The Turning Point?

Later that night, when the cares of the day should have been washed away by sleep, they were far from it for the people who had gathered around that bed. If it were possible to see them all in the same moment it would almost be laughable, if it weren't so tragic. Six people, possibly changed forever by the horrific tales of a young man broken by those who should have loved and cherished him, had retired to their respective bedrooms fully intending to cast aside the heartbreak, the horror and the deep burning anger caused by the situation. Each, in turn, found him or herself lying flat on their back staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come for most. One wouldn't allow sleep to overtake him. The fear of the horror in his dreams spurred his determination to remain awake.

Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, was angry, there was no doubt. As Harry's words echoed in his brain, he knew it went deeper than that. Harry was more than Ron's best friend. He had become a part of the Weasley family. Arthur loved the boy as much as one of his own sons. 'How could anyone do such a thing?' He wondered. 'Harry is such a wonderful kid. It just didn't make any sense!' He had told Molly about it. She had wanted to go straight to Harry, but he had stopped her. He knew that Harry couldn't have handled that just yet. He marveled at how much control Harry had exhibited. He had expected the boy to crack at any moment, but he held it together quite admirably. Finally, exhaustion winning out in the end, Arthur fell asleep with a vow to avenge his 'son'.

Martin Davis should have been able to take it all in stride. He'd heard these stories many times over in his line of work. He lay there staring up at the blank ceiling, gray in the moonlight. He rubbed his eyes and thought about Sirius Snape. The young man had handled himself amazingly well. Martin had been impressed. There had been several moments throughout the day when he was sure the kid would crack, but he'd gotten through. His husky voice never broke once. He told his story with calm reserve, his eyes open and honest. Juries ate that stuff up like candy. He already knew that Vernon Dursley was a doomed man. That jury, no matter how hardened they were, was going to be bowled over by the boy. Martin felt it was the least they could do for someone who had suffered enough.

Albus Dumbledore lay on his bed as well, his pensieve on his stomach, his wand in hand. His thoughts needed purging. He had a lot of guilt to work through. He had let Harry and Severus down. He was usually aware of what was going on around him. 'Why hadn't he been aware of the nightmare that was Harry's existence? Why had he been blinded by thinking that Harry's family would love him simply because he was family? Why hadn't he paid more attention to the fact that Harry never seemed happy to be returning every summer? Why hadn't he pressed Harry a little more into giving him answers to his questions?' He vowed to do whatever it took to make it up to these two young men. They had looked to him for guidance and acceptance. Severus had trusted him to keep Harry safe, and he had failed him. He would make it up to them. He became more determined than ever to bring them as close together as a father and son should be. He owed them that much at least.

Juno had been severely upset by Harry's story. She had seen the horrible injuries, healed them. But to hear the details of how those injuries came to be and associate them to the boy who had grown to be so much more than just her patient, was almost unbearable. She lay there in her room, just off to the side of the infirmary, crying silent tears for the broken child in the room next door. 'Oh Harry!' she thought. 'I would give anything to make this all go away for you!' Calming after a good cry, her musings took a positive upswing. 'He really was an amazing young man.' He seemed so well adjusted considering all he was facing at the moment. 'How does he do it?' She marveled. 'He certainly had strong character values. Was that merely inborn? Did he get that level-headed, calm acceptance purely by birth? Or was it something he chose by his circumstance?' Either way, it said he was a very special person.

Severus had spent most of his evening in front of the fire. Harry's statements floated around in his head, but he concentrated on only one thing from the whole ordeal ~ *the blink*.

He fretted and fumed long after he too was lying looking at the ceiling. 'Why can't I remember?' He raged. 'It was significant, a clue to something!' He searched through years of confrontations, arguments, detentions. 'Damn it! I know it's a signal to something! What was it?'

Harry was also lying flat on his back staring at the ceiling. His eyes were burning from the effort to keep them open. He refused to let sleep come. He knew the horrors of the day would quickly overtake his dreams. He was exhausted from the ordeal, but he felt a great relief from the burden. It felt good to purge it from his mind. It had been easier to tell them about his experience than he'd imagined it would. He knew he should have elaborated when Marty asked his final question, but he couldn't. His shame at his weakness was too great. They would never understand.

