Stuck with the Bat of the Dungeons, a harry potter fanfic

Stuck with the Bat of the Dungeons
by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes!

"How am I supposed to develop a vaccination for the unicorn flu and brew enough of it for the whole magical world of Britain in addition to the potion for it within the remaining four weeks of the holidays? I also have to fill Poppy's stock with all the potions needed for the hospital wing. There are other Potions Masters, who could develop the vaccination and supply the Ministry," Severus said, glaring at the Headmaster and his deputy.

"I am sorry, Severus, but as you know, this is the first outbreak of the unicorn flu in more than a century, and since the magical world knows that you're the most competent Potions Master, the Minister came to me," Dumbledore replied gently, before he added thoughtfully, "Unfortunately, I know that you won't tolerate Minerva or me in your lab; otherwise, we'd both be glad to help. I can, however, try to assign you one of the students as assistant if you need someone to help with easy tasks."

"Yes please; however, whoever will be willing to spend their summer holidays assisting me must have finished their Potions OWLs; otherwise it would be too dangerous," Severus replied grumpily. 'As if there was any of the dunderheads willing to spend their summer with the bat of the dungeons brewing potions,' he mused.

"Severus, we'll contact all students beyond fifth year right away," McGonagall promised in a soft voice, calmingly placing her hand on his right arm. "Thank you for helping out everyone."

Dumbledore slowly popped a lemon drop into his mouth, casting the Slytherin Head an assessing look. "Severus, let me make clear one point. If there is a student at Hogwarts as your assistant during the summer, you are going to become his or her temporary guardian, and the student will have to stay in your guest room, since the Houses are not available. Do we agree on this point?"

Severus slightly inclined his head, letting out a long sigh. 'What other choice do I have?' he thought. 'So much about quiet summer holidays.' "Of course, Albus," he agreed to the inevitable.

Harry Potter dragged himself back to his room, utterly exhausted from working in the garden in the hot summer sun for several hours. His back and his side were sore, and he could sense each of the bruises that he had received a few days ago when his uncle had punished him for not working fast enough and waking up everyone during the night. 'A few more days and they won't hurt anymore,' he thought as he let himself sink in his bed, eyeing the cold can of soup that his aunt had left on the table for him with disgust.

All of a sudden, an owl swept through the half-open window and held out a letter to him. 'From Hogwarts,' Harry realised, unsure if that was good or bad. 'It can't become worse,' he finally decided and unfolded the parchment, noticing that the owl seemed to be waiting for a reply.

'Dear students,' the letter began.

'I hope that you are all enjoying your summer holidays. Today, I have a favour to ask of one of you. Due to an outbreak of the very dangerous unicorn flu, Professor Snape needs one student who is willing to spend the next few weeks at Hogwarts and assist in the potions lab. You do not have to excel at Potions; the only condition is that you have taken your OWLs. Please tell me if you would be available for the task. I look forward to your reply.
M. Minerva, Deputy Headmistress.'

'Hogwarts! Hogwarts, I'm coming,' Harry thought with excitement. He jumped out of his bed, completely ignoring the pain in his back and side, and sat at the table to formulate his reply. 'Even Snape is better than the Dursleys, and there is real food at Hogwarts. This is the best news I received in ages,' he mused as he began to write.

'Dear Professor McGonagall,
I would be more than happy to assist Professor Snape. I know that he hates me and I am not good at Potions, but I promise to do my best. Please, Professor, let me come home to Hogwarts and assist Professor Snape.
Yours sincerely
Harry Potter'

With a huge smile on his face, he folded the parchment and handed it to the owl. "Please hurry up; I can't wait to return to the school," he told the old barn owl that took off speedily as if it had understood Harry's words.

Severus sighed as he extinguished the flame under the last cauldron, glancing at his watch. It was three o'clock in the morning. 'I hope they find someone to help me, and soon,' he thought tiredly. He slowly massaged his temples against the stubborn headache that had been pestering him the whole evening and took a small phial with his strongest headache potion from the shelf. 'Oh no, better not,' he thought while he was still uncorking the phial. 'I better do not take anything: In case the vaccine potion works on the rats, I'll have to test it myself.' He glanced at the light orange potion that was simmering in his best gold cauldron, not daring to hope that it was the final version. 'It's probably going to take another twenty batches, before it's going to work,' he thought, letting out a long sigh as he placed the phial back and waved his hand to extinguish the torches.

