Harry Potter and the Guardians of Power

Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to the Harry Potter Universe except the twisted plot, a few original characters, and a desire to share my weird obsession with others.

Summary: After being captured by Voldemort, Snape and Potter escape to … AU/Middle of 5th Year, No HBP Spoilers, NO Slash, and No Mary Sues.

AN: I will not respond to individual reviewers on this story site. If you really need a question answered please review and I will answer on my author's page. Author's page has been updated. Please review and thanks especially to those of you who have reviewed every chapter and added this story to your favorites list.

AN: Now back to Harry and Severus

Chapter 9: Arriving at the Castle

Harry opened his eyes to a sea of white. Familiar white, familiar smell, the hospital wing, wait…he wasn't at Hogwarts! He remembered everything that had happened the day before and groaned. He heard a familiar voice asking him how he was feeling.

"And don't tell me 'fine'. I have heard too many complaints from almost all of the staff, especially Madame Pomfrey and Headmaster Dumbledore; saying you could have fallen off your broom, been attacked by ten death eaters and have a temperature of 105 and you would still answer 'fine'!" Severus' face was blurry, but familiar enough for him to recognize him even without his glasses. But he wasn't sure he would ever get used to seeing the man smiling at him. That was just so weird!

"I just ache all over now. Nothing is really in sharp pain, and it's really weird that my scar doesn't hurt at all. It has hurt constantly for years so it's weird that it doesn't. Nice, but weird. I need to use the loo, everywhere that is bandaged itches, I'm starved, and I am sick of being in bed and helpless. Oh, and I expect to be very bored very soon. Enough information, sir?" Harry smirked at Severus.

"Impudent brat!" Severus smirked back at him, though it was really lost since the boy couldn't see him clearly anyway.

Harry took a big chance; the man after all seemed to like him now, "Greasy Git!" he joked back. Realizing what he had said, and who he had said it to, he immediately regretted opening his mouth. He quickly dropped his head in silent fear, that really had been too much, the man would now revert to the snarky bastard, he was sure he would yell at him, but he was pretty sure the man wouldn't hit him like Uncle Vernon, but he wasn't absolutely positive. To his utter surprise the man started to laugh, really laugh and to Harry's surprise, he just patted him on the head ruffling his hair.

"Insolent child!" Severus muttered while still chuckling at the new, more daring Harry. He couldn't help laughing out loud at the shocked expression on the poor boy's face. It was priceless. He thought 'If I had known how much fun it was to joke with people, I might have acted like this years ago! Well, probably not, but it is nice to be liked.'

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a lady dressed in a very bright sunshine yellow robe. Even with his poor vision, Harry noticed that she was very, very pregnant. She was also very cheerful. What was it with healers being so cheerful?

"Ah, Harry, it is all right if I call you Harry?" at his nod she continued, "Now that you are awake we can finish giving you some potions and use a few spells to accelerate your healing. I imagine you are really tired of those splints now, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. But I really need to use the loo before we do anything else." He looked relieved as she muttered the same spell that Severus used in the meadow to empty his bladder, but he really couldn't wait to be able to do it the old fashioned way. She used her wand to perform several diagnostic spells over the lad, muttering ominously as she worked. The longer she waved her wand, the darker the expression on her face became, and her muttering was increasing in volume with each pass over Harry's body. Severus looked anxiously at her as her examination concluded.

"He's healing all right, isn't he? I did the best I could in the meadow, but we were alone for over a week. He's going to heal all right, isn't he?" Harry had never heard his cold Potion's Professor babble, but that sounded like what the man was doing. Harry could hear the worry in Severus' voice and that starting to worry him. He had felt so much better, he was sure he was going to be all right, but now the doubt started to creep into his thoughts.

"Oh, yes, he'll be right as rain by the end of the week. It just makes me mad to see what one 'human being' will inflict on another, especially an innocent child. It's just evil! Grandfather told us your story this morning. I hope that was all right, but we needed to know, so we knew what to treat."

Harry said hurriedly, "That's fine, I really don't feel like telling it, but I don't mind you knowing the story. I mean, almost everyone in the wizarding world at home knows the story, what's a few more?"

