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Chapter 14 - Lessons

Sirius gave a mournful dog-sigh as Harry clung to his neck with his face buried in his fur, then leaned in closer to give his godson the only kind of support he could. It unnerved him a little that a child of not even six would soundlessly cry, and he wondered about what might have made Harry so quiet even as tears were shed onto his coat. He wished he could talk to Harry, but when he tried to turn back to human, he got angry screams until he resumed his dog form. Harry had thrown himself on him and held on, and that's where they were at now.

He licked his nose and let out a quiet whine to see if he could prompt Harry to speak. The other three had left a couple hours back when the silence grew too extended for them to tolerate it any longer - Snivellus snarling about having better things to do, Bellatrix with a resigned sigh, and Barty with a helpless shrug.

"Hurt," Harry replied to the unasked question with a muffled voice and held on tighter.

Sirius ignored the pain of his fur being pulled and thumped his tail on the ground. He glanced around the room to see what the dementor was doing, and spotted it hovering by the window. He took his cue from its relaxed stance that the pain was nothing life threatening and settled down to be his godson's pillow. Since it was the only thing he could do right now, he would be the best bloody dog-pillow there ever was for his godson.

Harry kept the room barred to visitors since he began sleeping through the daylight hours, and he seemed to do much better at night. He would poke at his food then, but he still cringed away from the windows though it was dark out. After a couple days passed like that, Sirius watched him grow bolder in exploring his new room by pulling out toys to look at, but they were often discarded to the side when he didn't know what they were for. If he tried to turn into a human to explain, though, he was told "No. Paddy now!"

He got tossed out of the room when he tried to play as paddy, too. Harry was still in a bad mood and didn't want anyone to try to cheer him up, so he had spent the few hours exploring the first floor corridors until he was let back in. The only things that had been out there were dementors, and since it had been night, he hadn't encountered Barty, Bella, or Snivellus. It appeared to him the latter didn't know who he was though Bella did, and he wasn't certain if Barty knew or not. Barty hadn't acknowledged him in any way when he brought or took away food that was provided, though he did notice his own steaks were replaced with things like chopped chicken meat with vegetables and other less luxurious meals like that which the guards normally got. It was still loads better than the mush he had eaten as a prisoner, however.

Harry's meals, on the other hand, were things fit for a king. Mashed yams floating in marshmallow and butter, roasted pheasant, dragon steaks, and other delightful scents wafted off his plate, but he rarely touched his food unless it was left until well past the time the sun had set. Sirius often ate what Harry refused, and Harry occasionally poked at Sirius' meal at night. He found the situation humorous in an ironic way when he considered that the prince would eat the pauper's meal, and he was glad he wasn't given plain dog food since Harry would probably try to eat that.

Harry's sullen silence did worry him since it felt like he had backtracked on the progress he had made to try to get him to open up into a proper little boy. The pain seemed to lessen over the few days they had before lessons, but he still wasn't talking except for a couple of short demands. He figured he'd give Harry a little bit longer to sulk and hoped that a couple weeks of classes would help him open back up again though it galled him to put his hopes on Snivellus and Bellatrix for that. He had some backup plans, though, and he implemented the first one when he heard Barty's footsteps approaching their room off schedule. It meant he would be starting classes today.

"Woof!" he barked as he jumped up on the bed, then began to lick Harry's face, neck, and even his hands when Harry tried to shove him off with a shout.

"No! Bad Paddy! No! Noooo!" Harry cried out as he tried to shove the huge dog off of him, but for once, Paddy didn't listen and continued to drool all over him. "Yucky! No!"

Barty had paused when he heard shouting, and instead of knocking, he cracked open the door to peek inside. There he saw Sirius, as the huge dog, licking and wagging his tail like he was an actual dog while the boy tried to fend off the tongue. He smiled with relief at seeing something so human and normal, then stood and watched the battle that the boy was losing for a minute before clearing his throat.

