waved his hand, automatically opening the door.

Not even lifting his head from the backrest, Severus said, “What do you want, Malfoy?”

“I figured you would be here, Snape.” Lucius walked into the house and stood in front of Severus.

Severus opened his eyes, lifting his head, he looked up at the man before him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” sneered Snape.

“The Dark Lord wishes to see you. I thought that would have been abundantly clear when you felt your mark.”

Severus arched an eyebrow up at the man.

“Well, since the Dark Lord wishes me to brew his potion, I can't very well leave when I have to keep watch over it,” Severus cunningly lied.

“How long will it take for you to get to a point that you can leave?” Lucius sighed, sitting down on the sofa across from Severus.

________0000__________000________0000_________0000________

Ron sat on his bed, sulking. He was angry. How could Harry do that? Harry was his friend, or so he thought.

“Ronald,” Molly yelled from downstairs. “Honey, breakfast is ready.”

Ron sighed. He wanted to yell down that he wasn't hungry, but he knew that would only have his mother come upstairs. What he wanted was to be alone, but he knew that would only happen after breakfast. Begrudgingly, Ron got up and walked downstairs towards the kitchen. Ron could hear talking coming from the kitchen, but he wasn't paying attention to what was being said. The only thing on his mind was Harry and he unprovoked attack. Standing in the doorway, Ron's nonexistent hunger turned to pure rage when he saw Harry sitting at the table.

Not even thinking, Ron rushed inside the kitchen and grabbed Harry from behind and yanked him out of his seat. Surprising everyone in the room, especially Harry, Ron slammed his friend in the door jam of the kitchen.

“How could you?” Ron raged.

Hermione was the first to come out of the surprised stupor and rushed to her friends' side.

“Ron,” Hermione cried, grabbing hold of Ron's arm. “Let him go. What are you doing?”

Ron, not paying attention to her, shook his arm free at the same time slamming Harry into the wall again.
“You...you prick,” Ron seethed. He was so angry he couldn't even form his words.

He felt more hands on him, stronger hands. He tried to shake those hands off of him, but they would not be moved. Two sets of hands were on his wrists trying to pry his hands away from Harry, while strong arms wrapped around his chest and was pulling him away from Harry.

“Ron, calm yourself this instant.”

The words were low and soothing, but very stern. Ron recognized the voice of his dad, but it took a minute for him to register what was being said. After a moment of struggle, Ron's arms fell limply at his sides. He felt himself being moved further and further away from his friend.

The adults in the room was shock to say the least when they saw Ron grab Harry and manhandle him, slamming him into the wall. It took a second to realize what was happening. Sirius and Remus both jumped up at the same time, seconds before Arthur did, and they were at the boys' side. Remus and Sirius both took a hand and pried Ron's hands off of Harry. Once the boys were separated, Sirius took Harry out of the room, followed by Remus and Hermione.

Arthur sat Ron down at the table. Minerva and Molly were still shocked by what they just witnessed.

____0000___0000____00000__0000_________0000_____0000_____

Severus and Lucius walked into Malfoy Manor. They walked into the sitting room, where Voldemort was sitting on the far end chair by the bay window. Severus walked over to him, slightly bowing his head.

“My lord,” Severus said. His tone was cool and formal.

“Severus,” Voldemort said with a smirk. “How nice of you to accept my invitation.”

Severus face was as impassive as ever. He didn't know what he was being called for and from that one statement, he knew this was going to be a long day.

“Now, Severus.” Voldemort stood up and walked closely towards the Potions Master. “How is the potion coming along?”

“It should be ready within the week, my lord,” Severus answered, coolly.

“So things are going as they should?” Voldemort asked.

“Is there something I should know?” Severus asked in return.

“You tell me, Severus. Many things have happened in the past weeks.”

“My lord?”

Severus wasn't about to let loose any information.

“Tell me about Potter,” Voldemort commanded.

“He should be getting waited on hand and foot by his relatives,” Severus snidely remarked.

“What about McGonnagall?”

“What about her?”

“What is she to you?”

“A colleague,” Severus said, slyly. Even though his demeanor was calm, he was anything but underneath. He did not like the questioning he was receiving. The one question kept popping in the back of his mind; who all really knows about his relationship with Minerva?

“And Pomfrey? She just a colleague as well?”

“Yes,” Severus sighed. “May I ask what is the purpose to these questions?”

“Well,” Voldemort sat back down in the chair. “I just had a very interesting conversation while I was waiting for you. You may go, Lucius.”

Lucius looked surprised at his dismissal, but didn't say anything. He turned and left the room. The Dark Lord waved his hand and cast a silencing charm and lock on the door after Malfoy left.

“I've learn some very, very interesting things. Let's start with Professor Minerva McGonnagall,” Voldemort enunciated her name slowly. “I hear that she had come to actually have a family.”

Severus said nothing.

“Nothing to say. Then I shall continue. I hear that she, as well as the matron of Hogwarts, took in a certain boy under their wing. Now, Severus, you will tell me everything I need to know about your mother and Poppy Pomfrey.”

“There is nothing to tell,” Severus said, his face showing no betraying emotions. “I severed ties with them when I took the Dark Mark. They are nothing but colleagues to me.”

“I see,” Voldemort nodded. “Well then I don't suspect that you would mind doing something more for me then.”

“Whatever you wish, my lord.”

“Kill them.”

TBC

“Kill them.”

Those two words whispered through Severus' mind as he walked out of the Malfoy's mansion. He continued his trek, not really paying attention to where he was going. His body was completely drained. It took every bit of Occlumency skill not to have his face betray what he was actually feeling after the Dark Lord gave him that order.

“Kill them.”

How was he going to pull that off? He had never involved himself with any of the raids. He never killed anyone. The Dark Lord knew that. Now he was ordered to not only kill but to kill the two most important people in his life.

Walking aimlessly, Severus ended up at the Emergency entrance to St. Mungo's. Walking towards the lifts, he headed for Poppy's room. When he walked into the room, he saw that she was resting as comfortable as expected.

“Who's there?” Poppy's voice was feeble and weak.

“Poppy,” said the baritone voice.

A small gasp escaped the medi-witch's lips.

“Severus,” Poppy sighed, extending her hand towards the voice.

Severus walked over towards the bed, held her waiting hand, and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“Are you alright, Severus?”

“Still worried about me, Poppy,” Severus replied.

“There is so much to be worried about with you.” A small smile was on Poppy's lips.

“You make it sound like I'm still young.”

“You are young when it comes to me.”

Severus smirked. It quickly vanished. Severus looked at the woman who he had grown to love laying in the bed. If it wasn't for her and Minnie, Severus knew he would probably be dead.

Poppy, sensing the tension in the room, furrowed her brow.

“Severus,” Poppy's voice became a little sterner. “What's wrong?”

“I really couldn't hide anything from you, could I?” Severus mused.

A small smile was on Poppy's lips as her brow smoothed.

“No,” she said with a slight shake of her head. “Not really. Not from Minerva or me.”

There was another tense silence between the two in the room. Severus stood up and walked the few small steps closer towards the bed.

“Severus.”

“Forgive me, Poppy.” She could feel him closer to her than he was just a moment ago.

“Severus.” For the first time, there was fear in the medi-witch's voice.

____000_____000____0000____0000___000_

Minerva got out of the stunned shock that had her frozen in the spot that she was currently standing in and made her way out of the kitchen to the living room, where she saw Sirius take Harry. When she walked into the room, again, where she sat with her son's head in her lap, she looked on as Sirius tried to attend to Harry.

Harry was at a lost to what happened. Actually to Minerva's eyes, he looked like he didn't even know what was going on around him. Like he just retreated into himself. Both Hermione and Sirius were trying to communicate to the child, but he wasn't listening. He wasn't hearing them.

Ron was sitting at the table. He was both angry and hurt. He knew he shouldn't have put his hands on Harry like that, but he was just hurt that Harry had chose the Greasy Git over him.

Fred and George sat on either side of Ron.

“What's wrong, Ron?” Fred asked. His usual cheerful, playful tone long since gone.

“Yeah,” George added. “It's not like you to attack like that.”

Ron looked at both his brothers. There was a flash of hurt before his anger took over again.

“You saw what he did,” Ron accused.

“Yeah,” Fred answered. “But we saw what you did as well.”

“I didn't do anything,” Ron said, defensively. “He hit me.” Ron was on the verge of yelling.

“Calm down,” Fred's voice got uncharacteristicly stern. “Do you even know what all happened last night? Or are you to stubborn to see the truth?”

“What are you talking about?” Ron sneered.

“We took Harry away from everyone,” George said. “That's why he was upstairs. He panicked in the room after we apparated him. When he left the room, where was he heading?”

“What difference does it make?” Ron sulked, leaning back against the seat.

“All the difference,” Fred said, sternly. “Where was he heading?”

“Downstairs,” Ron sighed.

“And what did you do?”

Ron looked from Fred to George back to Fred again.

“Well,” Fred said again. “What did you do?”

“I stopped him at the stairs,” Ron sighed, dejectedly.

“Listen,” George said. “We are not saying that Harry should have hit you. He was wrong. But you should have let him just pass.”

“He's my friend.” Ron yelled.

“Yes,” George said. “That he is, but if memory serves me, he also asked to go downstairs.”

“We were all wrong, Ron,” Fred said. Ron sighed, folding his arms over his chest. “All of us. And we all got hurt. Not just you.”

“What are you talking about?” Ron asked, his arms still folded over his chest.

“After you took that tumble down the stairs, Harry stuck George and me to the floorboards, then apparated himself back downstairs.”

“From what I heard when I woke up,” George continued. “Harry then stuck himself to Professor Snape.”

Ron's face contorted into disbelief.

“You're lying.”

“No.” Molly spoke for the first time since her son's started talking. “They are not lying.”

She walked over to her three youngest boys. George stood up and let his mother take the seat next to Ron.

“Harry did some very powerful accidental magic last night.” Molly carded her fingers through her youngest boy's fringe. “It affected the entire house. I was coming up the stairs and you landed in my arms. The twins were stuck to the floorboards where Harry was once standing.” Tears burned the back of Molly's eyes as she remembered the emotionally charged magic that spread throughout the house. “I was scared for all of you. I couldn't move. Neither of you three could. Honestly, the only ones that could move around the house was Alastor, Arthur and Sirius. Severus was even stuck to the sofa.”

Molly swallowed the tears in her throat.

“Now I know that you are upset,” she said. Her voice quiet and soothing, bringing her other hand to cup Ron's face. “But understand that you were not the only one hurt last night. Harry was too.”

Molly stood up and kissed Ron on the forehead. Leaning closer to his ear, she said, quietly. “I want you to try and eat something, understand?”

Ron nodded. Kissing his forehead again, Molly straightened out and walked back to the stove. Arthur, who sat at the table and listened to everything that was said to Ron, grabbed a plate and began filling it with all sorts of breakfast goodies that Molly had prepared. He walked over to his son, waving his hand he slid the chair closer to the table. He placed the plate in front of Ron, and leaning down, he kissed the crown of Ron's head and walked out of the room not saying one word. Ron looked at his brothers, who nodded towards the plate, then began eating.

___00000____0000____0000___0000____0000

Alarms rang out throughout the hallway of the hospital that held the critical cases. There was a bustle of Healers and medi-witches rushing down the hall towards the room that held Poppy Pomfrey.

____0000_____0000____0000____0000____000__

Severus apparated back to the Burrow. Looking around and not seeing anyone, he made his trek towards the house again. When he walked in the door, he saw his mother standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Severus looked over at the couch and saw Harry and Hermione sitting on it and Sirius sitting on the coffee table. Remus was standing behind the mutt both were looking at Harry.

“What's going on?” Severus asked, announcing that he was in the room.

Everyone had a look of surprise on their face when Severus spoke, but it was what the messy-haired boy did that shocked everyone in the room, again. Almost tripping over Sirius, pushing Remus out of the way, Harry ran over to Severus, wrapping his arms around his torso. Having the breath forcibly removed from him, Severus couldn't say anything about the action. Just the force of the impact caused Severus to take a step back and balance himself again, while wrapping his arms around the boy. Severus looked at his mother. He had the same shocked look on his face as everyone else in the room.

____0000_______0000____0000_____0000____0000

Albus knew that he would have to call an Order meeting soon. After the destruction of three places, he knew he would have to let everyone know what was going on. Also that someone would know where Harry was. But there was something that he wanted to look up first before calling the meeting. Albus was sure that Harry was alright. Knowing Harry, he would probably be with the Weasleys. The headmaster knew that if he wanted to go through the Magical Bonding, he would need to have Harry alone. That was easy part. The hard part was the bonding itself. That was what Albus was looking up. He had several books that dealt with different bonding rituals. Some dealt with parental bonds to marriage and mating bonds. Some even had a darker side to it. They dealt with slavery. Albus didn't want Harry to go through a darker bonding. He did love the boy, but he knew that for his plan to work Harry would have to be completely devoted to him, and a Magical bonding that equaled closely towards a parent/child bond was the only way.

While Albus was reading through one of the books, a barn owl came through his window. Albus quickly recognized the owl from being from St. Mungo's, having had to use them when his sister was alive. He relieved the owl of its post. The owl quickly left the way it came. Albus understood that as there would be no need for a reply.

Albus opened the letter and read it. All the color left the elderly wizard's face. His usual twinkling eyes dulled as he read. He truly began to look his age. Fawkes, sensing his master's distress, began a soothing trill song in hopes to calm his owner. That didn't work.

A rage began to build up in Albus. The parchment began to crinkle in his hand. Magic began to roll of Albus in waves. Fawkes abandoned his perch just as it exploded. The familiar landed on Albus' shoulder and nipped at his hair and ear, softly. The rolling magic instantly stopped when Fawkes cooed in Albus' ear. The crumbled parchment slipped out of Albus' hands and landed softly on his desk.

Headmaster

We are sorry to inform you that Madam Poppy Pomfrey succumbed to her injuries. She passed away ten minutes ago.

Healer Williams

Albus wanted her to give Severus up. He didn't want her dead.

TBC

Everyone in the room was in stunned silence. He had only been gone two hours. What could have possibly happened within that time span that would result in this reaction from the boy? Severus reached back and removed the child's arms from around him. Moving his hands to his upper arms, Severus stood Harry to arms length.

“What is going on?” Severus asked.

Harry shook his head.

“Ron and Harry had a disagreement,” Arthur said, standing next to Minerva in the doorway towards the kitchen.

Before anyone could respond to Arthur's comment, the floo rang. Molly came out of the kitchen, the twins standing behind her.

“Arthur, Molly,” Albus called out from the green flames.

Severus pulled Harry closer towards him as Arthur walked over towards the hearth.

“Yes, Albus,” Arthur said, kneeling in front of the flames.

“May I impose on you and Molly to host an Order meeting at your house?”

Everyone looked at each other. Molly walked over to her husband and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Sure, Albus. When?”

“Within the hour, if that is alright?” Albus responded.

Arthur nodded without hesitation.

“Sounds fine, Albus. See you soon.”

The green flames died out. For a second everyone looked at each other, then Molly clapped her hands.

“Alright,” she said. “If I'm going to have guests at my house, then we'll need to tidy up. Hermione, would you be a dear and you and Ginny help me in the kitchen? Fred, George, straighten up in here for me. Harry, Ron, go out to the shed in the back and bring in more chairs.”

Ron was about to protest about going outside, when Molly, still standing next to her youngest son, cupped his face and kissed him on the forehead. She whispered in his ear and walked off. Ron watched his mother leave back into the kitchen and then saw Harry standing next to Snape. Harry looked over at Ron and then walked out of the house. Ron followed.

Outside Harry and Ron walked towards the shed in silence. Once at the door, Ron opened it and headed towards the back were the extra chairs were leaning against the wall. Harry looked at his best friend and wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out. He knew that Ron was angry with him. He didn't blame him for slamming him against the wall. Harry remembered punching Ron. He just hoped that deep down Ron would forgive him for what he did. He didn't want to lose his friendship. Ron, grabbing two chairs under his arms, walked back out of the shed and passed Harry without saying a word. Harry felt a slight panic that he really did lose his friend when Ron ignored him. Sighing, Harry walked into the shed and grabbed his own pair of chairs and headed towards the house.

On the second trip to the shed, again, no words were said. Ron was reaching for the next set of chairs when a pop startled him into dropping the chairs on the ground.

“What are you two up to?”

“Fred, George, would you stop doing that?” Ron sounded exasperated. Ever since his twin brothers got their apparation licenses they have been popping in on Ron all summer.

Harry, for his part, jumped a little in surprise when the twins just materialized in front of him.

“So have you two made up, yet?” George asked.

“I have nothing to say to him,” Ron fumed, picking up the chairs that he dropped when Fred and George came into the shed.

“I think you do,” Fred said. All jovial tones were gone from him. He stood in front of Ron, blocking his path.

George walked over to Harry, put his arm around his shoulders and walked him towards his brothers.

“Listen, Ron,” Harry started. “I'm sorry I hit you. I feel really bad about it.”

Ron looked at Harry with contempt. He was hurt. It wasn't about the punch. It was more than that. Harry really hurt him and it was going to take time for him to ever forgive what he had done.

Fred nudged Ron with his elbow on his side. Ron nudged back and walked closer to Harry.

“You apologized.” Ron growled. “You feel better now? We have to get these chairs into the house before the meeting. Stop wasting time.” He pushed past Harry and George and headed towards the house.

Harry felt the burn in his throat as he realized that he truly lost his best friend. With a heavy sigh, Harry grabbed the last two chairs from the corner of the shed and carried them to the house. After depositing the chairs where Molly wanted them, Harry walked upstairs and instead of going to Ron's room, where he would usually stay when he came over, he went to Charlie's room, where he woke up that morning.

Severus, Sirius and Remus watched the interaction between the teens and knew that there was a riff between them. Severus hoped that it would go back for the child. He knew that before the school year was out, Harry was going to need all his friends around him.

Harry was sitting on the bed when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Harry quietly replied.

Hermione walked in the room and closed the door behind her.

“You okay, Harry?” she asked, sitting down on the bed next to him.

“I really messed things up, 'moine.”

“Harry, what happened?”

Harry told his friend everything that happened from when he arrived last night to the confrontation with Ron at the stairs.

“So wait a minute,” Hermione finally said after a few moments of silence, trying to understand what Harry said. “You, Sirius, and Professor Snape all came here at the same time.”

Harry nodded.

“I thought Professor Snape and Sirius couldn't stand each other. And anyway, Professor Snape doesn't like you, why was he here? Why weren't you just with Sirius?”

“He does like me,” Harry yelled.

Taken aback, Hermione looked at Harry with a stunned expression.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled. “I was originally with Snape before Sirius. He doesn't hate me like everybody thinks.”

“Maybe, now. I mean that's all you've been saying for the past four years.” Hermione's brow furrowed, trying to understand her friend.

“Well, he doesn't hate me anymore,” Harry conceded. “So please stop saying that he hates me.” Harry's voice shook a little.

Hermione studied Harry for a second.

“Okay, Harry,” Hermione said. “I won't say it again.”

“Thank you,” came his quiet reply.

They were quiet for a moment before Hermione spoke again.

“Harry.”

“Yeah.”

“What's really going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” Harry looked over at her.

“There is something different about you. Come to think of it, there is something different about Professor Snape as well.”

“What are you talking about? There's nothing different about us.”

“Besides the fact that he doesn't hate you.”

“Hermione...”

“I'm just saying,” Hermione said, raising her hand to stop his reply. “Two months ago, he was the Greasy Git of the Dungeons, according to you and Ron. Now he's your professor. So something had to have happened for that to occur.”

Harry wondered how much he should tell Hermione. Actually he was having a hard time believing what he remembered from his dream he had last night.

“If I tell you something,” Harry said, in a low voice, “will you promise not to hate me too?”

“Why would I hate you?”

“Ron does.”

“Does Ron know the whole story?”

Harry shrugged.

“Then Ron doesn't hate you,” Hermione justified.

“Okay,” Harry started. “Last week, two Dementors came to Little Whining and attacked me.”

“Oh Harry.” Came Hermione's horrified reply.

“Professor Snape was the one that saved me. I was hurt from my cousin, and I got sick. Professor Snape saved me, again. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in the Infirmary.” Harry unconsciously pulled his black bear in his lap and was embracing it. This didn't go unnoticed from Hermione.

“After that, Dumbledore said that I had to go back and that Professor Snape had to take me. So I got dressed and walked out of the school with him to the apparition point. But he didn't take me to my relatives. He took me to his house. He took care of me. He held me when I was scared. He gave me medicine while I was sick. And he called Sirius when he knew there was no way that I could stay with him alone, safely.”

“Okay, so what happened?”

“I went back to my relatives house. Sirius stayed with me. I even stood up to my aunt and uncle.” Hermione nodded, but didn't respond. “Then they were killed. Sirius got me out of there before they even got to my room. And we came here.” Harry shrugged his shoulders at the end. His arms still wrapped tightly around the black bear.

“So, Professor Snape took care of you,” Hermione said. “Why would you think that Ron hates you because of that?”

“When we got here, I was downstairs with Sirius and Snape, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Fred and George grabbed me and brought me upstairs. I thought I was kidnapped until I found out where we landed. All I wanted was to get back downstairs, but first they stopped me and then Ron. I was getting angry and I didn't really know why, but I was becoming furious. I know I shouldn't have hit him, but he wouldn't move. Hitting Ron was the last thing I remember.” Harry's grip tightened around the bear.

“Harry,” Hermione's voice was soft. “Where did you get the bear?”

Harry froze. He just realized that he was holding the bear. His cheeks turned pink as his ears felt like they were going to burn right off of his head from embarrassment.

“Professor Snape,” Harry answered, quietly.

______0000_________0000_________000________0000

The fire turned green and Albus walked through the floo, but he wasn't alone. Aberforth walked in right behind him. There were a bunch of shocked faces in the room from both sides. Albus and Aberforth were shocked to see Minerva, Remus, and Sirius, even Snape. Everyone who was in the Weasley living room were shocked as well. The last thing they thought they would see was Albus and Aberforth in the same room.

“Well,” Albus recovered from his stunned silence first. “Let's get started. Molly, if you please.”

Albus held out his hand towards the Weasley matriarch. Molly led the way towards the kitchen where her table was enlarged to accommodate the number of adults sitting.

Albus and Aberforth sat next to each other. Remus sat next to Aberforth with Sirius on the other side of him. Minerva sat across from Sirius with Severus sitting next to her. Arthur sat at the head of the table, where he usually sat with Molly on his right, next to Severus.

“Kingsley and Alastor should be here soon,” Albus said. “I sent word that they should come here.”

“The wards will allow them to pass through,” Arthur informed him. “Shall we wait or get started?”

“It will be best to get started. Many things have happened that needs to be dealt with,” Albus said, looking at Severus. Severus met his gaze, eyes never wavering.

“Where's Harry?” Albus' steel blue eyes boring their way into Severus.

“Safe,” was Severus' one word reply.

The only response was Albus raising an eyebrow. The silence between everyone lingered. A rap on the door brought everyone out of their own thoughts as Arthur rose to the door. Moments later, he came back with Shaklebolt and Moody following.

“Ah,” Albus said, smiling. “Perfect timing. You can take him.”

“What?” Sirius asked

“What are you talking about?” Molly said at the same time.

Minerva hand gripped her son's hand that was on his lap, tightly. The confusion in the room grew as Shaklebolt came closer towards Severus and Minerva.

“Touch my son, and it will be the last thing you do,” Minerva said, quietly. The only ones that heard her were Severus, Shaklebolt and Remus.

Shaklebolt stopped his advancing and looked at the Dumbledore brothers. Albus nodded and Shaklebolt went to lay a hand on Severus shoulder, well almost. Before his hand could touch the Potion Master, he was thrown across the room, past Alastor and Arthur, and into the living room.

Minerva's eyes bore into the Headmaster's eyes.

“I was not kidding.” Her tone did not waver. “Touch my son, and it will be the last thing you do.”

Albus looked at his Deputy Headmistress and they looked at each other for a moment as if having a silent conversation.

Albus was trying to get her to understand and she was not changing her mind. Albus knew that once the fierce lioness had her cubs around her, she was a force to be reckoned with. With a dip of his head, Minerva sighed, letting go of her son's hand from under the table.

“Now,” Minerva's eyes soften a little. “Why are you trying to take my son away?”

Everyone around the table looked from Minerva to Albus in an amused fascination. No one at the table ever witnessed anyone getting the better of Albus.

Severus was the only one not looking at his mother. Deep down he smirked at the protectiveness of his mother and at first he wondered why she had gripped his hand the way that she did, but when he felt the magic over him, he knew now wasn't the time to try to get answers, not yet.

“Number 4 Privet Drive and Grimmuald Place were destroyed,” Albus said.

“And what does that have to do with my son?” Minerva's voice was still calm.

Instead of answering Minerva's question, Albus looked at Severus and asked again, “Where is Harry?”

Before Severus could open his mouth, a herd of footsteps came down the stairs.

“Potter,” Severus called out. “Back upstairs.” he ordered.

Harry stopped in his tracks, with Hermione and Ron on his tail. They were in shock at what they were seeing.

“That's Shaklebolt,” Ron said, amazingly. “He works with dad.”

The trio looked at the unconscious man that laid in a crumpled heap in the front doorway.

“Upstairs,” ordered Severus.

The three went back upstairs, hearing their Potion professor's tone.

Hearing the ascending footfalls, Severus looked at Albus and said, “He's safe.”

“Come back, children,” Albus called out.

Again, there were sounds of a herd of hippogriffs coming down the stairs. Severus shook his head. Standing in the doorway were the younger Weasleys; the twins, Ron and Ginny, Hermione and Harry was standing almost behind Hermione and Ginny as if he was trying to hide.

“Come in,” Albus beckoned.

They all walked in, but Harry stayed in the doorway. For the first time Severus looked over at Harry. Their eyes met and Severus nodded. Harry walked in the room. No one missed the silent conversation that went between the dour Potion master and The Boy Who Lived.

Harry walked over towards his Head of House and looked at the Headmaster.

“Harry, my boy,” Albus' eyes twinkled as he looked at the child. “How long have you been here?”

Harry looked at Severus, then over at Sirius and Remus, before setting his gaze back to the Headmaster.

“We got here last night,” Harry said. “Someone broke into the house and Sirius saved me.”

“So you were at your relatives house?” Albus asked.

“Yes, sir,” Harry answered, slowly getting closer towards his Potions professor.

“Now, that your questions have been answered,” Minerva said. “You mind telling me what this has to do with my son?”

All the children couldn't help the surprised looks on their faces as their eyes went from their Head of House to their most feared professor. The only one of the children that didn't look surprised was Harry, for he already knew and Hermione didn't miss the not so shocked look on Harry's face compared to her's and the other Weasleys'.

Albus didn't answer her, instead he stood. “Harry, will you come with me?

“Yes, sir,” Harry hesitatingly said.

Albus walked out of the room and pass the still unconscious Shaklebolt that was still on the floor. Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, then followed his Headmaster out of the house. They walked over towards the shed. Albus transfigured a rock on the ground into a bench and sat down. He watched as Harry walked closer towards him.

“Have a seat, my boy,” Albus said. Harry sat down next to him. “Can you tell me what happened last night at your relatives?”

“It was just another night, when I heard a crashing sound that woke me up. I then heard the killing curse and they were looking for me, I think.”

“Did you see who it was?” Dumbledore asked.

“No, sir,” Harry answered. “I only heard their voices. I know it was a man and a woman, but that's it.”

“Now, we need to place you somewhere safe,” Albus said.

“I am safe now,” Harry's voice rose a little.

“I'm not sure of that,” Albus countered.

“If you let me stay at Hogwarts, none of this would have happened. I'm safe here. I'm always safe at the Burrow.” The anger that Harry was feeling last night was bubbling up in his belly.

“Calm down, my boy,” Albus placated.

“No,” Harry tried to stand, but found that he was stuck to the bench. His anger quickly dissipated, when he found he couldn't move. “What's going on?”

“Nothing is going to happen to you, child,” Albus soothingly said. “This is for your own protection.”

Harry's brow furrowed as he tried to squirm off the bench. The anger he was feeling was completely gone and there was nothing but fear in the child's eyes.

Severus was standing in the doorway of the house. He couldn't hear what was going on, but he could see Harry squirming on the bench. Sirius came up behind him.

“Something interesting?” Sirius asked.

Severus looked at Sirius then back at Harry.

“Something's not right,” Severus said, quietly.

“He's with Albus,” Sirius said.

“Yeah, the same Albus that wanted him to go back to his relatives.”

Sirius looked at Severus and then out to the two on the bench. Sirius transformed to the dog and ran out of the house. Quietly walking towards them once he got closer towards them, Snuffles kept low to the ground.

“Now that you do not have the protection from the Blood wards, you need to be someplace safe.”

“I'm safe here,” Harry argued.

“Yes, you have been safe here in the past, but you also stayed with your relatives for a while so the protection was there, and your aunt and cousin were still alive.”

“I'm not leaving here,” Harry said with finality.

“I am not saying that you have to leave, but that another protection warding needs to be put on you.”

“What kind of protection warding?” Harry stopped squirming and looked at the Headmaster.

“Magical bonding,” Albus said. “It's a kin to a parental bond.”

“Who would do this bonding me?”

“I would.”

Harry began shaking his head when he heard a rustle. He looked over and saw Snuffles walking towards him.

“Sirius there is no need for you to be here,” Albus said to the dog.

Snuffles walked over to Harry and sat down. With a slight tilt of his head, he just stared at the Headmaster. Albus was about to say something else when more rustling got his attention. Severus and Remus were walking towards them.

“Is everything alright?” Remus asked.

“Yes, of course,” Albus replied.

Severus walked over to Harry and placed his hand on his shoulder. Harry looked up at the Potions master and stood up with no problem.
“Go back to the house, Harry,” Severus said, pushing Harry towards the direction.

The usual twinkle that was in the Headmaster eyes was completely gone when he saw Harry stand up. Albus knew that Harry should not have been able to stand until he was released. There was only one way that could have been circumvented.

It couldn't be possible, Albus thought as he looked at Severus.

Severus walked back towards the house with the wolf and mutt next to him, leaving Albus on the bench alone.

The magic was rolling off of Albus in waves. His anger was at a new level. Albus stood up. As he did, the bench he was sitting on blasted into dust. He wanted Severus under his thumb. He wanted Harry to follow him blindly. What he didn't want was for Severus to have a foothold on the war. And having Harry follow the potions master, meant that he would follow Severus and not Albus. Hating that he couldn't just leave, Albus slowly made his way back into the house.

TBC

After a little while, Albus walked back into the house. Shacklebolt was finally getting up from the floor. Though he was still wobbly on his feet, he was standing. When Albus walked back into the kitchen, he noticed that the children were not downstairs.

“Molly,” Albus said, quieting the low voices which were talking around the table. “Might I impose on you and Arthur for Harry to stay here for the rest of the summer?”

Aberforth looked shocked by his brother's question. This was not what they were supposed to be doing here, he thought.

“But I thought...,” Molly began but was quickly cut off by her husband.

“Of course, Albus. Harry's welcome here to stay as long as he needs.”

“Thank you,” Albus said, looking over at his brother. “Well, I will not hold you any longer. Minerva.” Albus walked over towards the Transfiguration professor and put his hand on her shoulder. “Would you like an escort back to Hogwarts?”

“Thank you, Albus,” Minerva said with a small smile on her face. “But I have something to do first before I head back to school.”

Albus nodded and headed out of the kitchen, this time Aberforth was leaving as well. The two Dumbledores walked out of the house heading for the apparition spot.

“I thought you wanted to bring Harry with us,” Aberforth whispered as they walked.

“I can't,” Albus growled.

“Why not?”

“Because he already has the protection of another. I can't circumvent it. Not yet.”

“So, what now, little brother?” sneered Aberforth.

Albus looked at his brother in disgust. “We wait for the right opportunity. I'll see you later. I must go to the Ministry. I have to meet the new Defense professor.”

“I thought you handled all new hires.” Aberforth raised a skeptical brow.

“Well, after the fiasco with Moody, and Fudge still determined to believe that Voldemort is not back, he wants to hand pick the next professor himself.” Albus shook his head.

“I'll be at the bar.” With that, Aberforth apparated away.

Albus looked back at the Burrow; then he too apparated.

______0000_______000______000

Harry walked upstairs after leaving the Headmaster outside. He found Hermione and Ron sitting in Charlie's room.

“What happened?” Hermione asked as soon as she saw Harry at the door.

“He just wanted to talk,” Harry answered, sliding past her to fully enter the room.

“About what?”

“He wanted me to come back to Hogwarts.”

“Now?” Ron asked, opening his mouth for the first time since Harry came in the room.

Harry looked at Ron. “Yeah. I told him that I'm safer here than anywhere else.”

Ron didn't respond to that other than nod.

“I saw Sirius, Remus, and Professor Snape leave after you did,” Hermione stated.

“Yeah,” was the only response Harry gave.

The tension in the room was high. It was making Hermione uncomfortable. She looked from Harry to Ron, and back to Harry again. She could see that whatever the problem was, Harry looked remorseful and Ron looked angered.

“Okay,” Hermione said, breaking the tense silence that came across the room. “What happened between you two?”

“Nothing,” Ron ground out.

“Something had to have happened,” she countered. “The tension is just too much.”

“I'm sorry, Ron,” Harry said.

“Yeah,” Ron said, standing up walking towards Harry. “What are you actually sorry for? For hitting me? For sticking my family to the floor? Or picking that Greasy Git over your best friend?”

By the time Ron finished his tirade, he was yelling. There was a pop into the room and the twins were now standing on either side of Ron.

“Oi, calm down,” Fred said.

“What's with all the yelling?” George asked.

“Would you two stop doing that?” Ron yelled. He pushed George aside and bolted out of the room. Fred followed him. George looked at Harry as he saw the boy sit down on the bed. He looked as if he deflated. Hermione sat next to Harry and squeezed his hand.

“I don't know what's happening,” Harry whispered. “I really don't know why I'm comfortable around Snape now. But I'm not choosing him over Ron, or you. It's just different.”

Hermione let go of Harry's hand to wrap both of her arms around the boy and embraced him.

“You know how hotheaded Ron can be,” Hermione soothed. “Give him time. He'll see.”

George walked out of the room to find his twin and younger brother. It didn't take long since Ron and Fred were two rooms down, in Fred's and George's room.

“....it's always Harry,” George heard when he walked into the room. Fred was sitting on his bed and Ron was sitting on George's bed.

“You know,” George said, surprising both brothers in the room. “Your jealously will cause you to really lose the friendship you have in Harry.”

“I'm not jealous of him,” Ron fumed. His face turning beet red.

“Oh, really,” Fred said, quirking his eyebrow. “And what would you call how you acted last year, during the tournament?”

“You cannot control Harry. And you cannot control who he talks with or spends time with. You can't.”

“He's my friend,” Ron said, sounding like a petulant child.

“And if you want him to remain your friend,” Fred said. “Then you need to support him and not be jealous that he's found someone to look up to.”

“But why Snape?” Ron whined.

“Why don't you stop being a git and go ask him?” George said.

Ron got up from George's bed and walked to the door, but instead of going to Charlie's room, he went towards the stairs and headed for his room.

“Forge,” Fred said, standing next to his twin. “Your brother's an idiot.”

“I know, Gred,” George sighed. “I know.”

____0000_______0000________0000_____0000

The rest of the summer became a routine. Remus and Sirius stayed with the Weasleys. Minerva went back to the castle a few days after the meeting. When she got there, Albus informed her that Hogwarts build her a new chamber closer to the Gryffindor common room, so she came back so that she could get settled in and begin work for the upcoming semester. Severus went back to Spinner's End so that he could complete the potion that he was working on for Voldemort. Also, he wanted no ties between him and his home in Lewisham.

It was two weeks before the start of term on a rainy morning when there was knock at his door. Not expecting anyone that early, Severus cautiously walked to the door. When he saw who were outside, he opened the door. Shock was apparent on his face as he stood aside and let the two people in his house.

“What can I do for you?” Severus asked, as he sat back down in his chair. The other two occupants sat on the small sofa.

Removing the hood of her cloak, Narcissa let her blond and black hair show.

“Narcissa,” Severus said, with a small amount of shock in his tone. “What do I owe the honor of your presence?”

“I need your help, Severus,” pleaded Narcissa.

“You can't trust him,” growled out the other person on the sofa.

“Now, now, Bellatrix,” Severus smirked. “There is no need for such a statement. Narcissa knows she can trust me.”

Forcefully removing her hood, Bellatrix stood up. “You're a spy,” she ground out.

“Yes, I am,” Severus said, coolly. “The Dark Lord wants a spy. I'm his choice.”

Bellatrix huffed in frustration and walked over to the mantle.

“Just ask him what you want, Cissy, so we can go,” Bellatrix fumed.

Severus looked from Bellatrix to Cissy, who still hadn't stood from her seat.

“I'm here to ask if you would watch over Draco.” Narcissa said. “I'm worried about him this year.”

Severus looked at Narcissa, to Bella, and back again. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Narcissa with a cold, calculating look gave his answer.

“No.”

A small gasp could be heard from the sofa.

“See, Cissy?” Bellatrix yelled. “You can't trust this half blood.”

“Severus, please,” Narcissa pleaded. “The Dark Lord...”

“I know what the Dark Lord wants from Draco,” Severus said, cutting Narcissa off. “I also know why he chose Draco for this mission.” Severus looked at Bella. “It is a punishment for what your sister started. One that the Dark Lord knows that he will fail. I cannot go against the Dark Lord once his mind is made up.”

“How could you know anything,” sneered Bellatrix, walking closer to Severus. “You're nothing. Nothing special at all.”
“No?” Severus said, standing up in Bellatrix's face. “Well, let me tell you about the 'nothing' that I know. I know that if it wasn't for your idiotic actions you wouldn't be here trying to save your nephew's life. Your actions are the reason that the Dark Lord is punishing your family. Should Draco succeed in his quest, he would still lose part of his humanity. Why you thought an alliance with Aberforth Dumbledore was a good idea, I'll never know,” Severus tsked.

“I got very viable information from them,” Bellatrix said, her voice raising in tone, trying to show that her actions were not as idiotic as he said. “I found out where Potter was.”

“Yes,” Severus agreed, then sneered. “And what good did it do when you killed everyone in the house and still don't have Potter?”

“How do you know all this?” Bellatrix sounded defeated.

Severus just looked at her then walked over towards the sofa and sat down next to Narcissa.

“I'm sorry, Narcissa,” Severus said in a low voice. “But I cannot interfere with the Dark Lord's plan.”

“But he's your godson,” Narcissa pleaded, grabbing Severus' hands.

Severus removed his hands from her grip.

“I do believe that I lost that title after Draco's first year. I also believe that you said you would not have your son becoming a potions master. You wanted your son to follow his father. So it was you that severed that tie between Draco and myself. Which I know was hard for the child, wondering where I was. Now he doesn't see me in any way other than his professor. That was your doing. So, no, I will not interfere with what Draco has to do. Good day, ladies.”

Severus got up and walked to the doorway. He then turned and waited for his guests to get up. Narcissa was still sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down her cheeks as her last effort to save her son didn't go the way she'd hope.

“Come on, Cissy,” Bellatrix said, walking over to her sister and grabbing her arm. “Let's go. I told you he was too cowardly to help.”

Narcissa looked up at her sister. The glare she was giving her sister rivaled any that Severus would give to his students. Severus could see that this was about to get ugly really quickly and wandlessly cast Protego around his meager possessions.

Narcissa's anger was coming off her in waves. Bellatrix couldn't move her hand from his sister's arm. She could see the anger in her eyes and knew that there would be no pleasing Narcissa. The next moment Bellatrix was thrown across the room and landed roughly in the chair that Severus was sitting in earlier.

“This is all your fault,” Narcissa voice was full of emotion but strong. “I promise you this, dear sister,” Narcissa stood and strolled over to her sister's crumpled body in the chair. “If anything, anything at all, happens to my son, I will kill you. You better pray that Draco survives what he has to do. Severus is right; this is all your fault.”

Narcissa quickly turned and walked out of the room, passing Severus without saying one more word, leaving the small house. Severus looked at the door and then back to Bellatrix, who was still sitting in the chair.

“There is no reason for you to still be here, Bellatrix,” Severus said in a bored tone, walking over to the side table and picking up the book he was reading before the Black sisters came over.

Trying to save face, Bellatrix grabbed hold of Severus' arm. “Don't think I don't know anything about you. You may say that you have no ties to your precious mother, but I know different.”

Severus glare turned cold at the woman who was still sitting in the chair. She was so determined to stare the Potion master down she didn't know until it was too late that he penetrated her mind. He went to her deepest thoughts with such forcefulness that she began to scream in the chair, but she couldn't look away from the cold onyx eyes that bore into her soul.

