Disclaimer: Nothing related to Harry Potter belongs to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Nine: Adapting

As soon as Harry and Severus reappeared at Hogwarts, Harry grabbed hold of his professor's arm and tugged him down to the dungeon and Remus. He had been too tense in front of Voldemort to worry about much of anything except that his identity and Severus' treachery not be discovered. Now that he was back at Hogwarts, he had to make sure that his friend was all right.

Severus let out a put-upon sigh, but permitted the younger wizard to tug him down to his rooms regardless. He knew they'd have to report to Albus, but they might as well have all three of them. Perhaps the werewolf would have some insight as well.

Pausing at the door for Severus to say his password, Harry wrinkled his nose. "Morkeleb? Why the hell did he name me Morkeleb! What's it mean?"

Severus shrugged. "I have no idea. As far as I know, it has no significant meaning for him, and it has no basis. He named you because I had not."

Harry snarled. "I want a new name for when I'm around you and Remus. I don't want his name for me to enter Hogwarts." Severus just smirked as the door opened and they stepped inside. Remus was there waiting for them. As Harry wrapped his second godfather in a hug, greeting him enthusiastically, Severus waited impatiently by the door, refusing to acknowledge that he almost wished he could have what Potter and Lupin had with each other.

"If you two are done with the sentimentalities, we need to report to the Headmaster before he grows impatient and invades my sanctuary." He grimaced. "I already have two Gryffindors in close quarters, shattering my solitude. I don't need a meddling old fool to add to it."

Harry glared at him, but Remus just looked at him with a neutral expression and headed for the door, walking past Severus and turning to head up to the Headmaster's office. Harry followed, leaving Severus to bring up the rear on their short trek.

Upon reaching the Headmaster's office, they entered without knocking. It's not like the old wizard didn't know they were there. Indeed, when they walked in, they found Albus Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, with tea and small finger sandwiches already laid out, waiting. After offering them the customary lemon drop, which they all refused, some more politely than others, he gestured for them to have a seat and eat. There was no more talking for several minutes after that.

After they were full and Dumbledore had disposed of the tea and snacks, he sat back and waited silently for them to begin. Severus started, telling Albus everything that had gone on during his meeting with the Dark Lord. Then he speculated and commented on his own sense of what was going on behind the façade of friendly chitchat.

"Jachyras are known as Light creatures, no matter how rare they are. It's true that they are very loyal, but I cannot imagine them ever serving on the Dark side. Yet the Dark Lord chose not to comment on this, not even in passing. I don't know why. He even named the boy."

This last part caught Dumbledore's interest and he inquired as to the name given to Harry by Voldemort. The name Morkeleb didn't hold any significance for him, either, so they shrugged it off as a random name, its origin known only by the man who created it. Then they moved on to the important part of the meeting.

"If he did not call you on the Jachyra, what are his reasons for doing so?" Dumbledore murmured to himself, staring up at the ceiling. His attention was brought back down by the inelegant snort issuing from the chair where Harry was seated. "Yes, my boy?" he asked. "Do you have any ideas?"

Harry nodded, deciding to trust him with this. After all, he knew that the Headmaster had done what he had to help him, and he wanted to trust the man again, so he needed to start somewhere. But first, he had a question. "Are my relatives being brought in for trial?"

If Albus was thrown off by the non-sequiter, he didn't show it. Severus and Remus had less luck and looked at him incredulously. Catching their astonished gazes, he just shrugged at them and turned back to the old wizard in front of him.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that, Harry," began Dumbledore. "Your uncle is being brought in and accused with several crimes, including child abuse, neglect, and attempted murder." Harry frowned at that last one, and he clarified his statement. "It's true that he merely gave your location to one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, but that was only because it was unlikely that he could have taken you out himself. He was, in a way, 'hiring' the wizards to kill you in his stead. Fortunately, he didn't succeed, so it is only a charge of attempted murder."

Harry nodded. "What about Aunt Petunia and Dudley?" he asked.

Dumbledore replied, "They are being charged with neglect and abuse as well." When Harry opened his mouth to contest that, the Headmaster held up his hand. "They may not have abused you physically, but they did verbally, mentally, and emotionally." Harry just nodded his understanding and inquired as to when the proceedings would be, which he was informed would start about a month into school, so that it would be done before the end of November.

When he had satisfied Harry's curiosity, the teenage wizard answered his question. "He wants me to protect him." When the others stared at him, waiting, he expounded on the simple statement. "He mentioned that a Jachyra is capable of dividing its loyalty among several individuals. He hopes to be one, and hurting Sev-Professor Snape is not a good way to win my loyalty."

Remus frowned. "If Jachyras are Light creatures, and don't serve the Dark, then why doesn't he suspect that Severus is a traitor and always has been? And why doesn't he question how a Jachyra came to be with Severus in the first place?"

Harry grinned and answered him again. "In order to get the mark, Professor Snape would have wanted it, which would mean that he had wanted, in effect, to be a Death Eater. And a Jachyra will not serve anyone who is untrue, so he is reassured."

