Chapter 23 - Big Friend

"Come on, Sev, let's go home," Charlie said and tried to gently push Severus with his free hand in the direction of the castle entrance. The box with Pookah's things almost slipped from his grip when Severus quickly turned sideways so that Charlie grabbed the air.

"Pookah wants to visit Aunt Pommy," Severus said determinedly.

"Oh, no, Sev. Albus and Minerva are waiting for you. We just said we will visit Hagrid," Charlie said, annoyed. He had no desire to get in trouble again so soon after the Diagon Alley fiasco.

"No! It's boring up there. I don't want to go back. They only look at their papers and have no time for me," Severus said sulkily and pushed his bottom lip out.

"Come on, what harm will it do to visit the green house for a few minutes?" Harry intervened.

"Don't team up with him against me, Harry. I'm just glad we didn't get a second round of scolding from Poppy since we came back from Diagon Alley. I don't want to push my luck." Charlie looked pleadingly at Harry. One look at Harry's face and he knew the other man was in his rebellious mood. Harry often was like this lately, and Charlie tried hard to find a way to cheer Harry up or help him to relax a little. Harry seemed to think everyone wanted to patronize him, and that made him jumpy even with friends like Charlie, who never tried anything like that.

"Don't be so grown-up," Harry said, annoyed.

Charlie sighed. "I am a grown-up, Harry, and so I am going to act like one." Charlie's voice became more stern. He could understand that Harry didn't like to be grown-up because he hadn't had the opportunity to live a normal teenager's life. Living with Harry's moods lately and his rebellious behavior was taking all of Charlie's energy. To deal with a manipulative little, sulking monster and an insurgent grown-up was too much for him. He turned to Severus and said, "I promised you to go to Hagrid's hut, and that I did. I have no problem with spending the rest of the afternoon with you, but not without asking your parents. If they give permission, we can go to Aunt Pommy, and if you want even to the lake or to Ro, but only then. We will bring this box up to your room and ask them. So stop sulking or this will be the last time I spend time with you."

Severus bottom lip was trembling hard when Charlie had finished his scolding and soon tears were running over his cheeks. Pookah looked worriedly up at his new master and made cackling sounds. Severus didn't react to his pet and even started crying harder. He sat down on the ground and sobbed openly.

Charlie's heart dropped. "Oh, come on, Sev. Stop crying. What's so bad about going up and asking your parents to spend the afternoon with me?" He sat the box down to crouched down in front of Severus. Gently he tried to calm Severus by stroking his hair. "We can't just do what we want, Severus. We have to ask your parents so that they won't be worried when we come back later than they would expect us to."

Severus still was sobbing hard. Charlie was totally unprepared when Severus threw himself at him. Pookah squeaked shocked and escaped a crash only by seconds. He had escaped by climbing in Severus neck, and now he lay like a scarf around it. Only his tail was lightly captured between Charlie and Severus, and it wasn't hurtful for the weasel. Charlie was glad that he had Pookah's backside in his face and not the end with the sharp teeth. If Charlie thought it couldn't get worse then he was wrong.

"I'm sowwy, Arly. -sob- Please -sob- be my friend. -sob- Don't leave me -sob- alone," Severus managed to say between hard sobs.

Charlie was shocked. What had he said that Severus thought he would leave him alone? "Severus, I will always be your friend, and I would never leave you alone. I just want to ask your parents for permission. That's the way it works in family. Albus and Minerva will get worried if I just spent the afternoon with you without telling them. Can't you understand this?"

"Don't leave me alone. I will be good." Severus didn't let go of Charlie. He didn't seem to hear what Charlie tried to explain him. Charlie was at loss for words and just tried to calm the boy by drawing circles on his back. After a few minutes, he gently pushed Severus a little away to see his face. "Come on, Severus, look at me and listen to what I tell you now!" He waited until Severus looked sadly in his eyes. The sigh was really heartbreaking, but Charlie tried to keep a clear head. "I'm your friend Severus, and I will stay your friend as long as you want me to. I will not leave you alone!"

"Promise," Severus ordered, fighting hard against the sobs that still wanted out of his mouth.