Severus saw everything. He saw Bellatrix and Fenir go to Hagrid's hut. They killed the dog. Put the Imperio curse on Hagrid and had him kidnap his mother. He saw where they held her and Hagrid. Seeing that information, Severus retreated from Bellatrix's mind in a rush that almost had him in tears from the sensation. He then put all the information he received behind his wall of protection and put up his best Occlumency shield and looked down at the sobbing mess in his chair.

Grabbing Bellatrix's arm, Severus pulled her from the chair and forcefully pushed her out of his house. She fell to the ground by the force of the push. The rain beating down on her, she gripped her aching head. Tears streaming down her face mixed with the rain, she looked up at the sky and then apparated away.

Anger was boiling in the Potion master. His anger was turning to rage. Every attempt of calming down was not working. He needed to get out of that house. With the potion he was working on, it would not do well if he was not at full concentration when dealing with it. With a quick spin of his heel, Severus apparated back to his home in Lewisham.

Severus paced back and forth in his study, trying to calm down.

“Severus, is that you?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I'm in the study.”

Footsteps were heard in the hallway until they stopped in the doorway.

“What's wrong?”

“I know who took mother and why,” Severus sighed. Now that he was talking his anger diminished and hurt and anguish filled him.

The person walked in the room, slowly, until their hands met. Slowly the hands made their way up to his shoulders and Severus was turned around and brought into an embrace.

______00000_____0000_____0000_____

The ride on the Hogwarts Express was a normal one. Harry, Hermione and Ron were in a car by themselves. Snuffles lay curled up on the floor in front of Harry's feet. Even though Ron and Harry weren't talking that much, it wasn't as tense in the room with the two of them. Harry was looking out of the window, Hermione was reading a book and Ron was asleep laying against the window. Things were quiet for the trio. And neither one complained. It was nice to have quiet for a while.

The train stopped and everyone got changed into their robes. The trio and Snuffles shared a horseless buggy with Neville and Luna on the way to the school. No one spoke.

In the Great Hall, and after the sorting of the new students, Professor Dumbledore stood up for a few announcements.

“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts,” he said with the ever present twinkle in his eyes. “Now before we start our most wonderful feast, I would like to warn everyone that the forest is out of bounds. Also, I would like to introduce your new Defense professor. Please welcome Professor Delores Umbridge.”

Everyone looked up at the head table. Harry could see the disgust in his Professor's face even if it was subtle. A small smirk came across Harry's face when he looked at Snape.

“And now...”

A high pitch noise interrupted the Headmaster. All eyes turned to the woman in all pink.

“Thank you, Headmaster, for those lovely words of welcome,” Umbridge said. Her voice had a sweetly sickening tone to it. “And what lovely children I see before me. Such wonderful witches and wizards. Now, I know that the past your Professors have been lacking in teaching you wonderful children the proper standards. I wish to convey to all of you that it will cease now. You will be taught the prescribed manner as governed by the Minister. I will not tolerate trouble makers and they will be swiftly dealt with. I hope we all have a wonderful year.” She then turned and sat back down in her seat.

“Let the feast begin,” Albus said after a few seconds.

Harry looked at the woman in pink and couldn't help the feeling that she was looking directly at him when she talked about trouble makers.

After dinner, everyone went to their respective houses to finish getting settled for the night. Hermione, Ron and Harry were sitting on the sofa in front of the fire when Professor McGonnagall came in.

“Potter,” she called out. “Come with me.”

“Man, Harry,” Ron teased. “You haven't been here a whole day yet and you're getting called to the Professor's office.”

“Shut it,” Harry shot back, happy that Ron and he were talking again.

Harry followed his Head-of-House out of the common room and towards her office.

“Have a seat, Harry,” Minerva said as she opened the door.

Harry sat down in the chair across from the desk and folded his hands in his lap. Minerva sat behind her desk and looked at her young charge.

“Let me ask you something,” Minerva started. “When was the last time you saw Severus?”

Harry looked up at his Transfiguration Professor with a little shock in his eyes. It was not something that he was expecting.

“Um, the meeting at the Weasleys. Why?”

Minerva nodded, but didn't answer his question instead she asked another one. “How have you been feeling?”

“Feeling?” Harry asked with a shrug. “Fine.”

“Alright, Potter, listen,” Minerva said leaning on her elbows on the desk. “I've been doing a little digging while I was here. After you were stuck to Severus when Remus and I got to the Burrow it got me wondering.” Harry's face began to heat at the reminder of how he acted at the Burrow. “I didn't mean to embarrass you, Harry. But I had to find out. After we all left the Burrow, how did you feel? Honestly.”

“Okay in the beginning,” Harry sighed. “Then I started to feel antsy and agitated.” Minerva nodded. “What's going on?”

“And how did you feel when you walked into the Great Hall?”

“Fine,” Harry shrugged. “Better, even.”

“Okay,” Minerva smiled at Harry. She pulled out a small piece of parchment and wrote on it. She then rolled it up and handed it to Harry. “I want you to take this down to the dungeons and put it into Severus' hands. I'm sure you know where his office is.” Harry nodded. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry said, skeptically, but not moving from the seat.

“Now, Mr. Potter,” Minerva said with amusement in her voice.

Harry, making the trek down to the dungeons, was stopped once he passed the Great Hall.

“Mr. Potter, is it?”

Harry stopped and turned to the sickening sweet voice of the new Defense professor.

“Yes, Professor Umbridge,” Harry said, turning to face her.

“A little late to be wandering the halls, don't you think?”

“I was heading down to Professor Snape's office,” Harry explained. “Professor McGonnagall told me to.”

“Very well,” Delores conceded. “I guess it's too early in the semester to start trouble.”

So she was looking directly at me, Harry thought.

“I think I will escort you down to Professor Snape's office. Just to be sure that you go straight there and not wander off somewhere.”

Before Harry could object, he was being forced down the hall towards the stairs to the dungeons, his arm held in a firm grip. Faster than Harry thought possible, they were standing outside Snape's office. Harry knocked.

“Enter,” came the command from the other side of the door.

Severus looked up just in time to see who entered. He didn't miss the slight push Delores gave Harry when they stepped through the doorway. Severus raised his eyebrow at his two guests.

“And to what do I owe to this intrusion?” Severus drawled, folding his hands over the papers of his desk.

“Mr. Potter tells me he was sent here,” Delores stated.

“Do tell,” Severus looked from Delores to Harry. “So, Potter, already making a fan of the new Professor? Hoping to get on her good side?”

Delores huffed at the remark, but didn't say anything. Harry, for some reason, wasn't hurt by the jibe. It was like he could tell there was no malice behind the Professor's words.

“Well, if you're not waiting for an autograph from Potter, is there a reason you're here?”

Delores huffed again, this time turning and storming out of the office, slamming the door in her wake.

“Good riddance,” Severus muttered, focusing his attention back to the papers on his desk. He then looked up at Harry, pointing the end of his quill at him. “I want you to not cross her, do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry responded, still standing in the doorway.

“Well, don't just stand there,” Severus said. “Why are you down here? And where is the mutt?”

Harry walked over towards the desk and pulled out the small piece of parchment.

“Professor McGonagall wanted me to give you this,” he said, handing the parchment over. “Snuffles is in the dorm. Professor McGonagall pulled me away while I was in the Common Room. I didn't have time to get him.”

“Stupid mutt,” Severus muttered as he took the parchment from Harry. “I know it will be difficult to have the mutt walking around with you, but I would still like him close to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, because of the term, I must keep my true feelings at bay. So in order for that to happen, we must go back to the way things were.”

Harry looked at his Professor. Back to the way things were. He didn't want to do that. He liked how it was those two weeks. He didn't want to go back.

“Harry,” Severus voice was sharp. “Do pay attention.”

“Sorry sir,” Harry sighed.
“If you were listening, which I know you weren't you would have heard me say that I am going to schedule a weekly meeting with you so that this,” he held up the parchment. “won't be a factor.”

Now Harry was really confused. Weekly meetings?

“Sir, what's on the parchment?”

Severus raised an eyebrow and slid the parchment to the edge of the desk. Harry picked it up and read it. Magical Parental Bonding.

Harry looked at the parchment and then back to his Professor, confusion all over the child's face.

“What that means, Harry,” Severus stated, “is that night when we got to the Burrow and you stuck yourself to me, we bonded. A bond as strong as a parent and child. You are now my child in everything but blood.”

TBC

Magical Parental Bonding.

Harry couldn't believe what he had heard. His professor would be like his dad. Well, not really, he thought. Harry continued his trek back up to the Tower, thinking on what he would call his Professor from now on. There was a smile on his face as he climbed the stairs.

Dolores watched as Harry climbed the stairs. She noticed that he seemed to be so lost in thought that he didn't realize that she was even watching him. Since the boy wasn't making any detours and was heading straight for his Common Room, she couldn't punish him and have it justified. When Harry turned down the last flight of stairs, Dolores turned and headed back to her office. She knew there was a few days before Potter would be in her class. If she wanted to implement her plans to raise suspicion on Potter, she would have to think how to get Potter in her sights and not look like she was singling him out.

Harry walked in the Common Room and saw that Hermione and Ron were still up, sitting on the sofa waiting on him. He walked over towards them.

Hermione could see the small smile that graced his features and couldn't help smiling herself.

“What happened?” Ron asked. “You were gone a while.”

“I was with Professor Snape,” Harry said, sitting down in between Hermione and Ron.

Ron looked like he was going to say something about that, but Harry quickly cut him off.

“Have either of you ever heard of a Magical Parental Bonding?”

Hermione shook her head, but Ron gave a knowing look.

“I've heard of that,” Ron said. Both Harry and Hermione stared at him. “What? Does it seem so hard that I know something that Hermione doesn't?”

There was no heat behind Ron's words and both he and Harry were trying not to laugh.

“Listen,” Ron said, as he sobered up from his attempt from laughing. “I do know a little bit about bonds. The twins and I accidentally bonded.”

Both Harry and Hermione looked at Ron incredulously.

“Yeah,” Ron nodded. “It happened when they tried to make me take an unbreakable vow with Fred. It's nothing too big, but our brother bond is stronger than if I were with Percy, Bill, or Charlie.”

“Wow,” Harry said.

“They made you take an Unbreakable Vow?” Hermione asked.

“It never really happened,” Ron said. “We were starting when Dad came in. Oh man, was he ever so angry. I don't even think that the twins could sit comfortably for about a week after that.”

“And how would you like if we shared your punishments with your friends?” a voice said behind the trio.

They all turned on the sofa and saw the twins walking towards them.

“I wasn't trying to do that,” Ron said, ashamed, his cheeks reddening. “Harry was asking about Magical Parental Bonding.”

“Oh, so that's what happened that day,” Fred said, looking over at Harry.
“We were wondering,” George pipped in. “Professor Snape, right?”

Harry nodded.

“Okay. Well, all will be fine. You should be fine now,” Fred said. “Well, we won't have to worry about saving you from your guardians anymore.”

Harry smiled. He never thought the idea of not having to be saved from Professor Snape as a good thing seemed amusing at first. But he did like the fact that he had someone now.

_____00000___________000000_________0000000

Albus sat behind his desk. He had put this off for a few weeks now, but now that the school was back in session he knew he would need to find a replacement for Poppy. He had wrote a letter to the Administrator's office at St. Mungo's in search of a medi-witch or healer. Well, the day before, he wrote the letter and he received a response. The letter was vague saying that someone would be flooing over within the hour. So, now, Albus waited until he was contacted.

Albus was reading through some paperwork from the Board of Governors when the floo flared and a man walked from the hearth. The Headmaster looked up at the man as he strolled over towards the desk.

“Professor Dumbledore,” the man said, smoothly. “My name is Healer Derek Williams. I was told that you are in need of a Healer on these premises.”

“Yes,” Albus agreed, holding out his hand motioning the Healer to sit down. “Thank you for coming.”

“You're welcome,” Derek said. “What all will this come with?”

“Well, your chambers will be near the Infirmary, so you will be close to your patients when you have some. Most of the time, you will have some of my Heads-of-House will bring their first years by to have a routine check up. There are some minor incidences and accidents, but all in all, these are some really good bunch of children and it shouldn't be a problem if you are needed back at the hospital. Our potions professor is also an assistant medi-wizard and he usually supplies the potions and salves for your stores.”

“Sounds fine,” Derek said. “Since I am a specialist at the hospital, my service will usually not be needed until there is some sort of catastrophe. Let's hope that doesn't happen.” A small smile graced the Healer's lips.

“So you have no problems with the arrangements?” Albus asked.

“No,” Derek shook his head. “No problem at all. When can I see my rooms?” Derek stood up from the chair.

“Let me assign you a house elf and they can escort you to your chambers and show you around the Infirmary.”
“I'd appreciate that.”

“Tami,” Albus called out.

“Master Headmaster call for Tami,” the small elf said a few seconds after popping into the office.
“Yes,” Albus said. “I want you to escort Healer Williams to his new chambers and show him around the Infirmary. You will also be his personal elf. You will answer to him.”

Tami's eyes got big at the last order. She had hoped that once school started again, she would be back with her Mistress and Master Sev'us. But hearing that she would be with the new Healer broke her heart. She almost didn't catch the Healer's protest.

“That is perfectly fine, Headmaster,” Derek said. “I have no need for a house elf. But thank you.”

“Nonsense,” Albus dismissed. “You need a house elf and the school provides elves to all the faculty and staff. Have a wonderful evening Healer Williams. Good night.”

Derek, seeing that his reservations about having an elf was being ignored, turned and walked out of the office, following the small elf down the spiral stairs. When they reached the Infirmary on the second floor, Derek looked around the room. It was filled with two rows of bed on each wall. He looked at each one making sure it was adequate. He nodded his head.

“This be your office, now,” Tami said, bringing the Healer out of his musing.

He walked over towards the door and suddenly stopped. There was a lingering magic in this particular area of the Infirmary. Being a healer, he was susceptible to what magic was used and how it was used. And in the particular part there was some dark magic used and for a dark purpose.

“You be alright, Master Healer?” Tami asked, concerned.

“Yes,” Derek said after clearing his throat. “Tell me, elf...”
“Tami,” Tami corrected with an attitude that made the Healer smile.

“Excuse me, Tami,” he corrected. “Do you know a Professor by the name of Snape?”

Tami's eyes lit up at her Master Sev'us' name. Oh, she missed her Mistress' son. Tami nodded her head with such enthusiasm that Derek thought her head would roll off her shoulders.

“I's can take you to him, Master Healer,” Tami said, excitedly.

“Thank you,” Derek said, laughing at the small elf's instant energy.

The trek down to the dungeons didn't take as long as the trek to the Infirmary. Once he was standing outside the wooden door, Derek knocked.

______000000______00000_______00000______00000

Once Harry left Severus' office, the floo flared and Minerva walked through. She saw that he was working at his desk and shook her head.

“Come, Severus,” she said. “It's time for tea. You will not over work yourself.”

Not waiting for a response, she strolled to the side door that lead from his office to his chambers. Even though she sounded at ease, Severus could tell a direct order when she said it. And her request broached no argument. He was to follow her into his rooms and sit and have tea with his mother. A smile, well more a smirk, graced his lips as he stood and followed his mother.

It had been twenty minutes since they first sat in Severus' sitting room, drinking tea in a comfortable silence. Severus looked up at his mother when he poured himself another cup of tea.

“Did you have to have Potter come down here in that manner?”

Minerva looked over at her son, so deep in thought that she was almost startled by his voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn't you let him use the floo?” Severus raised his eyebrow as he sat back in his chair. His cup just against his lips.

“It was fine,” Minerva dismissed.

Severus froze at his mother's statement.

“Hardly,” Severus responded as he set his cup back down on the table.

“What happened?”

“That woman,” Severus didn't even hid his disgust when mentioning the newest professor, “escorted Harry down here. I do not trust that woman.”

“Oh Severus,” Minerva softly chided. “Stop being so suspicious. She's a ministry worker. Is she qualified? I doubt it, but we are going to have to make the best of it. So do try and play nice.”

Severus sighed. He was about to respond to that when there was a knock on his door.

“Who on earth could that be at this hour?” Minerva said as she cast a wandless tempus charm to see the time.

Severus stood and went to open the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, not tonight anyway. Pulling his wand out of his wrist holster, he walked over to the door and opened it. He raised his eyebrow and then re-holstered his wand.

“Finally made it, I see,” Severus said, stepping aside.

“Yes,” Derek said. He was about to continue when the small elf rushed past the two wizards and went to her Mistress.

Tami, running towards Minerva, fell to her knees and almost slid the rest of the way to her Mistress' legs. She crawled instead and clutched hold of Minerva's robes, sobbing fiercely.

When Tami pushed past Severus, his anger for the small elf bubbled in his stomach. How dare this elf show her face to him after what she did. Blatantly disobeying an order.

“How dare you?” Severus growled, as he moved towards his mother and the small elf. “What gives you the right to be here?”

“Severus, calm down,” Minerva said, rubbing her hand on the top of Tami's head.

“She deserves to be punished for what she did,” Severus fumed. Tami trembled against Minerva. She knew that Master Sev'us had a right to be angry but she hope he wouldn't treat her like Master Headmaster. “The risks she caused.”

“Severus, you will calm down this instant.” Minerva voice got harsh. “You know we do not allow that with our elves. Now you will sit down, take a breath, and tell me what has gotten you in this state this instant.”

Severus sat down in the chair he had vacated when answering the door, but his anger was so much that he couldn't keep still. A few seconds later, he was up pacing the floor trying to calm down. He knew he mother didn't understand why he was so upset, but Tami could have caused Harry to be in the clutches of Dumbledore by disobeying.

Minerva could see the struggle in her son and shot a pleading look at the Healer. Seeing her meaning, Derek pulled a phial out of his inner robe pocket and walked over to the Potion master.

“Take this,” Derek ordered.

Severus looked at the phial and back up at the Healer. He was about to start pacing again when Derek stood in front of him, blocking his path.

“Drink,” he ordered.

Severus looked over at his mother and saw the look on her face and knew that he was now outnumbered. Sighing, Severus took the phial and drank its contents. The calming draught worked almost instantly. Severus could feel himself calming and feeling almost euphoric. Severus back down and then looked up at the Healer.

“The anger you were emulating was too intense for a regular dose of draught. I had to give you a stronger dose,” Derek answered the unasked question.

Derek sat himself down on the other piece of furniture in the room; a sofa that was adjacent to the two chairs that both Professors were sitting in.

“Why don't we start from the beginning?”

TBC

The new year was beginning. Summer holidays were over. The bustle of students walking the halls would begin again. Albus was standing by the window in his office, looking down at the grounds. He knew he would have to be sure of his suspicions. He knew that there was no way that half-blood Slytherin should have been able to release Harry from that bench. Albus speculated that he and Harry bonded, but he needed to find out for sure.

If they did bond, then things would have to be different. Not only would Severus be protective of Harry but Harry would be the same. Sighing, he turned and walked back to his desk. There was a knock when he sat down.

“Come in, my boy,” Albus said.

Harry walked through the doorway. Albus extended his hand to the chair that was across from his desk. Harry walked over to the seat and sat down.

“You wanted to see me, Professor?”

“Yes, Harry,” Albus said, his eyes twinkling. “How was the rest of your summer?”

“Fine, sir,” Harry said.

“Good to hear.”

“Sir, is something wrong?”

“No, my boy. Everything is fine.”

Albus stood up and walked over to the perch where Fawkes was currently sleeping, rubbing his phoenix's feathers.

“Could you help me with something, Harry?” Albus asked after a moment of silence.

“If I can, sir.”

Before Albus could open his mouth again, there was a knock on the door. With a quick wave of his hand, the door opened. Harry turned to see who was there and a ghost of a smile graced his lips.

“What are you doing here?” Albus asked.

Severus looked at Albus and then at Harry, who was still sitting in the chair, back to Albus.

“Wondering where Potter was,” Severus said, silkily. “He was due in my office ten minutes ago.”

Harry's brow furrowed as he lowered his head, looking at his lap. He couldn't remember his Professor wanting to see him, but for some reason he knew saying anything against it was unwise.

Albus looked at the child sitting in the chair. Harry looked like he was embarrassed.

“Harry,” Albus said quietly. The child looked up at the Headmaster. “Why didn't you tell me that you had prior engagements?”

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

Severus put his hand on Harry's shoulder, moving him so that the child could stand. Once he was on his feet, Severus steered him towards the door.

“Severus,” Albus said. Severus successfully pushed Harry out of the office and closed the door, turning to face the Headmaster. “How did you know that Harry was here?”

“His fan club,” Severus sneered. “Informed me that you sent him a note.”

Severus turned and walked out of the office.

Albus sat down behind his desk with a deep sigh. What was he going to do now? It is clear to him that Severus and Harry had bonded. This was not suppose to happen. Severus wasn't suppose to have more on his side. He was just a Slytherin pawn that was only to be used for his purpose.

Albus hated that he would have to go another route to get Harry's devotion, but he would if he was going to win this war.

______0000_________0000________0000

The walk towards the dungeons was a quiet one. Harry followed Severus as they descended the stairs. Once they got to Severus' chambers, not saying a word, Severus reached for Harry's wrist. The first thing that Severus noticed was that Harry did not resist. He pondered would the child had been this comfortable around him last year. Would he be this comfortable with the child?

Placing the child's hand on the side of the portrait, Harry felt a tingling sensation that traveled up his arm. Harry looked at the portrait and then up at his Professor.

“Attaching you magical signature to my chambers,” Severus said.

The portrait opened and they walked in. Severus had yet to let go of Harry's wrist. Not that Harry noticed or cared that he was being toted like a toddler. Harry looked around the room of his Professor's chambers and loved what he saw as much as he felt. His chambers didn't live up to the hype that was going around the school. Snape's chambers gave a calm feeling throughout his entire body.

“Should you need to come here,” Severus continued, bringing Harry out of his own thoughts and feels, “there should be no problem of you getting in.”

Harry, remembered what happened just a few moments ago and a small raise of panic started to bubble up in his stomach.

“Sir, I'm sorry,” Harry babbled. “I didn't know I was suppose to come. I didn't mean to miss our appointment -”

Harry was cut off by the deep, rich smell of potions. It took another second to realize that he was in a safe cocoon. Strong arms encircled him, holding him tightly.

“Calm yourself, child.” Severus' voice was low and soothing. “You've done nothing wrong.”

Hearing his Professor's voice as well as feeling the vibrations through his chest calmed Harry and he leaned against his Professor.

“But I missed -” Harry muffled in Severus' robes.

“Absolutely nothing,” Severus cut him off. “The next time you get a note to see any Professor you come to me first.”

Harry nodded and sighed. The rising panic he was just feeling quickly vanished.

_____0000________0000_________00000

“Welcome to Fifth Year Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Umbridge said as the last of the students sat down in their seats.

Slytherins and Gryffindors were sitting in their usually seating. Slytherin on one side and Gryffindors on the other.

Pointing her wand at the board, words began to write on it. “Ordinary Wizarding Level. In other words, O.W.L.s. Now the past years in this subject have not been up to standards. This year it is my job to get you all to the Ministry prescribed level so that you may become successful witches and wizards.”

As she spoke, books levitated towards the students and were placed in front of them.

“Now, wands away,” she ordered.

Everyone was completely shocked. No wands.

“What are you talking about?” Draco asked.
“We aren't using wands?” Ron piped up afterward.

“How are we suppose to learn defensive spells?” Harry asked.

More questions were asked at the same time, but Dolores turned towards Harry, signaling him out.

“And why would you need to learn defensive spells?” Her eyes bore down to Harry's.

Harry could feel the hatred coming of the Professor.

“Answer my question, Mr. Potter,” she ordered. At the sound of her voice, quieted everyone in the room. “Why would you need to learn such things? What are you planning on using them for? Trying to take over the Ministry?”

An audible gasp was heard from Hermione, who was sitting next to Harry. Harry's eyes widened at the accusations. His mouth hung agape. He was stunned to silence. He didn't know how to even respond to that.

“Detention, Mr. Potter,” Dolores growled before turning away from the stunned child.

When she walked back to the front of the class, her attitude changed. She was smiling again. “Now, let us begin.”

Everyone, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike, couldn't believe what just happened. There would be no learning of new spells, and Professor Umbridge gives out unprovoked detentions. As she continued on with her lecture, oblivious to the fact that not everyone was listening, still stunned by what had happened, all the students took glances at Harry.

Hermione looked at Harry and could tell that he was trying to keep his emotions in check. Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand over Harry's that was balled up into fists on his desk. She gave him a comforting squeeze as one traitorous tear escaped Harry's eyes.

As soon as the class was over, everyone began packing up their belonging.

“Mr. Potter,” Umbridge called out. “Stay behind.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

“Alone.”

Ron looked at the Professor with disgust then patted Harry's shoulder. He and Hermione walked out of the room. Harry continued to pack his belongings. Once he was done, standing by his table, he waited for the Professor to speak.

They stood across from each other neither saying anything. Dolores glared at the child. She did not like Harry Potter and if it was the last thing she did she was going to show the world that Harry Potter was nothing more than a spoiled brat looking for attention.

Harry could see the total disgust coming off the Professor. He was sure that if she could she would destroy him where he stood. He didn't like this feeling. He was feeling intimidated. He'd lived with that feeling for thirteen years and after he stood up to his relatives he promised himself that he would not live like that again.

“Is there something that you wanted, Professor?” Harry asked trying to end this. “I have to get to my next class.” The thought of missing a moment of his next class before now was unheard of. But now after everything that had happened during the summer, Harry was excited to see how Potions would be now.

“Do you think that you run things here?” Dolores' voice was harsh. “I am the Professor and you will leave when I tell you. You will report back here at six for your detention.”

Harry picked up his satchel and walked out of the room, but not before mumbling something as he walked out the door. He could hear Umbridge yelling for him to come back and repeat what he said, but Harry was long gone, heading for the stairs.

Harry rushed down the stairs, praying that they would not move, so he wouldn't be too late to Potions. Harry knew that he didn't have time to go get his book, but he figured he could share with Hermione or Ron. As he passed the Great Hall to take the final stairs towards the dungeons, there was a tightness in his chest. There was a lump forming in his throat. He didn't know why he felt like he was going to cry, but the longer it took him to get to the Potions Lab room, it seem to get larger and larger. Once he got to the door, opening it and noticing that class hadn't started yet, Harry was able to take a deep breath. Finding his seat next to Ron and Hermione, he sat in between them.

“What happened?” Hermione whispered.

“She just told me what time my detention was,” Harry said. “Can I share with one of you? I didn't have time to go get my book.”

“Sure,” Ron said, moving his book so that it was in between them.

The door slammed opened and Snape walked in the room. Severus walked to the front of the class and began his lecture on what they were to expect throughout the term and what was expected for their OWLs. As he talked he and Harry made eye contact. It was brief but prominent. Harry let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding before.

The rest of class went as usual. At the end of the lecture, Snape announced that they would be brewing in the next class and to read up the Shrinking Potion. After that, he dismissed the class. Everyone gathered their things and left.

________00000__________00000________000

Severus didn't come to dinner that night. There was something else that took his immediate attention. The potion that the Dark Lord wanted was ready. As much as he didn't want to make it, he didn't have a choice. Bottling up several phials, Severus placed them in his robes and headed for Malfoy Manor. Since he had a unknown potion on his person, he didn't want to risk apparating so he decided to go by floo. Once he landed in the Malfoy's receiving room, Severus, not waiting to be announced, walked towards the study where he knew the Dark Lord would be.

Knocking on the door, he waited till he heard the command.

“Enter.” The sound was muffled through the door.

Severus entered the room. Once he stood in front of Voldemort, he bowed his head.

“It is finished.”

Voldemort lifted his gaze to the Potions Master. A smile graced his thin lips.

“Wonderful. Have you tested it?”

“On mice,” Severus answered, coolly.

“Well, let's have a demonstration,” Voldemort said, standing up. He snapped his fingers and an elf showed up. “Bring her here,” he ordered.

The elf disappeared only to return instantly holding a witch. It took a moment for Severus to recognize the witch, but when she lifted her head, he instantly knew that he was looking at Bellatrix. Severus looked at her coolly but on the inside, he couldn't believe that she was once Voldemort's second in command. Now, Bellatrix, on her knees, looked broken.

“Where is the Potion?” Voldemort asked.

Severus removed one phial from his robes and handed it to the Dark Lord. Voldemort looked at the phial as if studying it. He opened the stopper and gave a small movement back and forth under the slits in his face where his nose would have been, as if smelling the contents. Without notice, Voldemort rushed over to the cowering Bellatrix, pulling her hair back, causing her to open her mouth. He poured the contents of the phial in her awaiting mouth. Bellatrix coughed and gagged as the thick liquid slid down her throat. The affect was instant. Bella fell to the floor twitching and screaming through gritted teeth. Voldemort laughed evilly as he looked at Bella's pain.

Severus looked on with no emotion on his face. Brewing this potion, he knew what the affects would do and how long it took.

“How much do you have?” Voldemort asked, walking away from the twitching witch.

“It yielded three phials,” Severus said, pulling two more out of his robes.

“Well done, Severus,” Voldemort praised. “Hold on to that until I ask for it.” Severus gave a curt nod. “How long will the affects last?” he asked as Bella began loosing all control of her bodily functions.

“Since it is not something that can be stopped as if it were a spell, it doesn't stop. Honestly, the Longbottoms were lucky that at one point the curse stopped, even though they lost their minds. Since this was ingested, it will continue until the subject dies.”

Voldemort laughed.

“Well done, Severus. Well done.” Voldemort praised again, snapping his fingers. The small elf reappeared. “Take her back.”

Once again it was quiet when the elf apparated away with the screeching witch.

“Now, Severus,” Voldemort said, his demeanor changing from gleeful to serious. “I understand that progress was made.”

“My lord,” Severus said.

“Is Poppy Pomfrey dead?”

“She succumbed to her injuries,” Severus answered with no emotions.

Voldemort nodded.

“As to McGonnagall,” Severus started.

“Don't worry about that,” Voldemort said, cutting Severus off. “There is something else I want you to do.”

_______0000_________00000_________0000_______0000

Harry walked to the Defense classroom. It was ten minutes to six and he was knocking on the Professor's door. Harry remembered what his Professor said, but when he didn't see him at dinner, he knew that he couldn't tell Severus about his detention before so maybe he could talk to him afterward.

A muffled 'Enter' was said and Harry opened the door.

“In the office,” Dolores called out.

Harry looking up the small staircase to the cracked door. Sighing, Harry made his way up to the office.

“Have a seat, Mr. Potter,” Dolores said, sweetly.

Harry looked around the office. For the last two years, he had come in this office. Never had it ever looked like this. It look like different shades of pink just threw up in the room. The stone walls were painted pink. There were small framed pictures of cats. His first thought seeing the cats were of Mrs. Figg.

“Have a seat, Mr. Potter.”

Harry looked over at the desk and saw he was just too masculine for this room. It was too pink. The desk that he was to sit in was just as pink as the walls. Sitting down, he placed his satchel next to him on the floor.

“Now, Mr. Potter, things around here are going to change.”

Harry looked at Umbridge and said nothing.

“Your time walking around here like you own the entire wizarding world will end. You will learn respect. Do we understand each other?” Harry nodded. Her demeanor quickly changed from calm to fierce as she slammed her hand on the table. “A verbal answer.”

Shocked by the sudden noise, Harry said, “Yes, ma'am.”

“Very good.” Her voice calmed again. “Now, speaking of respect, what did you say when you left my classroom?” Harry said nothing. “Come now, Mr. Potter, surely you can tell me what you said.” Again, Harry said nothing. “Didn't you call me a 'toad-faced bully'?” Harry just looked at her. “That's alright. We will settle this tonight. You will be writing lines.”

Harry sighed as he bent down towards his satchel to get his parchment and quill. When he sat back straight in the seat, Umbridge was standing in front of the desk he was sitting at. It startled him a little as he didn't hear her come close to him.

“There is no need for your quill. You'll be using mine.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Harry sighed, dropping his quill back in the satchel.

“You will write, 'I will show respect to my Professors.'”

“How many times?” Harry asked, with attitude in his voice.

Dolores wanted to slap the boy, but refrained from it. She instead smirked at the boy.

“As many times as it takes for the lesson to sink in.”

“Ink,” Harry said.

“I beg your pardon?” she replied.

“I need ink.”

“Not with that quill. This way I don't have to be bothered by ink spots.”

She turned her back to Harry and stood at her desk. Harry looked at her for a second before he began his lines. By the time he got to the third set of lines, his left hand began to itch. By the time he got to the seventh set of lines, the itching turned to burning. At the twelfth set, the skin began to break on his hand.

Fear and astonishment was on the child's face. When he finished that set of lines, the words were now carved into the back of his left hand. As if being burned, Harry dropped the quill, looking at it as if it would bite him.

Dolores turned and looked back Harry. Her face was full of concern.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Her voice was the model of a sympathetic human being. Harry looked up at her. There was fear in his eyes. “You know that deep down you deserve this. Don't you, Mr. Potter? You will write eight more lines and then you are free to go.”

She turned back to her desk. Harry could have sworn that there was a slight spring in her step. Looking back down at the quill, he couldn't help but wish that his Professor was here right now.

“Continue, Mr. Potter,” She said once she sat back down. “I don't want you wandering the halls so close to curfew. It's only eight more lines.” Dolores lowered her head and started back on the work she was doing when Harry walked in the office.

Eight more lines, Harry thought. He could do this. He had worse punishment with his relatives. This will be nothing. Slowly, he picked back up the quill and began his lines again. Just eight more lines, he thought through the pain in his hand. Just seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. Last one.

Harry had a sheen of sweat on his brow. He looked over at his left hand and was surprised that it wasn't bleeding. The cuts didn't look that deep, but the pain was intense. Harry lowered the quill on the desk.

“I'm finished, Professor,” Harry said. His voice was quiet and submissive.

Dolores got up and walked over towards Harry. She then cupped his face and lifted his head so that he was looking at her.

“Now, Mr. Potter, I don't want to have to do this again, okay?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“You may go,” she said, letting Harry go and straightening back up.

As fast as he could, Harry gathered his things and rushed out of the office. A smirk of satisfaction was on the witch's face as the boy left her office. This was going to be a wonderful year, she thought as she closed up her office and headed towards her chambers.

_________00000_______0000_________00000

Harry walked up the stairs, planning on going straight to his bed. His hand had never hurt this bad before. At first upon leaving the toad's office, Harry wanted to go to Snape's chambers but quickly dismissed that idea as he didn't want to get lectured as to why he had detention with her in the first place. Looking down at his hand again, he didn't notice someone coming towards him. As Harry approached the hallway, he and the other person collided as the other person wasn't really paying attention to where they were going. Colliding with the person's chest caused Harry to back up. The quick thinking of whomever he bumped into, Harry was grabbed by the front of his shirt and pulled forward. He was grateful as he knew he was close to the edge of the stairs and if it wasn't for their quick thinking he would have tumbled down the stairs.

“Sorry, kid,” Derek said, letting go of Harry's shirt when he got his footing.

“I'm sorry,” Harry said looking up at the man.

Derek's eyes narrowed as he really looked at the boy. He looked small that a strong wind would knock him down. What got him curious was the dampness of the child's hair from what looked like sweat.

“Are you alright?” Derek asked.

“Yes, sir,” Harry stumbled to the side. His hand was throbbing and all he wanted was to go to bed.

Derek looked down at the child and noticed the redness on his hand.

“Do you know who I am?” Derek asked.

Harry looked up at the man. “The new Healer.”

“Good,” Derek said. “Come with me.”

Harry followed the Healer down the hallway. He knew he was heading towards the Infirmary. He'd been there enough times to know how to get there without being escorted. Self-consciously, Harry looked down at his hand. He noticed that it no longer looked like the lines he just wrote. It just looked like scratches.

Once they were in the Infirmary, Harry sat down on the bed as he was silently instructed. Derek walked towards the supply cupboard and grab the essence of murlap.

“You want to tell me how this happened?” Derek asked, as he applied the murlap on the scratched hand.

Harry looked up at the new Healer. Harry thought, he was okay, but he just didn't trust him yet. He wasn't a Madam Pomfey.

“I was just clumsy. I was heading to bed. It wasn't that bad,” Harry lied.

Derek just raised his brow at the child, but said nothing else. Once he was finished, he sent the boy on his way.

_____00000_________00000_______0000____0000

Severus walked back to the castle from the apparation point. It was the longest he'd ever stayed at Malfoy Manor. But the Dark Lord was relentless. Never wanting to ever see the effects of that potion again, Severus knew he would have to create and brew an antidote for it. No, he did not care for Bellatrix, especially since she was one of the ones that orchestrated the abduction of his mother, but she did not deserve to die in that manner. She died just two hours after the potion was administered. The mice that Severus had used it took them four hours to pass on. Bellatrix was the first human to test the content and afterward Severus mentioned that it didn't take the entire phial to get the desired affect, but he didn't think that Voldemort was listening over the intense glee that he was emulating watching her twitch and struggle from the potion.

Walking into the castle, Severus headed straight for his chambers, where he found his mother sitting by the fireplace, reading. Severus sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. The last thing had him bothered more than ever. Knowing that someone else was assigned to carry out the deed of killing Minerva was unsettling. Not knowing who was commissioned for the deed was infuriating.

Minerva looked up from the book when she heard the door close.

“Ah, Severus,” Minerva said, with a smile, closing the book she was reading and placing it on her lap. “Come, let's have tea.”

After Minerva left for the night, Severus walked up the staircase, heading towards the seventh floor. One of the things that he found peaceful during his strolls throughout the castle was that this was the time where not many would be out in the corridors. On occasion, he had caught some wayward students, but during the beginning of the term not many would be out.

Usually these strolls would give him those last moments of peace, but tonight he was on a mission. Going to the portrait and saying the password, Severus slipped into the Gryffindor Common room. When he walked in, he was surprised to see that there was no one in the room. Casting a Disillusionment charm on himself, he made his trek towards the fifth year boys' dormitories. Walking in the room, he saw five beds. Most of them had their curtains closed, but the one he wanted to get to was still open. Walking over to Harry's bed, Severus saw that he was sleeping peacefully. He stood there looking at the child for a moment.

Changing his attention to the foot of the child's bed he lowered the charm on himself and shook the dog that was laying there. The dog looked up at the dour man and carefully jumped off the bed. Walking towards a corner of the room, Severus cast a silencing charm around them and Sirius transformed.

“What are you doing here?” Sirius asked.

“I need your help,” Severus said. Sirius raised his eyebrow to the Potions Master. “Don't look at me like that. Something's come up.”

“Okay, Severus,” Sirius said. “What is it?”

Severus and Sirius talked for a moment. When Severus lowered the charm from around them, Sirius brow was creased.

“Let me let Harry know that I won't be here,” Sirius said.

Severus nodded as he watched Sirius walk over to the head of Harry's bed.

“Harry,” Sirius whispered. “Pup, wake up.”

“Sirius,” Harry moaned, sleepily. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing, pup,” Sirius assured. “I just want to let you know that I won't be here when you wake up. Something's come up.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry said stretching. “That's okay, I'll see Da tomorrow.”

Harry quickly went back to sleep after saying that. Not seeing the shocked look on Sirius' and Severus' face.

“Who are you calling Da?” Sirius asked.

He was answered with soft snores as Harry went back to sleep. Sirius gave Severus an accusing look before leaving the dormitory. Severus watched Sirius leave and turned and looked back at the child in the bed. Walking closer, Severus pulled the duvet that fell off back over the child when he stretched. Laying his hand on the boy's forehead, he felt Harry lean into the touch. He watched the child for a moment longer then removed his hand and left out of the dormitories.

________0000_________00000_________00000

Draco laid, in the bed, awake. As the rest of his dorm mates slept, Draco couldn't. He couldn't ease his mind. To be honest, he couldn't sleep for a while, being at home didn't help. Now that he was at school, he really couldn't ease his mind. Deep down he knew that he needed help, but he also knew that if he asked for help he would be killed.

Draco knocked on the door. He had just been summoned to the library. When an Enter was muffled from the other side of the closed door, Draco went in.

“Ah, Draco,” Voldemort said. “Please, come have a seat.”

Draco, slightly trembling, swallowed and stepped forward.

“Tea?” Voldemort offered.

“No, thank you,” Draco said, his voice much stronger than he was actually feeling.

“Sit,” Voldemort ordered.

Draco quickly sat down across from the Dark Lord. The air was thick with tension from Draco. He balled up his fist to keep his hands from shaking.

“There is something that I want you to do for me,” Voldemort finally said after a moment of silence.

It had been a long time since Draco felt like crying in his pillow. As the lump in his throat threatened to get bigger, the more he wished he didn't have to do this.

Sighing, Draco turned on his side and curled up in his bed. For the first time in three years he wished he still had his godfather. The first traitorous tear escaped as he silently cried in his closed four poster bed.