"My Lord, we must prepare you for classes today," he called out when they didn't appear to notice his more subtle effort at getting their attention.

Sirius dodged the last smack and used the motion to jump off the bed, barking at Harry while wagging his tail.

"Bad Paddy!" the boy grumbled as he sat up, using his new blankets to scrub the slobber off of him. He glared at the They that had hovered off to the side, it hadn't helped him either! It didn't matter that They thought he had been angry about being Up long enough and believed he should be upset about something else!

"My Lord?" Barty tentatively asked, trying to catch the boy's attention.

"No My Lor'," he corrected with a huff to look at the yellow hair. That was Red Eyes deal maker.

Sirius let out a chuckle that came out as a chuff as Barty shrugged. "What should I call you, then?" Barty politely asked as he began glancing around for the boy's odd robes. "And we should dress you, sir."

He waited as They translated for him, then silently summoned They to gather on him as he considered Sir. It was close to Siri which was a name he didn't mind, and he got the concept that it was something that was respect. He liked respect, They and Them shared that with him when he had learned to command Her doors. "Sir," he agreed as he shoved off the blanket to slip off the bed.

Barty silently looked him over, then he pulled out a small case with grooming materials and gestured him to the chair. "Let us make you presentable for your first day then, sir," Barty replied, nervous about going near the shadowy robes but recalling it didn't really do anything. It had been the first time he had seen the boy getting 'dressed,' and it looked like he had stolen all the shadowy corners of the room to do so. Maybe it was the boy's magic.

He carefully brushed the long hair in silence, then tied it back with a green silk ribbon that the child selected when he had offered. Had it not been for the intimidating clothing, the boy would be mistaken for a girl with the cupid-like lips and large eyes, and it made him wonder why they had changed from the glowing slits. He knew that the boy didn't like to talk though, so he didn't ask and instead escorted both him and the dog towards the south wing.

The courtyard was the shortest way there, and as they approached the door, he began speaking, "This is the courtyard, Sir. Here, minimum security prisoners grow vegetables that goes into their meals," he started to say, but realized the boy hadn't followed him outside. He turned back and saw the boy frozen in the doorway with horror in those emerald green eyes.

It was… What was holding the world up?! There was nothing farther up but blue, blue, and white things that could all fall down on him! He clung to the doorway when vertigo slammed down hard, and he shut his eyes to whimper. There was nothing above to keep him safe like a ceiling, and there was a huge bright ball that had really hurt his eyes more than the windows did. It made him feel sick, and he could feel what little he ate the previous night threaten to come up.

'Master, it's the sky,' one of Them explained. He hated it.

'The white is the clouds.' He hated that, too.

'The ball is the sun…' He really really hated that the most.

They shoved the concept of outside at him, and he flinched before relaxing slightly. It was freedom for They, though She would always be their home and security. Freedom and where the food was at. Them seemed to hate it as much as he did, however. It was huge, this new concept, and realizing how small the world he was actually in was what finally made him sick up his food.

It took a minute or so for him to realize that yellow hair had been making mouth noises at him and had crouched down to stroke his head and keep his hair back while he vomited. He made an irritated noise to get him to back away, then retreated back into the hallway instead of stepping out into the courtyard. "No," he said firmly. He would not be going outside, thank you. It was scary, and he didn't like the feeling of fear in him. It made him realize it was much better to taste than to experience. "No."

Barty looked around the courtyard to try to figure out what scared his ward so much, but couldn't spot anything. The prisoners and guards had been cleared out a short time ago, so there were only dementors waiting for the child to come out. Sirius was sitting to the side of the boy, confusion evident even as a dog, and Barty imagined he had a similar expression minus the muzzle and fur on his face as well.

"Er… Shall we take the long way then, My L- Sir?" he asked. He clarified when he just got a tilt of the head in response. "Inside the hallways."

"Okay," the boy agreed, and Barty gave the courtyard one more glance before escorting him through the hallways.