In the morning, he woke up to Minerva's voice. "Severus, I'm sorry to disturb you, but neither Albus nor I saw you during the last forty-eight hours. We have to insist that you take at least one meal a day in the Great Hall," the Scottish lioness told him in her thick Scottish accent that she always let out during the holidays when her little lions were away.

"I'm coming," Severus groaned. "I brewed until three this morning."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Severus," his colleague said, clearly shocked. "Well, I'll wait for you in the Great Hall. Please come as soon as you're ready. We have to discuss the matter with your assistant."

Her final sentence was more appealing as the mere reminder that he had to eat something, and Severus quickly dragged himself into the shower, before he checked on the rats, realising that unfortunately none of them had made it. 'Maybe I need more of the full moon wheat,' he mused, banishing the rats and the potion from his gold cauldron, before he stepped out into the dungeon corridor and headed towards the Great Hall.

"Good morning, my boy; how nice of you to join Minerva and me on this fine morning," the Headmaster greeted him much too pleasantly for Severus' liking.

"Good morning, Albus," he replied, keeping his voice calm and neutral. "Do you have any news in the student assistant matter?"

"We have found an assistant for you," Dumbledore said slowly, before he explained, "It was difficult, because most students seem to be on holidays or have plans for the remaining weeks of August."

"Albus," Severus said, alerted by the Headmster's grave expression, "don't tell me that it's going to be Longbottom."

"No, Mr. Longbottom is at home with his grandmother; however, he told me that he was unable to assist in the potions lab," McGonagall threw in. "Mr. Potter is the only student, who is available and willing to spend his holidays in the dungeons," the Gryffindor Head explained gently.

'With the greasy bat of the dungeons,' Severus added to himself. 'Potter,' he thought, terrified.

"Severus," his former teacher's voice broke the silence. "Harry looks like his father, but don't forget that he is also Lily's son, and she was very adept at Potions. Perhaps you and Harry should try to begin anew and get along. At least Harry seems to be willing to do so."

'That's true,' Severus thought in surprise. 'Why would Potter agree to stay with me and assist, considering how I behaved towards him? What does he intend to achieve with this?' Aloud he said, "Well, I give him two days, before he goes to either of you and whines about being treated like a house-elf."

"I'm willing to make a bet," Dumbledore said, smirking.

"Thank you, Albus, but as you know I do not eat your favourite yellow clusters of sugar," Severus declined with an expression of pure disgust on his face.

"Well then, if Harry complains to one of us or returns home before the end of the week, I will gift you a box of your favourite sour ginger dragons, but if he remains until the end of the holidays, I'll receive a box of lemon drops from you," the Headmaster suggested, his eyes twinkling merrily.

McGonagall shook her head in clear annoyance. "The two of you are even more childish than the students. Very well then, Severus, when are you going to fetch Harry?"

Severus looked up in shock as realisation set in. "When would it be convenient?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow. "His family will surely have plans that involve him."

"Shall I tell him to be ready at five o'clock this afternoon?" McGonagall asked kindly.

"Thank you, Minerva. If that's all," Severus replied and rose from his seat, ignoring the frown that appeared on his colleagues' faces at the sight of his barely touched breakfast.

"Severus," Dumbledore called after him, "we want both of you to attend at least two meals in the Grat Hall."

"Probably three," Severus mumbled, only for himself to hear. "The boy will surely inform me when it's time to take a break and eat."

Severus spent the day creating five variations of the potion that he had brewed during the night. He spelled each of them into a rat's stomach and waited a few hours, before he spelled another potion into the five rats' systems that simulated the unicorn flu. 'I hope one of them will still be alive tonight,' he mused as he cleaned his lab with a dozen different cleaning spells. 'Now I have to go and fetch Potter. Why does it have to be him of all students?'