______0000______00000_______0000____0000

Remus did not return with Sirius and Minerva when they headed back to Hogwarts. There was another mission for him. Something that had been bugging the back of his mind since he talked with Minerva in her room.

He knew it wouldn't take him long to find him. It would never take him long to find the wolf that turned him. He would never forget that smell. That smell haunted his dreams. Every full moon he would curse that smell and the wolf that smell permeated from.

Walking down a deserted, desolate street, he knew he was getting close. He walked up to a rundown house that didn't seem to be structurally sound. Not even bothering to knock, Remus walked in the doorway.

Fenir was laying on a threadbare couch. His eyes were closed. Remus just stood in the doorway. He knew it wouldn't be long before the elder werewolf knew he was there.

“It's been a long time,” growled Fenir. His eyes were still closed.

“Not long enough,” Remus retorted.

Fenir opened his eyes and looked at the younger werewolf in the doorway.

“Why are you here?”

“I had to see for sure,” Remus said walking in the room and sitting on the only other piece of furniture in the room; a worn armchair.

“What?” Fenir growled again.

“If you were really stupid enough to think I wouldn't know.” Remus voice was calm not giving any hints to the war raging in him.

“What are you going on about?” Fenir asked, exasperatedly.

“You kidnapped, Minerva. You attacked Poppy.”

“And what are they to you,” Fenir sneered. This time succeeding in sitting up and looking at Remus. “You don't want to be in a pack. Are they your pack now?”

Remus just tilted his head.

“You tried to turn Poppy,” Remus accused.

“So what if I did?” Fenir sagged back against the couch again. It groaned under his weight. “What are you going to do about it?”

“You cursed me,” Remus said. “I will not allow you to do so to another.”

“And what are you planning on doing?”

Remus' eyes turned amber.

______0000______0000________0000

Remus staggered up to the castle. He was glad that it was nighttime. Hopefully all the students would be in their beds and not wandering the halls. He made his way down to the dungeons. He knocked on the door, once he made it to his destination.

The door opened by itself and Remus went in.

“What on earth happened to you?” Severus said, as he got up from the armchair he was sitting in.

“I had a talk with a certain werewolf.” Remus said as he walked over to the sofa and plopping himself onto it.

“It looks like you did more than talk,” Severus observed, casting a diagnostic charm over the werewolf. “You were just supposed to find him.”

“I did find him,” Remus said, looking up at the Potions Master.

“Not interact with him.” Severus continued, not paying attention to Remus' remark.

“He was ordered to take Minerva,” Remus said, cutting Severus off at the end of his statement.

Severus froze.

“Who?” Severus' previous objections were forgotten.

“Aberforth.”

Severus backed up as if he was hit, and sat down in the chair he was in before.

“He also said that they knew of your adoption to Minerva. He told them. Minerva's abduction was insurance. If you did not take Harry back to his relatives...” Remus stopped mid-sentence.

“What?” Severus growled.

“Greyback had orders to turn her.”

Severus felt that if he wasn't sitting down already, he would have collapsed on the floor.

Turn her. Those two words rattled off in his mind. They were planning on turning his mother into a werewolf. Poppy's attack. She was maimed beyond repair. Her eyesight would probably never return. They were trying to hurt him in the worse way.

_______0000______0000__________0000

Remus stayed in Severus' chambers that night. In the morning, Severus left out of his chambers, leaving a note allowing Remus to stay until he was fully recovered from his run in with Fenir. Since Remus wasn't suppose to be in the school, Severus left instructions to call on Harry's elf, Dobby, and order himself some food. Severus was still angry with Tami for leaving even though he heard the excuses that she gave for leaving Harry so vulnerable.

Walking down the corridor, Severus came upon Draco who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

“If you're planning on levitating up the stairs, you're doing it all wrong,” Severus drawled.

Draco turned and looked up at his godfather. Even though Severus lost his title as godfather to the child, he was always able to read the boy and right now, he knew that Draco really wanted to talk.

“Follow me,” Severus ordered, as he turned on his heel and headed back to his office.

Footfalls behind him let Severus know that Draco had indeed followed him. They walked in silence. Neither one saying a word the short trek to the Potions Master's office. Opening the door, Severus allowed Draco to enter into the office first, then following the boy in and closing the door behind him.

“Uncle Severus,” Draco said after a long moment of silence.

“Now, Mr. Malfoy,” Severus tsked, raising his eyebrow. “You know that I am no longer to be called by that title.”

“Please, Uncle Sev,” Draco pleaded. “I miss my godfather.”

“That is your family's decision,” Severus retorted. “Not mine.”

Draco seemed to deflate in front of his Head of House.

“Please, Professor,” Draco said, his voice shaking a little. “I need help.”

___0000______0000______0000____0000

Harry woke up and looked at his hand. He was happy to see that the scares were gone. Getting up and gathering his clothes so that he could get cleaned up, he hoped he never would have another detention with the overgrown toad.

The next thing he noticed when he came back from the bathroom was that Snuffles wasn't there. For a second worry began to seep in, but then he remembered that Sirius woke him up last night and told him that he wasn't going to be in the room. Then he recollected that his Da was here last night too.

He abruptly stopped what he was doing after that last thought. It surprised him that he thought of his Professor as Da, but then again after everything that happened over the summer, it really wasn't all that shocking.

After the initial shock wore off, Harry finished dressing and headed to the Common Room and waited for Hermione and Ron to get ready so they could go down to breakfast together. While he was waiting on his friends he had thought about just heading down to the dungeons, but dismissed that idea since Potions was the first class of the day, and he knew that he would see his Da at breakfast.

A small smile came across him as he thought of the name that he seemed to adopt for his Professor. It just seemed natural to say.

Hermione was the first to come down the stairs.

“Harry,” Hermione said, clearly surprised that he was even up.

“Morning,” Harry said, looking of from the sofa in front of the fireplace.

“Where's Ron?” she asked, sitting next to Harry.

“Surprisingly, he's still asleep.”

“That is surprising,” Hermione chuckled. “Doesn't he know that breakfast will be served in a few hours?”

“Ha Ha,” a voice said from behind them.

Harry turned around and grinned at Ron standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“You ready to go?” Ron said, walking towards them. “I'm starved.”

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, then got up and followed Ron out of the portrait.

The trio made it to the Great Hall and took their places at the table to begin eating. Harry made a cursory glance at the Head table and didn't see his Da. He shrugged his shoulders as he sat down, thinking that it was still early and not everyone was at breakfast yet. As the meal progressed, worry began to fill Harry as he kept glancing up at the table and the Potions Professor still hadn't made an apperance.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered. “What's wrong?” She could feel the tensing nature that Harry was emitting.

“Nothing,” Harry dismissed, looking down at his barely eaten plate.

Hermione looked at her friend in worry. She then looked up at the Head table and figured what the problem was.

“I'm sure something's just come up,” Hermione whispered again. “We'll see him in class.”

Harry looked at her, surprised that she figured what was wrong, but then realized that it was probably obvious. His Da said that it couldn't be known of their Parental bonding and here he was already blowing it. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm the panic he felt.

He'd see him in class. He'd see him in class. That went through his mind over and over as he attempted to calm himself. Sadly, it wasn't working. He needed to see his Da and he needed to see him now.

Abruptly, Harry stood up and without a word to Hermione or Ron, he left and headed for the stairs. He practically jumped down the stairs trying to get to the dungeons in a hurry. Once at the bottom of the stairs he made his way towards Snape's chambers. As he was walking the door to Snape's office opened up and instinct told Harry to hide. He hid in the shadows as he saw his Da and Malfoy coming out of the office.

“I want you to come to me if you have any problems,” Severus said.

“Thanks, Uncle Sev,” Draco said, softly, and turned and left before Severus could ever respond to that.

Severus stood in the hallway and watch as Draco made his way towards the stairs and then ascend up them. When he realized that Draco was no longer at earshot, he turned towards the shadowy hallway.

“Stop hiding and get in here, Potter.”

He turned and entered his office. Harry slowly walked out of his hiding spot and went into the opened office, closing the door behind him.

“Why were you lurking in the hallways?” Severus asked as he sat down behind his desk.

“You weren't at breakfast,” Harry accused, totally ignoring the question.

“This may come as a shock to you, but I am a Head of House, and I must be available for my students within the House,” Severus drawled, leaning back in his seat.

“But you weren't at breakfast,” Harry accused again.

“If you had waited a few more moments, you would have seen me come into the Great Hall. I was going to walk with Draco and join the other Professors at the table, but I seemed to have a wayward student that felt the need to lurk the hallways.” Severus gave a pointed look at Harry.

“I wasn't lurking,” Harry said, petulantly. “I just was coming to see you.”

Severus raised his eyebrow to that statement.

Harry didn't understand why he was feeling the way he was or why he needed Snape to understand why he was so panicked in the beginning.

“Have you eaten?” Severus asked bringing Harry out of his musing.

“I -”

“Don't even think about lying to me,” Severus said in a low drawl.

“Some.” Severus gave him a skeptical look. “Okay a little,” Harry amended. “I was worried.” He gave in a rush explanation.

Severus humphed as he waved his hand and cleared off a space on his desk. He then knocked on it and food appeared.

“Sit,” Severus ordered. “And I expect what I put on your plate to be emptied. I will not have you starving yourself or missing meals.”

Harry sat down across from Severus and waited to be served. Severus filled a plate and sat it down in front of the child.

“Eat.”

He then filled himself a plate and began to eat. A small smile came across Harry's lips as he picked up his fork and began to eat.

TBC

Chapter 47

Dolores Umbridge woke up with a smile on her face. The first thing she remembered was her detention session with Potter. The satisfaction she felt when he looked up after writing for a short while was gratifying. She could still remember the look of shock and pain on his face, and it put a small spring in her step as she did her morning ablutions. Even the knowledge that since the brat only did twenty lines it would not linger on his hand come the morning didn't deter her good feeling of finally getting one over on Harry Potter.

As she walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast, she remembered the look of submission and defeat on Potter's face when he finished his punishment. A smirk came across her face as she could picture the look. She walked into the Great Hall and saw that many of the children were sitting down having their breakfast. Paying no attention to them, she walked up to the Head table and took her seat. After she filled her plate, she looked around the Hall as she ate. Wanting to know how Potter was dealing with the aftermath of his first detention with him, a full smile came across her face as she saw said boy sitting at the table with his head bowed and not eating what was on his plate.

Yes, Dolores thought. Now, I can truly break that boy.

Her smiles didn't last long as not a few moments later she saw the boy stand up abruptly and rush out of the Great Hall. She didn't know what that was all about, but she knew she would definitely get to the bottom of it.

Albus walked in the Hall and spoke to everyone that was there.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Dolores said, when Albus sat down next to her.

"And how was your first day, Professor?" Albus asked.

Dolores put on her brightest smile and looked at the Headmaster.

"Just delightful," she answered. "Such a bunch of wonderful children."

"Excellent."

_00000_00000_00000_0000

Minerva sat on her bed and thought about her tea time with her son. She had her head leaning against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling.

"Mother," Severus said, sitting across from her. "Your abduction was to hurt me."

"We shall be careful," Minerva said, sipping her tea.

"They're still out to hurt me," Severus continued.

"What do you mean?"

"I was originally ordered to. . .," Severus abruptly stopped.

It truly worried her that he cut himself off.

"Severus," Minerva said, her tone showing more concern now, as she lowered her tea cup on to the table.

"The Dark Lord has ordered your death," Severus whispered.

Minerva got up from her bed and wrapped her robes around her. On the floor, at the foot of her bed, was a big black dog curled up, asleep. She smiled while looking at him. Slightly shaking her head at the idea of having a bodyguard, but she couldn't argue with Severus. She actually agreed. What surprised her more was that Sirius agreed to it as well. She didn't think that he would want to be saddled with his old professor all the time. Sirius had been in prison for a long time and now being in the same building with his godson, she knew he would want to be with Harry more than her, but Severus did raise a good point. Sirius couldn't follow Harry around like he would have liked. Sirius was still wanted, and Albus knew that he was an animagus.

Minerva walked over towards the dog and knelt down, rubbing the dog's head.

"Sirius," she called out. "Sirius, wake up."

The black dog opened his eyes and looked up at his Professor. Minerva's head tilted as she could see sadness in the dogs eyes.

"What's wrong, Sirius?" she asked standing back up.

Snuffles changed and Sirius was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed.

"I'm losing my godson," Sirius said, sounding so dejectedly.

"No, you're not," Minerva quickly said.

"Yes, I am," Sirius said looking up at his Transfiguration Professor. "He prefers Snivellus over me."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Sirius Black," Minerva said in her stern voice. "I will not stand here and listen to you talk bad about my son. I've told you before that Harry needs both of you."

"He doesn't need me."

"Yes, he does," Minerva said, walking across the room and sitting in her dressing chair.

Sirius shook his head.

"Loyalty and cunning. I've told you before those are the things that will protect Harry the best."

"But he still just goes to Snape," Sirius said, sounding like a petulant child.

Realization came across Minerva's face. She looked at her former student, sitting on the floor with a broken heart.

"Sirius," Minerva soothed. "Harry loves you."

For the first time, Sirius looked up at Minerva.

"But he called Severus da," Sirius sighed.

Feeling like she was getting to the root of the problems, Minerva looked at Sirius.

"Sirius, do you even know what happened that night at the Burrow? When Severus and Harry were stuck together?"

Sirius shook his head.

"I'm surprised, Sirius," Minerva said. "You of all people should have known what was going on. It happened to you." Sirius looked confused. "The Potters."

Minerva looked at her former student and in the beginning she saw hurt and anger, but after speaking of the Potters the look of realization came across his face.

"That was a Magical Bonding?"

Minerva nodded.

"Harry's not replacing you, Sirius," Minerva said. "He just gained another protector. So don't be angry with them or yourself about this. It's something that can't be helped or changed."

Sirius looked down again. He remembered when it happened to him. He loved the Potters so much. They treated him like he was theirs. The one thing that hurt him the most was that they weren't able to legally adopt him like he wanted.

Sirius was brought out of his thoughts by someone clearing their throat. He looked up and saw the face of his teacher.

"Now, I will say this one time, and one time only." The tone of her voice made Sirius gulp audibly. "You may not like Severus, but you will respect him. If I hear you call him that name one more time, let's just say, you'll wish you never did."

Sirius gulped again. He remembered what happened to Kingsley when he tried to arrest Severus at the meeting.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Excellent," Minerva said with a smile. "Shall we get ready for breakfast? I think we'll have our breakfast here, yes?"

Sirius nodded as he stood up from the floor and followed Minerva out of the room.

_0000_0000_0000_0000_000

Remus sat up from his bed and stretched. He was still a little sore from his run-in with Fenir, but it wasn't as bad as if it was a full moon. Walking out of the room he stayed in, he came into Severus' sitting room. On the table in the small kitchenette was a note addressed for him.

"Dobby," Remus called out.

"How can I help Professor Wolf?" Dobby said, once he popped into the chambers.

Remus raised his eyebrow at the title he was given.

"Dobby knows all about you," Dobby said, boldly. "I've been here since Master Harry Potter was in his second year. Not much get pass elves. But Dobby is a free elf so Dobby don't have rules. But protect Master Harry Potter."

"Okay, Dobby," Remus smirked. "Since you've known about me since Harry's third year, why did you not let my secret out?"

"Dobby watched you with Master Harry Potter. You were good and nice to him. He could come to you. You were not mean to Harry Potter."

"Well, I appreciate your candor, Dobby," Remus said. "Would you please bring me a small breakfast?"

Dobby nodded and popped out of the room only to come back instantly with a covered dish. Remus thanked Dobby and began to eat.

_0000_0000_00000_0000_0

Derek walked to the Great Hall. Usually he wasn't an early riser, but now that he was commissioned to work as a school healer, he decided to change his sleeping habits. Plus, his encounter with Harry Potter last night was still heavy on his mind. He really didn't like the excuse that he was given when Harry told him the reason behind the cuts on the back of his hand.

Derek was usually a private person as well so going to the Great Hall was not really to have his breakfast. He really wanted to check on Potter again. He wanted to look at his hand again.

When he walked through the doors, Derek could see that it was pretty full in the hall. Everyone sitting having their breakfast, chatting to each other. From a once over glance over the entire Hall, Derek didn't see the child in question. Looking at the Head table, he didn't see Severus or Minerva. A part of him wanted to turn around and walk back to his office, but a wave of the Headmaster's hand got his attention.

Albus stood from his chair while hitting his goblet with a knife. The chime got everyone's attention.

"Good morning, everyone," Albus said, once it became quiet in the Hall. "As you are aware, Madam Poppy Pomfrey is not here. Sadly, I was informed that she passed away during the summer."

All the students started murmuring and whispering among each other.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other in shock. As did most of the other students in the Hall.

Albus tapped his goblet again to regather the attention of the students.

"I know we are all sadden about Madam Pomfrey," Albus raised his hand, gesturing Derek to come forward. "This is Healer Williams. He will be the new healer for Hogwarts."

Everyone watched as the new healer walked up to the Head table. He shook hands with the Headmaster and then took a seat at the end of the table.

Albus sat down as the talking slowly began again in the Hall. All too soon, it was time for the children to get ready for their classes.

Ron and Hermione walked towards the front door. They saw Harry already standing there waiting. They had Herbology first. Walking towards the greenhouses, they were all silent.

_0000_00000_0000

Severus walked into his chambers after Harry left after breakfast. Remus was sitting at the small kitchenette table, reading the Daily Prophet. Remus lowered the paper when he heard the portrait open.

"Morning, Severus," Remus said.

"Remus," Severus said, sitting down opposite the wolf. "How are you feeling?"

"I can't complain," Remus said, smirking.

"I want to ask another favor."

"Okay, Severus," Remus said, giving the man his full attention. "What is it?"

"I want you to stay at my house."

"Okay." Remus gave Severus a skeptical look. "Why am I going there?"

"The third most important person in my life is in that house. Black is watching over the second. I'm asking you to watch over her."

"Who is Sirius watching over? I thought he was staying with Harry."

"With Harry in classes, and Dumbledore knowing that Sirius is a dog, I can risk anyone knowing that Black is here. Especially with that Defense professor here." Severus struggled saying that title to the Pink toad that took the Defense position.

"So where do you have Sirius?"

"He's watching over Minerva," Severus said, quietly. "Someone's been ordered to kill her. Actually both women have been targeted for assassination."

"I take it the other woman is the one that I'll be protecting."

Severus nodded.

"Who's at your house, Severus?" Remus asked.

"Poppy."

TBC

It had been a surprisingly usual day. Harry was shocked to learn about Madam Pomfrey. He was wondering why Hermione and Ron looked so sad when they met up after breakfast. The day went by quietly. Harry was happy that he didn't have Defense today. The last thing he wanted was to see the Toad after what happened in detention. After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went back to the common Room and started on their homework.

The door to the Defense classroom opened up and two people walked out.

"Now, I hope that we won't have to go through this again," Dolores said, her voice squeaking with glee.

The student didn't reply, he just walked down the hall. When he turned the corner, he walked right to his twin.

Fred wrapped his arms around his brother. George just sighed in his brother's arms, his head on Fred's shoulder.

"Have you lost your mind?" Fred growled quietly in his brother's ear.

"It was worth it," George said. He sounded weak.

Fred pulled him back to arms length and looked at his twin.

"What did she have you do?"

"Take me to our room," George answered.

Fred eyed his brother a moment longer and then pulled him towards the stairs.

_0000_0000_0000_000

Harry and Ron were sitting by the fireplace playing Wizard's Chess when the portrait opened up. Ron was trying to concentrate on his next move when he abruptly stood up. Harry, shocked at the sudden movement, looked up at Ron.

"Ron, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading. She was sitting on the couch behind Ron and Harry. Ron didn't say anything. He just looked over at the entrance way. Seconds later, Fred and George walked in. Ron rushed over to his brothers' side. In his quick movements, Ron knocked over the chess board, not that Harry really cared, as his attention was on Ron, wondering what was wrong. Before Ron even reached his brothers, George opened up his arms and prepared for his younger brother to collide within his arms.

"It's alright," Fred whispered in Ron's ear as George held their youngest brother. Fred looked up in time to see Harry and Hermione on their way over towards them. He could see the worry on their faces.

"It's okay," Fred said once Harry and Hermione were close enough.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

Harry just looked at how Ron was clinging to his brother.

"It's the bond," Fred said, shaking his head. "Ron will be fine."

George whispered something into Ron's ear and the two of them headed towards the dormitories.

"Ron will probably be staying with us tonight," Fred told Harry and walked off to follow his brothers.

Fred and George were in their seventh year, so they had a little bit of a perk. They had a room to themselves. It came in handy as they were always experimenting with new products. The other Gryffindors didn't complain that they had their own room because the dorm mates that they had during the first five years of their schooling were used as guinea pigs for their products. Not having to room with the Weasley twins meant that there were no unexplained mishaps that had to be explained to the medi-witch.

George and Ron walked in the room with Fred two steps behind him. Once Fred closed the door, George looked down at his brother in his arms.

"You know, I'll still be here when you let me go," George said, trying to lighten the mood. It only succeed in Ron tightening his hold. "I'm fine, Ron. I promise."

Fred walked over towards them and saw George's hand. Standing behind Ron, Fred looked at his twin, his brow furrowed. George looked at is twin's face and knew what he was asking.

"Ron, sometime today," George said again, his voice not betraying how he was feeling.

Ron let go of George and stepped back.

"What happened?" Ron asked, looking up at his brother.

"He had detention with Umbridge," Fred said.

Ron turned and looked at him. Fred looked at Ron. He could tell that Fred had a no nonsense air about him.

"You better not get detention with that Toad," Fred said, sternly. "You will not like me if I find out that you did."

"I won't," Ron said.

Fred's eyes squinted as he looked at his brother. Then he turned and headed towards the bathroom. George walked over to the end of the bed and sat down on his trunk. Ron slowly walked over towards George and stood in front of him.

"Oh my goodness," George said, teasingly. "Ron, you are too much." He opened his arms.

Ron once again moved towards George, but stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother's hand. Ron had been having an uneasy feeling all evening. Ron usually was able to beat Harry within a few moves. But tonight, Ron was off his game. No, Harry wasn't winning, but he was giving Ron a run of his money.

Ron remembered he was annoyed by the way the bond would work. Actually he was scared the first time it happened. Fred and George were trying out one of their products and it went wrong. Fred was lighting the firework and for some reason the wick burned quicker than Fred could get away. The firework worked beautifully, but Fred's hand was burned badly. Ron was, at the time, in trouble for not cleaning his room, so he was told he couldn't leave his room until his room was cleaned. So he was upstairs when the firework went off. He went to his window when he first saw the flash, then within an instant, he had the desperate need to get to Fred and George. He knew he couldn't leave without getting in trouble with his mum. Ron tried to get back to cleaning his room, but the longer he was away from his brothers the more painful and antsy he became.

Tears began to burn the back of his throat as he tried to get his clothes off the floor. The pain was becoming unbearable. Not being able to stand the pain anymore, Ron rushed out of his room and in a full run. In his rush to get down the stairs he nearly knocked Ginny in the hallway and pushed past his dad on the stairs.

Molly was already outside when the firework went off, so she was bustling towards Fred. She had mixed feelings about checking to see if her son was okay and then paddling him with her spoon until he couldn't sit easily until he came of age. Fred was sitting on the ground and his mother was on her knees beside him looking over his hand. George was kneeling on the other side of Fred, watching her. While she was fussing over Fred's hand, she wasn't expecting her youngest son to barrel out of the house and collide with Fred. Arms wrapped around Fred's neck, sitting in his lap, Fred was just as surprised at Ron's actions as was George and their mother. Ron had never been one to show such emotion towards his brothers, especially since he started Hogwarts last year.

Arthur walked out of the house and saw the scene and showed the same amount of shock as the rest of the family. Surprisingly, Ron was careful not to touch Fred's hand, but he refused to let go or even get up from Fred's lap. It actually took some extensive maneuvering to get Fred standing up so that they could get back into the house. Once they got into the house, they sat Fred down on the sofa. Ron still had his arms wrapped around his brother's neck. Now that Fred was sitting on the sofa, Ron was in his lap, again.

Molly and Arthur both tried and failed to get Ron to let go of Fred so that Molly could tend to his hand. Fred looked up at his twin and George walked up and put his hand on Ron's shoulder and leaned down towards his ear.

"Let Fred breathe," George whispered into Ron's ear.

For the first time since colliding and attaching himself to his brother did Ron lift his head. He looked at Fred and then turned and looked at George.

"Ron," Fred said. "You know you can attach yourself to George just as easily as me."

Fred was shocked when he looked at his brother's face. Ron looked completely heartbroken. There were tear stain tracks on his flushed cheeks. With great reluctance, Ron let go of Fred and stood up. George grabbed Ron's shirt and turned him around and embraced his brother. George could feel Ron shaking in his arms.

It took a second for Molly and Arthur to come out of their stupor but when they did, Molly began working on Fred's hand. Arthur walked over to George and Ron.

With his hand on George's shoulder, he steered his son's towards his study. When they arrived, Arthur closed the door and put up a silencing charm on the door. There were things that Arthur wanted to discuss with his sons and he didn't want Molly to hear.

"Ron," Arthur said. "Face me, please."

Ron's arms tightened a little on George but he did what his father had asked and turned and faced him.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked.

Shocked by the question, Ron stood with his mouth opened like a fish out of water. Arthur smiled a little before asking the question again.

"I'm okay," Ron said, when he found his voice.

"Not antsy? Upset? Worried?" Arthur asked going to sit down behind his desk. Ron shook his head.

"Well, what about when you nearly knocked me and your sister down the stairs?"

Ron paled. His freckles were the only source of color on his face. George looked between his father and his brother. Arthur, not wanting to put his son into a panic, stood up and went to his son and cupped his cheeks with both of his hands.

"Ron, son, it's alright," Arthur soothed. "I'm only asking questions. Everything is alright. Everyone is alright. Breathe for me, son. Take a breath. That's it, son, breathe for me."

Arthur stayed by Ron until he made sure that his youngest son had calmed down.

"Are you okay, son?" Arthur asked after a moment.

Ron nodded. Well, as much as he could with his head trapped in his father's warm hands.

"Do you think we can continue with this?" Another nod. "Wonderful." Arthur lowered his hands and took a step back. Ron looked up at his father. "Now, the reason I asked how you were feeling was I wanted to be certain about what was going on."

"You know what's going on?" George asked, looking incredulous.

Arthur looked at both of his sons as he was leaning against his desk.

"Yes," Arthur nodded. "I think I know what is going on. One of the side effects of trying and failing to make an unbreakable vow." Arthur looked pointedly at George, who in turned looked abashed.

"You formed a strong bond between your brothers," Arthur told Ron. "I was afraid of this, but there is nothing that can be done to change it."

"So I'm going to be clinging to Fred and George for the rest of my life?" Ron asked.

"No," Arthur laughed. Once he sobered, he looked at his youngest son. "What it means is that the sibling bond that you already have with them will be stronger than with your other siblings. At some point you will need to see them a little more than you do the others, but no, what happened today won't be a every time occurrence. I think there were several factors as to why you are acting the way you are now."

"What?"

"You were being punished in your room, correct?" Ron nodded. "When was the last time you saw your brothers?"

Ron thought about it. It had been a couple of days since he saw them. Which wasn't really strange if they were working on one of their inventions.

"I take it you realize that you haven't seen them for a while," Arthur said, bringing Ron out of his musing. "Then on top of everything else; Fred got hurt. That amplified it. Hence the reason of the rushing out of the house and then plastering yourself to Fred."

"Is there any way to stop it? I don't want to cling to Fred and George while we are at school."

"I don't know, son," Arthur said. "With your brothers' ability to want to give your mother and me heart attacks with their inventions, I can't say this won't happen again. Just try to keep them in your sights more. And maybe this," he said, waving his hand around. "won't be too extreme."

Ron sighed.

George looked at his brother, then his dad.

"Dad," George said. "Why did you put up a silencing charm?"

"Well, your mother doesn't know about the unbreakable vow you almost did. And I do love having you and your brother around; you make everyday an adventure. You know your mother will do worse than what I did when I found out."

Waiving his wand, Arthur took down the charm. The room immediately filled with Molly and Fred voices coming through the door.

"Now," Arthur said, walking back around to his desk. "Go save Fred from your mother. I need to send a message to Professor McGonnagall."

Ron was about to ask why, but thought better of it. Both boys walked out of the room.

Ron stood in front of George as he sat on the trunk in their room. Ron saw the hand and realized why he was acting the way he was. Sighing, Ron sat next to George and they embraced. Fred came out of the bathroom with a jar labeled Essence of Murlap.

One thing that the twins prided themselves on was that people underestimated them. What people didn't know was that the twins were a geniuses with potions. With everything that they were inventing on their products, they had to be. The only one who knew how they were in Potions was Professor Snape. In their first year, Fred and George were caught in one of the abandoned classrooms in the Dungeons, brewing a very toxic potion. Snape was on his way to his chambers when he found them. After vanishing the failed potion and giving them both two months detention, Professor Snape began privately tutoring them.

Fred pulled a chair in front of his brothers and took George's hand and began applying the salve. Before Fred finished, Ron fell asleep on George's shoulder.

"I thought he didn't want to show his clingyness at school," Fred said absently as he closed the jar back.

"Yeah, well," George said, tightening his hold of his baby brother. "It's been a hard day. Learning about Madam Pomfrey and we did miss breakfast this morning."

Fred looked at his now asleep little brother and then to his twin.

"Don't do that again," Fred said, his voice trembled a little. "She is not worth it."

George's eyes became fierce looking at his twin.

"She shouldn't have said it," George growled. Ron stirred but didn't wake. "Making that assumption was just wrong."

"But did you have to turn her hair and clothes green?" Fred said, exasperatedly.

"Just making her look like the toad she is. I've never seen a pink toad before. I just made her color match her face."

If the matter wasn't so serious to Fred, he would have laughed at that.

"I can't lose you, Georgie," Fred finally sighed.

"You are stuck with me, Freddy. Nothing will happened. I won't let it and I know you won't let it." They looked at each other for a long moment as if having a silent conversation. Fred then stood up, casting a feather-weight charm on his brother and picking Ron up.

"I'm going to get him to bed. Why don't you get ready for bed? Be careful not to get your hand too wet."

_0000_0000_0000_0000

After Ron and the twins left the Common Room, Harry bid Hermione good night and decided to go to bed. He closed the curtains on his bed, curled up with his bear. He didn't realize how tired he was until his head hit the pillow.

Harry looked around trying to remember where he was. It was dark and when he looked down he had on his Champion uniform from the Tri-wizard Tournament. He took a couple of steps and recognized where he was. He was in the graveyard.

"Is this part of the challenge?" Cedric asked.

Harry turned to face the voice. There Cedric stood, alive. He wanted to run towards him and make him take the cup back to the school he didn't want to see it again. Then behind him he heard it.

"Kill the spare."

"No!" Harry shouted as he watched a green light flash and Cedric now laid dead at his feet.

The scenery changed and he was standing in his room. He looked down and saw that he was in his pajamas. Quietly, he walked to the door.

"Avada Kedava."

"Find the boy."

Harry looked down at the crack in the door and saw a flash of green light. He backed up when he heard and saw the door handle begin to turn. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He didn't want to see who was on the other side of the door. Stepping back further in the room, Harry was against the far wall when the door opened up. Harry's breath caught in his throat when the door opened. He let out an audible sigh when he saw who it was and rush towards the man in all black.

"Da," Harry said as he wrapped his arms around him.

"It's all your fault."

Harry let go of his Professor and stepped back.

"Sir?"

"She died protecting you. It's all your fault," Snape sneered.

"But, sir," Harry's voice choked in his throat as he took a step back. Tears burned his eyes as he looked up at his Professor and saw nothing but disgust and hatred in the man's face.

"Harry. Harry."

Harry couldn't believe after everything that he and his Professor had been through he really didn't like him.

"Harry."

Harry looked back up at where his Professor was just a moment ago and he was gone.

"Harry."

Harry looked around. He was no longer in his old room. He didn't recognize where he was. He knew that he was standing in a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a door.

"Harry."

He turned and looked at the other end and it looked like the corridor went on forever. There were no other ways out, so Harry began walking.

"Harry."

When he got to the door and opened it, Harry was really confused. It was a brick wall on the other side.

Harry wondered why would someone put a door in front of a brick wall.

"Harry."

Harry closed the door back and decided to see where the other end of the hallway led to. Within a few steps the scenery changed. He was standing in a dilapidated house.

"Harry."

Harry had been hearing his name being called for a while, but this time it voice was louder. Walking up the stairs, he saw that there was a broken door frame.

"Harry."

Harry walked towards the room as he now knew that the voice was coming from there. When he walked into the room, he saw a red-headed woman. She turned around and a smile came across Harry's face.

"Mum," Harry said, walking towards her.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Harry," Lily said, looking stern.

"Mum," Harry said, taken aback at the harshness of his mum's voice.

"Such a disappointment. Why did I save you?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat.

"Mum, I'm sorry."

"Useless. That's what you are. Completely useless. Can't even deliver a simple message."

"Mum," Harry said, tears burning his throat.

Harry sat up in his bed. That was a weird dream, he thought. He looked down and saw that the bear was at the foot of the bed. Leaning forward, he retrieved the bear, curled back up and tried to go back to sleep.

Harry thought about going to Professor Snape's chambers after the dream he just had, but for some strange reason now that he was awake, it really didn't bother him. It was like deep down he knew it wasn't true. As he laid there with the bear clutched to his chest, Harry thought about the dream. With everything that was in the dream, it was the look on Snape's face that stuck out for some reason. He thought about the look that his dream Snape gave him. He remembered the years before that the sneers and looks of disgust that he would get from Professor Snape were nothing like what he saw in the dream. Thinking more of it, Harry thought that Snape's face looked a little distorted.

Actually now, finding it a little funny, Harry smiled into the back of the bear's head, took a deep breath, and drifted back off to sleep.

_000_0000_0000_0000

Ron woke up. The first thing he realized was that he was not in his dormitory. Sitting up, he saw that he was in fact in his brothers' room. With a groan, Ron fell back on the bed and put the pillow over his face.

"Ah, he's awake."

Ron sat up and threw the pillow in the direction of the voice, actually hitting his mark in the stomach. Ron laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. Fred, who was the one that got hit, heard mumbling from under the covers.

"Well, since I am not fluent in mumble," Fred said, gripping the covers and moving them from Ron's face. "What did you say?"

"Please tell me it didn't happen again?" Ron whined.

"The clinging," George said, walking to the other side of the bed and sitting down.

Ron looked at his brothers with horror on his face.

"It did?"

George nodded.

"In front of everyone?"

Fred nodded.

"If it makes you feel any better," Fred said, "only a few saw. But the only ones that were worried about you were Harry and Hermione."

Ron moaned, laying back down. He wanted to cover himself back up, but Fred was still holding on to the covers.

"Come on," George said, getting up. "Time for breakfast. And if I know you, little brother, you're hungry."

"Fine," Ron said, getting up out of the bed. Fred and George went to their respective beds as Ron headed towards the bathroom, but Ron stopped on his way in the bathroom, turning to face George.

George feeling his brother's eyes on his, turned and faced his younger brother.

"Ron."

"Are you sure you okay?" Ron asked, his voice sounding of a small child.

As much as he didn't like the bond sometimes, he did love the closeness he had with his brothers. Being the youngest boy in a house full of sons, sometimes he felt overlooked. The one good thing that Ron loved about this bond was that he knew that he mattered to two people no matter what. Yes, he loved his parents and he knew that his parents loved him, but it was a different feeling when it came to Fred and George.

George smiled and opened his arms. It took all of two steps and a second later, his arms were full of his younger brother.

"I'm fine, Ron," George said, squeezing just a little tighter, then pulling him out to arms length. "I promise."

Ron let George go and turned to see Fred standing in front of him. Ron hugged Fred and rushed into the bathroom. Fred and George looked at each other and then went back to gathering their things for the day.

_0000_0000_0000_0000_000

Ron, Fred and George walked out of their dorm and saw Harry and Hemione waiting for them in the Common Room.

"Oi, why are you still here?" Ron asked, walking over to the couch.

"Waiting on you," Hermione said. "You had us worried last night."

George and Fred left the three friends alone and headed out of the Common Room.

"Everything is fine," Ron said, trying to act nonchalant.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ron said, looking at his friends he knew he would have to explain. "Look, it the side effect of the bond that I have with Fred and George. Harry, you understand, don't you?"

Harry looked at him, puzzled at what he meant.

"How you felt yesterday?" Ron rushed to explain. He sighed when the look of understanding came across Harry's face. "You really needed to see the Professor." Harry nodded. "It's the same thing. Maybe not as strong as yours, Harry, but still there."

"Well, lets get to breakfast," Harry said. "The last thing I want is to be late for Defense since we have her first."

The trio left out of the Common Room and headed for breakfast.

TBC

Chapter 49

The next couple of weeks seem to fly by. The trio tried to stay out of the Defense Professor's path as much as possible. Harry kept his head down and tried not to draw attention to himself. Though it seemed that Professor Umbridge was determined to try and bait Harry into doing something that would cause him to get another detention.

The first few classes, Harry didn't rise to the bait. He kept his head down. But lately Harry had been a little unsettled. It was to the point of worrying Hermione and Ron. What they didn't know was Harry was having nightmares. The first few times he was able to laugh them off, but they began to get more and more intense. So much so, that he wouldn't go back to sleep after finally waking up.

On this particular day, Harry had been up crying after the nightmare he just had, he was tired and upset. But he didn't want to bother his da with it. He knew he should but, for one, he didn't remember entirely what all happened in the dream, he would just wake up already crying, and also, he didn't want to jeopardize the blooming relationship he had with his da.

"Harry?" A quiet voice called out in the darkness.

"Ron," Harry whispered.

"Yeah, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay?"

"You don't sound like it."

Harry sighed. No, he really didn't sound like it, but he couldn't remember why he was crying or stop the tears from flowing.

"I'll be okay; go back to sleep."

"Do you need," there was a short pause before Ron finished, "Professor Snape?"

Harry was a little shocked that Ron would ask that. And it was that small shock that stopped the tears from flowing. Harry couldn't believe that Ron would ask him that after how he acted when he first found out about him and his da.

"No," Harry smiled. "I think I'm good."

"Oh, okay. Goodnight then."

"'night, Ron."

_00000_0000_000_000

So far they had met twice a week. Harry would go down to his office on Thursday afternoon after his last class and work on his homework and have dinner in Severus' chambers. The reason behind that particular day was that Severus usually didn't have a Thursday afternoon class to teach. This would be the time that he would tutor the Weasley twins and also brew potions for the Infirmary. Also too, Harry only had one class on Thursday afternoon. So when Severus was done privately tutoring Fred and George Weasley, Harry was getting out of his last class. It wasn't a secret that Severus was tutoring the twins, but it wasn't widely known either. Something that Severus would like to stay that way.

The twins were packing up to leave and Severus was working on his own potion, when they heard the door open and close.

"Fred, George," Harry said, his voice full of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Detention." "Potions." The twins said at the same time.

Harry blinked as his eyebrows shot to his hairline. Severus merely turned to focus on his potion. He would let them deal with whatever they were going to say.

"Oh," Harry said. "Okay."

Quickly grabbing their things, Fred and George rushed out of the room, but not before saying their good byes to Harry.

Harry turned to Severus who still had his back towards him.

"If you must know," Severus drawled, his back still facing Harry. "I've been tutoring them since their first year."

Harry thought he received a shock before, now his jaw seemed to have hit the floor. His da, whom has never shown any kind of interest or care of any of the students (well before the bonding), was tutoring students on the side. And not just any students, but the twins. If it were ever asked before if Professor Snape even like to be in the same room with the twins, Harry would thought it would be a resounding no, but here he was, not only just in the same room but giving private tutoring to them as well. Harry couldn't help the smile that came across his face.

Severus turned around and looked at the boy.

"And what, may I ask, are you smiling about?" Severus asked his eyebrow arching.

Not at all discouraged by the slight sneer on his da's face, Harry's grin broaden and he said, "You really like them, don't you?"

Severus huffed his annoyance and turned back to his potion. Harry, letting a small giggle escape, walked over to his da. After sobering from his little laugh, that turned out he really needed, standing behind him, Harry just laid his head on Severus' back.

In that one movement, Severus knew something was wrong and knowing that he was now at a point in his potion that he didn't need to watch over it or put a stasis over it, quickly turned and wrapped his arms around the boy. It didn't take long for Harry's arms to wrap around Severus' waist. Severus could tell by the tightness of the grip that something was truly bothering Harry.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Severus' voice was soothing.

Harry wanted to tell him about the nightmares but he really couldn't remember them. He also wanted to tell him about Professor Umbridge but really didn't want to talk about the Toad either. All he wanted was to just soak up as much as he could being in the safety of his da's arms.

