Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognisably Harry Potter-ish

Chapter 11

When Harry woke the next day he was disorientated, he felt and arm wrapped round him and for one terrifying moment thought he was back and Private Drive, he tensed up but then the light streaming in the huge window got his attention and he remembered where he was. He started to relax, he thought about then events of the previous night and shivered He probably thinks I'm weak and pathetic he thought glumly. He began to bring his knees into his chest, but a powerful arm locked around his thigh, making him stay straight. Severus held him closer; he didn't know what Harry had been thinking but it obviously upset him,

"What's wrong?" he said, sitting up against the headboard, Harry shrugged.

"You will tell me, Harry" Severus snarled in the same tone he used to scare the first years, Harry knew that tone and it didn't scare him

"Or what? What could you possibly do that I haven't been through" Harry had turned his head to look at his father but he was still in the foetal position on his. Severus leaned down so he was looming over Harry's face, and smirked

"I can do this" Harry yelped as Severus tickled him, Harry didn't know he was ticklish, but apparently he was, very and was soon gasping for air through fits of the giggles, Severus stopped and allowed Harry to catch his breath,

"So are you going to tell me now? Or am I going to have to break out the feather dusters?" Harry giggled and nodded

"Ok, ok I give" he looked up at his father serious again, Severus didn't like it, no child should be serious so much

"It was just… I was wondering…." He took a breath "do you hate me now?" he blurted it out and looked away. Severus rolled his eyes, under confident teenagers seemed to require far more energy then over confident ones.

"No Harry, why would you think that? Because of what you said last night" Harry nodded, Severus sighed; at least he was still responding. He grabbed Harry's shoulder pulling him round

"Harry James Potter for the last time it was not your fault and you are hereby forbidden to think that firstly you were in someway to blame and secondly that people will hate you for it. Understand?" Harry nodded slightly Severus smiled "not good enough I want a nice clear yes" and with that he resorted to his best weapon and started tickling the teenager again, Harry caved quickly

"Yes, YES!" he yelped Seveus stopped,

"Good, right I'm going to order breakfast, why don't you get tidied up and come join me" with that Severus swept in his normal dramatic fashion out of the room, I really have to learn how to do that Harry mused.  Harry did was he was told and appeared 15 minutes later, Severues had already set out the stomach sealing potion and a bowl of oats. Harry sat down next to Severus and drank the potion without being told, Severus nodded his approval, Harry was definitely making progress. Harry picked up his spoon and took a few mouthfuls of the oats before pushing the rest round the bowl, Severus looked at him

"The quicker you eat them, the quicker you can leave" Harry grinned and took another mouthful. He saw the front cover of the Prophet, and lost his appetite, the headline read "AURORS DRAFTED INTO SEARCH!" Harry put down the spoon 

"Umm Sir," he said quietly, not too sure how he was to address Snape. Severus looked at him

"Harry, please I don't expect you to adjust to what I have told you quickly but don't call me Sir of Professor outside of Hogwarts"

"Then what should I call you?"

"Start with Severus" Harry nodded.

"Severus, the front page, what search are they referring too?" Severus folded the paper and put it to one side

"Guess"

"Me?"

"Correct."

"It that normal?"

"No Harry it's not but you are after all the Ministry's last resort weapon and they will want you back"

"What will happen to you?" Severus thought about this, he decided to answer honestly

"I don't know, they might send me…away" Harry felt a rock in his stomach, he turned it all over in his mind

"Then I have to go back. Now before they get too panicked" Severus nodded, he knew Harry didn't want to and the gesture was not lost on him.

"Have you any ideas how to do that with out it looking suspicious"  Harry thought

"If we apparate to muggle London, I can just run into the Leaky Cauldron like I've escaped, the papers have pretty much warned everyone I'm going to be in a state so if I looked like I'm heading into Diagon Alley, someone is bound to stop me." Severus thought about this.

"I don't want you doing anything on your own" Harry shrugged

"You could come with me and say you found me" Severus nodded,

"But given the state you've been in the last few days, I don't think anyone would believe you went with me willingly"

"So stun me or something and barge in like you just found me, as long as your calling for Dumbledore or the aurors no one is going to think much of it" Severus nodded. It could actually work.

"Ok, when do you want to leave?"

"Now?" Severus nodded, he took hold of Harry and apparated to an alley near the Leaky Cauldron. He was about to immoblise Harry, it occurred to Severus he had been doing that a lot recently.