She nodded and left to fetch several potions. Severus recognized bone strengthener, nerve regenerator, and a few nutrient potions. He was surprised that she didn't just bring Skele-gro and have it done in one dose rather that the slower bone strengthener potions and then he realized that it didn't exist yet. After feeding the foul tasting potions to Harry, she had Severus help the boy get cleaned up and into clean pajamas.

She had just finished up when Merlin entered followed by two men and the most beautiful dark haired, fair skinned women that Severus had ever seen. Harry squinted at the newcomers, but he really couldn't see anyone clearly. Merlin looked at him and asked, "Would you like me to repair your eyesight for you, young Harry. The spell only lasts about a month, but it can be renewed until I can teach you how to repair your eyes by yourself."

Severus and Harry both looked at the old wizard in astonishment. Merlin chuckled, "Let me guess, the spell has been lost to your time?"

At the nod of both dark heads, Merlin laid his hands on Harry's eyes and chanted with the deep, resonant bass voice they remembered from the ritual at the lake. Harry felt a warm wash of magic flow through his eyes. When Merlin removed his hands, Harry opened his eyes to a blurry world that cleared more with each blink of his eyes. He looked around in wide eyed wonder. "Wow, that's great, what do you mean, teach me to heal myself?" The adults all laughed at the child's curiosity, but Merlin said that he would leave that for another day when they had more time for him to explain.

"Harry, do you remember last night before we were attacked. I asked you to be my apprentice. I know I haven't given you much time to think about it, but I need an answer soon because your magic will be growing; both because the connection draining your magic is broken, and because you will be growing and strengthening physically also. As well, you are rapidly approaching your sixteenth birthday when your magical core will mature. Although I do not know when your birthday is exactly."

He turned to Severus and introducing the others said, "Severus, you have met my granddaughter Helga, this is her husband, Salazar Slytherin. This is my grandson, Helga's brother, Godric Gryffindor, and his wife, Rowena Ravenclaw. Salazar, I believe you had something you wanted to ask Severus?"

"Yes, Severus, I understand that you are a Potion's Master and teach potions at a magical school in the far future. I am the Potion's Master at this small academy and have studied and researched many ancient potions that are not widely known. I propose that we collaborate in teaching potions, and teach each other the potions of our own times. I am certain you know many potions that have been developed in your time, and I am certain that I know many that are lost to your time, or are even very rarely known now."

Harry didn't have to hear Severus' answer. His face looked like a child let loose in a toy store and told he could have anything he wanted. Severus was so shocked that he almost stuttered as he tried to speak so quickly that his words tripped over themselves, "I would be honored to learn at your side, Lord Slytherin." He said humbly, unable to believe that his idol and life-long icon was asking to work with him, let alone learn potions from him!

"Great, just call me Salazar, or preferably Sal if you like. I have a feeling we will be working side by side." Helga rolled her eyes at their enthusiasm and told the two with a mocking scold, "But no talking about potions at the dinner table. It takes my appetite away! It's bad enough you have to smell like them, I don't want to know what's in them!" Salazar leaned over his wife's shoulder to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, while he rubbed her pregnant belly with his right hand. "How's my little potion's master doing, aren't you about ready to come out and help me brew potions for Mama?" Helga just laughed at him and swatted his hand away. "Not before the boy is ten, Salazar, you promised!" Salazar rolled his eyes and looked at her with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes, "Yes, dear, whatever you say, dear." Everyone laughed at the total insincerity in Salazar's tone, especially his wife.

Harry giggled but then quickly stopped laughing at the two being silly together. A wistful look of longing appeared on his overly thin face. The others could all tell, without him saying a word that he was wishing that he had a family that loved each other, and joked together, and laughed with each other. Severus reached over to Harry and wrapped a warm arm around his shoulders as Merlin gathered up his hands and held them in his own calloused and weathered ones. Harry squared his shoulders and sighed deeply. Harry looked up at Merlin with awe in his voice and spoke softly, "I am honored that you consider me worthy to become your apprentice. But I am not a very good wizard. I just get by in class and I can't do anything like that shield you used against that attack."