"Can I stay the night?" Harry mumbled against Severus' chest.

Severus sighed. As much as he would love to have the child in his chambers all the time, he knew that it was impossible for Harry to stay, especially, if they were trying to keep their true feelings about each other a secret.

Severus knew that what he was going to say next was going to hurt his child's feelings, but it had to be said.

"Harry," Severus said, soothingly. "You know the rules. You can stay on the weekends but not during the week." hoping that his tone would ease the hurt he knew Harry would feel after saying this.

"But it's just one night," Harry whined, still not moving from the comforting shoulder.

"Harry, you are expected to be in the Great Hall for supper."

"I don't have to be there all the time," Harry said, finally moving back and looking up at Severus. "If someone asks, I could just tell them that I was in the library studying."

"Harry, you are aware that you are a terrible liar." Harry huffed at that. "I do not want to spend this time in an argument, so go on into the chambers and start on your homework. If there is time before supper, we'll play a game of chess."

Harry sighed and nodded his head, as he stepped back from his da and headed to the door that led to his chambers.

Severus, turning back to finish his potion, really did hate enforcing that rule, but in order to keep them safe, Harry in particular, then he had to stick to it.

Harry sat down at the table in the small kitchenette, sighing. Harry knew deep down he wouldn't be able to stay, but being held by his da, he couldn't help saying it. He knew what the answer was going to be when the question left his mouth, but it didn't make it hurt any less. Usually when he did ask, which this wasn't the first time, he would let it go. But tonight, Harry just needed to be close to Snape as much as possible. Tonight, he was going to figure out a way so that he could sleep down in the dungeons instead of the tower. Pulling out his homework, Harry got started so that he would have no problem with his plans.

A half hour later, Severus walked into his chambers to see Harry sitting at the table, concentrating on his homework.

"How's it coming?" Severus asked walking over to the stove top, grabbing the kettle to put some water on.

"Okay," Harry mumbled with his head down.

Once the kettle was over the fire, Severus sat down across from Harry. When Harry made no attempt to lift his head, Severus reached over and pulled the parchment he was writing on away from him. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything. He wasn't sure if his da was in a playful mood, which he learned through his weekly visits, or if his da was still upset that he asked to stay, again.

When nothing was said, Harry slowly lifted his head until he was looking at Severus.

"Are you still angry with me?" Severus finally asked.

It wasn't a playful mood that Harry saw in his dad, or even a serious one, it was one of hurt. The shock that his da thought that he was angry with him made his throat burn with tears. He couldn't help his jaw slacking at the thought of actually being angry. He wasn't angry. He really wasn't even hurt. Harry knew what the answer was going to be and it seemed like it was a question that was to get asked every so often.

"I … no … never," Harry croaked out through the lump that seemed to continue growing in his throat.

Before Severus could respond, the whistle on the kettle went off. Going over to the stove, Severus wasn't prepared for what happened next, and if he was asked later, he didn't even hear the chair move. A small body collided into his back with such force that the kettle slipped from his hand and crashing with a loud bang back onto the stove. Trying not to burn himself or the small hands that were now gripping him, Severus tired to take a step back. Small arms encircled his torso, squeezing tightly, as a pointy forehead tried to embed into his spine.

With great difficulty, Severus was finally able to turn around so that Harry was facing his chest and not his back. Though at times during the turn, it felt like Harry was going to squeeze all the air out of Severus' lungs. Though he didn't feel the same as when Harry attached himself to him at the Weasleys, Severus was worried that as upset as Harry is now, he wouldn't perform accidental magic again. Casting a feather-weight charm on the child, Severus lifted Harry up to his chest, and Harry's arms and legs automatically wrapped around him. Severus carried him into the living room where instead of sitting in his armchair, he sat on the sofa.

"Calm down, Harry," Severus said, soothingly. "It's alright. Calm down for me, child."

"I'm not angry," Harry mumbled into Severus neck. "Never angry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Shh, child," Severus said, rubbing circles on Harry's back. "Calm down for me."

"I'll be good," Harry cried. "I won't ask no more."

Severus' heart broke at that statement.

"You are good," Severus said. "Why would you think you're not?"

Harry didn't answer, he just tightened his hold. Honestly, he didn't remember why it was important to say that, but it just felt like he was supposed to say it.

Severus continued to rub and pat Harry's back until his grip loosened on his neck, and his sides weren't being pressed in by knobby knees. Not until Harry's breathing got under control and his head was laying on his shoulder and not pressed against his neck did he speak again.

"Feeling better, now?"

There was a small nod coming from his shoulder. Severus figured after the outburst he just witnessed, Harry really didn't feel like talking.

"Good," Severus sighed. "I do not want to waste our time together, so I have an idea."

Harry didn't lift his head, but tightened his grip as way of a sign to let Severus know he was listening.

"You have double potions tomorrow," Severus stated. Harry nodded again. "How about this, you will get detention with me tomorrow and it will be after supper so that you can stay overnight."

A smile broke across Harry's face. Never in his wildest dream did he think that getting detention would be something awesome. Even though, Harry didn't let go of Severus' robes, he tightened his grip.

Severus looked down at the child in his arms. His child. He couldn't explain why he felt the way he did earlier. Harry did always ask if he could stay the night, but this particular time it was different. Something in Severus hurt when he once again denied Harry the chance. And even though Harry took it the same way he always did, Severus couldn't help the feelings of hurt and dismay he was feeling after Harry left the lab. Never did Severus think that he would need reassurance. But deep down that's what this was. Harry, for the first time, had to reassure Severus that everything was the same. He knew he would have to get a handle on his emotions as he didn't want to ever put Harry on that kind of emotional roller coaster again. Looking at the child, who was now fifteen, laying on his chest, gripping his robes as if someone was going to try and remove him, as if that would ever happen. A contented sigh escaped the child's lips when Severus slightly tightened his arms. What happened next surprised Severus but at the same time felt completely natural; he kissed the child's forehead. That one action seemed to make Harry glow with love in his arms.

But like everything, this comforting hug must end, as the clock on the mantle chimed that it was now time for supper.

"Why don't you go wash your face and head up for dinner?"

"Okay," Harry beamed. Still smiling from the kiss he just received. Little did Severus know, that one action, that kiss, was the first time Harry had ever received such a loving gesture. It may have happened thousands of times from his mother and father when he was a baby, but he didn't remember those. This one, this one kiss, he would never forget.

The way he felt now nothing could dampen his mood. He just had to make it through to tomorrow where he would be able to spend the evening with his da and also spend the night.

After washing his face and bidding his da good night, Harry grabbed his things and rushed upstairs towards the Great Hall to have dinner with his friends.

That night was the first night in a couple of weeks that Harry didn't have a nightmare. He'd actually slept the entire night. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the bear against his face. Taking in a deep breath, Harry stretched, got up and got ready for the day. A smile came across his face when he was in the shower as he remembered that he would be spending the evening and night with his da.

His good mood didn't last long. Since it was Friday, the fifth years Gryffindors and Slytherins only had two classes that day; double Defense and double Potions after lunch.

Going into the Defense class everyone got ready for the days lesson.

"Good morning, class," Umbridge said.

"Morning," the students chorused.

"Today, we will have a pop quiz," Umbridge said with a smirk. "And to ensure that you don't cheat, which I know you would never do, no one will have the same test." That was a lie. It was the exactly same test, just the questions were in different order.

Everyone was surprised by this. They were even more surprised by the questions on the quiz. It was asked what were the wand movements to produce a patronus? What was the incantation to conjure a patronus? Hermione looked over at Harry as he looked at the questions on his test.

"You have twenty minutes for this quiz," Umbridge said. "Begin, now."

Everyone struggled with their quiz, except for Harry. There were only five questions on his quiz and he knew all five answers. A small smile graced his lips as he just knew that this would be the best day ever as he knew he was going to pass this test and he would get to tell his da that he was doing good.

After the twenty minutes were up, Umbridge called for the slips of parchment.

"Now, I would like you all to read chapters two and three while I grade you on your quiz."

As no one wanted any trouble with the Professor, all quietly opened their books to the right chapters and began silently reading.

After another thirty minutes of silence, Umbridge stood up and cleared her throat. Everyone sat up in attention as they knew they would be getting their quizzes back.

"Now, I have to say that I am very disappointed," Umbridge began. "To think that there is one among you that thinks they are above everyone else. This was a quiz to see if you were indeed taught the Ministry standards of Defense. And I see that was not the case for all of you. One of you decided that you were to go outside the Ministry's guidelines. No one should have passed this quiz."

Harry's good mood suddenly turned sour in his stomach.

"And the fact that one of you not only answered all five questions but did so correctly makes me think that you believe that you are in some way special."

Harry lowered his head and balled up his fists trying to keep himself from shaking. Hermione looked over at Harry as did Ron.

"Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "You will stay after and you have detention tonight. You think you are so special. I will show you how special you are."

This was not happening. He was supposed to spend the night with his da. He was supposed to tell he da that he did well on a quiz. His da was going to be proud of him. He hoped that maybe he could get another kiss on the forehead again. But all those hopes were crumbling around him. He, once again, received detention from the Toad. A person, who at the beginning of the year, his da told him to stay clear of. He knew he was going to have to do lines again. And with that, meant that he couldn't go to his da afterwards. The simple thought of his da being disappointed in him almost made him sick to his stomach. No, he couldn't let his da know he'd gotten in trouble.

The rest of the class went by in a blur for Harry. The next thing he knew the bell was sounding that it was lunch time. Before the class could gather their things, an owl came in through the top window and dropped a note on Umbridge's desk.

After reading the note, Umbridge looked up at Harry, who was still sitting in his seat.

"Go to lunch, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "You will report back here at five this evening."

Harry's shoulder's sagged more at the time he was to report back for detention. He wanted so badly to say that he couldn't make it, but he was scared what would happen if he said it, so he packed up his bag and walked out of the room.

Harry didn't feel like going to lunch. He had lost his appetite when he learned the time of his detention. He didn't want to see his da sitting at the Head table with the expectations of him showing up this evening. As he walked down the hallway, Harry absently rubbed his forehead where his da kissed him yesterday, wondering would he ever feel that kind of love again.

Harry walked to the Gryffindor Common Room, and didn't stop until he was in his dorm, by his bed. Grabbing his bear and sitting on the edge of the bed, Harry buried his head in the bear and fell into a fitful sleep.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry lifted his head and saw that he was sitting in a window sill on the second floor hallway. A smile came across his face as he saw his da walking towards him.

"Can you tell me the meaning of this?" Severus' tone was cold and harsh, causing the smile to falter on Harry's face.

"Sir?"

"I see you have detention with Professor Umbridge."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Didn't I tell you to stay off her watch-list?" Severus snapped. "Didn't I tell you do not get on her bad side? You just don't listen."

"It wasn't my fault,"Harry tried to explain.

"It's never your fault," Severus spat back. "I tell you what, don't bother coming down to my chambers tonight." Harry felt the first tear cling to his eyelashes. "As a matter of fact, if you can't seem to follow simple rules, then don't bother darkening my door anymore. You are no longer welcomed in my chambers."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't breathe. His chest felt like weights were on him. His da was rejecting him. Harry looked up and saw that his da was leaving. Harry tried to stand but fell to his knees. He wanted to scream, but couldn't get enough air in his lungs to push it out.

Da, Harry thought, Da, I'm sorry. Please come back. Please don't hate me.

Harry's eyes popped opened. Lately, when Harry would wake up, tears would stream down his face but he wouldn't remember what it was that caused him to start crying. Today, he remembered his nightmare. He remembered the feeling of rejection he got from that dream. Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was twenty minutes into Potions class. Not wanting to rush and see that disappointing look, Harry rolled over, curled up in the bed with his bear tightly against his chest.

"I am bad," Harry sobbed into the back of the bears head.

TBC

Chapter 50

Albus was sitting behind his desk looking through his paperwork, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Dolores walked into the office and closed the door.

"Headmaster."

Albus lifted his head and gave the woman a cool gaze.

"How can I help you, Professor?" Albus asked, sitting back in his chair.

Dolores sat down across from Albus without being invited.

"I've come to speak to you about changes that are needed in this school."

"I beg your pardon."

"Since I have been at this school, I have noticed some peculiar activities and free reign going on in this school."

"I'm sorry," Albus sat forward in his chair, his hands folded in front of him. "I'm not understanding what you are getting at."

"Harry Potter."

Albus raised an eyebrow.

"What about Harry Potter?"

"He thinks that he can get away with whatever he wishes."

"Forgive me, Professor," Albus said, holding up his hand. "Has Harry done something that has made you believe this?"

"He has constantly overstepped his bounds," Dolores said, sternly. "He needs to be disciplined."

"What has he done?" Albus asked again.

"Just know that I will be taking steps to ensure that Mr. Potter learns his place."

Before Albus could respond to that statement, Dolores got up and walked out of the office. He didn't know how to take what just happened, but didn't think anything could really come from it.

_0000_0000_0000_0000_000

Harry stayed on his bed the entire afternoon. He had long since stopped crying. His face itched from the dried tears that were still on his cheeks, but he didn't care. He rolled over and looked at the clock and saw that there were ten minutes left of class and twenty minutes before he was due in detention. Figuring he might as well get ready for whatever the Toad had in store for him, Harry got up and headed to the bathroom, but not before giving his bear a final squeeze and taking in the deep smell of the bear that always seemed to calm him down. After washing his face, getting rid of any signs that he had been crying, Harry made his way to the Defense classroom. He figured it would probably be better if he were early rather than late.

Arriving in the classroom five minutes early, Harry was surprised and secretly happy that he didn't run into any other students on his way to his detention. He knew if he ran into Ron or Hermione, or even Neville, he would have to explain where he was, and he really didn't want to talk about it. Not now.

Heading to the back of the room where the Toad's office was, Harry knocked on the door and waited. It seemed like forever before she even granted him permission to enter. When he finally got in and sat down, Harry looked at the clock over on the mantel and saw that he was now five minutes late.

"I see you can't even have the decency to arrive for your detention on time," Dolores sneered.

Harry said nothing. His heart dropped to his stomach at the accusation. He knew he had arrived on time, early even and she wouldn't let him enter. Now he was being accused of coming late. He couldn't win.

"I promise you, Mr. Potter," Dolores sneered. "You will learn that you are not in control. I will not allow you to manipulate me as you've done the other teachers."

Harry didn't respond. He kept his head lowered.

"You will be writing lines," Dolores said, walking over to where Harry was sitting. "And since you seem to not want to follow the rules that are governed by the Ministry then you will sit here until you learn that YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT!"

It took everything in Harry not to cringe at her yelling the last part, but he did jump a little when the quill was slammed onto the desk he was sitting behind. He looked at the quill and felt his heart begin to race. After using that quill before, he knew what it would do, and the last thing he wanted to do was to have to use that quill.

"Please, Professor," Harry's voice was soft. "I have my own quill."
"THIS IS NOT A DEBATE, POTTER!" Dolores took a deep breath and when she released it her face had a much more calm appearance. "Are you telling me that after everything that has happened you are still trying to show defiance?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat. Without another word, Harry reached for the dreaded quill.

"You will write, 'I will not show defiance, I will always obey my Professors, and know that I am not the center of the Universe.'"

Harry couldn't believe how long the sentence was that he had to write. Gathering up all his courage, Harry looked up at his Professor.

"How many times?"

Dolores tilted her head, looking at the boy in the chair.

"As many times as it takes for the message to sink in. We'll see how you are after a few hundred times."

A few hundred?! The last time he used that quill he only had to write twenty lines. Now he was expected to write a few hundred. Harry tried to keep his hurt feelings off of his face. Once he got the a roll of parchment out of his bag, Dolores pulled out his wand and tapped it on the parchment. The dictated sentence that he was supposed to write appeared at the top of the parchment.

This was going to be a long detention, Harry thought and began his lines.

_0000_0000_0000

Severus woke up and for the first time in a very long time he actually was happy. He had something to look forward to. The last time he had ever felt like this was when Minerva told him that she would adopt him. The days leading up to the adoption were nerve wrecking but when it finally happened it was the best day of his life. Now, he was surprisingly excited about Harry coming down after dinner and spending the night without worry of anyone becoming suspicious.

Severus' classes today were double periods. The first half of the day, before lunch, were fifth year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and after lunch were the fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin.

The first half of the day went surprisingly smoothly. When it came to the practical portion of the class, there weren't huge disasters but nothing that would dampen Severus' current mood. After the students left for lunch, Severus gathered a few things taking them into his office. He decided he needed to see Harry. For some reason, the desire to see the child that weaseled into his heart grew as it got closer towards lunch time. And for the first time since the new term, Severus went to the Great Hall for lunch. When he got to the head table he noted that neither Gryffindor or Slytherin fifth years had come in, so deciding to fix his plate, Severus began eating.

Derek sat next to Severus and also filled his plate.

"Severus," Derek said by way of greeting.

Severus just nodded in return. His eyes kept going back to the doors leading to the hallway.

"Everything alright, Severus?" Derek asked.

"Of course," Severus answered. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Derek shrugged. "You just seem distracted."

Severus was about to respond to that remark, when the doors opened and more students came in for lunch. After everyone came in, Severus noticed that a certain messy-haired child did not come. Seeing Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley and not Harry worried Severus.

Minerva, who was sitting on the other side of Severus, noticed the worried look on her son's face and leaned over closer to her son.

"Stop worrying," Minerva whispered. "I'm sure he's doing something. He'll be in class."

Severus looked at his mother. She had a small smile on her face as she continued to eat her lunch.

Severus considered his mother's words and decided that she was probably right, so he quickly finished his lunch an excused himself from the table.

Potions started on time but Severus' mood wasn't as light as it was that morning. A certain messy-haired child was not in his usual seat. Occluding the hurt and worry Severus was feeling, he set out to start his lesson. The afternoon class seemed to go just as the morning's class. Surprisingly, Neville didn't melt his cauldron like he usually did, but Severus wasn't thinking on that.

When the final bell chimed at the end, everyone packed up their items.

"Ms. Granger," Severus called from the front of the class. "Please stay behind." Hermione froze from packing, looking up at the Professor. "You too, Mr. Weasley."

Ron and Hermione looked at each other while the other students filed out of the room. Once the room was deserted, except for Hermione, Ron and Professor Snape, Severus sat down behind his desk.

"When was the last time you seen Mr. Potter?" Severus' voice was calm. Completely different to how he was feeling.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"If there is something I should know," Severus said, "please tell me."

Both students looked at their Potions professor with a little shock. Never had either of them heard the word 'please' come from the dour man.

"Sir."

"Mr. Weasley."

"Professor Umbridge held him after class. We haven't seen him since."

"Well," Severus sighed. "When you do see him, tell him to come straight to me, immediately."

"But," Hermione said, "he has detention."

"How on earth could he receive detention if he was only in one class?"

"Well …," Hermione began.

"Is there something I should know?" Severus' voice became sterner.

Ron looked at his Potions Professor. He was always wary of the newfound relationship between his best mate and the Dungeon bat. But after what he has witnessed these past couple of weeks, Harry's happiness, there had to be something that brought that smile on his friend's face.

"You will protect him?" Ron asked.

There was almost a defiance in his tone. Hermione looked at Ron and elbowed his side for the remark, but Severus looked at the boy standing before him. One could argue that Ronald Weasley was being disrespectful with his question, but Severus didn't see it that way. Severus saw the plea behind the question. Narrowing his eyes, he sat back in his chair.

"Always, Mr. Weasley."

Ron studied Snape for a moment as if debating whether to say anything or not. Then he remembered all those nights he woke up to his friend crying and not knowing what was wrong. Again, Ron squared his shoulders, looked Snape in the eye, and began telling him everything he knew. All of what he was worried about. The unfairness that Umbridge had shown Harry. How even when Harry tried to conform to what was required, he still got in trouble. Even though this was only his second detention with Umbridge, it seemed like he would always get in trouble in every class.

Severus sat back and listened to everything Ron said. Hermione would put a few thoughts into the telling, but mostly Ron did all the talking.

"He's also been having nightmares," Ron said.

That bit of information stunned Severus. Nightmares. Had that Toad-face caused his child to have nightmares? When no more information was forthcoming, Severus said, "Thank you for speaking with me. I'm sure you two are eager to get to dinner."

Hermione and Ron gathered their things and headed for the door. Before leaving, Hermione turned and said, "If we see Harry, we'll tell them that you want to see him."

"You do that," Severus said, and he was left alone.

To say that Severus Snape was angry was an understatement. He was well past angry and was truly livid. How dare that Pink monstrosity terrorize his child? He knew he was going to get to the bottom of this. Today was supposed to be a special day, and that would-be Professor was trying to ruin it.

Severus got up and walked out of the classroom into his chambers, absentmindedly rubbing his left wrist from a mild ache that seemed to be coming on. He was so deep in thought he didn't see his mother, the mutt, or the Healer until he was halfway to the back hallway. A whine came from Snuffles. Severus stopped and glared at the dog. Sirius transformed and looked at the Potions Master.

"Is everything alright, Severus?" Minerva asked.

"It will be when that Toad is out of this school," Severus growled.

"What has happened now?" Minerva sighed. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Umbridge. Coming down to her son's chambers for tea was to be a relaxing time, not a time for tempers to be shown.

"Severus, please sit down," Minerva said.

"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "I need …"

Severus gripped his left wrist as the mild ache in the beginning seemed to be getting more and more intense.

Fearing the worst, Minerva got up and went to her son's side. Derek a few steps behind her.

"Severus," Minerva said, quietly. "Severus, what's wrong? What has happened?"

Severus couldn't answer. It felt like someone was trying to fillet his arm while trying to slice cuts in them.

"Severus," Minerva cupped Severus' cheek. "Is it?"

Severus knew what she was asking and shook his head.

"No, that's not that," Severus said through clenched teeth.

Without warning, Severus rushed out of his chambers and down the corridor.

_0000_0000_0000_000

"I think you now know that I will not stand for any defiance from you."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry's voice was shaky.

Harry looked pale. This was the longest Umbridge has ever held him. One hundred and fifty lines. All he wanted to do was go back to his dorm and lay down and curl up with his bear. He definitely didn't want to run into Snape. It was bad enough trying to keep the detention away from him, but the way he was feeling and not to mention how his hand look, he knew he would not be able to keep this from the man much longer.

"You're dismissed," she said, bringing Harry out of his musing.

"Good night, Professor," Harry murmured, packing up his things and walking out of the office.

A gratified smirk gleamed on Dolores' face at the way Potter was behaving now. She knew that with some strict discipline even Potter would conform. Feeling very proud of herself, once Potter left, Dolores headed towards her sleeping chambers and turned in for the night. Little did she know that this would be the last night that she would feel this way.

Harry slowly walked towards the moving staircase. Once he got to the bottom steps, he looked up and a wave of dizziness flushed throughout his body. He didn't think he could even make the trek up the stairs to even get into bed. For the first time, he wished he could go to his da, but he just wouldn't be able to bear the guilt he knew he would feel.

Harry tried to steady his breathing and the pounding in his ears as he gripped the railing making his first step. Praying and hoping that the stairs didn't move, he didn't think he could withstand that kind of movement right now, began his trek up to the seventh floor. He made it up the first flight of stairs, but it was not easy. Sweat was now pouring down his face. His breathing was erratic. Black dots were swimming in his vision.

If this was what happened on the first flight, he knew he wouldn't make it the rest of the way, Harry thought.

Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves, Harry finally came to a decision that he needed his da. He wanted his da. He couldn't keep this any longer and didn't want to any more. He wanted his professor to make it better. Bracing himself to turn around and making his way down to the dungeons to get his Professor, he wasn't expecting to see his da once he turned around.

_000_000_000_000

Walking towards the moving staircase, Severus wanted to find his child. What he wasn't expecting was to find said child walking, no, staggering up the stairs. Severus watched in horror as Harry tried to make his way up the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, Severus caught up with his child. Now, standing two steps behind his child, he felt the last thing he wanted to do was to startled the poor child.

When Harry turned around, Severus was able to get a good look at what was wrong with the child. Harry was pale and clammy. His skin had an ashen tone to it. His left hand, that dangled to his side, looked redden and swollen. His messy hair was matted to his forehead from him sweating. The look of fear flashed across his face before he recognized who was behind him.

"Da," Harry slurred. A small smile spread across his lips before he lost consciousness and his eyes rolled to the back of his head and collapsed.

Severus took the last two steps with speed and was at the boy's side instantly. Severus then cast a feather-weight charm on the boy and then a disillusionment charm on the both of them. Severus picked up Harry to his chest. One arm wrapped around the boy's shoulders and the other under his knees. Severus knew he was closer to the infirmary, but he knew for him to get a good look and not be bothered at what was wrong with Harry, he needed to go to his chambers. Besides the fact that the Healer was already in his chambers in the dungeons. So, Severus turned and made the trek down to the dungeons.

When Harry turned around, even though he wanted his Professor, he wasn't expecting him to be standing right behind him. The pretense of keeping what happened during his detentions, Harry was about to explain what was going on when his vision completely blurred and all went black. The next thing Harry noticed was the calming smell potions around him. He wanted to smile, but it seemed like his mouth didn't want to cooperate. He could feel himself moving from the slight breeze on the back of his neck, but he knew he wasn't walking.

He was with his da, Harry thought. And he knew that his da would fix everything. Harry felt the arms holding him tightened. This time, he didn't care about anything. All that mattered was that he was with his da and he knew that his da was going to take care of him.

TBC

Minerva and Derek were still in the same spot in Severus' living quarters. Minerva walked back and sat down in the arm chair, hoping that her greatest fear wasn't coming true. She had always feared that one day Voldemort would call for her son and that would be the last time she would ever see her son alive. That fear ate away at her when Severus was called after the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

She still remembered the fear and loss when he left that night. When he did come back home, she saw that past coming again. Severus was hurt, but instead of going to Poppy and getting treated, he, once again, went to his Potions lab and tried to heal his wounds. It took a lot of convincing as well as intimidation to get Severus to see reason.

"Minerva," Derek called out.

Minerva looked over at the healer, slightly shocked by the voice to bring her out of her musing. She wasn't even aware that both men were now sitting down.

"Are you okay?"

"I have a lot on my mind," Minerva smiled, trying to calm herself.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I'm really worried about him," Minerva confessed.

Sirius studied his former Head-of-House and truly began to see the love and care that she had for the Potions Master. Some would think that Sirius was jealous of the care that Minerva had for Severus but in reality he wasn't. After he and Minerva talked about the bonding of Severus and Harry, he began to truly understand the care and love that Severus was receiving from Minerva.

"What if …," Minerva began.

"Now," Derek cut her off, a soothing tone in his voice. "He already said that this wasn't it. He'll be back."

Right after he said that, the door to Severus' chambers burst opened. Everyone stood up and saw Severus carrying something, or rather, someone. Derek went to Severus side which was futile as Severus went straight to the couch so that he could lower his bundle on it.

"Severus, what happened?" Minerva said, worry in her voice.

Severus, sitting on the edge of the sofa, lowered Harry. When he was about to release the child, Harry began to moan at the separation. Severus sank down until he was next to the child's ear.

"All will be okay, Harry," Severus' soothing voice seemed to wash over Harry, and he began to relax. "I'm right here. You're not going anywhere."

Harry's body molded into the sofa as he fell asleep. Severus removed his glasses when he sat back up. Severus stood and moved so Derek could run a diagnostic over the child.

Now, getting a good look at the child, he remembered working on this boy before. Scratches on his hand. While waiting for the diagnosis to finish, Derek decided to check and see how Harry's hand was healing.

"Sweet Merlin," Derek exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside the boy.

Everyone's attention was on the Healer.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked walking back over. He stopped when he saw the back of Harry's hand. Minerva and Sirius was right next to him seeing the same thing.

Severus knelt next to Derek and snatched the child's hand out of the Healer's, and began lifting up the child's sleeve. Severus couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were words carved into the child's flesh. It wrapped around the back of his hand and then continued up his arm, ending midway from his wrist to the elbow.

He had detention with Professor Umbridge.

Severus was livid. He didn't hear the gasp or expletive coming from behind him. He didn't hear the shout of his name as he got up and rushed out of his chambers. The only thing on his mind was the total and utter destruction of a certain Toad-faced bitch, currently residing in the Defense chambers.

"Oh my," Minerva gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

Sirius knelt down in the same spot where Severus just left. He was in shock at what he was seeing. He didn't know who would do this to his pup. This was beyond cruel. Who would carve on a child like that?

_000_000_000_000

Derek saw the raging anger in the man kneeling next to him. When Severus got up and rushed out of the chambers he knew nothing good was about to happen.

"Severus!" Minerva called out. "Derek," turning towards the Healer, "we have to stop him."

Derek looked at the Transfiguration Professor and then called out, "Tami."

There was a slight pop and the small elf appeared.

"Yous call, Master Healer," Tami said.

"Yes," Derek said, standing up. "Go to Severus."

"Take him home," Minerva cut in. "We can handle everything there."

Tami looked at her mistress, then back to the Healer.

"Take him home," Derek ordered. "Do you understand me?"

A frantic nod came from the elf and she disappeared. Derek turned to the Transfiguration professor.

"We need to get there before Severus does," Minerva said, walking over to the fireplace.

"Minerva, can you get us into Severus' home?"

Minerva nodded. She put the floo powder in and then waved her wand over the fire.

"Let's go," Minerva said, her voice was calm.

Derek reached down and picked up the small child on the sofa. Minerva stepped through first followed by Derek and Harry, then Sirius.

Severus was on the last flight of stairs when Tami popped in front of him. He gasped at the sudden intrusion. He was going to step aside and pass the elf but she grabbed his wrist in a tight grip and both elf and Potions master disappeared from the steps.

_000_000_000_000

Remus was sitting in the library reading, when the floo flared and Minerva stepped out, followed by Derek and then Sirius.

"What in Merlin's name happened?" Remus said when he saw them, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat when he saw Harry in the Healer's arms.

"What happened?" Remus asked again. This time there was a distinct growl in his tone.

Sirius walked over to his friend, as he knew he was going to have to restrain the wolf.

Before anyone moved there was another pop. Severus and Tami appeared in front of everyone.

"Tami," Severus growled.

His anger seemed to grow when he realized that he wasn't headed to his intended target. Severus looked around and saw Derek holding Harry. He walked over to the Healer and took the child from his arms.

"Derek, if you would allow me," Minerva said. Derek nodded.

"Tami, please," Minerva said.

Tami looked at her mistress and then after receiving a nod from her new master, she clapped her hands and waved them around her.

"What did you just do?" Sirius asked.

"Tami locked the house," Minerva said, looking at her son.

"Locked the house?"

"Elves have stronger magic," Minerva said, looking over at Sirius. "It will keep people from leaving the house." The last part of her statement she was looking back at her son.

Severus glared at his mother. Turning from the room, Severus left out of the room with Harry cradled to his chest.

Minerva sighed.

Severus walked up the stairs and put Harry in the room where he stayed those few days in the Summer. Laying the child down on the bed, Severus took a closer look at the child's hand and arm. Now that he was currently stuck in his own home, Severus truly saw the total damage done to his child. The words were clear and deeply made on his arm.

Severus, during his time as student, had a fascination with the dark arts. And he knew of many items and artifacts that could cause such damage. Deep gashes but very little blood. And the idea of one such artifact being at a school just made him sick. There was a loud crashing sound that rang through the silence that reigned over the house. Severus figured that they had just explained to the wolf what they knew. Not that they knew the whole story as Severus did, but enough to send the wolf into a rage. Severus thought about the damage that the wolf could be doing to his house, but he found that he really didn't care. His only care was the small child laying on the bed.

A small knock brought Severus out of his musing. Not wanting to leave the boy's side, Severus waved his hand and opened the door. On the other side was the medi-witch.

"I see you're getting around a lot better," Severus said.

"Yes, well, you can't keep this old bird down," Poppy said with a smirk. Her eyes were bandaged up. She was walking with a cane. She had taught herself how to get around the house without the aid of another. She knew that Remus was in the house, and he did give her space, but he was also there for her when she needed him to be. She was especially grateful to having someone in the house with excellent hearing. So no matter where in the house she was, he would come to her if she needed him to.

"What are you doing here?" Poppy asked.

"Being punished," Severus sneered.

"I doubt that," Poppy said.

"Mother locked me in," Severus said.

Poppy smiled. She could tell that something was bothering Severus even if she couldn't see him, but she couldn't help the small chuckle that left her lips when Severus sounded like a petulant child on punishment.

"I don't think that Minerva is punishing you," Poppy said, trying to keep her voice even.

"She won't let me get the Toad-faced imbecile, currently residing at the castle."

"Toad-face?"

"The new Defense Professor."

This time Poppy laughed. "Severus, really. I know that you wanted the position since the beginning of summer, but Toad-faced."

Severus sighed. He knew he couldn't get angry at Poppy as she hadn't been at the school since the summer and hadn't gotten a chance to meet the woman, so Severus explained what happened and why they were truly at his house.

When Severus finished, Poppy's jovial temperament changed drastically.

"Where's Harry?" Poppy asked, seriousness in her tone.

"Here on the bed."

Poppy walked over to the bed, with the help of Severus when she had gotten close enough.

"Let me feel his arm," Poppy said.

Severus raised Harry's arm and brought Poppy closer towards the bed. When Poppy felt the child, she began lightly running her fingers over the back of Harry's hand and up his arm.

"Sweet Merlin," Poppy gasped as she continued moving her fingers. "A blood quill? Severus, are you sure?"

"It is the only thing that could cause this amount of damage," Severus sighed.

"Blasted Dumbledore," Poppy raged. "Taking my eyes away from me! I can't know with out seeing if there is damage to the nerves or tendons. The severity from what I am feeling is that he used the quill for a long period of time. You know the longer you use something the more damaging it can be."

Severus sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since Poppy came into the room. He so wanted to go after that woman and he couldn't. There was no telling the extent of the damage until they find out from Harry how long he had to use the quill. For the first time in a very long time, Severus' throat burned with tears. His emotions were getting the better of him and no amount of Occluding would stop the rush of emotions coming to the forefront. A small gasp escaped his lips when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders and was brought into an embrace. Severus reached up and wrapped his arms around Poppy's waist, his forehead on her shoulder.

"It will be alright, Severus," Poppy soothed in his ear. "We'll take care of it. Just like always."

TBC

Aberforth was cleaning the last of the tumblers when he heard the door open to his bar.

"I'm closed," he called out.

"I guess it is lucky enough that I'm not here to purchase a drink."

Aberforth's hands stopped wiping the tumbler as he recognized the voice of Lucius Malfoy. He had been a thorn in Aberforth's side ever since the rumors went around about him and his goats. There were no truth behind the rumors, but it didn't stop the Ministry from trying to revoke his license. The only thing that allowed Aberforth to keep his bar was the fact that they could not prove that the rumors were true. And it was that little loophole that had kept Aberforth's bar open.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Aberforth growled.

"You've been very busy this past summer," Lucius said, sitting down at one of the tables.

Aberforth walked around the bar and stood by the blond aristocrat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kidnapping, attempted murder, assault," Lucius said, his voice had a slight boredom tone to it.

Aberforth said nothing.

"Someone wishes to see you," Lucius continued.

"I don't want to see anyone that you are acquainted with," Aberforth sneered. "Now, get out of my bar."

"Pity," Lucius said, leaning back in the chair. "You are not given a choice. The Dark Lord wants to see you."

"Over my dead body!"

Lucius smirked and pulled a roll of parchment out of his robes and tossed it on the table.

"What's this?" Aberforth said, reaching for it.

"I do believe that you will revise your last statement."

Aberforth read the parchment and paled. He seemed to deflate right in front of Lucius. Lucius' smirk turned to a true smile.

"You bastard!" Aberforth yelled.

"As I was saying," Lucius said. "The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you. Now, unless you want me to file this," pointing to the parchment in the other man's hands, "with the Ministry, I think you should come with me."

Aberforth knew in that instant that he was bested. There was now no way out of this. There was no more reasonable doubt. If he wanted to keep his bar, he was going to have to do what was asked.

_000_0000_0000_0000

Derek walked into the room and saw Poppy standing next to the bed, holding Severus in her arms. He cleared his throat to let them know he was standing there. Poppy stepped back. Severus turned his head and looked back down at Harry.

"I need to take a look at his arm," Derek said, walking into the room.

Severus nodded. Taking a deep breath, occluding his feelings, Severus turned and looked at the Healer.

Derek stood next to the bed, placing the items he was carrying on the side table. Severus looked at the items.

"Those won't work," Severus said.

Derek looked puzzled.

"These aren't just mere cuts," Severus continued.

Derek carefully grabbed Harry's arm and took a closer look. It couldn't be, he thought.

"You've got to be kidding me," Derek said, looking over at Severus.

Severus didn't respond to that, he just looked down at Harry.

"As the damage is very extensive, I need to brew a complex salve and try to save the nerves in his arm and hand."

"Well," Derek said. "What are you waiting for?"

Severus stood. He knew he needed to brew that salve, but for some reason, he just couldn't step away from the boy. Poppy reached up and gripped his shoulder.

"Everything will be alright, Severus," she said.

Severus nodded and walked out of the room. When he walked back down stairs, he would have to pass the library where he left his mother. When he walked by, he saw that Minerva was sitting in the armchair staring into space. Not stopping, Severus continued on his trek towards his lab.

When he got into the lab, he waved his hand causing the candles that were all around the room to light. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly releasing the air in is lungs. When he opened his eyes again, he was set on determination to fix the proper salve that will heal his son's hand and arm. He went to his potion journal and looking for the right salve, Severus began gathering all the ingredients that he knew he would need. Thankfully, he had all the items in his store cupboard.

Severus was prepping the murlap when he heard the door open.

"I'm not in the mood," Severus said without turning to see who just invaded his sanctuary.

"We need to talk."

"What about?" Severus sighed, still prepping ingredients.

"Umbridge," Sirius said.

Severus' hands stilled. The small knife fell from his fingers.

"What about her?" Severus said, his voice not giving away the rage on the inside at the mere thought of her.

"Did she really hurt my pup?" Sirius asked.

Severus finally turned and faced them.

"Did she hurt him, Severus?" Remus asked.

Severus looked between the two remaining Marauders, and nodded.

"She used a blood quill." Severus said. "From the looks of it, it was repeatedly and for an extended period of time. There is no telling how much damage was done to Harry's arm and hand until he wakes."

"What are you going to do?" Remus said, a hint of a growl in the back of his throat.

Severus raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Because, if I do something," Remus continued. "I'll kill her."

"And I won't?" Severus said.

"I have nothing to lose," Sirius said. "She's as good as dead."

"You can't get caught," Severus vehemently said.

"Well, we know that you can't do anything without it coming back on you," Sirius said. "Harry needs you."

"And Minerva needs you," Severus said, pointing his finger at the mutt. "And you need to stay with Poppy," pointing at the wolf. "I will not jeopardize their lives."

"And what about Harry's?" Remus said.

"I'll take care of Harry," Severus said, turning back around, picking back up the knife.

"You don't have to do this on your own," Remus said. "We love Harry just as much as you do."

Once again, Severus' hands stopped. Love Harry. Ever since the bonding, Severus never really considered how he truly felt about Harry. But after Remus said that, Severus realized that he truly loved Harry. Harry was his. Of course he loved that child.

It didn't take long for Severus to finish the salve. Surprisingly, he rather enjoyed the company of the wolf and mutt while he worked. Never did Severus think that he could be in the same room with Sirius Black and hexes not fly between each other. Remus wasn't as bad as James and Sirius, but it didn't make growing up any better. Now, the three of them were able to be in the same room and actually talk casually towards each other.

After giving the salve to Derek, Severus was kicked out of the room. Derek would not let him in the room until he was finished working on Harry's arm. Severus walked back downstairs and to the library. Minerva was still sitting in the armchair. She had a book on her lap, but she wasn't reading it. Severus walked into the room and sat down on the sofa next to Minerva. For a moment neither one said anything. Minerva didn't even acknowledge that anyone had come into the room. The silence in the room was deafening. Severus knew he needed to talk to his adoptive mother, but when she did not even look at him when he walked in, he figured that now might not be the best of times. When neither one said anything, Severus began to stand.

"Sit," came the order from Minerva.

Severus looked over at his mother and sat back on the sofa. Minerva still wasn't looking at him, but the tension in her face let him know that she was angry.

"I will not have this," Minerva said.

Severus' brow furrowed.

"I will not have you and Sirius plotting against a Professor at the school."

Severus looked as if he was going to protest that statement, but Minerva cut him off.

"Don't even try to defend yourself," Minerva said, finally looking over at her son. "I saw your anger. I saw Sirius'. I know that when they left from here when you headed towards your lab that was what you three were doing."

Severus said nothing.

"I will deal with Dolores," Minerva said, quietly.

