Going Home by Swamygliders

Not bothering to check to see whether Albus was in his office or not, Don flooed through to his office as soon as he reached the fireplace. When he did reach the Headmaster's office, he was slightly irritated that the man was not there as he had hoped. The rational part of his mind knew that Albus was a busy man, but the worried side just wanted answers from the man.

Sighing, Don sat down in the visitor's chair to wait for the older wizard. He had a feeling that Albus could come at any moment, and he was too anxious to talk to the man to wait for another time. This was important and concerned the health of the child under his care.

Settling down to wait Don closed his eyes for a moment, but in the next he found himself being shaken awake by a gentle hand. Had he really fallen asleep? Opening his eyes he was slightly revealed to see Albus before him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don, may I ask why you are sleeping in my office?"

Waking up a bit more Don shook the gentle hand from his shoulder. "I'm sorry Albus I came to speak with you about something and thought I had just closed my eyes for a moment. I guess I should have listened to Pam this morning and taken that nap she kept pestering me about."

Albus nodded, but still kept a close eye on the Healer. He could tell something was amiss with the man. Inwardly sighing Albus sat down in the chair next to Don's resigned to his fate of more bad news.

"I'm sorry Don; I was trying to get the adoption papers in order for Severus and Harry. What was it that you wished to speak with me about?"

Don sighed and looked up at Albus while he tried with all his might to will away to worry he felt in his heart. "There was an incident with Harry today on his way to charms."

Albus again nodded. "Filius informed me that Harry never made it to class. I thought that he might have just had gone down to the dungeons. I take it that is not the case?"

Worry was now creeping into the old man's voice and Don was partially regretting bringing up this subject with the man. But, Don trudged on and told Albus what had happened today complete with him sending Severus back to his classes and Harry telling him about the voice he had heard.

As Don spoke Albus sank back further in his chair in thought. When the Healer stopped speaking and looked at Albus almost expectantly the old wizard sighed and voiced his thoughts.

"I think I know what might have happened, but I will need to see Harry before I know for sure. I don't think it is schizophrenia, but I don't want to divulge too much before I know for sure."

Don nodded in understanding. There was no need to worry over something that might not be true in the first place, and he was slightly grateful that the older wizard had decided not to burden him with something that might not be true.

"Harry is asleep in his room. He should awaken in an hour or so, around the time classes end."

Albus got off his chair. "Then now might be the perfect time."

Don got up as well, but was a little confused. Albus wanted to talk to Harry didn't he? If he were to talk to Harry, he would have to wake the boy up. Sighing Don decided to just go along with what the man wanted for now at least.

The two quickly flooed back down to Severus's quarters and when they reached Severus's rooms they predeceased to Harry's. Before they reached Harry's room though, Don placed a hand on Albus's shoulder so that he would turn to look at him.

"Are you going to wake him? I gave him a pretty strong sleeping potion."

Albus sadly shook his head. "No, I will not wake him. I was going to look inside his mind, and it is better if I do this while he is asleep. He can brush it off as a dream if he remembers my presence."

Don quirked an eyebrow. "You're going to perform Legilimency the boy? Could that be dangerous?"

Albus shook his head. "If he were awake it would be, but since he is asleep he will be fine. I am just going to look into his mind and see exactly what happened and what he heard, nothing more."

While letting out a sigh of relief, Don nodded. Hearing the sigh Albus turned and looked the Healer in the eyes while placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "Would it make you feel better if you watched over us?"

Don nodded and Albus gently led the man into the child's room and into the chair that was by Harry's bedside. While Don was getting settled Albus sat next to the boy on the bed and gently made sure he was tightly wrapped up in his blankets. He was going to place Harry on his lap to make this a bit easier for the both of them, but he didn't want the boy to get a chill. In the next moment Albus picked the boy up, blanket and all, and gently sat him sideways on his lap. He then expertly with his free hand lifted the boy's eyelids and muttered the spell that would allow him to enter Harry's mind.

When Albus again opened his eyes he was in a very dark room with a dim light coming from the ceiling. It almost looked like a bare bulb with a simple draw string to turn it on and off. Turning his attention Albus started to look for Harry. He had to be in here somewhere, this was his mind after all.

"Harry?"

