When Harry changed back to his human self later that night, Severus took the opportunity to scold the child.

“This is exactly why I told you to stay inside and to remain in your dorm,” Severus said, glaring down at the boy sitting on his sofa. Harry looked down at his bare feet, rubbing them against each other. Severus, who was now Ajax, had lifted him up and set him down on the sofa. Severus crossed his arms, his ears pivoted back. “You could have been killed yesterday. That man was very dangerous, and now look what he’s down to you. This could have entirely been avoided.”

“I don’t mind, really,” Harry muttered. “I can play with Moony now and . . .”

Severus snorted out a huff of air loudly, startling Harry. He lowered his torso, backing up slightly so he was more eye to eye with the child. His centaur height forced him to crane his neck down and it was starting to hurt.

“Look at me,” Severus snapped. Harry’s eyes met his. “Whether you . . . mind the results of this morning’s events or not does not negate the fact that you still defied me and left the safety of this castle once again after I explicitly told you not to. You put yourself in danger and it nearly got you killed. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said, lowering his gaze.

“Eyes up. Trust me when I say you have no idea how much you worried me last night.” Severus was surprised at his honesty, but even as he said it, he reached out and carded his hand through the boy’s hair before lowering his arm and sighing. “And now I have to find a cure for you. You and the mangy wolf.”

“But I’m back to normal now,” Harry said. “I can change at will. You had me practice to be sure.”

“But at some point, just like Moony, you will not be able to. From what Moony said, you should be able to finish school without any problems, but if you were to become trapped outside of school and in the muggle world, no less—that would not be a good situation. Besides, I do not want to see that day come. I will look into this potion Ruse used and I will also keep in touch with Dougal. Hopefully, we find some way to fix this.”

“I know you will,” Harry smiled. “And I’m glad you’re better now. You know, Ruse wasn’t expecting you to turn into a horse. He thought a rat or a snake or something.”

“I turn into a centaur every night. Why would my animagus be anything but a horse? Although, I’m not sure how much he knew about me if anything at all. He could probably tell I was cursed, like Dougal could, but I do think he knew I was at least human.”

“He sounded smart and crazy at the same time,” Harry smiled. “Thanks for saving me.”

Severus smiled, then stood up to his full height. He narrowed his eyes at the boy and hummed. “I suppose I must punish you now.”

Harry’s smile faded. “You don’t have to.”             

“I’ll be the judge of that. This is not the first time you have defied me and placed yourself in a dangerous situation. How many times have we gone over this, Harry?”

“I know, I know. But I just wanted to make sure Moony wasn’t hurt. And it was all interesting—what you guys were doing in the forest, I mean. Maybe if you had just told me what was—”  

“You should never have been in the forest, especially without my knowledge. And you did not need to know every little detail of last night. I could have easily told you everything the next day if you had simply waited and listened to me. All of this could have been avoided.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”

Severus sighed. “I know. You are far too compassionate and kind for your own good. But you must learn that when I tell you to do something, you must obey me, especially when it’s for your safety. You may not have been severely injured this morning, thankfully, but you still underwent an awful transformation. All I could think about while racing to Ruse’s shop was if we would be too late to save you. You saw all those taxidermist mounts, didn’t you? That could have been you.”

“He was really weird,” Harry said, shuddering slightly. “Wasn’t all this punishment enough?”

Severus hummed, crossing his arms once more. “I suppose what you’ve gone through is discipline . . . I guess will settle with an essay.”

“An essay?”

“I want three-feet on the dangers of sneaking out of the castle and entering the forbidden forest without anyone’s knowledge on my desk by Monday.”

“By Monday?” Harry whined. “I have other homework, too.”

“You have a few days to get it done. Plenty of time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now, I suggest you eat a good dinner. The fruit and straw you’ve eaten today will hardly hold you till morning. Then you are going to your dorm. I’ll give you a note in case you run into any professors. You have a busy day tomorrow. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick would like you to make up their classes in your free periods. They do not want you to fall too far behind. Binns simply asked that you read the next chapter in your book.”

“Yes, sir. I can’t believe I ate straw. Ajax, do all the professors know about what I become?”

“I informed the other professors that you had fallen ill and could not attend classes. The headmaster and Madam Pomfrey are the only ones who know about what happened. I thought it best to make them both aware should any problems arise with your animagus form.”

“I really like the name you gave me. Teucer. I remember reading about that person when I looked your name up. But, I don’t remember much about him though. Could you tell me about Teucer?”

“Perhaps another time.”

“Oh. Okay.” Harry looked around the room. “Where’s Moony?”

“He went out. I can’t keep him cooped up in here all day long.”

“Why doesn’t he go back to the cabin?”

