The patronus shook its head sadly. How a patronus could experience any emotion other than pure joy was beyond Harry, but he just guessed that this stag was unique.
"I am truly sorry that your scars haven't completely vanished." Severus was still standing by the door.
Harry shrugged. "I really didn't expect them to be gone. I'm just happy that they aren't red and angry anymore. And, I haven't had to take a pain potion, either!"
He turned away from the mirror and touched the stag's nose. "I really don't blame you. You did all you could." The majestic creature nodded its head, and vanished.
Harry, not surprised, turned back to Severus. "So. What are your thoughts on this?" he asked.
Severus started to walk back to the living room, Harry following him. "I am not certain what the range of this parseltongue magic is. There are a few books on that topic, now that I think about it, but the few books that exist are very rare."
"So… what you're saying is that that what we know will be through trial and error?"
"Essentially."
Harry sighed. That would be very tedious, seeing what every individual spell was like in parseltongue.
"Where will we do that?"
"I am making arrangements."
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The next morning, Madam Pomfrey was leading Dudley down the staircase leading to Severus's quarters. The boy was oddly quiet. The matron guessed it was because of the sheer intimidation of the dark and forbidding hallways along the way.
She remembered the first few times she had treated the large boy. He had seemed extremely wary of her, shifting around quite a few times. But, when it became obvious she meant no harm, he had warmed up to her right away. She figured Dudley was uncomfortable with change of any kind.
Soon enough, they had arrived in front of Salazar Slytherin's portrait. Poppy really liked the old man - his acerbic wit and sarcasm agreed well with her. She ought to visit more often.
Severus had given her the password to his rooms earlier. "Coulbrid," she said, smiling.
"Ah, Poppy! Long time, no see! And who is this young man, here?" He peered down at Dudley, who looked slightly terrified to see the stern-looking wizard scrutinizing him so closely.
"This is Harry Potter's cousin, Dudley Dursley," she said, gesturing her arm.
"Hm. Can you speak parseltongue, also?" he asked, leaning so far, it seemed like he would pop out of his painting.
Dudley shook his head, almost petrified.
"Oh. Well, that's a shame. It's always better to have more parselmouths around."
"S-sir, I'm n-not even a… a w-wizard," Dudley stuttered. He looked horrified that he had even opened his mouth a split second later, snapping it shut with an audible click and with shuddering of his grossly huge jowls.
Salazar raised an eyebrow, obviously contemplating how Dudley got into the castle in the first place. "Well, then. That's very peculiar." He opened his portrait, seeming to snap out of his thoughtful reverie. "Enjoy your time with the grumpy old man inside!" Salazar projected his voice, no doubt being heard throughout Severus's entire quarters.
There was movement at the far end of the room. "I may be grumpy, but I am far from being an old man." Severus Snape had proceeded from a couch to where they were standing. He looked down his nose at Dudley. "Dursley," he said in a smooth voice. "We have been expecting you."
Poppy huffed. "Honestly, Severus, you're scaring the poor boy." She laid a hand on Dudley's shoulder. "As I said earlier, you will be staying here for the foreseeable future. Best to make yourself at home."
Severus sniffed. "Awfully pretentious of yourself to be telling someone to make themselves at home, in someone else's quarters."
"Oh, don't give me that. I've healed so many of your wounds over the years, sometimes in this very room, that I believe I have earned the right to invite others into your home."
Dudley, in the meantime, was watching the playful banter like a tennis match (Muggle sport, it's very interesting). Harry, a few seconds earlier, had walked into the room from a dark hallway. He looked slightly amused, used to both of their sharp tongues.
Harry ambled over to Dudley, who was so frightened he was unable to move. He patted the boy on the shoulder, causing the muggle to nearly jump out of his skin.
Harry chuckled, amused at his usually brash cousin. It was different, to say the least, to see him so out of his depth. "It's alright. They don't have anything against each other, really. It's their form of 'fun.'"
He grinned as they both turned halfhearted glares at him. "Where will Dudley be staying?"
Severus turned to them completely, disregarding Madam Pomfrey completely. "For the time being, your cousin will reside in your room. I will conjure up a bed for him, later."
At that, Harry led Dudley to the hallway leading to his room. "Did you bring any clothes or any other possessions, with you?" he asked as they walked through the door. (Not at the same time, mind. Dudley had considerable girth.)
He shook his head and cleared his throat. "No, it all got destroyed in the fire that burned down our house." Dudley shook himself, clearly trying to gain his wits back. Harry sympathized with him. It must be hard for him, trying to get used to something he was taught to fear from a very young age. Not to mention, his latest encounter with magic had been extremely traumatizing. "Madam Pomfrey has been putting these 'cleaning ch-charms' on my clothes."
"Well, I suspect we'll be needing to get you some robes soon."
HPHPHPHPHP
Finally, Severus thought as the infernal woman left. Peace. He really didn't dislike the matron, but she grated on his nerves at times. He didn't have time for foolishness at the time. He was making plans.