Merlin released one hand to brush the hair out of the child's eyes, and smiled. "Harry, you are more powerful now that you know, and you will continue to grow in your magic as you get older. Do not doubt your power or your abilities."

Severus sat on the edge of the bed and took Harry's chin in his hand. "Harry, what happened when you did better than your cousin Dudley in school?"

"My Uncle would beat me and lock me in my cupboard and Aunt Petunia wouldn't let me eat anything for days." Was the quiet reply. Harry tried to look down, in his experience any complaint would be dealt with harshly, even brutally. But somehow, after the cleansing ritual and the purification ritual in the lake, it was almost as if those things had happened to someone else. For the first time in his life, he was able to tell others without feeling ashamed or afraid of what people would think if they knew about what had happened to him. In a way it was kind of liberating to finally tell people, especially people who cared about him, what had happened.

Severus didn't let Harry break eye contact as he continued, "And how old were you when your Uncle started beating and starving you for unexplained happenings, which you now know were your magic showing itself?"

Harry finally managed to look down, even though Severus still had hold of his chin, "I don't know how young I was, I never remembera time that they didn't. My earliest memories are of the darkness and hunger of being locked in my cupboard. I must have been just two since I remember still wearing diapers that my Aunt refused to change for days at a time." Severus pulled Harry into a hug as he whispered into his hair, "Never again, child, you will never have to be there again." He sat back and pulled Harry's head up so that he could look the boy directly into his eyes again. "I think you have been blocking your magical and scholastic abilities for so long that you do it unconsciously. And remember what Merlin told you about Tom draining your magic for years to keep himself 'alive'. I think you are much more powerful and intelligent than you have willingly let yourself be. I know that now that you are going to be allowed to excel, you will do fine. In fact, much better than fine. Remember, I care for you and I will never yell at you for doing your best, no matter if it's much better than I can do. And no one will ever beat you or starve you again. That's my promise, and I always keep my promises!"

Harry looked around at the faces that surrounded his bed. He expected to see pity, but all he saw was concern and caring. They weren't angry or upset with him. They didn't think he was worthless, or that somehow it was his fault that he had been abused. Maybe he could get through all of this and put the Dursley's behind him after all!

Harry wasn't sure he totally believed Severus, but what he and Merlin had told him made a lot of sense. And he knew he deliberately kept his grades below Dudley's. Could he be doing that so that people didn't notice him any more than they already did? It kind of made sense to him. Sometimes things came so easy to him that he frightened himself, he knew he hated being different in any way. But maybe being different could be in a good way? He didn't know for sure, but he would really think on it.

Merlin touched his arm gently and said, "Harry, could you try something with me? I promise not to hurt you and you can stop at any time you like, if you get tired or frightened."

Harry looked up at Merlin, a man he thought of as his savior, he had broken the connection between Voldemort and himself, he couldn't refuse the wizard anything he asked. After all, he owed him his life. Green eyes meeting green eyes, he said, "Yes, sir."

Merlin touched his hands to either side of Harry's temples. Harry could hear a gentle bass voice in his head telling him to think back on the feeling after the first ritual, when his mind had been totally blank. Harry did that easily, he wondered briefly if that was what Severus meant when he told him to empty his mind? He felt a chuckle in his head, 'Yes, child. Now watch what I do." He felt Merlin's presence delving deep inside of him to find a brilliant core of swirling silver and gold power. He watched as the old wizard pulled a strand of power and pushed it through his body until it reached the fingers of his right hand. It seemed to attach by itself and stayed there while the old man left his mind with a gentle mental caress.

"Now Harry, use a lumos spell."

"But I don't have my wand, sir. I don't know where it is."

"Ah, but Harry, you don't need a wand. Just point with your hand."

Harry looked skeptical, but he would humor him, after all he was Merlin, if he told him he could do it, he knew that he would be able to. "Lumos!" he yelled. Harry's whole hand glowed with a bright light, much brighter than his wand ever lit for him. "Wow! How did I do that? Look, Severus, it's so cool!" The adults all laughed at the expression of joy on the boy's face. It made him look about 12 years old. He laughed with glee and almost bubbled as he continued, "What else can I do? Accio!" A pillow flew into Harry's hand from across the room.

