Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
Thanks a lot to my beta-reader, saiyanwizardgurl, for correcting my mistakes.
I also would like to thank my motovation betas!
I'm not a native speaker of English!
Chapter 36 – My Wand
-II-
"Yes, but they should have let you go as soon as they realized you were humans."
"They let me go, but not Victor."
"They let you go because you are of Dumbledore blood. They accept you as the owner of this forest and the lake. If we had already adopted Victor, they would have let him go as well as he would be of my blood. All the creatures of the lake accept me as the master of this clearing and lake. We did not think it would be a problem for only two days."
Harry looked down, ashamed. "It was stupid idea."
"Yes, it was. Without Sly, you two would be dead now."
Now Harry felt even worse. He had hoped Alastor would say it was a normal thing to do for boys.
A sharp knock made Harry jerk. Sly ran over to the door and barked, and Harry just stared at the door.
-II-
Harry's feelings were ambivalent when he saw Severus storm into the room. In one sense, he felt an overwhelming happiness to see him, but he also feared he would be in trouble.
"How are you?" Severus asked and ran his hand through Harry's hair, holding the bangs out of his face to have a closer look.
"I'm okay. Much better than Victor." Harry tried to look around Severus, but Poppy and Alastor were blocking his view of Victor as they tended to him with the potions Severus had brought.
"Here, drink this. The blue one is a pain killer and the yellow one an antiseptic potion." Severus handed Harry the vials.
"Are you mad at me?" Harry asked, worried, as he uncorked the first vial.
Severus was busy detangling Harry from the blanket and looking for wounds. "I would first like to hear what happened."
While Harry told the story for the second time that day, Severus unwrapped his bandages and applied the salve. At one point, Alastor brought Harry some clothes, the ones he had worn when he arrived and got tackled down by Sly, though the underwear was Victor's.
"I don't see why I should be mad at you, Harry. It wasn't a very bright idea to try to put your head in freezing-cold water, but we are used to your ideas by now."
Harry sighed, relieved, and let the tension out of his body. "Alastor is mad," Harry whispered.
"Alastor is worried and feels responsible for your and Victor's safety."
Harry had not thought of it like that. What if Poppy and Alastor got in trouble for this accident, and what if they no longer had permission to adopt Victor?
"Come on, get dressed." Severus let the boxer shorts fall in Harry's lap and took the empty vials. "I will check on Victor until you are finished."
Harry nodded and got busy dressing, all the time throwing worried glances over to Victor. His friend had stopped sobbing and was now looking more relaxed as Poppy mothered him and helped him dress as well.
"I'm all right," Victor said when Harry came over. "Thanks for not leaving me alone down there."
"You would have done the same for me, and if we're honest, I wasn't much help. The Manturas and Sly here rescued us." Harry patted the dog's head. Sly barked in agreement and wagged his tail, excited.
Victor nodded. He still seemed very shocked.
"It's best you go home with Severus, Harry. Victor needs to rest now. After some sleep and a good talk, I'm sure he will be all right. We will see you in the morning to drive down to the village," Poppy explained tiredly.
Harry nodded. He knew he would just be a burden now. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Harry," Alastor said and ruffled Harry's hair. The man was now his calm self, but Harry could still see the shock and fear lingering behind the mask. "You are boys. Good thing we had Sly here." Alastor petted Sly's head and shoulder and received a happy bark in return.
"Yes, you are a very good boy," Poppy said, leaning down to scratch Sly's ears. "You will get a very big bone for dinner."
Another happy bark followed, and Harry wondered if Sly really could understand them.
"Do you think you are warm enough, or should we wait a bit longer?" Severus asked.
"No, I'm fine. The coldness was already gone when you came and now the pain is gone, too."
"Good." Severus nodded and looked over to Poppy and Alastor. "Victor will be all right. The antiseptic potion will prevent any infection and the healing draught will do its work overnight."
Poppy nodded. "Thank you."
Again, Severus nodded and turned back to Harry. "Where is your backpack?"
"I'll get it." On his way to Victor's room, he heard Poppy telling Severus about the measurements, and when he was back, Severus held a letter for James in his hands. Harry didn't dare to ask what it contained, and Severus let it slip into his cloak pocket without a comment.
X-X
"I sent the chart of measurements to James, and he just informed us that he won't come by tonight. Your results aren't good, but he wants you to enjoy the day tomorrow. We will talk about a new medication on Monday at the clinic," Severus explained after the short nap Harry was ordered to when he got back. He guessed it was more to give Severus time to calm Ivy and Minerva down than for him to get rest.
"Do I have to stay in the—" Severus' glare and raised eyebrow made him stop.