"Classes will always be held in this wing," Barty explained as they approached it. "Your mornings will be with Bella to begin. She might be… uhm… excitable, but she will teach you things like manners for now."

He opened the door into the banquet room. "Breakfast will be taken with her as a result, Sir."

The boy walked past to enter with Sirius close on his heels, and when Sirius saw Bella, he raised his hackles in warning. "Oh, shut up, dog" she hissed at him before he could begin growling, then turned to the boy with a smile. "Orion! Or maybe Corvus?" she corrected when she saw the look of distaste on his face. "No? Well, your name will be something we discuss today, too! First though, we'll begin with eating utensils! Or rather, how to sit down before eating. And you, dog, are to eat your food in the corner like a proper pet."

Sirius growled at her, but when Harry glanced over and gestured for him to obey, he huffed and shuffled off to the side. Rather than eat though, he watched. He wanted to make sure Bellatrix wouldn't add the same punishments his own mother used when teaching him manners as a boy. Though he wasn't hit with the cruciatus at that age, she did use other pain curses that would make his toenail feel like it was being ripped off or his tongue being yanked out just to name a couple.

For the boy, it was the worst meal ever. She explained she was to be his new mother, which would make her his third mother, and decided to call her Mother as a result rather than the initial Aunt Bella she had proposed. It appeared to please her greatly if the feelings he got was any indication, and she was very nice unlike what They said his first two were like. There was no warm gold like he got when he touched over where Lily sat in his tummy, the love thing. He did feel that from Siri/Paddy, though.

It wasn't the food either that made it the worst meal. It was all the confusing steps she kept insisting on. He had to sit down three times before she deemed he did it correctly, then he had to learn about the silvery sticks called forks, knives, and spoons. And there were so many of them and each absolutely had to be used for specific things. He ended up flinging one of them across the room, but that got Paddy in trouble, so he didn't do it again. By the time he was allowed to take the first bite, the meal was cold, and he didn't want to eat again. It was frustrating for everyone by the time he got to that point, and Paddy got hurt again with another crucio, so he forced himself to eat.

"That's good enough for the first time," Mother finally sighed out, her frizzy hair even more frazzled out. "We'll work more on this tonight for dinner. Let's talk about your name."

He really didn't want to talk about a name. He already felt sick from making himself eat, and his head hurt from of all they translating They and Them kept doing so he could understand exactly what she had wanted from him. He groaned in response, but didn't put his head on the table like he wanted to since he knew that was a No.

"Come now, I can't just call you boy," she cooed. "In the Black family, we've always named our children after the stars. Have you seen them yet?"

"No," he replied. "No Outside."

"You haven't been outside?!" she exclaimed. "You were to go through the courtyard!"

He flinched back as he recalled what had happened, and shook his head no. "No 'ort'ar!" he protested. "Hate it."

Mother blinked in surprise. "You… hate the courtyard?" At his nod, she smirked. "Why's that?"

He took a long moment to get the words he wanted from Them, then tried to explain. "Sky… 'louds… Sun…" he pointed to the stone cieling. "No Up!" At her blank expression, he realized she didn't understand. "Faw down? No… No stay up?"

She began laughing, and he felt his face heat up with anger. "You're scared it will fall down?"

He shook his head no. They had explained that wouldn't happen when they pushed the concept at him, so though it was his initial fear and it still stuck, it wasn't the actual part of it. He did notice Paddy was watching with interest for the answer too, and it made him expel his breath with frustration at his inability to explain to them. Stupid mouth talk.

"They say no faw," he told them sternly. "Out… Outside. Big! Wan' stay home."

Mother grew pensive as she watched him. "You'll have to go outside when you are bigger," she explained, and her lips quirked into a smile when she saw his expression get stubborn. "Yes you will. You are the Dark Emperor's heir and people will eventually have to see you." She held up a finger when he opened his mouth to speak. "They will come here first, though, and there is no rush. You have time, so don't worry, we'll take it slow."

