Disclaimer – I don't own it, I am not making any money off of it, and I am not trying to infringe on it.
Chapter 12 – Unexpected Meetings
Albus sat in his armchair watching the boy closely. Severus was engaging in some type of competition against himself, trying to fit the shapes into his sorting cube, over and over, as fast as he could. He had been at the same activity for almost an hour now and normally he was quite good at it. But the dark haired child was growing tired and he was beginning to have difficulty matching the proper shape with its proper hole. Albus could sense there were only minutes to go until Severus' frustration peaked, and the cube exploded into wooden shrapnel.
The boy was already ensconced in a protective magical field of course, so there was little danger from the explosion itself. But Severus' anger at his inability to control his magic was also a worry. While the child had learned to tolerate most of his accidental surges of power, he became quite upset if he felt he had endangered someone, or destroyed something important. It seemed the toddler had inherited the older Slytherins' propensity for guilt.
"Sebastian?" Albus attempted to divert the child's attention.
The toddler whipped his head around at this disturbance and scowled. A moment later several books on the shelves behind the Headmaster flew off their perches and crashed around the older wizard. The boy's reaction was instantaneous – his hands flew to cover his eyes. Not that the powerful magic was hampered really by a set of small hands blocking it, but it seemed to give Severus a feeling of control over it all the same. And occasionally, the mere physical act of concentrating on his body, did seem to bring the magical surge to a halt.
Albus continued as if nothing had happened. "Shall we go see Minerva? We haven't been out all morning, and you must be feeling a bit shut-in. I know I am."
Severus dropped his hands and nodded.
"Perhaps she will turn into a cat for us if we ask her nicely."
The tiniest of smiles appeared on the child's face, and he walked to the door and waited. Albus retrieved a small steam engine that was pulled along by a string. It had been enchanted to blow colored smoke as it went, and Albus had found that if Severus' attention was focused on something else – such as making sure the locomotive was following along properly – accidental magic was less likely to manifest itself.
This was especially important in the corridors of Hogwarts. With the arrival of August, nearly all the staff had returned to the castle, and though Albus trusted them all, he could not risk the possibility of some loose words alerting the Ministry to the boy's unusual abilities. With the recent demise of the Dark Lord, and the embarrassment over the government's lack of ability to protect the students, Minister Fudge had been making more and more ridiculous pronouncements. While each one was more absurd than the next, and few were ever likely to pass into law, his latest involved having wizards and witches register their levels of magical abilities with the Ministry. At the moment the proposal only referred to adults, but the Minister had scheduled an appointment with Albus, and the Headmaster had no doubt in his mind that Fudge was trying to feel him out about the prospect of testing and recording the students' powers. Albus of course, had no intention of assisting in such a charade. But he did worry about Fudge somehow finding out about the boy. The blasted man was always sure Albus was plotting in some way against him. A powerful child in Albus' care would not help allay that fear.
Well, he would handle the Minister some other day. Perhaps he would set up a meeting with the Order in the near future, to discuss finding a viable candidate to challenge Fudge in next year's election. Albus had always hoped that Harry would someday fill that position, but that would be years yet. Perhaps he could interest Amelia Bones in the idea?
Albus shook all thoughts of politics out of his head and knocked on Professor McGonagall's door. He was surprised when Remus Lupin opened it, but grew a bit concerned when he entered and found Molly and Arthur Weasley, Poppy Pomfrey and Hermione Granger all seated in Minerva's sitting room.
Albus looked down at the boy. "I suppose there won't be any 'turning into a cat' today, my boy. It seems someone is having a meeting." He then looked at Minerva, who though looking caught out, was watching him carefully from her spot by the fireplace. "Are we invited to join in?" he asked pleasantly.
With a few intricate waves of her wand, an umbrella stand near the door transfigured itself into a comfortable looking armchair and moved itself to the circle of Order members. Albus sat down and went to pull the boy onto his knee when Arthur waved the child over. The friendly head of the Weasley family spent a few moments admiring Severus' train and then reached in to his pocket and pulled out his wand. He carefully tapped the train a few times, and then giving Severus a wink, pointed to the stone floor. The child set the train down and gave it a pull, to his delight it made a chugging sound followed by a train whistle.