Vincent Crabbe's cauldron exploded and the potion he had been brewing flew all over the room. Severus Snape rounded on the Gryffindor side of the classroom. The stream of wolf saliva had come from this direction. "POTTER! Did you sabotage Mr. Crabbe's potion?" He bellowed.

*Blink* "No, sir." Harry replied calmly.

Severus sat bolt upright in bed. "That's it!" He nearly shouted and he quickly arose. After hurriedly dressing, he rushed to the infirmary. He had every intention of getting the whole truth from his son. He was sick and angry at the thoughts that his realization brought. Dursley hadn't crossed that line with his son, but someone had or at least had tried.

Harry had finally allowed himself to break down. He had managed to hold himself under rigid control all day. Now, late into the night, he felt he was safe to give in to his pain. 'Everyone was gone, surely sound asleep by now.' He thought, as tears filled his eyes. A great wrenching sob burst from his chest. He let go at long last and let his anguish take over. He never heard his father enter the room. It was a very long time before he calmed enough to be aware of anything more than his pain. Slowly, realization dawned. 'Someone was holding him, rocking him and rubbing his back.' The love-starved boy didn't care who it was. All he knew was that this person was offering him all he needed, warmth, compassion, gentle touch and love. He threw himself into the warm solid body and held on for all he was worth. Severus tightened his hold on his son and whispered, "It's okay, Harry, let it out. You're safe here. They can't touch you anymore." He cradled the boy's head to his chest. "I won't leave you, I promise." Harry had managed to find his way completely into Severus' lap. Soon, he knew Harry was sleeping, but every once in a while a hiccupping sob burst from his chest. His father continued to hold him and rock him, bestowing soft kisses on his thick raven~black hair and rubbing small comforting circles around his back, until the sobs completely subsided and he was deeply asleep. Severus maneuvered the boy onto the bed, but he couldn't get him to let go. Harry had a death grip around his shoulders. As he stood there awkwardly bent over the bed, a quiet voice spoke behind him. "Having a problem, Sev?"

Juno had been awakened some time earlier. 'What was that noise?' She tiptoed to her doorway, straining her ears. 'There it was again!' She went out into the hall, the sound was clearer now and it came from the infirmary. "Harry!" She exclaimed as she rushed to his room.

The sight that met her eyes, stopped her in her tracks. Sev sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Somehow the boy had managed to fold his not-so-small frame completely into Sev's lap. His arms were wrapped tightly around Sev's neck and he was crying his heart out. Sev was rocking him, whispering soothing words in his ear. Juno had been so touched by the scene, that tears filled her eyes as she stood there watching it unfold.

He tried to break free once again, but it was useless. The boy just would not let go.

"I'm open to any suggestions, Juno." Sev said, just a bit annoyed.

"I only have one, Sev." She replied.

"And that would be?" He asked.

"Lay down and stay with him. He obviously wants you to!" She said in exasperation.

"No he doesn't. He wants someone to stay with him, but I guarantee you that 'someone' isn't me!" He said darkly.

"Nevertheless, you are the one locked in his arms and he isn't about to let go. Don't fight him, Sev!" She pleaded. "He has you right where you've been wanting to be for so long. Doesn't he?" She argued

Severus looked down on his son, his face softening. "Yes, he does." He admitted. "I suppose the old saying is true."

"What's that?" She asked.

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth." He said wryly.

With a small laugh, Juno moved next to him. "Why don't you settle in by him and I'll cover you up, hm?" She offered.

Severus stretched out next to his son and pulled the boy closer. Harry's grip relaxed immediately and he curled close to Severus' side. As Severus made himself comfortable, Juno drew the blankets over both of them. She kissed Harry's head, brushed Sev's cheek and said goodnight. He was asleep before she left the room.

Pale sunlight kissed Harry's face and his eyes fluttered open. As his eyes focused on the room, he realized that he was not alone. His arm was draped casually over a person who at the moment had their back to him. He carefully propped himself up on one elbow to peer over the sleeping form.

