Internal Woodland; Exact Location Unknown:
It was dark and cold within his wandering and ever-changing dreams that seemed, even now, to slip through his fingers like the sands within an hour glass. He could never hope to hold on long to the comfort that they seldom offered his weary soul. The cool, misty fog that pressed against him from all sides was not unpleasant but rather the chill was enough to make him aware of his surroundings and gentle comfort they continuously offered him.
Green eyes, the colour of a deep and dark forest, observed the gentle but dense woodland that his dream self was wandering aimlessly through. The sights and open aromas of the woodlands easing his ever present concern and wavering panic. The young wizard suddenly found himself in the path of the freezing wind that titillated against his skin and teased a shivering chill from within his soul, still he was not discomforted.
The gentle rustle of the forest leaves sang a beautiful but sorrow filled tune that only Harry could understood and hear. It instilled within him a calm that allowed his breaths, previously straining in his lungs, to come easier to him and his thoughts to come to him in a more orderly fashion. He was vaguely aware of the passing of time in this sacred place, with only gentle flickers of memory reminding him of his reason for being here. How he had entered the mysterious forest in the first place: surrounded by the ever gentle caress of the wind, the sweet misty air soothing his taxed lungs and the hauntingly familiar melody of signing nature did not matter anymore, he was finally calm and at ease with himself.
Harry had never felt the tender calm of his soul so soothed and at ease with himself before and the caress of his concerns and fears washing away with the very air he breathed, was sweet ambrosia to his weariness. It allowed for him to settle down completely. Placing his hand up against the bark of a tree, tracing the gentle veins of a stray fallen leaf; feeling nothing, thinking nothing, being only aware of the breathing and living magical trees and woods enfolding his soul. It was as if everything revolved around the beauty of the place and the nature itself was stained with thousands of years of magic and a caring abundance of rain.
The spluttering, flowing call of a trickling brook close by called out to Harry and his green eyes hooded behind long lashes. Somnolent feet carried his awareness deeper and deeper into the forest where the mist eventually cleared, the sun filtered in through the high tree tops, lush green shrubs broke across the ground and deep brown tree barks and roots flowed into the earth at a sedate pace. It clearly called to his heart, offering gentle appeasement to a wary soul.
With his thoughts and concerns silent for once, all that mattered to young Harry was the complete connection he felt to the earth beneath his feet as he walked, with a crown of long hair resting upon his brow and the gentle mist curling, like the seeping smoke from a newly kindled flame, against his receptive skin. Everything felt so right, so perfectly aligned with the world that nothing else alarmed Harry at all.
When he finally reached the slow trickle of the stream, Harry knelt on the ground. Not caring that his clothes, consisting of a green tunic, dark brown breeches and a silvery cloak, were getting wet and were soon stained with deep dark mud and green moss. The scent that curled around him and the silence only broken by the rustle of leaves and the trickle of water was a soothing balm to his essence. Harry reached out to tentatively caress the clear surface of the water. Fingers dipping beneath the cool surface of the gently bubbling brook, not able to resist the way it called out to him and the way his heart suddenly yearned for the touch of the flowing liquid.
"I've been waiting for you to acknowledge me for a long time, little one." Harry started at the musical voice, instantly snapping his attention away from the water and onto the figure kneeling on the other side of the stream. Before him, in a reflection of his own image, a boy as old as he with hair as soft and golden as the sun spun of silk, reaching down to his hips in impressive length, knelt on the ground. It was carefully braided to keep his hair from spilling into his eyes and formed a diadem of gold upon his brow. The eyes that locked with his were of a deep forest green so saturated in colour that they were nearly black with emotion. Dainty, small features and high cheekbones offered a glimpse into a regal face Harry hadn't seen before. It left him quite breathless, almost afraid that this dream was but a dream within a dream and he would soon vanish before his very eyes.
"W-who are you?"
"I am you little one, as you are me. I am the side of you that has been repressed since before you were a year old. I am the Ancient Wood Elf that nestles in your blood, the life force that keeps you going. I control your Inheritance that you are now balancing on the brink of and know that I will never leave you alone again now that I am free of binding magic. You know where to find me now." The elf tilted his head to the side, his gold threaded hair falling to the side in a rippling waterfall to reveal gently pointed ears and set pale skin shimmering with the golden light of the sun, and it was dazzling in its intensity. Harry was stunned, rising from his knees and walking through the small stream of cold water as the sudden magnetic pull of the elf called out to him. He just had to be closer, had to touch...
