Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Web of Lies.
Harry woke up to an argument. Frowning a bit without opening his eyes, he tried to determine where he was.
"Poppy, for the love of Merlin, we're fine! We don't need to stay here."
Harry smiled a bit when he heard the matron snorting in disbelief. "Severus, you just fought against a horde of dementors, I doubt you could be fine even if you'd eaten all the chocolate in Honeydukes."
A small laugh announced Minerva's presence in the room. "I doubt you could ever force Severus to eat so much chocolate."
Harry smiled lightly, eyes still closed; he could imagine the scowl on the man's face. He wasn't disappointed when the sharp voice rang through the room. "On what side are you, Minerva? Or do you fancy staying in here till tomorrow?"
After a small silence, the feminine voice spoke again. "Well, if you put it that way..."
Dumbledore's soft voice stopped the argument. "Now, now, children, it won't kill you to stay in here for a few hours; besides, this way, Poppy and I can keep an eye on both you and Alec."
Harry opened his eyes slightly, and watched as Dumbledore and the nurse ushered the two disgruntled teachers to two beds opposite of the one he was lying in. After much grumbling on Snape's part, Madam Pomfrey managed to get them in bed and gave the teachers a cup of hot chocolate. The chocolate must have been laced with some kind of sleeping draught because both professors were out of it in minutes. Harry opened his eyes fully when Dumbledore approached his bed again. The old man seemed a bit startled to see him awake, but he smiled fondly down at him.
"Did the two of them wake you up, child?"
Harry blinked once and then returned the soft smile. "Yeah, but it was kind of amusing. Never thought Uncle Severus would put up such a childish argument."
Dumbledore laughed softly, attracting Madam Pomfrey's attention. The woman hurried to their side and frowned when she saw the boy awake.
"You should still be asleep, young man."
The boy looked down at his hands and nodded lightly. "Yes, ma'am."
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Poppy, I don't think you've met my grandson, Alexander."
Madam Pomfrey looked at them both for a long moment, before her gaze settled on the young child. The boy looked back at her distrustfully; he needed to keep his façade after all, and he was wondering what was going on with her.
The woman ignored the inquisitive look and simply raised an eyebrow to him. Then, she drew the curtains around the bed and placed a silencing charm around the small cubicle. Dumbledore frowned at her actions.
"Poppy, what...?"
The nurse looked at him sternly. "Albus, I don't know what game the two of you are playing, but I would like an explanation as to why half the wizarding world is looking for a boy that is staying just under your care."
Alec groaned softly and passed an arm over his eyes. Dumbledore's eyes hardened at once. "I guess that telling you that I have no idea of what you're talking about is not going to help?"
Poppy snorted. "I've been a nurse at this school for decades, Albus, and Mr. Potter here has been one of my most frequent visitors. While I admit that the disguise is very well done, it hardly hides the medical facts."
Albus nodded slightly; he should have thought of it, but he had been too concerned about Alec to think straight about the consequences. Even so, he wasn't so sure this was a bad thing; after all, Poppy was one of his most trusted staff members, and she would be forced to keep their secrets due to the oaths all mediwizards took. Sighing, and looked towards his supposed grandson. "Are you sure you're alright, Alec?"
The boy was shivering slightly under the blankets. Poppy was immediately at his side, taking his temperature. Once she was reassured that he didn't have a fever, she left the small cubicle and went to fetch some of the hot chocolate she had given to Severus and Minerva.
When she returned, Alec was no longer in bed, but wrapped in his blankets and resting in Dumbledore's lap. Silently, the man took the cup out of her hands and pressed it against Harry's lips. The boy drank obediently and was asleep within seconds. The two of them rearranged the child on the bed and then went to Madam Pomfrey's office. The woman wanted answers and she was going to get them.
It took Dumbledore nearly an hour to explain what had happened and why he had chosen to hide Harry. In the end, the nurse had agreed with him that Harry was much safer as Alec, but she didn't like the fact that they hadn't told the other teachers. She would have expected him to at least tell Minerva and Severus, since they were some of his most trusted teachers, but the old man refused to tell anyone else. In his opinion, too many people knew about this already, and he didn't want to risk more people finding out. Madam Pomfrey wisely kept silent, not agreeing with the other man, but she couldn't do anything about it either; her oaths forced her to keep the secrets of her patients intact, and Dumbledore had directly appealed at those oaths, forcing her to keep her mouth shut on the whole matter.
