A/N Barbarataku: yup, I'm a Christian and Theology student as well as a huge Harry Potter fan. Don't be surprised; there are more of us around. While Jesus will always take first place, I'm more then happy to make some room in my life for Harry too (and Severus of course! –grins-).
When he opened his eyes, he didn't recognise the room. Not his prison cell. Oh wait, he had escaped…Harry…manor….slowly the memories came back to him.
Harry! He had left Harry to fight alone when he should have been there!
He tried to climb out of the bed when he felt gentle hands taking his shoulders and he was pushed back.
"Harry, I have to get to Harry…Dementors…"
"Easy, Severus, the Dementors are gone." Harry's voice.
He stared at the face in front of him, trying to dispel the fog from his mind. Harry's face appeared through the mist.
"Harry…" he whispered, turning away and curling up in a ball again, "I'm so sorry."
A hand took his shoulder and pulled him on his back. Harry forced him to look him in the eye.
"Severus, it's ok, I understand. It really is no wonder three of them would cause a flashback. I dealt with them, thanks to your training they don't affect me anymore."
The Potions Master saw the honest green eyes and sighed. "Is everyone ok?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, the Order arrived a few minutes after I got rid of the Dementors. You are in the guestroom at the moment, Percy's old room. Hermione patched Bill and Arthur up, they had a few cuts but that's all. They're all downstairs, I tried to take you home but they won't allow it, they insist on thanking you personally."
Severus groaned. "I did nothing, I just passed out when I saw those Dementors."
"I wouldn't say that," Arthur's voice came from the door, "We were outnumbered 2 to 1, even more when you consider Hermione wasn't really in a position to fight, having to protect little Molly. We would be dead if it weren't for you. And Harry, of course," he added as an afterthought.
Harry grinned happily.
Severus slowly sat up. "Can you give me a few minutes by myself?" he asked, "before I have to meet the whole gang downstairs?"
After they had left him, he stood in front of the window and looked out over the garden. The gnomes that had been the bane of Molly's existence were nowhere in sight. He suspected her sons vigorously degnomed the garden regularly these days in her memory.
From downstairs he could hear the voices of the Weasleys and Harry, as well as Albus. He sighed. Harry was right. He had to decide once and for all.
A while later he slowly climbed down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the whole gang had gathered. Harry, who had been watching the door, saw him first and smiled. He walked to his side, preferring to be near to Harry when the lot of them realised he had joined them.
Hermione approached him, with the little girl on her hip.
"Thank you so much, sir," she said, tears in her eyes, "I was terrified they would hurt Molly. And…and…I'm so sorry…"
He cut her off quickly. "That's ok, Miss Gran…Mrs Weasley." He looked at the child, who was studying him intensely, not afraid at all. The violent red hair readily identified her as a Weasley, and even in the childs face he could see the grandmother.
To his surprise, she reached out her little hands to him, and without thinking, he took her. "Hello Molly," he said hoarsely, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Severus."
"Sef?" the child asked. Harry chuckled behind him, and he shot him a glare.
"Don't mind your uncle Harry," he said to the toddler, "he seems to have trouble remembering people's full names."
"Awy," Molly said, clapping her hands. Severus grinned and handed her back to her mother. "She…she really does look a lot like her grandmother," he hesitatingly remarked.
Arthur beamed at him. "Yes she does," he said, cuddling his granddaughter, "We're so proud of our little girl."
"Enough with the mushy stuff," George said.
"What we really want to know…" Fred supplied
"Is how you and Harry did…what you did." They asked, turning to their two rescuers.
"We've been training a bit," Harry confessed.
The twins rolled their eyes. "It was much more then that! We never even saw either of you draw a wand."
"It seems our secret is out, Harry," Severus collapsed on a chair, "we might as well come clean. But don't go spreading the word!" He urged everyone, "It's important to keep it hidden."
Harry nodded. "We've been practising wandless magic," he said, "And we've become quite adept at it."
"Understatement of the year," Charlie muttered, "I've never seen anything like it. We would be dead if it weren't for the two of you." He held out his hand to them. "Thank you so much."
Dumbledore sat in a corner, smiling serenely, but occasionally casting a concerned glance at the Potions Master.
Severus sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you with those Dementors," he stared at the floor, "what happened to them, anyway?"
The whole room chuckled. "Well, apparently Harry has overcome his sensitivity to their proximity," Bill said, "He walked up to them and told them to 'shoo' if I remember correctly…"
Harry grinned. "Erm, yes. Severus taught me how to shut my mind to them. I always wanted to tell them that once, and now I got the chance!"
"They didn't listen to him, though…" Fred said, making a dramatic gesture,
"So Harry cast a Patronus…" George explained,
"But it wasn't his normal Patronus," Fred frowned.
Harry shrugged. "I can change my Patronus now. Something that came with the wandless magic. I thought the one I used was much more appropriate, don't you think?"