You see, Severus's quarters weren't his only abode. He had also inherited a house from his mother, Eileen Snape, when the man had died. It wasn't just a house, however.
It was Prince Manor, known as the Haven.
He actually had never lived in that house when he was a child. His father, Tobias, had forced both him and his mother onto the little house on Spinner's End. He was a very proud man, not wanting to accept the automatic luxury his wife had provided.
It still bewildered him why his mother had even wanted to marry the Muggle. He supposed his mother was having a bout of free-spiritedness, wanting to rebel against her family. If he had heard stories right, Eileen's parents had wanted her to marry a respectable pureblood that she didn't truly love. However, it never seemed like she loved Tobias, either.
But, what did Severus know about love?
Ah, his subconscious spoke. I suspect you know a lot about love. More than you think you do. Yes, he did. He had loved Lily, in years past. But, it was a desperate, fleeting kind of love - one that would not be substantial unless he had actually started something with her.
Hm.
He waited a few seconds to give his subconscious a chance to speak up. When he heard nothing, he resumed thinking about the Haven. He was planning to go there for the rest of the summer. There would be plenty of room there for Harry to experiment with his charms. He usually stayed in his quarters year-round, but he couldn't help but think that Harry would get incredibly bored if he had to stay in Hogwarts all day, every day, even if he had visiting friends. He didn't even bring Dudley into mind. If that overgrown whale of a boy was just bored, he'd be having a good day.
Severus's fierce protectiveness of Harry startled him, as it always did. It infuriated him that Harry had been mistreated so as a child, and onto his teenage life. Concerning that, he, or someone else, needed to talk to him about what had gone on inside Number 4 Privet Drive's walls.
It might have seemed like a moot point by then, but Severus believed differently. Abuse was a hard thing to get over (if you even did get over it), no matter the hardships you have faced since the actual maltreatment.
He sighed, and went to the fireplace to tell the house elves at the Haven to get ready for three inhabitants.
HPHPHPHPHPHP
Back in the Burrow, things were chaotic.
"Herminone, dear, have you seen a pot with a slight dent in the side?" Molly Weasley said. When she shook her head, Mrs. Weasley just gritted her teeth and shouted, "Accio pot!" and the object in question came flying toward her, breaking a few things in the process. "I was hoping to avoid that," she sighed, raising her wand again to cast a few reparos.
Ron was stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth, while pulling a jumper over his head. (A/N: if you're confused as to why Hermione's in the Burrow, I mentioned earlier that she would be staying with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer.)
They had gotten a message from Dumbledore earlier that week that Ron and Hermione were able to visit Harry at Hogwarts. Both were feeling slightly excited, but apprehensive. Ron, because he was slightly concerned about the presence of Snape, Hermione because she had heard stories about Harry's appearance (and she was just as worried about Snape as Ron was).
Eventually, they finished their breakfast and stepped into the waiting fireplace. One at a time, they flooed over through Snape's quarter's fireplace. Hermione glanced around the room, taking in the reclusive professor's living space, until they saw Harry amble through the hall, Snape nowhere in sight.
Hermione automatically thought that Ron had been exaggerating about the condition of Harry's health. From where she was, he looked perfectly fine. A tad bit pale, but overall, normal!
But, as she rushed closer to hug him, she noticed the strangely beautiful lines covering his face. When he wrapped his arms around her, she noticed the vacancy of one finger. She had been expecting all of this, but it was a very different thing seeing it in person.
She felt Harry tense under her, and she pulled away quickly. She only got one more glimpse of his face before he turned away from her and stepped back with an embarrassed frown, putting his hands behind his back.
"Harry, don't be like this. I won't treat you any differently than I did before this summer. If I did, what kind of friend would I be?" She put her hands on her hips.
He peeked at her from under his fringe and chuckled once. "I can't help but be a bit self-conscious."
"I don't care. If I'll be acting normally, you will too."
Harry looked up some more. "Bossy as ever, I see."
"Absolutely - and I always will be."
Ron cleared his throat. "Good to hear - now can we please sit down on the couch waiting for us?" he interjected, impatient.
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, shaking their heads humorously. They sat down, stretching out as best they could.
"So… fill me in on your summers." Harry truly was interested.
Ron answered first. "Well, my summer was boring, for the most part. Annoying brothers, a nosy sister, and all that. It's been great now that Hermione's over, though!"
Harry wondered if they had figured out how hard they had fallen for each other. With how recalcitrant both of them could be, probably not. "That's great!" He looked down, and chuckled. "For the most part, I've had an okay summer."
Both of them looked shocked, though Hermione was a bit more subtle with it than Ron. "Er… what do you mean?" Ron said, looking slightly pale.
Harry immediately realized that they had thought of the torture he had gone through. Now that he thought of it, they didn't know the reason he had come to live at Hogwarts in the first place. They didn't know exactly what had gone on inside of the Dursleys' house. They probably didn't even know that Dudley was there, either.