'Dad!' Harry thought, stunned. 'What is he doing here?' Then Harry remembered. Someone had come last night. 'It had been his father that had held him and rocked him! When did I start referring to him as my father?' Harry thought. As his eyes settled on his arm, which was still draped over Severus, he slowly withdrew it and hugged it to himself, an unconscious gesture born from years of self-comforting. He carefully slipped from the bed and shuffled sleepily to the bathroom, his thoughts a confused jumble.

After using the toilet, he stood in front of the sink and assessed his face in the mirror. His hair was long, tangled and wild. He shoved it away from his face and examined his scar. 'Should I have Dr. A remove it?' He thought. 'No.' He decided. It was part of him. He knew he would miss it if it were gone. His eyes were back to normal. The potion had worn off like it should. Harry hadn't taken any more of it, but he hadn't gotten rid of it either. He chuckled a little remembering the incident. 'If he let go of his hatred just a bit,' He thought, 'his father actually had a wicked sense of humor!' Harry's eyes sparkled in amusement. His slight smile faded as he focused his attention on his nose. Now that it had a slight kink to it, he could see his resemblance to his father. He decided that he must mostly take after his mother's side of the family. He pushed at his nose with his finger, and laughed at the sight.

"Not one of our best features, is it?" Severus said from the doorway.

Harry jumped, startled from his assessment. "Not really." He conceded.

"I had mine broken when I was about your age. I was somewhere that I didn't belong. The Whomping Willow let me know in no uncertain terms." Severus said with a smile.

"Really?" Harry said, curious. "Why didn't you have it fixed?"

"It wasn't an option twenty years ago." He answered.

"Why don't you do it now?" Harry persisted.

"Perhaps I will." Severus told him.

"What did it look like? Before." Harry asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Long, straight, nearly perfect." He said. "Just like yours was."

"Oh." Harry said and looked back at his reflection, thinking of the possibility. "I'll have mine fixed, if you will." He challenged.

Severus' eyebrow shot up. 'What's going on here?' He wondered. He didn't dare hope. Harry turned to him.

"Well? What do you say?" He asked.

Severus straightened from where he was leaning on the doorframe and uncrossed his arms. He moved to stand behind Harry and eyed himself in the mirror. He mimicked Harry's earlier movement and pushed at his nose with a finger. Harry laughed at the sight and Severus couldn't help but chuckle himself. "You're on!" He answered.

Shaking his head, Harry left the bathroom to his father. He dressed in his sweats and started his warm ups. This had become habit for Harry. He enjoyed his morning work out, as he now referred to it. Severus sat back and watched Harry go through his various exercises. He was impressed with the strength Harry possessed. The therapy had definitely benefited the boy. When he was done with his routine, he grabbed clean clothes and headed for the shower.

Severus, still determined to have his talk with Harry about *the blink*, waited for him to return. While Harry was gone, Juno entered the ward. To say she was surprised to see the room and Severus still in one piece was an understatement. She had expected a small explosion upon Harry waking and realizing the situation, especially as it appeared his magic had now recovered sufficiently to appear when Harry's emotions were heightened. They had feared that Vernon's threat to 'knock the magic out of Harry' had finally been made good.

She smiled at Severus. "Good morning, Sev."

"Good morning, Juno." He greeted her quietly in return.

"How'd it go this morning?" She asked

"Better than I ever expected it to." He admitted. "Much better, in fact. We just had our first 'normal' conversation."

"What do you mean 'normal'?" She asked.

"No arguments, no insults." He said. "Normal."

"What did you discuss?" She asked

He grinned. "Our noses." She couldn't stop the laugh at his words.

"I'm sorry!" She said still chuckling.

"Not a problem." He admitted, joining in her laughter. "It is rather a strange thing to call normal."

At that, Harry returned to the room.

"Good morning, Dr. A!" He said smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Good morning, Harry." She replied. "Sev was just telling me about your morning conversation."

"Oh." He nodded and grinned as he pushed his nose to show her why it was so funny. They both were surprised when Severus reached up and did the same thing. They all had a good laugh. "Actually, Dr. A, we made a deal this morning." Harry said after his laughter subsided.