“It’s rather hard for a wolf to live on his own. Do you expect him to hunt for all his food and sleep outside?”

“No, I guess it would be hard to do everything without thumbs. It was fun playing with him though.” Harry yawned. “I guess I’m a bit tired.”

“As I said, dinner first, then to bed with you.”

Severus motioned to the table and Harry ran over to a seat where food was sitting under a heating charm. He dug into the food hungrily while Severus settled himself in the middle of the living room floor, pulling the coffee table toward him to finish grading his essays.

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest, Moony sniffed around determinedly. He had enjoyed playing with Harry as the little foal. Who knew horses could have so much energy? Moony had left after Harry had fallen asleep in his animagus form. Severus had charmed the entrance doors and his quarters’ door to open when Moony scratched at it, although he griped about the damage to the wood he could foresee in the future. Moony remarked on Severus’s remarkable seer abilities in return.

Now, he was on a mission. The night Ruse had attacked them was a night of chaos and disorder. He was hoping his assumptions were correct and that Ruse had been forgetful while kidnaping Harry.

He sniffed at the base of a tree before a low growl caught his attention. He looked up and froze, his ears alert and his tail lowered.

There, standing among the trees, was a pack of wolves. They watched him, ears alert, but tails slowly raising. He was on their territory now. Moony took a few step backs and gave a submissive whine, keeping his tail lowered.

The lead wolf took a single step forward, then lifted her head and howled, her several subordinates joining in. Moony took a few more steps back, whined, then threw his head back and gave a short howl in return.

The lead wolf began walking toward him, her other pack members remaining back, watching their alpha protectively as she advanced on Moony, who began lowering himself. Moony’s stomach scraped the ground and he curled a paw under himself as the Alpha paused in front of him. He had heard stories of an intelligent wolf pack in the Forbidden Forest that resulted from two werewolves mating under the full moon. Moony wanted no trouble with them, and he kept himself in a submissive position as the Alpha sniffed him.

Finally, Alpha stepped back and whimpered at Moony, tilting her head. Moony slowly lifted his head and sniffed noses with the wolf. Alpha whimpered and looked back at her pack, who all seemed to take that as an invitation to run forward and greet the new wolf. Moony lowered himself slightly once more as several wolves surrounded him, unsure of what status these other wolves might have. A couple nipped him to lower even more, others curled under him. Soon, the forest was filled with sounds of half-howls, growls, and whimpers.

Moony allowed the attention for a while as he got to know the other wolves. Alpha gave a short howl, and everyone ran after her as she ran forward. Moony hesitated, but when two wolves purposely ran into him, he joined the run.

Moony panted happily as he ran with the wolves. He wondered what they might be doing, but his adrenaline was starting to rush through his veins, and he kept up with them. He pushed himself faster, moving past some of the other wolves, catching up with Alpha. She glanced at him but didn’t seem bothered.

Moony let out a quick howl, the other wolves following his lead. It was then that Moony caught the scent of deer and thestral, common prey for wolves in this forest. He licked his lips on instinct, his ears flattening. The wolves seemed to grow more excited.

Suddenly, gold caught his eye, and Moony abruptly stopped, the other wolves jumping over him and running around him.

It was the hunting compass Ruse had dropped during their fight. Moony sniffed the small circular device, nudging it to flip it over and check the other side. It was undamaged. What a miracle. Moony gently picked up the object in his teeth and was about to turn back for Hogwarts when a pair of golden eyes caught his. Moony looked at Alpha, who had paused a few strides away and was staring at him.

Moony’s ears pivoted sideways as he thought about his choices. The last of the pack disappeared deep into the trees, all save Alpha, who waited. Moony whimpered and looked back in the direction of Hogwarts. Alpha tilted her head, but the howls of her pack pulled her from her standstill, and she ran into the trees after them.

Moony wanted to follow the wolves, but he had an uncompleted mission. He turned back for Hogwarts, delivering the compass to Severus’s quarters, where he was also staying.

“You found the compass,” Severus stated, holding up the object. Harry was long gone for the night. Severus had just finished putting his grading away when Moony arrived, and now he adjusted the picture in the middle until it showed a werewolf and the device’s small arrow spun and a magical gold trail sparkled over to Moony. “And it works perfectly. This is . . .”

               “What you need, isn’t it?” Moony smiled softly.   

               Severus sighed and closed his eyes, thinking back to the stories his grandfather had told him of their ancestors. How they had all hunted for an object such as this, how they had hired curse breakers and dark wizards in desperate attempts to break the sphinx’s curse. How the curse had broken every man it affected. This could be his freedom. He may have found the answer to end this curse.

               “I have some things to tend to this weekend,” Severus said. “But next weekend, we will see what this tells us.”

               Severus set the compass in his study, locking it in his desk. His hands shook as he did so. He was so close. So very close.      