He answered Remus' next question before he had opened his mouth. "There are two reasons why my Jachyra form is loyal to him. First of all, I'm a were- Jachyra, and my beast follows my human self. If I trust Professor Snape, then so does the Jachyra. Secondly, I will not serve someone who is untrue. Professor Snape chose the Dark side when he was much younger, but then he realized his mistake and has been repenting ever since. The Jachyra in me honors that type of commitment and recognizes that everybody makes mistakes. It just won't serve anybody who refuses to try and correct them."

All three older men nodded slowly, running his explanation over in their heads and not finding fault with it. It made a great deal of sense, and they trusted Harry to know what the Jachyra was thinking, since they were the same being.

Dumbledore frowned. "That still doesn't explain why Voldemort didn't question the fact that although Jachyras are nearly extinct, one managed to find its way here and attach itself to Severus." The room fell silent as everybody tried to come up with a reply.

Finally, it was Harry who sighed and said, "I'm not entirely sure about this, but I think there are a few reasons he didn't question it this time. First of all, nothing really important went on in the meeting, so even if I'm not a true Jachyra, he didn't give anything away."

"Also, assuming that he wants me to side with him, questioning me will not help win me to his side. Then there's the fact that he may just want to see what happens, or if I give myself away. If I'm not a true Jachyra, then he'll probably kill both Professor Snape and me, but if it turns out that I really am the genuine thing, he'll have a new ally, or so he thinks. After all, even if I'm not directly loyal to him, he can control me through Professor Snape."

They continued to toss ideas back and forth for another hour or so before Dumbledore dismissed them. On the way out, he called them back and informed them that he had told the staff that remained at Hogwarts during the summer about Harry's lycanthropy, so they shouldn't have any problems on that front. He also reminded them that the other students would be coming in another week, on the following Sunday.

Heading back to the dungeons, Remus turned to Harry and asked if he'd like to help him move in to his rooms and get settled. Harry agreed, and they left Severus to his own devices, since he'd be right next door to them.

They spent the remainder of the day decorating Moony's rooms to his satisfaction. Despite the fact that he hated the beast inside of him, he still felt more comfortable in the forest than in a building, even if it was Hogwarts, so they made the room as earthy as possible. They used deep greens and dark earth tones for the carpeting and furniture. The ceiling was charmed like the Great Hall, designed to show both day and night. Harry got a brilliant idea and brought in some low-maintenance plants to set around the room to give it that forest smell and to make it even more comfortable for Remus.

When they were done, they were both exhausted. They each took a turn in the shower before getting into pajamas and robes and knocking on the door that led from Remus' room to Severus'. When they heard the call, "Come in," they walked into the Potions Master's living room to see him also ready for bed, with three cups of hot tea waiting for them.

Sitting around the edge, they sipped quietly at their tea, until Severus finally broke the silence. "Pot-Harry. While you will be my apprentice during the school years and the summers, once school starts, we cannot sleep together in the same bed, and probably not in the same room. I need to know if you'll be able to handle being separated from both of us at night after this week."

Harry nodded and replied, "I should be. I'll still be protective, I'm sure, and probably possessive as well, but perhaps if I remain in my Jachyra form for the first few nights, I'll adapt to it enough to sleep without shifting. Speaking of shifting, when's the next full moon?"

Remus answered him, "You have another three weeks, Harry. But why will you need to sleep as a Jachyra for a few nights? You do well when we're not there during the daytime, or only with one of us, like today. Why will it be any different at night?"

Harry frowned. "I don't know. It really shouldn't be, but it appears that just as I have many advantages being a lycanthrope, I also have some disadvantages, such as my almost jealous possessiveness of you two. I don't want to share either of you. It's easier to handle in human form, but I have the feeling that it will be practically impossible near the full moon. You guys might have to stick close to me all the time when that time draws near."

Severus looked at him sharply. "Jealous possessiveness? What other disadvantages have you found so far?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "Well, when I'm a Jachyra, I think of you as my human, not as Severus. The same goes for Remus, only I consider him to by my werewolf. It's almost like I'm not a human, but you two are, and you have to be protected by me, as if you're too weak to fend for yourselves. It worries me that I feel like that. I mean, I shouldn't, right? I know that Jachyras are supposed to be powerful warriors, but I didn't realize that the reason there are so very few of them is that they are so possessive of those they protect that they don't think before attacking any threat to that person. Their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, and the Jachyra is invading on my human self."

Remus nodded. "That happens with my wolf, particularly when my emotions are running high. It always starts out rough in the beginning, but it should get better with time. Right now, your life is a bit chaotic and nerve-wracking, and it will only get worse when your friends arrive in a week. For now, we'll just do what we can to find a balance where your human self isn't invaded too drastically by the Jachyra."

Harry nodded his appreciation, then covered his mouth as a yawn took over. Remus chuckled lightly and suggested that they head to bed. Harry agreed wholeheartedly and the three wizards headed back into Severus' bedroom, where they once again curled up together in silent companionship, Harry between his two humans.