"What's that Harry?" She asked, hopefully.

"We want you to return our noses back to normal." Harry announced.

"Really?" She asked, looking at Severus.

"Really." Both men replied at the same time.

"Okay. I'll do it after breakfast." She agreed. "Right now, I want to do a quick exam and another EKG, Harry." She informed them.

He nodded and headed to her office where the EKG machine resided. She was surprised at Harry's behavior toward Severus. 'How could he have changed so easily?' She hoped he wasn't playing games. It would disappoint her immensely if he were.

When the test was completed, they waited for her to make her comparisons.

"Well?" Harry asked as soon as she put the paper down.

"Much better!" She smiled. "I think you'll be out of here in a few days, Harry."

"Yes!" He said as he punched the air.

"I'm happy for you, Harry." Severus said, sounding somewhat subdued. He had a feeling he was losing something he had just barely gotten a hold on.

"Thanks pro…er…Dad." Harry said, tentatively. The name sounded strange to him.

Severus was shocked and it showed on his face, "Harry?" He questioned. "Are you sure?" Harry only nodded. Juno had tears in her eyes as she hugged Harry.

"You won't be sorry, Harry." She whispered.

"I hope not." He whispered back.

Severus stepped closer to his son. His hand reached for Harry's shoulder. It never made it as Harry hurled himself at his father and held on for all he was worth. Severus wrapped his arms around his son and whispered in his ear "I love you, Harry." He dared say the words. "I love you, Siri, my son." He closed his eyes on the flood of emotion the words brought with them.

"I can't say it back, not yet. I'm sorry." Harry said into his father's neck.

"Don't be sorry. It's okay, Harry." Severus told him, pushing him back so that he could look in his eyes. "This is a lot for you to have to digest. It will take time for you to sort it all out and come to terms with it."

Harry nodded. "I feel like I should tell you I love you, but…I…Oh, I don't know!" He growled, frustrated with his confusion.

"It's okay, Harry." His father repeated. "Never say 'I love you' unless you truly believe it and you really want to. Otherwise, they are nothing more than words, meaningless."

Harry nodded and his shoulder relaxed under Severus' hand. Their eyes locked for several minutes and Harry wrapped his arms around Severus' neck once again in a brief hug as he whispered "Thanks." in his father's ear. He quickly turned and left the office. Severus stood there in quiet disbelief. His mind was racing. 'Was that all it took? It seemed much too easy.' He decided to not quite let his guard down completely.

"Wow!" Juno said quietly after a few moments. "That was …interesting."

"Quite." Was all Severus could add.

"What brought it about, do you suppose?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. It was as if he had awakened this morning as a different person." Severus told her.

"Well, I'm happy to see him take this step toward acceptance, but don't let your guard down yet!" She cautioned.

"I don't intend to. I think he has realized he needs me and last night was just a step in the right direction." Severus told her. "I would be a fool to think that suddenly everything was going to go smoothly from here on out."

"Well, don't forget, we're all here for you." She reminded him.

"Thank you for that." He said once more. "We need to spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Hell, I need to get to know myself! I've been living this lie for so many years, I've forgotten how to be myself." He said sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Sev." Juno told him. "It just doesn't seem worth your sacrifices anymore, does it?"

"I'll never regret what I did." He declared. "I truly feel I did what I had to do to protect my family."

She nodded, sensing he had more to say.

"Harry is nearly a fully-trained wizard. Minerva assured me that with his tutoring, he has managed to keep up with the rest of his class. He will graduate with his classmates." He informed her. "I intend to help him do what he is destined to do, defeat Voldemort. Harry is an extremely powerful wizard. I think now that he has healed physically, we will start to see much more of his magical ability return."

"I've already noticed it, mostly when he was emotional, which was why I was surprised when I came in this morning." She told him. "I fully expected this place to look like a small bomb had gone off."

"He was surprisingly calm, I must admit." Severus told her. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to fall."

"Yes, it does feel as if there is something missing here, doesn't it?"