The man received no answer though, just a small gust of cold wind. Looking around some more Albus called again, but this time Albus heard a small whimper coming somewhere to his left in the dark. With concern speeding his steps along Albus walked quickly to where he had heard the slight noise.

"Harry, child is that you?"

What the Headmaster found frightened him more than he would ever care to admit. He saw Harry curled up in a tight ball on the floor as if he were trying to protect himself from being hit. Kneeling down Albus gently picked the boy up and placed him on his lap hugging him to his body.

"It's Professor Dumbledore Harry. No one here will hurt you."

Albus was slightly relieved when Harry's body relaxed slightly when he heard him announce himself.

"Uncle?"

Albus sighed and for the millionth time since the beginning of this year cursed himself for ever placing this child with those horrible people.

"No Harry, your Uncle is not here and if he were I would never let him near you. I will never let anyone hurt you again."

Harry nodded and sat up in Albus's lap, but still clung to the man as if his life depended on it. Getting a better look at Harry it seemed that the child in Harry's mind was much younger than Harry in real life. He had only head of this happening in people who had not had real childhoods growing up; they needed to relive what they lost in their own minds to stay sane. Again Albus cursed himself.

All those thoughts stopped though when Harry looked at him with bright green eyes. They were beautiful and not dulled by having seen so much hurt in his young life. If only the Harry on the outside still had that innocence. Gently smiling Albus brushed back the hair that kept obstructing the boy's face.

"Hi there, Harry. May I ask how old you are?"

Harry thought for a moment looking down at his hands. Then, tentatively Harry held up six small fingers.

"I'm this many."

Albus sighed a little. Nothing could be simple could it? Then, looking back down at the child he smiled.

"Very good Harry! Do you think you could answer a few more questions of mine?"

Harry nodded, but looked a little nervous so gently Albus hugged the child a little closer to him to try to reassure him.

"It's ok Harry. I just want to know whether there is anyone else in here? Do you have any friends who come from time to time?"

Harry slowly shook his head and Albus let out a small sigh in relief. That meant that the child truly was not schizophrenic. It had to be something else then. On to plan B.

"Thank you for telling me that Harry. Now just one last question. Can you show me where all the memories from earlier today are kept?"

Harry looked down to his lap. "You want to see what happened before charms today."

Albus was impressed with this boy's perceptiveness. "Yes child, I do. I want to know what happened so that I can help you."

"Do...do I have to watch too?" Harry looked up to the Professor with scared eyes. He did not want to hear that voice ever again.

Albus reached down and rubbed the boy's back soothingly. "No child, you do not have to watch."

Harry nodded relieved and made to get off the man's lap. "The door is this way." Harry pointed to the right and the light from the ceiling swung back and forth a little making the room lighter in some places and darker in others.

Frowning Albus got off the ground and looked down at the small boy who was still in his arms. "May I ask where we are child? I fear I have never seen this place."

"We're inside my cupboard. That's where ungrateful freaks sleep, they don't deserve a good boy room."

The mater of fact way Harry told Albus where they were made Albus close his eyes for a moment and let out a small sigh. Gently he scooped the small boy into his arms and hugged him close to his chest. What the hell have they done to this child?

"You still don't believe that you are a freak, do you?"

Harry looked down and gave a small nod. "I know Sev'rus says that I am not and so does Don, but I know I am. Even the teachers at school said I was a freak, and I was dumber then a rock."

Albus hugged the boy a little closer to his chest. "Child, those people were lying to you. You are not a freak by any means, and you are very smart. I know that it's hard to believe us right now, but I hope one day you will."

No response came from Harry and Albus just pushed the child's cheek down to rest on his shoulder . With his arms full or Harry, Albus took a clump of lint from his pocket and transfigured it to look like the stuffed cat Severus had given him. Very gently Albus put it in the boy's hands and was glad to see Harry clutch onto the small toy.

"Come on now child, can you tell me where to go? I promise you I will leave you where you cannot see anything."

Harry nodded against the man's shoulder and pointed up ahead. "Just keep following the broken toys and you will come upon a door. The door opens quickly so don't get your fingers caught in the hinges."

Albus nodded. "Do you want to stay here child or would you like to come with me to the door?"