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Waking up was unpleasant, he felt his awareness come back slowly and knew that he had been drugged. It was at times like this when he hated the fact that Poppy had access to his potions. To be rendered unconscious by his own work was humiliating. Sighing, he opened his eyes and noticed that the room was brightly lit, indicating it was late in the morning.
The sour man sat up in his bed and was greeted by the sight of Alec reading one of his books. The sight, while not unusual, made him think of how isolated the child really was. He didn't know much about his life before he met him, but the boy seemed to be used to his loneliness. In all the evenings he had spent in Albus' manor, playing chess with the youth, not once had he seen an owl coming for him nor had he heard him speaking about friends. The boy seemed to take all the company he was offered, not demanding for much more than that.
Severus shook his head. Well, that was not really true, he had seen the boy nearly demand attention from Albus as the days progressed, but it still was subdued. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened in his short life to make him so accepting.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when the boy looked up; he obviously had felt the dark stare on him. "Good morning, Uncle Severus, how are you feeling?"
Raising an eyebrow, the man stepped out of bed and went to sit at the child's side. "I'm perfectly alright. I was perfectly alright yesterday; that woman always overreacts."
Harry chuckled softly but didn't comment. He closed his book and lent back into his pillows. He would have left the hospital wing as soon as he woke up, but his grandfather had resolutely forbidden him to step out of the room until Madam Pomfrey said so. As much as he hated the place, he was not ready to disobey such a direct order from the old man.
"Where are Albus and Minerva?"
Harry looked up and frowned a bit. "They went to granddad's office, or at least, that's what Madam Pomfrey said."
Severus was about to reply when said nurse rushed inside, an incensed look on her face. "Severus, Dumbledore needs you at the front door."
The Potions Master exchanged a glance with Alec and frowned. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
The woman scowled deeply. "The Minister is here; he and Albus are arguing quite loudly, Minerva asked me to fetch all the teachers."
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.
Web of Lies.
Harry woke up to an argument. Frowning a bit without opening his eyes, he tried to determine where he was.
"Poppy, for the love of Merlin, we're fine! We don't need to stay here."
Harry smiled a bit when he heard the matron snorting in disbelief. "Severus, you just fought against a horde of dementors, I doubt you could be fine even if you'd eaten all the chocolate in Honeydukes."
A small laugh announced Minerva's presence in the room. "I doubt you could ever force Severus to eat so much chocolate."
Harry smiled lightly, eyes still closed; he could imagine the scowl on the man's face. He wasn't disappointed when the sharp voice rang through the room. "On what side are you, Minerva? Or do you fancy staying in here till tomorrow?"
After a small silence, the feminine voice spoke again. "Well, if you put it that way..."
Dumbledore's soft voice stopped the argument. "Now, now, children, it won't kill you to stay in here for a few hours; besides, this way, Poppy and I can keep an eye on both you and Alec."
Harry opened his eyes slightly, and watched as Dumbledore and the nurse ushered the two disgruntled teachers to two beds opposite of the one he was lying in. After much grumbling on Snape's part, Madam Pomfrey managed to get them in bed and gave the teachers a cup of hot chocolate. The chocolate must have been laced with some kind of sleeping draught because both professors were out of it in minutes. Harry opened his eyes fully when Dumbledore approached his bed again. The old man seemed a bit startled to see him awake, but he smiled fondly down at him.
"Did the two of them wake you up, child?"
Harry blinked once and then returned the soft smile. "Yeah, but it was kind of amusing. Never thought Uncle Severus would put up such a childish argument."
Dumbledore laughed softly, attracting Madam Pomfrey's attention. The woman hurried to their side and frowned when she saw the boy awake.
"You should still be asleep, young man."
The boy looked down at his hands and nodded lightly. "Yes, ma'am."
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Poppy, I don't think you've met my grandson, Alexander."
Madam Pomfrey looked at them both for a long moment, before her gaze settled on the young child. The boy looked back at her distrustfully; he needed to keep his façade after all, and he was wondering what was going on with her.
