10. Moving On
A/N: Lots of thanks go to Cielita for providing me with several ideas for what to write next.
As he said he would, Albus spoke to Muggle authorities, but they said they couldn't do anything unless Petunia came to them. About a week after that, Minerva was teaching a class when Albus entered and indicated that he wished to speak with her. Nodding, she asked the students to sit quietly and continue with their work before slipping out. "What is it, Albus?"
"Read this." He handed her the letter in his hand.
Curious, she accepted the letter and read it:
Albus,
Petunia's here. She wants to talk to you and Min. She's got her son with her. I have no idea where Vernon is.
BellaShe looked up at him. "What do you suppose this means, Albus?"
"I do not know, Minerva," he replied quietly. "I would like to go as soon as I can."
Minerva hesitated, frowning. "What about Harry?"
"I'm afraid the only person available to watch him is Severus," Albus told her.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Of all the staff members, Severus was the one most likely to figure out who Harry truly was. She'd managed to avoid having Severus watch Harry up to now, but it seemed she didn't have a choice. "Very well. I will cancel my next class and take Harry to Severus."
"Thank you, Minerva." Albus kissed her cheek.
She felt her face grow warm. "I don't need thanks any more than you do, Albus."
"I know." Squeezing her hand encouragingly, he left for his office.
Turning, Minerva re-entered the classroom.
His hand firmly in Mum's, Harry trotted along beside her as they went down to the dungeons. He could tell she was anxious about something, but not what. Knowing questions would be futile, Harry didn't bother asking any. They soon arrived at a classroom just as students were leaving. Most ignored Harry, although a few gave Mum odd looks. Once the last of the students were gone, Mum and Harry entered the classroom. "Yes, Minerva, what can--what's the brat doing here?"
"His name is 'Harry', Severus," Mum countered, even as she squeezed Harry's hand comfortingly, "and he's here because you're the only one who can watch him right now."
Uncle Snape sneered. "Why not Albus?"
"If he could watch Harry, he would, but both of us need to go," Mum's voice was calm, but Harry could tell that she was beginning to lose her temper.
Uncle Snape sighed heavily. "Very well, I will watch him."
"Thank you," Mum replied and, unbeknownst to Harry, gave Uncle Snape a look that said: 'Harm him in any way, shape, or form, and you will pay dearly.' She then knelt to speak with Harry. "Uncle Snape's going to watch you for a bit, Harry-lad. I want you to be on your best behavior. Is that understood?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, Mum."
"Good." Smiling, she kissed his forehead and hugged him before standing again. "I'll pick him up as soon as I can."
Harry watched Mum leave, and then turned to Uncle Snape. "What are we gonna play?"
"Play?" Uncle Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry. "I have work to do. You may play in that corner there."
He pointed to a corner that was suddenly filled with Harry's building blocks. "Thanks, Uncle Snape!" Harry hugged him swiftly before running over to begin playing with his blocks.
Behind him, Uncle Snape remained where he was for a few moments before going over to his desk.
Albus and Minerva arrived at Arabella's home several minutes later. Albus could tell that Minerva was preoccupied and squeezed her hand to let her know he was there. She smiled up at him as she squeezed his hand back. Nodding, he reached up and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal Arabella. "Albus, Min! About time!"
"Hello, Bella," Minerva greeted her sister with a hug.
Albus was practically dragged into the house. "Hello, Bella."
"Yes, yes, hello, hello, come on." Grabbing each of them by the hand, Arabella took them into the living room.
Petunia sat on one of the couches, Dudley sitting quietly beside her. When Arabella entered with Albus and Minerva, both looked up. Albus had to struggle to hide his reaction. Petunia had two black eyes and Dudley's right cheek was bruised. "Hello, Mrs. Dursley."
"My name is Petunia, Professor Dumbledore," she answered quietly, her eyes meeting his almost defiantly.
He nodded as he crossed to the other couch and sat down. "And mine is Albus. Why did you wish to see Minerva and I?"
"I wish for your protection," Petunia replied after a long silence.
Albus exchanged looks with both Minerva and Arabella. "Protection from what? Or whom?"
"Vernon Dursley," she whispered the name, obviously fighting back tears. "You freaks are the reason he started hitting me, you might as well protect Dudley and I."
Albus closed his eyes for a moment, his suspicions confirmed. "I am truly sorry about that, Petunia."
"You can prove it by protecting us from Vernon," she snapped.
Minerva was the one who answered, "We will, Petunia."
Harry woke that night to a scream from Mum's room. Wondering what was wrong, he practically fell out of his bed and hurried to her room. Entering, he saw that it was empty, but she was thrashing around on the bed, obviously having a bad dream. Unable to think of anything else, Harry ran to Mr. Albus' room. He was fast asleep in his big bed. Scrambling up onto the bed, Harry shook Mr. Albus. "Wake up! Wake up, Mr. Albus!"
"Wha--Harry? What are you doing here?" Mr. Albus asked, sitting up and reaching for his glasses.
Harry crawled into Mr. Albus' lap. "It's Mum, Mr. Albus. She's having a bad dream."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Albus asked, even as he began the tricky process of getting up without dislodging Harry.