"Wingardium Leviosa! Oops!" The last was said because he had accidentally levitated Severus off of the side of his bed; levitating him about three feet above the mattress, and not lifted the pillow as he had intended to. "This is so fantastic!" His green eyes sparkled with the fun he was having using magic so effortlessly. Harry was actually giggling as he lowered Severus gently back to the bed.

Helga looked at Merlin askance, "I believe that's quite enough! He is not healed by any means. You will tire him out!" Merlin was laughing, "Please, Granddaughter. As you can see, he is not tired at all. One more tiny thing. Now child, release the magic from your hand and then draw it back yourself. Can you do that?"

With a look of intense concentration, Harry zoned out for about five minutes before saying "Lumos." His hand again lit up. He shrieked with happiness and Severus hugged him, messing up his hair even more that it had been, if that was possible.

Merlin looked at Harry with an expression of mock ferocity. "Don't ever tell me a second time that you are not a powerful wizard, Harry. And don't claim that you are just an average student ever again!"

Harry looked up at him, "But that wasn't hard, the way you showed me it was really easy. Anyone could do it!" Harry looked around at the others beside his bed. They all looked both shocked and unbelieving. "What?"

Salazar and Rowena both told him that they could not do wandless magic like that even though they had tried for years. Godric told him that it had taken him over six months of daily lessons to show his first 'lumos' and Helga said her wandless magic was limited to a few minor healing and diagnostic spells. Harry looked from Merlin to Severus for confirmation, "Harry, I am limited to lighting a few candles, showing a potion on the blackboard and opening and shutting a door. And they all make me tired, so I don't do them often. Albus can do a few more, but he cannot lift more than a small book, certainly not someone as heavy as I am. And he certainly doesn't have the control to lift me three feet in the air and then put me gently back on the bed exactly as I was sitting!"

Merlin nodded at the boy and said, "Harry, I am very accomplished at wandless magic, and do almost all of my magic with my hand. As you will soon be, I am unable to use a wand without it either exploding from excessive power or burning up in my hand. This is why we must begin immediately to train you to use your power so that it does not injure you or others. But you learned much faster than even I did." He smiled at the flabbergasted youth, "Apprentice Potter?"

"I will try my best to learn all that you can teach me. I would like that very much, sir."

Harry was somewhat subdued after the wild euphoria of playing with his magic. He decided maybe he could do everything they wanted him to after all.

Just then young serving girl entered into the hospital with a tray full of food for Harry which he accepted eagerly. Merlin laughed, "We'll leave you now to eat and then I'm sure Helga will want you to sleep some more." He paid no attention to the boy's grumbling as he started to eat. Harry was so starved he dug right in and barely noticed when Godric, Merlin, and Rowena left his room, still shaking their heads at the boy's seemingly effortless display of tremendous magical power.

Salazar and Severus still stood at the end of his bed, deeply engrossed in potions talk to the exclusion of everything else. Severus was describing the benefits of Skele-gro in treating broken bones quickly and he had the founder intrigued as they walked out of the infirmary together. Helga laughed, "Well, we won't see either one of them again for a long while. Now eat up, young Harry, and I will try to find a book or two that might interest you for a while. And then you will sleep. Perhaps you will be able to go to the hall to eat dinner tonight; if you promise to come right back. Would you like that?"

Harry just nodded, to busy with the best ham, cheese, and mushroom omelet with fried potatoes that he had ever eaten. He barely noticed when he was left alone in the infirmary and had already fallen back to sleep by the time Helga returned with several books. Laughing, she placed them on the nightstand for when he woke up later, and took his tray to return it to the kitchen.

Severus and Salazar returned to the hospital wing late that afternoon to find Harry sitting up in bed deeply engrossed in a thick book about controlling magic and how to moderate the amount of power you used in spells. Severus was carrying a goblet of something that smelled really rotten, and he had an evil smirk on his face. Helga came waddling out of her office and gave her husband a quick hug and kiss before asking what was in the goblet.

