Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling is the creator and true owner of the characters of Hogwarts and the wizarding world, and no infringement of copyright is intended. I'm just playing with them for my own amusement; no money is being made.

Warnings:Slash Folks!

Written by Morganlefay1958 and Calanor

Honor

Chapter 34

Rescue and Healing

Once outside of the wards surrounding the Dursley home, Arabella, Petunia, and the boys were met by Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt, dressed as Muggles. Remus checked to make sure no one was watching them from nearby windows, before casting a 'Notice-Me-Not' charm on the group. Kingsley gently gathered the injured woman into his arms, and when she was as comfortable as he could make her, they proceeded quickly to Wisteria Walk.

Pushing through the front door of her home, Arabella shoo'ed the cats from the door as she held it open for Kingsley. Minerva had obtained his assistance easily, when she contacted him and explained the dangers to Harry and his remaining family. Kingsley laid Petunia gently on the transfigured hospital bed in the spare bedroom. Petunia whimpered softly at the loss of comfort and security she felt in the dark man's strong arms. He smiled down at her and she blushed as she tried to smile back, through the pain. He nodded at a waiting Poppy Pomfrey and moved out of the way.

Everyone stepped into the other room to allow Poppy to work unhindered, and Arabella disappeared into the kitchen with Minerva to prepare tea. Remus had already removed the boys' coats, gloves, hats, and Wellingtons. He was sitting on the floor near the warmth of a charmed fire, playing with the boys and the cats. Severus crouched behind Remus, watching both children, especially Harry. He was surprised and saddened to see that the child was so small for his age. He would brew some more fortifying nutrient potions to help Harry catch up to where he should be. One thing that was a pleasant surprise was the similarity between Harry and Lily. If the boy had red hair, he would have almost been the spitting image of his mother. The thought made his heart ache as he missed his other best friend.

'M-moo-ney,' a small voice spoke, stumbling over the word, the speech halting and stilted.

Severus narrowed his eyes and watched Harry, noticing he tended to turn his head to the right, putting that ear toward whoever was speaking. He remembered Remi's anger over the damage to Harry's hearing; gone in the left ear, and damaged in the right. He frowned. The child would have a struggle ahead of him to make up for the deficit. There was no way of knowing if they would be able to repair the damage. It had been too long since it had happened. Severus' anger rose as he thought of the obese angry Muggle that had to have struck Harry violently in the head to cause this kind of injury. His ears would have bled. Petunia would have known it was serious, but from the condition of the woman, he surmised she probably had been forbidden to seek Muggle medical assistance. The resilience of youth had allowed Harry to find a way to work around the injury, which explained why no one noticed he was almost completely deaf. He seemed to be learning how to read lips. That indicated he was a bright child, which didn't surprise Severus at all, considering his parentage.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and the crash of china hitting the floor in the kitchen. It was followed by an immediate, 'Bugger!' from Minerva. Remus and Severus barely registered the curse as they watched the two small boys in front of them. Dudley had scooted over, grabbing Harry and shoving him behind him and covering him with his blanket, successfully hiding the smaller boy from view. Dudley's eyes were wide, scanning the room, and the small lump under the blanket remained perfectly still. Kingsley had observed the actions of the boys from across the room and moved quietly to stand behind Severus and Remus.

Remus swallowed the growl that threatened to erupt from his throat as he watched, then looked up at the men behind him. This was too smooth. These boys had done this many times in the past. Severus placed a calming hand on his shoulder, and Remus schooled his features into a calm smile.

'Dudley?' Remus spoke quietly to the plump boy, trying to get his attention.

'Da? Da home?' He looked around fearfully, reaching back to pat the blanketed figure behind him. 'Da no make Hawwy cwry.'

'No, Dudley, your Da is not here. Harry will not cry.' Reaching behind Dudley slowly, he continued, 'Harry can come out now. He is safe.'

Dudley eyed the people around him one more time. When he was sure his Da was not in the room, he turned and pulled the blanket from Harry. 'Hawwy 'k. Come out. No Da.' He reached down and pulled Harry up, to a sitting position beside him, smoothing the wild hair, as he did so.

Harry looked meekly around the room, then focused on Remus. 'Aun' P-Pet?'

Making sure to speak slowly enough for Harry to read his lips, 'She is fine. Auntie Pops is taking care of her.'

They watched, as Harry seemed lost in thought, concentrating hard as if he were trying to remember something. He looked up to see Poppy approaching. His eyes widened as he seemed to make a connection, and he pointed at the mediwitch.

'P-PopPop?'

Poppy's face broke out in a surprised smile when she heard the nickname spoken; a nickname she hadn't heard in almost two years. Her eyes teared up as she squatted down in front of Harry.

'Yes my little poppet, I'm PopPop. I'm surprised you remember.'