"Harry is my responsibility," Severus said, anger in his tone.

"And you're mine," Minerva said with the same intensity. "And I will not have you jeopardizing that for some Toad-faced buffoon that thinks she's over everyone in that school. I will deal with Dolores."

"She used a blood quill on Harry. She made him write over and over with that bloody thing and you expect me to just sit back and do nothing." Severus was now standing. The anger he was feeling seemed to be boiling over. Minerva just looked up at her son.

"What I expect," Minerva said, her voice calm and collected, "is for you to respect my wishes and let me handle that woman. You need to concentrate your attention on the child laying upstairs. That is what you need to be focusing on. Harry needs you by his side."

"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "I won't allow it. I have no idea who was sent to kill you. I will not jeopardize your life. I will handle this. That bitch could be here for you." Severus was now pacing back and forth in front of Minerva.

Minerva stood up and blocked his path. When he tried to move around her, she countered by continuing to step in front of him.

"I will not put my life on hold because of a threat," Minerva said. "You Know Who does not even know of your bonding of Harry. Why would he send her to come just to torture him? He wants Harry for himself. This threat is against you. He wants to hurt you. Now, I have obliged you in having Sirius follow me around. But I will not hide from a threat."

"I will not lose you," Severus said, his anger faltering as his hurt entered his tone.

"And you won't," Minerva said, reaching up and cupping Severus' face. "But it won't change my mind. I will handle her."

A knock on the door brought the two out of their conversation. They both turned and saw Derek standing in the doorway.

"I'm finished," he said. "Harry's waking up."

Severus stepped away from Minerva and headed for the door. He was leaving when Derek gripped his arm preventing him from leaving.

"We need to talk first," Derek said.

"Not now," Severus growled, moving his arm out of Derek's grasp and headed up the stairs.

"Let him be," Minerva said, when Derek looked like he was going to follow Severus. "He needs to be by Harry's side right now."

Derek looked at Minerva and then back down the hallway where Severus disappeared down.

"Come in," Minerva said, sitting back down in the chair. "Talk to me. Tell me what was the damage to my Gryffindor."

Derek stepped into the library and sat down on the sofa where Severus was earlier.

_000_0000_000_000

Aberforth walked into a grand room. There was a long table in the middle of the room. Several people were already sitting around the table.

"Dumbledore," Voldemort said, sitting at the head of the table. "How gracious are you to accept my invitation. Please," raising his hand to the empty chair, "sit."

Aberforth walked to the table and sat down.
"Wonderful," Voldemort said. "Now, let's begin."

TBC

Severus walked up the stairs to see Poppy standing just outside Harry's room.

"Poppy," Severus whispered.

Poppy turned her head towards the voice.

"Severus?"

Severus stood next to the matron.

"He's going to be fine," Poppy said. "It looks worse than it is. Derek immobilized his arm for right now. He wants the arm still."

"Nerve damage?"

"That part we won't be sure until he wakes up fully," Poppy said, shaking her head. "But the salve you brewed should counter any nerve damage that could be there."

"Why are you standing out here?"

"Well," Poppy said with a smile on her face. "I was informed by Healer Williams that I was declared dead to the students. To keep up with your ruse," she had a light tone in her voice, "I don't want Harry to see me."

Poppy gripped Severus' arm and then walked off, slowly making her way towards the stairs. Severus watched her until she began to descend the stairs and then turned and entered the room.

Harry's arm was wrapped from mid-forearm to his fingertips. He was still laying on top of the covers. Severus walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Severus looked at the bandaged limb. He began thinking on everything that happened today. He felt like he'd been through an emotional ringer. He was actually excited about having Harry spending the night in his chambers. He was worried when he didn't see Harry at lunch, disappointed that Harry skipped his class, upset finding out that Harry was having nightmares and not telling him, and anger and rage when he found out what that bitch had him doing in detention. Severus sighed. It wasn't even the end of October and it was already starting to feel like this school year was going to be a long one.

The first thing that Harry realized was that he was laying down. The last thing he remembered was trying to walk upstairs. Lifting his arms he was met with resistance, at least with one of his arms. Raising the non-restraint arm, he brought his hand to his face. He opened his eyes and turned he head in search for his glasses.

When he turned his head, he began remembering everything that happened. Defense class. Detentions. His da.

Harry tried to sit up, but was met with his arm being stuck.

"Lie still."

Harry looked over and even without his glasses he saw his da sitting on the edge of the bed. The nightmare he had that afternoon flooded his mind. Tears began to burn his throat as his vision blurred more from the tears pooling them.

"Don't bother darkening my door anymore."

Severus leaned over Harry in a way as to not jostle his arm that was immobilized on the bed. He could see the tears pooling in Harry's eyes. Wanting Harry to calm down, Severus pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping Harry's eyes.

"Sir," Harry sobbed.

"Shh," Severus soothed. "Everything will be fine."

"I'm sorry," Harry continued, tears streaming down to his hair. "Please don't send me away. Please."

Harry was starting to become hysterical. Severus did not want that. He needed Harry to calm down. Pulling his wand out, Severus pointed it towards Harry's arm. He didn't miss the flinch Harry did when he saw the wand pointing at him.

"Finite," Severus said.

Putting his wand down beside him, Severus reached down and grabbed hold of Harry and once again, brought the child up to his chest. This time they were sitting just like they were the previous night in Severus' chambers. And once again, Harry was awkwardly clinging to him. Since his left arm was bandaged to the tips of his fingers, Harry couldn't grab hold of Severus' robes, but it didn't stop him from burying his face in Severus' neck, his knees digging into Severus' sides, his right hand trying to pull Severus closer to him, which seemed impossible as they were already holding each other.

Slightly rocking, Severus rubbed Harry's back while soothingly whispering calming words to Harry. After a while, Harry began to calm down, but unlike in Severus' chambers, Harry would not remove his head from Severus' neck.

"Harry," Severus softly said. "Harry, talk to me."

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled in Severus' neck.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for," Severus soothed.

"My fault."

"How is what happened to you your fault?" Severus asked.

Harry said something. Severus knew he replied to his question as he felt his child talking against his neck, but he couldn't make out what the child was saying.

"Harry, I need you to speak clearly," Severus said, pushing Harry back so that he could see the child's face.

He was met with resistance. Harry's legs tightened their hold as well has Harry's right hand. Disregarding what he was about to do, Severus began rubbing circles on Harry's back. When he felt Harry calm down again, Severus twisted his body and lowered himself, with Harry still attached, onto the bed, never once stopping whispering soothing words in Harry's ears.

_0000_0000_000_000

Derek sat down on the sofa next to Minerva. For a while neither said anything. Sirius and Remus walked into the library and without saying a word, they sat down with the Healer and Transfiguration professor.

Minerva looked around at the three gentlemen sitting around her and gave a slight nod to herself.

"Well, Derek," Minerva said, bringing everyone out of their own musing. "How's Harry?"

Derek sighed as he looked at Minerva.

"The damage was extensive, but it will heal."

"What caused it?" Remus asked.

"Harry was forced to use a blood quill. I won't know the extent of the damage until I know how long he had to write with it. Right now, things looks promising. I have his arm wrapped and Severus' salve should work on minimizing the nerve damage that could occur."

"A blood quill," Remus growled. "Have I missed something? Since when is a dark artifact able to be used inside a school?"

"Now, Remus," Minerva said. "Calm down. We had no idea that that was being used inside the school. If I knew it was, do you think that I would have allowed Harry to be subjected to that form of torture?" Remus raised an eyebrow at the rebuke. "I know you are upset, as are all of us, but I will tell you the same thing I told Severus. You will let me handle it. Now, Derek, if you wouldn't mind, please call Tami for me."

"She's your elf," Derek said.

Minerva smiled. "Tami."

"Yous call, mistress," Tami smiled, hearing her mistress call her name again.

"I would like you to take me back to Hogwarts. Then in two hours lower your warding over the house."
"Yes, mistress."

"Do not leave this house," Minerva ordered Remus and Sirius.

"I should go with you," Sirius said, standing.

"Not this time," Minerva said, cupping his face. "This I need to handle alone."

_0000_0000_

After careful prying, Severus was able to disentangle Harry's fingers from his robes, and though getting the child's legs from around his waist was a bit challenging, he was able to dislodge himself from the child. He replaced the sticking charm on Harry's bandaged arm and sat upright.

"Harry," Severus soothed. "I need to know what happened?"

Harry had long since stop crying, but his fears from the nightmare he had earlier that day still haunted him. Just the thought of being rejected by his da made his chest heavy.

"I'll be good," Harry said, trying to keep the tremble out of his tone. "I promise. Please."
Severus leaned down over Harry and started combing his fingers through Harry's unruly hair. Letting his fingers get loss in the strands of hair as he soothingly massaged the child's scalp. It had it desired effect, as Harry slowly began to calm down again.

"Harry, you are good," Severus soothed. "Why would you think that you are not?"

"Please don't send me away," Harry whined.

"Never, child," Severus said. "You are mine. And there is nothing. Absolutely nothing that would make me send you away."

"I tried to stay out of trouble," Harry said, looking up at Severus. "I wanted you proud of me. I wanted to spend the night in your chambers. I tried. And I couldn't."

Tears leaked from Harry's eyes and streamed down to his hair.

"What happened today?"

"We," Harry sighed, "had a pop quiz today. I wanted to make you proud that I knew the answers. That I wasn't a complete dunderhead." Severus smirked at the name but didn't interrupt.

"When we got the quiz back, she accused that I was trying to be better than the others. That I thought the world revolved around me. That I was better than the Minister."

Severus did not respond. He just continued rubbing Harry's head in a soothing manner.

"After class, she told me to stay," Harry's breath hitched.

"Calm down," Severus soothed. "What happened after you stayed?"

Harry turned his head as much as he could with Severus' fingers still in his hair. He was looking at the ceiling.

"No, look at me," Severus softly chided. "What happened after you stayed?"

Harry swallowed the lump growing again in his throat and looked back at his da.

"She told me that I had to come back after classes for detention."

"Did she hold you long?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then why didn't you come to lunch?"

Harry's brow scrunched in agony. His breathing began to shallow.

"Ah, no, calm down. I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just trying to know what happened today. Breathe slowly. Calm down."

"I didn't want you to be disappointed," Harry finally said, once his breathing calmed slightly. "You were so upset that you thought I was mad at you and I didn't want you to see me and then know that I wasn't going to be able to come. I knew you would be angry that I didn't listen and I didn't want to see the look on your face. After leaving class I went straight to my dorm."

Severus closed his eyes as he sighed, listening to the reasons Harry gave.

"Listen to me," Severus said, leaning a little closer towards Harry so that he didn't have to stain his neck looking at him. "I know I haven't always been the most approachable person, but this cannot happen again. You must learn that if something is bothering you. Or someone, that you are to come to me. I will not turn you away."

"I just don't want you to hate me anymore," Harry said as two tears streamed down his face.

"I could never hate you, Harry. I never hated you. I was blinded in what I saw, but I never hated you. Never. You are now mine. And I will say this again, nothing and no one will take you away from me."

Severus leaned down and kissed Harry on the forehead. Harry reached up with his free arm and hooked it around Severus' neck, hugging him.

_0000_0000_0000_00000_00

Dolores was sitting on her sofa in her chambers, sipping on tea when the floo flared up.

"Dolores," said a voice from the flames.

"Cornelius," Dolores smiled, getting up and kneeling at the hearth.

"How are things going?"

"Wonderful," Dolores said, sweetly. "I have everything under control. I don't know why they were having such a difficult time with keeping teachers."
"And Mr. Potter?"

"Yes," Dolores smiled. "Things are going beautifully. He is no longer a threat. He wanted to try and take over the Ministry, but I thwarted him at every turn. He will no be a problem."

"And you had no problems with the other staff members?"

"They have let Potter have free reign since he got here. He is now being held accountable for his actions. You should not have to worry about that brat much longer."

"Excellent," Cornelius beamed. "Continue on with the wonderful work. I expect a full briefing within the month on your progress."

"Of course, Minister."

Dolores stood up as the flames died back down. Dusting herself of ash, she went back to the sofa to continue her relaxing evening. Thinking back on the detention she had with Potter, she couldn't help smiling.

One more detention should finish the job, she mused. She had hope the Dementors that she sent during the summer would have handled Potter, but she was very disappointed when she learned that they did not do what she wanted.

It was the reason behind the little quiz she gave the Gryffindors and Slytherins today. When she heard that the Dementors were chased away, she had to be sure of her suspicions that Potter was learning advance magic over his peers.

She knew she was taking a huge risk bringing the blood quill out, but when she didn't hear any complaints from the other Professors she knew that Potter had no one to confide in, so she had a way to break him.

A knock on her chamber door, brought Dolores out of her musing. She looked over at the clock on her mantel. Ten o'clock. Now who could be calling at this time of night, she wondered as she walked to her door.

Dolores opened the door and had a slight shock at who was standing there.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but might I have a few minutes of your time, Dolores."

"Yes, of course," Dolores said, bringing herself out of her shock and stepping aside to let her guest in.

"What can I do for you, Minerva?" Dolores asked, closing the door.

Minerva walked further into the room. She did not respond until she was standing close to the middle of the room.

"I just have a question for you," Minerva said, her tone flat and even. There was no hint of anger and rage she was feeling underneath.

"Forgive me, Minerva, but it is late, so please state what it is that you would like to say. I would like to get to bed soon."

There was a smirk that didn't quick reach Minerva's eyes as she looked at the woman now stepping away from the door and walking closer towards her.

"I won't be long," Minerva promised. "I just want to know how dare you?"
"I'm sorry?"

"Please, do not insult me by playing stupid now," Minerva said.

"I beg your pardon," Dolores huffed. "How dare you?"

"No madam, how dare you?" Minerva tone got harsh. "How dare you bring a blood quill into my school? How dare you endanger my students with such an artifact?"

"I've done no such thing," Dolores lied.

Minerva raised an eyebrow at the statement.

Dolores' chambers were painted in a sickening pink color. The walls were decorated with small saucers with kittens on them. Some of the kittens were asleep since it was so late, but others were awake and watching what was going on between the two witches.

Minerva looked at Dolores and narrowed her eyes. The kitten in the plate that was just above the door began mewling and meowing. Seconds later, the saucer plate shattered. Two more saucers began trembling, effectively waking up the slumbering kittens as those two met with the same fate of exploding.

Dolores ducked her head as flying glass whizzed past her head. Three more exploded. Dolores frantically waved her arm in a futile attempt in saving the rest of her saucer plates. Her shields had no effect as three more exploded.

"ENOUGH!" Dolores yelled.

Minerva just looked at the Toad-faced woman, unfazed by her theatrics.

"How dare you come into my chambers and destroy my property?"

"How dare you come into my school and abuse my children?" Minerva challenged. "You used a blood quill during a detention. Scared one of my students. Then have the audacity to feign ignorance to my face."

At each accusation, Dolores could see that there was going to be no way around what happened, so she decided to take another approach.

"Headmaster Dumbledore approved my methods," Dolores said, sweetly. "As well as Cornelius Fudge."

"Really?" Minerva said, raising an eyebrow. "Albus told you that you have reign over discipline?"

"Of course," Dolores said, feeling her confidence coming back. She began thinking that she got one over on Minerva. "I actually spoke with Headmaster Dumbledore this afternoon about Potter, and then got approval from the Minister of Magic."

Minerva just looked at Dolores. When Dolores didn't receive the reaction she was expecting from Minerva, she audibly gulped.

"As Deputy-Headmistress of Hogwarts, let me enlighten you on what those duties are. It is my job as Deputy-Headmistress to make sure all newly witches and wizards get their acceptance letter for Hogwarts. I also am in charge of sorting. Finally, I am solely responsible for the discipline that is sanctioned in this school. Only approved acts of discipline are to be used on students. As such Corporal Punishment was taken out of this school as some Professors did not know when it was too much. I removed the use of the cane and paddle from this school. Now there have been extenuating circumstances where a child was paddled, but it was only as a last resort. You," Minerva said, walking towards Dolores, "bringing in a dark artifact as a blood quill is not only against the law, it is abusive. I saw Harry's arm. How many times did you have him write?"

"I do not have to dignify that with a response. Now would you leave."

"I'm sorry," Minerva said. "You must be under the delusion that you will still be at this school tomorrow."

"You have no authority to dismiss me," Dolores said.

A smile came across the Transfiguration Professor that brought a chill down Dolores' spine.

_0000_0000_0000_0000

Minerva calmly walked down the corridor, heading towards Albus' office. Once she got to the gargoyle, it quickly stepped aside. She walked up the steps and knocked on Albus' door.

"Enter," came Albus' voice on the other side of the door.

Minerva walked into the office and saw Albus sitting behind his desk. She walked over to one of the chairs across from Albus.

"Minerva," Albus said, with a small smile. "What do I owe this visit?"

Minerva sighed as she looked at Albus. "I've come to inform you that we are in need of another Defense Professor." Albus could not hide the shock on his face. "Yes," Minerva continued, "it seems that she was abusing her power over the students. I showed her the errors of her ways and she … left."

"Left?"

"Yes," Minerva said, slightly nodding her head. "Please tell me that you did not approve her using a dark artifact on the students?"

"Of course not," Albus said. "What has happened?"

"She brought a blood quill into the school," Minerva said. "Tomorrow I will be doing a thorough search of all the students, if any, that were subjected to the use of such an artifact."

"Of course," Albus said, shock in his tone. "A blood quill? How did you find out?"

"Mr. Potter had detention with her this evening," Minerva said.

"Where is Harry now?"

"Being looked over by the Healer. He says that the damage should heal in time, but won't know the extent until Harry fully awakes."

"I understand," Albus nodded. "Please keep me informed."

"Good night, Albus," Minerva said, standing up and leaving.

Albus put his head in his hands. When he agreed for Umbridge to come to the school, he didn't think that she would come and hurt the one child that he needed to follow him blindly. Now he would have to deal with the aftermath of this fiasco. Sighing, Albus knew he would not be getting anymore work done, so he figured he would call it a night. Once he cleared his desk, his floo flared and Aberforth walked through the hearth.

"What is it, Aberforth?" Albus sighed.

"We need to talk," Aberforth said, his tone was urgent. "Something's come up."

Seeing the look in his brother's face, Albus knew it was important. The look on his brother's face told him this was about to be the beginning of a long night.

TBC

Minerva walked into her chambers.

"Tami."

The small elf popped in front of the Transfiguration Professor.

"Yes, mistress," Tami smiled.

"Take me back to Severus."

Tami gave a small nod before grabbing hold of Minerva's wrist. The two of them popped out of Hogwarts.

Minerva, standing in the hallway, heard Sirius, Remus and Derek talking. She headed upstairs. She wanted to speak with her son. She knew how much Severus wanted to deal with Dolores, but she did not want him to do something that would cost him his safety and his freedom. She stood in the doorway. She smiled at the sight before her.

Severus was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Harry was draped over his chest, asleep, his head nuzzled under Severus' chin. Severus had Harry's bandaged arm tucked under his arm. Severus had his eyes closed, but like before when Harry first came into Severus' care, Minerva could tell that her son wasn't asleep.

"How long are you going to stand there and stare at us?" Severus said, opening his eyes looking over at his mother.

"Severus," Minerva said. "You understand why I did what I did?"

"Am I still being punished?"

"This was not a punishment, Severus," Minerva said, walking over to the desk and pulling out the chair and placing it next to the bed, sitting down. "Harry needs you here, not in Azkaban, or dead." The last part was said in almost a whisper. If Severus didn't have excellent hearing he wouldn't have heard it.

"Harry," Severus sighed, letting his head hit the headboard behind him. "He doesn't trust me. Not that I've ever given him reason to."

"I don't believe that," Minerva said. "Harry trust you."

"No," Severus said, shaking his head. "If he did, he would have come to me after his first detention." Severus lifted his head and looked at his mother.

"And did he tell you why he didn't tell you?" Severus nodded. "Why?"

"He said he didn't want me angry at him."

"Oh, Severus," Minerva gave him a sad smile. "Don't mistake Harry wanting to impress you with him not trusting you." Severus just looked at his adoptive mother. "Harry wanted to impress you."

"I was blinded by my hatred of his father," Severus said shaking his head. "And how I acted towards him before has set the tone of our relationship. He doesn't trust me."

"Then what is he doing now?" Minerva asked.

"What?"

"What is he doing now?" Minerva asked again.

"He's asleep. But I don't …"

"Correct," Minerva said, cutting him off. "He's asleep. If Harry did not trust you, he would not be asleep, his head nestled underneath your chin, with his hand gripping your clothes so not to be removed. Harry has found comfort in you. Not anyone else. You."

"What is so special about this? Yes, he's asleep. This means nothing."

Minerva raised her eyebrow at the harshness of Severus' tone.

"Means nothing?" Minerva questioned. "How can you say that this means nothing?"
"He doesn't trust me," Severus said, enunciating each word. "I've hurt him too much for him to."

"Severus, that's not true."

"Really," Severus challenged. "If memory serves me right, you made me go to Surrey. I didn't want to go and see the lavish life that I thought Harry had."

"Stop it," Minerva's tone was harsh. "Are you a stubborn man? Yes. But you are not heartless. Even though you try so hard to convince people that you are. Yes, I told you to go and check on Harry. But that does not change the fact that you have been protecting him since he set foot in Hogwarts. Is he," nodding towards the child in Severus' arms, "cheeky and insufferable? Of course. But you've done more for this child than anyone else. You may have fussed about it while doing it, but you did it none the less. I've been watching Harry these past years, probably not as close as I've done with you, but I have been watching him. Even before your bonding, he's been looking to you."

"Now that I don't believe," Severus sneered.

"Believe what you want," Minerva said. "But I saw the two of you when his name was pulled out of the Goblet last year. He walked to you first. And these last weeks, Harry's been looking for you, seeking you out. You've told me on several of our teas together that he's asked to spend the night with you in your chambers. Why do you think he would want that if he didn't trust you?"

Severus didn't respond to that.

"Let me ask you something," Minerva said, changing tactics. "Do you trust me?"

"You know I do," Severus answered without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Why are you asking me that? I trust you. I've never given you any reason why I wouldn't."

"Calm down," Minerva said. "I was not accusing you of anything. I am simply making a point."

"And your point being?"

"That even with all the trust that you've shown towards me, you have never fallen asleep on me."

"What does the fact of Harry falling asleep on me prove that he trusts me?"

"Because the fact that he IS asleep. If he did not trust you, he would not be comfortable enough to relax, much less go to sleep. But Harry's trust isn't really what's bothering you. It's your response to it. How do you deal with the weight of his trust?"

"I am not trustworthy," Severus sighed.

"Now that's a lie," Minerva smirked. "Stop thinking so low of yourself."

"You think I'm trustworthy?"

"Yes, I do," Minerva said.

"Only you would think that an ex-Death Eater spy would be trustworthy."

"Now," Minerva said, changing the subject. "As far as Umbridge goes, she should not be a problem anymore."

Severus' arms tightened around the child at the mention of the Toad's name. Though it did not show on his face, Minerva could tell that he was trying to contain his anger. She watched as Harry seemed to snuggle more into Severus as he tightened his arms. Minerva saw that and couldn't help the small smirk on her face. She knew that Severus struggled with the trust that Harry was giving him, but it would never say that he wasn't protective of the child.

"Where is the Toad?" Severus sneered, looking down at the boy in his arms.

"Taken care of," Minerva said. "She won't be a problem to Harry anymore."

Severus looked up at his adoptive mother.

"What did you do?"

"I took care of it," Minerva said. "Trust me in knowing that she will not hurt Harry or anyone else for that matter."

"Where is she?"

Minerva pulled out her wand and waved it over the desk. A small globe materialized on the desk. It looked like an ordinary muggle snow globe. Severus, cradling Harry's head with one hand, leaned over and picked up the small globe. When he looked inside the globe, Severus couldn't help the snort that escaped his lips. It was a tadpole on an ivy leaf, sitting in a small pond. The small tadpole looked like she was in a pink cardigan. Severus looked up at his mother. Minerva could see the mirth in her son's eyes and smiled.

"I know you wanted to harm her," she said. "I know you would have probably killed her. I just couldn't allow that to happen. This way she will be where she could be watched and not hurt anyone else."

Severus didn't respond to that. He just put the small globe back on the desk. Minerva stood up and walked over to the two on the bed. She patted Harry's head, letting her fingers get loss in the locks of Harry's hair. She looked at her son and with the other hand cupped his cheek. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"I had Tami lifted the warding off the house. You can go back whenever you are ready."

Minerva then turned and walked out of the room.

_00000_0000_00000

Aberforth sat on Albus' sofa while Albus sat in his armchair by the fireplace.

"So, what is so important?" Albus sighed.

"I was just invited to a Death Eater's meeting," Aberforth said.

"Why would you go? You have no ties with Death Eaters."

"Well, they seem to differ from that logic," Aberforth said. "Bellatrix is dead. Were you aware that Severus was commissioned to brew a liquid version of the Cruciatus?"

"Really? What else have you learned?" Albus asked, rubbing his beard.

"You had once thought that you might be targeted by the Death Eaters."

Albus nodded.

"It's not you they are wanting gone."

"Who are they targeting?" Albus asked.

"Minerva and Poppy."

"Really? I wonder why they are being targeted?"

"Well, with Poppy already dead it is only Minerva they are going after."

Albus nodded again. Then something caught in his attention. Aberforth was never one to deal with Voldemort. Why now?

"Why were you there?" Albus asked.

"They have something over me," Aberforth confessed. "You remember the scandal a few years back about me and my goats." Albus nodded. "Well now they have evidence to the fact that I really did what they accused me of."

"You told me that the accusations were false," Albus said.

"And they are," Aberforth said. "But it still didn't stop them from assuming."

Albus sighed, sitting back in his chair, letting his head lean on the headrest.

"So what is that they have on you?" Albus sighed, not looking at his brother.

"They are saying that I tried to marry one of my goats. And they have enough proof to take my bar away from me."

"You're an idiot," Albus said, shaking his head. "You told me it wasn't true. That there was no way they could substantiate that claim." Albus got up and started pacing.

This was the last thing he wanted to have to deal with especially after hearing what was going on with his Defense professor and her illegal use of a dark artifact.

"So," Albus stopped pacing and was standing in front of Aberforth, "who is holding these claims over your head?"

"Malfoy," Aberforth said. "He came by the bar earlier."

"I can't deal with this right now," Albus sighed, sitting back down in the chair.

"They believe there is some kind of alliance between me and them from what happened this summer," Aberforth said after a while of just sitting in silence with his brother.

"An alliance?" Albus said. "Wait a minute, you said Bellatrix is dead."

"Yes," Aberforth said.

"This just may work," Albus said, absently.

"Care to share, brother," Aberforth said with a sneer.

"Continue to go when you're called," Albus said.

"What?" Aberforth's anger coming through. "I thought you already have a spy for the Death Eaters. Why should I?"

"I don't believe that Severus is telling me everything," Albus said. "I want to know everything that is going on as well as what Tom is doing. Anyway, with Poppy's death and Minerva being targeted, I know he's not really thinking clearly."

_0000_0000_0000_000

Harry woke up laying on something he couldn't quite place. It was comforting, but not hard. There was a faint beating that he could hear as well as feel. His hands; one he couldn't move as the other he could tell a piece of clothing of some kind was in his hand.

Harry opened his eyes and saw that he was laying on something that was all black. Again, everything that happened rushed to the forefront of his mind. This time Harry couldn't help his smile as he once again got another kiss on the forehead. He remember the first kiss the day before, thinking how happy he would be if he got another one. Then remembering the fear that he may not ever get that kind of show of affection from his da again after the nightmare he had. All to be proven null and void as his da once again kissed him on his forehead again.

Harry nuzzled down into Severus' embrace as he remembered the feeling of being loved by his da.

"Are you awake?" Harry felt his da's voice as much as heard it.

Not wanting to lift his head, Harry nodded.

"Do you think we can talk about what happened in your detention?" Severus asked, tightening his arms around Harry.

A small part of Harry wanted to panic at the thought of his detention but the warm embrace he was getting from his da just relaxed him. Harry nodded.

"Alright," Severus sighed. "Now, I know that you had to write lines." Harry nodded. "How many did you have to write? How long were you using that quill?"

Harry bit his lip as he thought about the question. It wasn't a hard question as he knew exactly how many lines he wrote. What was hard was admitting to his da how many he did write.

"Harry, I need to know how long you used that quill. We have to make sure that there is no nerve damage."

"I …," Harry started, but his breath hitched in his throat.

Severus could feel the tension in his boy's body and just held Harry tighter, talking soothingly in his ear.

"It's alright, Harry. I just want to protect you."

Harry took a deep breath and told his da how many lines he wrote.

"It was one hundred and fifty."

Harry could feel his da's arms tightening even more around him. Harry would have thought that as tightly as Snape was holding him, it would start to become uncomfortable, even hard to breathe. That was not the case. He could feel his da's arms around him, but the tighter they were around him, the more comforting Harry became. He wasn't uncomfortable. He wasn't in pain. He truly felt loved.

TBC

Severus stepped through the floo of his chambers, still carrying Harry in his arms as neither one wanted to let the other go. Severus walked down the hallway to the prepared room he had for Harry's stay.

Laying Harry down on the bed, Severus stood and transfigured his clothes into pajamas and then tucked Harry in after once again immobilizing his bandaged arm.

Even though Harry had been asleep on and off since Severus first found him on the stairs, Harry quickly went to sleep after the duvet was draped over him, the child's breathing evening out as sleep once again took him.

Severus walked out of the room, closing the door only leaving it cracked so he could hear if Harry had a nightmare. Walking into the sitting room, Severus saw that Sirius, Derek, and Minerva had made their way through the floo and were now sitting on the sofa and armchair respectively. Severus sighed as he sat down in the only chair left available.

"He's asleep?" Minerva asked.

Severus nodded. The four adults sat in silence a moment until the healer spoke up.

"Well, Severus," Derek said, standing up. "It has been a long evening. I'm going to my chambers."

"I'm going to have a talk with all the Houses in the morning," Minerva said. "I want to see who else was subjected to Umbridge's detentions."

"I'll prepare the Infirmary," Derek replied. "Severus we may need more of that salve, if there are more injuries." Severus nodded but didn't say anything.

Derek left Severus' chambers.

"Come, Sirius," Minerva said.

Severus looked over at Sirius and could tell that he was feeling the same as he was. Looking down at his hands, Severus spoke up.

"Down the hall last door on the right. Go check on him."

Sirius didn't waist any time. He was down the hall within seconds. Minerva smirked at her son.

"Do you know how much I love you, Severus?"

The question shocked Severus that he looked up at his adoptive mother.

"Oh, don't look so surprised," Minerva said, standing up and walking over towards him. She cupped his face. "Get some rest. Like Derek said, before we came back, Harry will probably sleep the rest of the night."

Sirius walked down the hall as fast as his legs would take him. When he got to the door, he saw that it was still cracked, so he, very carefully, opened it the rest of the way. He could see the bed at the far corner. The dim light from the hallway came in with just enough light for Sirius to be able to see Harry asleep in the bed. Very slowly, Sirius walked into the room and towards the bed. Harry was curled up, as much as he could with his arm immobilized on the mattress.

Sirius lightly combed his fingers through Harry's hair as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, pup," Sirius whispered, not wanting to wake the child up. "You can't keep something like this from us. We can only protect you if you let us. You don't have to do everything on your own anymore."

Sirius swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat as he looked down on the child. He thought back to everything that he witnessed and truly wondered how many times did something like this had happen and Harry had to only depend on himself to fix something. Sirius knew that no matter what, he was going to prove to Harry that he was no longer alone. He had so many people that he could depend on. No longer was he alone.

Sighing, Sirius stood up and turned to leave and saw Severus standing just inside the doorway, leaning on the door jam. The two once rivals stood and faced each other. Since the light was at Severus' back and shining dimly on Sirius' face, Severus could see the emotion on the Gryffindor.

Neither said a word, but they both knew that what the other was feeling was the same: protection of Harry. And in that moment, they both knew that something like this would never happen again.

"Mother is waiting for you," Severus said after a moment, then turned and walked out the room, not waiting to see if Sirius followed.

_0000_0000_000_0000

The next morning before breakfast, the Head-of House Professors minus Severus met in Albus' office.

"Is everything alright, Albus?" Pomona asked when she sat down.

She was the last to show up in the office as she was in the Greenhouse checking on some of her latest work.

"Where's Severus?" Flitwick asked.

"Severus already know what I am about to inform you," Minerva said.

"What's wrong?" Pomona asked.

"I dismissed Dolores last night," Minerva stated.

It took everything within both Herbology and Charms professors to keep from snorting at that announcement, as they both knew that there was really no way Dolores Umbridge would have been able to withstand an entire school term. The mirth in their eyes changed with Minerva's next statement.

"It seems that she was using a dark artifact on students during detentions."

"What?" "Who?" Came replies from the other Heads of Houses.

"I have seen the damage to one student," Minerva said. "I would like after breakfast that you have a in-house meeting with all of your students and see if any were subjected to Umbridge's detentions. If they were, please send them to the Infirmary where Healer Williams will be waiting to treat any damage to the children."

"What dark artifact did she use?" Flitwick asked.

"A blood quill."

Pomona gasped.

"And who was the student?" he asked.

"Mr. Potter," Minerva answered. "I'm hoping that, though terrible, he's the only one. But I'm not foolish to trust that."

"How is Harry?" Pamona asked.

"The Healer is not sure the amount of damage until Harry's is able to move his hand and wrist."

"How long did Harry have to write with that quill?" Albus asked, speaking for the first time.

"He confided that he wrote one hundred and fifty lines with that quill," Minerva said.

"Sweet Merlin," Flitwick gasped.

"And that was the second time he was subjected to use that quill."

"The second? When was the first?"

Pomona's question went unanswered as Minerva continued.

"Please hold an in-house meeting and let see what that woman did to our students."

"I'll make the announcement during breakfast," Albus said.

Minerva, Filius, and Pomona got up and headed for the door.

"Where is Severus?" Pomona asked.

"Brewing the salve," Minerva said. "I hope that no one else was subjected to her detentions, but if so, we need to be prepared to treat them."

_0000_000_00000_000

After breakfast, the Gryffindors were all in the Common room. Everyone was either sitting or standing in various places. Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other, on the sofa nearer to the fireplace. Hermione looked around and was slightly amazed that while sometimes the Common room didn't look big enough to have every last Gryffindor from all the years in one room, it was actually the opposite. Everyone was there, except for Harry, and it really didn't feel over-crowded.

There was a low volume of chatter in the Common room. It became silent when Minerva walked into the room.

"Good morning," Minerva greeted.

A chorus of Good Mornings answered her as she looked around at ever face of her students.

"I know you are all wondering why you were asked to come back to the Common room and I promise that I won't hold you long," Minerva started.

Everyone looked around the room at each other and then put their attention back on their Head of House.

"Now, something has come to the Professors' attention and we need to know if any of you were subjected to it."

"What happened, Professor?" Katie asked, who was sitting next to the twins, Fred and George.

"Have any of you have detention with Professor Umbridge?" Minerva asked.

Minerva looked around at each student and could see many of them shaking their heads no. A sigh escaped her lips as she saw that maybe there wouldn't be anymore hurt students. As she continued to sweep her gaze over the students, her eyes landed on Ron and saw that he was slightly paling. Her brow creased as she looked at his reaction. Her eyes then searched for the other Weasley children. Ginny, who was sitting with the Patel twins, looked fine. When she looked for her other set of twins, she saw that Fred was looking at George, but George wasn't looking at Fred. Not wanting to bring too much attention to the Weasley children, Minerva dismissed the children.

"Alright, thank you," Minerva said. "But please know that if you have had detention with any Professor all will be fine."

All the students began piling out of the room going to their various destinations. As the room start to empty, Minerva saw that just a few remained. She was happy that the ones she wanted to see was still in the room. Her eyes went back to Ron who was looking more and more ill. She saw that Hermione was trying to get Ron's attention and failing. Minerva made her way over to the sofa.

"Ron," Hermione said, looking at Ron.

Fred and George made their way over to the sofa as well. Minerva sat down on the opposite end of the sofa to give Ron some space. She could see that Ron was distressed about something. Minerva saw Fred get down on his knees in front of Ron, while George was standing behind the sofa with his hands on Ron's shoulders.

"Ron," Fred called out. "Ron look at me."

Minerva watched the interaction between the three of them. She saw that Hermione was also looking with a mild fascination. But then something caught Minerva's eyes. George had a bandage on his left hand.

"Ron," Fred called again, this time Ron looked at his brother and the first tear came down. "What's wrong? Did you have detention with Umbridge?" Fred's voice was low, but stern.

Ron eyes got big as he remembered the warning Fred gave him before. He wildly shook his head. Fred gave a small smirk and opened his arms. Ron fell off the sofa and into his brother's arms.

Minerva took that opportunity to talk to George.

"Mr. Weasley," George looked at his Head of House. "Would you please come with me?"

George looked over at his twin and then back to his Professor and nodded. Fred stood up with Ron still in his arms. He whispered into Ron's ear and the two of them followed Minerva and George into her office.

TBC

Minerva was sitting in her chambers reading a book when there was a tapping on her window. Looking up, she saw there was a barn owl just outside. Opening the window, she relieved the owl of its burden and the owl flew out where it came.

After having most of the Weasley children in her care since Bill first walked through the Great Hall, she had kept a steady correspondence with Molly and Arthur Weasley. The missives seemed to have doubled when the twins graced the halls of Hogwarts. She cared for them all equally and knew that even though they were a poor family, their poverty was only monetary, not in love.

Minerva opened up the letter and read its contents.

Good Afternoon Minerva, I hope that this finds your summer quiet and peaceful now that the twins are home.

Minerva couldn't help the chuckle at that. Fred and George seemed to always end the school year with some kind of bang and this year was no different. Though this year was a little subdued since they were worried about Ron and him going to the third floor.

I am writing you to inform you of what has just come to my attention. Before Ronald got his Hogwarts letter, I had walked in on Fred, George, and Ron in the mist of doing an Unbreakable vow. I don't remember what the Vow was suppose to be and that I really didn't care. Rest assured that they did not complete the vow as I stopped George, who was the caster, and Fred from taking advantage of the situation. The twins, needless to say, have been punished for what they were about to cause Ron to do. Things went back to normal. Well, normal for our family. Today, a side effect surfaced for the reason for this missive. I stopped the boys from completing the Unbreakable Vow, but since I wasn't there at the beginning of the vow, the bonding became stronger between those three. As you know, Fred and George already have a deep twin bond that no one can completely understand, but them being twins, they are able to finish each others' sentences. Now after the attempted vow making, the brother bond has now grown and added Ronald into the fold. We love our boys equally. But this bonding between the twins and Ron and brought them from being just brothers to it almost if they were triplets.

The reason I am divulging this is because Ron will need to have a little leeway. He will need to see his brothers a little more than, for instance, Percy, and vice versa. Their bonding is just almost a Parental bonding, but not close, meaning Ron will still have Molly and me to answer to if he does something that warrants punishment, but he will have his brothers to answer to if they so choose.

Again, I hope this finds you well. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Arthur Weasley

_000_0000_0000_0000

Minerva walked into her office and sat down behind her desk. She saw George walk in, followed by Ron and Fred.

"Sit down, gentlemen," Minerva said.

There were only two chairs opposite Minerva's desk. She saw George sit down in one, but the other would prove a problem as Ron had yet to release his brother. Minerva smirked as she waved her wand at the other chair and the chair enlarged enough for both Fred and Ron could sit comfortably.

Minerva looked across her desk at the younger Weasley boys. She had had George and Fred in her office at least once since they had been coming to Hogwarts, and in those past seven years, never once did she ever see them look like that. George was looking down at his hands and Fred was looking at George with his arm wrapped around his younger brother, tightly.

"Gentlemen," Minerva began. "Please look at me."

George slowly looked up at Minerva. It took a little longer for Fred to take his eyes off of his twin, as if he was afraid that if he did, he would not be there.

"Now," Minerva said, when she had both of their attention. "I would like to assure you two that you are not in trouble." For once, she thought but didn't say. "When I mentioned Umbridge's detentions, I saw Ron's face."

Minerva saw Fred's arm tighten a little more. Ron, while sitting next to Fred with his head on Fred's shoulder, had not looked up or said anything.

"And just a moment ago, while we were in the Common Room, I saw your hand, George," Minerva continued. "Did you have detention with her?"

Fred looked over at George. He looked as if he was trying to gather courage.

"Yes ma'am," George said, his voice just as strong.

"Let me see your hand."

George looked down at his bandaged hand. Fred had applied Essence of Murlap the night it happened, but for some reason it wasn't working like it should. Slowly, he removed the bandage. Once the bandage was off, George put his hand on the desk. Minerva looked at his hand and her brow creased. As quickly as she could, she went to the fireplace, putting a small pinch of powder in the flames.