               The next evening came quickly, and Moony had been restless in Severus’s quarters all day. Since the evening was cool and refreshing, Severus decided to shift outside that night. He had already sent a note to Harry to meet them in their usual place after dinner. Moony ran through the trees, pausing and howling occasionally but staying close to the school. Severus was busy staring up at the starry sky. How strange the stars align, he thought, then shook his head. It was bad enough to turn into a centaur, he certainly did not like when he thought like one.

               Yet, there was an awakening part of him that appreciated the curse, oddly enough. He never would have the relationship he did with Harry now if not for the curse. When the boy entered his life, Harry had managed to twist every routine, every ideology, and every cold muscle Severus had within him. It was a feat his mother had never been able to do, although if he was to be honest, he fed more off of his somber grandfather than his curse less mother. This had been a strange year for sure.

               Laughing caught his and Moony’s attention, and the two headed for the greenhouses. Severus heard Hagrid’s voice and watched as the kids greeted the half-giant first. As he stood between the greenhouses, he used his tail to slap at some flies. That was one thing he would never enjoy about turning into a half horse beast.

               “These flies are awful,” Severus said, stepping around some as his tail slapped at his side.

               “Consider yourself lucky,” Moony growled, scratching at his neck.

               “Wait a second.” Severus glared a Moony. “You’re sleeping in my quarters!”

               “Guess you’ll have to treat your entire place when I’m out,” Moony smirked.

               “I’ll have Poppy treat you, you mangy mutt. A nice long flea bath should do the trick.”

               Moony growled, but the sound of the children approaching caught his attention and he ran ahead, leaving Severus on his own to wait. Harry and his friends arrived with a wagging, wriggling Moony at their side.

               “Good evening, Professor,” Hermione was quick to greet.

               “Hey, Ajax,” Harry said, informal as ever.

               Ron muttered something, but even Severus’s sharper hearing didn’t catch it.

               “Good evening, children,” Severus said. “I am sure everyone is caught up on their homework?”

               Moony gave a wolfish roll of his eyes while Ron and Hermione nodded. Harry opened his mouth but decided against saying anything and made a so-so hand gesture. Severus quirked an eyebrow.

               “And what does that mean, Mr. Potter?” Severus asked.

               “Well, I’m still catching up after . . . you know. Oh, by the way, I told Ron and Hermione about Teucer. I hope that was okay.”

               After everything he knew the three had been through so far this year, Severus knew Harry’s friends were trustworthy and loyal to the boy. So, no, he did not care. However, the urge to tease could not be resisted.

               “And what if it had not been okay? You’ve already told them anyway.”

               “Yeah, but . . .” Harry glanced at his friends, who looked unsure about what to say or do. “I tell them everything and . . . I guess I should have asked before, but we got talking and I didn’t even think . . .”

               “Harry,” Severus interrupted, “It is all right that you’ve told your friends. As long as you tell no one else. And next time, talk to me before expelling information off to your friends. Deal?”

               “Yes, Ajax.”

               Moony broke the serious mood by knocking Ron over and prancing around the kids. The children chased the wolf for a while before sitting and talking about their classes and how much studying they were doing. Moony stared off into the trees once more, sitting at the edge of the treeline, his ears alert. Hermione asked Severus a thousand questions about what may be on the final test, but Severus tired of them quickly and snapped at her that the exams were still a few weeks away.

               “That’s what I’ve been telling her!” Ron said.

               “Sorry,” Hermione said, “I guess I got a little carried away.”  

               Severus sighed. “I did not mean to lose my temper, Miss Granger. But if you can think of all these questions yourself, I would say you are more than ready for the exam.”

               “Really?” Hermione’s eyes lit up.

               “Enough about school and exams,” Moony huffed, walking back over to the trio and Severus. “I feel like that’s all you want to talk about. Do you know how to have fun?”

               “Of course, I do.” Hermione glared at Moony and crossed her arms. Ron shook his head.

               “I think you need a review.” At that, Moony knocked Hermione over, grabbing her hair piece and running away with it. Hermione and Ron chased after Moony. Harry stood to follow, but Severus quickly blocked him.

               Silently, Severus jerked his head in the direction of the forest and lead the way through a trodden path, Harry smiling as the two sneaked away from their pack-herd. Severus led Harry to a small meadow with an incredible view of the stars. It was barely twenty feet into the forest, which is why Severus had chosen it. He could easily make a quick escape with the boy should anything appear. And there was a ‘vicious’ werewolf nearby, of course.

               “This is beautiful,” Harry said.

               Severus smiled down at Harry. While he tolerated the visits with Harry and his friends, he truly looked forward to some alone time with Harry. He carded a hand through Harry’s hair while the child leaned into him.

