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Chapter 10 – Finite Incantatum

Severus stood in the middle of his nursery, glaring at each person in turn as they mingled about, touching his potions kit, pointing as his duvet cover in his cot with ridiculous grins, and laughing at his attempts at writing, displayed on the parchments lying on his small work table. It was clear to Albus that if he didn't get this ceremony going soon, Severus was going to loose what he had left of his infinitely small reserve of patience – and the one thing they didn't need before the ceremony was a temper tantrum.

Albus approached the boy and kneeled down in front of him. He gave him a big grin, and receiving only a scowl in return, he reached into his pocket and handed the child a peppermint chew. Severus popped it into his mouth, never once dropping the glower.

Albus sighed and smoothed the front of the boy's tunic. For the umpteenth time that morning Albus admired Minerva's work. He knew that she must have spent hours permanently transfiguring the shirt to the form it was now. It was made of a soft dark green velvet, with a satin collar and sleeves. Intricate silver work adorned the edges, winding in snake like designs from front to back. Along the sleeves' edges there were a series of buttons, that when you looked at them closely were revealed to be tiny pewter cauldrons. And if that wasn't enough, Minerva had repeating "Ss" embroidered in silver thread along the neckline, looking from afar like vines in a field.

Severus apparently liked it to, because after the Headmaster had helped him to finish dressing this morning, the toddler had stood in front of the mirror for quite a while – repeatedly touching his hand to the glass and then to himself, as if to assure himself that the fine reflection he saw was indeed him.

"Time to get started, my boy" Albus said as softly as he could over the noise of the assembled participants. He then stood back up, and taking the child's hand, led him to a chair that had been placed in the center of a talisman circle in the middle of the room.

When the crowd noticed what the Headmaster was doing, they stopped chatting and began to form a circle themselves.

Not for the first time the Headmaster wished that this ceremony could be conducted with fewer people. But for varying reasons he needed them all. Harry for his wand of course, and Hermione for the instructions. Minerva and Poppy were present to help restrain the boy if necessary, Albus deciding that physical restraint from caring arms being preferable to magical restraint of any sort. Remus was the lookout. He would stay in the main office area and alert Albus to any disturbance that required his attention. And Ron was there because, well, because Harry and Hermione seldom ever did anything without Ron. And besides, in another week the golden trio would be split forever when Harry and Ron began the three year long arduous task of auror training, while Ms. Granger stayed behind at Hogwarts to teach first through fourth year potions (Albus was still interviewing for an instructor for the upper forms, and a potential Slytherin Head of House) The three were clearly trying to spend every last moment they could together, and Albus didn't have the heart to leave young Mr. Weasley out of things.

"Shall we begin?" asked the Headmaster. He stood next to Severus and smiled. Then he slipped a large potions bottle from his pocket and handed it to the boy.

Without questioning his caretaker at all, Severus unstoppered it, and drank the contents. He smiled and licked his lips. Albus had made sure that the taste was a pleasant one.

Once the initial preparations were finished, Remus headed out the nursery door, shutting it softly behind him. Minerva and Poppy then stepped into the circle, flanking the boy on each side, and laying comforting hands on his shoulders. Ron and Hermione remained outside the small circle, as did Harry and Albus. The latter two went quietly around to the back of the chair, out of Severus' line of sight. The toddler tried to twist his head to see what was going on behind him, but Professor McGonagall gently nudged his head back forward. Ron saw what the trouble was and moved slightly, so that he was now directly in Severus' view. He made a few silly faces to keep the child's attention focused forward. The toddler was not particularly amused by the youngest Weasley's antics, and did not crack even the tiniest of grins, but it provided enough of a diversion that he did not see the wands being slowly drawn behind him, and pointed just below his ear.

At Albus' nod, Hermione muttered a quick "Incendo", and all the small wicks floating in dishes of oil, which had been spread about the bedchamber, ignited. As there was plenty of light from the morning sun, the added candle light was barely noticeable, but the fragrances released by the burning oils quickly filled the room.

A moment later Albus began a quiet chant. Harry then joined him. Severus, of course, immediately lost interest in Ron as soon as the chanting began and once again tried to turn his head. Minerva prevented him from doing so, and the boy responded by trying to twist his entire body around instead. This time Poppy Pomfrey stopped him with a firm grip on his torso. Severus arched his back, but it was of no use, the two witches were far too strong for him. He was trapped. He closed his eyes tight and grimaced.