The Headmaster gave Arthur a wink of his own. The distraction the father of seven had provided would give Albus ten minutes at most. But it would be long enough for him to hear what the others had come for, or to say.
Minerva cleared her throat and began. "Albus, we know what it is you want to do."
Trust her to get right to the heart of the matter, thought Albus. But all he answered with was a simple, "You do?"
"Yes, correct me if I am wrong, but you wish to return Sebastian back to his original state?"
"And what makes you say that, my dear?"
He was stalling of course, probably badly too - though he had learned a few things from the Slytherins in his time. He had indeed been contemplating just such a thing. But this time he had decided not to rush the decision making process. He wanted to be sure, as Ms. Granger had said, that he wasn't just going to make the situation worse. The last three days he had spent every moment that Severus slept or was in another's care, to speak with healers from outside of Britain, read up on both wizarding and Muggle mental health, or contact old friends from far away places to get answers on uncontrolled magic. Still, though he was leaning in the direction of bringing Severus back to his adult state, he hadn't made that decision fully yet. And he wasn't sure if he wanted this decision to be put to a vote either.
Minerva shook her head sadly. "Albus, there is no reason to be difficult. We are on your side. Yours and Sebastian's. The child cannot handle this magic, not physically nor emotionally. And Poppy tells us that every time his power manifests itself his heart rate is putting him at great risk. Meanwhile, you sit in your office brooding and feeling guilty. That has never solved anything in the past and it won't solve anything now."
At this Albus narrowed his eyes and gave a scowl that would have made an older Severus proud. But in his heart he knew she was only being honest with him.
Poppy took up the mantle. "We are concerned for you Headmaster. This decision is weighing on you terribly, but there is no reason to carry this burden yourself."
It was Molly's turn now. "Yes, please let us help you. No one should have to parent alone." At that she reached over to Arthur and gave his hand a little squeeze.
"Very well," said Albus. "Why don't you lot tell me what you think before Sebastian loses interest in his toy." He gave them all a small smile of thanks for their support and offer of help.
There was a bit of murmuring as they decided among them who would speak for the group, so Albus stole a quick glance at Severus, who had abandoned the train and was now admiring Minerva's collection of glass cats. She usually was wise enough to put them away when the child entered, but today she had not. He sincerely hoped she wasn't too fond of them. That uncomfortable thought was interrupted by the deep and soothing voice of Remus Lupin.
"We believe that Sebastian will not be able to survive as things stand now. Therefore the only solution is to age him. If Severus is willing, Hermione thinks there are things that he can learn to do – but only as an adult – to control his powers. It won't be easy, but it is possible. And Severus is one of the brightest and most resourceful wizards most of us have ever met." Then he smiled warmly at Albus. "Present company excepted, of course."
Albus returned the smile, and then for a moment no one said anything. There was an unspoken question that still hung in the air. It was Arthur who took the initiative and answered it.
"He might be all right when he returns, Albus. He has had quite a few good months with you and Minerva; and now that the pain of having his magic bound has been dealt with, he may be just fine. But, if Severus remains suicidal once he's returned, then we can help him with that too. Molly and I know of a healer in Ireland who can be of great help. He's a mind healer Albus, and he helped us tremendously last year when Percy had his breakdown. We trust his discretion as well." Molly bobbed her head in agreement.
Albus nodded thoughtfully. He remembered that. The boy had really lost it, gone quite a bit over the edge – everyone had been very concerned. But he was doing well now. Perhaps that could happen for Severus.
Just then a resounding crash filled the room. The glass cats had all magically exited their place on the shelves and been flung onto the stone floor, thankfully several feet beyond where the boy stood, hands now covering his eyes.
The Headmaster stood up quickly and mouthed an apology to Minerva as he made his way over to the child. The then lifted Severus into his arms, and to his pleasure, the boy stayed put. He pushed the dark hair gently away from the small ear and whispered into it, "It seems there are quite a few people who care about us. And I think, Severus, we may have come to a decision as well."
