AN: Thanks to Yen for running an editing eye over this one. It was obviously needed.

More Potions and Horcruxes

Severus almost rolled his eyes. He refrained only because Albus would have asked even more questions. The last two months had been fraught with them as he showed his true self to a select few. Albus was one of those few, and the man was wary – rightfully so, Severus guessed.

Holding in a sigh, Severus picked up the next ingredient. The Headmaster watched everything he put into his cauldron as if brewing was a new thing to Severus. "Is there something in particular I can help you with, Albus?"

"When do you have spare time, Severus?" Blue eyes moved from the lacewings to Severus' face.

Stirring the potion three times to the right, Severus composed his answer. "I get up very early and do my experimental brewing at that time."

It was a habit he had developed as Headmaster, before then he would be up late to brew. He hoped Albus didn't know when he brewed.

"Ah, that is what has had you up so early recently." Albus continued to watch the ingredients as they were added.

"Yes. I should have Potter's potion completed by the end of the week." The morning after conversations were showing a marked improvement. Soon Harry would be able to block the Horcrux's presence.

"You have invented a potion that mimics Occlumency?"

Severus bottled the potion he was working on and smiled at Albus' curious expression. The disastrous lessons he remembered had happened here as well, but the results had not been quite as horrible. Black had survived his trip to the Ministry and the rat had not. "That is what I had set out to make."

He had too, but it had morphed pretty early in the planning. Once he had learned about the Horcrux in Harry's head, he had focused on blocking it instead. Soon he would have a potion to destroy it. Maybe in another three months. He would test it on Nagini first, he would hate to kill Harry by accident.

§§§§§§

As it was the holidays, Severus spent more time with Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. This one was just as demanding as the one Severus remembered. While pacing his small potions laboratory in the Dark Lord's stronghold – one he had acquired in this universe two years ago - Severus watched the scrying mirror cupped in his palm closely. He found the beryl mirror in a dark basement corner as he learned every nook and cranny of the new place. The crystalline surface was currently showing him Nagini writhing around on the ground as she flung her head from side to side.

He watched his test subject until she subsided.

Tucking the mirror deep into a robe pocket, Severus returned to the potion he had started yesterday. Later that afternoon, he checked on the snake while delivering the potion to the Dark Lord.

Nagini slithered about the room, her tongue flickering while she swayed her head side to side. The black eyes retained their intelligent look, but Severus could tell that she was no longer a Horcrux. The cloying sense of the Dark Lord was missing.

He did not give in to his rejoicing until he escaped back to Hogwarts. Now he needed to convince Harry to take this potion. The first step would be to find out if Harry even knew what a Horcrux was.

§§§§§§

Severus arranged for the meeting to take place at Spinner's End. The other two were with Harry as the rest of the Order would not let him out of Grimmauld Place by himself. It was easy to choose the two that would most likely be here again if Severus had any say in the matter.

He arrived early to make sure that there was tea and food. He had never been to this particular Spinner's End as the other Severus spent his entire summers at Hogwarts, so he had as well. The door was warped, and dust covered every surface. Shutting the door firmly behind him, Severus pulled his wand. It was time to use all those spells that Molly had drilled into his head when Grimmauld Place needed to be cleaned.

It took four hours to have a presentable warded house and food in the cupboards. The kettle was on, the pot was warming, and the tea tray ready. A knock on the front door told him that he was just in time.

Striding through the house, he glanced out the window, spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione, and opened the door. "Welcome."

Severus moved so that his guests could enter. Shutting the door behind them, he led the way to the living room. "Have a seat, I'll be back in a moment."

In the kitchen, he poured the water from the kettle into the tea pot, finished the tray, and returned to his guests. "How would like your tea?"

He set the tray on the coffee table and prepared to serve. It took less than a minute to have the pleasantries finished. Settling onto his chair, Severus looked at Harry over his cup. "I am not sure what information Albus has shared with you, so I need to confirm if you have ever heard of a Horcrux."

The three exchanged worried looks which was all the conformation that he needed. They knew. "This place is warded and unknown. Not one person in the Wizarding World besides the four of us know where it is, or that it even exists. That is the reason I requested this meeting here."

Severus wished he could have said that in his original universe. Then there would have been no oath, Narcissa and Bellatrix would have never been able to sneak onto Hogwarts' grounds. It was one of the small things that has changed the events here. Albus not putting on a cursed ring was another one.

Harry sighed in relief. "We've been looking for them the last several months. Albus took us aside and told us of their existence. Are you supposed to help us?"

