Eileen refused to give up on her son, tending to his needs and rehabilitating him into the strong man she knew him to be. They started slow at first; with a long bath that Severus wasn't interested in at all. She had a tough road ahead of her, turning the beast they created back into an honorable man.
After an hour of reassurance and a promise to tell him another story, she got him in the bath where she continued to dote on her son. Although he growled and flinched, he never acted out towards her.
Severus sat still in the tub, staring at one of the tiles in front of him, and was non-responsive. He remembered someone else washing his hair, once upon a time ago. A tear leaked out of the corner of his eye.
"Severus?" She paused and moved around the side of the tub to look him in the eye.
He put his left hand over hers and looked from his wedding ring to her, just as Garrick did before. "Where?" he whispered, "I can't remember."
"Severus…." She felt her own eyes water, struggling to think of the same face.
"I remember every detail but…." He trailed off, not even able to mention the name of his lost love, "My Angel…"
She put her other hand over his, "Where is she?"
"Stolen," he croaked and swallowed hard, fighting back the tears, "by the Archangel."
"Archangel?"
Severus curled his lip and leaned back, "The Great Protector of Humankind."
She didn't reply, other than making a small hum and her brows furrowing at the sight of his scars and tattoos. Once finished and out of the tub, she waved her wand and he was dry and clothed, "I used that spell when you were younger. You hated the feeling of drying off with a towel."
His head throbbed in pain with a memory he couldn't place. He knew where, but he knew not when or with who. The emptiness throbbing with each moment. A hand went to his brow, as if blocking the bright light in the dim room. "Where…"
"Shh… let's not get worked up," she put a hand on his back and guided him through the bedroom and to the dining room, "Sit while I work something up for you."
He shook his head, but she ignored him and used his brief inability to speak to her advantage. He sat at the unfamiliar dining table and glared at the unlit candlestick sitting in the center. He didn't notice the shiny blue eyes staring from the seat next to him.
"Robbie dear, how are you today?" she paused while rounding the table and caressed the top of his head lovingly, "I know you're worried, but they're taking exceptionally good care of your Father. Johan is on his way shortly; he will be taking you to visit him after breakfast. Would you like that?"
Robbie's big ears flapped slightly as he nodded his head and tapped his fingers excitedly on the table. He was still young for an elf but understood more than he was able to communicate.
When she returned with a plate of warm soup for them, she noticed his staring, "What's wrong, Severus?"
He lifted a finger and pointed to the candlestick, "Table."
She put a hand on his shoulder and places the bowl of soup in front of him, "No, son. That's a candlestick."
He shook his head vehemently, pounding his fist on the surface before him, "Table!"
"Shh…. Let's get something in us and we'll try again later." She rubbed his shoulder and urged him to eat.
"Table. No… no, no… table," he clutched his temples and started to rock back and forth, "back then… when she… when did she leave me?"
Tears began to swell, she grabbed him by the front of the robes and shook him, "Severus, listen to me. You must Occlude."
His gaze shifted to her, but her words went unheard, his lips continued to tremble and whispers of angels and demons. Sweat began to form on his brow, and his shoulders started to shake.
Robbie was scared, he didn't know what was happening to his friend, but he wanted to help. He stood on his chair and quickly climbed the table.
"Robbie, we don't get on furniture-" Eileen was trying and failing at managing two children.
Robbie cautiously stepped over the bowls and cups of tea, swatting in front of Severus, and grabbing him my both ears; forcing him to look Robbie in the eyes.
It felt as if he detached from his physical self, traveling a million miles an hour towards those starry blue orbs. Tunneling straight to the darkest center of his eyes until he was consumed by its depths.
Then silence.
He thought his eyes were closed until he heard his own raggedy exhale, and his breath became visible in soft wisps before him.
He looked down, his pale hands stark contrast to the pure black void of the floor he was bracing himself on. It went on forever, blending into the walls and ceiling if there were any. The vast abyss went on forever in all directions.
A few beads of sweat fell to the floor, disappearing once landing. The sound of feet quickly rushing down stone could be heard to his left. He looked up just in time to see a younger version of the love he'd been looking for. She came into his view kneeling before him with a look of concern and curiosity.
She instinctually reached for his face, pausing just short of touching the scar above his lip. Searching his eyes for the acceptance his own were mirroring.
"He went this way!" a voice echoed from the distance.
She reacted a lot sooner than he, reaching for his shirt to pull him into the partially showing alcove. It looked faded with the space surrounding it, not attached to any physical building. His focus was more on the entity before him, capturing his gaze and pressing herself against him.
"Shh," she pressed a finger to her lips, the other hand on the center of his chest.