"Is he in pain?" whispered Minerva to the mediwitch.

Poppy moved her hands slightly upward to feel at the child's carotid pulse. "I am not sure," she whispered back, "but he is clearly upset."

The incantation droned on for several minutes, and eventually a familiar high pitched sound, like a top spinning filled the room. Then a pale green aura began to emanate from Severus' body, and the objects lining the talisman circle began to vibrate.

The boy had given up struggling, and now sat as still as Albus had ever seen him, even while asleep. As he pointed his wand at him, Albus could feel the force of the magic permeating right back up at him. It was difficult to keep the wand steady and he glanced at Harry, whom he noticed had rivulets of sweat running down the side of his face. Harry's wand was shaking, although he valiantly continued the chant while he struggled to keep his arm steady. Finally the time seemed right and Albus caught Harry's eye. With a prearranged signal – two rapid blinks of Albus' eyes - they simultaneously spoke the words that the old wizard hoped would free the boy's magic.

 "Finite Incantatum"

The moment he said it, Albus knew it had been a mistake. The explosive force that instantaneously issued back through his wand knocked the old wizard to the ground. But compared to what happened to The-Boy-Who-Lived, Albus could count himself among the lucky. Harry flew through the air like a leaf in a gale, slamming into the door and knocking it clear off its hinges. The pride of Gryffindor then fell firmly to the ground in an unmoving, and clearly unnaturally positioned heap.

 Before anyone could react and offer assistance, a bright light sprung from Severus' eyes and fixed on the opposite wall. The beam of light narrowed where it joined together at its target and began to take form. The light swirled around in a counterclockwise motion, solidifying in its interior but casting off a permeable mist of colored smoke around its edges.

The sense of power the now rod like light gave off was so overwhelming that it filled the room with a thickness that made it difficult to move. Poppy fought against it in order to get to Harry, but she found her limbs were fighting against some unseen barrier. Minerva in turn, could barely move her head to check on Albus' situation. Hermione and Ron were reaching for each other, the way one would while fighting off hurricane force winds.

Finally, when the pressure had built to such intensity that it seemed everyone in the room would suffocate, the light, which had now solidified into a silver staff, suddenly flew towards the tiny figure sitting transfixed in his chair. The boy reached out his hand, whether to catch it or protect himself from it Albus could not guess, but it flew right into him, being instantly absorbed into his body.

The pressure was immediately released from the surroundings, and everyone frantically gulped large mouthfuls of air. As soon as Poppy had her wits about her again, she turned and ran towards Harry. She was surprised to find that Remus was already at his side, having heard the commotion from the main office. She ran a quick diagnostic, and with only a brief nod towards Albus, levitated Harry and headed him towards the infirmary.

Minerva was unsure who to check on first. Ron and Hermione were gripping each others' shoulders as they tried to regain their equilibrium. Albus had lifted himself from the floor, and was repairing his broken glasses with a quick spell. Severus was sitting as still as could be, but looking for all the world as if he were contemplating something important.

Then the small child slipped off the large chair and headed towards the left wall, where a series of built in cupboards and shelves lined the area. He looked around for a moment and then his eyes settled on his potions bowl. He stared at it for a moment, and then the magical light emerged from his eyes. While Albus was sure the boy had intended to do no more than summon his beloved potions bowl, that was not the result that occurred. Every item on the shelves, and every object in the cupboards, immediately flew from their place and banged, crashed and slammed into various other parts of the nursery and its collective occupants. A moment later the few decorative pictures that Albus had decorated the nursery with, flew from their spots on the walls, swishing over the ducking heads all those assembled. Albus pointed his wand at the boy who had been knocked to the floor a moment before by a large, stuffed dragon, and shouted "Imperturbas".

Immediately any picture that flew within a foot of Severus bounced away, as if it had come in contact with a magical force field. Harry and Ron in turn lifted their wands and each gave repeated cries of "Impedimenta", effectively freezing whichever flying picture frame their spell had come into contact with.

Then suddenly, in the next room over where Remus still stood guard, the Headmaster heard a shout of surprise just before the crashing commenced. All eyes flew to Severus, who was sitting unperturbed on the floor in a cocoon of protective magic.  Hermione emerged from behind the small table where she had taken refuge. "Headmaster, look at his eyes. He still hasn't turned his magic off!"

