A/N: Characters and world property of JK Rowling. No copyright infringement intended. This chapter contains mentions of child abuse.
Beta Love: ambiguousgoldfish, the best beta in the world
Of Blacks and Boarhounds
By Zorak23
Harry nodded and she smiled at him. "Okay sugar. Just when you're ready, no rush now," she said, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
'Maybe this will be okay. It's not like it can be worse than the Dursleys,' he thought as he got out of bed and took off his pajamas, preparing to get dressed for the day. 'Maybe I'll finally be safe.'
Chapter Twenty Five
July 2, 1992
Harry shyly walked out of the bedroom and into the main room of the hotel suite. Professor Snape, no, Severus and Lulabelle were sitting at a small table, drinking tea. Severus was reading the paper, absently rubbing one of the bare feet Lulabelle had propped in his lap.
'This is bizarre,' thought Harry as he ventured further into the room. "Good morning," he said aloud, albeit quietly, to the two adults.
"Hey sugar, glad to see you're up and around," Lulabelle told him.
"Good morning, Harry. Would you care for some tea before breakfast arrives?" questioned Severus.
"Er, sure?" replied Harry, slowly walking towards the table.
Lulabelle popped up to get him a cup while the corner of Severus' mouth quirked up. "Are you asking me or telling me?" he wanted to know.
Harry shrank back from him. "I'm sorry, sir," he whispered. Lulabelle smacked Severus in the back of the head as she returned to the table. Severus cringed, then pinched the bridge of his long nose and sighed.
"Harry, what do you know about magical vows?" Severus asked.
"Er, not a lot, sir," Harry admitted.
"To vow something on one's magic means that, if the person making the vow breaks the oath, they lose all magical ability. Does that make sense?"
"Yes, sir," he replied.
Severus withdrew his wand from his sleeve and held it up. "I, Severus Tobias Snape, vow that I shall never intentionally physically harm Harry James Potter in any way, and that I shall always endeavor to keep him safe from those who mean to do so, outside of training and Quidditch. This I vow on my magic." Pale red light shot out of his wand and wrapped around his hand, traveling up his arm before dispersing.
Harry stared unblinkingly at the man.
Severus cleared his throat. "I can make an Unbreakable Vow to the same if you wish. Instead of losing my magic, I would lose my life if I broke the vow. It requires a third party, though, to make one; we would have to wait until Madam Pomfrey returns as Lulabelle does not know how to do so."
Harry looked down at his feet. "No sir, that's not necessary." He chanced a glance up at the normally dour man. "Thank you, sir," he said.
The older man sighed. "I am going to tell you this, Harry, with the understanding that you shall never repeat it," Severus told the boy.
"Of course, sir."
"Madam Pomfrey made a similar vow to me when she took me in after my father beat my mother to death. I did not experience the same level of abuse that you have, but I do understand where you're coming from."
"Oh," Harry said in a small voice. "I promise I won't say anything, sir."
"Thank you. Now, would you like tea?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, with more confidence this time.
"Enough of this 'sir' business, sugar. Y'all aren't in school," Lulabelle announced as she handed Harry a teacup, having kept silent during the previous conversation. She knew the two males had needed to clear the air.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said with a small smile, and Severus snorted into his tea. Lulabelle flicked Severus on the ear.
"Don't encourage him, Lou," she said with a grin.
"A thousand pardons, sweet witch," he replied. "However I fear this is one of those 'British things' you like to complain about."
Harry simply grinned at the two adults, starting to become more at ease in their presence. Although it was still weird to hear Professor Snape call anyone sweet witch, it was obvious that Lulabelle wasn't scared of him at all. She even seemed to like him. Really like him. Which was strange in and of itself, if he was honest. A knock at the door startled him out of his musings.
"Oh, that must be breakfast," Lulabelle said. "Lemme just get the door…" she broke off as Severus stood.
"Don't be ridiculous. I shall get it," he said, kissing the top of her head and walking across the room.
While Severus was speaking with the room service waiter, Harry glanced at Lulabelle. "Um, Lulabelle?" he asked.
"What's up, sugar?" she replied.
"Er, was your hair like that yesterday?"
Lulabelle laughed. "No, I had Lou charm it for me. I knew your aunt and uncle didn't like things that were different, so I had him make it all black. He turned my Jeep black, too. Speakin' of, do ya know how to cancel a color charm? 'Cause I think he likes it better that way," she said with a wink.
Harry grinned fully at her. "No, but I'm sure my friend Hermione does. If Pro- if Severus won't change it back, I'll owl her and find out how to do it for you. What color is it supposed to be?" he wanted to know.
She twirled a curl around her finger. "Purple, of course," she said with a matching grin.
"What are you two plotting over here?" Severus questioned as he pushed a food-laden cart towards the table.
"Nothin' for you to worry about, Lou," Lulabelle said with a smirk for Harry. "Now how 'bout we talk about what's gonna happen from here on out while we eat?" she added, and began helping Severus move the silver dome-covered plates to the table.