Bubbling water swirled around his feet, touching his skin with a refreshed and cool stroke. It only added to the comfort and magical tug he felt in his heart. The beautiful creature across from him reached forward, taking his outstretched hand and tugging him closer to the scent of wild strawberries, spearmint and orange blossoms. A soft sigh of contentment slid past Harry's lips as he fought the urge to burry himself against the lithe body of the elf before him. He was so close and yet so far away that it disconcerted the wizard, causing a whimper to spill from his lips unbidden.
"H-how?" Harry inquired softly as he was led towards a fallen log covered with sweet smelling moss, right next to the trickling stream. The elf merely gave a musical chuckle to his question before seating Harry next to him. Running long, gentle fingers through long hair and braiding it in an image of his own. A soft musical melody rising from his lips as he hummed a gentle lullaby that surrounded the wizard in a calm that left him content in leaning against the lithe figure behind him. He was so close to drifting off into bleak, dark dreams filled with nothing but his racing thoughts and the darkened abyss. Tugging at his hair, the elf drew Harry back to himself.
"It's not about how, it's about acknowledging what you have been robbed of all those years ago. Look at your reflection my little Saturn and acknowledge who you are." Harry leaned forward slightly, revelling in the feel of his hair sliding from the elf's fingers and cascading down his back, making him wonder when his hair had gotten so long and why it did not bother him the least, in fact he revelled in the sensations racing up his spine.
"You are no longer Harry Potter," The elf whispered in his ear, fingers caressing his neck and sweeping his hair aside. "You are me, Augustus Saturnus Malfoy-Snape. Little Saturn, Severus' most beloved child and Lucius' long awaited youngest son."
"I release you from your burden, Saturn. There is no more Harry Potter, only you yourself." In the clear water, staring back at him was not an ounce of Harry Potter but only Saturn as he had seen him moments before. The exact replica of the elf that now rested his chin on his shoulder. His hair, no longer black, was now long and like threads of gold, woven and braided like a diadem across his brow, reaching down and touching his hips without a struggle. Forest green eyes, rid of the electric Avada Kedavra green, were now standing out starkly against newly pale and glowing skin. A tentative hand ran his fingers experimentally up against the tip of his gently pointed ear, marvelling at the shiver it wracked through his body at the strangely seductive sensation.
A small smile tugged at his lips. Acceptance, which was what he had strangely told himself in a roundabout way. He needed acceptance in himself of his new self and acknowledge that he was Saturn now, not Harry. There was no more Harry Potter at all and there never would be again, no matter how the Wizarding World called out to him and needed him. He was severed from the burden under that name. No one now but a select few even knew of his existence...
It was utter bliss.
"See it as a blessing, a new family and a new start." Saturn nodded, forest green eyes, almost pitch black, stared at the slowly trickling stream and felt only comfort and love from within himself. Deep down Saturn felt nothing but respite, desperate relief and hope...
~~~~
Lucius Malfoy gazed incredulously at the large stack of papers gathered at his feet, within his line of sight as he stared upwards was his newly found son, deeply asleep on the large canopy bed of his new room and Severus Snape slumbered on one of the forest green divans closest to the bed. By his lover's booted feet rested an intricate black box that had changed everything for all of them. He was not sure whether to praise its contents or curse them to the ends of the earth.
Allowing an annoyed hiss to pass his lips, he ran his fingers through his long hair in discomfort before absently tracing his fingertips across the parchment of a letter addressed to him. Written fifteen years ago and having lived in that accursed and blessed box, the head of the large mansion was afraid in knowing that it was meant for his eyes only. He held it haltingly in his hand, hesitating and unsure if he should crack the seal and risk another painful revelation or just burn it to ashes before even opening it.
Absently noting the fire that was crackling and hissing ominously in the hearth on the other side of the room, he became aware at filling of the room with the subtle aroma of burning apple tree wood. It was scenting the air with a bitter sweetness that Lucius enjoyed more than the scent of open woodlands where he had first discovered his creature inheritance, it was a small comfort to the endless official and unofficial missives gathered at his feet collected from his study a few hours past. Lucius and Severus both had not wanted to leave their child alone for a minute since his return here. The ominous letter resting in his hand, threatening to shatter the small amount of relief he found in his home.
It would be no use in trying to awaken Severus and ask for his opinion as he was clearly exhausted from the forced search he had been pushed into attending. Even if it had been a day since Severus had returned from the mandatory search for Potter, the Headmaster had not been kind in his words nor his actions to both those on his side and those not. Almost the entirety of London had been torn apart by Dumbledore's endless spies and Aurors turning over any possible spot where the 'child' could have gotten to.