"I'll stay here, I don't want to hear that voice again."

"Ok then, let's put you down now. Do you have anywhere soft you can lie down?"

Harry gave a small nod and pointed to a small lumpy mattress that barely looked big enough for a baby. Sighing Albus put the boy on his feet, but before he turned to follow the trail of broken toys Albus pointed his wand at the boy's 'bed' and made it more comfortable for the child as well as enlarging it.

"There you go, Harry. Why don't you go play with shadow now?"

Harry nodded and happily ran over to his new comfortable bed with his new toy. Albus let a sad smile grace his face and then started to follow the broken toys as the child had instructed him to.

As he was following the toys Albus sighed at the implications that in Harry's mind either everything was dark or it was broken and shabby. As Albus walked he decided that he couldn't think too much about it too much, at least not now. Having an over emotional wizard in the mind of a child was not the best thing to help him heal. In fact, if his magic hot out of control in here it might cause the child to go insane. Magic had weird effects sometimes.

Reaching the end of the trail of broken toys Albus looked up and saw the door and sighed when he saw the chains that were locking the door. Carefully the man placed a hand on the lock that was holding the chains in place and called to Harry to open the door just for a moment so that he could see what happened. So he could help him.

To the man's great joy, it seemed that Harry had somehow heard his request and there and was soft clicking noise that signaled the lock unlocking. Opening his eyes and removing his hand Albus gently untangled the chains and opened the door just wide enough so that he could enter.

Inside, Albus was amazed by the utter chaos of the thoughts rushing by him in great flashes of light. Gathering his wits Albus blinked his eyes and looked around again to see whether he could step forward to find what he was looking for. It was a good thing that he had looked too for it seemed as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, a very steep one too.

Again, the man sighed and resigned to stand there to try to search through the memories where he stood. He wouldn't invade the boy's privacy, as much as he would like to cure his curiosity he didn't want to make the boy distrust him, and he knew that peeking would start that slippery slope.

So very carefully Albus pulled out his wand and called "Accio memory, today after Transfiguration." He didn't know how specific he had to be so he thought he would play it on the safe side. Luckily, he had called the right memory to him as he could see the faint glint of the hall where Harry was found.

With another sigh Albus placed his wand in his pocket and pulled the memory closer to his face. Then, without further hesitation the man placed his head into the memory as if it were a vertical plate of water. Silently the man stood there and watched the entire incident as it unfolded. When he was done watching everything that happened Albus pulled his head out of the steady stream of thoughts and let the memory go back to wizz around with the others.

Carefully the man took the two steps back and stepped out of the door. He then made sure the lock, and chains were as he left them and leaned heavily against the door with his eyes closed.

Since he had been inside Harry's memories and Harry could speak parseltongue Albus could understand everything the snake had been saying. He also knew that it was indeed a snake that had been talking; it has been obvious how it had practically hissed out the words.

To say the least this latest development scared Albus, not only for Harry, but what it meant for the school. If that snake was what he thought it was then they were going to have to shut down the school before anyone was petrified or...killed. For at this moment Albus was putting two and two together and thinking of the events that had taken place long ago. Then too the birds had disappeared suddenly, and there was not a rat nor spider to be seen.

Sighing one last time Albus followed the trail of broken toys to where little Harry was. He wanted to make sure one last time that Harry was safe and sound. No wonder the child had been so upset after what had happened in that hallway. Merlin he would be upset if he had heard that.

Reaching where he had left the child, Albus had let a small smile slip when he saw the boy on the bed clearly playing with the small toy he had transfigured for him. After another moment of just watching the child, Albus placed a bigger smile on his face and went to sit down next to Harry on the bed. When he sat down he had to suppress an even bigger smile as he saw Harry try to hide his toy and a blush. Gently the man pulled the toy back out from behind the boy's back and placed where it belonged on the child's lap.

"There is no need to hide your toy Harry. It's good to see you play with it."

Harry looked down and blushed some more. Albus couldn't suppress his smile anymore while he put an arm around Harry's shoulder.

"I have to get gong now Harry. Now, you keep Shadow safe for me and remember this has all been a dream."

Harry gave a small nod. "Will Shadow go away when this dream does?"