"Derek," she called out.

"Yes, Minerva," Derek said, as his head came through the flames.

"Has there been any incidents with other houses?"

"No, thank Merlin," Derek sighed. "Just waiting on you."

Minerva closed her eyes and the looked back at the flames. "I'm coming down with a student."
"There was another one?" Derek sounded scandalous. "Who?"

"George Weasley," Minerva said. "Has Severus gotten to you with the salve?"

"Not yet, but he told me that it's almost finished. He went to talk to his Slytherins in the middle of making the salve."

"Well, step back," Minerva said. "I would rather have us come through the floo instead of walking the halls."

"Come when you're ready," Derek said and his head disappeared from the flames.

Minerva turned to George and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get your hand looked at."

George stood up, but never made it pass the chairs.

"NO!"

Ron got out of Fred's tight grip and latched himself onto George.

_0000_0000_0000_0000

Derek was really hoping that they lucked out with Harry being the only one who was forced to used that blasted quill. That feeling quickly went away when Minerva mentioned the other child. He walked over to the far bed and got it ready to treat the student that was on their way down to the Infirmary.

The flames flared and several people walked out. Derek's heart dropped at the thought that so many may have been affected.

Minerva looked at the Healer's face and knew what he was thinking.

"It's only one," she said. "The others are his brothers."

Derek nodded as he walked towards them so that he could look at George's hand. After a cursory glance at the scars on the hand, Derek escorted George and Ron to the far bed that he'd already had ready.

"I'm going to call Albus and Severus," Minerva announced, walking back towards the fireplace.

"Severus," Minerva called out into the flames.

It took a moment for Severus to respond, but when he did he saw that he looked frazzled.

"What's wrong?" Minerva asked

"Nothing," Severus said. "Just finished the salve. Derek told me that another student was made to use the blood quill."

"Yes," Minerva answered.

"Who?"

"George Weasley. I have to call Albus and let him know," Minerva said.

Minerva broke the connection and then started a new one with Albus.

"Ah, Minerva" Albus said, when he head was in the flames. "I've heard from Pomona and Flitwick and Severus."

"Well, it seems then that she was just targeting Gryffindors," Minerva informed.

"What do you mean?"

"There was only one."

"Who?"

"George Weasley. We need to contact Molly and Arthur."

"Where is Mr. Weasley, now?"

"We're in the Infirmary. Severus is on the way with the salve."

"I'm on my way down," Albus said, and removed his head from the flames.

Albus walked into the Infirmary and saw one of the twins laying in the far bed. What gave him a slight shock was that Master Weasley was not in the bed alone. He could see the the bed was enlarged so that the youngest Weasley son was laying next to his older brother. The other twin wasn't far away either. He was sitting next to the bed keeping vigil over both of his brothers. Derek was applying the salve that Tami brought up on George's hand. His cuts were not as extensive as Harry's but because they had already put Essence of Murlap on the wound and it did nothing as far as healing, George's hand was slightly infected.

Albus walked over to Minerva who was standing just in the middle of the aisle of beds.

"Where is Harry?" Albus asked. "I thought he would be here."

"He's with Severus," Minerva said, still looking at the Weasley children in front of her. "Healer Williams has already looked over Harry. He'll probably check on Harry later."

Minerva turned and faced Albus.

"Do you want me to floo-call Molly and Arthur or are you going to?" Minerva asked.

"I'll do it," Albus said. "Derek," Albus called out to the Healer when he saw him straighten by the bed.

Derek walked over to Albus and Minerva.

"How is Mr. Weasley's hand?" Albus asked.

"Well, it's not as bad as Harry's hand, but it's still bad. George's hand is slightly infected because he didn't get the salve put on his hand immediately after using the quill. From what I gathered, it had been a few weeks since he had used the quill. And unlike the first time I treated Harry..."

"Excuse me," Albus interrupted. "First time?"

"Yes," Derek continued. "Harry was treated for the same cuts on the hand about the first week I got here. Back to George's hand; his use of the quill was longer that Harry's first time, but not as long as Harry's second time. George informed me that he was to write sixty lines before he was permitted to leave. Way more than Harry's first detention which was only twenty, but way less than his last which was one hundred and fifty."

Minerva looked grave. She looked over at the twins and this time, she felt like she really saw them. They weren't the overactive, hyperactive, trouble-making teens that she had seen over the last seven years. They were just children: victims of abuse.

Albus paled and his eyes dulled as he listened to what his students had suffered at the hands of that woman. Truth be told, Albus really didn't want to hire on Dolores Umbridge. He really didn't want the Ministry involved that closely with the school. It was bad enough having the Board of Governors down his neck, but adding the Ministry as well was even more stressful.

"I'm going to go and call for Molly and Arthur. I'll have them floo straight here," Albus said and left the Infirmary.

As Albus walked back to his office, he had a lot on his mind. Though, these incidents with the blood quill on two students was at the forefront of his mind, but the one thing that he didn't like was that Harry was with Severus. That nagged at him. He knew there was no way he could break the bond that they shared, but he could damage it.

Walking into his office, Albus walked straight to the fireplace and connected to the floo and called out the destination.

"Molly, are you there?"

After a moment, Molly's head appeared in the flames.

"Hello, Albus," Molly said.

"Molly, is Arthur with you?"

"Yes, let me go get him." Molly's head disappeared and within a moment both Molly's and Arthur's head appeared.

"If you would, please, come through," Albus suggested and then stood up from the hearth.

Within seconds Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came through the floo. Albus was standing in front of his desk when they saw him. Molly, after having three of her boys graduate and having the remaining four in school, especially the twins, had learned when Albus wasn't sitting down behind his desk that the twins, in particular, had gotten into something that they shouldn't have. Bracing herself for whatever damage her twins had caused, Molly took a deep breath and walked over to Albus with Arthur right behind her.

"Molly, Arthur," Albus began. "There has been an incident in the school."

"What have they done?" Molly automatically asked.

"It wasn't what they have done, but what was done to them."

Molly paled as her hand covered her mouth muffling the loud gasp coming out.

"Where are they?"

Albus couldn't get the Infirmary out of his mouth before Molly rushed out of the office and all but ran down the spiral stairs towards where her boys were. She didn't hear Arthur call out her name in her rush.

Arthur sighed and turned back to Albus.

"What happened?"

"It seems that the new Defense Professor chose a form of punishment that had been outlawed for over a hundred years."

"What?" Arthur's brow creased. "What did they do to my sons?"

"Just one son," Albus corrected. "She has since been dismissed by Minerva."

"What did she do?"

"Mr. George Weasley, along with another student, was forced to write with a blood quill."

TBC

After a moment of tense silence, Arthur spoke again.

"Who?" he asked, quietly.

"I'm sorry," Albus said, leaning closer towards Arthur.

"Who was the other student?" Arthur asked again.

"Harry Potter."

"Boy doesn't catch a break, does he?" Arthur commented and then walked out of Albus' office, heading towards the Infirmary.

When he got to the Infirmary, Arthur could see that Molly was making a huge fuss over George. He saw Ron was in the bed next to his brother and Fred was sitting next to the bed, his knees touching the mattress. Molly was sitting on the other side of the bed, careful not to jar George's bandaged hand, running her fingers through George's ginger hair.

Arthur walked over to his family and stood by Fred. With his hand on his son's shoulder, he could feel how tense he was, and gave Fred and comforting squeeze. Arthur could hear the soothing words that Molly was mumbling into George's ear as she comforted him. It took every bit of himself to keep him within the school, as his first mind was to go and track Umbridge down and make her pay for what she did to his son.

_000_0000_0000_000

After Arthur left, Albus decided he need to insure the next steps in getting a new Professor. He knew it would be difficult but not impossible. He knew where he could find another Professor. Getting up and walking to the hearth, Albus grabbed a handful of powder and threw it in the fireplace. He stepped in and left for his desired location.

Albus stepped out of the new fireplace and into a cozy looking sitting room.

"Who's there?" called a man from another room.

"Please forgive my intrusion," Albus said. "Horace, but I do need to speak with you."

"Albus," an older man with slump shoulders walked into the room. "Sweet Merlin, it's you. Here you are?"

"How are you, Horace?" Albus asked walking further into the room.

"Well, I'm here, Albus." Horace walked over to the window and looked out of it before turning back towards Albus. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering would you consider coming back to your old position."

"Well," Horace sighed. "I'm not sure, Albus. Is Minerva still there?"

"Of course," Albus said. "Oh come now, Horace. You can't still be worried about her?"

"Well, she did promise that she would talk with me about one of my students."

"Yes, well, that particular student is now a Professor there."

"Severus?"

Albus nodded.

"You mean that scrawny little boy is a Professor? What does he teach?"

"Potions, of course."

"Well, I can't deny that he had a talent for it. But if you have him, then why are you asking me for my old position?"

"Will you come back?" Albus asked, ignoring Horace's question.

"Keep that lioness away from me," Horace said.

Albus laughed. "Excellent. Please come by this evening."

Albus walked through the floo and headed back to his office.

_0000_000_0000

About mid-morning all the students were out and about through the school. Some were outside enjoying the cool air. Others walked throughout the hallways. Everyone was with friends, talking.

Susan and Cho were walking down the hallway talking.

"So did you have detention with Umbridge?" Susan asked.

"No," Cho answered. "I tried to stay clear of her. I know she picked on several people."

"Yeah, I heard."

"I wonder how they found out?" Cho asked.

"I heard she'd always pick on Harry."

"Who hasn't picked on Harry?"

A girl with wavy blonde hair stood in the alcove listening to the two girls talking.

"I'm just glad that I didn't have detention with her," Susan said. Cho agreed as they continued on to their destination.

The girl stepped out of the alcove when she heard the voices retreating. Looking down at her hand, she saw the markings from the detentions that she had with Umbridge. Luna didn't come forward with her detentions in the small fear that she would not be believed that waxspurts were the cause of her scars.

_0000_0000_00000

Harry woke up and noticed that he wasn't in the same room anymore. A slight panic boiled in his stomach as he was alone in the room. Why was he alone? Where was his da? He remembered waking up in the room he spent those few days in the Summer, and what his da said. But not seeing him in the room was making the anxiety in his chest grow. With his arm stuck on the bed, Harry couldn't get up and try to find his da.

The nightmare was still fresh in his mind. And every second he was away from his da made him feel like his chest of constricting.

The last thing Harry remembered was telling his da how many times he had to write in detention with Umbridge. Maybe his da thought that he was too much trouble. Maybe he didn't want him around anymore and left him. The nightmare plagued his mind.

Don't bother darkening my door anymore.

"DA! DA!" Harry shouted, hoping beyond hope that his da was still around so that he could again apologize and prove that he could be a good boy. "DA, Please!"

_000_000_000_000

Severus had just finished a larger amount of advanced healing salve for whomever the others could find that had detention with the Toad. He was walking out of his personal lab when he felt the first wave of panic in his chest. The anxiety intensified seconds before he heard Harry screaming.

Severus was running down the hall, hurrying to get to his son. At first it caught him by surprise that he was calling him Da, but it wasn't like he didn't call him that before.

Severus came into the room and saw Harry leaning on the elbow of the arm that was pinned to the bed, tears streaming down his red, blotchy face. Severus wordlessly and wandlessly cast finite on Harry's arm seconds before he scooped the boy in his arm to comfort him. Harry's wails changed from calling out to Severus to apologizing over and over. It broke Severus' heart to hear the despondent cries of his boy. It worried Severus as to what was really plaguing his boy to these upsets. At a loss at what to do, Severus just sat down on the bed and held Harry in his arms, soothingly talking to his, trying to calm him down.

_0000_0000_0000_00

When Arthur showed up in the Infirmary, Minerva spoke to him for a few moments and then quietly stepped out so that the Weasleys could be together in peace. She knew and understood that Ron and Fred would be by George's side for the entire day and didn't expect that they would be back into the Common Room until George was released.

Minerva quickly walked to her chambers as she knew Sirius would be waiting for her. She told her son that she wasn't worried about the threat that was placed upon her. And deep down she really wasn't but it still made her feel a little uneasy that there was someone out there that wanted to do her harm. But her anger as to the reason behind it set her convictions that she would not cower away from this. They were using her to hurt her son. Minerva was a soft spoken woman, fierce but quiet. Her animagus was a cat, but don't underestimate the cat. If someone was threatening or treating her son wrongfully she was a fierce lioness that you didn't want to cross.

Walking into her chambers, she saw Sirius sitting on the sofa staring into the fire place deep in thought.

"Sirius," Minerva called out.

"How could they hurt him like that?" Sirius said, not even looking away from the flames.

"Harry will be alright," Minerva soothed, sitting down on the chair next to Sirius.

"He doesn't trust us," Sirius sighed.

"Oh, not you too," Minerva sighed, exasperatedly.

Sirius looked over at Minerva and saw the annoyed look on her face.

"What?"

"You and Severus," Minerva sighed. "You both think that Harry doesn't trust you. Why? When all the child wants to do is impress you." Sirius blinked at her, totally at a loss at what to say. "Now, I am not going to sit here and listen to you have a pity party because you think that Harry doesn't trust you."

Before Sirius could respond to that, the flames turned green. Sirius quickly stood up and turned into Snuffles.

"Minerva," Albus voice came through the flames.

"Yes, Albus," Minerva said getting up and walking towards the fire.

"Can I trouble you and Severus to come to my office within the hour?"

"Sure, Albus," Minerva said, her brow furrowing as to why.

"I'll see you within the hour," Albus said and the flames died out.

Minerva turned towards the dog in her sitting room. "Let's go." Turning back to the hearth, Minerva grabbed some powder and stepped in, followed by her dog.

_000_000_000_0000

Things had finally seemed to calm down in the Infirmary. Derek had to widen the bed that George was on, twice. At first it was because the younger Weasley would not leave his brother, then he had to do it again when Molly insisted that she be with her child. Now, Molly was sitting on the side of the bed. George and Ron were laying in the bed; Ron in his brother's arms. Fred was sitting in a chair on the opposite side of their mother. Arthur was pacing the floor. Derek could see the anger in the father's eyes, much the same as Severus'.

Derek walked over to Arthur.

"Come," Derek said and walked towards his office.

Arthur looked over at his family, his boys, and then followed Derek into his office.

"Take a seat," Derek said. Arthur sat down.

Not saying a word, Derek went to a cabinet and pulled out two tumblers and a carat filled with an amber liquid. He poured the whiskey into the tumblers and walked back to his desk, where Arthur was sitting. Holding out the glass, Arthur looked at the tumbler and then up at Derek. Without a word, Arthur took the proffered drink, taking a sip and letting the burn in the back of his throat try to soothe his anger.

Derek sat down behind the desk, also taking a sip.

"How is my son?" Arthur asked after a moment of silence between them.

"He'll be fine," Derek assured the man. "Your son applying the Murlap on his hand before helped. But because it was the blood quill that caused the injury and not a normal cut, the Murlap wasn't enough. Severus' salve will heal your son's hand. He may scar, but he will heal."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know," Derek said, knowing full well who Arthur was talking about. "Minerva said she would handle it."

Arthur nodded and took another sip of the whiskey.

The flames in Derek's office turned green.

"Healer Williams," Albus' voice came through the flames.

"Yes, Headmaster," Derek said, walking over towards the flames.

"Please can you come to my office within the hour?"

"Sure, Headmaster."

"Are the Weasleys still there?"

"Yes," Derek said, looking back at Arthur.

"Wonderful," Albus said. "Have them accompany you."

The flames died down and Derek turned to face Arthur, who had the same look of confusion on his face, wondering what it was that the Headmaster wanted.

_0000_0000_00000_000

Albus had one more call to make. A small smirk came across Albus' face as he pictured in his mind the reaction he would receive from Cornelius about the dismissing of Umbridge.

"Minister Fudge," Albus called out into the flames.

After a moment, the Minister head came through.

"Albus," Cornelius greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need you to come through."

"What? Right now?"

"As soon as possible," Albus said, smoothly. "It is of the utmost importance."

"I'll be there within the hour."

"Thank you," Albus said and broke off the connection.

_000_000_000

Severus was sitting in his armchair, trying to relax. Harry's pleas and cries tore at is heart. He had finally gotten Harry calmed down, and the child was currently laying on the sofa. The flames turned green and both occupants look to see who was coming through. Severus saw the mutt come through seconds before his mother came.

Snuffles walked over to the sofa and sat down,making a whining noise, putting his head on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked at him and a small smile came across the child's face.

"Severus," Minerva said. "We are needed in Albus' office. Sirius will watch Harry."

Severus nodded. He got up and walked over to the sofa. Leaning down, carding his fingers through the child's hair, neither said a word. Harry leaning into the touch. They looked at each other for a second and then Severus stood, withdrawing his hand.

He and Minerva walked out of his chambers, both decided to walk to Albus' office instead of flooing there.

Sirius changed back and sat down on the edge of the sofa.

"How are you feeling, pup?"

A small smile still on Harry's face when he looked at Sirius said, "I'm okay."

_0000_0000_000_000

George was worried but pretending to be asleep. He knew that his mother was there, but he didn't really want to talk to her. He knew she would fuss and make a huge deal about what happened, not that he could blame her; his hand was in pretty bad shape. But it wasn't that he was avoiding his mother; what worried him more was his brother. Fred was understandably upset, and hadn't left his side, but he was his twin and it was rare to see one without the other. No, it was his younger brother who had him worried. Ron refused to leave his side. Even when he came and was told to get in the bed. The Healer had to enlarge the bed to accommodate having two of them.

George heard his mother getting up and leaving his bedside. He opened his eyes and watched as his mother headed towards the Healer's office. When he saw that it looked as though she would be in there for a while, George looked over at his brothers. Fred was awake on the chair next to his bed and Ron was asleep, curled up at his side. Ron effectively had George's arm pinned to the bed; Ron's head on George's shoulder. Fred and George looked at each other in a silent conversation. Fred leaned over in his chair, softly shaking Ron's shoulder.

"Wake up, Ron," Fred whispered.

Ron began to stir, turning his face into the comforting shoulder he was laying on. His first thought was where was he? Ron opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was that he was in his brother's arms. Embarrassment coursed through Ron as he knew that it happened again. He had, once again, made a fool of himself. The in house meeting with Professor McGonagall flooded his mind and he realized to more horror that not only did he make a fool of himself, but he did so in the presence of the entire Gryffindor house. That thought made him bury his face in the closest thing, which turned out to be his brother's chest.

A dip in the mattress behind him brought Ron out of his musing. Fred put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Hey," Fred said. "We need to talk."

"I hate this," Ron mumbled from his obscure hiding spot.

"Yes, I know," Fred deadpanned. "Sit up."

Ron lifted his head and slightly turned to see his brother. Ron's initial embarrassment quickly dissipated when he saw the worried look on Fred's face. Turning and looking at George, he saw the same expression on him.

"What?" Ron asked, his voice laced with worry.

"You," was all George said.

"What about me?" Ron asked looking from one twin to the other.

"You want to explain why you acted the way you did in the Common Room?" Fred said. "Did you have detention with that Toad?"

"No," Ron quickly answered, panic in his tone. "I didn't."

"Shh," George soothed. "Then why were you so panicked when Professor McGonagall mentioned it?"

Ron looked from Fred to George and back to Fred.
"I was worried. I know that Harry had several detentions with her. And I know that is what you had," Ron looked at George, "when you came back that night. I saw your hand." After a moment of silence, Ron looked George, "You weren't going to say anything. So I had to."

_0000_0000_0000_000

Severus and Minerva walked down the hallway in silence. Both had a lot on their minds. Mainly, what Albus wanted to see them about. As they got to the gargoyle, it moved once Minerva got close enough. Severus raised an eyebrow at his mother. She looked at him in return and smirked before heading up the spiral stairs. Severus followed.

"Albus," Minerva said, when she walked into his office.

"Ah, Minerva," Albus greeted. "Come."

Albus held out his hand towards one of his chairs across from his desk, offering it to Minerva. Severus came in after her and closed the door behind him, taking the seat next to Minerva.

"Severus," Albus said. "How is young Harry doing?"

"As best as can be expected," Severus answered.

"I wasn't informed as to the extent of Harry's injuries," Albus said. "What was the damage?"
"Severe," Severus said. "His arm must stay immobile right now. As to the extent of the damage caused by that quill, we won't know until we can safely remove the bandages. Right now, he is resting comfortably."

"Please keep me informed," Albus said. "This is a very serious charge and must be handled delicately."

"I agree," Minerva said. "But I must wonder, why are we here?"

"Do forgive me, Minerva," Albus said. "I know it's a little mysterious, but I ask that you be a little patient as I am waiting for a few others to come before this meeting start."

"Meeting?" Minerva asked. "About?"

Before Albus could answer, the floo flared and Cornelius walked through.

"Ah, Cornelius," Albus said, his eyes twinkling. "Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." Albus waved his hand and another chair appeared next to Minerva.

"So, I am here," Cornelius said, sitting down in the newest chair. "What's this about?"

"I will get to it in due time," Albus said. "I'm just waiting for a few more."
Just as Albus finished talking the door to his office opened. Arthur and Derek walked in.

"Excellent," Albus said, clapping his hands. "Let's begin, shall we."

TBC

Sirius sat in the chair Severus was just in, looking at the boy laying on the sofa.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sirius asked again.

Harry nodded.

Sirius wanted so much to hold the child in his arms, feel for himself that Harry was indeed okay, but he wasn't sure it would be welcomed. Harry had Severus now. Why would he want him?

Harry looked up at his godfather. He could see the sadness in his eyes. He knew he was the reason behind that sadness. Just like his da. His da was sad because of him.

"Sirius," Harry called out, bringing his godfather out of his thoughts.

Sirius looked over at the child.

"I really am okay. It's really nothing to …"

"Don't you dare tell me that there is nothing to worry about," Sirius said. His tone coming out harsh. "I saw your hand and arm."

Harry's mouth closed in a quick snap at the rebuke. He could feel his throat burn with tears, but he did not want to shed anymore. He'd shed enough. He turned his head looking at the ceiling.

"No," Sirius said, getting up from the chair and going to the sofa. Knowing that Harry's bandage arm was on the edge of the sofa, Sirius knelt down by the sofa, much like he did when Severus put Harry down after he found him. He grabbed Harry's chin and gently but firmly made Harry turn and look at him.

"Harry you must understand something," Sirius' voice was low and soothing. Harry could feel the tears pooling in his eyes. "You should not have to had gone through that. Do you know that Severus and I are here for you? If someone is hurting you, we want to know about it. No one is allowed to hurt you, Harry."

The first tear escaped Harry's eyes and streamed down to the sofa cushion.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry gasped out.

"I don't want to hear that you are sorry," Sirius said, with a small smile on his lips. "I want you to understand that you are no longer alone. That you do not have to go through this alone. Severus, Remus, Minerva, myself, we are all here for you. And if someone is threatening, hurting or abusing you, you need to tell us so that we can stop it from continuing. I love you, pup, and I don't want to see you hurt like this."

Harry reached out, wrapping his arms around his godfather's neck, as the tears flowed from his eyes. Harry knew that he had the support of Sirius and Remus and even his da, but never understood truly what that meant.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry after the first few seconds of initial shock that Harry gripped him so tightly. Sirius let out a sigh when he finally had his arms around his godson and could feel his breath on his neck and his heartbeat through his chest. He got up and sat on the sofa pulling Harry on his lap.

_000_000_0000_0000

Everyone was sitting in silence for a moment. Albus was sitting behind his desk, his eyes twinkling. Everyone else was sitting next to each other on the other side of the massive desk.

Cornelius, growing impatient, spoke up after a moment of silence.

"My time is very valuable," he grumbled. "What is this about, Albus?"

"Well," Albus smiled. "This is about something that has been brought to my attention."

"And that being?" Cornelius sneered, impatiently.

"Madam Umbridge," Albus said, his smile leaving his face.

Cornelius smirked as he believed all was well with everything his Undersecretary was doing to keep the peace.

Severus looked over at the Minister and felt a rage in him that wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. The Potion Master happened to glance at Arthur and it looked like he too was trying to keep his wand away.

"Are you worried?" Cornelius said in a smug tone. "Worried at what she would find? I'm sure that her report will show the truth of what actually goes on here at this school under your reign."

Albus tilted his head as his eyes narrowed at the Minister.

"She left," Minerva said, speaking for the first time.

"I beg your pardon," Cornelius said, looking over at the witch next to him.

"She left," Minerva said again. "She's no longer here."

"That's impossible," Cornelius said. "I just spoken to her yesterday. She assured me all was well."

"Really," Albus said. "Then would you care to elaborate on who gave that woman the authority to abuse my students?"

"I have no knowledge of abuse, Albus," Cornelius said. "Who was being abused?"

"Harry Potter," Albus replied.

"Well, now," Cornelius said, smugly. "We all know how much that boy exaggerates. He's just trying to gain attention."

Severus did well keeping his true frustration off of his face. But when the Minister spoke about his boy, the anger and rage he was feeling a moment ago seemed to triple in size. He would have hexed the Minister if not for the quick thinking of Derek and Minerva both gripping his arm, keeping him seated in his chair. The action didn't go unnoticed by Albus and Arthur as well. Cornelius was the only one who was oblivious to what was about to happen to him.

"Professor Umbridge," Cornelius continued, putting effort behind the word Professor, "has my full support. This right here goes to show that you all coddle that boy. Harry Potter thinks that he runs things around here. He will soon learn that I am the Minister and I make the laws."

"Are you telling me that you approve the use of a Blood Quill on my son?"

Cornelius was shocked when Arthur Weasley spoke up. His face was puzzled.

"Forgive me, I thought we were talking about Potter."

"Harry wasn't the only one that was subjected to Madam Umbridge's abuse," Albus stated, his eyes twinkling as he got Cornelius right where he wanted.

"You dare approve the use of an illegal artifact to be used inside of a school?" Arthur growled.

Cornelius gulped, audibly. He had never seen Arthur Weasley this angry before. The man was known for his sweet temperament, cool and collected. Never once hearing a bad word said against the man. Yes, Cornelius knew that the man was not wealthy and also had a large family. But his protectiveness over his family was never a question. He did not want it getting out that one of his staff members was abusing children, and he felt himself lucky that Mrs. Weasley was not present. For he knew that though Arthur was protective of his children, Molly Weasley was a force to be reckoned with. And the last thing he wanted was it getting out that a Blood Quill was used on a family member like the Weasleys.

_000_000_000_000

Luna walked around the grounds, her hand still aching. It had been weeks since her detention with Professor Umbridge and she knew that the other Professors were asking if anyone else had detention, but she was too embarrassed to admit to it. Even though she knew that the Waxspurts were the reasoning behind the scratches on her hand, she did not want to get picked on for being the only Ravenclaw to receive detention from the Professor.

Heading back towards the castle, Luna decided to go to the Infirmary. She figured this way, no one would know that she had detention and she could get some help for her hand.

Luna walked into the Infirmary and saw the Weasley twins at the far corner. Actually only one twin was in the bed. The other was sitting by the bed. She saw Ron laying on the bed as well. She tilted her head at what she was looking at. A small smile graced her lips as she looked at the three brothers.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" Molly asked, coming out of Healer Williams' office.

Luna turned and faced the voice behind her. She opened her mouth to reply but her voice seemed to not want to work.

"Luna," Ron called out. He was walking towards her and his mother. It was the first time he stepped away from the twins.

Luna turned back and looked at Ron.

"Luna, are you okay?"

Molly watched the young child that looked no older than her youngest girl. She saw the tension in the girl when she walked up behind her. She tried to keep her voice low and soothing so not to frighten the girl but seeing her tense more and not be able to answer her question, Molly knew she didn't accomplish that task. When Ron walked up, calling her name, she saw the tension leave the girl's shoulders.

"What are you doing here, Luna?"

"You have dragon-pixies all around you," Luna said in a dreamy voice. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at Ron and then glanced over at the twins. "So does your brothers."

Ron, long since used to the things that Luna said, didn't pay much attention to it.

"Luna, why are you here?" Ron asked again.

"The waxspurts were hurting my hand again," Luna said, lifting up her hand.

Ron quickly grabbed her hand and looked at the words that were etched on it.

Molly watched the interaction between Ron and Luna and noticed that this was the first time since she came here that Ron was away from the twins. Molly looked at her twins over by the bed and back to her youngest son. Ever since Ronald got his admittance letter from Hogwarts, he had been extremely close to the twins. It puzzled her when Fred had burned his hand with one of their fireworks and he came barreling out of the house. And now when she came to the Infirmary, Ron was on the bed with George. Seeing Ron grab Luna's hand brought Molly out of her musing. She walked over to the children and retrieved the girl's hand from her son's grip.

Looking at the words that was etched in the girl's small hand, Molly asked, "Did you have detention with Professor Umbridge?"

"I …,"

"Do not lie to me, child," Molly lightly rebuked.

Luna nodded. It had been a long time since she heard a motherly tone. She never thought she would hear it again after her mother's death. Tears nearly choked her to were the only thing she could do was nod her head.

"Ron, take Luna over to one of the beds," Molly ordered. "I'm going to get Healer Williams back here."

She left towards the office once again. Throwing some floo powder, in the fireplace she called out Headmaster's office.

_0000_0000_0000_0000

There was a tense silence in the Headmaster's office when the floo flared green.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," Molly's voice came through the green flames. "Is Healer Williams still with you?"

All were surprised at Molly's voice coming through the flames. Derek stood up and walked over to the flames.

"I'm here, Molly," Derek said, kneeling on the floor.

"Come through," Molly said. "Another student has come with scaring on her hand."

Derek turned back and his and Severus' gaze met. Minerva gave a small gasp at the knowledge of another student being subjected to a detention with that Toad. Her gaze turned deadly as she looked at the Minister sitting next to her.

"Are you going to sit there and tell me that this child is also making this up?" Minerva all but growled out. "How dare you condone this?"

"Severus, come," Derek said, standing up and reaching for some more floo powder to put in the flames. "I'm going to need that salve."

Severus stood up and took a step away, but stopped and looked back at his adoptive mother.

Minerva, seeing the reservation in her son's eyes, spoke up. "Arthur will escort me back to the Infirmary when we are finished here."

Arthur nodded to the statement.

Severus and Derek disappeared in the flames, coming out in Derek's office in the Infirmary. Severus didn't need to go to his lab as he already had some of the salve in his robe pocket. Stepping out into the Infirmary, Derek and Severus saw Molly fussing over Luna Lovegood. The youngest Mr. Weasley was sitting in the chair next to Luna's bed that was next to George Weasley's bed.

_0000_0000_0000_0000

Knowing now that it wasn't just Harry Potter that was subjected to the Blood Quill but at least two other students, one of them being a Weasley, Cornelius knew that he would have to contain this. He couldn't afford for this to get out. His career would be ruined if it would to get out that his Undersecretary abused her authority as well as children.

"Do you really want a backlash to come about because of this?" Albus asked.

"What do you want from me?" Cornelius sighed, knowing his best bet was to conform to what Albus wanted.

Albus' eyes twinkled, madly. Minerva and Arthur knew that whatever Albus wanted was not going to be good for the Minister. Minerva tried to hide her smirk at the uneasiness of the Minister sitting next to her.

TBC

While Derek worked on Ms. Lovegood's hand, Severus walked over towards the twins.

"Professor," Fred greeted when Severus got close enough.

"You want to explain to me how you got detention with that woman?" Severus asked, looking at the twin laying on the bed.

"It was nothing," George dismissed.
"Do not attempt to insult my intelligence, Mr. Weasley," Severus sneered as he sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for the bandaged hand.

Severus heard a little about how George's hand was but after looking at the damage to Harry's hand and arm, he wanted to see for himself what George's hand looked like.

"It really wasn't nothing," George tried again, this time there was a little worry in his voice.

As much as the twins tried to hide it, they truly respected the Potions Master. And the last thing they wanted was to see the look of disappointment on his face. They both enjoyed their time with him making potions with the man.

"George," Severus said, with a gentleness that he rarely spoke. "What happened?"

George, sighing, looked up at his brother and then back at the Potions Master.

"She accused me and Fred of 'immoral acts'."

Severus was shocked by the reasoning but kept silent as he wanted to hear the rest of it. As much as he didn't want to admit, he really did like the company of the twins. The last six years had been interesting with them secretly under his wing.

"She said that we were an abomination," Fred continued.

"And that is what got you detention?" Severus asked looking from Fred to George.

"Well, no, not exactly," George said.

"Well, what exactly?"

"I turned her green," George said with a little hesitation.

If Severus wasn't a master Occlumens and a seasoned spy, his reaction to what George said would have shown on his face. One thing he truly enjoyed about the twins were there brand of justice towards people that they felt wronged someone. It was their brand of justice that initially got them under his wing in the first place.

He caught the twins brewing a dangerous potion, unsupervised. It was volital when he got to the room and only after giving them a lecture that they did not forget, and a months worth of detention, did he learn the reason for why they were making the potion. A first year Slytherin was being bullied in the halls. The twins happened upon one of the bully sessions and wanted to intervene. But it wasn't much that they could do since they too were first years and the bullies were six and seventh years and in their own house. Once he had gotten the full story of what was going on, he went and talked with his mother to inform her what was going on as well as talk with the young Slytherin who was being bullied. As a result of that particular incident, he had become the only Professor that the twins confided in.

"You turned her … green?" Severus asked.

George nodded.

For the first time since dealing with the Weasley twins, Severus at a lost for words. He pulled out his wand and with a slight wave, he removed the bandage so that he could see the wound. Once he got the bandage off, looking at the wound, though it wasn't as deep as Harry's, he could clearly see what his lines were.

'I shall respect authority.'

Inspecting the markings on George's hand, Severus could tell that it was indeed different than how Harry's hand look. One, Severus could tell that the wound was several weeks old. Knowing that, he was a little surprised that they did not say anything to him about it during their weekly 'detentions.'

"I can see that this is relatively old, infected but an old wound," Severus stated. "Why haven't you said anything about this?"

Again, George and Fred glanced at each other.

"Well, sir," George said after taking a deep breath. "I acted on impulse. And I knew you would be disappointed. I was angered by what she implied. Fred tried to calm me down but she wouldn't stop talking about how immoral we were being."

"I probably would have spoken to you about your temper, but it would had let us know about the abuse that you children were subjected to," Severus said. "And Harry would not have been a victim as well."

"Harry?" Fred interrupted.

"That is how we learned of the punishment Umbridge was handing out. Harry was made to write with that quill. He was made to stay and write one hundred and fifty lines."

Both Fred and George blanched at how many lines Harry had to write.

"I understand your need to want to impress me," Severus continued. "But nothing is to go above your safety and well being.

"We're sorry, Professor," Fred said. "We didn't mean for others to get hurt."

"I'm not blaming you," Severus said, raising his hand, ultimately stopping Fred from continuing. "My only concern is that you don't try to handle these things on your own. It is not your fault that Harry got those horrid detentions, nor was it Harry's. The fault lies with your so called Defense professor. I just want to impress upon you two that though I may be upset about the course of action that you take when acting on impulse, your safety and continuing good health is my main concern."

Severus looked from one twin to the other.

"Now," Severus said, changing the subject. "I see that you attempted to apply Essence of Murlap on here, yes?"

George nodded.

"When you saw that it wasn't working, why didn't you come to me?"

"I thought it was a bad batch that we had, so I brewed another one," George explained.

"You brewed a potion? When?"

Fred, seeing that this conversation was going further and further down hill, rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Each conclusion to the Professor's questions were leading them down the path that they did not think.

"Well … we …," George stammered, knowing that part of the agreement with Professor Snape was that they didn't brew potions on their own.

"Since it seems that we are going to have to go back to the basics again," Severus said, re-wrapping George's hand. "This Thursday, you will serve an actual detention with me. After scrubbing a few cauldrons, I will then teach you in how to brew a proper salve that will work on most dark artifacts."

Both twins looked downtrodden at the claim that they would be serving an actual detention. They really loved the time they spent with Snape and making potions and learning subtle things that could help them with their own products. But hearing that they would continue in making potions with the Potions master brought smiles to their faces.

Severus smirked and stood from the bed.

"Get some rest, Mr. Weasley," Severus said, walking away. "Both of you."

_0000_0000_0000

Cornelius left Albus' office. He was not happy with the way things were going. When assigning Dolores to become Hogwarts' Defense Professor, he wanted to get information on Albus as well as Harry Potter. He wanted to make sure that Albus wasn't trying to overthrow the Ministry, by using Harry Potter. The last thing he needed was finding out that his Undersecretary was not only not getting him the intel that he needed but was also abusing the children. He knew he would have to find Dolores and get her side of things. He wanted to know why she would use that form of punishment on all the students. If it was just Harry Potter, then things would be fine, but using it on a Weasley and yet another student was inexcusable but also couldn't be explained or swept away.

Now, instead of Cornelius having something that he could use on Albus, it was the other way around. The Minister sighed as he walked out of the castle, heading past the apparation wards.

_0000_0000_0000_000

After the Minister left, Minerva stood up.

"Well, Albus," Minerva said. "If there is nothing else, I'll retire."

Arthur stood up and stood by the door, waiting to escort her to her chambers.

"If you please," Albus said. "There is one other thing that I feel that needs to be discuss."

"And what is that?" Minerva asked.

Right before Albus answered, the fire turned green and Horace emerged from the flames. Minerva eyes slightly widened when she saw who emerged from the flames. She glanced at Albus before turning her hard gaze back at the newest person in the room. Arthur saw a slightly plump man coming through the flames and noticed that the temperature dropped, considerably.

"Now, Minerva," Albus started. "Let me explain."

"Yes, Albus," Minerva all but growled, as she slowly approached his desk. "Please explain."

"Since you've dismissed Umbridge, we are short a Professor."

"Okay, but why is he here?"

"You know, I'm standing right here," Horace stated a little annoyed. But those words tasted bitter in his mouth from the hard look her received from Minerva.

"Do not remind me," Minerva sneered. "Don't think I have not forgotten what you've done."

"Now Minerva," Albus said. "It was a long time ago."

Minerva head whipped around so fast to look at Albus, all the men was surprised that she didn't break her neck at the movement. Albus audibly gulped.

"And I'm suppose to forget all the trauma and heartache that my son went through because of this man?" Minerva growled. "The blind eye he turned to Severus, and his treatment inside that house."

Horace was about to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, Minerva's head turned back towards him and he quickly dismissed saying anything.

"Minerva," Albus soothed. "Do please calm down. Horace will not be a Head of House, so there is no worry on that front."

"So what is he doing here? If memory serves me right, Defense is not his specialty."

"No," Albus said, shaking his head. "He will take up his previous position."

Arthur, still standing by the door, just watched the scene in front of him with a sense of awe. He always knew that Minerva was a witch that no one dare cross, but to actually see what brought the fear and respect that she received from students was quite a sight. And for the second time during this one conversation, Arthur noticed that the temperature once again dropped.

"And what of my son?" Minerva whispered, enunciating each word that brought a chill down each man's spine.

"The reason I asked you to stay," Albus said, trying to placate his Deputy Headmistress. "Severus will take the position of Defense professor. I know he wanted that position."

Minerva anger quickly deflated when hearing that. She narrowed her eyes at Albus, not truly trusting him.

_0000_0000_0000

Severus walked down to his chambers. When he walked in, he saw Sirius and Harry on the sofa. Harry was asleep on Sirius' lap.

"What's going on?" Severus asked.

"Just coming to an understanding," Sirius said, looking up at Severus.

Severus walked over to his armchair and sat down, but not before walking over to the animagus and his son and letting his fingers get lost in Harry's hair. Sirius looked down at his godson and then over at Severus.

Sirius looked at Severus and realized that this was the first time, ever, that he didn't feel any animosity towards the Slytherin. He didn't even feel jealous. Who would have thought that his godson would bring the two of them together?

"So what happened?" Sirius asked.

Severus sighed. Just thinking about the fact that the Minister pretty much sent Umbridge there to hush Harry up angered the Potions Master.

"Minister Fudge appointed Umbridge for the position of Defense Professor," Severus stated.

"I didn't know he had that authority?" Sirius questioned.

"Usually he doesn't," Severus continued. "But after what happened last year with Moody, and then the return of the Dark Lord, which he doesn't want to believe is true, the Minister wanted to take it upon himself to bring in the next professor."

"Okay," Sirius said. "So he appointed an abusive witch to take the position, as if she would have been better solution?"

"Actually there was more to that," Severus said. "He appointed his Undersecretary for the position for two reasons."

"Which were?"

"To pretty much be a spy on the Professors here, and …," Severus abruptly stopped.

"And what?"

"To shut Harry up on the information that the Dark Lord has indeed come back," Severus said, trying to reign his temper.

Sirius was at a loss for words. He always thought that Cornelius Fudge was a spineless weasel that always wanted to keep his head in the sand when it came to things, but to actively try to quiet down a child from speaking about something that they all knew was true, enraged the animagus.