Arthur laughed.
"Oh yes, I will never forget those Dementors running…or gliding, for their lives, chased by a spectral Cerberus."
Severus' head shot up. "Fluffy? You chased them off with Fluffy?" he asked, unconsciously rubbing his leg where the Cerberus had once bitten him.
Harry nodded. "Hmm, yes. He really isn't so bad once you get to know him," he said.
Arthur sat next to Severus. "At any rate, we owe you two a great deal. We can never repay you enough for your help. When they came…the thought of losing any more of my family was unbearable..." he trailed off, glancing at his children and resting on the little girl that bore his wife's name.
"It's part of war, Arthur," Harry said, "we save each other's life constantly, in almost every battle."
"I know Harry," Arthur said, "I wouldn't have it any other way, you are just as much my son as this lot. But Severus…" he turned to the Potions Master, who now looked rather nervous, "you had no reason to help us. In fact, you had more reason then most to just leave us to them, after what we did to you."
Severus swallowed and looked around the kitchen.
"I don't think so, Arthur," he said softly, "as I've told you and the twins, I never really blamed you for throwing me in Azkaban. I…it's been a year now since I got out, and I think I'm finally ready to move on, at least with the people in this room…" he looked straight at Dumbledore, "without reservations. Just don't expect me to be all nice and cheerful…"
"We wouldn't dream of it," said Fred,
"We'd be sorely disappointed if you were," George added,
"Can't just take our git of a Potions Master from us," Fred declared,
"We need someone to test our gags on after all," his twin managed before they ducked under the table.
Severus stared at the spot where the two red heads had been only a few seconds before. Then he snorted and started to chuckle.
"Ok, but only if you let me help you with improving them," he said.
Fred and George emerged, looking totally surprised.
"Why, of course," they finally managed, "if you will teach us the stuff you taught Harry? Please?"
Dumbledore backed this up. "It would indeed be good if you and Harry could teach some others, Severus. There can't be that many Death Eaters left now, we are bound to encounter more and more Dark creatures now that Voldemort's other resources have been depleted."
Severus noticed that no one in the room flinched at the name. Harry grinned when he saw Severus' surprised look.
"No, everyone is used to hearing Voldemorts name now, Sev."
Charlie laughed. "Harry was so sick and tired of seeing the whole room flinch at Order meetings whenever Voldemort's name was used, that he locked us all up after one meeting and shouted the name about two hundred times until nobody flinched anymore. Then he ordered us to do the same. We were in there for three hours, but nearly everyone was cured of our allergy for that name."
Harry beamed. "My next project is to teach them to call him Tom, just to piss him off. But what do you say to their request, Severus? It does make sense."
"It does," the Potions Master agreed, "Though I'm not sure how well they'll do on the wandless magic. Draco has been practising for over two months now and although he progresses, it is slow going. But yes, Occlumency would be useful to learn, especially to protect them from Dementors."
They left soon after.
"We're not staying the night either," Bill said, "Hermione and Molly will stay at the Twins place and Dad'll crash with me and Charlie for the night, just to be on the safe side. Ron shouldn't be back until next week, that's why Hermione and Molly were staying here. Tomorrow I'll work on the wards so it's safe here again."
They apparated off.
Severus turned to the headmaster. "Albus, would you…do you have time to come with us? To erm…you know, discuss the training plans and all…"
Harry and Dumbledore shared an amused glance.
"Of course, Severus," Dumbledore said, "Would you mind if I stayed at your place tonight, then, Harry?"
Harry smiled. "Of course not. I'll make sure we put you in a nicer room then last time."
Dumbledore grimaced.
They apparated to the manor.
"So, Draco, the twins, Bill, Charlie and Arthur."
Severus nodded. "I'm sorry, Albus, but I can't handle the others yet. Harry can instruct them in Occlumency. Let me train these six, they have the most potential for wandless magic anyway."
Dumbledore smiled. "That's ok, Severus. Now, would you prefer they train here?"
"Harry's training room is big enough…but maybe we can use the Room of Requirement on occasion?"
"Of course. That's done then. I can't wait to see how they will do in their training. Would you mind if I sat in every now and then?"
Severus shook his head. "Of course not. But only if you don't hold me responsible if your beard catches fire."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Very well then. Severus…" his voice lost the playful tone and the twinkle in his eyes dimmed, "Did you mean what you said earlier…about moving on without reservations?"
Harry quietly left the room without the other two noticing.
Severus sighed. "Yes, I did mean that. I felt torn, between part of me that wanted to rebuild our relationship, and part of me that is just very frightened at that thought. Harry said I should take my time, but in the end I would have to choose. So today, after that flashback, I made that choice. I'm very scared now, but I want…I want to start over again…father."
Harry, peeking around the door, saw the headmaster grabbing Severus in a tight hug, papers scattering over the floor. He grinned.
Voldemort was in so much trouble with those two reunited.