Again, Albus smiled down at the boy. "No Harry. He will still be here when the dream is over."

"Thank you sir."

"Your very welcome child. Now, I have to go."

Albus unwrapped his arm from Harry's shoulder and stood up from the side of the bed. Then, with one last look at the small child he nodded his head, closed his eyes and gently exited the child's mind.

As Albus was slowly waking up from his legilimency haze, he started to slowly recognize where he was. Sometimes after visiting someone's mind it was hard figuring out just where you were, just like if you travailed all the time and you woke up in the middle of the night trying to figure out what city you are in. First, the Headmaster felt the slight weight on his lap of the small child and then the tingling of his fingers that had fallen asleep holding Harry's eyes open. As he felt the tingling sensation, he gently drew back his hand and let the boy's eye lids fall back into their place. Then, noticing that his whole body was stiff and sore the old man made to move Harry back onto the bed, but before he could move a muscle Don was by his side moving Harry for him.

After moving the boy, Don gently helped the old wizard stand up and took much of his weight on his shoulders as his legs were not quite awake yet.

"Take it easy there Albus. You haven't moved from that position for more than a half hour. Come now let me get you to a comfortable chair and a glass of water."

Albus just nodded in consent and accepted that sometimes in his old age he could use some help. Don saw the small nod and began to lead the man out into the living room so they could sit more comfortably. When the Healer managed to get the older man in his seat, he quickly called a house elf and fortunately for him he didn't need to tell Tippy anything as she had been watching and pooped in with the glass of water already in hand.

After thanking the elf, Don took the water, and handed it to Albus.

"Drink some Albus, and then please tell me what you learned."

Albus took a big sip and slowly nodded his head. "Do you want the good news, the slightly concerning news, or the bad news."

Don heaved a sigh and looked at Albus. Might as well get the bad news out of the way. "What is the bad news?"

Taking another sip of his water Albus looked at Don sitting next to him. "Well, I guess the good and the bad intertwine so I'll tell them both to you. The good news is that Harry does not have any mental disorders; he is not 'hearing voices' in his head. The bad news is he is hearing the rambling of a snake meaning that he is a parseltongue. That is not really bad news, but if the snake I think Harry is hearing is here at Hogwarts we will have to close down the school until it can be found."

Looking at the Healer confused Don arched an eyebrow. "What do you think Harry is hearing?"

Piercing the Healer with his bright blue eyes Albus hesitantly answered his question with a question. "Have you ever heard of the chamber of secrets?"

Slowly Don shook his head. "Not much, only that it was opened some years back."

Albus's eyes grew hazy as Don assumed he was being pulled back into his past. "Yes, it was opened. Fifty years ago. I was still just a teacher when it was opened, a girl died and lives were ruined that year. I don't know much more about the creature than that and that somehow it can get around the castle without being seen."

Don looked at Albus half in shock and half in fear for not just the small boy on the bed, but also for the students who might make a chance encounter with the beast. Slowly Don closed his eyes and lowered his face so that it rested in his hands.

"What are we going to do?"

Albus sighed as he was shaken out of his memory. "Well, for this week we will act as normal while I start to send out letters to parents explaining that next week the wards will have to be renewed so everyone will have to be sent home for a short amount of time. With Harry, that is up to you my dear friend."

Albus looked up at Don with a small smile. "You know I can only do so much to help a hurt child."

Don nodded his head and sighed. "Why do you always leave me the hard jobs?"

"Because you're good at it Don."

Don sighed again and shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if you chose the right person to watch over your boys."

"Don look at me!"

The Healer slowly rose his head to look at the man in front of him and winced slightly when he saw the determination in his eyes.

"I chose you over every other Healer at the clinic for one reason, and one reason only. You are the best at what you do. Have you spoken with Quin since we visited the Dursley's?"

"Thank you Albus and yes, I spoke with Quin that night."

"Good, now Severus will be back from classes soon. How mush do you want to tell him? How much do you think he can handle?"

Don looked at Albus and gave him somewhat of a scolding look. One of the older wizards faults was trying to keep things from people. The Healer knew that it was mostly out of good intention and that he hated to worry people, but it was a bad habit. People do not like being lied to or manipulated.

"We are telling him everything Albus. He has a right to know it all."