The Lord of Malfoy Manner though, merely shrugged his elegant shoulders at the Headmaster's distress, glad that no connection had been made between Remus and Severus' quarters the day before. It was a small miracle at the events that had passed, but how long it would hold he did not know. He had to return to the Ministry soon and sort out the mess that had been made of his child's life. Lucius was pleased though that what had been discovered deep in the vaults of Gringgotts that fateful day had yet to be revealed to anyone but those who it involved...
Briefly resting silver eyes upon Severus' sleeping features, Lucius took note of the array of research books laid at his beloved's feet. Merely shaking his head in hidden affection and exasperation, Merlin forbid that someone so much as attempted to drag Severus Snape away from his potions or his endless reams of ancient books. Lucius wouldn't be surprised when his hand burst into flames if he tried to read one of them himself.
Thus all he had now was to turn back to his own boring official work, bar the letter resting like a menace in his lap. He could have been reading and relaxing but he had to finish this work as well, Malfoy Manner did not run itself and neither did his family estate. Certainly jealous of the young Hogwarts Professor, Lucius shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts. Resting on a subject he did not like to think about at all: that Severus was clearly exhausted from the tireless facade he had had to keep up in front of the Headmaster the day before, and also because of the startling revelations and discoveries laid upon his shoulders when their little Saturn had sought them out. It was a miracle that he had come to them instead of those who he had grown up trusting.
He didn't know whether to be proud or disconcerted that their child had no one to trust anymore, it was not an easy thought to contend with.
Flickering eyes rested upon the sleeping form once more before deciding it wouldn't be long anymore before Saturn woke up and then, if hell wasn't going to break lose, there were going to endless reams of questions to be answered. It was up to them now as his parents to offer all the proper and truthful answers to those question and if it opened a path to trust, then it was all the better.
Lucius knew however, that one did not just pick up where one left of in a situation like this. Love and trust of such an intimate level had to be rebuilt from the ground up. Much care and concern was needed with the fragile state that their child was already in and was only going to get worse after his awakening.
The wrong reaction, the wrong words or even the slightest of mistakes could easily turn Saturn away from them forever and that was not something Lucius ever wanted to experience, not again. Knowing he had just found his son again and then to lose him again to something so brittle was not acceptable.
Sliding his finger across the blood red seal of the Potter House to attempt to push his anxiety behind him, Lucius was surprised by his own boldness in cracking it and opening the dreaded letter after all. He was going to hate himself for this and he knew it.
Deep down Lucius hoped desperately to find answers to his own questions that the box itself could not offer; nor the one sided memories that had yet to be viewed in a Pensieve. With a touch of trepidation and pushing aside the clench of his stomach, Lucius read scanned the parchment and noted with not only surprise at the contents, but also his rested calm soon boiled down to all consuming rage.
"To the Esteemed and Honourable Lord and Master of Malfoy Manner, His Highness, the Presiding Prince of the Woodland Elf Council, and the Governor of Hogwarts" It began formally. Lucius frowned deeply, it was rare for anyone to write anything with all of his formal titles present, and it was even less likely that they knew of his status within the Elvin council of Old. It was quite disconcerting to see and Lucius knew almost immediately that he was not going to like what was written inside.
To the Esteemed and Honourable Lord and Master of Malfoy Manner, His Highness, the Presiding Prince of the Woodland Elf Council, and the Governor of Hogwarts
Lucius Abraxus Malfoy of the Malfoy Lineage:
I, Lily Hanna Potter, wife of James Charles Potter offer my magic and life in apology to the grave mistake that was made on the 31st of December 1980. After being approached by the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I was asked if I would look after Severus' orphaned child as both he and his lover, Lucius Malfoy, died in a Death Eater raid several days before. I, being unable to conceive after three agonizing years, had been ashamedly ecstatic at the prospect of having one of my own. I simply could not let my once most beloved friend's only child fall into the social system that the Minister could not run accurately.
At the request of Albus Dumbledore, in protecting Harry from him, we were asked to cast the Paternus Mutare Charm. Something I will regret forever, knowing the beauty that we had hidden from the world in search of protection. Today, just over eight months since his adoption, I have come across horrifying news when I happened across the Prophet in Gordic's Hollow.