"Severus has shown me how to make Skele-gro. It is a potion that heals or completely grows new bones with only one dose. And it works in a matter of hours!" Salazar was much more excited about the potion than Harry was. He had tasted the stuff before after all. Helga was now even more excited than Salazar. "No splinting, no staying off the bone for weeks? Just hours and it's as good as new?"

"Yes, though it does taste rather vile, as Harry can attest to, can't you?"

"Ugh, yes. I had a professor that was incompetent and instead of healing a broken arm, he completely removed the bone. My arm just flopped like a dead fish. Madame Pomfrey healed it though, and it was fine the next day. It was a little stiff and sore for a couple of days, but otherwise I could use it just fine."

"That's a miracle, here Harry, drink up! Can he have some hot chocolate afterwards to kill the taste?" Helga was asking Severus.

"Certainly, he can eat or drink anything without affecting the efficacy of the potion. Though, as Harry knows, adding any sweetener to the potion makes it ineffective."

"Right Severus, you just say that so can make your potions taste really vile!" Harry gagged the potion down and immediately grabbed for the mug of hot chocolate Helga held out for him.

"Impertinent brat!" snarled Severus.

"Am not." Harry spit out around the hot chocolate which hadn't completely masked the taste of the Skele-gro.

"Then you are an impudent, little monster. Better?" smiled Severus.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I do know that they are the same thing, Severus. I did pass primary school English class, you know." He smiled back at the man he was starting to care for. Helga fussed around him and gave him a sleeping potion as she ran her diagnostic wand over his arms and legs. The last thing he heard as he went back to sleep was Helga Hufflepuff demanding to know how to brew Skele-gro from Professor Snape as she unwrapped the bandages and removed the itching, blasted splints.

Harry would have enjoyed dinner in the Great Hall more if Severus hadn't insisted on carrying him from the infirmary. Harry had noticed that the castle reminded him a lot of Hogwarts but that it was quite a bit smaller, which made it seem cozier, but somehow really weird. Like it was almost familiar. The infirmary only had six beds, the Great Hall that was just down a corridor from it, was only about one-fourth the size, and had several round tables, not long house and staff tables. The staff and the apprentices seemed to be a lot closer than the staff and students at Hogwarts, but he assumed that was because it was so much smaller, with only six teachers and just nineteen apprentices at the current time. The strangest thing though were the human servants that carried platters of food that they served to everyone. He missed the house elves and the magic of the food just appearing on the tables. The ceiling wasn't enchanted either, just lit with chandeliers full of candles with torch lights along all the walls.

Harry was placed by Severus into a comfortable chair on the right side of Merlin and then he sat to the right of the boy where he could make sure the child ate. He would also be able to judge if the child became too tired. Severus knew Harry wouldn't complain because he wouldn't want Severus to have to leave his meal.

Harry was getting tired and really full, it seemed every time he took a drink of pumpkin juice, Severus snuck more roast pork or steamed carrots, or pickled beets on his plate. He finally had to just refuse to eat another bite. He did let the man serve him a large piece of chocolate cake, but he could only eat less than half.

"Severus, I am full. I haven't eaten in a long time and I'm sure you don't want me to be sick on the Great Hall floor, and I will be if I try to eat one more bite! Besides, you need to eat more and you don't see me putting more food on your plate." Harry had said, beginning to whine in his tiredness.

Before Severus could answer Harry, a disheveled man dressed in farming clothes that looked familiar from old woodcuttings in ancient books, ran into the hall. "My Lords, the village is overrun with brigands! They are attacking the villagers and burning the houses!"

Without a word, every male at the tables grabbed the cloaks that were hanging on pegs by the doors; the older ones summoned staffs from a box standing by the door of the Great Hall, and dashed out the entrance. The women and girls began renovating the hall to house refugees from the stricken village while Rowena cast a mobilicorpus spell on a protesting Harry, who had tried to follow Severus and Merlin, and floated his body, complaining all the way, back to the hospital ward. Helga tucked him tightly back into his bed and forced a sleeping draught down his throat. As he tried to force his eyes to remain open one more minute, he heard her promise, "I will wake you when they return. I promise, young Harry, now sleep."