Albus sighed. "You are right Don. Do you want me to stay or do you want to inform him on what is happening by yourself?"

"It might be best if you stayed. He is likely to become upset, and I might need some help."

Albus nodded. "That is fine. Do you mind if I just go grab the adoption papers? Maybe I can finish those while we wait."

"Go ahead Albus. I'm going to go sit with Harry."

Albus stood up while nodding his head. He then walked over to the floo, but before he left he turned around and looked at Don.

"I'll be right back. Do you want me to get you anything?"

Don started to shake his head, but then nodded. "Actually can you grab some of that calming tea you keep in your office for Severus? I think we're going to need some."

Another nod came from Albus, and then he flooed to his office only to return minutes later with the paperwork and tea in hand. When Albus had come back through the floo he saw that the room was now empty as Don had gone into Harry's room to watch over him. So with a small sigh Albus sat down in front of the coffee table and sat down the paper work he had yet to complete. When he had everything down onto the table Albus summoned Tippy and asked for him to bring a teapot of hot water so that he could brew the tea.

Before the elf could pop back in with the teapot though, Severus came rushing into the room.

"Albus, why are you here?"

Albus let a small smile grace his face as he gently patted the seat next to him. The elf had popped back in, and Albus took his time adding the tea to the hot water. Before Albus could finish what he was doing with the tea though Severus slammed his fish down in the table.

"Dammit Albus, tell me what is wrong with Harry already!"

Calmly Albus set down the tea and cast a cleaning spell on what had spilled to the floor and table. He then looked up at Severus and gently placed a hand on Severus's.

"Calm down my boy. Don will be here in a moment, and then we can calmly discuss what happened in the hallway."

Severus closed his eyes and Albus could tell that the man was trying to control his breathing so that he would not explode. Finally, after a few moments Severus opened his eyes again and gave a small nod.

"I'm sorry Albus. I'm just worried; he...he was bleeding so much."

Albus gave the man a gentle smile. "I know my boy. Why don't you have some tea? It will help you relax."

Severus nodded and carefully accepted the cup of tea that Albus handed him. After a few sips of tea, Severus looked up to find that Don was now sitting across from him in a chair. Before Severus was even able to open his mouth to ask how Harry was, he was stopped by Don who rose his hand to silence him.

"Harry is fine Severus, and I have a monitoring charm on his so that I will know when he awakens. After you finish that tea, I'll tell you more about what happened."

Severus nodded and started to drink more of his tea. He was annoyed that they weren't telling him anything without making him drink this damn tea, but deep down he knew that if they wanted his to drink the tea first this must be something significant.

When Severus set down his tea cup Albus poured some more in it and gave the man a small smile when he saw Severus scowl at him.

"Do I have to drink this too before you tell me what is going on?"

Don smiled at Severus while he shook his head. "No Severus, just sip on it. It will keep you calm."

"Fine then. Now will you tell me what the matter is?"

Don sighed and looked up at Severus. He then began to explain very carefully what had happened to Harry and all about the voice he had heard. Albus then explained about going into the child's head and seeing what had happened in that hallway. When the two were finished filling Severus in, the man sank back into his chair and closed his eyes.

"I'm taking Harry home and that's final."

Albus nodded he had expected Severus to react this way. "Ok Severus, you can take him home in the morning. Let me go and make the house ready tonight first. I still have to do some things to make sure Harry will be comfortable there."

Severus nodded. "Can I go sit with him?"

Don nodded. "Yes Severus. Before you go though, I wanted to let you know that Mrs. Landow has agreed to have tea with the two of you this Saturday. Do you think you still want to meet up with her after today?"

With a small sigh Severus gave a hesitant nod. "I think Harry would benefit from the meeting even more now."

"Very well then. I'll write down her address for you."

"Thank you."

Severus then stood up and made his way to the bedroom Harry was resting in. After the man had left, Don looked at Albus.

"That went better then expected."

Albus held up a small vial of calming potion that was half-empty. Seeing the vial Don rose an eyebrow and shook his head. Albus just returned the raised eyebrow with one of his own and a shrug of the shoulders.

"What?"

"You are one sneaky old man. Smart, but sneaky."