Harry nodded, his arms around Mr. Albus' neck. "She was screaming and moving around."
"Yes, it certainly sounds like she's having a bad dream," Mr. Albus replied, finally standing.
Harry wound his legs around Mr. Albus' waist. "I was afraid she'd hurt me if I tried to wake her up."
"That's quite all right, m'boy," Mr. Albus assured Harry, stroking the boy's shaggy hair as they moved through his room.
Mum's screams greeted them and they moved carefully into her room. She was now on the floor in a tangle of blankets. "Can you do anything for her, Mr. Albus?"
"I'm sure I can, m'boy," Albus answered, his voice quiet as he set Harry on his feet. "Stay back." Harry nodded and watched as Mr. Albus approached Mum carefully. Kneeling beside her, Mr. Albus reached out and touched her shoulder. "Tabby, wake up. C'mon, Tabby. It's just a dream. Wake up, Tabby."
Minerva woke with a gasp, staring up into Albus' face. "Albus? What are you doing here?"
"Harry heard you having a bad dream and got me," Albus explained, gesturing.
Minerva looked in the direction he'd gestured and saw Harry watching them anxiously. Smiling faintly, she held her hand out to him. A smile blooming, Harry ran over and threw himself into her lap. "Are you okay, Mum?"
"I'm fine, Harry-lad," she assured him, hugging him tightly. "It was just a dream."
He sat back as Albus's arms encircled both of them. "Dreams can seem awfully real, though."
"I know, but it didn't hurt me, Harry-lad, that's what counts," she told him, kissing his forehead.
Albus added his voice. "I would trust her judgment, m'boy."
"All right," Harry smiled up at both.
Minerva smiled back and eased to her feet, still holding him. "Now you need to go back to bed, Harry-lad."
"Aw, Mu-um!" he whined even as he snuggled against her.
She smiled at Albus over Harry's head before heading for the boy's room. "Don't argue with me, Harry-lad. You won't win."
"I know." He sighed heavily as they entered his room. "It's fun to try, though."
She laughed as she set him on the bed. "I suppose. Go to sleep. I'll be fine."
"All right." He kissed her cheek. "G'night, Mum."
She smiled fondly as she tucked him in. "Good night, Harry-lad. Sleep well." He didn't reply, already asleep. Shaking her head at how easily young children fell asleep, Minerva returned to her room to find her bed re-made and Albus waiting for her. Suddenly shy, she ducked her head and realized she was only wearing her pajamas. This caused her face to grow warm. "Thank you, Albus."
"Harry is the one who deserves your thanks, Minerva," Albus replied as he offered her a cup of cocoa.
She nodded, accepting the cup. "Yes, I suppose you wouldn't be here if he hadn't gotten you."
"Exactly," he agreed as she drank the cocoa. She looked up at him and froze. There were only inches between them and his eyes...tearing her gaze away from his, she concentrated on her cocoa. "Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"
She shook her head, not looking at him. "No. It's best we just let it go."
"Is it that bad?" he asked, his voice soft.
She nodded. "Our meeting with Petunia brought back some very painful memories."
"I see." She wondered if he truly did. They'd spent several hours arranging for Petunia and Dudley's protection. By the time they'd returned to the castle, everyone was at dinner and Severus looked very glad to relinquish Harry's care to Minerva and Albus. Minerva had spent the evening with Harry, playing with him and figuring out how well he'd been treated by Severus. In a way, she'd been avoiding the memories that had been stirred up, but they'd haunted her as she prepared for bed and had apparently followed her into her dreams. Her thoughts must have shown on her face as her empty cup disappeared because Albus added. "I have memories of my own that I would rather forget, Minerva."
She hid a wince. She was one of the few people who knew how much it had hurt Albus to kill Grindelwald. She'd been there when he'd 'interrogated' Severus to protect him from Voldemort when the younger man had defected and had seen the pain on his face when the session had ended. "I'm sorry, Albus."
"Why are you apologizing?" he asked quietly. "This afternoon was obviously hard on you."
She nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't excuse me for thinking I'm the only one with things I'd rather forget."
"You're human, Minerva," he countered. "You don't need to be perfect."
She rolled her eyes. "Neither do you, Albus."
"What do you mean?" he asked, obviously surprised.
She smiled as she patiently explained. "You're blaming yourself for Vernon hurting Petunia and Dudley because you're the one who left Harry with them."
"You know me very well," he commented.
She raised an eyebrow. "Considering how long I've known you, it shouldn't be a surprise."
"It shouldn't?" he queried, something in his eyes telling her to be careful with what she said next.
"No, it shouldn't," she confirmed. "We've become rather close, haven't we?"
He nodded, an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. "Yes, we have."
"Albus?" she asked, a little unsure of what was happening, but her heartbeat was speeding up as he gently slid his arms around her waist.
He didn't say anything. Instead, he lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers in a butterfly-soft kiss. "I'd like to become closer, Minerva."
"So do I," she answered, her arms sliding around his neck.
He smiled before he kissed her again.