The boy lifted his head back a bit and looked into the old wizard's eyes. Then to Albus' complete surprise, the child smiled at him. Albus wondered all the way back to his office whether it was because the child had understood what he had said to him, or if he had just been pleased to hear Albus use his given name.
****
Once the decision had been made, Albus felt a great weight removed from his shoulders. It was quite a bit more freeing than Albus had ever realized not to have to be the sole person responsible for something. He had been the Headmaster of Hogwarts for quite a few years now, not to mention the Leader of the Order, the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, and the supposedly Most Powerful Wizard Alive (now up for debate) for so long, he had apparently gotten used to the feeling that he was on his own.
He smiled down at Severus who was eating his dinner at the work table in his old private quarters in the dungeons. Albus had spent most of the day down here with him. Every since the decision had been reached yesterday, Albus had been following the instructions of the healer the Weasleys had contacted for him. One of these was to reintroduce Severus to his old belongings, in the hope that he wouldn't experience familiarity overload upon his return. And an added bonus, Albus thought to himself, was that the reinforced stone dungeon and sparsely decorated bedchamber withstood the child's magical surges far better than his own offices.
Severus had finished all of his ham and roast potatoes, but had been pushing the bitter greens around his plate for the last few minutes. This had been one of the adult Severus' favorite dishes, but apparently memory did not carry over completely with taste buds – the sweets alone having proven that point – so Albus excused the child from the table. As he slid off his chair the remaining contents of the dish burst into flames. Albus doused it with a wave of his hand.
The child wandered about for a bit, finally pausing to admire a wizarding chess set that sat on a nearby countertop. The pieces where made of either pewter for one side or bronze for the other, and represented various magical creatures. The pawns were kneazles, and Severus took a special interest in them, running his fingers along each one and then finally lifting one into his small fist. Albus watched amused as Severus slipped the tiny pawn into his trouser pocket and then padded into the next room. The Headmaster wondered if perhaps the boy intended to use the pewter kneazle as a potions ingredient.
Albus summoned a house elf to let him know the child had finished eating. Then he walked around the stone room for a bit trying to remember what it was like when Severus had been the school's Potions master and the Order's spy. It had been only a few months ago, but it seemed almost like another lifetime. Well, mused Albus, for Severus it had been another lifetime.
He had always been fond of Severus, first as an extremely talented student, and even more so later, when he had put aside his past and joined the Light. When the Slytherin youth was a pupil, Albus had tried to talk with the young man and get to know him better, but he had always resisted his overtures, never trusting a Gryffindor - even in Headmaster robes.
Later, Albus had felt that Severus' coming to him when he wanted out of Voldemort's service was a personal vote of confidence. Perhaps he had more effect on the boy than he had originally thought? And finally, in the past eighteen years he had grown quite close to the man – as least as close as anyone could get with the surly Potion's Master. He had witnessed first hand the incredible stress that living a double life had created, and had been the one to listen to the man's ranting and ravings when the stress overtook him. But try as he might, he could never make in roads into relieving the guilt that he knew the Head of Slytherin House felt at his actions while working as, and with, the Death Eaters.
Still, as fond as he was of the man, Albus had grown equally fond of the boy. This Severus needed him too, but was far more open to his overtures of comfort and caring. The grown man was so hardened to others that in eighteen years Albus had had less success with him than he had made with his younger counterpart in two months. Would anything be different this time around, once Severus had been returned to his former self? The old wizard sincerely hoped so.
Albus was jarred out of his reverie by the realization that there was a voice coming from the small study off the larger room. Knowing that there was no one in the former Potion's Master's private rooms other than he and the boy, and that the voice – had the child spoke – was far too deep to be Severus', Albus drew his wand and practically flew to the doorway. As he rounded the entranceway with a swirl of robes, he saw the startling sight of a tall figure in Death Easter robes crouching down and chatting with the child. His Death Eater mask was missing, but the hood of his robe blocked the Headmaster from seeing the man's face. At the sound of Albus' entrance, the figure turned slightly towards him, and then dove towards the opening in the wall from which he had come. Albus pointed his wand at the fast moving figure, but Severus stepped directly into the Headmaster's line of fire, and glared furiously at his caretaker. He had clearly taken Albus' interference in his 'conversation' as an offence.