'He was kind enough to offer you the help that no one else was willing to give,' a small voice at the back of his head spoke up, causing him to let out an annoyed sigh as it reminded him of the boy's mother, who had always been there for him until a certain event in their fifth Hogwarts year, which he definitely did not want to think about.

"Cicero," he called his personal house-elf and informed him about his holiday guest. "Please keep an eye on him and tell me if he does anything that he is not supposed to do."

"Of course, Master Severus," Cicero replied eagerly, giving Severus the feeling as if his elf was glad to have another person to fuss about during the otherwise boring holidays.

At five minutes to five, Severus stepped through the Floo to Arabella Figg's house. Realising in relief that the annoying cat woman, as he used to call her, was absent, he transfigured his clothes into Muggle attire with black trousers and a black turtleneck shirt, before he strode along the street to the Dursleys' residence.

To his surprise, no one opened the door. 'They should have received Minerva's letter by now,' he thought grimly. 'It's not as if I had expected Potter to be readily waiting for me to pick him up next to the door, but still,' he thought, wondering if he should just spell the door open. However, he dismissed the thought and instead stepped around the garage into the garden, where he stopped dead in his tracks.

Harry spent the whole morning cleaning the bathroom, Dudley's room and the kitchen, glad that his aunt and cousin had left in the morning to spend the whole day in London. He sighed in relief as he crossed the first three points off his long to do list for the day and headed outside to work in the garden. Before he could begin to work, a school owl swept down and held her foot out for him. 'From Hogwarts,' he thought excitedly, eagerly skimming the short letter. 'Today,' he realised. 'Thank Merlin, but how am I supposed to get my luggage? Everything is locked in the cupboard.' After pondering the matter for a few minutes, he decided that there was no other way than to ask Snape to open the cupboard for him. With a huge smile on his face, he continued with his garden work. A few hours later, however, he was still not finished, but his back and ribs had become so sore that he stretched out on the grass for a moment. 'I hope that this will improve soon. At least I won't have to clean floors and do garden work at Hogwarts,' he thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Harry woke up to a well known voice that sneered, "Taking a nap in the shadow, Mr. Potter?"

Ignoring the flaring pain that his abrupt movement caused his body, Harry shot upwards, looking at the professor in shock. "Professor," he said sleepily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Severus pointedly looked at his wrist watch and asked, "Where is your luggage, Mr. Potter?"

"My suitcase is in my cupboard, sir. Could you open it with magic, please?" Harry replied and led the professor to his cupboard and finally into his own room, where he quickly gathered his school books and quill, before he said, "I am ready, sir. I'm sorry for the delay."

Severus cast the boy a surprised look, before he instructed him, "Hold on to my arm and don't let go. We will do a side-along Apparition to Hogsmeade."

A few minutes later, they quietly walked up the street to Hogwarts. "Excuse me, sir," Harry finally began to speak, "may I ask why you need someone to assist?"

Severus looked down at the boy, surprised at his hesitant way of asking, before he explained, "There is a nearby blessing of unicorns that have caught the unicorn flu. Unfortunately, Hagrid caught it from them, but since the incubation time is a week, he didn't know that he had caught it and spent a few hours at Diagon Alley, where he infested dozens of people. The unicorn flu is very contagious and at the same time dangerous. Therefore, the Ministry of Magic has instructed me to invent a vaccination and brew enough of it to distribute it to all wizards and witches in Britain. At the same time I must invent and brew a remedy for the flu, which is slightly easier, and I believe that I almost have the recipe. I mostly need you to prepare ingredients. However, it will be much work, Mr. Potter."

"That's all right, sir. I don't mind working in the lab," Harry replied in a soft voice. "The only problem is that I'm not good at Potions, and I need you to exactly tell me what I have to do. Please," he added, looking straight at the professor.

"I will," Severus promised, making a mental note to assume that the boy was a first year student and knew nothing about potions.

