Raising Harry

PetuniaxSeverus, Harry

Rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Raising Harry

Chapter 35: Nagini's Master Revealed & Petunia Wake Up

Narcissa Malfoy burst into the Hospital Wing closely followed by her husband, startling the occupants that weren't unconscious as her ice blue eyes searched for her son. Finding him lying on a hospital bed with Hermione Granger at his bedside, she rushed over and immediately crouched down by his side, her hand instantly finding its way to stroke her son's hair.

"Oh Dragon, what happened?" she asked softly, her eyes full of worry. She honestly didn't know the details of what had happened. She had been present when Severus had called Lucius through the Floo and heard him immediately say that Draco was in the Hospital Wing. She had immediately cut him off and demanded he let her and Lucius through.

Lucius stood by his wife with worried grey eyes as he looked over Draco's paler than normal face. Looking at the brunette that was tightly holding his heir's hand he asked, "What happened to Draco, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at the man and answered, "Someone used the Imperious Curse on him and had him attack Harry, Vincent, and me. Whoever it was even caused him to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry as well. Harry was able to subdue him, but Madame Pompfrey doesn't know when he'll wake up."

An absolutely murderous look came over Lucius' face as he said, "When I find the bastard that dared to use Unforgivables on my son, he'll wish he were dead when I'm done with him."

"Lucius," Narcissa said while putting a soothing hand on her husband's arm, though she could understand his completely justified anger. She too would make sure whoever used Draco to make him attack his friends suffered greatly by her hands. Turning back to the brunette she noticed finger shaped bruises around her neck and she imagined there were probably other bruises on her as well. Concerned with what her son may have done to this sweet girl under someone's influence she asked, "Draco didn't hurt you too badly, did he Hermione? Are you going to resent him for this?"

Hermione looked surprised at the second question before answering, "Of course not, Mrs. Malfoy. It wasn't his fault and I don't blame him for it. And the bruises will heal soon, I'm sure. As for him hurting me, I will admit I didn't like the feeling of being choked and thrown against a stone wall, but I'll be alright."

"That's good. I know Draco would hate himself if he had hurt you, especially now that he confirmed to me in his recent letter that you two finally made your relationship official."

Lucius raised his eyebrows slightly at the news while taking in the little brunette's flushed face. He hadn't known Draco had made Hermione his girlfriend, though it was obvious he was rather serious about her. He had been able to see that at the Quidditch World Cup before the Death Eater attack. He made a mental note to talk to his son when he woke up and recovered. His grey eyes looked further into the Hospital Wing and noticed Harry sitting next to a bed occupied by…Petunia?

"What happened to Petunia?" Lucius asked.

Narcissa sat up a bit and looked past Hermione asking, "What? She's here?"

Hermione nodded and said, "A serpent attacked her at her home and Professor Snape and Dumbledore have reason to believe it was deliberate. They've gone to her house to get the creature, but if Professor Snape Floo called you, then that must mean they're back."

Lucius frowned hearing that a serpent had deliberately attacked Petunia. Large poisonous snakes didn't live in domestic Muggle areas, but rather in exhibits at zoos. And if it specifically attacked her, then that must mean someone sent it to do so. A sudden thought occurred to the blonde wizard and he excused himself, quickly heading to the Headmaster's Office to talk with Dumbledore and Severus. He had a feeling he knew where the serpent had come from and hoped the other wizards were on the same page as him about it.

Severus and Dumbledore stood at the old man's desk while looking down at the petrified snake upon it. At the moment they were discussing whether it would be safe to delve into the creature's mind using Legilimency. It was unheard of, at least as far as they knew, to use Legilimency on an animal. Even so, this reptile didn't seem to really be just a reptile, at least not to Severus. His black eyes looked up at the Headmaster who was staring down at the snake with a deep pondering expression on his face. After a while more of silence Severus said, "Albus."

"Hm?" Albus replied.

"What is it? What are you thinking so hard about?"

"I believe…I believe I've see this serpent before. Yes, I think I've met her before long ago."

Black eyes widened at the statement, but before he could question it, the door to the office opened and Lucius strode inside, his long hair flying behind him. Walking up to the desk to join his best friend and old Headmaster, he greeted them saying, "Severus, Albus."

Dumbledore looked up at the blonde wizard and said, "It's good to see you, Lucius. I presume Severus informed you about young Draco?"

"He did, and I'm going to kill the bastard when I found out who used the Imperious Curse on him."

Severus hummed in agreement, seeing as this person was also responsible for harming Harry through Draco. Turning back to Dumbledore he asked, "Albus, what did you mean before Lucius walked in when you said that you've seen this snake before?"

"Is this the snake that attacked Petunia that Hermione told Narcissa and me about?" Lucius asked.