               “Ajax,” Harry said, “do you think that maybe—I don’t know—instead of going back to my relatives, maybe I could stay with you.”

               “Pardon?” Severus asked, frowning down at the boy.

               Harry cleared his throat. “To be honest, I think you’re lonely. When we first met, you didn’t have anyone, and you didn’t really want anyone around you. But now you’re much better and I think it would be good for you if you had someone to live with you over the summer. Unless . . . you don’t live here do you?”

               “Not over the summer,” Severus said, unsure of what else to say at the moment.

               “Oh,” Harry said, but he cleared his throat again and said, “And you know my relatives don’t really want me back anyway, so it’s kind of a win-win. Right?”

               “Harry, I . . .” Severus began, staring at the boy’s vulnerable expression. He paused with a sigh, thinking back to his own home situation. He resided at Prince Manor and there was certainly plenty of room for another person. However, this was the boy who lived, and Severus knew very well that the boy needed the safety of the blood wards. Yet, if his home situation was poor, then surely that would allow the child to be removed. That was easier said than done. And in order to have Harry stay with him, he would need custody of the child. Guardianship was easy to apply for, but given Severus’s history . . .

               Severus closed his eyes, remembering the cruelty his great-grandfathers endured, two who ended up murdered by their own father by curse breaks gone wrong. Already, he was not off to a great start. And from there, Severus had his own problems. One: he was a Death Eater turned Spy. That would fly by well with child services. He could only imagine what the headlines would say. That was a battle in itself. And two: he was still cursed.

               Which honestly would not interfere with taking care of Harry, but the curse did leave its trauma. It left all his ancestors and himself broken and depressed. Severus could still see his grandfather Jeremias running those laps in that corral, running circles and circles. He could still hear the thud as Jeremias’s centaur body collapsed to the ground. He could hear his mother crying over the lifeless form. Severus did not go home happy each summer. He did not like Prince Manor and the darkness hidden within its walls. Was that really what he wanted to expose Harry to?

               “Ajax?” Harry asked, patting Severus’s withers.

               Severus’s eyes flew open. He looked down at Harry’s glassy eyes, the boy already prepared for a negative answer.

               “Harry, I’m sorry, but you are safer within the blood wards.”

               “What?”

               “Besides, no one would let you stay with me.”

               “No one has to know.”

               “What do you want me to do—kidnap you?”

               “If you have to!”

               “Harry! How could you think so lowly of yourself? I know your situation at home may not be ideal and I would love nothing more than to see you out of your relatives’ home. But there is nothing I can do.”

               “I could live with you!”

               “No, not me.”

               “Why not? Do you think so lowly of yourself? What is so awful that I couldn’t stay with you?”

               “It’s complicated . . .”

               “You say everything is complicated, but is it really? Why don’t you want me?”

               “It is not a matter of me wanting or not wanting you. I would love for you to stay with me . . .”

               “Then why are you saying no?”

               “It could never be, Harry. There are things that I’ve done that I am not proud of and those same things would interfere with my gaining custody of you, and I would not kidnap you, young man. Besides, I may be lonely in the manor, but now I have someone to write to. I can promise you that over the summer.”

               “But I really want to stay with you,” Harry said, a single tear trailing down his cheek as he tried to hug what he could reach of Severus. “I love you. Don’t send me back to my relatives.”

               Severus felt his breath catch and a lump form in his throat at Harry’s words. He lifted the child up to hug him properly. Did he feel the same toward Harry? Had they grown that close? He could feel warmth spreading across his chest, and he knew that he very well did feel the same.

               “I love you, too, Teucer,” Severus said softly. “But I cannot be what you need me to be.”

               “How do you know?”

               “Listen to me,” Severus continued. “You are a Gryffindor. You are a brave lion. You fought a mountain troll for heaven’s sake. Faced a werewolf twice, tamed him the third time. Rode a centaur. Life is tough, and you had to grow up with relatives who cared little for you. But look at how far you’ve come now. Surely spending a single summer with your relatives is so awful you’d rather be kidnapped from the only home you’ve ever known.”

               “I would, but only by you. I know why Moony could never take me, but you could.”

               “There is so much I haven’t told you, child.”

               “None of it would change a thing.”

               “Do not be so sure. You do not know me completely.”

               “I don’t need to.”

               Severus sighed, hearing Moony’s barking approaching them, laughter following the wolf. He rested his head against Harry’s. “Could we have this conversation another day? Perhaps when it is just you and I?”

               “Okay,” Harry said, wiping his cheeks. “I’ll convince you. Somehow.”

               “I know you’ll try your hardest,” Severus admitted, giving Harry a sad look as he set the boy down just as Moony and the rest of the Golden Trio arrived.