“What were you thinking?” Remus growled.

Albus rushed over to his sons. Gripping Remus' shoulder with one hand and having his other across the werewolf's chest, he leaned over to his ear and spoke.

“Listen to me and listen well.” Albus tone was cold as steel. “You will release my sons. You have no reason to be out anymore.”

The tension in Remus' shoulders seem to slack under Albus' hands. The grip in Severus' robes also slackened.

“Let him go,” Albus said, his tone much calmer that it was a moment ago.

Remus' arms fell limply at his sides. Albus turned him and embraced his son.

“You will calm down and let me deal with your brother,” Albus whispered to Remus.

Remus lowered his head onto his father's shoulder and nodded.

“Go back and sit with Harry.”

Remus was released and he slowly walked back over towards the bed, where Poppy was already, running another diagnosis over the child. Sitting down on the next bed, Remus looked at the small child. Poppy walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder and giving a comforting squeeze. He looked up at her and she gave him a sad smile. Then without saying a word she got back to work.

Albus watched as Remus sat down dejectedly on the bed. He sighed and then turned to face Severus. Poppy, leaving Harry's bedside, walked over towards Albus, pulling an empty phial from her pocket. Without saying a word, she placed the phial in Severus' hand.

“Fill it up, Severus,” Albus said when Poppy walked away.

Severus looked down at the empty container in his hand. A slight shake began in his head. He did not want to turn someone. He did not want the responsibility behind it. He never liked Potter. He didn't want to have anything to do with the child.

“I will not condemn him to this life,” Severus said, holding out the still empty container.

“You've already condemned him, Severus,” Albus said. “I'm asking you to save his life.”

Severus looked over Albus' shoulder to the small child laying on the bed. Severus had always prided himself in remaining in control of himself. He may not want to have anything to do with the child, but he wasn't so heartless that he wanted to kill the boy either.

Lifting up his arm and pulling back his sleeve, Severus brought his wrist to his mouth and bit it. He maneuvered his wrist so that it was over the opening of the phial and filled it with his blood. After half of phial was filled, he removed his wrist and licked the self-inflicted wound closed. Putting the phial in Albus' hands, Severus turned and walked out of the Infirmary.

Albus, watching his son retreat, cast a locator charm and an anti self-harming charm over his son before Severus made it out of the room. Severus paused in his stride, feeling the magic come over him, but did not waver from his destination.

Everyone in the room knew there were a few places that dour man would go; the Potions lab, the lake, or his chambers.

Harry came in from outside. The sun was just too much for him today. He was so hot and thirsty. Rushing over to the sink and grabbing a glass, Harry filled the glass with tap water. He gulped thirstily. Once he finished one glass he replaced the glass back under the water. Turning the tap to full blast to fill the glass, for a second time, he gulped down the water. Nothing was quenching his thirst.

“What do you think you are doing?” screeched Petunia.

Harry ignored her, filling his glass for a third time. Petunia, tired of being ignored, rushed over to the boy and grabbed his arm.

“You will answer me, boy,” Petunia sneered.

When she grabbed Harry's arm, she cause the child to drop the glass on the floor. Harry looked at the broken glass on the floor along with the small pooling of water that was once in the glass. Harry was still thirsty and seeing the water that he'd just fill in the glass now spilled on the floor something snapped in the child.

In the back of his mind, he didn't understand why he was so thirsty. He'd never experience this kind of thirst before. The dryness of his throat was so intense that it hurt. He didn't care that he was probably breaking many of his relative's rules by drinking from the faucet. He was thirsty. Snatching his arm away from his aunt's grip, Harry reached for another glass so that he could fill it with more water.

Not allowing Harry to continue filling the water, Petunia turned off the tap and slapped the glass out of Harry's hand. Since he was still over the sink, this time the glass didn't break when it fell from his hand. A low growl escaped Harry's lips. He was getting tired of being refused water. Reaching into the sink again and not realizing how strongly he gripped the handle, he quickly swiped his arm towards his aunt, successfully slicing her cheek. Her cheek began to bleed. Pressing her hand on her assaulted cheek, she stepped away from Harry, so if he was to attack again, she would not be in striking distance.

Harry took a deep breath through his nose. The smell was delectable. Never had he ever smelled something so heavenly. Slowly, he walked towards his aunt. Petunia, not liking the look on Harry's face, began to retreat from the kitchen. Before she could even reach the door, Harry jumped and landed next to her, knocking her down on the floor. Harry straddled her stomach and leaned down so that his face was inches from hers.