Charlie sighed. Long experience with five younger siblings made it easier for him to handle situations like this, but that didn't make him an expert in it. It always makes his heart melt to see a child like this. "Yes, I promise, Sev." He ruffled Severus hair and Pookah crawled back into Severus' sweater. "Look Pookah is showing you that he is your friend, too." Charlie pointed at the weasel, who was rubbing his head against Severus chin. That conjured a smile on the boy's face, and Charlie sighed relieved. "Did you understand what I told you now? Why we have to go ask your parents for permission?"

Severus eyes became even bigger while he looked shyly up at Charlie. "Because they will worry if we not."

"Exactly." Charlie stood up, relieved that he had managed this crisis. When he looked around, he frowned. Harry was nowhere to be seen.

Severus also had noticed Harry's absence. "Where is Harry?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't know, Sev." Charlie was worried. It wasn't unusual for Harry to run away from troublesome situations lately, but he would have never thought that he would run away because of Severus being in distress. Charlie was torn between the urge to seek Harry and speak with him and to keep his promise to Severus to spend the afternoon with him. First let's see what Albus and Minerva say, he thought.

Severus followed Charlie gloomily. "Arly?"

"Yes, Sev?" Charlie asked without looking at Severus. His thoughts wandered from Severus to Harry and back. What have I thought by trying to be there for both of them? I will never manage it.

"Is Harry away because I was bad?"

Charlie stopped so abruptly that Severus almost collided with him. When he faced the boy, he tried again to stay calm. "Of course not, Sev. You have already noticed that Harry is still hurt from the battle, right?"

Severus nodded. Pookah imitated him and nodded his head as well.

"Harry still tries to find his way to live in this new world as well. It's a little bit like it is for you. You had to learn about many new things lately, and you met many new people. Harry spent his whole life waiting for something to happen. Something important that had led his whole life. He had hardly time to enjoy his life, and now he has so much free time he is unsure what to do with it. In addition he is still in pain from the injuries of the battle, and the potion you, as your older self, made for him just helps to ease the pain to a bearable amount. This world now is really confusing for him, like it is for you. I don't know why he left us al... why he went away, but it was not because of you."

"You are a Po...Pot...Potion man, Arlie. Will you make a better potion for Harry?" Severus looked hopefully at Charlie.

"I wish I could, and I already try my best, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough."

Severus took Charlie's hand. "You are great, Arlie. You will make Harry good again, and I will help you," Severus said soulfully.

Charlie smiled. "Yes, I'm sure you would like to help me, and that is very nice of you, but the Potion lab is off-limits for you, Severus. Promise me never to try to go into it not to mention using it without me," Charlie said seriously.

"But I want to help. We can start right now."

"You can help me by trying to make Harry feel well here at Hogwarts and by having fun with him, Sev. That's already a big task for you, but I'm sure you are much better at it than me. So will you try it?"

"Yes, Severus will be a good friend for Harry," Severus said, so excited that he fell back into his old habit to speak in third person of himself.

"That's fantastic, and now let's bring this box into your room and speak with your parents," Charlie said and headed into the direction of the Headmaster's quarters.

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"Oh my, he already looks like trouble. Please keep a good eye on him, Sev," Minerva said while sceptically eyeing the animal that looked sheepishly out of Severus' sweater.

"Yes, I will," Severus said and patted Pookah's head. "Look Pookah, that is our family. Mummy and Daddy are very nice," - he lowered his head to speak in Pookah's ear - "and you mustn't bite them, please."

"Hagrid has really done a miracle. Yesterday I would have thought it would need weeks to get him healthy again," Albus said. He didn't stand up from his desk and was ready to cover his papers if the little monster would jump on the desk. Albus was a very old, and therefore experienced wizard. That meant he knew everything about weasels, and in his mind he already had scenes of destroyed rooms, chaos in his paperwork and many other fiascos. Severus was so happy with this little troublemaker, and so Albus didn't dare to forbid him this pet. There was still little hope that he was one of the few members of this species that were tame or at least not too troublesome.

"Of course you can spend the afternoon with Charlie, but please behave," Minerva said while looking at her little boy worriedly. She could see that he had cried, but didn't push him to tell her why, and she trusted Charlie. He was a very responsible young man and had a lot of experience with children.

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They were already on there way to the greenhouse when they heard a familiar voice calling for them.