Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Web of Lies: Revelations.
Harry was aware that he had missed dinner and that either his grandfather or his aunt or uncle would call him to demand an explanation. The problem is that he didn't have one; he doubted that it would go over well if he told him that he has spent his whole evening with a thousand year old ghost. Not to mention that he was Salazar Slytherin's ghost, his grandfather would have a fit. Sighing, he approached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room and entered. An odd silence fell through the room; and Alec raised an eyebrow, a bit uncomfortable at the stares he was getting.
"Er... is there something wrong?"
Anthony looked at him intently. "Where were you? Professor Snape came here to look for you after you missed dinner."
Alec frowned. "Damn."
Then, without another word, he turned around and left the surprised common room behind. It took him a moment to decide where he should head to, and finally, he settled in going to his grandfather. After all, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to be seen too often in the dungeons; people already knew that Professor Snape seemed to like him, there was no need to let more rumours fly. He had barely opened the gargoyle when he heard the door to his grandfather's office open. With a sigh, he climbed up the stairs, and when he arrived on top, he saw that Dumbledore was indeed waiting for him.
The man immediately stood up from behind his desk, and with a few quick strides, he was at Alec's side and he was pulled into a warm hug.
"Where have you been? Are you alright? Why did you miss dinner?"
Alec didn't answer for a while; he just snuggled closer while his mind raced to find a suitable explanation. When the man finally pulled away from him and looked down, Alec had a feeble explanation at best, but it was at least something and he hoped his grandfather would accept it.
"Well?"
Alec sighed and bowed his head. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just wanted to spend some time by myself, and I lost track of time."
Albus nodded, but there was still a worried frown on his face. "Alec, I know this is hard for you, but I would feel better if you didn't disappear like that again."
The teen buried his head in the man's chest, refusing to look up at him. He felt very bad at those words; he didn't want to worry the old man, but he knew he would have to do it again. Only tomorrow he would make sure to make it to dinner. No matter what Salazar said, he couldn't keep worrying the headmaster like that, he was stressed enough as it was.
The headmaster looked pensively at the head buried against his chest; there was something the boy wasn't telling him, he just knows it. All his senses were telling him that, but he didn't feel like confronting the boy; with all the work he had been doing in the past few weeks, he couldn't help but feel that he had neglected the teen again, and he felt he had no right at this time to demand answers from the boy if Alec didn't want to give them. He would watch the teen for now and if he was still worried about him in a few days, they would have a chat.
He was put out of his musings when the door to his office opened. Severus and Minerva entered and stopped when they saw the teen standing in Dumbledore's arms. Harry didn't turn his head to look at them, he was tired, and right now, he just wanted to be left alone. That test he had taken took a lot out of him, and even if he felt pleased that Salazar had been impressed, he was not up to much more at the moment.
Minerva's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Are you ok, child?"
Harry finally opened his eyes and saw that his two professors had moved to stand in front of him. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I should go back to the common room, it's nearly curfew."
Dumbledore tightened his arms around the small teen. "I don't think so, Alec, you're staying here tonight. Besides, I want you to eat something before you go to bed."
The teen frowned and looked up at the headmaster. "But, Grandfather..."
Dumbledore gently placed a hand on his lips. "No arguments, consider it your punishment for worrying us."
Harry didn't know how to react to that. On one side, he didn't mind, after all he wasn't particularly fond of returning to the common room after he left in such a way. There were going to be lots of questions, but he would be very happy if he could deal with them in the morning, when his head didn't feel like it would fall off at any given moment. On the other hand, if he stayed here, there would be even more questions for him to answer. He shook his head when Dumbledore let go of him and was about to say something, but Dumbledore passed an arm around his shoulders. It seemed that the time to complain was over as he found himself gently guided to the staircase leading towards Dumbledore's rooms. Of course, Alec thought, it wasn't like he had had a choice in the matter anyway.
The three professors settled down around the table, and Harry took the last seat between Dumbledore and Snape, who had remained oddly silent through the whole conversation. A house elf brought in a tray of food for Harry and some tea for the teachers. Alec looked at the food in front of him in distaste; while he had been hungry while doing the long test, he didn't feel the least bit hungry now, and being under the intense gaze of the three adults was even more unnerving. With bowed head, Alec started to pick at his food, eating bits and pieces but not really ingesting much. Without meaning to, he yawned widely, missing the fond smiles coming from the teachers. He was about to drop the fork from pure exhaustion when a hand took the fork from his fingers. Before he could understand what was going on, the same strong hands picked him up and he was placed on someone's lap.
Looking up, his tired blue eyes met dark amused ones. "Uncle Sev'rus?"
The man chuckled lightly, and suddenly, a fork full of food was placed in front of his mouth. "Eat up."
Harry frowned and tried to take the fork out of the man's grasp, but the slender hand was much stronger than it looked like. Severus' amused chuckle made him stop. "Alec, stop that; if we have to wait for you to eat up everything on that plate on your own we'll be here all night."
