Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Backstory 01 : All Through the Night

Chapter Eleven : Through Your Dreams You're Softly Stealing

Tuesday 23 December 2003

"Severus?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Mm-Mm."

"Severus? Did you put a listening charm on Perrin's room?"

"Mm-hmmm."

"Oh. Good. I'll be right back." A hand grabbed his wrist as he sat up. "Severus," Harry said simply, as if speaking to a child, "you have to let go of my arm."

The hand tugged.

"Severus, I think Perrin's having a nightmare," he said slowly; language filtered through his husband's brain like cold molasses when he was this asleep which, when he spared it a thought, wasn't often. He smiled smugly. "Severus, I'm going to check on Perrin. I'll be right back."

"Mmmm." The hand let go and Harry quickly left the bed, by now wide awake. He took a moment to straighten the new plaid boxers twisted around his hips before snagging his dressing gown off the horse beside the bed. Throwing it on, he heard another groan like the one that had first awakened him.

He was two steps further when the screaming began. By the time he reached the door to Perrin's room, Severus was only a few steps behind him. Throwing it open, Harry ran in and skidded to a stop in the pitch dark, unable to get a fix on the echoing cries of agony overlaid with a peculiar banging. Just as he thought it sounded like a shutter slamming against a wall, the screams ceased and the voice beside him shouted, "Lumos petit!" The ceiling lit up and, as his eyes adjusted to the twilight dimness, his heart froze in fearful panic.

"Dear gods, Perrin! NO!"

Harry wasn't certain afterwards who got to the broad window seat first, but Severus pulled the rigid boy inside at almost the same moment he slammed the sash shut and locked it. Perrin collapsed, his sudden dead weight dragging both man and boy down. Cushioning the boy's body with his own, Severus' back and head cracked against the wall behind him as they landed, his breath leaving with a 'whoosh'. In the heavy silence that followed, lungs labouring, the two men stared wide-eyed at each other over the head of the limp boy clutched tightly to Severus' chest; just one second more and Perrin would have been a memory, crushed on the rocks far below.

Gradually loosening his grip, Severus turned the unconscious body so it lay flat across his lap, yet cradled in his arms. Looking up at the ceiling, he said urgently, "Light - NOW!" Harry had seen him do something similar the other day and, with the same sense of amazement, watched the castle light the room in a warm glow until they could clearly see each other - and the boy.

Shocked, Harry sucked in a breath. His hands steadier than his wildly pounding heart, he reached out and undid the buttons on Perrin's blue striped pyjamas, gently pulling them aside to expose a ravaged torso. Grateful the boy remained unconscious, he gently worked the bottoms down around the slender hips while maintaining his modesty.

"I did not do that," Severus said shakily, his eyes tracking the bruises and red welts almost completely covering Perrin from his forehead to below the drawstring of his sleep pants.

As Harry surveyed more of the same on the boy's feet and calves, his hands lightly circling the thin ankles, he murmured, "No, I didn't think you did; these are magically induced - Attero Class, I should think, but without actually going in, I couldn't say which one it is and even then I've only seen a few examples in person. More a wartime kind of thing..."

"Harry."

"...than a peace time, although he's obviously resisted, which I admit does surprise me a bit, considering his age and his small exposure to magic. Usually we only see these sort of injuries on the older patients who resist a call, even knowing what the spell will do to them..."

"Harry."

"...because they already know what will happen to them if they answer it, but I guess all things considered, he seems to have resisted longer than many adult wizards, but maybe our quarters shielded him or someth... Huh?"

A hand ghosted over his mouth and moved to caress his cheek. Harry's jaw dropped and he closed it with a snap, a shiver running down his spine. "Sweet Merlin," he whispered, his voice anguished. "Will you listen to me?" he cried, disgusted with himself. "Perrin's hurt, and I'm blathering like he's some kind of lab specimen. What kind of monst..."

The fingers returned, running over his lips. "Don't say it. You're not. You're upset. It's understandable. We all deal with our crises in different ways. Being calm and rational will help him more at this point that being panicked and distraught. There's plenty of time for distress later, all right?"

He could only nod, hanging onto Severus' words like a lifeline, not daring to speak for fear he would start prattling again to keep the inner visions away.

"For now we need to ascertain what's happened and, more importantly, how to keep the bastard from doing it again."

"Tony?" he hazarded, hoping he was wrong.