Nodding Dumbledore said, "Yes, it is. And what I mean Severus is that this snake hasn't always been a snake. It was once human before turning into this snake."

Severus and Lucius both sported surprised expressions before Severus simply said, "Explain."

"This snake was a young woman by the name of Nagini, and she was a Maledictus. I first met her back when I was teaching Transfiguration, when Grindelwald was a threat. As you know, Maledicti are cursed to transform back and forth between their human form and whatever beast they turn into until they permanently turn into their beast form. I suppose at some point Nagini turned into a serpent and stayed that way. This is the first time I've seen her in decades."

Lucius frowned further before saying, "That is a rather tragic existence. But if she attacked Petunia, someone told her to do so."

"Yes, and that is what Severus and I are trying to figure out. But the thing is that she's also a Horcrux made by Voldemort and she needs to be disposed of."

Severus nodded and said, "I'm going to attempt to use Legilimency on it to see if I can figure out who sent it to attack Petunia."

Nodding Lucius said, "I'd like to make a suggestion and say that perhaps the Dark Lord or someone involved with him sent her."

Dumbledore nodded and said, "That is plausible, especially if his followers are coming out of hiding. And I wouldn't be surprised if he was back like I always knew he would be. But I find it unnerving that he has found out about Petunia and tried to kill her. If he couldn't do it himself, then he must be very weak."

"That means that our chances of destroying him, especially with finding and destroying his Horcruxes, are growing greater," Severus said.

"So we've determined that the Dark Lord is this snake's master?" Lucius asked for confirmation.

"Yes, I believe we have," Dumbledore answered. "But just to be sure, let us peer into her mind. Severus, if you will."

Severus nodded and pointed his wand at the Nagini's head, delving into her mind and searching around a bit before finally stopping at an interesting memory taking place in a dark room lit only by the fireplace. Looking around he saw Peter Pettigrew standing in a corner of the room and someone else that looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place his face at the moment. He was kneeling in front of a large chair and talking to someone or something. Moving around so he could see the occupant of the chair he blanched at seeing the person sitting in it, or what was supposed to be him.

"Oh Merlin," Severus muttered upon recognizing the Dark Lord, or some version of him in the chair. He continued to watch as the man finished talking to Voldemort before the evil wizard turned to Nagini who was resting in front of the fireplace. Voldemort began hissing at her, clearly telling her something in Parseltongue, to which Nagini sat up in obvious interest. When he was done the snake slithered out of the room, leaving the wizards left in the room,

"Barty, Wormtail, thank you for informing me of Harry Potter's living relative and where she lived. Severus is so smitten with that Muggle that he hasn't even realized he's led us to her. She should be easy for Nagini to expose of. It is still hard to believe a Muggle woman was allowed into our world just because she is Harry Potter's aunt. No matter, she will be dealt with soon enough," Voldemort said to the two men, his words shocking Severus enough to leave the snake's mind.

Absolutely furious at the Dark Lord and himself, he pointed his wand at the immobilized snake and lit it on fire with Fiendfyre, setting the snake and Dumbledore's desk ablaze. He ignored Lucius calling his name and continued to do so until Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Looking up at him he looked into his eyes and could already tell that the old man knew everything, not surprised he most likely used Legilimency on him or Nagini as well.

"Severus, them finding Petunia is not your fault," Dumbledore told him. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. Right now we will focus on Petunia's recovery before moving her somewhere else to live other than Little Whinging."

Severus said nothing to his words, but he did nod before leaving to head back to the Hospital Wing. As he left Dumbledore turned to Lucius and said, "Lucius, I am making you Secret Keeper of Petunia's new residence. For the time being, join me in going back to her home and gathering her things. She and Harry need somewhere else to call home. Little Whinging isn't safe for them anymore."

The blond man nodded before following the Headmaster out of the office, but not before looking back at what had once been the Headmaster's desk, now burnt to ashes in the middle of the room. He had never seen Severus so furious before, but if something had happened to Narcissa and he believed it was his fault, he'd be furious with himself, too.

Harry sat next to his still unconscious aunt, completely ignoring the school's Mediwitch as she told him to go back to his own hospital bed so he could rest. Instead he stayed by Petunia's side and softly sung an old lullaby she would sing to him whenever he was sick or going to sleep when he was younger. It always soothed him and he figured it would do the same for his aunt. Just when he finished the song, Severus walked inside the Hospital Wing and over to join his lover and her child. Looking up at him he asked, "Mum will wake up soon, right Sev?"

Severus nodded before saying, "Yes, I'm sure she will. She wouldn't leave you alone, Harry."

"She wouldn't leave you alone either."

The statement made the Potions Master pause for a moment before he responded saying, "Maybe, but you're more important to Petunia than I am. I'm sure if she had to choose, it would be you."