Harry pouted. "I'm just not hungry."
Dumbledore shook his head. "We're not starting that again, young man, you're going to eat at least half of that."
Seeing that he had no choice in the matter and that Severus was once again holding the fork right in front of his lips, Harry gave in and opened his mouth to receive the bit of chicken and potatoes that Severus had picked up. Slowly, Alec allowed himself to be fed by the larger man, ending up with his head resting comfortably against his uncle's shoulder.
He had eaten more than half the plate when he finally convinced the adults that he really couldn't eat more. Severus allowed him to slide from his lap, and he was ordered to go change into his pyjamas while the adults gathered everything they had used for the improvised dinner and sent it down to the kitchen.
While brushing his teeth, Harry couldn't help but think how strange the evening had been, and he wasn't only talking about the test. To be fed in that way had been a bit embarrassing, but not as much as he might have expected; it had felt nice. He had felt safe, and cared for, a feeling he was growing quite addicted to and couldn't help but crave. Sighing, he washed his face and combed his hair before leaving the bathroom and going into the living room to wish everyone goodnight.
The three of them were sitting on the couch, peacefully looking at the fireplace while sipping at their drinks. Harry watched them for a long while, letting the warm feeling of comfort envelope him. This was his family, as strange as it might have sounded just a few months ago; these three people had suddenly become the world to him. He knew that everything would change when the truth came out, but he was going to take everything he could now, even if it meant that he was going to be hurt in the future. Without making a sound, he approached the couch and went to sit down between Severus and Minerva, who moved a bit so he could fit.
Barely ten minutes later, the teen was asleep, with his head leaning comfortably against Minerva's side. Severus looked at the pair pensively.
"I wonder what tired him out so much; he was acting strange yesterday too."
Dumbledore looked up and frowned. "What happened yesterday?"
Minerva and Severus both shrugged, there really wasn't much to tell, but they tried to explain what had happened the day before. The problem is that nothing really had happened, only that the teen had been behaving a bit oddly, and that both teachers had the feeling that something had been going on.
Dumbledore stared pensively at the sleeping boy, he had been right in his assessment that there was something going on; the problem is that only Harry seemed to know what it was and right now, he didn't look like he would willingly share his information with them. Shaking his head lightly, he stood up and told his colleagues that it would be better to go to bed and that they would take care of everything in the morning, after all, the one with the answers was dead to the world anyway. Severus picked the teen up and gently went to put him to bed while the older wizard walked with Minerva to her room, making sure everything was ok.
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.
Web of Lies: Revelations.
Harry was aware that he had missed dinner and that either his grandfather or his aunt or uncle would call him to demand an explanation. The problem is that he didn't have one; he doubted that it would go over well if he told him that he has spent his whole evening with a thousand year old ghost. Not to mention that he was Salazar Slytherin's ghost, his grandfather would have a fit. Sighing, he approached the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room and entered. An odd silence fell through the room; and Alec raised an eyebrow, a bit uncomfortable at the stares he was getting.
"Er... is there something wrong?"
Anthony looked at him intently. "Where were you? Professor Snape came here to look for you after you missed dinner."
Alec frowned. "Damn."
Then, without another word, he turned around and left the surprised common room behind. It took him a moment to decide where he should head to, and finally, he settled in going to his grandfather. After all, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to be seen too often in the dungeons; people already knew that Professor Snape seemed to like him, there was no need to let more rumours fly. He had barely opened the gargoyle when he heard the door to his grandfather's office open. With a sigh, he climbed up the stairs, and when he arrived on top, he saw that Dumbledore was indeed waiting for him.
The man immediately stood up from behind his desk, and with a few quick strides, he was at Alec's side and he was pulled into a warm hug.
"Where have you been? Are you alright? Why did you miss dinner?"
Alec didn't answer for a while; he just snuggled closer while his mind raced to find a suitable explanation. When the man finally pulled away from him and looked down, Alec had a feeble explanation at best, but it was at least something and he hoped his grandfather would accept it.
"Well?"
Alec sighed and bowed his head. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just wanted to spend some time by myself, and I lost track of time."
Albus nodded, but there was still a worried frown on his face. "Alec, I know this is hard for you, but I would feel better if you didn't disappear like that again."
The teen buried his head in the man's chest, refusing to look up at him. He felt very bad at those words; he didn't want to worry the old man, but he knew he would have to do it again. Only tomorrow he would make sure to make it to dinner. No matter what Salazar said, he couldn't keep worrying the headmaster like that, he was stressed enough as it was.
The headmaster looked pensively at the head buried against his chest; there was something the boy wasn't telling him, he just knows it. All his senses were telling him that, but he didn't feel like confronting the boy; with all the work he had been doing in the past few weeks, he couldn't help but feel that he had neglected the teen again, and he felt he had no right at this time to demand answers from the boy if Alec didn't want to give them. He would watch the teen for now and if he was still worried about him in a few days, they would have a chat.