I have unwittingly discovered that not only was young Harry the target of some unmarked prophesy spoken a few months before, you, Lucius Malfoy, who we thought was dead, is still alive. I may only be expressing a hollow hope that Severus is alive as well, yet I know it is but a silly wish of mine. I cannot help but think, if that silly old man had lied to use about your death, then he could have lied about Severus as well. But I will look into the matter when I have more time.
I have already written a formal letter to Harry explaining of his parentage long ago, though I know it will lead him to his birth certificate and adoption papers I would like to inform him of than myself one day. Yet, knowing the unpredictability of war, I have also charmed it to be delivered fifteen years from now when the Mutare charm starts to waver.
If James and I are dead and unable to tell Harry the truth, I have also written to you in hopes of revealing my distress at this new discovery. I cannot help but stress my sincerest apology for the wrongs I have unknowingly committed in trusting a silly old Headmaster, which obviously had other designs in taking your child away. Of his reason, I claim no knowledge but it is disheartening knowing that I too was cheated in this situation.
I will store this letter with the birth certificates and vials of memories in Gringgotts. I know that if I were to send it to you now, it would only be intercepted and incinerated by enemies on both sides; this letter contains too many painful secrets to be risked. But know this, I wish to rectify this mistake as soon as I can. I have already left a specific clause in my will to do so if I am not able to so before my death. Sweet little Harry is not ours, he belongs with his father - you.
If this letter should only find you after fifteen years and me and James are both dead, know that someone has been tampering with records in the Ministry. It is not a comforting thought but at least I know Gringgotts is safe from human intervention. It is the 29th of October as I seal this letter, and it will be locked away tomorrow when we leave for a brief visit to Diagon Alley.
Yours
Lily Hanna Potter
"What are you reading?" Lucius jerked in surprise as he was dragged from his simmering anger. How had this happened and just why was it never rectified? Biting the inside of his cheek, Lucius knew a long struggle with both the Ministry and the corruption within it was going to exhausting and tireless. Severus' innocent inquiry did little to distract him from it.
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, impossible dark eyes locked with uncertain silver. Shared between them was a single gaze of concern and flaming, boiling anger. Shaking his head to distract himself from his consuming rage, the Head of Malfoy Manner waved his hand and incinerated the paper with a simple wandless Incendio.
Vanishing the ashes as they fell onto his robes and the thick carpet beneath his feet. After having so many years of experience of controlling his emotions, it was easy to hide his rage from his beloved and the implications of the questions it would inevitably bring. It did not do well for his emotions but internal battle, but at least Severus would not ask about it again.
"Nothing important." Lucius replied in a nonchalant manner. Reaching for his dictator quell and parchment, as he activated it and began dictating a reply to one of the invites to the Ministry he had received earlier that day. Lucius only received a frown from Severus before letting the subject drop.
Reaching for one of his large potions tomes before cracking open its spine and delving into the contents, Severus turned his attention away from the subtly distressed Malfoy Lord. If Lucius had dismissed it, then it was probably not something important. After briefly glancing at Saturn's sleeping form, Severus was satisfied when he displayed no outward sign of panic or pain and concentrated on the words forming on the pages.
Augustus Saturnus Malfoy-Snape's Room; Malfoy Manner:
A pained whimper followed Saturn into a lingering wakeful state. A body, small, lithe and newly revealed, curled closer around the subtle stiffness around his ribs and the painful tug of bruises decorating his torso and arms. Wrenching the newly discovered Saturn from his gentle and refreshing dream of an endless, comforting woodland and back into a world he was unfamiliar with and reluctant to return unto. He was not sure whether to welcome it or to fear his new form of calm acceptance. After a moment of basking at the touch of a soft bed and silky sheets, Saturn took a few minutes to collect his wandering and out of control thoughts.
Long, silver lashes fluttered open to the waning moon's rays spilling in from large French windows. The heavy velvet curtains of unknown colour had not been pulled shut and now the moon bathed the entire room in the silvery light of the volatile night. In the corner of his eye shimmered a small flickering flame in hues of golden orange and shadowy white. The dancing shadows of a burning candle offering little warmth to the coldness of the room.
Shivering at the abrupt brush of cool air creeping across exposed skin, Saturn fought off the urge to burrow deeper into the warmth of the eiderdown duvet he was provided with. The slide of silk across his flesh as he turned on his side elicited a different form of shiver racing across his skin, as eyes of impossible green swam into focus without the aid of his glasses. It was a pleasant but unexpected surprise for the young wizard and drove home the point that he was no longer who thought he was. Nothing was the same and it would never be. It did not bode well for the uncertainty that his heart balanced on the edge of.