The boy nodded at her, and Severus cleared his throat. "Harry, I know Lulabelle told you yesterday that she is a Seer. We discussed this morning about how much information to give you. I am of the opinion that even though you are quite young, you deserve to know the truth. Maybe not everything in detail at this time, Merlin knows even I don't know everything, but if you ask us questions we will answer truthfully, no matter what."
"Al-alright, sir. Thank you," Harry replied.
"Sugar, I don't want ya to feel like we're keepin' things from ya. A lot of the things I know, well, they're just not all that good, and we're gonna try to change it before it can happen. That way it won't even be an issue. I want, I so very much want ya to grow up happy, sugar. I don't want ya to be burdened with stuff that coulda been. But there's still some things that ya need to know," Lulabelle told him.
Harry nodded at her, wondering where all this was going. And then they told him. They told him about his parents. About how much they loved each other. About the rivalry between the Marauders and Severus. About the incident with the bad word, during which Severus got up and left the room and Lulabelle had to finish telling.
They told him about Severus joining the Death Eaters, why he had done so, and then he saw the Dark Mark for the first time. They told him about the prophecy, about how it could have also been about Neville; but that because Voldemort decided it was him, he was the one marked as his equal. They told him about how Severus was the one who overheard part of the prophecy, and told it to Voldemort. About how, as soon as he knew it was about the Potters, he switched sides and begged Dumbledore to save them. About how Severus became a spy, and swore to protect him when his parents were killed anyway.
They told him about Peter Pettigrew, one of his father's best friends, and how he was a secret Death Eater. About how he betrayed them. About how Sirius Black, who apparently was his godfather, was in Azkaban for Peter's crimes. But that they were going to get him out. That they knew where Peter was, and that they were going to fix it.
Then, they told him about the horcruxes. That Voldemort had split his soul six times, and until those pieces of him had been destroyed, he wouldn't be truly dead. And they told him that he was a horcrux, too.
"Are ya okay, sugar?" Lulabelle asked with concern.
"I-I have to be d-destroyed?" Harry whispered.
"No! God no!" Lulabelle exclaimed, rushing around the table to gather him in her arms. "Absolutely not, sugar. The goblins know how to remove a horcrux from an object with damaging it; I'm sure they'll be able to help. Don't ya worry about that. No one's gonna destroy ya."
"Why would the goblins help me?" Harry asked, his voice muffled from where he had his face buried in Lulabelle's hair.
Severus stood to come over and kneel beside them. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Harry, Lulabelle is a Friend to the Goblin Nation. That means she has all the rights and protections of a member of their royal family. They'll do anything she asks, if it's within their capabilities to do so. Trust me, they will be more than willing to help."
Harry wiped his eyes and sat back up. "Alright. Er, thank you. I'm sorry," he said, looking down at his plate.
Severus quirked a smile, and said, "A very wise witch I know once told me not to apologize for having a completely normal reaction to hearing something terrible, nor to apologize for being human. I should like to offer you this instruction as well."
The corner of Harry's lip quirked up, and he said, "That sounds like good advice, sir."
Lulabelle grinned and smacked Severus lightly in the arm. "Hush, you," she said to him. Severus caught her hand and pulled it to his lips.
"It was excellent advice, sweet witch. Now, if everyone is finished eating, I shall go retrieve Poppy." Looking at Harry, he added, "I'm afraid you are one of her 'little lambs' now, and there is nothing I can do to save you from that fate."
"Bring Sin back with ya, would ya Lou? And feed him first if ya don't mind," Lulabelle requested.
"Of course. It wouldn't do to neglect the beast," Severus said, kissing her chastely as he stood and turned to leave. "I shall return shortly," was all he said before disappearing in a crack of apparition.
Looking at the place where Severus had just been, Harry said thoughtfully, "I didn't know that Cŵn Annwns were real."
Lulabelle snorted. "I didn't know they were even a thing at all," she laughed. "I thought Lou was callin' Sinaka names when he said he was a hellhound," she admitted.
Harry giggled at her. "Really?"
"Sugar. I can't even say the word right. Why would ya think I'd have heard of 'em before?"
"That's a good point," he said, snickering at her. "Wait, you said he almost transformed when Pro-Severus got mad. How do you know what that looks like if you've never heard of Cŵn Annwns?"
Lulabelle blew out a breath. "I'm gonna regret this whole 'always tell Harry the truth' crap, aren't I? Damn. Okay, well, hmm. Uhh, Professor Dumbledore came over and was yellin' at Lou, and I called for Sin and he transformed. Okay?"
"What? Why would Professor Dumbledore yell at Severus?"
"Because… because he misread the situation and came to the wrong conclusion."
"What did he misread?"
Lulabelle put her head in her hands. "Can ya just accept that this is a grown-up thing?" she asked pleadingly.
"Nope," Harry replied, popping the 'p'. "You said you would truthfully answer any questions I asked."