She pulled Harry to her and gave him a cuddling hug as she kissed the top of his head. He smiled up at her as she released him to go sit with Dudley again. Dudley picked up a magical top and handed it to him. Poppy, Remus, and Severus stood and straightened their robes, as they moved to the other side of the room.

'Petunia is stable now, and is sleeping. I've given her healing, nutrient and pain potions, as well as a sleeping draught. She will be out for several hours, as she heals.' Anger and concern flashed in her eyes as she spoke.

Minerva and Arabella joined them, with the tea, just as Poppy finished speaking. They sat down around the table, and were joined by Kingsley, who carried the boys. The boys were given spill-proof cups and a dish of finger snacks. It kept them occupied while the adults talked. Mr. Tibbles sat nearby, keeping an eye on the children, swishing his tail in agitation if any of the other cats looked like they were going to steal a morsel. Artemus and Cornelius sprawled near the front door, appearing to clean themselves as they kept watch. Their collars were actually their wands transfigured.

Minerva spoke first, after tea had been poured all around. 'What were the extent of her injuries, Poppy?'

'The list is long. A concussion, two black eyes, a split lip, two loose teeth, a broken ankle, three cracked ribs, a hairline fracture in her right forearm, several deep bruises on her abdomen, shoulders, and back,' Poppy stopped to sip her tea and moisten her mouth, 'the other ankle is sprained, and both her wrists were wrenched. I checked her for internal bleeding and injuries, but, thank Merlin, there was nothing serious. I was able to stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling.'

Kingsley and Severus, who flanked Remus, both put a firm hand on his arms, as they heard him begin to growl. Minerva shushed him when she noticed the flash of amber in his eyes. 'Remus, contain yourself. You don't want to alarm the children.'

'Yes, Màthair.' He rose and moved to sit on the floor with the boys, pulling Harry into his lap, holding him close, while the boys played. 'At least there are no new bruises on the boys…' he mumbled, as he buried his face in the messy dark hair.

'This is so hard for him,' Minerva commented aloud, to no one in particular. There were answering sounds of agreement from the others. 'I've already contacted your mother, Severus, about getting Mr. Dursley away for the Holidays at least. It seems Albus had something to do with the man coming home early from his recent business trip!. We should be hearing from her soon.'

Just then, a loud tapping could be heard at the kitchen window. Arabella rushed from the room, returning shortly with a large raven on her arm, and a parchment in her hand, which she immediately handed to Minerva. The raven flew back to the kitchen to rest on the perch and have some food and water.

'Ah!' Minerva chuckled. 'It seems Mr. Dursley had been suddenly called away, to replace another executive that has taken ill. He will be gone until after the New Year. It seems Luisa's brothers still have substantial connections in the Muggle business world!'

'Splendid!' Kingsley added. 'It's just too bad I didn't get the opportunity to hex the man before he left.'

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but Severus eyed him closely. Appearances were deceiving and he 'd see that smirk on the Auror's face before. Shacklebolt had many of his own connections in the Muggle world. This would not be a pleasant trip for the abusive Muggle.

'She also informs me that arrangements have been made to make it look as though Petunia left, taking the boys with her. A report of abuse is already on file with the Muggle authorities. Luisa has had rooms set up for the three and we are to bring them to Italy as soon as Petunia is able to travel. Luisa has opened her home. They will stay there, under the Covenant's protection, until it is time for the boys to attend school.'

'Mama Luisa always has had a huge heart for the children.' Remus commented.

'Yes, and the age of the child never mattered. She despises those who shirk their parental responsibilities,' Severus replied, as he offered an oatmeal biscuit to each of the boys. Little fists grabbed his trousers, as Harry pulled himself up, ignoring the proffered sweet, to stare into the dark eyes.

Lucius smirked and poked Kingsley in the leg, drawing his attention to Harry and Severus. Dudley took one of the cookies and crawled into Arabella's lap to eat it. He kept an eye on his cousin, as he bit into the chewy treat.

'Have a biscuit, Harry,' Severus coaxed. 'They are tasty.' He lifted one of the small hands and wrapped it around the treat. Harry looked down at his hand as if seeing it for the first time. He looked up at Severus, then over to Remus, who nodded at him with a smile. Harry let go with the other hand and swayed a bit, before regaining his balance. He broke a large piece of the biscuit off and offered it to Severus. Dark eyebrows rose in surprise, but elegant fingers reached out and gently took the bit of biscuit.

'Thank you so much, Mr. Potter.' Severus smiled and popped the piece into his mouth, which prompted a very large and bright smile from Harry. Everyone else's smiles soon followed. Dudley clapped loudly.

'Hawwy smile!'

This elicited several chuckles from everyone. Harry turned and crawled back into Remus' lap and snuggled down against his chest, sticking two fingers in his mouth. He was totally content now that he knew everyone was happy.

Tbc…