Albus grinned and put the vial back in his pocket. "Are you ok here with Severus and Harry? I need to finish this paperwork and the letters that have to be sent out to the parents."

"Yes Albus go on. I'll make sure these two eat something even if it's just soup."

Albus got out of his chair and as he was moving towards the floo he placed a gentle hand on Don's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will Albus. Remember to get some rest tonight."

Albus just nodded his head before he walked through the floo. He knew he wouldn't get any sleep tonight. As he sat down in his chair behind the desk Albus sighed. He had not yet shared all the news that the Healer should know. The man already had too much on his plate tonight, he would share the concerning information about the broken toys and the dark cupboard tomorrow. There was little they could do now anyway.

After Albus left Severus's rooms, Don got up and walked quietly to where his two boys were in Harry's room. Stopping in the doorway Don smiled as he watched Severus run his long fingers through Harry's hair and gently caress the boy's cheek occasionally.

Smiling Don entered the room and came to sit in the chair by Harry's bed as Severus was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling Severus?"

Not stopping soothing the child Severus looked over at Don.

"I'm scared Don. I know we were only joking about keeping Harry out of trouble, but he really is a magnet for danger. How am I supposed to keep him safe? He was only walking to his class, and this happened!"

Don placed a calming hand on Severus's back. "You have help Severus; you're not alone."

Severus's hand did stop soothing the boy now, and it came up to cover his face. Don felt under his hand Severus's back heave in a silent sob. Sighing Don got up while removing his hand from Severus's back. He then gently lifted Severus up onto his feet by his armpits and let the man turn and collapse into his arms.

Gently Don rubbed soothing circles on the man's back as he quietly cried out his fears.

"It's ok Severus; it's ok."

For ten minutes, the two men stood that way. Then, Severus pulled back, and silently wiped away the tears with a handkerchief he had dug out from his pocket. Don let him, but still kept Severus close. As Severus tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket Don could clearly see the man's red rimmed eyes. With a small smile Don placed a hand on Severus's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Feel better now?"

"Thank you Don."

"You know that is unnecessary Severus, but you're welcome. Now have a seat and I'll go get something for you to eat. Harry should be waking soon, but I don't know whether he will be up to eating anything just yet."

Severus did as Don told him and sat down in the chair next to Harry's bed. The next moment though it seemed that Don did not have to leave of call a house elf because Tibby had already popped in with a tray in her arms.

Smiling down at the elf Don took the tray. "Thank you Tibby and thank the Headmaster for me."

"Tibby will sir! Does Master Healer need anything else?"

"No Tibby, but thank you."

With that, the small elf popped away and Don walked over to Severus placing the tray on his lap.

"Drink your potion Severus and then please try to eat a little something."

Obediently Severus drank his potion and picked up his spoon to placed it in the stew the elf had brought him. As Severus followed his instructions Don pulled up another chair and placed it next to Severus. Sitting down Don watched as Severus simply played with his food.

"Please stop playing with your food Severus."

Sighing Severus lifted the spoon and put some in his mouth. After a few more bites, the man put the spoon down again and started to push away the bowl with a sigh.

"Is your stomach upset?"

Slowly Severus nodded. "Please don't make me eat anymore."

Don sighed. "Alright Severus, can you drink a nutrient supplement for me then?"

Severus nodded while he banished away the tray. He would have done it before, but he knew doing so without Don's ok would have left him with a lecture from the Healer. As Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try to calm his stomach Don stood up and went into the other room.

When the Healer came back into the room, he had two vials of potions in his hands. Coming over he sat back down next to Severus and placed a gentle hand on the man's arm.

"I have a stomach soother here for you Severus."

Opening his eyes Severus grabbed the potion and downed it in one go. Don really hated seeing Severus like this. Whenever the man became this upset, his emotions went haywire making his body react along with the upset. When Severus did something he never did anything half-assed that was sure, and this was no different.

"Ok Severus now the nutrient potion."

Severus nodded and took the potion drinking it down quickly. He then handed the two empty vials back to Don while he turned back to look at Harry. With a sigh Don placed another hand on Severus's arm to give it a gentle squeeze.

"Everything will be fine Severus. Do you have any papers to grade?"

If Don could distract Severus then he would. It was not healthy for Severus to worry so much.