The Potions Master led Harry into his guest room, where he enlarged the boy's luggage and said without any malice in his voice, "When you're finished unpacking, you'll find me in my lab. It's the green door. The black door leads to my bedroom. You will never ever enter one of these rooms without my permission."

"Yes sir," Harry replied, obediently.

"Well, I'll be waiting for you in the lab," Severus resumed and left the room.

Harry looked around in amazement. 'This room is absolutely gorgeous,' he mused. 'I must be really lucky to be able to spend my holidays here. Oh well, I better hurry up so I can help Snape.' With that he quickly unpacked his belongings and headed towards the professor's private lab.

The professor put the potion that he was just brewing under a stasis charm and gave him a rough explanation of what he intended to do and how he wanted Harry to assist in the process. "Please prepare these ingredients for me," he instructed the boy and showed him how exactly he expected him to cut, slice or chop each of the ingredients.

Harry immediately set to work, and to his surprise he had to admit that he enjoyed himself. The professor remained quiet, only sometimes looked at Harry's work and nodded in appreciation, and it seemed like only a few minutes had passed, when all of a sudden a loud knock could be heard and Professor McGonagall entered the lab.

"Hello Harry," she greeted her little lion in a soft voice, before she turned to Severus, sounding very much upset. "Severus, it's bad enough that you manage to go three days without eating; however, I won't have you deny a student the necessary food. Both of you are expected to attend dinner in the Great Hall."

"Oh sorry Professor," Harry was the first to reply. "Professor Snape informed me that dinner was at six o'clock, but we completely lost track of time."

Severus smirked in apparent amusement. "Exactly," he then voiced his agreement, before he turned to the boy. "Let's go and grace Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore with our presence, before we continue here."

Harry chuckled, as he followed the two professors through the quiet dungeon corridor, feeling extremely happy to be back home. 'Even Snape seems fairly friendly so far,' he mused.

"Harry, Professor Snape does not care about food or sleep," McGonagall spoke up half through the meal. "Therefore, we want you to make sure that both of you attend at least two meals here in the Great Hall and also that you both get enough sleep."

Harry looked at the professor in surprise, before he replied, "Don't worry, Professor. We'll manage." Noticing that Snape was wearing an unreadable expression, he thought, 'Oh well, I'm used to not eating, so if the professor doesn't want to attend meals in the Great Hall, I surely won't remind him.'

The Headmaster and his deputy realised soon that Harry was in no way better than Severus and they still had to make a detour to the dungeons to fetch the two young wizards on a daily basis.

In the meantime, Severus and Harry got along well. While Harry was thankful to be able to spend his time at Hogwarts, Severus was grateful for the boy's assistance and realised that he was much more adept than he had ever thought. Neither of the two wizards was very talkative; however, if Harry asked anything about the ingredients or the potions that the professor was brewing, Severus always replied in a very understandable way and made sure that Harry learned as much about Potions as possible.

Unfortunately, Harry's back was still very sore. Usually, it did not bother him so much, because he could prepare the ingredients sitting on a chair; however, when he had to move quickly or made a wrong movement, he sometimes had to stop himself crying out in pain.

Once or twice, the professor noticed that the student's face was scrunched in pain; however, since the boy did not complain and his expression always returned to normal after an instant, he did not comment on the matter, and Harry efficiently hid from everyone how sore he was.

One night, Harry felt that Severus was very excited. Usually, the professor sent him to bed at midnight at the latest; however, on that day, the man told him, "I believe that we got it this time." Seeing that Harry looked at him wide-eyed, he explained, "The potion, which I spelled into the rats an hour ago, is the same that I gave them in the morning. This morning, they survived it, so I hope that it'll work again..."

"Which would mean that you've found the vaccination," Harry interrupted him with clear excitement.

"Yes," Severus replied, smirking.

"Wow, cool. When will we know?" Harry queried, quirking an eyebrow.

Severus sighed. "Well, I just infested them with the unicorn flu, so if they'll still be alive in about two hours, it worked." He glanced at his wrist watch. "However, Mr. Potter, it's almost one o'clock in the morning and time for you to go to bed."