Severus narrowed his eyes slightly while he considered his response. "Albus does not know that I know about them, yet. I have been waiting to confirm my suspicions before worrying the Headmaster with their possibilities. The Dark Lord … has shown the symptoms of making a multitude of them."

Green eyes blinked but it was Hermione that asked the question. "Symptoms? There are symptoms?"

"Of course. Unable to die is one key symptom. When Harry was one, the Killing Curse should have put us out of the Dark Lord's misery, but he became a wraith. One unable to move on because parts of his soul was holding the main part of him here. Then there is the loss of his sanity. Or rather, his humanity. The parts that made him charismatic, the parts that understood his original plan, were gone. Truly not inside the body he currently wears. That means they are locked up somewhere else. Considering who I was observing – the Dark Lord's interest in the Dark Arts rivals my own – I decided that he was making Horcruxes. To reach his current level, I would say that he has at least five of them, maybe more."

"Six." Ron glanced at Harry before he repeated his answer. "He made six of them. He wanted his soul to have seven parts."

Severus nodded slowly. "Nagini was one, she is no longer. I know of one other, or rather I suspect one other, but I do not know where to find the rest."

Harry's eyes widened. "Nagini was one? How do you know she isn't one now? And where do you suspect one might be? We've found Salazar's locket, we know that Hufflepuff's cup is one, and the diary I destroyed during my second year. Albus found a ring that he thinks is one as well. We just do not know how to destroy them."

"You killed a basilisk in your second year with Gryffindor's sword, correct?" Severus watched as the memory washed over Harry's face. He was waiting for someone to point out that he should know these facts already.

"Yes, I pulled it from the Sorting Hat."

This turned out not to be the time. "Then the sword is imbued with the venom of the snake, which was what destroyed the diary. Pull the sword again. Be a Gryffindor and do some horrendously stupid brave act, and then claim the sword. Or you could just harvest fangs from the dead snake and use them. It would save you from doing something stupid. Stab the ring and the locket. That will leave the cup and the unknown to be dealt with."

"You said you knew the unknown one." Hermione leaned forward, her brown eyes searching Severus' face.

Severus shook his head. "No, I know of one that was not intended to be made. I have designed and tested a potion to remove it."

He let his gaze rest on Harry's scar and waited. It didn't take long.

"Me … I am one as well?" Harry's hand shot to his mouth as he obviously was fighting with his stomach.

"You are, Harry. Which is why Nagini is no longer one. I had to test my potions on something." Severus pulled out a vial holding a dark viscous fluid in it. "It does not taste good, it will hurt, and it will leave you very tired, but the test shows you will be free of the soul shard lodged in you."

He set the vial down before the young man. "If you wish to take it, I would ask that you do so here. I have a bedroom you can use, and it will only take roughly an hour or three to work."

Harry touched his scar. "Are you sure there is a soul shard in my head?"

Severus let the edge of his lips quirk up. "The potion you are currently taking is designed to block a Horcrux from communicating with its base soul. If it is working for you, then I will say that I am sure."

Harry's fingers clenched around the vial. "Where is that room?"

Standing up, Severus moved to a bookshelf, reached through the books, and opened the door revealing a stairwell. "This way."

His guests followed him.

Opening a door, he gestured towards the made bed. "Make yourself comfortable. I would recommend transfiguring your restrictive clothes into something soft with a lot of give. Sleep trousers or shirt would work fine. I will be back in a moment."

Severus set the potion on the top of the dresser before he left. He returned to the kitchen, and picked up the bag he left on the counter. The stones inside clicked against each other as he headed back up. The stones on his wrist had prompted his looking into the properties of them and other stones.

Knocking on the door even though Harry should be changed, he waited until permission was granted to enter. Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed, his clothes folded neatly and resting on his old desk. Harry was wearing pyjamas, but Severus could not tell what they were transfigured out of.

Hermione held up her bag. "Since we've started this hunt, we are never sure if we can get back home, so I carry some of the necessities with me. Pyjamas are necessary." Her tone said not to question her on that.

Severus gave one quick nod, and the dumped the stones from the bag into his hand. Holding up a necklace, he offered it to Harry. "Each of the stones have the ability to help heal your mind and body. I want you to wear this for the next week to counter any side effects of the potion."

Harry slipped it over his head, and the chain of stones rested low, the rose quartz settling over his heart. Severus had included it because Albus was positive that love would conquer all. The chain also included blue fluorites, haematites, amethysts, blood stones, rubies, aquamarines, ambers, and other healers.

"Lay back and take the potion. Hermione and Ron, this may be frightening, if you wish to wait downstairs, you may." Severus handed Harry the potion, and then smiled when the other two moved closer to the bed instead out the door. "We will be here with you, Harry. Relax and let the potion work."