"How do you feel?"
"As if nothing has happened." Seeing Severus' skeptical look, Harry added, "Really. I wasn't the one with water in his lungs. I just was cold and got those two wounds. Your painkiller worked wonders."
"I won't give you another, but if you can't stand the pain during the night, you need to come and inform me."
Harry nodded. "Can I get up now?"
"We still have an hour until supper. Do you want to try riding the bicycle?"
"Sure," Harry said, excited.
Like Severus had predicted, Harry had no problems while learning. After a few shaky attempts, Harry was riding the green mountain bike as if he had always done so.
"It's yours from now on, and you have to take care of it. Keep it clean and watch out for the chain. It needs to be oiled sometimes. The oil spray is here." Severus showed Harry a small shelf with all kind of containers. "In the summer, I will show you how to do small repairs on your own. When you are here, you can call for me and I can repair it by magic, but if you are on the road, you need to do it the Muggle way."
Harry nodded. It meant more time he would spend together with Severus in summer and that was something to look forward to.
X-X
Lying in his bed, Harry thought about the bicycle riding again. It would be so cool to use magic! He bet the wards were strong enough to prevent the Ministry from sensing underage magic. Maybe he could convince Severus to let him use his wand during the summer in the house. My wand! Harry sat upright in his bed. His wand was still in the lake!
It was eleven, and he hoped that someone was still awake. He jumped out of bed and went into the hall. Everything was silent, and Harry cursed. Nevertheless, he crept to the closed living room door and peeked in. Albus was reading in front of the fireplace.
"What's going on? Did the pain come back?" Albus asked when he saw Harry.
"No, but I remembered that I lost my wand in the lake," Harry said, close to a panic attack.
"Calm down, Harry. I will contact Alastor before they come over here tomorrow. I'm certain he can bring your wand with him." He watched Harry closely in case he should need his potion, but Harry just seemed to be upset.
"But it sank down into the lake. What if those green things have it?"
"What would they want with a wand, Harry? Alastor knows every inhabitant of the lake, and he can get your wand back; believe me. Now, back to bed. We need to have a very early breakfast tomorrow."
Harry nodded, but he was not very happy. He was sure he would never be able to fall asleep knowing his wand was at the bottom of the lake.
At midnight, Harry was still tossing and turning. When he heard his door creak, he tried to remain still. Unfortunately, he was facing the door now; otherwise, the cave bed would have hidden his face and body almost completely.
Someone stepped closer and Harry felt his heart beat race. When the person took his wrist, Harry almost jumped.
"Have you woken up or are you still awake?" Severus asked.
Harry blinked. "Still awake."
Severus shook his head. "Why didn't you come to me? Are your wounds hurting?"
"No, I've just been thinking about my wand the whole time."
"Your wand?"
"I already told Albus about it. I lost it in the lake. Albus said he would contact Alastor before they come tomorrow and he will bring it with him. But what if he doesn't? What if someone else or one of the creatures took it?"
"It's not a problem to get your wand back, Harry. If Alastor can't have the Manturas search for it, Albus can and your wand won't incur any damage in the lake. Water is no problem for it."
"Are you certain? What if something eats it or something steps on it?"
"The chances of that are one in a million, and if that happened, we would get a new wand for you. My current wand is my third one, and I swear it is better than the other two."
Harry looked up, surprised. He always thought the first wand was the only wand that would ever really work for a wizard.
"Now, you need to sleep. Do you think you can do so without a Sleeping Draught?"
Harry nodded. He felt much better after his little talk with Severus.
"Good, then sleep now." Severus squeezed Harry's shoulder and left the room.
X-X
"Where is Sly?" Harry asked after getting his wand back from Alastor.
"Waiting outside. I didn't want to risk him meeting your little chicken."
"Alastor, my herb garden!" Severus said, shocked.
"Calm down; I tied him to the rails."
"A shadow dog? Very funny, Alastor," Severus said and stormed outside.
Alastor rolled his eyes—the magical one as well, just at a different time than the healthy one to amuse the boys.
"We have a chicken, Mom? Where is it?" Lysander asked.
"Uncle Alastor meant Osy."
"Oh," Lysander said and thought shortly. Then he looked at Alastor. "Osy is a Ma…Marubi."
Alastor smiled. "Such a difficult word. Chicken is much easier."
Eathan shook his head. "Osy is no chicken."
"No, he isn't," Poppy said. "Your uncle just wants to tease you."
"Ehm…can I see if my wand still works?" Harry asked in Albus' direction.
"Ask your mother, not me."
"Just a Lumos, Mum. Please! I need to know if it's still working."
"One Lumos, and no more than that."