Harry groaned. "No sir, please let me stay. I wouldn't be able to sleep now anyway. It's the middle of the holidays, so..." He slowly trailed off, giving the professor a pleading look.

"Very well then," Severus conceded, sighing. "Two hours would just be enough to..." He skimmed the long list of potions, which he had to brew for the hospital wing, "... to brew the potion for the wizard's measles if you prepare the ingredients."

"Of course sir," Harry replied and immediately set to work according to the recipe that the professor laid out on the table.

Seeing how proficient Harry had become at preparing ingredients, Severus decided to make the boy brew. "Mr. Potter," he spoke up in a soft voice, "provided that we're done with the unicorn flu vaccine, from the day after tomorrow onwards, you're going to brew the potions for the hospital wing, while either I prepare the ingredients or we share this work."

Harry cast the man a hesitant look. "I'm not good at brewing though, sir," he replied in a small voice.

Severus sighed. 'He's not as arrogant as his father. He has so many more traits from Lily,' he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You received an O in your Potions OWLs. Why would you not be adept at brewing?" he sneered. "Well, let's try it out tomorrow. All five rats are still alive, so I will take the vaccine myself now, and tomorrow we'll spend the whole day brewing many batches of this last potion, considering that we need enough for every witch and wizard in Britain. Very well now, let's go to bed. It's already three o'clock in the morning, and we should begin early if we want to be done with the vaccine by tomorrow night."

"All right sir. Good night," Harry replied and decided to go straight to bed. In fact, he wasn't feeling overly well. His head was pounding badly, and he felt hot and cold at the same time."

"Is everything all right, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked in apparent concern, when Harry stood up from his chair and a sharp pain shot through his back.

"Of course sir," Harry replied, forcing a weak smile on his face, before he left the room.

However, in the morning, Harry was unable to hide from the professor how miserable he felt. When the professor woke him up in time for breakfast, Harry slowly dressed and made his way into the small kitchen; however, he felt sore, feverish and dizzy and merely drank three glasses of pumpkin juice, before Severus gave him a sharp look.

"Mr. Potter, are you ill?" he queried. "You don't look well."

"Just a bit of a headache," Harry mumbled. "It's all right sir. How many batches of the vaccine do we have to brew?"

Severus sighed. "Fortunately, one batch is enough for several hundred people, since only very few of the potion is needed for the vaccine. However, I'd like you to go back to your room for a moment and let me check on you. I doubt that it's only a headache, and you'll certainly feel better after taking some potions."

He motioned for Harry to lie down on his bed, noticing that the boy unconsciously sighed in relief when his achy head came to rest on the pillow. Pulling his wand, he waved it at the boy, frowning at the result.

"Mr. Potter, you're running a high fever, according to my spell due to an infection at your back. Please take off your robes and let me have a look at your back."

Visibly paling, Harry took his robes and T-shirt off and lay down again, this time on his stomach, feeling too miserable to care what he just admitted to Snape.

"I'll be back in a minute," Severus said, emotionlessly. "I'm going to fetch a healing salve for your back."

"Feels good," Harry mumbled, contentedly, when the professor gently spread the salve over the infected parts of his back.

"You should have told me much earlier," Snape said sternly, before he enquired in a friendlier voice, "Was that a belt?"

"What? I've no idea what you're talking about, sir," Harry replied, panicking.

The teacher let out a long sigh. "Mr. Potter, you're not the first abused child. Oh well, if you're ready to speak about it, you should speak with one of the adults here in the castle. It doesn't have to be me. Now, this is a fever reducer," he handed Harry a small phial, "and you're going to stay in bed today."

"No sir," Harry replied, horrified, and quickly downed the potion, sighing in relief as he felt the effects. "No sir, please let me assist. I feel much better now. Thank you so much for the salve and the potion."

Unbeknownst to the boy, Severus had taken the potion, which would make him ill with the unicorn flu if the vaccine did not work, earlier in the morning, and so far he felt completely well. 'The vaccine seems to work indeed,' he thought in relief and busied himself brewing one batch after the next of the vaccine. Occasionally, he cast a concerned look at the boy, who was eagerly preparing the ingredients as if he was neither ill nor sleep deprived. 'Maybe he's used to doing chores. Petunia surely wouldn't care if he was indisposed,' he mused.