§§§§§§

A muffled scream woke Severus. Wand in hand, he rushed through the small hallway to Harry's room. Cautiously opening the door, he peered into the moonlit room only to see the man tossing and turning in his bed. Severus crossed over to the bed, thinking of rousing Harry from his nightmare. When he rested a hand on the shaking shoulders, he was surprised when a deep sigh escaped Harry's lips and the young man settled into a restful sleep. Lifting his hand, Severus felt his eyes widen as Harry started tossing about again.

He placed his hand back on Harry's shoulder. Harry stilled. He moved his hand, and Harry was restless again.

'He needs sleep, a deep restful sleep.' Severus eyed the space on the bed, knowing that he wanted this, he wanted to bury his nose in the alluring smell of Harry. He wanted this man, he knew that deep in his bones, but he wanted to learn about Harry before doing anything that would hint at his desires. 'And before that, I want to hold to my promise – I will rid this world of the Dark Lord.'

He attempted once again to leave Harry's bedside only to discover that Harry reacted poorly to the loss of his hand. Sighing deeply, Severus expanded the bed and curled up on the covers. A flick of his wand had his own covers from his room on top of him and his pillow under his head. Leaving a hand on Harry's shoulder, he closed his eyes, but found sleep eluding him.

Memories of the day filled his mind. The three hours he had sat with Harry as the potion ran its course had almost been torture. Harry had flung himself about, cried, and was physically ill. Ron and Hermione ran back and forth getting flannels, bowls, and other needed items as well as sitting near their friend, holding his hand and offering their unconditional support. Harry had come to in time for dinner, and Severus had insisted that he attempt a soup. When he went to make dinner for them all was the first time he had left Harry's side.

Listening hard, as he had done long ago in this bed, Severus attempted to hear all the sounds inside of his house. A creak of a bed echoed up the stairwell. He had left the door open so that Ron and Hermione could find the stairs if they needed to use the toilet during the night. He had offered them his room, but they had turned him down. Hermione pointed out that he was the most qualified one to handle anything that happened overnight with Harry. The sofa had been transfigured into a bed, and everyone had retired for the night.

Shifting his weight, Severus forced his brain to slow down. He needed to sleep. Tomorrow would bring new challenges he had to face.

§§§§§§

A gasp and the shifting of the mattress woke Severus up. "Good morning, Harry."

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he focused on the green ones near his. The desire and warmth in them surprised him. 'After the war. Then I will pursue that warmth and see if it will lead to where I want to go.'

"What are you doing here, Severus?"

The breathy way his name was spoken caused Severus to shiver slightly. "You were unsettled last night. I came to check on you, and you settled down while I was here. I opted not to wake you up just in case you would not go back to sleep, as you need as much rest as you can get. I, therefore, stayed."

"Oh," A blush crept over Harry's cheeks, "thanks for staying."

Severus brushed a strand of hair out of Harry's face and ignored the tingles travelling through his fingers. "You are welcome."

Standing, Severus pulled his covers over him like a cloak, and with a nod to Harry, swept out of the room to prepare for the day.

Breakfast was eaten at the dining room table. Severus was glad to see the three tuck into their food. He knew that these three had not come as close to starving as his original three, but the half starved teens he had seen during the Final Battle still haunted his dreams periodically.

"We need to get back to Headquarters." Harry crossed his silverware over his plate as he spoke. "They don't like it when we spend the night out."

Ron and Hermione nodded and Ron chimed in. "They think we have run off and done something stupid."

"Then we shall head there after I clean up from breakfast." Severus collected the dishes, ignoring Ron's surprised look that he was doing it the muggle way. "After that we will head to Hogwarts. You three will go collect basilisk parts and I will tell Albus I know about the Horcruxes as well as the fact that the one in you has been handled." He nodded to Harry during the last sentence.

It didn't take long to clean up, and they were on their way to Headquarters.

Severus opened the door and ushered the three in. "We will floo into the Three Broomsticks from here. It is not unbearably cold, so we can walk up to the castle and finalize our plans."

With a quick nod, the trio went to find Moody, since the retired Auror was acting as base commander for the Order.

Severus paced in the parlour doing his best not to think of sleepy green eyes and lithe body pressed against his for most of the night. He had slept well, very well once Harry curled into him and he had spooned up against the younger man. 'I am supposed to be waiting. I know I am attracted to him, but I do not want a relationship built on attraction alone. Those tend not to last.'

Over the last several months, he was learning to respect Harry Potter. No, he wasn't the same Potter that he had slowly, grudgingly learned to respect in his Universe, but he was very close. 'Black will not be happy about our association, I am positive.'