"Who else would need to use an Attero spell on an eleven-year old?"

"Shit."

Severus grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "Let's get him to the bed; my legs are falling asleep."

Calmer with something positive to do, Harry climbed out of the window. Once he had a good hold, and mindful of Severus' painful hiss as he half-straightened his back, Harry carried Perrin over to the bed, muttering, "Barely weighs more than Horatio; we need to fatten him up."

Hobbling over, Severus helped him lay Perrin on the bed, flat on his back, arms comfortably arranged at his sides. Harry could feel his husband's growing discomfort, so once they had Perrin settled, he turned to place tender hands on Severus' head, wincing as he gently palpated the lump stretching the deep stone abrasions at the back of it. "You've lost some hair here," he murmured soothingly as he quickly cast the healing spells. Smoothing his hands down the long damp neck to the tense shoulders and under the open dressing gown to Severus' bare back, he reversed the swelling and bruising along his spine; if he stepped closer and lingered a few moments, caressing more than healing, he didn't think anyone would condemn him for taking a small amount of comfort for himself.

From the quiet, distracted way Severus held him, Harry knew rather than sensed that his husband was already formulating likely theories. Not that Severus was closed to him, but there were times, like these, when his concentration was so complete, it was like there was no - room - for 'them'. So, he wasn't really surprised when Severus pulled away with a sigh, sitting heavily on the side of the bed. "Damn, hasn't he been through enough?" he whispered, moving a few wayward strands of sandy hair off Perrin's forehead.

"Haven't we all?" Harry asked quietly, fighting an unfamiliar urge to bat Severus' hand away. But that was stupid; obviously Severus needed something he couldn't give him right now and while the thought made him ache... Stop it! Just stop it! If this was jealousy, he wanted no part of it. Even though his greatest need right now was to touch him, Harry didn't want to burden his husband with his weak pettiness, so he deliberately held himself away as Severus absently stroked the boy's hair. When Perrin stirred to the edge of waking, Severus jerked his hand back as Harry cast a Sopophorus spell, sending the boy immediately back to sleep.

"A very good idea," Severus remarked quietly, standing. "It is, perhaps, best he not know what's happened - at least until we do. And if we're to keep it that way, I suggest we discuss this where he can't inadvertently overhear us."

Nodding, Harry got no more than a step away, when Severus gently tugged him back and gathered him in his arms. "No, love, nothing you need is insignificant." The dark eyes studied him as their bond flared to life, reconnecting them as much as the serious kiss they shared. This was what he'd needed, craved and, when illuminated by Severus' love for him, all his concerns from the moments before were revealed as the paltry, niggardly things they truly were. His contentment returned - stronger and better; after all, he wasn't deprived by Severus's growing affections for Perrin. The two types of feelings were just different, even if they sprang from the same source.

"There's always room for one more, isn't there?" Harry asked, finally at ease.

"Only one more," Severus said lightly, kissing him. "I don't like to share."

Chuckling, Harry led the way back to the window. Once they were comfortably seated facing each other, he waited quietly, his thoughts turning once again dark.

"This never would have happened had we not adjusted the wards," Severus mused, breaking the long silence. "It was a bad mistake."

"Pardon?"

"The wards. Tony may be many things, but he's not stupid and, despite appearances, deliberates before acting; Voldemort gave him much leeway in Europe because of it. Let's look at this coldly. Tony marries Priscilla and primes Perrin who then, in normal fashion, goes to school. Tony knows that if he's cast the Coactum Curse properly, and there's no reason for him to think otherwise, then we should be dead, but we're obviously not. So now, although something's gone awry, he's not unduly worried because he plans. Let's say he's marked Perrin, just in case, with a low-level locating/calling Mark of the kind some wizarding families cast on their offspring to prevent kidnapping and to exact obedience from recalcitrant children. No one would question it, if found. However, from his work with the curse, he also knows Perrin is strong, so he adds an Attero spell to prevent the boy from ignoring his call."

"All right. So what does that have to do with the wards? Has he breached them in some way?"

"No. Just the opposite. As I see it, he needs to know why we're still alive. Did he fail in setting the curse or worse, did we discover his plot? He's uncertain enough that he probably came to Hogwarts, maybe weeks ago, intending to call the boy outside and find out what happened. However, the spell he used is fairly short range so he needs to be near the castle to call him and when he tries to pass through the wards..."