Harry nodded and waved his wand. It lit easily, and Harry sighed, relieved.
"What the—" Severus started when he came in again.
"I gave him permission. Just to see if it was still working," Ivy explained.
Severus stared at his wife for a moment and then turned to Harry, who, out of reflex, quickly hid his wand behind his back.
Severus stepped closer to Harry and held his hand out with a dangerous look.
"But Mum allowed it!"
Severus jerked his hand again.
Sighing, Harry laid his wand in Severus' hand.
"You will get it back this evening when we talk about the rules for magic outside of Hogwarts."
"Yes, Dad." Harry let his head hang.
"You won't need it today, anyway." Severus muttered and pocked Harry's wand.
When Severus left the mansion, Ivy pulled Harry into an embrace. "He isn't mad at you, Harry. It's just too early for him."
Harry nodded and hugged her back, not caring that he had watchers.
"Okay, everyone ready to go?" Ivy asked to lighten the mood.
Outside, they all stopped in front of the garage. "I want to drive with Uncle Al!" Eathan screamed. "Me, too!" Lysander added.
Severus groaned and stepped over to his little sons. Lysander took a step backwards, and Eathan bit his bottom lip, knowing they were in trouble. "What did we talk about?"
Eathan looked as if he could not remember, and Lysander seemed to think it was best to not say anything and be as invisible as possible.
"You were told to not annoy Uncle Alastor and Aunt Poppy because this is Victor's weekend with his new parents," Severus explained, more calmly after realizing he had scared his sons.
"Why don't we let all the boys drive with Alastor? I can drive with Albus and Minerva, Severus," Poppy said and laid a hand on Severus' arm. "I'm certain Victor would like Harry to ride in the same car and it's big enough to fit three people in the backseat."
Severus sighed. "If you think so." Then he went into the garage without saying another word.
Poppy and Ivy exchanged looks. Albus tried to lighten the mood with some of his famous morning speeches. Today it was, "What a nice day, all bright and sunny. My father always said, 'If the cock shits on the dung, the old will enjoy the day, as will the young.'"
"We don't have a cock, Grandpa," Eathan stated.
"And no dung, either," Albus said, grinning. "But I'm sure we will see one in the village."
"One that shi—"
"Eathan, what did we tell you about repeating Grandpa Albus' words?" Minerva asked.
"I shouldn't do so because Grandpa is an old fool."
Minerva raised her eyebrow. "That's most certainly your father's saying. I meant that he sometimes doesn't think before he speaks, and not many people dare to tell him that he is a bad boy for saying some bad words."
"But you are brave enough, Grandma," Lysander stated.
"Exactly. So, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Minerva said while turning to her husband. "We don't say words like the s-word. That was very bad."
"Yes, it was. I'm sorry ma'am. I won't do it again," Albus said and lowered his gaze playfully.
Harry had to try hard not to snicker.
"What are you all waiting for?" Severus asked after he had driven the vintage car out of the garage and cranked the window down.
"Hurry, boys," Ivy said, patting her little sons on their bums, sending them into the garage after Alastor. Then she got into the passenger seat beside Severus.
When the three cars drove into the village, a lot of people were on the streets. They had to drive very slowly and parked their cars close to the church where a lot of people were already gathering. Harry was surprised at how many people there were.
Outside of the car, Ivy was checking their outfits, prodding here and there until she was satisfied. She tried to flatten Harry's hair, but after a few seconds she gave up, sighing. When she turned to Severus and tried to arrange his cravat, he swatted her hands away. "I made all our cravats fit with magic, Ivy. There can't be anything to arrange," he hissed through gritted teeth.
"It's crooked, Severus. Now stop whining," Ivy hissed back and fiddled with Severus' cravat. This time, her hands were not swatted away. "Now stop being grumpy. It's Easter."
Severus groaned. "Why does it have to be so early?"
Ivy chuckled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her stiff husband.
"Harry!" Some boys came running over to them.
"Hey, Charlie. This is my friend, Victor. I told you about him."
"Yeah, come on. There is still time. We'll introduce you to the rest," Charlie said, excited. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Snape." Alastor, Albus, Poppy, and Minerva had stepped a few feet away to give Ivy time to get Severus to behave. It was routine for them.
"Hello, Charlie. Don't run off too far. Harry doesn't know the place, and I want him to be punctual for the service."
"Sure, Mrs. Snape. I'll bring him and Victor back to you in time. Big promise."
Ivy smiled and then nodded at Harry. Then she looked at Victor. "Victor, you should get your okay from Alastor and Poppy."
"All right," Victor said and ran over to his soon-to-be-adoptive parents.
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