"W-where?" He groaned to the empty air, wincing at the scratch in his voice and the hacking cough that followed his words. His question however remained unanswered.
Saturn started when his frantically searching eyes rested on a black and white figure curled up on a settee dragged closer to the canopy bed. Frowning at the figure sleeping so soundly next to his bed without concern, Saturn observed the rest of room spread around him in the light of the moon with hesitancy. Inside he felt himself cling onto the last bit of strength and sanity residing in his heart. It was fading quickly though with the overwhelming sense of rising panic that couldn't be quelled by his own mind's comforting whispers.
The seriousness of the situation was finally creeping up on him and Saturn had no idea where he was, why he was there or even how he had gotten there. All he knew was the pushing emptiness in his chest that told him someone should have been with him at the moment of his wakening but wasn't, was enough to order a hitch into his breath.
Wracking his mind for any form of answer to his arrival here, Saturn could find nothing but brief, hazy flashes of Remus, a box, important truths and the darkness of Gringgotts tunnels. He could clearly remember asking to see Professor Snape, but no matter how hard he sought - there was no memory of anything afterwards or even if he had gotten to Professor Snape. If he had, Saturn could only hope that the Professor had not rejected the truth of his birth. Deep down, Saturn could not help but hope for a chance in the future.
There wasn't any more denial in the events that had taken place, even now as he sat lonely and dejected in the dark, he could feel the physical changes of his body and the strange acceptance in his mind.
Biting his tongue against the whimper that rose in his throat, Saturn dug his nails into his palm until he felt nails pierce flesh. Briefly but ineffectively calming the panic that flashed through his body, still lingering now on his brow from his distressing thoughts. Ignoring as best he could, the wracking shivers and muddled slow thoughts swirling in his mind. Saturn pushed himself up and attempted to bring his trembling hands back under control.
Newly fixed eyes restless, travelling from one side of the room to the other and then back again, unsure of what to settle upon to gather his thoughts properly. It was easy however to note the large decorated double doors, closed and heavy, in the distance. A collection of six candles balanced on silver candelabra next to his bed flickered and fluttered at the touch of an unseen breeze. Bringing only a dark gloom to the room rather than comfort of light.
Their uncertain light threw an uneasy illumination across the rest of the large, stately room. Highlighting a bookcase running against the far wall of the room from one side to the other that also steadily reached its oaken shelves for the beginnings of the high beamed ceiling. The scent of dusty, leather bound books swirled in the air also brought out the sensation of flickering, fading magic covering the shelves. It was a teasing caress against his skin that was not all together unpleasant but left his heart uneasy as it indicated that the collection was very real and also very magical.
Suppressing a passing shiver, Saturn quickly turned his eyes away to focus on the large span of windows that were open, allowing for the moon to flit in from outside. On the stately wooden floors were the beginning of rich Persian carpets running the distance from the dark settees to the edge of the empty hearth. The fire must have burnt out some time ago as not even the scent of ash and flame lingered in the air. He couldn't see in the deep dark but Saturn guessed that the wood of the floor was most likely the same colour as the rest of the darkened furniture well.
Saturn did not know what to make of this place decked in such ultimate luxury when he was used to the smallest room at the Dursley's and the cupboard under the stairs. It was almost unimaginable that a room bigger that their entire house should be the one that he woke up in. He had never felt anything like this before and the touch of silk against his skin, the heavy eiderdown weighing against his chest and even the presence of the sleeping figure next to his bed in silent vigil, allowed for a small blossom of hope to erupt in his heart only to be crushed again by fear of the unknown.
Feeling his breath hitch painfully in his chest, Saturn clutched at the silk above his heart, hoping to stave off the strange sensation engulfing it, only to feel the drag and pull of tight bandages across his torso. Had his cracked ribs had been discovered and why were they healed? He wasn't supposed to be shown kindness to...
Unnerved at the sensation, Saturn turned his eyes away in shame. Shifting his attention back to studying the room and all of its magical trinkets, desperately attempting to figure out just where he was and why he was not locked away in some dark and dreary place. Luckily he felt his full blown panic lessening as something else began eating away at his heart. The further he thought on the emotion, the more Saturn felt the desperate need to leave the confining restriction of the room and the heavy blankets. He needed to open air, to discover the flow of the forest calling out to him outside through the open windows. He needed to find...