"...they prevent him from entering the grounds?" Harry asked, not liking where this was going.

"Precisely. To a wizard of Tony's caliber, the first time he was thwarted would have served as a clear warning that he'd been 'caught', for why else would Dumbledore deny him access when only known felons are kept away these days. However, the timing is wrong for what he needs to do to 'fix' the situation, so he leaves and falls back on 'Plan B'. Knowing we have no proof, he cuts the mother loose, after assuring her death appears accidental, and disappears to establish a solid alibi."

"And tonight he came back to finish 'tying off his loose ends'?"

"Yes. Perrin, like his mother, can only be a liability for him now. It's reasonable to assume that tonight was an attempt to destroy what little 'evidence' we have."

"Do you think he's still nearby?" Harry asked, starting to move.

Severus placed a hand on his arm, pulling him back. "No, I don't. When he failed to kill Perrin, lingering afterwards would've been extremely foolish. No, he is long gone by now."

Harry felt a deep anger settle within him; somehow, someday, Tony would pay dearly for his actions against both Perrin and Priscilla, and he, Harry, would collect the toll.

Severus leant over and touched his cheek. "I know. Things of this nature bring out the worst - and best - in us, don't they?"

Taking Severus' hand and holding it in his lap, Harry didn't consider his current thirst for vengeance a 'negative' desire, just one he couldn't fulfill for the moment. But there was one thing he still didn't understand. Why hadn't Tony sent Priscilla to the school openly, like any other parent since he controlled her? Why did he resort to such underhan...

"However, as I think on it, this could be a positive sign - for us"

He'd almost said it himself. "Because he's not willing to publicly claim the boy?"

"Yes. If he had earlier, he'd be obligated to keep both Priscilla and Perrin alive and that may not have fit into - other plans, so he's remained hidden."

"There's also the possibility that by the time he realised he had a problem, Priscilla was already exhibiting signs of the Curse Pox, in which case, he wouldn't dare bring her forward. Her appearance alone would have been cause for investigation..."

"...which he could ill afford. Yes, I think that's more likely, which means their survival much past the new year was never a part of his initial plans..."

"So in that respect, changing the wards was a good idea, so you can stop beating yourself up about it."

Severus snorted and continued, "Regardless, Benson may have the right of it; the longer Tony waits, the stronger our case for abandonment. We did well to have him file the petition with the Ministry yesterday. Considering the Owls sent to Tony before Priscilla's Dissolutionment giving him the news of her death and Perrin's location, his continuing absence condemns him further despite our lack of proof."

"We should get Albus to remove the Attero," Harry replied flatly. "He should be rested enough..."

Severus looked out into the moonless night. "...and if not, I can 'assist', although we both need to stay as uninvolved as possible. Poppy should be here as well, but if she is unable to heal Perrin..."

"...we'll call in Quiesta or, better yet, Septimius," Harry said firmly. "I cannot; he's family now."

Severus nodded, standing. "Agreed." He stretched, arms high over his head, and then nodded at the bed. "You stay with him and I'll fire-call them."

Harry stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Severus..."

He hated sounding so needy, hated being so insecure, but he needed the ensuing embrace, the closeness, the affirmation. Severus had an abundance of something he lacked right now and a growing hope filled him as one hand softly stroked his hair and the other held him firm. So much so that when Severus murmured, "Hush. We'll be fine. You'll see," Harry believed him with a blind conviction he could never have summoned before their bonding.

Now if he could only feel that confident about the future.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

It may have taken Albus and Poppy forty-five patience-straining minutes to Floo over (some of which Severus spent alone in the library) but once arrived, things proceeded swiftly. Evidently Severus had informed them of the situation in advance because, after a terse, nodded greeting, he and Albus discreetly withdrew to the window seat while Poppy finished disrobing the boy and began a careful examination, her flat wand skimming a few inches above his skin. In short order, she found the hidden Mark, a small snake on the boy's lower back which, with the particular spell she used, glowed a Hallowe'en orange through the bruising.

Locating and identifying Tony's spell took a bit longer, though. Albus' strength flagged midway, necessitating Severus' participation. Similar to the techniques Harry used when working in tandem with another healer (as he understood it) Severus was bestowing energy rather than a specific skill. Regardless, to Harry's eye, Severus was giving more than mere support, for when Albus gave an enthusiastic noise of triumph, he didn't look as drained as before, his face almost pink instead of a pinched white.