"I got it," shouted Ron, who pointed his wand at the child. "Stupe…"

"Expelliarmus!"

 Ron's wand flew to the outstretched hand of the Headmaster. "No one is to hex Sebastian," he stated firmly.

The crashing sounds in the next room continued and a moment later Fawkes flew into the nursery, followed by a frantic Remus. "Headmaster," he shouted. "Your office – it's being destroyed. All the …"

The old wizard held up a hand to quiet the gentle werewolf as he made his way across the room to the small dark haired boy. Minerva was already at the child's side, trying to convince him to sever the magical connection. The boy was not listening to her, though. He was deep in thought, as if he were unaware of what he was doing and the havoc he was wreaking.

Albus knelt down next to the child. "Sebastian! Stop your magic," the Headmaster ordered the boy. At any other time the tone of the older wizard's command would have got the boy's attention. But not this time.

Minerva and Albus exchanged glances. The noises from the other room were lessening, but Albus knew that it was more than likely due to the fact that all the objects had been either broken, or frozen by Remus before he fled, than Severus' turning his spigot of power off. Besides, the eerie light still shone from his eyes.

Albus dropped the Imperturbas spell, and tried shaking the boy's shoulders to get his attention. The child moved himself slightly to dislodge Albus' light grip. But he would not look at his caretaker. His eyes continued to shine at, and apparently through, the nearby wall.

Hermione approached the Headmaster, and leaning over, whispered something into his ear. Albus smiled and reached out for the boy's forehead.

"Somnus," he whispered. The magical light abruptly extinguished and Severus turned his head towards the old wizard, just a moment before his eyes drooped shut. Albus quickly moved his arms and caught the toddler's slumping body.

All those present gathered around the Headmaster and the boy. Ron spoke first. "What the bloody hell happened?"

At Minerva's reproving glance, Ron blushed. "I mean, was this supposed to happen? The way it did?"

Albus rose to his feet, the sleeping child in his arms. "No, Mr. Weasley, not like this. I fear that Harry's wand, not being an exact match for the original wand, created an imbalance. I was trying to release the magic more slowly, but the pressure of Sebastian's power was built up for nearly forty years, and as our incantation tried to release it, it found the path of least resistance."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry's wand! That's why he was thrown like that. Sebastian didn't do it on purpose then, did he?"

Albus shook his head. "I highly doubt anything you saw here today was done intentionally. I just fear that now that the boy's power has been released without any sort of limitations on it, he won't be able to control it. And it has been my experience that once the genie has been let out of its bottle, it is quite difficult to put it back in."

With those words and a large sigh, Albus carried the child over to the room's rocking chair. He righted it with a wave of his hand and sat down with the boy in his arms. He then began to rock back and forth, deep in thought. Fawkes perched himself on the chair's arm and began to make a gentle trilling sound.

There was a bit of whispering among the four remaining people in the room, and then everyone but Minerva made their way out of the bedchamber – Ron pausing at the Headmaster momentarily to retrieve his wand. Then the Transfiguration Professor made her way to stand directly in front of Albus, and looked sharply down at the sleeping boy, a stern expression on her face.

"The others will get started on a clean up of your office. When they are finished, you can move into another room and they will do the same in here," she stated, indicating the mess surrounding them with a wave of her hand – as if Albus somehow had lacked awareness of the destruction that surrounded him. "I am going to check on Ms. Tonks and Mr. Shackelbolt. I will be back shortly."

As she turned to leave, the old wizard mumbled a quiet "Thank you, my dear."

Minerva stopped in her tracks and turned back to her old friend. Her face softened considerably. "He will not sleep forever, Albus," she warned gently. "Something will have to be done."

"I know, my dear, I know."

With that phrase lingering in the air, and one tiny backward glance at the decimated nursery, the Head of Gryffindor took her leave.

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the return of Severus' magic (at least more than the occupants of the room did). For those of you that were hoping everything would go off without a hitch, just remember that I warned you in the summary – "Nothing in Snape's life is ever easy, is it?". ;)
 
Thank you again for all the lovely reviews – both to my new reviewers and my repeat reviewers. They are terrific fun to read!