He scrunched up his face for a moment, then smoothed it out. Would he really have to go? Why couldn't he stay? This learning thing was biting off more than he could handle. But she did say he would have time, so he gave a reluctant nod of agreement.

"Good! Then let's work on your name." Mother flicked out her wand and a roll of parchment was summoned to her hand. He perked up at that use of magic, but sagged down when he saw it getting unrolled and how it reached the ground but there was still more rolled up. Would this horrible day ever end?

"Now then, I skipped over the ugly sounding stars like Algleba, so let's start with Almach. No? Alnair sounds too close to Macnair, or you will be, and he's a brute. You're more refined than that, so Alrakis? That's in the Draco constellation which is the name of my nephew!"

She paused to look at him in interest as he thought about that name. It sounded close to the first master here, but he could feel the dissatisfaction coming off of Paddy in waves. He sighed and shook his head no again. "No star." He didn't want to be named for something in the sky.

Mother felt sad/upset/frustrated for a moment, and she sighed. "Magical creature?" she asked as she began unfurling the parchment further by rolling up the end she was reading from. He nodded an acceptance for that, so with a smirk, began.

"Then again, there is also Regulus, a royal star that is also Watcher of the North and we're in the Northern Sea," she said as that name caught her eyes. And it was Sirius's younger brother who turned traitor, too.

He didn't bother to reply, letting Sirius's angry barks answer for him. Instead, he gave her a bored look that made her purse her lips. "Fine, how about Hydrus? A Hydra is a nine headed creature, and when you chop off one head, two more grow in. It is a fearsome beast, but it's extremely rare if not completely extinct since it hasn't been sighted in over a century," she further explained as neither Sirius nor the boy seemed to dislike it at first. "It is also used in ancient runes for the magical number of nine." And it was a constellation, but she didn't add that.

He didn't feel that Paddy disliked it - probably because it was kind of close to the other name. They and Them agreed it showed strength, and he didn't want to sit here discussing names the whole time. So he nodded an agreement. "Okay."

"The Dark Lord will be pleased since it is also a serpent!" Mother exclaimed with a large smile. "And this didn't take long at all! I will need to write him, so you have the next hour free until your class with Snape begins!"

She rushed out with the parchment still clutched in her hand, and he and Paddy watched it catch in the doorway and tear off as she continued on, not even noticing what had happened. Paddy's tongue lolled out in silent laughter, and he, Hydrus, sighed and turned back to the utensils to twiddle with them. After a bit, Paddy jumped up on the table and began eating the remainders of the breakfast since she had prepared him prisoner mush in a dog food bowl with 'Spot' labeled on the side.

When Barty came in with the lunch tray an hour later, it was to see the dog and the boy napping together on top of the table. He cringed at the thought of what might have happened had Bellatrix been around, then wondered where she was. Quietly, so as not to disturb his ward, he set down the covered lunch tray and began to collect the remnants of breakfast.

The clinking made Sirius open an eye to see what was going on, but he didn't move from his position as dog-pillow as he watched Barty.

"Where did Bellatrix go?" he whispered to the dog when he saw him staring. That let Sirius know that Barty knew, so he used his eyes and looked out the door. Barty rolled his own since it was obvious, so Sirius elaborated by looking down at the parchment in the doorway and gave a dog-grin of amusement since he knew that wasn't much of an explanation at all. Barty narrowed his eyes at the expression, then turned thoughtful while he finished cleaning the table.

"How about we make a deal?" he whispered, and Sirius turned wary. He would not betray his godson, but Barty shook his head since it was obvious what was thought when Sirius had glanced at the boy. "No, I don't want to hurt him. My life and position is at stake if I don't make him happy, actually, but I don't know how. When he's sleeping, how about we meet up? I'll provide you with better meals than Bellatrix will, and we can talk about how to best serve him. You had Merlin knows how long with him down below, and I don't think cauldron cakes will keep him happy."