Harry held his breath as Albus' cupped hands, rising slowly from Perrin's chest, drew forth an ethereal, writhing mass, which Severus quickly encapsulated. Floating it in front of them and away from the boy, Harry could feel the powerful surge summoned from the castle flow through him, making the hairs on his arms and legs stand straight out. With a blinding light, the ball of energy embodying Tony's spell exploded into nothingness, leaving the foul stench of rotted corpses in its wake.

Waving the stink away with a flick of his wand, Harry pulled out a fresh vial of the lemony Navitas Potion Severus had created especially for the headmaster. When Albus tried to pocket it with a petulant, "I prefer to savour it," Harry implacably led him to the window seat, saying, "Savour all you want - right here."

Cheekily, Albus stuck out his tongue and defiantly placed the vial in his pocket. "I'll savour it in a few minutes after Poppy is finished and we can retire to the sitting room in more comfort. We need to speak without the boy present."

Harry knew when to gracefully back down, but now that he had the headmaster's full attention... "All right, then, later. However, since we're alone," he gentled his tone - this was going to hurt, "Severus lights the trees from now on."

Unfortunately, he'd been right. Crestfallen, Albus' mouth worked a few times before he begged in a small voice, "Can I at least help?"

The jagged feeling in his stomach crept up and nearly broke his heart, but Harry knew from a pre-dinner check (after 'chatting' with Filius, who'd accosted them almost immediately upon their return) that Albus' earlier stunt with the fairy lights had nearly drained him again, leaving him sorely weakened. He glanced at his pale husband leaning so casually against the foot post, his eyes closed; no, Harry knew who had done most of the work tonight. However, he also knew that listening to his gut was sometimes more important than falling back on his knowledge, so against his better clinical judgement he modified his initial conditions. "All right, but not all of them at once and not alone."

Thoughtful, Albus nodded, his eyes glazed and remote. Harry hesitantly stroked his hair once and left him alone, ostensibly to join the others, but in reality to give Albus some space. Poppy looked up from her healing, flicked a sad glance at her husband, and continued with little pause.

When done, she spelled Perrin's pyjamas on him, but as she reached for the bedclothes, Severus stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Did you cast another sleeping charm?" he whispered.

"Yes," she answered, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Good," he replied, making eye contact with Harry across the bed. As they'd discussed while waiting, they were climbing onto its wide surface when Albus rejoined them.

"You intend to ward the boy?" he asked, the approval plain in his tired blue eyes.

"Yes. We can't always be with him," Severus replied.

"It will be stronger through your bond."

Harry could see Severus wavering past his initial, silent rejection of the notion; however, swallowing his own concerns, Harry asked, "What do we need to do?"

As Albus quickly explained, Harry and Severus sat on their heels, one on either side of the boy and extended their hands over him, joining and crossing them as at their bonding. Albus drew forth from each, including Perrin, a strand of intention and, to their surprise, one from himself as well as Poppy, who held her hand firmly on his shoulder, lending him support. With a familiar flick the strands twisted into a single cord, this time flaming as if lit by the sun. However, instead of wrapping it around their hands as he had at their bonding, he carefully coiled it in the centre of Perrin's chest on top of the pyjamas, one sealed end resting on his heart, the other near his navel. Stepping well away, he nodded at them to proceed.

Severus and Harry's, "Defendo Filium" may have been spoken quietly, but it roared through them like wild thunder, forming a protective shield around the boy with their hands as the focus. As his body absorbed the glowing cord, Perrin squirmed and smiled as if it tickled and yet, as the horrifying images of his past filled them, the ward they'd forged, stout and fierce, shattered those visions into so much glittering dust. It was soon over, a lingering sense of peaceful tenderness fading last of all, and seeing the bemused frown on his spouse's face, Harry wondered if somehow they'd blocked some of Perrin's bad memories as well.

Shaken, they crawled off the bed and Poppy pulled the duvet up to Perrin's chin. With a small sigh, he rolled over onto his side, snuggling his head into the pillow. Smiling, he continued sleeping undisturbed. Relieved, they wordlessly extinguished the lights and made their slow way to the sitting room.