The smell was intoxicating. Everything in Harry was saying to lick the sweet red nectar that was leaking out of his aunt's face. Giving into those feelings, Harry lowered himself so that he was getting closer and closer.

Harry began thrashing against the bed.

“Albus,” Poppy said, bringing the Headmaster out of his thoughts. “I need the phial. He's breaking through the Dreamless sleep.”

Remus was holding Harry down on the bed. Albus rushed over to the bed and handed Poppy the phial and then grabbed the child's ankles in help of pinning the child to the bed.

Poppy gripped Harry's neck and slightly lifted it. Putting the small container to the child's lips, she gently poured the red contents in the his mouth. Harry's automatic swallowing reflexes he began drinking the liquid.

“Step away, fledgling,” a soothing baritone voice said.

Harry quickly sat up. He knew that voice. When he turned into the direction it came from, he didn't see anyone. A feeling of longing and dread filled the boy as he felt himself move away from his cowering aunt on the floor.

“You will not harm her,” the voice ordered. “You are not a monster.”

Harry looked around the kitchen and could not find where the voice was coming from. He knew that voice, but it never had that same feeling that it was bringing him now. Before that voice would bring dread, now, it was almost soothing.

______0000_____00000________00000

Severus, after leaving the Infirmary, went to his chambers. He had thought about going to his lab, but after everything that recently happened, he didn't trust himself with his potions. Sitting in his lounge chair, Severus thought about everything that happened. He attacked someone. He attacked a child. He attacked Potter. One word kept popping in his mind as he sat there; monster. Even with his dislike for the child, he would not condemn anyone to this life. And here he did just that.

Sighing, Severus laid his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. The first thing that popped in his mind was an enclosed space. Not a very large space. Looking around the small space, Severus could feel a small mattress on the floor. Moving his hands around the meager space, he could feel cobwebs, dust. His fingers brushed against something soft. Flesh. Moving his hand, he could make out that he was touching a small child's ankle. Very puzzled at why he was feeling a child's leg, he continued his search. In his movement, he felt a string brush against his hair. Keeping one hand on the small ankle, Severus raised his other towards the string and pulled. He was rewarded with a soft light luminated the small space. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that he was in a cupboard. Looking around he saw household chemicals, a broom and dustpan, and a mop.

The ankle moved, bringing Severus back to the small figure under his hand. Looking at the small child that appeared to be asleep, the child turned in his slumbering state causing his hair to move away from his forehead. The first thing that caught Severus' attention was the lightning bolt scar.

“It can't be,” Severus gasped as he sat up straighter in his chair.

Severus got up and began pacing. What he saw didn't make sense. Harry Potter was a spoiled brat. Harry Potter was an arrogant brat that was just like his father. Seeing the boy sleeping in a cupboard was not right. How he was sleeping troubled the Potions Professor. Harry wasn't sleeping as if he was put in there as a punishment and he fell asleep. No, he was sleeping as if this was a normal occurrence.

Things were not adding up, thought Severus.

_____0000________0000______00000

Once the phial was finished, Harry's body slacked against the bed as if all the fight left the child.

“Why don't you two go get some rest,” Poppy suggested, as she straightened up. “I'll keep watch over Harry and if there are any changes I'll send for you.”

Remus was about to object when he felt Albus' hand on his shoulder.

“Get some rest, too, Poppy,” Albus said. “Come, Remus.”

Albus turned and left out of the Infirmary. Remus looked down at the small child, then stood up and followed his dad out of the Infirmary. Albus was waiting for Remus to come out.

“Let's go talk,” Albus said.

“Dad -”

“Not here.” Albus turned and headed towards the stairs. Remus sighed and followed.

Remus knew he would get an ear full for going after Severus and he wasn't looking forward to going to Albus' chambers. Albus had never raised his hand to either Remus or Severus, thought they had both did things that warranted a good spanking, but his disappointment could be just as bad. Remus and Severus sometimes both wish that they would rather Albus would beat them than to deal with his disappointment. At least it wouldn't hurt so bad. Both of them were used to being beaten, so getting punished that way didn't seem that bad. Yes, it would hurt but that hurt wouldn't last that long, and then you learned to disassociate yourself from the beatings.

Remus, so caught up in his thoughts, didn't realize where they were going until they stopped at the portrait. Albus opened the passageway without the password. A privilege of being Headmaster and father of the owner of these chambers.

Walking in the chambers, they found Severus pacing back and forth.

“Severus,” Albus called out.

Severus stopped pacing, not even shocked by the two intruders that were now in his chambers without his permission and looked at Albus.

“He's no different than us,” Severus said, accusingly.

TBC