"No."

Don sighed. "Ok then Severus."

An hour later there was a slight stir from the child on the bed. Insistently Severus woke up from his daze and moved to sit on edge of Harry's bed. Tenderly the man stroked the boy's hair back. In just a few minutes, the boy's eyes opened and looked fearfully up at Severus.

When Severus saw the fear he whispered gentle reassurances to the boy, and Harry began to relax slightly.

"Daddy?"

"Yes child?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Severus sighed, but gave the child a weak smile. "No child. Why do you think I would be?"

Harry looked over at the wall, and his eyes clouded over. "I...I did something...freaky."

Severus's eyebrows drew together in confusion and stole a glance at Don to see whether he knew what Harry was talking about. When the Healer slightly shrugged his shoulders Severus looked back down at Harry.

"What do you mean Harry?"

"Are...are you going to send me back to the Dursleys?"

Bringing his hand up to cup Harry's cheek Severus turned the boy's head and made it so that he could only look into his face.

"I will never send you back there Harry. I promise you that, and I do not make promises I cannot keep."

Tears were now entering Harry's eyes. Severus sighed and was grateful that Harry was still wrapped up in the blanket Albus had him wrapped in when he lifted him onto his lap. Gently Severus lifted Harry up and deposited him on his lap hugging the child to him tightly. Not only comforting the child, but he was also making sure that Harry was truly all right for himself.

Harry comfortably laid his head on Severus's shoulder. "There's something wrong with me. Why was I hearing that voice?"

Holding the child close to him Severus looked Harry directly in the eyes. The three had not discussed what they should tell the child about his new found ability so Severus tried as best as he could to explain the situation very gently.

"It's complicated Harry, but there is nothing wrong with you. It seems that you have a special gift. You are a parseltongue, meaning you can talk to snakes."

"Not...not everyone can do that?"

"You knew that you could speak to snakes?"

Slowly Harry nodded his head. "When...when I went to the zoo with the Dursleys, a snake talked to me, and I accidentally set him free. That means I'm even more of a freak doesn't it?"

Stroking the child's back gently Severus shook his head. "No Harry you are not a freak. This is a gift Harry, a very special gift."

Tears were again threatening to spill from Harry's eyes, and the child turned to bury his face in Severus's robes.

"Hey now, everything is ok. There is no need for tears child."

As Severus was trying to comfort the child Don came over and sat next to the two on the bed. When he felt that the child was calm enough Don placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Harry turned his head and looked over at Don.

Smiling warmly Don looked into Harry's eyes. "Hi there Harry. How are you feeling?"

"I...I don't know."

Gently Don patted the boy on the shoulder. "That's ok Harry. I wanted to tell you that tomorrow you and Severus are going to go home for a few weeks. Albus has gone to make up your room and get everything ready."

Harry gave a weary nod against Severus's shoulder. "So...what was the voice? Was it a snake?"

Both the Healer and Severus gave a small nod, but it was Don who continued for Severus for it seemed the man could not at this moment. "It was a snake Harry. A very large one, but I don't want you to worry about that, ok?"

Again Harry gave a small nod. "I...I can't go back to school?"

Don sighed and shared a look with Severus. "Harry, everyone will be going home next week. That snake that was talking is very dangerous and thanks to you hearing it we know that it has been let loose."

Again, Harry gave a small nod, but then turned his head so that he was looking at Severus.

"Daddy, will you still be teaching?"

Severus looked over at Don and then nodded. "During the day I will teach, but Pam or Don will come by to stay with you so you're not alone. Maybe we can use this time to catch you up even more."

Harry relaxed even more in Severus's arms, and the man smiled a little.

"Are you hungry child?"

Harry nodded a little.

Severus smiled down at Harry. "Why don't you get cleaned up then and then we'll sit down at the table and have a little something to eat. Your tummy must be hungry you haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

Harry made a move to get up so Severus helped Harry get untangled from the blanket and then down onto his feet. Severus then got his own feet and gently pushed Harry towards the bathroom.

As soon as Harry left the room Don placed a gentle hand on Severus's shoulder. "You did well Severus, but you know he's going to ask questions."

Severus sighed. "I know and I'll tell him what we know. I want him to feel comfortable enough to ask though instead of me overflowing him with information."