Sirius considered the deal as Barty explained what he wanted and was offering in turn, then gave a slow nod though he bared his teeth in warning about betrayal. Barty understood the gesture and nodded in return. They both turned to look at the sleeping boy. "He looks so normal like that," Barty sighed quietly. "I suppose I should wake him to eat, though. Isn't he sleeping at night?" Sirius shook his head no, then glanced at the window. "He sleeps during the day?" At the nod, Barty turned thoughtful. "I suppose he hasn't been exposed to much light in the seventh level…" Sirius nodded again, then started licking Harry - er, Hydrus' face to wake him.

"No… Paddy!" Hydrus whined, trying to curl up so he could sleep longer.

"Master? It's lunch time," Barty coaxed. "Then your second class is next, and Severus appears like he will be more strict."

Hydrus groaned, then sat up with a blink as he took in his surroundings. He frowned when he recalled the morning's lesson, then groaned again when what Barty said was translated.

"Please eat your lunch, and I will straighten your hair while you do."

Hydrus groggily poked at his lunch while Barty groomed him the same way he had that morning, but this time he selected a grey ribbon that reminded him of Paddy's eyes. When it became time for his next lessons, he had managed to clear away a lot of his grogginess, but he still sleepily stumbled a couple times as they went to the opposite side of the south wing. Barty explained that Mother and Severus didn't get along well, so they chose to be as far apart as possible. Hydrus didn't care.

He entered the new room with Paddy at his heels and saw his second tutor writing white squigglies on a large black square. There were two chairs and two desks in the room, one by Snape and one in the middle. Uncertain where he should sit, he silently waited but not for long.

"Sit in the center," Severus ordered curtly as he continues to write the day's lessons on the board. "And no speaking."

He was fine with that, and the words this time was simple enough for him to understand so he took his seat.

"In case you didn't catch it, my name is Severus Snape. You may call me Professor Snape, or sir. I was ordered by the Dark Lord to teach you magical theory, basic history, the rise of the Dark Empire, and the basics of the Dark Arts," Severus silkily began, turning as he heard the growling when he mentioned the last two topics. A silent stupify shot at the beast subdued it before it could go further, and he met the boy's eyes for the first time to skim his thoughts only to freeze.

He knew those eyes… They belonged to Lily.

The boy and Snape stared at each other for long minutes, the former curiously and the latter in denial. Severus opened and closed his mouth a couple times, lost for words, then he jerked his eyes away.

"Who was your mother, boy?" he spat out bitterly, sure the world was playing a cruel joke. There was no way Lily could have born the Dark Lord a child.

"Aunt Bella." She was his Mother now, after all.

"No, you dunderhead!" Severus snapped. "The woman that gave birth to you!"

Hydrus paused since he didn't understand, but Them supplied him with the expected answer. "Lily." He paused for a second, then added "And Goy'."

Severus turned his back to the boy and clutched his chest. The wound left behind from losing Lily was ripped open by the unexpected surprise, and he silently cursed Voldemort for forcing her to conceive his child. But no, she hadn't survived a full nine months in Azkaban. His hectic thoughts and grieving cleared slightly when he recalled that she had actually been pregnant at her trial… But how did the boy live though she had died? Did this also mean he was Potter's spawn?

He turned to look at the child again and noticed he had not moved. Nor did he fidget like other brats his age. The day they had met, he didn't really get a good look at the boy between the dog's attacks and Bellatrix's hovering, but now he had an unimpeded view. He had noted the pale skin initially, and that was the only thing he had though he needed to know along with the unnaturalness the boy exuded to believe it to be the Dark Lord's child, but he could note other details from Lily. The child had her lips and nose along with her slim fingers that had competed with him for top position in potion classes. He also had Potter's facial structure and dark hair, though it wasn't messy like his nor curly like hers. He assumed it was the length that made it fall straight, then slowly shook his head.