He could only numbly nod his head, her breath resonating through him, the emptiness in his chest shrinking tightly. His feet came up from under him as he let the weight of her guide him deeper. They weren't falling but sinking as the rest of the memory faded away and they became one with the darkness.
Something tapped the bottom of his boot, waking him from the exquisite dreams of a love no longer present. The room smelt of books, smoke, and tea.
"Time to rise, Lord Prince. We've much to discuss."
"Garrick?" he sat up slowly, feeling as if his body couldn't keep up with what he was requesting it to do, "What happened?"
The other man was standing behind his desk, without his robes but his white pressed shirt neatly tucked in beneath his silver and blue vest. A long silver chain going from his pocket to the silver pocket watch in his hand.
"You've been in a coma recouping from the effects of a powerful Fidelius Charm. You know why, and assume you already know by whom," he looked to Severus for confirmation before continuing, "The how is what I'm trying to find out."
Severus inhaled deeply and leaned his head back on the couch as he exhaled.
Garrick was surprised he didn't react to anything he said thus far, he quickly wrote something down with his quill and moved around the desk to stand before him, "From this moment forward we will not be using names. Each other's or anyone else's and that includes in private. This serves purpose for our security as well as sanity."
He nodded and lifted his head to pay attention. His arms resting heavily on the couch, unable to reach for the tea he desperately wanted to drink.
"Now that you have an immoderate number of missing memories it is imperative that you do not create new ones," His hands were behind his back as he instructed him, "When I speak of the one whom we cherish, we refer to them as The Prophet. When we speak of their keeper, we use Archangel. A name you've already associated them with, I've heard."
"Missing…" he swallowed the ball in his throat.
"Do not strain yourself," He let out a small whistle, calling for the smallest of the family. Robbie appeared with a small pop next to Garrick. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he looked down to him lovingly, "Remember your name."
Robbie signed his new name to Severus and moved to sit next to him on the couch.
"He's the reason you and I are here and not in the Mental Ward at St. Mungo's. Fidelius Charms are powerful spells tied to a person's soul. This particular wizard has a strong one, thus you and I suffered the worst of the effects," he started to pace back and forth in front of the fire.
As if reading his mind, Robbie slid off the couch like a small child and picked up the teacup on the small table before them, helping Severus drink it since his arms were of no use.
"How do you feel?"
Severus leaned back on the couch, "Out of body but of mind."
"You can thank this one," he motioned to Robbie, giving him a proud smile, "He's smarter than any of us ever gave him credit for."
Severus turned his head to look down at the small elf in an oversized Navy jumper, "You?"
Robbie put up two fingers, motioning for Severus to look into his eyes.
"The Fidelius Charm doesn't work on elves," Garrick said firmly with a finger in the air, "Different kind of magic. Also, when the Charm was invented, it was created for locations. The caster still needed the elves to have access to the location. Bloody purebloods needing servants…" he trailed off on his rant.
"He remembers? But what I saw… he wasn't there. Couldn't have been… it was before he came along," Severus said in disbelief.
"That's exactly what I thought!" Garrick stopped pacing, he returned to his desk and hovered over a few tomes on its surface, "I've found nothing like it in my research…"
"Research? How long was I out?" Severus asked, "Obviously long enough to discharge you."
Robbie held up eight fingers and tried to get his hands to do the same, but he still had no use of them.
Garrick ignored his question, "The only possible explanation is that he's so young…. Yes, that must be it. He's young and impressionable, he let us use his mind as a pensive. That's why it started to hurt again this morning…"
Severus turned back to Garrick, ignoring the small elf who was playing with his numb fingers, "Using another's mind to project thoughts isn't unheard of. It's a tactic, I know damn well, you use in court."
"Not on this level and you know it, what we saw in there…"
"It was nearly real."
"Nearly?"
He looked off to the fire, "There's no smell, taste, or feeling."
"Yet I was able to move things," Garrick argued.
"Just as you do in your imagination," he added sadly, "or a dream."
Garrick leaned against his desk and exhaled heavily, "It will have to do for now."
"For now?"
"A temporary solution to a permanent problem. Without him to stabilize your mind you will lose it, and I will not let that happen. Until we figure something else out, stay close to home. We don't know what will happen over time or how long this will work," Garrick stood up straight and walked to the large tome with gold writing on the podium near the large stained-glass windows and placed his hand on the center of its opened pages.
"Has my fate been decided as Morning Star?"
Garrick spun around angrily, "A name for the eternal outcast?"
"Is it not fitting?" he asked, blinking to show his crimson and gold eyes.
"Lest you be the one to cause a stir from within," Garrick smirked proudly.
"What of my name?"
"The Heretic."