"Hit me" Severus eyes went wide

"What?!" he hissed, the boy had lost his mind.

"I said hit me, just once but fairly hard. Just here" he pointed to a spot on his lower jaw

"Why?!" Harry sighed

"Because it will make it look like I was beaten, I mean I have got lost of wounds but none where people can see, my uncle was very careful about that" Harry voice was full of resentment, Severus nodded

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" Harry took off his glasses and closed his eyes waiting for the blow Severus, stroked his son's hair away from his forehead, he raised his fist and hit Harry. Harry stumbled sideways and would have fallen if Severus hadn't have been there to catch him, he held Harry until he got his bearings. Harry spat out the blood that was in his mouth.

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" he said between coughs, Severus looked at the boy

"You have know idea" he said stroking the boys hair. Harry stood against the wall. Severus drew his wand

"Immobilis" Harry fell forward completely limp. Severus picked him up and carried him into the Leaky Cauldron, some of the patrons gasped when they saw who it was

"TOM!" Snape screamed the bar tender turned round and went pale

"Sweet Merlin what happened?"

"Not important have you a room I put him in?" Tom nodded and grabbed a key

"Number 6 this way" Snape followed him up the stairs into the room, he put Harry on the bed, he face was swollen and his lip had been split. He looked like he had been kidnapped. Snape whirled round and stared at the innkeeper

"Tom, find Dumbledore and the aurors immediately" Tom hadn't taken his eyes off the still form of the boy-who-lived, Snape got in the way of his vision

"TOM" He snapped the innkeeper turned his attention back to the potions professor

"Yes Severus at once" He left. Severus breathed a sigh of relief; that hard worked remarkably well. He sat down on the bed and examined the damage he had done to Harry's face, it was all soft tissue but it looked bad. Severus thought he might be sick, he couldn't believe he just struck his own son. Harry blinked, reminding Severus that he wasn't unconscious but immobilised.

"Sorry Harry, I'll take it off you when the others arrive" He found himself stroking his son's hair absently while he waited. Five minutes later there was a knock at the door, Severus drew his wand, the Leaky Cauldron was not secure, he opened the door a creek his wand poised, he relaxed and opened the door fully, Dumbledore, Minerva followed by Tonks and Kingsley flew into the room. McGonagall was the first to approach the boy

"Harry? Harry can you hear me?" Severus drew his wand again and pointed at Harry much to everyone's surprise.

"Finite Incantatem" Harry immediately curled into a ball up against the headboard, too many people he thought over and over. If he could have gone through the wall he would have been through it. Severus took pity on the child, everyone in the room knew of his liaison with Lily, or at least suspected, well everyone but Tonks and she was controllable. Severus sat down on the bed and pulled the trembling Harry into a hug.

"Harry what happened to you? Who took you?" Kingsley had taken charge of the situation, Harry didn't respond. He hadn't got that far Crap I should have thought this through better.

"I found him in the basement of one my more disreputable acquaintances. I apologise for him being immobilised when you got here, but it was the only way to keep stop him from kicking and screaming" He's good, if I'd said that the Dumbledore, he would have seen through it in seconds Harry thought.

"We're you seen?"

"No I think that my loyalty to the Dark Lord will not be in question over this matter" Dumbledore nodded. There was a loud crash on the other side of the room; Tonks had knocked the table over

"Oopse" she said sheepishly, she had gone bright red. Kingsely rolled his eyes.

"Have you destroyed all the equipment Tonks?" she looked at the floor

"Not all of it" she drew her wand

"Repairo" several glass objects fitted themselves back together and set themselves on the table Tonks had righted. She bought one of the items over and handed it to Kingsely.

"Harry do you know what this is?" It looked like a small glass ball, similar in size to the Remberall Neville had in the first year, but it had a blue tint to it. Harry shook his head.

"This is a potion detector; it will tell us if you have been given any harmful potions of poisons ok?" He handed it to Harry who stared at him blankly

"You need to squeeze it" Minerva prompted Harry nodded and did so, a silver mist swirled inside the ball.

"Thank goodness for that" Minerva sighed; he noticed that Dumbledore and Kingsley also looked relieved. He handed it back to Kingsley, as he did the sleeve to his robe rode up his arm a little, a less observant person wouldn't have noticed, but then again non observant people didn't become aurors, Kingsley ceased his wrist and pushed the sleeve all the way up to his elbow, revealing the jagged scars that snaked along his arm. Harry wasn't sure what to say, he figured that Kingsley thought that this mysterious acquaintance of Snape's had done it.