He was put out of his musings when the door to his office opened. Severus and Minerva entered and stopped when they saw the teen standing in Dumbledore's arms. Harry didn't turn his head to look at them, he was tired, and right now, he just wanted to be left alone. That test he had taken took a lot out of him, and even if he felt pleased that Salazar had been impressed, he was not up to much more at the moment.
Minerva's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Are you ok, child?"
Harry finally opened his eyes and saw that his two professors had moved to stand in front of him. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I should go back to the common room, it's nearly curfew."
Dumbledore tightened his arms around the small teen. "I don't think so, Alec, you're staying here tonight. Besides, I want you to eat something before you go to bed."
The teen frowned and looked up at the headmaster. "But, Grandfather..."
Dumbledore gently placed a hand on his lips. "No arguments, consider it your punishment for worrying us."
Harry didn't know how to react to that. On one side, he didn't mind, after all he wasn't particularly fond of returning to the common room after he left in such a way. There were going to be lots of questions, but he would be very happy if he could deal with them in the morning, when his head didn't feel like it would fall off at any given moment. On the other hand, if he stayed here, there would be even more questions for him to answer. He shook his head when Dumbledore let go of him and was about to say something, but Dumbledore passed an arm around his shoulders. It seemed that the time to complain was over as he found himself gently guided to the staircase leading towards Dumbledore's rooms. Of course, Alec thought, it wasn't like he had had a choice in the matter anyway.
The three professors settled down around the table, and Harry took the last seat between Dumbledore and Snape, who had remained oddly silent through the whole conversation. A house elf brought in a tray of food for Harry and some tea for the teachers. Alec looked at the food in front of him in distaste; while he had been hungry while doing the long test, he didn't feel the least bit hungry now, and being under the intense gaze of the three adults was even more unnerving. With bowed head, Alec started to pick at his food, eating bits and pieces but not really ingesting much. Without meaning to, he yawned widely, missing the fond smiles coming from the teachers. He was about to drop the fork from pure exhaustion when a hand took the fork from his fingers. Before he could understand what was going on, the same strong hands picked him up and he was placed on someone's lap.
Looking up, his tired blue eyes met dark amused ones. "Uncle Sev'rus?"
The man chuckled lightly, and suddenly, a fork full of food was placed in front of his mouth. "Eat up."
Harry frowned and tried to take the fork out of the man's grasp, but the slender hand was much stronger than it looked like. Severus' amused chuckle made him stop. "Alec, stop that; if we have to wait for you to eat up everything on that plate on your own we'll be here all night."
Harry pouted. "I'm just not hungry."
Dumbledore shook his head. "We're not starting that again, young man, you're going to eat at least half of that."
Seeing that he had no choice in the matter and that Severus was once again holding the fork right in front of his lips, Harry gave in and opened his mouth to receive the bit of chicken and potatoes that Severus had picked up. Slowly, Alec allowed himself to be fed by the larger man, ending up with his head resting comfortably against his uncle's shoulder.
He had eaten more than half the plate when he finally convinced the adults that he really couldn't eat more. Severus allowed him to slide from his lap, and he was ordered to go change into his pyjamas while the adults gathered everything they had used for the improvised dinner and sent it down to the kitchen.
While brushing his teeth, Harry couldn't help but think how strange the evening had been, and he wasn't only talking about the test. To be fed in that way had been a bit embarrassing, but not as much as he might have expected; it had felt nice. He had felt safe, and cared for, a feeling he was growing quite addicted to and couldn't help but crave. Sighing, he washed his face and combed his hair before leaving the bathroom and going into the living room to wish everyone goodnight.
The three of them were sitting on the couch, peacefully looking at the fireplace while sipping at their drinks. Harry watched them for a long while, letting the warm feeling of comfort envelope him. This was his family, as strange as it might have sounded just a few months ago; these three people had suddenly become the world to him. He knew that everything would change when the truth came out, but he was going to take everything he could now, even if it meant that he was going to be hurt in the future. Without making a sound, he approached the couch and went to sit down between Severus and Minerva, who moved a bit so he could fit.
Barely ten minutes later, the teen was asleep, with his head leaning comfortably against Minerva's side. Severus looked at the pair pensively.
"I wonder what tired him out so much; he was acting strange yesterday too."
Dumbledore looked up and frowned. "What happened yesterday?"
Minerva and Severus both shrugged, there really wasn't much to tell, but they tried to explain what had happened the day before. The problem is that nothing really had happened, only that the teen had been behaving a bit oddly, and that both teachers had the feeling that something had been going on.
Dumbledore stared pensively at the sleeping boy, he had been right in his assessment that there was something going on; the problem is that only Harry seemed to know what it was and right now, he didn't look like he would willingly share his information with them. Shaking his head lightly, he stood up and told his colleagues that it would be better to go to bed and that they would take care of everything in the morning, after all, the one with the answers was dead to the world anyway. Severus picked the teen up and gently went to put him to bed while the older wizard walked with Minerva to her room, making sure everything was ok.
To be continued...
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.