Sirius looked down at the slumbering child in his arms. At first, he wondered as close as Severus and Harry were becoming, why would Severus let him continue to hold Harry? When, in the last thirty-six hours, Harry would not leave Severus' arms. Then it made sense. Sirius couldn't go after the Minister like he wanted to, being tied down by the precious bundle in his arms.

"So," Sirius said, trying to calm his anger. "What now? Wait to see who else the Minister appoints for the position?"

"Well, no," Severus said. "See, he wanted it to only be Harry that was subjected to punishment. He wasn't expecting that Umbridge would clearly get out of hand. Her having detentions with one of the Weasley twins and Ms. Lovegood took the story of Harry making up the abuse from her hands. If it was just Harry who was forced to use that quill then it would have been his word against hers. But since there were two other children with slightly prominent families, the accusations seems more plausible than just a 'over imaginative teen' who makes up stories of the Dark Lord's return."

"So," Sirius said. "What now?"

Before Severus could answer, the flames in the fireplace turned green. Not knowing who was coming through the flames, Severus quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm over his sofa, to successfully hide Sirius and Harry. Even though only a few people would ever come to his chambers, he did not want to take the risk of someone seeing Sirius in the castle.

Minerva stepped through. Severus stood up and walked over to her and helped her out of the hearth.

"Is everything alright?" Severus asked.

"Where's Sirius and Harry?" Minerva asked instead of answering her son's question.

Severus waved his wand over the sofa, removing the charm.

"I wasn't sure who was coming through," Severus said by way of an explanation.

Minerva didn't respond to that. She just sat down in the other armchair.

"Is everything alright?" Severus asked again.

"I'm sure you've gotten Sirius up to date as to what Cornelius has done?"

Severus nodded as he retook his seat. "He knows."

"Well, Ministry involvement within the school will not continue," Minerva said. "If he wants to keep his position, Cornelius will not interfere."

"Well, that's good," Sirius said. "Isn't it?"

"Yes," Minerva said.

"So, what's the problem?" Sirius asked.

"Albus has gotten a new Professor," Minerva said. "Well, not new, but someone none the less."

"Who?"

"Horace Slughorn is back," Minerva said, looking at her son.

Sirius looked from Minerva to Severus and could see the tension between the two. He wondered what was the problem with having him back.

"He will be teaching Defense?" Severus asked.

"No," Minerva said. "Potions."

Sirius gaze quickly went to Minerva when she said that, and then went back to Severus.

"And where would I be?"

For the first time since finding out, a small smile came across Minerva's face.

"You're the new Defense Professor."

TBC

The next morning Harry and Severus were walking to the Infirmary. After Minerva told Severus that he was appointed the new Defense professor, she and Sirius left. Not even waking Harry, Sirius deposited Harry in Severus' arms and escorted the Transfiguration Professor towards the floo and they left.

Harry had woken up soon after being in his da's arms. Wanting Harry to try and eat something, they went to the little kitchenette and Severus order a light supper for them. During their meal, Severus informed Harry that they would have to see how much damage was done to his hand, so that a form of treatment could get started.

Because it was Sunday morning, there weren't that many students in the corridors. Not that either Harry or Severus noticed. Harry was nervous about what they would find out about his arm. What if he couldn't grip anything in that hand? What if this prevented him from flying anymore? What if his entire arm is rendered useless? What if everybody saw him as useless?

Harry was taken out of his depressing thoughts by a hand resting on the back of his neck. Looking up, he didn't realize that he had stopped walking, or that his da was standing in front of him. Looking at the man in front of him, Harry could see disdain in the man's face. Harry could feel the tears burning his throat.

When Severus noticed that Harry had stopped walking, he turned and faced the child. He could see the emotions he was going through. It showed on his face. Severus was beginning to worry. He walked up to Harry, cupping his hand on the back of Harry's neck. When Harry finally noticed him, the only emotions that Harry was portraying were fear and sadness.

After a few moments of just standing there, Severus coaxed Harry into moving and they continued their trek towards the Infirmary. As they walked, Severus truly began to worry about this new attitude Harry has taken on. In silence again, Harry and Severus made their way to the Infirmary.

Derek was coming out of the back stock room when Severus and Harry walked in.

"Hello again, Harry," Derek said, walking over towards them. "Come sit down on one of the beds."

Harry swallowed thickly and stepped away from Severus, sitting on the farthest bed.

Derek walked over to Severus.

"What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Severus said. "Where are the others?"

"I sent them back to their Common Room last night. Ms. Lovegood's injuries were not that bad. She told me that she only used the quill for twenty lines. Looking at the back of her hand, it only look like scratches. No words were visible on her hands. The same way Harry was when I first saw him."

"And the Weasley?"

"He did use it a little longer, but there was little to no nerve damage that I could see. With the help of the salve that you made, it shouldn't give Mr. Weasley much discomfort. Actually, I feel he should make a good recovery."

Severus nodded and looked over at Harry. Harry was sitting on the bed, his shoulders slumped. The sure picture of dejection. Severus' brow creased, looking at the child. Something was wrong, and Severus was going to find out what.

"Send your house elf to get me after you finish checking over him," Severus said, turning towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Derek asked, grabbing Severus' arm.

Severus glanced over at Harry, who had yet to lift his head, and back to Derek.

"Something is wrong," Severus answered. "I'll be in my office."

Severus walked out of the Infirmary. Harry looked up, seeing his da's retreating back, and couldn't help the first tear streaming down his cheek. His da didn't want anything to do with him. And why would he want a huge disappointment boy that always got into trouble? Using his unharmed hand, Harry wiped the stray tear from his cheek.

"Harry," Derek called out.

Harry lifted his head and looked at the Healer.

"Yes, sir."

"Let's take a look at your hand."

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything.

_000_0000_0000_0000

Severus was almost jogging by the time he got to his office. Once there, he went straight to his library. Knowing that he had books on dark artifacts, Severus needed to know if there was more to the blood quill than just the taking of blood. Finding the book he was searching for, Severus went to his desk and sat down. When he found the passage he was looking for he began reading.

Severus was so immersed. in his reading he didn't hear the knocking on his door. Whomever it was on the other side was determined to gain entrance.

"Enter," Severus growled out after the knocking became too much.

The door crept open and a blond headed boy walked in.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus asked when he looked up.

"I really need to talk to you," Draco said.

"Alright," Severus said, sitting back in his chair, giving Draco his full attention.

"But not now," Draco said, quickly. "I have to go."

Severus brow creased, looking at the boy standing across from him. Draco turned and headed back towards the door.

"Dragon," Severus called out, puzzled by Draco's behavior.

Draco stopped with his hand on the door knob. He lowered his head and then turned his head and looked at his Professor.

"Please, Uncle Sev, I need to talk to you," Draco said.

"I'm here," Severus said, standing up. "Talk."

"Not now," Draco said, desperately. "Please. Not now."

Draco quickly left the office before Severus could say anything else. Severus sat back down, looking at the now closed door where Draco just left out from. As much as he wanted to think on what just happened, he had other pressing matters that he had to deal with. Looking back at the book he had just pinned, he began reading again on the side effects of the use of certain dark artifacts.

_000_0000_0000_000

Derek was sitting on the edge of the bed. He lifted Harry's bandaged arm and waving his wand over the arm, the cloth started to unwind itself from around Harry's limb. Once all of the bandage was removed, Derek was able to get a good look at the damage. Because of the salve that Severus had made, the wound wasn't infected. But it didn't seem like it was healing. Cradling the arm in his hand, Derek looked at Harry.

"Harry, I want you to try and move your fingers."

Harry nodded and did as he was told. His hand felt stiff and his joints felt like it was going to break with the suddenness of movements.

"Does it hurt?" Derek asked.

Even though the pain was immense, Harry thought that he deserved this pain. Harry was about to shake his head, when a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Don't lie," Derek said.

Feeling lower now that he'd been caught, Harry nodded his head. Harry felt nothing but weakness at the pain he was feeling.

Derek lowered Harry's arm onto the bed.

"I'll be right back, Harry," Derek said, patting the boy's leg. "I'm going to get some more salve and we are going to wrap your hand and arm again."

With his head lowered, Harry nodded. The boy felt the Healer stand up and he heard the footfalls to let him know that he had walked away. Harry didn't bother to try and hide the lump that was growing in his throat. He was nothing but a weakling that always needed looking after. He was no good at all. Tears dripped onto his lap as he continued with his depressing train of thought.

_000_0000_0000_0000

Harry walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. His arm was still bandaged mid-forearm to his fingertips. Healer Williams put some numbing cream on his arm so the pain that he was feeling would lessen. Right now, he wasn't feeling anything from his arm, but it was not the same from the hurt he was feeling in his chest.

As he continued on his trek, he felt like the biggest failure. The look of disappointment on his da's face was just breaking his heart. His da didn't even want to be seen with him, leaving the Infirmary so quickly he didn't even want to say anything to him.

When Harry got to the portrait to the Common room, he muttered out the password and walked in. Standing in the entrance way, he could see Ron, and Hermione sitting with the twins talking. Smiles on their faces, they looked as if they were enjoying their time together. Harry didn't want to even bring attention to himself so he quickly walked to the dorms.

"Harry," a voice called out before Harry could make good his escape.

Ron got up from where he was sitting and went over to his friend. Hermione was two steps behind the red-headed boy.

"You alright there, Harry?" Ron looked concern at his friend.

Harry wanted to reply but the lump of tears in his throat almost choked him.

"I just want to be alone," Harry whispered out, side-stepping around Ron.

"Harry, wait," Hermione said, reaching out for Harry's arm that wasn't wrapped. "What's wrong?"

"I can't," Harry said again. "Please."

The first tear escaped Harry's eyes, and Hermione, not wanting her friend to be alone, pulled him into a hug.

Harry really didn't want to burden his friends with how he was feeling, though he really couldn't explain it himself. But being the friends that they were, they would not let him pass. When he felt Hermione's arms wrap around him, Harry couldn't help sagging into her embrace. As much as he didn't want to burden his friends with what he was feeling, he also knew he wasn't strong enough to step away from the hug and deal with this on his own.

What kind of coward was he really? Harry thought as the tears flowed from his eyes.

Hermione could feel Harry's shoulders shaking in her arms. Her only response to that was tightening her hold of him. She had never seen Harry this upset before. It was really worrying her. She looked at Ron who was standing behind Harry and she could tell that he was just as worried as she was.

The twins watched the trio from where they were sitting when Harry walked into the Common Room. They didn't like the way he looked when he came in and seeing his reaction to Hermione and Ron, George and Fred knew that something had to be done. They looked at each other for a moment in silence conversation. After a short moment the two of them got up and walked out of the Common Room.

_0000_0000_000_0000

Derek had sent word to Severus that Harry had already left the Infirmary and that he was heading to his dorm. As much as Severus wanted to be by Harry's side, as he did not like this new attitude that Harry was experiencing. He knew he needed to find out why Harry was acting the way he was.

Severus got up from his desk, walking to one of his many shelves of books and journals, looking for the right tome. Not only was Harry on his mind, but also a certain blond child. Even though he wasn't considered the boy's godfather anymore, that didn't mean that he didn't care for Draco. When Narcissa came over to his house right before the start of term, he had mentioned that Draco was hurt that Severus had indeed become distant. As it was her express orders that Severus no longer would be Draco's godfather. Severus was just as hurt. Deep down he would always care for his Dragon.

Pulling a tome off the shelf, he walked back over to his desk. He was just about to start looking through it when there was a knock on his door.

Thinking it was Draco, Severus closed the book and sat back in his chair. "Enter."

Severus received another surprise when he saw who walked in his office. Usually the twins didn't grace him with their company until their assigned time on Thursdays. Looking at them as they walked towards his desk, Severus could see that they wanted to talk about something.

"A little early for your detention," Severus remarked, looking at the twins before him.

"We need to talk to you," Fred said.

"Alright."

Fred and George looked at each other before George opened his mouth and spoke.

"We're worried about Harry."

"Aren't we all?" Severus retorted.

"Something's wrong with him," Fred said.

Severus sighed.

"I know," he said, getting up from his chair. "That's what I'm working on."

Walking back over to the shelves, Severus looked for another tome. Fred and George watched the Potions Master for a moment.

Severus turned quickly and looked at the twins.

"How are you feeling, George?"

"Fine," George shrugged.

Severus looked over the twin for a second before turning back around, reading the titles of the books on the shelves again.

"Trust that I am searching for a way to help Harry," Severus said after a moment of silence. He had not turned to look at the twins but knew that they were still standing there. "Keep an eye on him." Severus pulled a journal from the shelf and turned to face the twins. "If his attitude changes, changes at all, come to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, Professor."

"Go," Severus said, dismissing them. "I expect you both back here Thursday for you detention."

"We could help you," Fred suggested.

"Help me by keeping an eye on Harry," Severus said, sitting back down behind his desk.

The twins nodded and walked out the office, letting their Professor get back to work. They knew they were being trusted with an important job and they were not going to let Professor Snape down. They walked back to their common room with determination in their steps.

_0000_0000_0000_000

Draco walked out of the castle and made his way towards the outer gates. Turning around, looking to see if he was being watched or followed, and when he saw that no one was around, he continued on to his destination. Walking the passageway towards Hogsmead, Draco went to where he was suppose to go.

The blond boy did not want to be here. Actually, he wished that he was still at Hogwarts. Anywhere inside Hogwarts. But after getting a missive earlier that day, he had to meet someone at the Hog's Head bar. The teen didn't particularly like that bar, but understood why the was the designated place. Walking in the bar, Draco noticed that it was slightly deserted for which he was glad about.

The missive informed him that he was to take a seat alone in the far corner. It wasn't hard for Draco to find one, as there were three empty corners. The thing that caused Draco concern was that whichever corner he picked, he would have to sit with his back to the door and wait for whomever to show up. Taking a breath and steeling his nerves, Draco sat down, wondering how long he would have to wait. His wait wasn't long. He felt a clawed hand wrap around his neck and the tip of a wand jamming hard against the hollow behind his ear.

"Did you tell anyone that you were coming here?" a voice growled in the teen's ear.

With his movements restrictive by the hand and the wand behind his ear, Draco managed to shake his head.

"Very good," the voice said, getting closer to Draco's ear.

Draco felt a chill go down his back. He knew that this was not going to be good. Not at all.

TBC

"Do you know why you are here?" asked the voice behind the teen.

"I don't know," Draco whispered. "The letter just said to come."

The wand slowly moved from behind the teen's ear. Draco's hand automatically went to where the wand was to make sure that he wasn't bleeding. The hand was still on his neck. There was a tight squeeze before the hand removed itself from his neck.

A sigh escaped Draco's lips when the person removed their hand. The teen lifted his head to see who it was standing behind him, even though, he had a suspicion who it was.

His thoughts were confirmed when Fenir sat down across from him.

"Let's get down to business," Fenir said. "Don't want you away from school too long."

Draco didn't respond. He just swallowed.

"You were tasked to kill someone, yes?"

Draco nodded.

"What have you done to complete your mission?" Fenir asked.

Draco said nothing.

"Have you even gotten close enough to her?"

Draco wasn't able to hid his surprise at the last question he received. Her?

"Her?" Draco voice was low, but the werewolf across from the teen heard him clearly.

"You really don't know why you were asked here?" Fenir sounded shocked. A crooked smile came across the werewolf's face.

"Who were you told your target was?" Fenir asked after he looked the teen over.

"Dumbledore," Draco said.

"Well," Fenir said, smiling and leaning his elbows on the table. "Your target has changed."

"Changed?"

"Your target is Professor Minerva McGonagall. And to ensure that you complete the job, if you do not, you're mine."

Draco paled at the thought of what he just heard. Not only would he have to try and kill his Transfiguration Professor, but he would have to succeed if he doesn't want to be turned. Draco had no qualms understanding what Fenir meant when he said that he would be the werewolf's.

Draco felt sick to his stomach. How could his life be like this? There was no way that he could succeed this mission. This mission was a death sentence for him. He knew it. Draco was walking back towards the school. As he could see the castle becoming closer and closer, Draco realized that he was going to need help, badly. There was only one person that he truly trust in that school and he was going there as soon as he walked inside.

_0000_000_0000_00

Severus was reading over a tome when the fire turned green and Albus' voice came through the flames.

"Severus."

"Yes, Albus," Severus said from his desk.

"Can you please come through?"

Severus sighed as he looked at the green flames. He wanted to find what was causing his child's depressive state and it seemed like everyone was against him in finding an answer.

"Coming," Severus said, closing the tome on his desk and getting up.

Severus stepped through the flames and saw Albus was not alone. Sitting across from his desk was his old Head-of-House.

"What can I do for you, Albus?" Severus asked, walking over to the desk not paying the other man any attention.

Old wounds ran deep with the Potions Master and his old Head-of-House. Growing up, Severus never really gave much care to being a Professor, but now that he was, the one thing he knew he would not allow was bullying with his own house. Slytherin always had a bad rapport with the other houses, and if anything, he wanted his Slytherins to know that they had a peaceful home inside this castle. Something he never had during his stay as a student. Severus had a peaceful place only around Minerva or Poppy, but never inside his own house. But what hurt Severus more was that his Head-of-House turned a blind eye towards the bullying within his own house.

Severus learned during his beginning years that he truly had no help within his own house. It wasn't until he gotten into his fifth year, that things changed that the bullying had calmed down. Severus never really knew what changed about it from one year to the next, and he never asked. By that time, he learned to keep his head down.

"Ah, Severus," Albus spoke, bringing Severus out of his memories. "As I am sure you already know from Minerva, you are going to be the new Defense Professor."

Severus nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Since it is the middle of term," Dumbledore continued. "I'll give you the week to get a lesson plan going."

"I appreciate that," Severus said.

"Also, I would like to know," Albus said, "since you will not be Potions Professor would you like to relinquish your title of Head-of-House."

For the first time, rage and anger filled the Potions Master.

"And what, give it to him?" Severus fumed, pointing at the man sitting next to where he was standing. "I think not. I and my Slytherins have a good relationship. They know that they can come to me for anything." That last part came out in a growl and he was looking at Slughorn when he said it.

"Let him take over Potions," Severus continued, facing Albus again. "He was somewhat competent in that area. But he will not have run over my Slytherins. I will take care of my Slytherins."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Albus said, "as I was not asking your permission."

"You're taking my Slytherins away from me?" Severus asked, incredulously. "And if I refuse?" Albus looked up at the Potions Master. "You'll fire me? Have me arrested?"

"Now Severus," Albus started, but was cut off.

"You need another professor. You asking me to take over the position does not mean that you can take away my Head-of-House duties. The only way that can be accomplished is if the Board of Governors deem me not trustworthy to watch over the children. As I have not had any complaints, you have no right to try and remove me."

"But I have the power to dismiss you," Albus said.

"You have no cause to," Severus retorted. "I have given you no reason for a dismissal. And if I were to give up my Head-of-House position, who were you planing on giving it to? Him?"

"He has held the position before," Albus said.

Severus narrowed his eyes at Albus and looked over at his former Head-of-House. He then quickly turned to the fire place and threw in a pinch of powder.

"Vocans caput, domorum(*)," Severus called out.

"Now, Severus," Albus said. "I do not think this is necessary."

Severus just watched the flames turn green and then the heads of the other three Head-of-Houses came in the flames.

"What is going on?" Pomona asked.

"What is the meaning of this?" Filius asked.

"Severus?" Minerva spoke.

"Please," Severus said, quieting the other Head-of-Houses. "Come through to the Headmaster's office."

"Severus there was no need to call the others," Albus tried again.

Severus didn't reply as Pomona stepped through the flames first, followed by Filius. Minerva was last. Pomona and Filius walked over to the Headmaster, but Minerva walked over to her son.

"Albus, what's going on?" Filius asked. "Horace, I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"I'm good," Horace spoke for the first time.

Minerva watched the small exchange between Filius and Horace and then turned to her son.

"Severus, what's going on?"

"I'm being removed from my Head-of-House position," Severus said loud enough so that everyone could hear, not just Minerva.

The looks of shock on Filius and Pomona's face surprised Albus. He didn't think that they would be on Severus side. The look of pure murder on Minerva's was a given.

"Has there been a complaint about Severus?" Pomona asked.

"No," Albus sighed, knowing this wasn't going to go the way he wanted. "I was ..."

"Then why are you removing my son?" Minerva all but growled the question. "When I left here, you gave me no indication that Severus was losing his position. What changed?"

"Now, Minerva," Horace spoke for the second time. "I asked for my original position back."

Minerva's angry gaze went to Horace Slughorn so fast that he visibly flinched at the look she was giving him.

"Who gave you the right?" Minerva asked, slowly walking over towards the man.

"Now, Minerva," Albus said, but was ignored.

"After everything you put my son through, you thought that you could take his position from him?"

Horace seemed to sink further into the chair as Minerva advanced on him.

"Albus," Filius spoke, looking over at the Headmaster. "Please tell me you were not actually considering giving Horace Slughorn back the Head-of-House position."

"Why are you opposed?" Albus asked the goblin.

"You may want to have a blind eye to what has happened, but I will not stand by and see it happen again," Filius said. "I have been here for a good many years. You know that. And what I've seen with that man here, it's not right. And unless you have a formal complaint on Severus Snape, then there is no reason to take away his Head-of-House status."

"He's going to be the new Defense professor," Albus weakly argued.

"And that means what?" Pomona said. "We all are professors to courses here at Hogwarts. Transfiguration. Charms. Herbology. Potions." She pointed to everyone in the room except Horace. "What will be different with Defense?"

"Unless," Minerva gasped, looking horrified at Albus. "You really are planning on dismissing him."

"What do you mean?" Pomona asked.

"The students have been speaking of this for the past seven years," Minerva said. "The Curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Now, Minerva," Albus tried to soothed. "You know that is preposterous."

"Really?" Minerva challenged. "The entire student body speaks about the fact that they have not had the same Defense Professor more than a year. Actually, Dolores is the first one to not even make it the entire school term."

Minerva walked the short distance to Albus' desk and leaned over, her hands in the middle of the desk.

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Albus said, trying to smooth things over with his Deputy Headmistress.

"Then prove it."

"How?"

A smirk came across the Transfiguration professor's face as she stood up. Albus sighed as he knew whatever she came up with, in the long run, he wasn't going to like it, but would have to live with it.

TBC

A/N: (*) Vocans caput, domorum is Latin for 'Calling Head-of-Houses.'

He couldn't believe what he just witnessed. The walk back was as if he was on autopilot. He didn't notice anything on the way. He didn't realize he had made it back until he was in front of the portrait. Draco sighed and kept walking the shorter distance from the Slytherin Common Room to his Head-of-House's office. Draco stood in front of the door and looked at the wooden door. So much was going through his head. The one thing that stood out was his new orders. How was he suppose to kill Professor McGonagall? It was completely impossible. Draco knew he was going to definitely need help. Draco also wasn't stupid. He knew his Godfather had a special place in his heart for the Transfiguration professor. Before he had even started school, Draco would spend a few days at his Godfather's house. Sometimes, before he even knew who she was, she would come over and spend the day with them. Draco actually would enjoy his time with Professor McGonagall.

Raising his hand, Draco knocked on the wooden door in front of him.

"Enter," came the reply from the other side.

Draco sighed as he let himself into the office.

"Uncle Sev," Draco said, once he closed the door.

Hearing that title, Severus lowered the quill that was in his hand and looked up at the teen who was still standing at the door. Draco looked disheveled. His usual crisp, clean uniform was wrinkled as his robes hung off his shoulders. His tie was undone, hanging loosely around his neck. He looked like the personification of pure dejection.

Severus stood up at his desk.

"Dragon," Severus called out, using his familiar nickname instead of his professional title.

Draco looked up at his Professor with red-rimmed eyes.

"I need help, sir," Draco whispered.

_0000_0000_0000_000

Harry lay on the bed. He did not want to get up. He didn't want to see the disappointed looks, especially from his da. Rolling over onto his side, Harry saw the bear that he'd been clinging to since his stay in the Infirmary during the summer. Right now, it sat at the foot of the bed; the furthest point away from him. As much as he wanted to grab for the bear and hold it tightly, since his curtains were closed and he didn't have to worry about the others seeing his childish behavior of sleeping with a teddy bear, he didn't want to hold the bear because the smells that came from the bear were ones that calmed him down when he was upset. Now those smells reminded him of the disappointed looks that his da gives him.

"Harry," Ron's voice could be heard on the other side of the curtain. "Come on, Harry. We have to get dinner."

"Go without me," Harry answered back. His voice a harsh whisper.

Ron quickly opened the curtains separating him from his best mate. Harry turned and looked at his friend with a hint of anger. How dare he invade my privacy? Harry thought.

"Get up," Ron's voice broached no argument. The anger that was starting to build in Harry quickly deflated hearing Ron's tone. "You will not sit here and waste away. You have ten minutes to get dressed so that we can go to dinner."

Harry sat up and watched as Ron left out of the dorm.

Ten minutes later, the trio were walking down the hallway heading for the stairs, Ron and Hermione standing next to each other while Harry was trailing behind. Both Ron and Hermione were worried about Harry and each would steal glances behind them to see if Harry was still walking with them.

When they got to the Great Hall, Harry would have sat at the end of the table, closer towards the door, but Hermione grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him further down the aisle of tables until they were in the middle, and sat down.

Ron and Hermione sat on opposite sides of Harry. Surprisingly, the twins sat across from the trio. Harry sat with his shoulders slumped and head bowed. He didn't want to look up at the head table. He couldn't face the disappointing looks. He knew he was a coward for not looking, but he couldn't help it.

Fred and George looked at Harry and they and Hermione and Ron looked at each other. George nodded to Ron and Ron began filling Harry's plate with food. Not a lot, but enough to fill the plate.

When the plate was placed in front of Harry's view of the table did he look up. He saw that not only were Ron and Hermione looking at him with concern, but also the twins were.

"Eat," Fred said, softly.

Harry tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. He slowly picked up his fork and began eating, his bottom lip trembling as he chewed. Hermione put her hand on Harry's wrist and gave a comforting squeeze before she began her own dinner.

The twins were not the only ones watching the trio. At the head table, the former Potions professor and Transfiguration professor were watching Harry. Severus couldn't stand it. He couldn't eat another bit until he found out what was wrong with Harry. Quickly standing up, Severus excused himself from the table and rushed back down to his office.

So much was on the man's mind from what he learned from Draco to what was ailing Harry. As much as he wanted to worry about what Draco was dealing with, he couldn't think on it now. He needed to see his Harry smiling again. It seem to be the only thing that mattered now. And Severus was determined to make that possible for the boy whom he was seeing as his own son.

Severus had been working for almost an hour when there was a knock on his door. Usually he would barely have visitors when he was in his office, and now it seemed like everyone wanted something from the man now.

Sighing, Severus looked up and called out, "Enter."

Minerva walked in, closing the door behind her. She didn't say anything as she walked over towards his desk. Severus watched as his mother approached him. She looked down at the array of journals and tomes that were over Severus' desk. Reaching over and gripping his hand, she sat down across from him and began looking through one of the discarded tomes, no words were spoken between the two of them. Severus looked at her for a moment longer before resuming what he was working on when she knocked.

Another hour was quietly working and neither one said anything. Then there was a small gasp from Severus that brought Minerva's head up from what she was reading.

"You found something?" Minerva asked.

"I think so," Severus said, looking up at his mother. "Have Harry taken to the Infirmary. I'll be there shortly."

Minerva nodded and walked over to the fireplace.

_000_000_000

Dinner was over and Harry was back in his bed with the curtains drawn closed. Laying in the bed, he just looked at his bear, longing to hold it, but not having the heart to wrap his arms around the plush toy.

"Harry." A voice called again from the other side of his curtain.

Recognizing that it wasn't Ron this time, Harry sat up and peeped through the slit in his canopy. There on the other side was his Head-of-House.

"Please come out, Harry," Minerva pleaded.

The plea alone brought Harry out of his confined space. Standing before his Head-of-House, Harry looked up at her.

"Would you come with me, please?" Minerva asked, but turned to leave without Harry responding.

Sighing, Harry slowly followed his Transfiguration Professor out of the dormitories and soon out of the Common Room.

The two of them walked in silence as they made their way towards the Infirmary. Once they reached the Infirmary, without being told to, Harry went to one of the cots and sat down on the bed. Minerva went into the Healer's office to see if Severus was in there.

Harry sat quietly on the cot, wondering why he was called to come to the Infirmary. He wasn't due for his bandage to be changed for another two days. He was brought out of his musing by feeling something nudging at his arm. When he looked up he couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. There standing right next to his bed was a doe. Not a real doe but a patronus. The doe looked up at him and they looked into each other's eyes. It gave him the most calm feeling he'd felt in days. Actually the last time he felt this calm was when he spent that Thursday evening with his da. The first time his da kissed him on the forehead.

A teary smile came across the child's face as he looked at the doe. The doe lowered her head and put Harry's arm in its mouth. Harry's arm began to burn. The feeling was intense. His shoulders shook with sobs but no sound came from his mouth. It was a weird feeling. He was in pain from his arm, but the calm feeling was still there. Love just seem to surround him and even though his arm was in a great deal of pain, for the first time, it was not the only thing that Harry was feeling.

Derek and Minerva came out of his office and saw Severus standing at the door, but not coming in. the Potions Master's attention was on the boy on the bed. They looked over at Harry and could see the Patronus by Harry. Minerva looked over at her son and could see that Severus was in deep concentration so she decided to wait and ask her questions when Severus was done with what ever he was doing.

When the doe straightened back and looked at the child, Harry looked down at his arm. Without thinking, Harry began to unwrap his arm. When he finished, he was shocked at what he saw. There were no visible words on his arm anymore, only superficial scratches that would probably heal in a couple of days if not sooner.

The doe stepped back and then disappeared.

"Mum," Harry whispered.

Without looking at either Minerva or Derek, Severus, walking pass them, went straight to Harry's side. Harry looked up when he heard footsteps coming towards him. Seeing his da walking towards him with purpose, brought a smile to his face. Not even giving his actions a second thought, Harry got off the bed and rushed over to his da, wrapping his arms around his torso.

"Thanks, da," Harry whispered in Severus' robes.

Harry just wanted to laugh at how light he was feeling. All those heavy, dark feelings just seemed to go away, instantly. It was the best Harry's felt in the last couple of days.

Severus wrapped one arm around Harry's shoulders while the other hand cradled the boy's head. Whatever darkness was surrounding his son, was now gone. His Harry was back. Severus just hoped that Harry would learn something from this incident.

After getting checked by Derek, Harry was allowed to go back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry actually felt excitement of seeing his friends as he walked down the hallway.

Severus, Minerva and Derek went into Derek's office.

"You want to tell me what that was?" Derek asked.

"Harry was dealing with a side effect to the prolonged use of that quill."

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, confusion in his voice. "I've never heard of any side effects."

"Yes, well," Severus said. "There aren't many documented cases. Usually Blood quills are used under strict circumstances. And it is usually Goblins that have use of those quills because of the nature of the item. Harry was made to use it as a punishment and then for an extended length of time. He had to write one hundred and fifty lines. Far more than anyone has ever use it.

"The longer that Harry was using the quill the more the dark essence was seeping in to the child. Harry was becoming depressed. I could see it in his face."

"So what was with the patronus?" Derek asked.

"Harry's depression was similar to that if he was subjected to a Dementor," Severus answered. "All of his happiness was being sucked out of him by that wound on his arm."

"So the patronus was sucking the darkness out of Harry?"

"Exactly," Severus nodded.

"Don't you think we should do the same with the others?" Minerva asked, speaking for the first time.

"The only other one that may need it would be the Weasley teen," Severus said. "Ms. Lovegood didn't use it long enough for it to effect her that bad. But I'm still undecided about Mr. Weasley."

"We should bring him in," Derek suggested.

"No," Severus shook his head. "Mr. Weasley didn't use the quill as long as Harry did. Also his happened weeks ago. If it were to happen, we would have noticed it already. They have detention with me on Thursday, if there are any noticeable problems outside of the usual, I'll send them up here."

_0000_0000_0000_0000

Harry walked into the Common Room and saw his friends sitting over on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

"Harry," Ron called out, when he saw his best mate walk in the room.

Harry walked over towards his friends and sat down next to Hermione, on the sofa.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Better," Harry said, a small smile on his face. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry for how I've been."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Ron said, wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulder. "We were just worried about you. But you look better now."

"Yeah, I feel better," Harry said.

"Harry, promise me something," Hermione said. Harry looked over at her. "Promise that you won't keep something like this away from us. We're your friends and we don't want to see you hurt or upset."

"Hermione, I …," Harry started, but Ron cut him off.

"Don't apologize, Harry. You're our friend and we already know that you would do the same for us if you were worried about us. Let us return the favor."

Harry nodded.

"Great," Ron said, moving his arm from around Harry and clapping his hand. "Now that that is over with, do you want to play some chess?"

The first time in what seemed like a long time, Harry smiled.

"Yeah," Harry said.

The trio sat around and enjoyed each others company. Ron and Harry played a few games of chess, not that Harry won any.

Later that night, everyone was in bed asleep. Harry lay on his bed looking at the top of his canopy. He didn't lie to his friends about how he was feeling. He truly was feeling a whole lot better, but there was something missing. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Realizing what it was, Harry quickly and quietly got out of bed, going into his trunk, finding what he needed, he rushed out of the dormitories and out of the Common Room.

Severus was sitting alone in his chambers. He had a cup of tea on the small table next to him. He completely felt drained. So much had happened that it felt like it has been a week, not the three days it really was.

Tomorrow he would be introduced as the new Defense Professor. For years he had wanted that job. Now, he had it. Severus knew that his position was going to come at a price. At first the price was going to be his Slytherins. But thanks to his mother and the other Heads-of-Houses, he was still the Slytherin Head-of-House. He had lived his entire school career under Slughorn's blind eye. He was not like Pomona, who hugged and coddled her house. Severus was not a hug-able person, (well not before dealing with Harry), but his Slytherins knew that he was an advocate for them. He was about fairness. He wanted to make sure that his Slytherins would be treated equally. He never really had a problem with the other houses. The students would be students in there would be arguments but nothing that would cause a huge riff that put Houses completely against each other.

Thinking back on the meeting in the Headmaster's office, Severus had to admit to himself that he was quite shocked by Filius' admission. Severus had no idea that the Goblin was aware as to what happened to him during his time as a student.

Severus didn't trust Albus. Knowing that if Severus didn't have the support of the other Heads-of-Houses, Albus was planning on removing his position and also see to it that he didn't last the rest of the school year.

_000_0000_0000_0000

Harry, wrapped in his invisibility cloak, made his way down to his da's chambers. Harry realized that with everything that happened since Friday, he was robbed of spending the night with his da. With determination in his every step, Harry made his way through the deserted halls. It didn't dawn on him that he did not have the password to is da's chambers. Standing in front of the portrait, Harry looked at the doe. Seeing the doe gave him a calm feeling, like in the Infirmary. Harry pulled off the cloak and got closer to the portrait.

The doe was looking at him as Harry stood in front of it. The doe tilted her head when Harry slowly reached out and lightly touched the panting. What Harry didn't know was that on the other side, Severus was being alerted that someone was standing in front of his chamber door.

Harry was so entranced with the doe that he was startled when the portrait swung open revealing his da.

"What are you doing here?" Severus asked, his voice almost had a growl tone to it.

Harry blinked up at his da for a second before as if he was waking for the first time.

"I don't have the password to your chambers," Harry said after a moment.

Severus raised his eyebrow at the fact that Harry did not answer his question. Severus reached out, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder, he pulled the child into his chambers, closing the portrait back.

Harry walked into the room as if nothing was wrong and sat down on the sofa. Severus, still slightly stunned as to why Harry wasn't in his dorm, was still standing at the entrance way.

"Mr. Potter," Severus said, sounding stern. "How did you get down here without getting caught?"

Harry, not deterred from the tone of his Professor, smiled cheekily, lifting up the silvery invisibility cloak.

"You still have that thing," Severus said, ofhandedly. "I'm going to have to see about that."

Severus walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Harry.

"Harry," Severus tone lightened. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said, still having a smile on his face. "I just realized that I was robbed."

"Excuse me," Severus said, turning slightly so that he could look at the child. "Robbed?"

"Yeah," Harry said with conviction. "I was supposed to be able to spend the night."

"And I suppose last night – ," Severus started, but Harry cut him off.

"That doesn't count."

"I see," Severus said. "And what made you think that today would be any different?"

"Well," Harry said, sitting back on the sofa. "I'm already here. And you don't want me to get in trouble. I can't go back to my dorm as I might get caught being out in the corridors at night. And we don't want that."

"Why you sneaky brat," Severus said, standing up.

"So, I need the password to your chambers," Harry said, standing up next to Severus.

"I don't think so," Severus said, shaking his head.

Harry almost look crestfallen at what Severus said, but a thought passed his eyes that Severus saw.

"What?" Severus said.

"That's okay," Harry said, still smiling. "I'll just ask mum."

"Excuse me."

"That's who is in the portrait, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I'm sure that I can figure out the password by myself."

"Cheeky brat," Severus huffed, lightly gripping the back of Harry's neck and bringing him into an embrace.

Harry wrapped his arms around his da's waist. The last few days were hard, and he hoped that he never felt like that again. This was what he missed the most. The light banter between the two of them.

"Come on, brat," Severus said, releasing the teen. "It's late. You need to get into bed. As you are going to the Great Hall for breakfast in the morning."

The two of them walked down the short hallway to the last door on the right. Harry walked into the room and went straight to the bed. Severus covered the child, when Harry laid down and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Alright, go to sleep," Severus ordered.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, raising his hand and giving a mock salute.

Severus swatted the boy's covered hip, teasingly. He then leaned down and kissed the boy on the forehead.

"Get some rest," Severus said, sitting back up.

He got up from the bed and walked over to the door. Harry rubbed his forehead lightly where Severus had kissed him and smiled.

"Love you, da," Harry whispered, then closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Severus stopped at the door, hearing what Harry had said. He quickly turned to the child and saw that he was already dropping off to sleep.

That boy definitely had ways of stunning him speechless, Severus thought, as he walked out the room, closing the door behind him.

TBC

"POTTER!"

Harry's eyes snapped open at the roaring voice. Sitting up in the bed, he reached for his glasses that were on the night table. He was about to get out of the bed when the door burst open. Standing in the doorway was an enraged Potions Master.

In the beginning, Harry was smiling when he recognized who was standing at the door, but seeing the anger on the man's face, Harry's smile quickly vanished.

Severus took a step into the room and Harry audibly gulped.

"Da," Harry called out.

"What are you still doing here?" Severus sneered.

"I … I just wa … wanted to stay the night," Harry stuttered, fear showing in his eyes. "Like we planned."

Severus closed the distance between them and gripped Harry's nightclothes effectively pulling the smaller child out of the bed in one fluid motion.

"I told you to never darken my doorstep," Severus growled in the boy's ear. "Now, you have the audacity to break into my chambers as if you own it."

Harry was completely shocked at the accusation. Last night was back to normal. No hiding detentions. He actually got his da to smile. He gave him a kiss on the forehead. Again. What happened from him going to sleep to now?

During Harry's musing, he didn't realize he was being dragged out of his Da's chambers until they were in the sitting room. While he was being dragged, Severus pulled in him in such a way that Harry banged his knee into the side table next to the sofa. Harry cried out in pain from colliding with the table, but it didn't deter Severus from physically removing the boy from his chambers. As a result of hitting his knee, Harry tripped over his foot and fell towards the floor. He would have completely face-planted onto the carpet if Severus didn't have a tight grip on his top.

"Get up," Severus growled. "I want you out of here, you ungrateful whelp."

"Da, please," Harry gasped out as he tried to regain his footing while also pulling on the collar of his top as it was choking him.

Giving a mighty yank on the fabric gripped tightly in his hand, Severus pulled the boy to his feet and swung him so that he was standing in front of him. With now both hands gripping Harry's shirt, Severus pulled him closer until they were almost nose to nose. Harry standing on his tiptoes.

"You are to never, ever come to these chambers again," Severus growled. "If I ever see you outside of class again, I will give you detention that would rival what that Toad gave you. Do you understand me?"

The hate and venom that was radiating off of the man made Harry choke back a sob. There was no love in the man's eyes before him.

"Da, please," Harry tried to plead again.

"Stop calling me that," Severus roared, pushing Harry away from him.

Not being able to catch himself, Harry fell to the floor next to the door.

"As if I would ever want to be saddled with the likes of you. You're nothing but a burden. A complete waste of space."

Harry sat up. His breathing was erratic. Tears were streaming down his face. He looked around the room and saw that he was still in his room in his da's chambers. There was a light knock on the other side of the door.

"Harry, time for you to get up."

Harry recognized the voice of his da and it sounded no way like his nightmare. Hearing his da's leave from outside his room, his breathing started to calm down. He wiped his face with the backs of his hands, trying to get rid of any telltale signs of his nightmare.