"No," he whispered. Her child had been locked up in Azkaban all these years?! No wonder it was all but a creature! Then he recalled hearing about the threat of turning the boy into an assassin during the trial, and started to grow fearful for the boy. He refused to turn Lily's child into her worst fears even if she was dead.

"...Sir?" Hydrus asked. The anguish and hurt coming off of him had been great, but now there was a little bit of fear, and he remembered how horrible that felt this morning. With it still fresh in his mind, he didn't want to sense it in another.

"Potter?"

Hydrus scowled. That was breaking the deal! "No. Hydrus! Mother name me." He would not cause Paddy more pain, he was sleeping as it was.

"Lily named you Hydrus?" Severus asked, but got a shaked of the head for no. "Did Lily name you?"

Another silent no.

"Bellatrix?"

This time he got a nod, and he sighed. The boy hadn't even had a name, apparently.

"Can you speak?"

Hydrus hesitated to that question, then slowly shook his head. "No… No good."

Severus scowled to hide the next pang in his chest. "Class is dismissed, then. No more class. I need to make different lessons to teach you to talk first."

It took a moment, but Hydrus nodded then gave the stupefied dog a pointed look.

Severus sighed. "I teach you. You teach dog no bite. Deal?"

Hydrus blinked, then smiled and nodded. Telling Siri not to bite his teacher would be easy, and he would learn the mouth sounds in return. He definitely felt like he was getting the good part of the deal with this. "Okay."

"Ennervate," Severus said after pointing his wand at the dog. It immediately stood up, raised its hackles, and prepared to lunge at him, but Hydrus intervened.

"Bad Paddy! Home!" he demanded, grabbing the chain and yanking the dog towards the door.

Severus watched as the small boy pulled the huge beast out and was grateful that it listened. If the dog had wanted to attack him, there was no way that the child could have prevented it. Apparently he had had a friend while growing up down here at least, and felt a bit of relief for that even if it was something as alarming as that creature. It was far too intelligent to be just a dog, but it did not have the red eyes of a grim. It could have possibly have been a dog or a crup bred with a grim, and with the Dark Lord, he would not have been surprised if that was the case.

With the two gone, he sat down heavily in his chair and opened up the top drawer on his desk to pull out an old journal he used to write his potion notes in. He flipped through it and stopped where he had hidden a photograph at, and softly ran his fingers over the surface of it. It was a picture that was taken of him and Lily together after their first year of Hogwarts and it didn't move since her parents were the ones to take the photo, but it showed them both working on their summer assignments together. She was smiling at the camera, and he was gazing at her. Hydrus looked so similar to her in this photo as long as he ignored Potter's features, and it made him wonder how the boy would have looking with Lily's red hair.

Reaching into his desk again, he pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey, unscrewed the cap, and drank it straight without looking away from the photo. "Lily, what should I do?" he whispered. He didn't know, but he would not be killing the boy. He could possibly turn him as a weapon to use on the Dark Lord to avenge Lily and give the boy his freedom.

He took another long drink, then put away both the bottle and the book with the picture. Either way, he had years to replan his original course, and now he had more hope for success with Hydrus if he played his hand right. First he would have to make sure to secure the boy's loyalty and he had to make sure that the child would have all the tools and knowledge he needed to succeed.

Severus Snape stayed up late into the night owl ordering books he would need to teach the basics and redoing his whole lesson plan.

AN: Thank you for all the reviews, support, and kind words!

Sad-faced Guest Reviewer: I'd like to thank you for your review especially. Part of what makes it hard to update is knowing so much time passes in between them, and knowing that my readers are willing to be patient helps ease that burden.

My medication doses were lowered… Apparently one of them was what had been making my anxiety so bad these last couple years. Last year I think there were only 2 chappies released because of that, so I have high hopes to update this at least once a month or more.