"Ron, you know he didn't mean… what I'm trying to say is…" Hermione fiddled with a cushion as she grasped for words.
Harry smiled. "You don't need to walk on eggshells around me. I'm not made of spun glass, you know?" That seemed to make both of them relax. Harry threw one arm behind him, shifting to make himself more comfortable. "What I mean is, it's been great staying here inside the castle."
Ron wrinkled his nose. "With Snape?"
Harry frowned, strangely irritated with his friend. "Like I said the last time you visited, he's been decent to me. He healed me when…" he cut off. He hadn't intended to even tell them about the condition he had been found in when Severus had marched himself into Number 4 Privet Drive. His wounds from Vernon had vanished without trace, though, thanks to the mystical stag.
Ron looked stunned, and slightly angry himself. He had obviously missed Harry's little slip-up, thankfully. Hermione, on the other hand, looked pensive. She was staring at him, as if she was trying to divine what was going on inside Harry's head. Not for the first time, Harry was fervently glad the young woman didn't know how to use legilimency. If she did, he didn't know if he'd be able to keep anything from her, even with his advanced occlumency shields.
To change the subject, he started talking about quidditch. About how the Chudley Cannons were doing that year. However, Hermione kept that thoughtful, brooding look on her face. He didn't want to think of where her mind was going. Well, he'd help close that can of worms when she (inevitably) opened it.
Sooner than they would have liked, it was time for them to leave. They got notified of this when Mr. Weasley's head poked out of the fireplace and told them that it was time for lunch. "Unless Harry wants to come with us, of course?" he added. "Professor Snape has already approved of it if you were to come."
Harry shook his head. He didn't feel like showing his face and his conspicuously bandaged hand to the rest of the Weasleys.
"It's alright, mate," Ron said. "We understand."
"Yeah," Hermione said. "I'm sure the rest of the Weasleys will too."
Ron flooed away after Mr. Weasley's head had vanished, leaving him and Hermione alone in the lounge.
"You will be explaining why you stopped yourself from saying something, later." She looked dead serious.
"Explaining what?" Harry asked feebly.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, so don't give me that."
Harry sighed, and looked down to his feet. He was wearing shoes to hide the fact that he was missing a toe. Hermione patted him on the shoulder. "Whatever it is, remember we'll always be on your side." He looked up and raised an eyebrow that was reminiscent of Snape. Hermione flushed. "Well, I don't know about Ron. He can be a bit of a loose cannon at times. But, he'd come around eventually, if you did manage to offend him."
Harry chuckled. "You'd better go over to the Burrow, before the Weasleys send a search party after you," he quipped.
She grimaced. "You're probably right. Bye, Harry!" A few seconds later, she shouted, "The Burrow!" and vanished.
HPHPHPHPHPHP
Severus had been adding the final touch to the new batch of cruiciatis salve when Harry walked through the door to the potions lab. He wasn't too surprised that he hadn't taken up the Weasleys' offer for lunch. He would feel especially antisocial if his appearance had changed that drastically in such a short period of time.
"How was the brief visit with your friends?" he asked.
Harry grinned. "It was great!" He sidled up to the side of the potions master. "Although, Hermione did have to tell me off for being shy, at first."
Severus grunted. "Miss Granger is an intelligent young lady."
Harry feigned shock, putting a hand over his heart. "The bat of the dungeons, complimenting a Gryffindor? What has this world come to?"
"Hmf. Silence. If you'd like to be helpful, you could assist me in putting this new batch of salve into vials."
He chuckled, and set to work as Severus started to put the supplies and ingredients away. Severus wondered when he should tell Harry that they weren't going to stay inside his quarters for much longer. He figured he should tell him now, so he could have time to pack his belongings.
Severus opened his mouth to inform him of his latest plan, but he was interrupted by a cacophony of footsteps rushing down the stairs. Spinning around, he was met by the puce face of a panting Dudley. "What is it, boy?" he asked.
"M-Madam Pom-frey *huff* needs you," he gasped, kneeling down to rest his hands on his knees. It was obvious he was seriously out of shape.
Severus rushed up the staircase, not looking forward to seeing the matron, and so close to lunchtime. Once he got to the lounge, he looked around, expecting to see the witch. When he didn't automatically see her, he cast his attention to the fireplace, sure enough, Poppy's face was in the fire.
The mediwitch spoke rapidly. "We have an emergency up here! I need your help, and we don't have the time for you to walk the way up. Use the floo!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw Harry peeking past the doorway, obviously curious. Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of the gray powder on the tall mantel, stepped inside the fireplace, and transported himself to the hospital wing.
The scene he saw in front of him gave him pause for a split second. Poppy, Narcissa Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy were huddled around one bed, murmuring frantically to one another.
Severus sped forward, concerned. Who he saw on the bed made him gasp in shock and horror.
Albus Dumbledore.
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I'm super sorry I haven't been updating that much lately! I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block, not to mention my little problem with syntax. Well, now I think I've gotten over my little bout of in-creativity... hopefully.
Thanks for sticking with me!