"Juno, I have something I need to discuss with you." He said suddenly. "However, I don't want Harry to overhear. Could he possible be allowed to go to the Great Hall for breakfast?"

"Sure, I was going to release him from here to do that much at least." She told him. At that moment, Harry popped back into the office. He had wandered off to do something with his hair. It kept falling in his face and he decided to tie it back in a long braid down his back. He had secured it with a piece of leather that criss-crossed the length of the braid and he had knotted it at the bottom.

"Hey! Are we going to eat or what?" He asked as he stepped into the room. "I'm starved!"

"How would you like to have breakfast in the Great Hall?" Juno asked him with a smile.

"Could I?" Harry exclaimed, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"From now on, you're released to take all of your meals in the Great Hall, Harry." She smiled at him. "No classes yet, however."

"Alright!" He said as he hugged her. "See ya!" He called as he raced out of the room.

"Now that was a picture worth a thousand words!" She said as she smiled at his rapidly vanishing form.

"He certainly was happy." Severus added.

"Very." She stated. "Now you had something to discuss?"

"Yes." Severus said, suddenly grave.

"What is it Sev?" She asked sensing that this was serious.

"Juno, yesterday during Harry's deposition, I got an uneasy feeling. In fact it was when Martin Davis asked his final question." Severus said.

"You mean when he asked if his uncle had ever sexually abused him?" She asked.

"Yes." Severus answered.

"Tell me." She ordered as she sat at her desk. Severus took a seat across from her and made himself comfortable.

"Did you notice Harry's blink before he answered that question?" He asked her.

"Not really." She admitted. "Why?"

"It bothered me immediately. It was a reflex action for Harry. I knew it meant something, but I couldn't put my finger on it." He explained. "I had seen it before, but I couldn't remember what it signaled. I sat in my rooms thinking over every confrontation, every detention, anything I could associate to Harry. Then finally an incident from Potion's class came to mind. Someone had sabotaged a boy's potion. I immediately pounced on Harry about it. He often had confrontations with a few Slytherins in this class. When I asked him outright if he had done it, he blinked and then calmly said 'No, sir.'" Severus told her.

"Okay, so what are you saying, then? Was he lying yesterday?" Juno asked.

"In a sense, yes he was." Severus explained. "Just like he lied in Potion's class. He didn't sabotage the potion, but he knew who did! I believe he wasn't lying when he told us that his uncle had never sexually abused him. But the blink also told me something."

"What?" Juno asked, fear gripping her heart.

"It told me that someone had or had at least tried to sexually abuse him." Severus said quietly. "Who could do that to him? Why would he keep it to himself?"

"Oh God!" Juno cried. "Do you really think this could have happened to him? What can we do to help him? This has to be reported! We have to get him to admit the abuse!"

"Whoa!" Severus put his hands up. "Let's just calm down here! I want to help him, of course, but how do I get him to talk to me?"

"I don't know." Juno admitted. "My experience with sexual abuse is limited and has strictly dealt with female victims. I have no idea how to help Harry." She confirmed sadly.

"We have to do something." Severus said. "I want this out in the open before we go to trial, just in case it does involve Vernon Dursley."

"I agree." Juno said, determination in her voice. "I have a colleague I can ask for some advice. How does that sound?"

"I would be grateful for the help." Severus told her. "Maybe I could speak privately with this colleague?" He asked.

"Let me talk to her first. Maybe she will want to talk to Harry herself." Juno explained. "Either way, I'll get back with you on it."

"Thank you, Juno." Severus told her with a small smile. "You have been a good friend to both of us. I appreciate it much more than I am capable of saying."

"You and Harry have become more than my patient and his father as well." She admitted. "Harry is the sweetest kid. I adore him. And you, I am slowly beginning to understand and admire."

Severus cleared his throat in the awkward moment after her admission. "Well, I have classes to prepare, so I should get to it. Are you free for lunch?" He asked suddenly.

"I'm not, I'm sorry." She replied.

"Quite alright." He said, disappointed.

"I'm free for tea, if you are, at four o' clock." She countered.

Feeling strangely happy, he grinned and said, "I would enjoy that very much. I'll see you then."