"I don't know if your aunt ever told you that, but your mother was my best friend. We played together on the playground between our houses since I can remember. Petunia often joined us, but after realising that we're both magical, she didn't want anything to do with us 'freaks' anymore."

Harry listened in awe. "My aunt absolutely hates magic," he then said in understanding. "Sir, will you tell me more about my mom please? No one ever told me about her."

The professor nodded in understanding. "I can also show you some memories once you're fully back to health. However, it's even more important that you talk to any of the adults here about the abuse by your relatives." Casting the boy an assessing look, he queried, "Or do you want to go back to the Dursleys next summer?"

Harry sighed. "The Headmaster always sends me back there, sir, although I asked him if I could stay at Hogwarts or go anywhere else every year." He smiled at the professor. "Thank you so much sir for allowing me to assist you this summer. These are my best holidays ever."

Severus took his wand and pointed it at Harry's head, before he smirked. "I almost thought you were delirious, Mr. Potter. Brewing potions together with the bat of the dungeons equals your best holidays?" He quirked an eyebrow, before he continued in a sterner voice, "Professor Dumbledore won't send you back to the Dursleys if he knows that they abuse you." He held up a hand to stop Harry from interrupting him, before he explained, "He sent me back to my abusive father, but in this time now, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and I all have enough courage to support you, even against the Headmaster's wishes."

Harry let out a long sigh. "There is not much to talk about," he said quietly. "You already know everything from knowing Aunt Petunia plus from the memories that you watched during our Occlumency lessons."

Severus nodded. "I understand," he replied, pensively. "I suspect that the beating with your uncle's belt was no single act. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir. He punished me when I accidentally did magic, or in this case when I forgot to cast a silencing charm around myself at night and woke everyone up during a nightmare."

"You're not allowed to do magic at home," the professor threw in in surprise, causing Harry to chuckle.

"The Ministry doesn't recognise when I cast a spell or charm wandlessly, sir," he informed the teacher.

"Does the Headmaster know that you're capable of wandless magic?" Severus asked sternly.

"No sir, only Hermione knows, and I'd like to keep it at that," Harry answered, slightly panicking.

"Don't worry, Mr. Potter," Severus replied, calmingly. "I'm going to keep your secret. Now I suggest that you go and lie down for an hour; otherwise you won't be well enough to attend lunch without having your Head of House make a fuss about you."

"Oh nooo, all right sir," Harry agreed and obediently returned to his own room, noticing on the way that he still did not feel overly well.

An hour later, Harry woke up as he felt the professor's magic run up and down his body. Severus did not comment but once again applied the healing salve on his back and made him drink his potions, before he enquired, "Are you feeling well enough to attend lunch with my fussing and meddling colleagues in the Great Hall?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes sir," he replied, noticing gratefully that the professor walked through the corridors in a for the tall wizard extremely slow speed. 'He's really nice this summer. It must be like this to have parents,' he mused, absentmindedly entering the Great Hall behind the tall wizard.

"Harry, is everything all right?" McGonagall asked in obvious concern, as soon as Harry took the seat between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads.

"Yes Professor," Harry replied, surprised at how observing his Head of House was. "These are my best summer holidays ever," he added in a small voice in an attempt to destroy any remaining concerns.

"Mr. Potter has been abused and neglected by the Dursleys," Snape spoke up in a stern voice. "He should not be forced to return to his atrocious relatives anymore."

"I fully agree," Professor McGonagall replied immediately, shooting a glare at the Headmaster.

"Ahh but Minerva and Severus," Dumbledore said, sighing, "you know that Harry is only safe together with Petunia because of the blood wards."

Harry let out a long sigh. "Professor, I feel much safer here with Professor Snape than with my aunt who doesn't care about me at all," he said quietly, averting his eyes to his plate.

"Albus, as soon as Poppy returns I'll ask her to perform a thorough check-up on the boy, and I can assure you now that she's going to find so many signs of abuse that she has to alert the Ministry," Severus informed the Headmaster.