Harry walked out of the room, down the hall, and saw Severus was reading the Daily Prophet, sitting in his armchair.

"I don't want to hear any excuses about you wanting to stay down here. You need to be in the Great Hall for breakfast," Severus said, without looking up from the paper.

Trying to push the nightmare from his mind, Harry swallowed attempting to rid himself of the lump that was growing in his throat.

When there was no response, Severus lowered the paper and looked up at Harry, who was still standing in the entryway. Narrowing his eyes, Severus put the paper on the side table. Getting up, he walked over to the child.

Harry saw his da walking towards him, remembering the nightmare and how his da forcefully gripped his shirt and pulled him out of his chambers, he took a step back.

Severus stopped in mid-stride. He could practically feel the fear coming off the child. The question was what was causing this fear? Was this still a side effect from the prolonged use of the quill? Did he overlook something?

Those and more questions were popping into Severus' head. One thing he knew for certain, Harry was afraid.

"Harry, child," Severus spoke in a calming tone. "What's wrong?"

Harry shook his head, afraid that if he spoke a single word, he would break down crying. Which seemed to be completely moot, as the first tear escaped and streamed down his cheek.

"Harry."

"Do I really have to?" Harry whispered, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"Have to what, Harry?" Severus asked, slowly taking a step towards the child.

"Please don't send me away," Harry pleaded, as the sob that he was trying to choke back came out full force.

Within seconds Harry closed the gap between him and Severus and wrapped his arms around the man's torso. The breath left Severus' lungs when Harry collided with him, but Severus didn't move. He stood strong in his footing, quickly wrapping his arms around the child, his child.

"I am not sending you away forever, child," Severus said after a moment. "Just to breakfast, and then to classes." He didn't truly understanding what was wrong with him.

Harry shook his head, making his forehead grind into the Potions Master's chest.

"I won't be a bother, I promise," Harry said, his voice muffled by Severus' clothes. "I'll work. I'll clean. I've done it before. I can make you proud of me."

Severus couldn't make out everything that Harry was saying as the child's voice was muffled, but what he was hearing, he didn't like it. Needing to look at the boy, Severus let go of him in the attempt to grip his arms and push him back a little bit, so that he could see his face. That was proving to be harder than he realized because as soon as Severus moved his arms, Harry started whaling, gripping him tighter.

Much to Harry's dismay, Severus was successful in stepping back so that he could look at the child. Harry's face showed nothing but dejection and sadness. It broke Severus' heart. Reaching up and cupping Harry's head in his hands, Severus slightly lifted the boy's head so that he could look into those green eyes that were now washed with tears.

"Listen to me, Harry," Severus said. His tone was soft and soothing but firm so he could be sure that he had Harry's attention. "There is nothing that you need to do that would make me not be proud of you. I am already proud of you. Nothing will change that."

Severus stopped talking but did not release Harry's head. He wanted to make sure that Harry fully understood what he was trying to convey.

"Please don't send me away," Harry whispered through the tears that burned his throat. Two tears streamed down his face and pooled into Severus' hands.

Severus was completely floored by that statement. Send him away? Why would he? The Potions Master's brow furrowed as he tried to recall what he said if anything that would put Harry into this state. The only thing he said was that Harry had to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Please don't send me away," Harry whispered again, bringing Severus out of his own musing.

Severus let go of Harry's head and quickly gripped the child's shoulders bringing him into a tight embrace.

Bending his head so that he was near his ear, Severus whispered, "I would never send you away. You are always welcome into these chambers. Your magic is connected to the portrait. Why you couldn't get in last night is a surprise to me."

Harry gave a wet chuckle to the last statement, gripping the back of Severus' clothes tighter. Last night, Harry honestly forgot that his magic was attached to these chambers and all he had to do was open the door, with or without the password.

"But to let you know that you are always welcomed and wanted in these chambers," Severus continued in the same soft tones. "The password is Lily."

Harry lifted his head and looked up at Severus. His hair matted to his forehead from pressing his face into Severus' chest. His face was stained with tears and snot from crying so hard. For the first time since waking up from that horrid nightmare, Harry felt happy, loved.

Severus didn't want to think of the state of his clothes, not that he really cared. His only concern was Harry's state of emotions. Looking into those emerald eyes, he could see the brightness again.

"Feeling a little better?" Severus asked. They still hadn't let go of each other.

Harry nodded, lowering his head until it was on Severus' chest again. Severus kissed the crown of the child's head causing Harry to beam with love. Harry would never understand how one simple action could cause such a wonderful reaction, but he loved it. Every minute of it.

"If you're feeling better," Severus stated, "Why don't you go and wash your face and we'll go to breakfast?"

Harry nodded not lifting his head. Giving Severus one final squeeze, Harry let him go and walked back to the bathroom to clean up. When Harry was out of sight, Severus leaned his head back looking at the ceiling and sighed. He was not prepared for this emotional outburst. Straightening back up, Severus wandlessly cast a cleansing charm on his clothes and gathered everything that he was going to need for the days classes. As he was getting everything ready, a new set of emotions overcame the man. He was feeling excitement. Today was his first day as Defense Professor. He had wanted this position for years, and now it has finally happened.

Harry walked back into the sitting room. Severus noticed the child's demeanor was different than earlier.

"Let's go to breakfast," Severus said and walked towards the door with Harry following behind.

_0000_000_0000_000_0000

Harry was sitting at the table with his friends, chattering away. This morning's breakdown a distant memory from his mind. Severus looked over at the group of teens from the head table and saw Harry laughing and talking with Ron and the twins.

Minerva was sitting next to Severus at the table, watching all the students.

Albus nodded over to Minerva and she clinked her glass goblet with her knife to get the children's attention.

After the third set of taps, all was quiet in the Great Hall.

"Good morning, students," Albus said, standing up. "I hope that you all had a wonderful and restful weekend. I have a few announcements that I would like to inform you about. As you may know, Professor Umbridge is no longer at this school." Before Albus could a loud roar of cheers erupted throughout the Hall. It took Minerva tapping her goblet six times before the children were back under control and was quiet again.

"As I was saying," Albus continued once it was quiet again. "Now that Professor Umbridge is no longer with us, there has been some changes in Professors. Firstly, I would like to introduce you to Professor Slughorn," Albus spread his hand and waved his arm in the direction of Horace, who was sitting on the other side of Albus opposite of Minerva. "He will be the new Potions Professor."

Shocked looks were all over the students learning that the new professor was the Potions professor and not the Defense Professor. None was more shocked than Harry. Harry eyes met onyx eyes. At first Harry was scared for his da, but when he looked at his da, he saw a gleam in the once dour man's eyes that almost made Harry laugh. Severus was excited, and Harry could actually see it.

"The new Defense Professor will be our very own Professor Snape," Albus continued.

_000_0000_0000_0000_000

After the initial shock of the Headmaster's announcements wore off, breakfast continued like normal. Everyone finished and left to gather their supplies that were going to be needed for the day's work. Everyone was curious about the new Potions Professor, wondering what he was going to be like in class. Professor Snape always ran a strict classroom and there was no illusion that Defense would be the same way, but Potions would be something completely new.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to the dungeons, heading for their first Potions class with the new Professor.

"Do you think he'll be as strict as Snape?" Ron asked as they walked.

"I don't know," Hermione answered. "I know it will be different."

Harry didn't respond, but silently agreed with Hermione's statement. They walked into class and sat down in there usual seats. Everyone did. When Professor Slughorn walked into the class, he looked around.

"My, my, my," Slughorn said. "This will not do."

Everyone looked around to see what was wrong. Some were feeling dread as he may just be as bad as Umbridge.

"Look at how you are sitting," Horace continued, oblivious to the expressions he was getting. "We will have to change the seating arrangements."

Harry and Ron looked at each other. Horace began rearranging the seating in the classroom. When he was finished, Slytherin were sitting next to Gryffindors.

"Excellent," the professor beamed. "This is how you will sit for the rest of the year."

Harry inwardly moaned. The last thing he wanted was to be sitting next to Draco but he hated worse that he was sitting in the front of the class as if being shown off, instead of where he like sitting in the middle or towards the back of the room.

Harry looked over at Draco. With everything that has happened since the beginning of the term, Draco hadn't said much. Draco hadn't done much either. Usually he and Draco would be at each others throats, but this year was different as if Draco had something else occupying his time. Harry noticed that Draco had a distant look to him. It actually surprised him that he hadn't made a big deal about sitting next to him.

Harry blinked and looked down at the table surprised that he was thinking of the blond headed boy as Draco and not Malfoy. Sneaking another glance at Draco, Harry realized that without the taunts and jeers that Draco normally did, he was just like him; a teenager with a lot on his mind. Now that Draco wasn't being the prat that he usually was he actually wasn't hard for him to see a boy instead of a tyrant.

The class went on with no incidents, for which Harry was glad. It was kind of nice not being the focal point of a class, be it good or bad. For once, he was actually feeling like a regular student. That was, until the end of class.

"Mr. Potter, would you stay behind please?" Slughorn requested when everyone started to pack up their quills and parchments.

Harry froze. Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. Ron quickly stuffed his things in his bag and walked over to Harry.

"It's okay, Harry," Ron soothed, even though he didn't really know why, he just felt that it was something that his best mate needed to hear.

Harry looked up at his friends.

"We'll wait for you," Ron said when Hermione walked over to them.

Horace, not deterred from Ron's and Hemione's refusal to leave, walked over to the trio with a smile on his face.

"I've been waiting to get you alone, Harry," Horace said, ignoring the fact that both of Harry's friends were standing right next to him. "Your mother was an exceptional witch. I remember having her in my class. Such a joy to be around."

With everything that has happened, Harry was not expecting to hear praises of his mother. The tension seemed to melt away from Harry's shoulders.

"I spoke with Headmaster and I was granted permission to start my club back up again. I would be most honored if you would grace us with your presence."

Too awestruck from hearing about his mother to respond, Harry just looked at the Professor. Most of the time people would talk about his father but never his mother. It was a rarity and Harry wanted to hear as much as he could about his mother.

"Don't answer me now," Horace said, seeing what he thought was Harry's reluctance. "Give it some thought and let me know what you think."

Harry gave a nod and turned, walking out of the room. Hermione and Ron followed.

The trio walked up the steps heading for the third floor for their first Defense class with Professor Snape.

"Let's hurry," Hermione said, effectively bringing Harry out of his musing. "Or we'll be late for Defense."

With that statement, Harry hastened his steps as he didn't want to be late for his da's first Defense lesson. Sometimes it amazed Harry how so much has changed between him and the Potions now Defense Professor.

There was no need to go get books for this class, as Umbridge gave out books that were old and outdated for the class. When they walked in the classroom, they noticed that everyone was sitting down but Snape wasn't in the room.

Taking their usual seats, they waited patiently for their first class to start. As usual, Snape walked into the classroom in his most intimidating manner. Robe billowing behind him. Harry looked up at the stern man and did not feel the same way he did the first time he sat in his Potions class. Even though the man had a stern look about him, Harry noticed that Severus' eyes were almost dancing. Harry knew he was truly happy to finally be teaching a subject that he'd always wanted.

New books were passed out and class went on as usual. After assigning homework, Snape dismissed the students. Harry took his time packing his belongings. Both Ron and Hermione knew that Harry wanted to stay behind, so this time Ron patted Harry on the shoulder and walked out of the room followed by Hermione. When everyone was gone, Harry walked up to the desk, where Severus was gathering his things as well.

"Da."

Severus looked up, seeing that he was alone with his child.

"Harry," Severus said. "What is it?"

"Can we have supper together?" Harry asked. Harry was embarrassed by his display that morning and he wanted to make it up to his da. He felt like he ruined what would have been a perfect overnight stay. He hated that the nightmare had such a hold on him when he got up. He wanted to make it better.

Severus looked at the child standing before him and could see conflicting emotions coursing through the child. The boy really needed to learn not to show his emotions so much, Severus thought wryly. Forgoing his own rules about eating in the Great Hall, Severus nodded to Harry's request. He was rewarded by seeing the child grinning so much that it seemed to lighten his entire body not just his face.

"Thanks, da," Harry said, rushing to grab his things.

"Make sure you bring your homework with you," Severus called out when Harry reached the door.

"Of course," Harry said, smiling with his hand on the door handle. "I have a mean Defense professor that is sadistic with giving tons of homework."

Harry smirked and walked out of the room, leaving a laughing Severus as the door closed behind him.

Severus finished his packing and headed for the floo. He wanted to be there before his child showed up. For the first time Severus' heart felt light. He was actually happy. Like nothing or no one could dampen his feelings. Severus stepped through the floo not seeing the Notice Me Not charm canceling.

Standing in the corner was Albus. He was not happy. Not happy at all.

Chapter 64

"Uncle Severus! Uncle Severus!" a younger Draco exclaimed, running up the walkway, heading towards the open door at Spinner's End.

Severus, though very happy to spend a few weeks with his godson, didn't show his enthusiasm as his godson was doing.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, control yourself," Lucius reprimanded as he followed his six year old son at a more sedate pace.

Draco stopped only a few steps shy of colliding with his godfather, a pout on his lips. He hated being scolded in front of his godfather because there was a chance that Uncle Severus would scold him as well, and Draco didn't want that at the beginning of their visit.

"Thank you for doing this, Severus," Lucius said.

"It's not a problem," Severus responded.

"I'll pick him up in two weeks time," Lucius said, and then turned his attention to his son. "I'm leaving now, Draco. I want you to behave yourself. Do not give your godfather any reason to punish you."
"Yes, sir," Draco said, a hint of pink flush climbing up his neck to his cheeks. He so hated being talked down to in front of his godfather.

"If I hear of you causing trouble," Lucius began, "you will get double punishment when we return home."

Severus never liked listening to Draco's parents talk down to him. But he learned early on never to interfere. Yes, there had been plenty of times that Draco had thrown a tantrum or two, but it was nothing that warranted Severus having to tell Lucius. As Severus saw it, once Draco endured his punishment then the matter was closed, not to be brought up again.

"Severus," Lucius said and turned and walked off without saying another word to his son.

Severus saw Draco's shoulders sag. Stepping closer to his godson, Severus put his hand on the small child's shoulder. Draco looked up at his godfather. Severus, looking down at the child, gave the smallest of winks and brightened up the child next to him. Draco seemed to forget the chastisement he had just received, smiling up at his godfather.

"Are you ready?" Severus asked.

Draco grinned.

Severus looked up and saw that Lucius was no longer in sight. Putting his hands under Draco's arms, he scooped the child towards his chest and in a flash the two disappeared.

The two landed in Lewsham in front of a two story house. Draco, clutching hold of his Uncle Severus' robes looked at the house and knew exactly where he was.

"Min-Min," Draco called out, bouncing in Severus' arms.

Hearing the apparation pop, Minerva opened the door and was greeted with a squeal of delight. Draco squirmed out of his godfather's arms and as fast as his legs would take him, he ran towards Minerva to give her the biggest hug a six year old could.

"Min-Min! Min-Min!" Draco squealed as he ran towards her.

Unlike earlier, Draco made it to his intended target and was able to wrap his small arms around the woman's waist, squeezing as tightly as he could. Minerva returned the embrace just as enthusiastically.

The time spent with his Uncle and Min-Min was magical. Uncle Severus was strict, as was Min-Min, but Draco always had fun during his stays.

"Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy," Minerva said sternly. Draco's eyes seemed to focus on where he was. "Do pay attention."

Draco couldn't believe that he just started daydreaming in class. And in Transfiguration class at that. He looked up an saw the stern Professor looking at him. He could be wrong, but it looked like there was a little bit of concern etched in her face. He looked around the room and saw that there was a mixture of looks geared towards him. Some were sneering. Some had a look of contempt on their faces. But what surprised Draco was the look on Harry's face. He wasn't showing contempt or smugness. He wasn't even showing amusement, as Weasley was doing.

What was that? Draco thought as he averted his eyes to look back down at his hands. There was too much on Draco's mind for him to worry about why the Golden Boy was looking at him with concern.

"Mr. Malfoy," Minerva said, bringing the blond teen out of his musing. "Stay after class."

The rest of the class was uneventful. While the others were getting their things together, Draco stayed seated. Almost everyone was gone, when Minerva walked over towards the door.

"I only need to speak with Mr. Malfoy, Potter," Minerva stated. "There is no reason for you to linger."

Harry looked like he was going to say something, but quickly closed his mouth from the look he was getting from his Head of House. He then turned and left the room, leaving Draco and Minerva alone.

Minerva walked over to where Draco was sitting and sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Mr. Malfoy," Minerva said, her voice was soft.

Draco's throat began to burn at the tone he was given. It had been so long since he heard that from Min-Min. He wanted to spill his guts to the woman that he would and could tell his secrets to when he was younger. He remembered so many occasions when he had gotten in trouble with his godfather and she would sit in his room with him and comfort him and let him know that he was still loved and cared for. Oh man, would he love to hear those comforting words again. But he knew that he would never hear those words again. He knew that they no longer loved him anymore.

"Draco," Minerva said, once again bringing him out of his musing. "Your distractions are really worrying me. What is going on?"

"I wish I could tell you," Draco whispered, lowering his head.

Two fingers curled under the teen's chin. There was a slight resistance but they were successful in lifting the teen's head. Draco choked on a sob when he looked into the concern eyes of Minerva.

"Even though your parents revoked Severus' godfather title, didn't change how I, we, feel about you."

Draco blinked. In that small moment, a calm washed over him directly before anger. Parents revoked Uncle Severus' title. Parents revoked. The phrase repeated over and over. His mum told him that Severus didn't want to be saddled with him anymore.

"Revoked," Draco choked out.

A clarity looked passed over Minerva's face as she looked at the teen across from her.

"You didn't know?" Minerva said. "You thought – oh, Dragon, it hurt your Uncle Severus deeply when he was told to never send for you again."

The tears that Draco had been so desperately trying not to let escape began to free flow from his eyes. All this time he thought he lost both of his favorite adults because of something that he did and it turned out that his parents stopped his visits and then lied to him.

"Uncle Severus is going to kill me," Draco confessed.

It was Minerva's turn to just blink. That was not something that she expected to come from Draco.

"Excuse me," Minerva said.

"When he finds out, he's going to kill me like he did Auntie Bella," Draco cried.

Minerva was at a complete loss. Looking at the child in front of her, she couldn't believe that he actually believe that his Uncle Severus, her son, would do anything to hurt Draco. But kill. She couldn't wrap her head around that.

Draco lowered his head on his arms on the desk. Minerva combed her fingers through his hair until she cupped the back of his head, resting her hand on the child's neck.

"What class do you have next?" Minerva asked. She was prepared to excuse Draco from the class and keep him with her. She had the rest of the afternoon free.

Draco shook his head, not lifting it up to look at the woman.

"Come with me," Minerva softly ordered, standing up.

With a slight tug of his arm, Draco was finally coaxed into standing up. They walked towards the back of the room towards the entrance to her office. They continued on until they got to her chambers. As they walked, she hoped that Sirius was in dog form. Walking into the sitting room, Minerva saw Sirius standing in the doorway. He quickly changed into Snuffles before Draco could lift his head. Which didn't happen as his head stayed lowered.

Sirius was surprised when he saw that Minerva wasn't alone, but what shocked him more was that his cousin was with her. He wasn't really close to the child. As a matter of fact, he tried to stay as far away from that side of his family as he could. It wasn't that he had anything against Draco. He didn't know the child, but Bellatrix and Narcissa and their husbands left much to be desired. The only one that he was close with was Andromeda and her husband, Ted.

While in his dog form, he could sense that something was really wrong with the child. He could sense that he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and was really close to a breaking point. He watched with apt attention as Minerva and Draco sat on the couch. Slowly he walked over towards the two of them, sitting closer to Draco.

"I didn't know you had a dog," Draco said, conversationally, absently rubbing the dog's head.

"I haven't had him long," Minerva commented. "But I find that he's a good listener when he's needed."

Draco didn't respond to that, he just continued to rub and pet the dog's head.

"What's his name?" Draco said after a moment of silence.

"Snuffles," Minerva said smirking at the look she was getting from Draco.

Draco wanted to laugh at the name. It seemed completely contradictory to how the dog looked. It was a light feeling that he welcomed wholeheartedly. He wish he could feel this light all the time, but he knew that was an impossibility.

As quickly as the light feeling came, it vanished. Minerva could see Draco's expression change again and she knew she needed to get the child to talk.

"Draco," Minerva said. "Please talk to me. When you were younger, you would tell me secrets. You knew then that you could tell me anything and I would listen to you. No matter what it was about; be it your parents or your uncle." She said the last part with emphasis on Severus to try and open Draco up a little. It seemed to work.

Draco's hand seemed to still in the middle of Minerva talking, and when she got to the part about his Uncle Severus, his fingers absently gripped the scruff of the dog. Not that Sirius minded.

There was so much on Draco's plate. He just couldn't stand anymore. He hated what he was told to do. There was no way that he could succeed. Kill Professor McGonagall. There was no way that he could do that. Forget the fact that this would be his very first kill, Draco knew that he did not have the heart to go through with it. But he knew that he couldn't refuse to do this mission either. One did not say no to the Dark Lord and lived.

Draco wasn't a total fool either. He knew about the relationship between his Transfiguration Professor and his Head of house. Before he even started Hogwarts, Draco would spend a week or two with his, at the time, godfather. He always enjoyed those weeks with his Uncle Severus.

Over and over Draco tried to work out if he should bite the bullet so to speak and completely confess. He looked down at the dog and back up at his Transfiguration Professor.

Draco took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

_0000_0000_0000

Albus stormed in his office. The door slamming behind him. This was not supposed to be happening. Severus was supposed to be under his thumb. He was entirely too close to Harry. Albus could not stand for that.

Walking over towards his desk, he began going through the drawers. Finding what he was looking for, he placed the small phial on his desk.

Since he had tried and failed to get Severus alone from the Professor and some Order members, there was only one other way to get Severus back to being hated again by everyone.

Looking at the silvery strain in the phial, Albus knew that he was going to have to have a few people witness this particular memory. He figured that once Severus was discovered murdering his father, the potions master would be alone once again.

Albus needed to try and break the bond between Harry and Severus. As long as that bond was there, Albus would loose his hold on his key players for this war.

_0000_0000_000_0000

Minerva sat back while Draco talked. Once Draco began talking, he could not stop. Everything just poured out of him. Minerva said nothing while Draco talked. She feared that if she interrupted him he would clam up again, so she waited patiently while Draco talked. He talked about a mission that the Dark Lord wanted him to do, but never said what that mission was. He talked about his parents and his aunt and uncles. He even spoke about his godfather and how he wished that the summer hols were still the same.

When Draco finally finished, he was completely drained, but he truly felt lighter.

Snuffles never left Draco's side. He stayed there as a silent supporter. His head never leaving Draco's lap.

Once Minerva was sure that Draco was done talking, did she open her mouth to speak.

"Who?" was all Minerva asked.

Draco had a surprised look on his face as if he didn't realize that she was in the same room the entire time.

"Who?" Draco echoed.

"Who were you told to kill?" Minerva clarified.

Draco audibly gulped. He really didn't want to answer the question.

Slowly reaching over and firmly gripping Draco's hand, she asked her question again. Draco took a deep breath, turned and faced his professor and uttered the one word he really didn't want to.

"You."

TBC

"You."

The quiet in the room was deafening. After uttering that word, Draco put his head down and closed his eyes. He knew what happen next was not going to be good. A part of him wanted to run out of her office and go as far as he could, but there was a weight on his legs that prevented him from moving. So, he was stuck in place on the sofa waiting for the proverbial ax to come down.

Minerva was completely stunned by the answer. She knew that there was an attempt on her life. She thought that Severus was being overly protective and his claims to have a bodyguard was unnecessary. She could handle herself very well. Never in her imagination did she think that her would be assassin would be one of her students. She knew she would need her son now.

Sirius stayed at the boy's knees. He was just as shocked as Minerva at Draco's confession. Since spending the few days with Harry, he could feel that Draco was wanting to run. The teen's legs were tense under him. He could understand why the child wanted to run, but what the child needed more than anything was help. And the only ones that would be able to help was the ones in this room. So letting his weight settle more on the child he prevented the boy from standing.

The flames in the hearth turned green, bringing everyone out of their own musing.

"Mother," Severus' voice could be heard coming from the hearth.

Both Minerva and Draco jumped on the sofa. Draco's was more restricted as Snuffles did not budge.

"Yes, Severus," Minerva said, walking over towards the flames, setting a pillow so that she could kneel by the fire.

Severus' brow creased through the flames. Looking at his mother, he could see that she was unsettled.

"Is everything alright?" Severus asked.

"Yes," Minerva answered, a little too quickly, causing Severus to raise his eyebrow.

"You startled me is all," Minerva said, smoothly. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," Severus answered, still a little wary. "I was calling about tea."

"Oh," Minerva smiled a little. "Would you mind if we forgo tea today? Something came up in my last class. I'm counseling a student."

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Severus asked again.

"Yes," Minerva said with a smile. "I may come down after lights out. I still want to hear about your first day."

"I am no longer a child," Severus sighed.

"No, but you were excited," Minerva said, easily. "I'll see you later."

The flames died out after that, letting Minerva know that Severus broke the connection. She sighed and got up from the floor. Turning back to the sofa she could see that Draco was on the verge of panicking. He was white as a sheet.

Walking back to the sofa, Minerva sat down, closer this time, and wrapped her arms around the teen and brought him into an embrace.

Draco was so scared. He just knew for sure that his Head of House was going to come through those flames. It didn't even register to Draco that his Transfiguration professor was actually keeping Severus from coming through. He felt hands on his shoulders and he stiffened. He didn't know who was touching him. Worried that it was his godfather, he braced himself for the onslaught of pain he knew his godfather would give him. When he felt the embrace of Min-Min, memories began to flood back of when he was younger and he would have a nightmare or he was hurt and Minerva would come and hold him. The calm feeling would wash over him when he was in her arms. That same feeling was happening now. Letting out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding as he melted into her arms.

Feeling the tension leave the boy in her arms, Minerva began to slightly rock back and forth, saying soft comforting words in Draco's ear.

"We will find a way through this," Minerva soothed.

_0000_0000_000

Severus disconnected the floo when he heard the knock at his office door. Thinking that it was Harry, standing up and walking to his desk, he granted permission for entrance.

Albus walked into the office and closed the door.

"Albus," Severus said, still standing behind his desk.

"Severus, my boy," Albus said, his eyes twinkling. "How was your first day of Defense?"

"Fine, Headmaster."

"No problems?" Albus walked over to the desk and sat across from it.

"None, Headmaster," Severus said, sitting down in his chair. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes," Albus pulled the phial out of his robes and sat it down on the desk.

Severus looked down at the phial and back up at Albus. Seeing that one moment in his life that he truly regretted made his heart jump in his chest. He hated that Albus had this on him.

"Have you told Minerva about this?" Albus said tilting his head towards the phial in the middle of the desk.

Severus said nothing.

"It would be a shame if she were to know that her precious son was in fact a cold-blooded murderer."

Again, Severus said nothing, his eyes never leaving the Headmaster's.

Albus stood and leaned down in an effort to retrieve the memory. But instead of going for the memory, he grabbed hold of Severus' robes and pulled him closer so that Albus' mouth was next to Severus' ear.

"You may think you have won," Albus growled. "You will never have anything. Everything you love dearly will slip through your fingers. Filthy half-blood."

Albus straightened up and grabbed the phial from the desk.

"Good evening, Severus," Albus said, his voice soft and his eyes twinkling again.

Severus' fingers were gripping his desk so tightly that his nails were beginning to bleed. Taking a deep breath, Severus tried to calm down. He knew that Harry was going to be coming down for dinner and he didn't want to worry the child. Once Severus was able to occlude and loosen his grip on his desk, he stood up and went to the loo behind his desk. Looking down at his hands he saw that a few of his fingers were bleeding. Turning on the tap he put his hands under the running water. After making sure that his fingernails weren't bleeding, he walked over to his store cupboard and went automatically to the healing salve on the shelf. After applying and healing his fingers, Severus went to his chambers and sat down in his chair.

A small pop brought Severus to awareness.

"Master Sev'us."

"What are you doing here?" Severus asked. His voice didn't show the anger that was in his tone the last time he saw the elf.

"Come to take care of Master Sev'us," Tami said, walking slowly towards the potions master. "You hurt yourself."

Severus arched his eyebrow at the small elf.

"How do you know that?"

Tami didn't answer. She walked closer to Severus and looked at his fingers, moving his hand around in her smaller ones. She went from one hand to the other. Severus just watched as Tami looked over his hands. Even though Severus' healing salve healed the small cuts on his fingers, he still had the twinge of pain behind it. While Tami had her hands on his, the pain that was left behind was quickly vanishing.

When Tami finished, she lowered his hands and gave him a small smile.

"All betters," Tami said.

"Why?" Severus asked.

"Will always take care of Master Sev'us," Tami said and vanished with a small pop.

Severus looked down at his fingers and knew she healed him completely. The question that plagued his mind was why.

He was brought out of his musings as the door to his chambers opened up, and a messy haired child came in.

"Hi, Da," Harry said, smiling.

Severus looked up at the child and it seemed that everything he was feeling just completely moved to the back of his mind. Nothing else mattered but the child who was putting his bag down at the small table in the kitchenette. Severus stood up and walked over to Harry, putting his hand on the child's shoulder. Harry looked up at Severus and smiled.

TBC

Chapter 66

"I don't want to do this."

"You say that as if you have a choice," Albus sat back in his chair behind his desk. "You will join, and you will not tell her."

A younger Severus was standing across from the Headmaster.

"Tom is getting stronger and stronger. More and more followers are joining him. I need to know what he is planning. That requires a spy. And what better person than you?"

Severus knew that the last statement wasn't a compliment. Far from it. But what was Severus to do? He proclaimed that he would do anything to stay out of Azkaban. This was the price of his weakness. His cowardice.

"Get in touch with the Malfoy heir," Albus ordered, bringing Severus out of his thoughts. "I'm sure he would love to recruit a new Death Eater."

"I don't want to be associated with them," Severus demanded. "Their views on just muggleborns alone is disgusting."

"Says the young man that called his once best friend a Mudblood," Albus countered, raising one eyebrow.

That stopped Severus' tirade. How did he know about that? He wasn't outside when it happened.

"My boy," Albus said as if reading his thoughts. "There is very little that gets past me. I know that you called sweet Ms. Evans that awful name and also that she has yet to forgive you." Severus seemed to shrink into himself. "And do you really think you deserve forgiveness?"

Severus knew Lily would never forgive him for saying that word. He really didn't mean it. It was a nasty slip. Malfoy and Lestrange were touting their bigotry beliefs all over the Common room. It got out the beginning of that year that Severus was half-blood and the taunting and bullying began. He learned early on the way everyone in Slytherin felt about anyone that was not a pure blood. The first five years Severus was able to keep his family a secret. But the beginning of his sixth year it came out and the bullying began within the House. Not to mention that they had been threatening Lily.

"Minnie," Severus whispered.

"By all means tell Minerva," Albus said. "And make sure you tell her that you are a cold blooded murderer as well."

Severus blanched. All the color left his cheeks. He knew he could never tell her that he killed his father. He didn't mean to. He didn't even know he had done it. He only wanted the beating to stop. Tobias Snape was never a nice man, especially towards his own son. Growing up, Tobias would smack Severus around. The beatings got worse when he started Hogwarts. The summer going into his seventh year was the worst Tobias had been. He was always creative when it came to what he would use to beat Severus. This particular time he used a cast iron skillet. Severus only wanted to stop the beatings. Stop his father from hurting him anymore. He never meant to kill his father.

"I'll do it," Severus whispered, his shoulders sagging.

"Wonderful, my boy," Albus smiled. "I expect to see some results before the end of the school term." Albus lowered his head by way of a dismissal.

Severus opened his eyes. That nightmare always plagued his mind every so often. He knew he sold his soul to the devil when he agreed to do whatever Albus wanted. But he had no choice.

Harry did his homework and stayed for dinner, but did not stay the night in his room. He went back to his dormitories. Severus insisted, even though he really wanted the boy to stay another night. He got out of bed and walked to the child's room.

Standing in the doorway, he could see in the few days that Harry had stayed, he was already making the room his. Severus walked into the room, waving his hands to turn on the lights. He saw some of Harry's homework was still on the desk in the corner of the room. Severus sat down on the bed if only to feel a little closer towards the child. He debated going up to the Gryffindor dormitories and watching Harry as he slept, running his fingers through that wild mane of his. He could do it and not be seen. He'd gone up there before, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Harry had asked if he could stay the night and against Severus' need to have the boy close to him, he denied the child.

Severus needed to talk to someone. He knew it was late and because of a counseling session, Minerva was not able to make it down for tea. He got up off the bed and headed towards the sitting room. Wandlessly starting the fire, Severus threw a pinch of Floo into the flames and called out a name.

Snuffles was curled up at the foot of the bed. It had been a long night. He had a lot on his mind. He could not sleep. His brain just would not shut down. His cousin was struggling with some very hard decisions. Decisions no child should have to go through.

"Black."

Snuffles lifted his head from the floor and looked towards the door. Seeing the light in the other room, he transformed back into his human form. Sirius saw that Minerva was still asleep. Not knowing what he was about to see, Sirius slowly walked out of the room, casting a locking charm over the door after he exited. If someone was coming into these chambers to get Minerva, they would not be able to get pass the charm Sirius erected over the door. The only person that could get the charm down was Sirius. He and James put together that charm for the protection of Remus during the months that they could not spend with him during the full moon.

When he walked into Minerva's sitting room, he saw Severus' head in the fireplace.

"Snape," Sirius said, kneeling down on the floor.

"Is mother protected?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "What is it?"

"Come through," Severus said and removed his head from the flames.

Sirius stepped through the flames and received another shock when he stepped into the sitting room. Remus was sitting on the sofa.

"What are you doing here, Moony?" Sirius asked walking over towards the sofa.

"I need to talk with you both," Severus said, walking back into the sitting room and going to his armchair. "Sit, please."

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the other end of the sofa.

"How's Poppy doing?" Severus asked, ignoring Sirius' question.

"You know her," Remus said. "She's strong. Not having her eyesight hasn't kept her down. She gets around better than me some days."

Severus nodded and then looked over at Sirius. "Have you seen or heard anything with regards to my mother?" Now that the remaining Marauders knew about his relationship with Minerva he long since stopped hiding his adoption from them.

Sirius looked at Severus. There was so much that he could and probably should tell Severus, but Minerva insistence that Severus does not know what happened earlier that evening stayed his tongue.

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I haven't heard anything, but I'm keeping my ears open."

Severus nodded. Sirius' and Remus' furrowed their brows. They both knew that last statement Sirius said was just an open invitation for Severus to give a snide remark. For him to not take a shot at Sirius they knew that something had to really be bothering the Potions Master.

"What's going on, Severus?" Remus asked.

_000_000_000_000

Remus stepped through the Floo. His talk with Severus worried him. He was sure it worried Sirius as well. Severus never really answered his question. They sat in silence for a while just sipping tea. It was the first time the three of them ever sat down in a calm environment. There was always hostilities, especially between Sirius and Severus. Thought things were always tense between him and Severus, it was never as bad as Sirius and Severus. But tonight, made Remus wonder what their friendship would have been like if they didn't pick on Severus when they were in school. Ever since he talked with Minerva when she was in St. Mungo's, he always wondered about Severus' upbringing. It hurt him to learn of Harry's home life, but to learn that Severus suffered the same thing was upsetting. The guilt he was feeling was too much. Though he was adamant that he did not participate in the bullying of Severus, he did not actively try to stop Sirius and James. Now, he wished he did. Those thoughts plague him over and over most days.

"Poppy," Remus called out. "I'm back."

Remus shrugged his jacket off his shoulders. There was no response so Remus walked out of the receiving room and down the hallway.

"Poppy," Remus called out again. "Where are you?"

When he got to the stairs, he heard a faint tapping sound. Walking up the stairs, Remus followed the faint sound to the room where Harry was when Severus discovered that he was hurt. He opened the door and looked inside; he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He was about to leave and close the door when he saw the small globe on the desk shake a little. He walked into the room going towards the desk. He picked up the globe and looked at it. Looking in the glass, he saw a tadpole wearing a pink cardigan, sitting on an ivy leaf. A small smirk graced his lips as he turned and left the room. He did not see the globe shaking when he closed the door.

Turning around he was slightly startled when he saw Poppy standing behind him.

"You called?" Poppy asked.

"You trying to sneak up on me?" Remus asked extending his arm out towards her.

"I find that funny," Poppy said, reaching out towards the wolf and taking the proffered arm, falling into step beside him. "I was heading downstairs for some tea and I heard you in Harry's room."

"Care for some company?" Remus said, leading Poppy down the stairs.

Remus and Poppy walked down the stairs neither one hearing the globe in the room as it cracked at the seams.

_0000_0000_000_0000

The next few days were uneventful. Classes carried on. Everyone in their own little world. Draco kept his head down during the day. He didn't talk to anyone. After confessing to Minerva, Draco's main worry had been if his former godfather would confront him on what he was supposed to do. It was Professor McGonagall's idea to keep quiet about everything right now and he knew he was putting a lot of faith in her. He hoped that she would help him.

Draco, while walking, came to an abrupt stop. Since he was not looking where he was going, he bumped into what felt like a wall. When he came back to his senses and focused on what was right in his line of sight, he saw a pair of black shiny boots. Automatically knowing who's boots they were, Draco's heart began drumming in his chest. He slowly looked up to see that he had indeed bumped into his godfather.

"You know, Mr. Malfoy, you would see a lot clearer if you lifted your head and watched where you were going." Severus' tone was not harsh or mean. Actually, it was his usual everyday way of speaking.

Draco couldn't help his eyes widening when he looked up at his godfather, fearing that this was the moment where he was going to die. Min-Min didn't keep her promise of not telling Uncle Sev and was coming to find him. Draco quickly glanced around and saw that they were the only ones in the corridor. He swallowed convulsively.

Severus narrowed his eyes as he looked at his godson. There was pure fear in the boy's face.

"S-sorry, sir," Draco mumbled out, stepping back and quickly turning the opposite direction and walking away.

Severus was going to call out to the boy but thought against it for right now. He had somewhere he needed to be. Resting his thoughts on his godson, he would find the boy later and talk with him again, as the last times they talked he was terribly vague with his explanations.

Severus walked into the laboratory to begin getting things ready for his detention with the twins. They weren't due for another twenty minutes, so he had plenty of time to get the ingredients together that they would be working on. After they scrubbed a few cauldrons.

Focused on his work, he didn't hear the door open, as he was in the back storage cupboard. Walking out of the small room, Severus saw Horace standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Horace asked. "Still hiding out here?"

"What do you want?" Severus deadpanned, continuing towards the table with the rest of the supplies.

"You have no rights down here," Horace said.

"Really?" Severus raised and eyebrow and faced his former Head of House. "And why is that? You have no control over me. And you have no say in what I do. Now if you excuse me, I have a detention to oversee."

Severus turned his back on Horace. The former Head of Slytherin walked up on the man in black and quickly grabbed his elbow turning the younger man around to face him.

Horace was about to rant off a blistering tirade when he felt something poke him just under his ribs. He glanced down at the wand, that he did not know Severus had removed, and back up to the man before him.

"I am no longer a student you can bully," growled Severus. "Your intimidation will not work."

"Professor."

A voice from the door brought both wizards out of angry gazing at each other. Severus glanced at the door and saw the Weasley twins made it down. Seeing the looks on their faces he could just picture what they were seeing. The new professor standing up to the hated former potions professor. Tickets could be sold to the students to witness the dressing down of the Greasy Git of the dungeons. Had it been any other student, they probably would have run out of the room laughing and telling the first person that they saw what was going on in the Potions lab.

Fred and George made their way to their detention with mixed feelings. This was going to be their first actual detention of them scrubbing cauldrons, but they were also excited that they would be brewing a new potion. The twins talked softly to themselves as they walked, speaking of new products that they could come up with. New candies and lollies. New jokes and fireworks. To anyone looking on them, they looked like they were just conspiring not heading towards detention.

When they got to the room, they heard voices. Both always wanting to have something over on someone as a way of blackmail, quietly opened the door. What they saw took them by so much surprise. Professor Snape was leaning against the worktable and the new Professor Slughorn was hovering over him, looking menacing. It caught the twins off their guard that Fred called out.

"Professor."

Severus looked at the twins and saw that George's temper was about to get the best of him, quickly. He stepped aside, letting his wand hand fall to his side. Horace, without saying another word, walked passed the twins and out of the laboratory.

"Get started," Severus ordered, pointing to the few cauldrons by the sink.

The twins stood at the doorway. Fred looking worriedly at Snape and George looking furiously down the hall where Slughorn retreated down.