Poppy unobtrusively assisted Albus into one of the squashy chairs, her body blocking Harry's view, but he was content to let her take care of it. He trusted her judgement and knew she fussed more than he did; she would have made excuses for them had there truly been a problem. Severus entered a few moments later carrying a small wooden tray with a glass of sparkling water (complete with lemon), two snifters of brandy, and an aperitif of what he could only assume was sherry as he knew Poppy indulged in little else.

After taking a long draught, Albus set the water aside and cheerfully toasted Harry with the potion vial he retrieved out of his pocket. Chuckling, Harry accepted a brandy as Severus sank with an almost inaudible sigh, partially facing him on the small sofa, his back against the arm. Harry sipped sparingly, letting the liquor's warmth seep through him before he placed the mostly empty glass on the table behind the sofa and waited, his hand light on Severus' raised knee resting easy against the sofa's back.

Albus looked better for his savouring and, after a few minutes of comfortable silence, began, "You were right, Harry; it was an Atterosmorde spell; it tortures an unwilling individual to answer a Mark's call - even from a considerable distance. After his return, Voldemort used them extensively having learned his lesson well about the apparent loyalty of his followers. When Severus ceased his clandestine activities, it was the first and only thing I could remove, but at least it spared him the physical pain and eventual death resistance causes. If set well, as Perrin's was, they can remain dormant for years, which explains their appeal, but once invoked, are inevitably compelling; one either answers the call or dies."

Harry sighed, saying, "Well, I suppose we should be grateful then that Perrin resisted long enough for us to reach him." He hastily suppressed the image that had been plaguing him all evening, of Perrin's pyjama clad body out on the ledge, leg extended for that last step. Too close.

"It indicates just how strong a wizard the boy will be considering he could do so untrained, something I'm certain Tony noticed and why he chose it."

His quiet thoughts calming Harry, Severus covered his hand as he remarked, "I would agree; Tony fully expected to succeed, either by his summons or by the spell." Harry shuddered; Severus tightened the hold on his hand as he continued, "Given that Perrin is the only remaining proof of his perfidy, we should assume he will try again and that his methods will be more direct and desperate, his intent equally deadly."

Albus soothed, "Well, with the spell gone, the ward you set should prevent the Mark from affecting him too greatly, providing he knows how to counter it."

"A valid point," Severus said, sparing Harry the reply, "we should tell him tomorrow about the ward and the Mark..."

"...but not how we know about it or why it is necessary," Harry amended quickly.

With a wave of his hand, Albus asked sceptically, "Why only tell him part and not all? Aren't you always the one advocating full disclosure in matters of this kind?"

Severus chuckled. "Touché. Nevertheless, for the time being, I agree with Harry that we should tell Perrin nothing at all - except for these two things."

Harry added, "Nothing good can come out of panicking him about Tony before he's learned to trust us. Maybe this summer, when we've more time together we can tell him about tonight."

"Think of your own past reactions. He'll not thank you when he discovers the whole truth."

"Perhaps not, but for now? Perrin needs to know what the Mark's call feels like so he can alert us if it happens again and that the ward will protect him from answering it. Hopefully this knowledge alone will ease some of his worries about his stepfather; I am highly concerned about the protracted nightmares he's had every night since his arrival."

Yes, there was that and Harry felt a bit guilty it wasn't his primary reason for their silence, although Severus had a longer, more intimate acquaintance with this sort of thing than he. Severus stroked the back of his hand. "Yes, let's get those mitigated before we go further," he murmured, silently agreeing with an image Severus urgently sent him, a reminder that the old man would 'meddle' if they didn't secure his support. Looking over at Poppy and Albus, Harry voiced their mutual concern. "Do you agree as well?"

Albus sighed. "As headmaster, I have no choice but to accede to your wishes as they cause no outward harm to the boy; after all, he is your son - or soon will be. As your friend, I can see several potential problems, and though I will not have to live with the consequences should you be mistaken, I concede your reasoning is valid."

It wasn't the answer he sought, but Harry could feel Severus relax a bit and even more so as Poppy said, "It doesn't matter what we think, my dear. No decision of this nature is ever easy and as long as it's made with love and concern, a child will always forgive." She slid her eyes sideways. "Even the adult ones." Severus snorted but remained silent.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. One potential obstacle out of the way. Now they had only to figure out how to protect Perrin over what could be years from the other things Tony was sure to plan - without making him a virtual prisoner in the castle.

.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.

TBC