The figure sleeping on the darkly coloured armchair stirred suddenly and drew Saturn's attention away from his racing uneasiness and towards the sleeping figure once more. Not for the first time startled by his presence and their reason for being next to the broken child who only had a past steeped with lies and pain. Feeling frustration building in his eyes, Saturn wiped at the stinging behind his eyes and hoped that the wet sensation on his cheeks were not tears. He could not afford to show weakness, no, not now when he was barely holding onto the last threads of his sanity.
With a startled breath of ache at his sudden frantic movement, Saturn sighed in relief when his feet finally touched the cool floor. A frown dotted his pale features when the light from the candles brightened and he could just about recognizing the figure deeply asleep in the armchair. Pale skin, thin lips pulled into an ever present frown with long dark hair framing regal features. Not to mention the ebb and flow of familiar onyx robes and Dragon Hide boots...
"P-Professor? Professor Snape?" Saturn inquired, biting down his concern when the voice that left his lips was not his own, nor was the way in which he carried himself. Everything felt so different and now the Professor was not answering him. Clearly he was in the throes of his own deep, dark dream. The young wizard felt his stomach clench in concern when a whimper of pain stained the air.
"Professor! W-wake up!" He was too afraid to shake the Professor awake, so perhaps he should go find someone to help instead? Battling two different arguments inside his mind was tearing Saturn apart, one part wanted out of the constricting room, the other wanted to hide and make himself a small a target as possible for when they found him awake and he wasn't supposed to be.
Without making a single decision, Saturn deliberately kept his footsteps light against the wooden floors. Momentarily Saturn ignored his emotions and sense of not wanting to be discovered. He just wanted to find someone who could help the Professor, who was by now tossing in his sleep, making sounds of discomfort and pain. Wincing slightly when his ribs pulled painfully against the bindings on his chest, Saturn pulled his bottom lip between his teeth in distress. Yet before he could leave through the door, there was a flash and flicker of a large mirror hanging above the fireplace. In his dazed state, his feet carried him there with another revelation. He had clearly changed, but how? Had his dream been merely that or was it a strange spin on reality?
Saturn's footsteps guided him towards a large gilded mirror shimmering in the moonlight. Averting his eyes for a moment, he was eventually overcome with curiosity and sure enough the moment he stared into the looking glass, he saw it. There was no more Potter. Saturn looked exactly like he had seen himself in his dreams. His hair, now as golden silk, cascaded down to his hips in threaded locks, his eyelashes, pale silver in the shimmer of the moon's rays just as startling a colour as his eyebrows. It was his eyes that startled them, so dark in colour that they looked like the canopy of a deep forest under the night sky. They stared back at him with such pain and sorrow that it made his breath stall in his chest and his fingers dig into the torn flesh of his palm again. His higher cheekbones, fuller lips and more defined features were unknown to him as where the tip of his ears that were now pointed. Was it true? Was he a Woodland Elf as his dream self had called it? Or was it something else...
Carefully running his finger across the tip of his ear to make sure it was real, only proved his fears further. It was no lie. Strange as it may seem, Saturn felt more at ease with this body than he had ever felt in his own. This was who he was always supposed to be, the only question now was, was he going to be able to accept this change or would he be hurt more than he already was by another rejection?
Saturn didn't think he could survive another family not wanting him and casting him aside.
"It's true then." He muttered mournfully to himself, he was not sure what to do now but that choice was taken from him when a keen of fright swirled against his sensitive ears. With his heart now hammering painfully against his chest, Saturn turned on his heel and ran towards the closed doors. His bare feet treading silently on the floor even in a sprint as he tugged with excessive force at the heavy doors. A sigh of relief filling his lungs when the doors swung open, hinting at the fact that he was trusted as they had not been bared and locked.
That meant he was not a prisoner right?
Saturn had to bite back his own cry of pain when his breaths were starting to hurt him and the bandages tugged too tightly against his torso. He slipped into a strange trance like state that he had only ever felt in his dreams before. Incessantly it was tugging him deeper and deeper into the large mansion he did not know yet his magic was guiding him through easily enough. He rounded corners, raced through empty hallways filled with sleeping portraits and finally stepping into the heart of the home. His heart constricting against his chest at the concern he felt flitting through his chest, was Professor Snape going to be alright whilst he was away? It had sounded like he was in some sort of pain.
Leaning against the wall in front of another set of double doors, Saturn was surprised to find that inside pulsed a familiar brush of magic that called out to him in kinship. He was not aware of his surroundings or the panic that he should be feeling, but he knew that that source of the magic was safe, warm and would help. They just had to as it was the same pulse of magic he had chased through the mansion in the middle of the night.