The quick glance at the door was more reflex born out of years of dealing with Black trapped in Grimmauld Place. It had come as a shock that Wormtail had been caught during Harry's fifth year excursion to the Ministry, freeing the mutt. A nice shock mainly because the man had immediately moved out of Headquarters and was therefore less likely to been seen. No matter his resolve not to fall back into the childish behaviour of baiting the man, it was a habit that was far to fun to resist at times. Lots of times.

The trio came rushing into the parlour. "We are ready."

That was another difference. His trio would have resented having to check in to someone else. Setting his thoughts aside, he gestured to the fireplace. "Shall we?"

§§§§§§

Severus watched as the three headed towards Moaning Mrytle's bathroom carrying with them his potion collection kit and a book on how to properly harvest materials from a basilisk. With a turn, he continued up the stairwell to the Headmaster's office.

"Albus, we need to speak privately." The words were out of his mouth before the door closed completely behind him.

Albus took one look at his face and walked over to the door of his private rooms. "My sitting room?"

"That will work." Severus followed him into the room, and waited while Albus cast privacy wards. He knew they were there to make him feel more comfortable since there was no one to who could listen in even without them.

"What has happened, Severus, my boy?" Albus settled on the sofa.

Severus paced near the sofa frowning hard. "I ask that you do not interrupt until I finish. I know you are going to be upset, but wait."

Folding his hands, Albus just looked at him.

"I know the Dark Lord created Horcruxes. He has shown all the signs of it." He watched the blue eyes widened. "The signs showed he had to have at least five. When I put this together, I became suspicious of the connection between him and Harry. The potion I created for Harry was not a version of Occlumency. It was designed to block the soul fragment's connection with its base soul. Since it succeeded, I felt that it was highly likely that Harry had a Horcrux inside of him. I also began to suspect that Nagini was also a Horcrux because of the events in Harry's fifth year. I devised a potion to destroy a Horcrux inside of a living thing, which I tested on Nagini. It worked on the snake, so yesterday I explained to Harry what I just explained to you. He informed me that you already knew about the Horcruxes, and then agreed to take the potion. He is currently collecting basilisk fangs to use them against since Fiendfyre is very unpredictable."

Severus was surprised that Albus let him finish.

"You knew about the possibility of such a dark artefact, but did not inform me. You tested two potions to deal with this threat, used them on Harry, and did not bother to inform me." Albus' eyes were burning.

Severus stood very still. He knew he tempted fate by giving Harry the potion before clearing it with Albus, but he did not want there to be a chance of Albus denying it to the young man. "I thought it best to be completely certain when dealing with an accusation as harsh as this one. I did not think you needed another issue to plan around, especially if it was an unfounded suspicion. You also failed to inform me of them. So, instead of us working together, we were working on the same issue separately."

He watched as wrinkled fingers flexed before a large sigh escaped from the Headmaster.

"You are right, we were both in the wrong here. I wanted to keep the information from you just in case Voldemort became suspicious." Albus straightened his shoulders. "Now, we need to join our knowledge together. Do you think the potion you created to destroy a Horcrux in a living thing would work on the others we have collected?"

Severus quietly let out a sigh of relief. Albus' temper was one thing he wanted to remain a distant memory. "No, it must be ingested to have any effect on the soul fragment. The blocking potion may though."

Albus nodded. "It might be a good idea to block the connection and observe Voldemort's actions before we destroy them. Do you have any brewed?"

Severus nodded. "As Harry will not need it anymore, I have enough to submerge a ring and a necklace."

Albus led the way towards Severus' laboratory, stopping in his office to collect the two Horcruxes. Setting the two boxes on a table, he gestured to them. "They are impervious, so you can add the potion directly into them."

Severus fought the cringe that tried to surface at the pure evilness pouring into his laboratory from the boxes. The faster he completed this, the faster these things would be gone. It took but a moment to pour the appropriate potion over the artefacts, cutting off their connection with their maker.

Albus waved his wand over them and then smiled. "You have patented this potion?"

"And just what should I tell the Ministry about it?" Severus waited, knowing that Albus might have a good answer.

"Once we have defeated Voldemort, you should patent both of the ones you created. It might deter others from creating Horcruxes."

"When this war is over, I will." Severus closed the lids on the boxes, sealed them with a spell, and passed them to Albus. "I am positive you have somewhere safe to keep these. I will inform you of any change in the Dark Lord after my next visit."

After they had finished collecting the basilisk parts, including a few extra for Severus' stores, Harry submitted to a full physical check-up by Madam Pomfrey at Albus' insistence.