"And that is why you are the best person for Harry. Now, do you think you can eat a little more since Harry is going to eat at the table?"

Again Severus sighed. "I'll try."

Don gave Severus's shoulder a small, comforting squeeze. "Let's go and ask the elves for something then."

Severus nodded and the two started to walk towards the table. When they reached their destination they both sat down, and Don called Tippy for some food. After the elf smiled knowingly, nodded, and then popped away food appeared on the table enough for three of them.

Moments later Harry came out of the bathroom and sat down in his chair dressed in new clothes and had a wet head of hair.

Smiling at Harry Severus pushed the plates of food a little closer to the boy. "Go ahead and eat Harry, you missed lunch and you need all the food you can get."

Harry nodded and after drinking a whole glass of milk he picked up his fork to eat. While the boy was eating his food Severus threw him small glances between taking bites of his own food. When Severus saw that Harry was almost finished the man put down his fork and looked over at Harry.

"Harry?"

The child looked up at his guardian curiously.

"I know you must have questions Harry. You can ask me anything you want anytime, ok?"

Harry gave a small nod and picked up his fork to eat some more of his food. Don looked over at Severus and gave the man a nod in approval. He knew that Severus didn't really want to answer those questions, but he would, and he was proud of him for doing so.

The rest of the meal went without incident, and Don left shortly after knowing that Harry was in good hands and that Severus would call him if he needed any help. After banishing away the plate's Severus pulled out the paper Minerva had told him about from Harry's bag and placed it in front of Harry.

"Why don't you work on this for a little bit and then we can play a game of chess. Alright? Pam is not coming by tonight, but you'll see her tomorrow."

Harry gave a small nod and glanced down at the paper. As he did so Severus let a small sigh escape his lips.

"Do you need help reading the book?"

Nodding Harry looked up at Severus a little ashamed. Severus only smiled down at Harry and moved his chair a bit closer to the boy.

"No need to be ashamed Harry. Why don't you read the chapter to me out loud?"

Harry opened the book to the right spot and started to read to Severus. The two continued to read and work on Harry's transfiguration work for a while until Severus noticed Harry's eyes drooping. Although Harry had slept for a while today, it had still been a stressful day for him, and he was bound to be tired.

After letting Harry finish his homework, Severus placed a gentle hand on Harry's. "I can see your sleepy Harry. Why don't we postpone our game of chess till tomorrow?"

Harry let a yawn escape and nodded with a small smile.

"Go get in your pajamas Harry and I'll be in to tuck you in in a few moments."

Harry nodded and packed away his school things in his bag before hopping down off the chair and running off to his room.

Severus just smiled and shook his head after the boy. One moment he was a scared little boy, the next he could be a child who knew more than he should and then there were moments like this where he acted his age. Those moments Harry acted like any other boy his age warmed Severus's heart and made him wish that he could act that way all the time.

With another smile Severus shook himself out of his thoughts and started to walk to Harry's room. When he entered he was pleased to see Harry getting into bed and pulling up the covers over himself.

Walking over Severus sat on the edge of Harry's bed and pulled the covers up a bit more so they covered the boy's shoulders.

"Sweet dreams Harry."

"Goodnight daddy, I love you."

Harry held his breath and waited for Severus to reply. He had not openly said that before, and he was a little scared that the man would not reply.

Severus smiled though, and bent down to place a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead.

"I love you too Harry. Now go to sleep, tomorrow you get to see your new home."

Harry nodded and closed his eyes sleepily while Severus smiled and pulled both the small black cat plushy and lion plushy close to the child so that he could hug them if he wanted. The man was rewarded when Harry reached out and drew the small cat close to him and then rolled over and fell asleep almost immediately.

Severus smiled at the sight and gently brushed the hair out the sleeping child's face, before he got up from the bed and headed towards the door. When he was just about out the door Severus noxed the lights and cracked the door slightly, but not before placing a monitoring charm on Harry so that he would know whether he woke in distress.

When he was outside Severus sighed and rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he needed some rest himself. So Severus walked to his own room and got ready for bed himself falling asleep just before his head hit his pillow. Too bad Severus would be getting little sleep tonight as well.