Saturn hesitated though, not knowing if he should knock or turn back to see if the Professor was still alright. Why was he so concerned in any case? The Professor had always hated him and berated him for his rash stupidity. Sucking in a surprised breath at the pang of pain encircling his heart at the mere thought of those memories, Saturn nearly bit through his tongue when a gentle, soft voice called to him from inside the close off room.
"Come in young one, I can feel your presence outside." It was so quietly spoken that it sounded only like a whisper, but to Saturn it was as clear as a silver bell ringing in high chapel towers. The doors swung inward with a soft creak and touch of magic, revealing an elaborate study stacked with bookshelf covering every wall, parchment and quills scattered on the top of an ancient wooden desk and a immaculately dressed figure stepping out from behind that desk. The regal figure revealed the one man that Saturn didn't know how to react to, but there was no denial that this was his father. He had taken after this man more that Professor Snape, especially now that his hair was so long. Tugging at the hem of his pyjama shirt, Saturn had internally hoped he would only meet Lucius Malfoy with Professor Snape at his side. Deep inside though, his heart told him to cast aside his weary indecision and step forward towards the man. Only comfort would he find there, not pain...
The conflict inside of Saturn froze his hesitant steps forward. Anxiety and fear eating at his heart and yet also he yearned to burry himself into the warmth of those immaculate robes. Hoping and praying that his newly discovered father would offer him the comfort and security his heart so desperately sought. A frustrated sound of fear lodged itself in his throat before he could stop it and the moment it left his lips, the figure he always found so daunting instilled within him now a fear he could not explain. He was rooted to the spot, drawing back when the intimidating figure of Lucius Malfoy stepped closer to him.
"Come now my child. You must have so many questions." The tone was gentle, comforting and soft. Saturn found himself turning his dark eyes on the man that was his father, relief sliding through his pulsing veins at the words 'my child'. He wanted to flinch when elegant fingers buried themselves in his long hair but only found himself leaning closer to the touch, his mind screaming at him to run but his heart rooting him to the side of the first man in his life to ever offer him such a simple comfort and affectionate touch.
Inside of him though there was such a mess of emotion that Saturn did not know what to feel anymore.
"What has happened?" Saturn shook his head, eyes downcast as he absentmindedly pressed against Lucius' side.
"I-it's the Professor. H-he w-won't wake." He finally whispered, surprised when the top of his head was stroked softly before a firm hand started guiding him forward.
"Well then, let's go wake Severus. He'll be relieved to see you awake. We have both been very worried about you." Saturn enjoyed the slow spread of warmth that those words brought, hoping that it would never leave for he had never felt it before. Not when his life had always been such a mess of hate and destruction, secrets quests and only a pat on the head for comfort.
~~~~
The large elaborate room was cooler than it was when Saturn stepped inside, an indication of the night cooling and becoming deeper. Flinching aside slightly when Lucius pulled his wand from a cane Saturn hadn't even noticed him carrying, he was overwhelmed with a touch of panic. A magical family, had greater means to hurt unwanted children then those without. A fact that Saturn was all too aware of suddenly. His feet tensed and ready to carry him away at the first notice of danger, Saturn found his heart stubbornly hoping to help the Professor instead.
A small breath of release left his lips, not going unnoticed by his father in least. When only the candles, the hearth and flickering oil lamps were kindled throughout the room Saturn felt himself relaxing slightly. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, offering a pillar of strength Saturn had not known he could rely on or needed in such a situation.
Saturn did not like that it spoke volumes of what Lucius had noticed of his reaction and in turn it made his cheeks heat in embarrassment. It was difficult to build a resolve not to show fear, when such dangers lingered on the horizon after such an inevitable change of emotion. It did not however quell the dread settling at the pit of his stomach as reality began to solidify around him.
"Severus? Wake up." At the mere call of a name and a few soft spoken words there was a stir, and then the rustle of dark robes. The notable breaths of distress stilled almost immediately when the sleeping figure uncurled from his armchair. The pull of that strange magic within Saturn that he had felt in his dream was back now, inexplicably tugging his body closer to the armchair and the figure that was rising from it, just like a puppet on marionette strings. The young elf waited for the stillness to shatter, for the moment to break and for him to awaken from this dream in his small bed, still in pain from the injuries his uncle had inflicted. The tension was rising, the atmosphere vibrated with it the moment there was definite movement from the armchair only revealing its back to him.
Saturn could not help the tremble racing through his bones.