The Headmaster pocketed his wand and moved quickly across the room, pushing the child roughly behind him. He then moved his hand along the wall's opening and felt the magic of the old school vibrate within his fingertips. He stood still for a moment and calmed his breathing. He reminded himself that the Death Eater had not harmed the child, and pushed any thoughts of what might have been, to the back of his mind. Then he turned back to the toddler. He guided him slowly into the other room, and sat down on a chair, placing the boy directly in front of him.
He tried smiling at Severus, who was till scowling, and spoke in a comforting tone.
"Would you show me in your mind what it was you just saw, Sebastian?"
The child backed up as Albus went to place his hand on the boy's forehead.
The Headmaster tried again, "Won't you allow me to take a look?".
Severus folded his arms across his small chest and shook his head, his dark hair falling across his eyes.
The old wizard was growing weary. He was sorely tempted to force the issue with the boy – after all, the safety of Hogwarts' returning students was involved. Somehow one of Voldemort's minions had survived a stay in the castle's walls and something would have to be done to stop him. But after a moment's contemplation, he realized that it probably didn't matter which Death Eater it was very much. It was quite possible that the Death Eater had already become part of the castle itself, and could not survive long outside of the walls. Perhaps he was some sort of ghoul now. They were after all part ghost, and part living creature. And there were ways to rid a building of a ghoul. Albus would get Remus on it right away.
He took the child's hand and along with the pull-toy engine, headed back out of the dungeons, up the stairs, and over to the main staircase. As he reached the second landing he spotted the deputy Headmistress walking along a nearby corridor. He waved her over and briefly explained to her what he had seen. Minerva's Gryffindor courage helped her to put on a good front, but Albus could see that she too was shaken. She offered to pass along the message to Remus, and alert Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt, so that the Headmaster could spend a quiet evening with the child before it was time for him to go to sleep. Albus thanked her and attempted to continue on. But Severus let go of his hand and set off after Professor McGonagall, grabbing and pulling on the edge of her robe.
She paused and looked down at him, turning her head slightly and lifting a questioning eyebrow. "Yes, Sebastian?"
The child reached into his pocket, fumbled about a bit, and drew out the small pewter kneazle. He placed it into the witches' hand and watched carefully as she brought it up to her face and examined it carefully.
"Is it a replacement for the cats you broke in my quarters earlier today?" she asked curiously.
Severus nodded.
"Thank you. I accept your offer." She gave him a nod and a smile.
Satisfied, Severus ran back to Albus, and the two headed up the final staircase, back to their home.
Authors Note:
This was a difficult chapter to write. I know the last chapter seemed like a lot of filler, and this one might too, but if everything moves too quickly a lot of important information will get lost. If it helps any – we are indeed nearing the end now.
Zippy Zany – I thought about what you said in your review and tried to work a bit of it into this chapter (the part about the kneazle). Hopefully there will be more to come. I will work on it.
CuriousDreamWeaver – Phineas is a favorite of mine too, so you can be sure we will be seeing more of him - slippery Slytherin that he is.
Rosaleen – No need to worry. As this story is told from Albus' POV, Severus can't be separated from the Headmaster for too long or we would have no idea what was happening to him. As for Minerva - well, she has her part to play as well in Sev's future.
Tall Oaks – Thanks! Saying those chapters were "fun" is quite a compliment!
Lucidity – As you can see from this chapter, you were on the mark.
Athena Keating-Thomas– I was trying to create just that sort of picture, only perhaps a bit more sympathetic than The Exorcist.
To everyone who has reviewed, once again, a very big thank you!!! And if you haven't reviewed yet, or want to do so again, please do. I'd love to hear from you!