"Fine," she sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn ya. Lou and I were havin' sex in the livin' room, and Professor Dumbledore walked right into the house without askin' and saw us. He thought I was a student and started hollerin' about Lou bein' a deviant, and it pissed me off so I called for Sin and he transformed. Then I sat there nekkid and refused to get dressed 'til that mean ol' man left."
Harry's jaw dropped. "Professor Dumbledore saw you naked?"
"Yes! He just walked right out of the floo! Normal people don't do that, at least not where I come from. We knock first, just to avoid situations like that!"
Harry started snickering. "Professor Dumbledore saw you naked. And then you wouldn't get dressed."
Lulabelle flushed. "Yeah, well, I was makin' a point," she grumbled.
It was at this point that they heard a loud crack in the room. Severus raised his brow when he took in the blush on his witch's face and the grin on Harry's. 'Maybe MY witch is right,' he thought hopefully, but asked aloud, "And what is going on in here?"
The two in question looked at each other and started laughing. "Nothin' at all, Lou. Nice to see ya, Poppy," Lulabelle said. "Come here, Sin! I missed ya, buddy!" she squealed to the big black dog. Sinaka bounded over to her and slurped her face. "Gah! Sin! Ya just ate!" she cried, trying to push him away from her. "Go love on Harry, ya crazy mutt-dog!" Sinaka chuffed at her, then turned to slurp at Harry's face.
Harry's eyes went wide when he saw the gaping maw of the giant dog. Then his nose crinkled in disgust when he felt the warm, wet tongue slide up his cheek. "Ugh, death breath," he muttered, and the adults laughed.
"Come on, Sin," Lulabelle said, clicking her tongue at the dog. "That's enough. Harry needs to get checked out now."
Sinaka took one last slurp of the boy's face, then ambled to his mistress' side. Poppy covered her mouth with her hand to avoid laughing at Harry's expression.
"Well, Mister Potter, how are you feeling this morning?" Poppy asked, gesturing for him to stand.
"Very well, thank you ma'am," the boy replied as he slowly made his way to stand before her.
"I'll have none of that, now. Tell me how you're actually feeling, young man. I wasn't asking to be polite; I need to know how you're doing physically," the healer said, already casting diagnostic charms on his person. "How do your ribs feel?"
"Much better, actually. It doesn't hurt breathe anymore. Er, thank you for, for fixing me, Madam Pomfrey," he started to say but she waved him off.
"No need to thank me, young man. You're one of mine, and that's all there is to it. Raise your left arm, that's it, stop if anything hurts…" she continued with the range of motion test, making sure he was no longer in pain from the recent injuries, and checked his kidney functions as well. "Now Mister Potter, I need you to remove your shirt. I'd like to apply some Bruise Paste to your back."
Harry blanched. "It's really okay. It doesn't hurt anymore."
Poppy exchanged glances with Severus and Lulabelle. "Mister Potter… Harry. Come sit down on the settee with me, if you would," the healer said.
Once settled, she continued. "We already know about the scars, young man. You have nothing to be ashamed of; they're simply testament to how strong you have been. If you'll allow me to apply the Bruise Paste, and have either Severus or Lulabelle help you do so each day it's needed, then we can work on removing the scars afterwards."
"You, you can remove scars?" Harry asked, voice full of equal measures of both disbelief and hope.
"Ach, little lamb, sometimes I can. Cursed scars are forever, but your back? Once you're fully healed, I can fix that up in a trice."
"So, er, you can't fix this?" he asked, lifting his fringe to show her the lightning bolt on his forehead.
"No, Mister Potter. I'm sorry, but I cannot."
"We can try after we visit the goblins, though," Lulabelle interjected. "Once the horcrux is gone, it might not count as a cursed scar anymore."
Madam Pomfrey looked at her thoughtfully. "You make a good point. We shall definitely try. I make no promises, however," she replied. "Now up you get, young man. I'll need you to remove your shirt, and to lie down upon the bed."
Harry looked pleadingly at Lulabelle as he stood. "Do ya want me to come with ya, sugar?" she asked him. He could only nod in reply.
Severus cleared his throat. "The beast and I can stay out here if you wish, Harry," he offered.
Harry looked down at his feet. "I… I don't mind if you're there, sir," he said in a small voice.
"As you wish," Severus replied, and the group made their way into the bedroom Harry had used the night before.
Harry was silent and stared at the floor as he slowly removed his shirt. When he turned to lay on the bed, Sinaka immediately leapt up to lie next to him. Lulabelle was about to admonish him, when Severus caught her arm and shook his head. She looked at him questioningly, and he nodded towards the bed. Harry had his arm wrapped around the beast, and his face buried in the dog's neck. Lulabelle's expression softened at the sight, then her eyes filled with tears as she took in the damaged back of the small boy.
Under the vast amount of purple-black bruises, were the scars. Thick, ropey scars, obviously made from a belt. The boy had been whipped until he bled, and it was obvious that it had happened often.
Severus wrapped his arms around Lulabelle as she pressed her fist to her mouth in effort to stay silent. She refused to look away, however. If nothing else, she could at least stand witness to what the child had suffered. And she would make damn sure he never suffered this way again.