Dark robes that Saturn always remembered in such frightening intensity, stilled as they were now, only added an air of sophistication to the Professor that Saturn had never noticed before. The fear he had always felt in the menacing figure evaporated into smoke when forest green collided deeply with eyes of the same colour. A startling revelation, the same eyes he had always seen as pitch were actually a deep green that was almost impossible to see unless the light of the moon glinted upon the surface of the depthless orbs. This was what Saturn saw now and understood he could not deny his parentage.
No, it was impossible. He had his donor's more regal and gentle features, his long straight hair and strong jaw and of his bearer that had borne him into this world, he possessed his shy mannerism's and deep, unsettling eyes...
In that moment where their gazes were locked, Saturn inexplicably saw only affection, concern and great relief where he expected hate, anger and unrepressed rage. Before the young elf could take another step forward though, a thin hand sneaked around his wrist and tugged him forward. Causing him to stumble into voluminous robes that were scented sweet with cinnamon and orange blossom and there within he found unforeseen comforting warmth.
Saturn understood the reason, it was reassurance that he was alive and not just a dream. Much like how he himself was feeling. After a brief moment of stiffening his body in expectance of pain, Saturn relented finally and leaned more into the touch. Surprised when long fingers tangled in his hair and sweet whispers of relief tickled the top of his head. The quiet whispering reassurances, cloaked in that distinctive baritone that Saturn had only heard in menace before, was now chasing away all he had feared upon opening his eyes. Feeling small and inadequate against his bearer's frame, he pressed closer and out of character wondered if he would ever get any taller than he was now.
"My precious child, are you alright?" With those soft words, Saturn did not acknowledge the emotional quiver and obediently allowed the Professor to push his chin upwards and assess his medical state. Quickly averted his eyes when he knew he would be reprimanded for hiding his pain, Saturn did not protest at the low growl as he was led back towards the large canopy bed. It wouldn't do to fight now and when he noticed the softness of the sheets, already exhaustion was creeping upon his weary bones again. Promptly a glass of water was pushed into his hands along with two vials of potions; which he clutched with the broken skin of his palm without complaint but made no move to take.
"W-where am I? W-what happened to Remus? Does he know? W-will I-." Saturn was silenced when the Potions Master placed his fingers upon his lips and indicated to the vials in his hand.
"Drink them please." It sounded like a plea but Saturn knew better with the glare of warning he was given. And in an alarming show of unfounded trust, Saturn did just as he was told. Wincing at the taste as they slid against his throat and stained his tongue. Suppressing the shudder that raced across his spine, Saturn allowed himself to be pushed back onto the feather pillows and burrowed into the warmth of the bed once more. He had never realized how tired he was in the first place.
"You are in Malfoy Manner," Lucius' voice said and Saturn turned his eyes towards the elder Malfoy, brows furrowing at the information but accepting the explanation just as well as his eyes were growing heavy by the passing of seconds. He valiantly fought against it though, willing himself to hear the rest of the answer to his frantic questions.
If not for the work of the calming draught Professor Snape had given him, Saturn was sure he would have been scratching at the walls in panic by now with bloodied fingertips and bleeding lips. It brought forth an interisting question though. Had he been given the potion before he had awoken as well? Was that why he was so calm and contented in the panicked situation.
"Remus Lupin is at Grimmauld's Place right now and yes he know, he said he will slip away as soon as he can to come and see you." Apparently satisfied for the moment, Saturn wriggled under the covers further. Hating the forced drowsiness creeping into his limbs from the sleeping drought present in the second vial.
"Thank you." He whispered softly, trusting the answers he was given for the moment. With the hitching push of pull of his consciousness as he hung onto the last threads of his consciousness, Saturn fell himself falling into an abyss of dark restful slumber. All he became aware of as his eyes finally closed were warm fingers, previously buried in his long hair, resting on his forehead in a familiar and welcoming touch.
Where had he felt it before? It was so gentle and welcoming...
Saturn murmured something that he could not understand but a small flicker of a smile drifted across his lips, not seeing the hurt and affection present in both his parents' eyes. All he felt was the artificial work of potions and the sensation of contentment warming his stomach. It did not take much to throw him over the precipice and into the abyss he was floating above before and when he fell there was an echoing murmur of words he would still remember come morning.
"Sleep well now Saturn, we will answer all your questions when morning comes. There is yet a long night of respite ahead." Who had spoke it, he did not know but it brought him comfort all the same. Comfort he did not think he was ever capable of feeling his entire life.