The Ravenclaw frowned up at the older wizard and said, "She would choose both of us, not just me. You're very important to her too, and she loves you."

Severus looked at Harry for a moment before smiling softly and nodding, moving to sit in a chair next to the boy. The two of them sat in silence while waiting for the important blonde woman in their lives to wake up. Of course it couldn't be said when she would, as she was under heavy sedative while all of the potions that had been administered to her ran their course through her body. Therefore for the time being, only time would tell when exactly Petunia would wake up from her attack.

Four days had passed and Petunia still hadn't woken up. Harry was very worried during that time and had a hard time trying to return to his studies. He was distracted a bit though when Draco woke up, much to his and his friends' delight. Hermione had been the happiest of them to finally see his grey eyes open and had planted a big kiss on his lips; Draco's face had been the reddest Harry had ever seen it, considering neither of them had informed their friends that they were officially dating. Of course after his release, many students would either verbally or magically attack Draco for trying to kill Harry, even though it was known he had been under the Imperious Curse. Harry was not having any of it and had purposely cursed anyone that dared to attack Draco. The curses were pretty much harmless, such as the Bogie Curse, and the Jelly-Legs Curse, and even the Slug-Vomiting Charm that Ron had tried to use on Marcus Flint in Second Year for calling Hermione a Mudblood, and it gave him an immense feeling of satisfaction. Of course he got in trouble and had a reduction of House Points, but Severus would always congratulate him in private and reward him back the lost points.

Currently Harry was in Potions class working on a potion alongside Hermione and from what he could tell, the two of them were almost done. Severus was walking around observing the Fourth Year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and had already noticed that Harry and Hermione had the best potion in the class, followed by Gregory and Susan. He still had them working in pairs until he could view their O.W.L. scores, therefore determining if they would be able to take N.E.W.T. level Potions in the future and work by themselves. Ten more minutes went by before Severus announced the end of class and to bring up a phial of their potion with both of their names on it so he could score them later. As students brought their phials up and put them on his desk at the front of the classroom, Professor McGonagall stepped inside the room and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt your class if I am Severus, but I've come to bring you and Mr. Potter news."

"We just finished here, Minerva. What news do you bring?" Severus asked, glaring at a Hufflepuff student that nearly dropped her phial.

"Madame Pompfrey wanted me to inform you both that Mrs. Dursley has just awoken."

Harry's green eyes widened before he grabbed his schoolbag that he had been packing with his belongings and ran out of the classroom, through the Dungeons and up to the Hospital Wing. Bursting through the doors he ran right over to his aunt who had a slightly disoriented expression on her face as she looked around the Hospital Wing, wrapping her up tightly in a hug. Burying his face in her neck he said, "Mum, I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried when Hagrid brought you here saying you crashed into his hut and then found out you were attacked by a large snake. I was…I thought…" A sniffle and a sob escaped Harry's throat before he continued. "I thought I was going to lose you, mum."

Petunia smiled and returned Harry's embrace and held her son closely to her, being mindful of the pain in her shoulder before softly saying, "There is no way in this world that I would leave you alone, Harry. I'm never going to leave you, not if I can help it. I love you, my precious boy."

"I love you too, mum."

Petunia held and soothed Harry, rocking him slowly and reassuring him that she was there and alright. She looked up a bit past him and blue eyes connected with black ones, finally taking notice of Severus that had entered not too long ago. Smiling at him she said, "Hi Sev."

Severus smiled at Petunia and moved to sit on the other side of the bed, waiting for Petunia to pull away from Harry momentarily to hug him as well. He held her close and kissed her temple before saying, "Welcome back."

The three of them sat together in their little reunion, happy to be together again and happy to see Petunia smiling despite all that she had been through. When she asked what she had missed, Severus promised to fill her in when she was feeling a bit better than she was now. It was obvious to him at the moment that the blonde was still rather tired and needed to rest more. When Petunia couldn't keep her eyes from drooping anymore, Harry tucked her back into the hospital bed and gave her forehead a kiss before telling her he would return as soon as possible to see her again.

Harry left and headed for the Great Hall for lunch, leaving his two favorite adults together. Severus himself leant over Petunia and kissed her lips softly before whispering, "I love you."

Severus chuckled when Petunia hummed in her sleep, a small smile appearing on her lips. He gave her cheek a kiss before turning to head back to the Dungeons to begin grading some assignments, ignoring Madame Pompfrey who was smiling sweetly at him at his display of affection for the woman he loved.

Author's Note: So sorry this chapter is so late. I will admit I lost my muse for a while—not for this story, just for writing in general—but I'm back and ready to write again. I hope this chapter was okay for you guys and will continue to tune in for upcoming chapters. Love, SehunsBae37.