"Err that's not new" he said quietly, trying to subtly wrestled his grip from the auror. Kingsely turned to Dumbledore for confirmation

"He's telling you the truth, he had those and a mass of other injuries when he was taken from his relatives" Kingsley let go. And studied Harry

"What about that one?" he said pointing to the bruising and split lip Snape had given him before walking in here. Harry looked at the floor, trying to find the best look that said 'I don't want to talk about it'. Severus helped, by pulling him closer.

"I think the boy has had enough for one day don't you headmaster?" he said softly, Dumbledore nodded.

"Come on Harry it is time to leave" Harry's stomach lurched

"Where am I to go professor?" he said quietly. It was a good question, he couldn't go back to the Dursley's he figured Dumbledore would not want him at the Burrow so that really left only…

"Hogwarts Harry, I am sorry but I feel that there is no where else that is safe" Harry nodded, that wasn't too bad. He got off the bed and felt undeniably woozy, he sway a couple of times before falling back onto Severus. He quickly push himself off the surprised potions teacher onto the bed, he put his head between his knees and took in some deep breaths. Well that was new he thought. After a few seconds he felt better,

"Sorry" he muttered to Severus

"Not to worry Harry shall we try that again" Harry nodded and rose slowly he was still a little unsteady on his feet but with Severus's help made it down to the stairs. Below they heard a great deal of commotion.

"Press" McGonagall sighed. Harry had lost what little colour he had.

"We don't really have a choice Minerva, he is in no shape to apparate" Dumbledore said, Harry felt Severus tighten his grip, his jaw twitched, he too was unimpressed with the idea of a press run. Kingsley took Harry's other arm

"Tonks you follow, Albus, Minerva in front and Severus and I will stay at his sides" the guard positioned themselves, and started down the stairs to face the barrage of questions, Harry having no say in where he went with the two men having iron clasped grips on his upper arms kept his head to the ground and closed his eyes, as they entered the room. All attention flooded to them

"Professor Dumbledore, is Harry hurt?"

"Did you see who took you Harry?"

"Are the rumours about the muggles true?" people were bunching in to them from all sides, Harry heard the flashes of camera's he was glad no one could see his face he was having trouble not crying, the noise was overwhelming. It felt they had been walking like that forever, but in reality they had only been walking a few minutes to get to the chimney connected to the floo network. They stopped walk Harry opened his eyes, there was still a lot of people watching him, Dumbledore offered him some floo powder,

"You first Harry he said quietly, Harry gladly took the powder and stepped into the fire, ignoring the camera's he said as clearly as he could

"Hogwarts." He was sucked into the dark tunnel and a few moments later arrived back in Dumbledore's office. He got out of the fire place quickly knowing he was being followed and settled himself into a big red arm chair. A few seconds later the fire sprang into life and Severus arrived he quickly went over to Harry

"Are you ok, you looked terrified" Harry nodded

"I hate the press" Severus nodded; he wiped the single tear that was on Harry's cheek. The fire erupted once more; Severus quickly moved away from Harry and sat in an arm chair opposite. The figure tripped out of the fire place and landed in a heap

"Classy entry Tonks" Severus drawled. The young auror dragged herself out of the way and fell into the chair next to Harry who was trying to suppress a smirk. Tonks winked at him. McGonagall arrived next

"Honestly Tonks, an auror falling into a fireplace I am very surprised you even ended up in Hogwarts, it sound more like Hogsoup" she chastised shaking her head. Tonks just grinned, Kingsley arrived next and lastly Dumbledore. He looked around the room

"Tea?" He pulled out the tea-set and started to pour 6 cups. He handed the first to Harry who took it and added a sugar and milk. He took a sip winced, he forgotten how painful a split lip could be. Severus saw him screw his eyes up in pain.

"Mr. Potter follow me to the labs after we have concluded here, I have a potion that will take the swelling down and ease the pain." Harry nodded. Once everyone had been issued the standard cup of tea Dumbledore drew their attention

"Kingsley, Tonks we appreciate the ministry's help in this matter but I do believe that the talent of our aurors would be better off doing something else now." Harry inwardly cringed he didn't mean to cause all this fuss. Dumbledore continued

"Minerva would you kindly inform Molly and Arthur that Harry has been found and he is safe" Minerva nodded and left the office. Taking their cue, the aurors used the floo network to get back to the ministry and call off the search. This left Harry and Severus in the uncomfortable company of a suspicious Dumbledore.