The old wizard was not convinced yet. "How do you know all this, Severus? I've never heard Harry complain about the matter."

Snape let out a small snort. "Did the boy not ask you for permission to remain at Hogwarts or go anywhere else every summer, Albus?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

"No buts, Albus," McGonagall threw in.

"I can show you some of Harry's memories in the Pensieve," Severus finally offered, and as soon as they finished eating, the three professors left for the Headmaster's office to watch the memories. "Harry, go back to our quarters and take a nap. I'll wake you up as soon as I'm back."

"Yes sir," Harry said obediently and headed towards the dungeons, causing Minerva to cast Severus a questioning glance.

"He's ill," Severus explained. "His uncle beat him with his belt, but Harry is used to it and didn't bother to tell me about it, until I noticed that he's running a fever from the infected bruises and cuts on his back."

"What?" McGonagall asked, horrified. "Albus, we need to do something about this."

However, only after observing the memories in the Pensieve, the Headmaster finally agreed.

Not feeling up to sleeping knowing that the professors were discussing his matter, Harry returned to the lab and worked on the ingredients for the next batch of the vaccine, looking up, startled, when Severus returned with the Headmaster and his deputy in tow.

"Harry," Dumbledore began to speak in a gentle voice. "I'm sorry my boy for leaving you in such an abusive home. However, the blood wards..."

"I know," Harry impatiently interrupted the Headmaster. "However, I really don't care about those. I feel much safer and happier here. This summer is really my best summer ever."

McGonagall grinned. "And that in spite of having to brew potions with Severus every day," she commented, giving the Headmaster a knowing look.

"Very well Harry, we decided that you may choose a new guardian, with whom you want to stay during the holidays from now on," Dumbledore said gently, casting the boy a questioning look.

"Anyone?" Harry queried in surprise.

"Ah sorry my boy, any of the adults here at Hogwarts," the Headmaster explained, before he offered Harry a lemon drop, which he declined, impatiently.

"But if I just choose anyone, I don't know if they're even willing to become my guardian," Harry replied, slowly turning his eyes to Severus, who gave him an encouraging look.

"Harry, everyone here at Hogwarts would be willing to take you in," McGonagall informed him in a firm voice. "The choice is on your side."

"Then I'd like Professor Snape to become my guardian," Harry said firmly, "if that's all right with you, sir?" he asked, looking at the Potions Master.

"Of course, if that's what you want," Severus replied in his soft voice, and the edges of his lips pulled into a small smile.

"All right then I'll prepare the guardian parchments for you," Dumbledore promised, smiling at the two younger wizards. "I'm glad that you get along so well." With that the Headmaster and his deputy left Severus' private lab.

Severus and Harry spent the afternoon quietly brewing the last batches of the vaccine.

"Are you certain that you don't mind being stuck with the bat of the dungeons?" Severus queried, as he extinguished the flame under his gold cauldron after the last batch.

"Hmm, let me think about it. Well, any bat would be a better guardian than the Dursleys," Harry replied, chuckling, before he said in a firm voice, "Sorry sir, only joking. Yes, I'm certain sir. Thank you so much for becoming my guardian."

Severus slightly inclined his head, and a small smile was playing on his lips as he proceeded to clean up their work space. Suddenly, however, it was replaced by a frown of annoyance, as he remembered, "Oh no, we still have to brew a box full of lemon drops for the meddling old coot. He won a bet against me."

Harry grinned and suggested, "We could make a lemon drop assortment like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans by adding all kinds of other ingredients to the lemon flavour."

"That's a good idea," Severus acknowledged and decided, smirking, "and also a few prank potions if we have time to brew them."

During the last weeks of the holidays, Severus taught Harry how to brew all of the healing potions, which Madam Pomfrey needed for the hospital wing. In the evenings, the two wizards busied themselves producing a huge box filled with lemon drops of all kinds, labelling the box, 'The Bats of the Dungeons Assorted Lemon Drops' - 'beware of special effects'.

THE END