The woman ignored the inquisitive look and simply raised an eyebrow to him. Then, she drew the curtains around the bed and placed a silencing charm around the small cubicle. Dumbledore frowned at her actions.
"Poppy, what...?"
The nurse looked at him sternly. "Albus, I don't know what game the two of you are playing, but I would like an explanation as to why half the wizarding world is looking for a boy that is staying just under your care."
Alec groaned softly and passed an arm over his eyes. Dumbledore's eyes hardened at once. "I guess that telling you that I have no idea of what you're talking about is not going to help?"
Poppy snorted. "I've been a nurse at this school for decades, Albus, and Mr. Potter here has been one of my most frequent visitors. While I admit that the disguise is very well done, it hardly hides the medical facts."
Albus nodded slightly; he should have thought of it, but he had been too concerned about Alec to think straight about the consequences. Even so, he wasn't so sure this was a bad thing; after all, Poppy was one of his most trusted staff members, and she would be forced to keep their secrets due to the oaths all mediwizards took. Sighing, and looked towards his supposed grandson. "Are you sure you're alright, Alec?"
The boy was shivering slightly under the blankets. Poppy was immediately at his side, taking his temperature. Once she was reassured that he didn't have a fever, she left the small cubicle and went to fetch some of the hot chocolate she had given to Severus and Minerva.
When she returned, Alec was no longer in bed, but wrapped in his blankets and resting in Dumbledore's lap. Silently, the man took the cup out of her hands and pressed it against Harry's lips. The boy drank obediently and was asleep within seconds. The two of them rearranged the child on the bed and then went to Madam Pomfrey's office. The woman wanted answers and she was going to get them.
It took Dumbledore nearly an hour to explain what had happened and why he had chosen to hide Harry. In the end, the nurse had agreed with him that Harry was much safer as Alec, but she didn't like the fact that they hadn't told the other teachers. She would have expected him to at least tell Minerva and Severus, since they were some of his most trusted teachers, but the old man refused to tell anyone else. In his opinion, too many people knew about this already, and he didn't want to risk more people finding out. Madam Pomfrey wisely kept silent, not agreeing with the other man, but she couldn't do anything about it either; her oaths forced her to keep the secrets of her patients intact, and Dumbledore had directly appealed at those oaths, forcing her to keep her mouth shut on the whole matter.
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Waking up was unpleasant, he felt his awareness come back slowly and knew that he had been drugged. It was at times like this when he hated the fact that Poppy had access to his potions. To be rendered unconscious by his own work was humiliating. Sighing, he opened his eyes and noticed that the room was brightly lit, indicating it was late in the morning.
The sour man sat up in his bed and was greeted by the sight of Alec reading one of his books. The sight, while not unusual, made him think of how isolated the child really was. He didn't know much about his life before he met him, but the boy seemed to be used to his loneliness. In all the evenings he had spent in Albus' manor, playing chess with the youth, not once had he seen an owl coming for him nor had he heard him speaking about friends. The boy seemed to take all the company he was offered, not demanding for much more than that.
Severus shook his head. Well, that was not really true, he had seen the boy nearly demand attention from Albus as the days progressed, but it still was subdued. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened in his short life to make him so accepting.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when the boy looked up; he obviously had felt the dark stare on him. "Good morning, Uncle Severus, how are you feeling?"
Raising an eyebrow, the man stepped out of bed and went to sit at the child's side. "I'm perfectly alright. I was perfectly alright yesterday; that woman always overreacts."
Harry chuckled softly but didn't comment. He closed his book and lent back into his pillows. He would have left the hospital wing as soon as he woke up, but his grandfather had resolutely forbidden him to step out of the room until Madam Pomfrey said so. As much as he hated the place, he was not ready to disobey such a direct order from the old man.
"Where are Albus and Minerva?"
Harry looked up and frowned a bit. "They went to granddad's office, or at least, that's what Madam Pomfrey said."
Severus was about to reply when said nurse rushed inside, an incensed look on her face. "Severus, Dumbledore needs you at the front door."
The Potions Master exchanged a glance with Alec and frowned. "Why? Is there something wrong?"
The woman scowled deeply. "The Minister is here; he and Albus are arguing quite loudly, Minerva asked me to fetch all the teachers."
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.