-Hogwarts-

Albus Dumbledore slowly opened his eyes.

"Whhngggggg"

Now that didn't sound too intelligent. Clearing his throat and blinking, he searched for his glasses.

"Goodmorning," a female voice said.

Covering himself up to his nose with the blankets, and looking around, he discovered the Grey Lady floating in sitting position half an inch above the seat of a chair.

"What…why are you here? And why am I in bed? I have so much to do…"

"No, you don't. You've done more than enough," the Grey Lady said in a calm, neutral tone, not condemning in the slightest.

"They stunned me, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did. After you refused to send out a search party for Severus, and telling them that you couldn't care less what happened to the brat, your words."

"But I have to…"

"You will return to your responsibilities, I assure you. But only to yours. You have been taking far too much upon yourself. It must have been difficult, having so many people depending on you for guidance."

The headmaster leaned back.

"I work about 22 hours a day," he admitted, "maybe I am a bit overworked. But, the war…and the school…and the Ministry…"

"Are not your responsibility alone," the Grey Lady told him.

"Did you enjoy mistreating Severus?" she asked.

"Yes. NO! Of course not. I just…couldn't take it anymore."

"I know," the ghost nodded, "and I will help you get back on track. For now, you must rest. Gabby!"

The house elf appeared.

"Gabby, would you fetch a Dreamless Sleep potion and make sure the headmaster drinks it? Also, bring him some food."

The ghost floated to the bed.

"What is going to happen now?" Dumbledore asked.

"We work on getting you in shape. Minerva, Arthur and Alastor have taken over running the school, the Order, and conducting the search for the boys."

"Boys?"

"Harry ran away as well," the Grey Lady informed him, "the search team came back from his relatives with some disturbing stories. The Dursleys have admitted to abusing Harry, but have helped him with his filing for emancipation and his subsequent flight to freedom."

"I only tried to keep him safe," Dumbledore argued.

"Did you?" the Grey Lady asked kindly.

The headmaster didn't respond, but turned his eyes to his sheets.

Gabby returned with food and the potion.

"Eat, and sleep," the Grey Lady said, "I'll be here when you wake up. You're not in this alone anymore."

-Weasley Residence-

Molly Weasley returned from their search for Harry in all of Sirius' known residences very subdued and sad.

Looking for her husband, she found him in their bedroom. He was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs, reading a book. To Molly's surprise, there were tears running down his face.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" she asked in alarm. Her husband was usually a very composed man, not prone to excessive emotional outbursts.

Arthur Weasley put down the book and looked at his wife.

"Severus' diary. He kept it since his Hogwarts years. He didn't record much, once every few weeks, sometimes once every few months. He…Molly…he was just a boy when he started this, I'm reading entries from his final year now. I keep thinking about our boys, and how much we love them. No one, no one has loved Severus. His parents abused him. He had no friends, only tormentors. He was so very alone…"

Molly wiped her eyes. "That sounds like Harry, too. We…those Muggles were even worse then we imagined, Arthur, but what that boy…Harry's cousin said to us…it was so true. He told us our world made Harry unhappy and neglected him just as much as they have done. He said 'he seemed to have aged fifty years instead of five,' and whenever I look at Harry, that is exactly what I see. A very old child."

Arthur nodded. "That is what I feel when I read what Severus wrote. A very old child. Of course, that is now literal…but I think we made a mistake in believing he could not be far away. From what I understand, he had to look after himself pretty much since he was a baby. We are looking for two very self sufficient boys, Molly."

"Those poor children," his wife whispered, "it's a comfort, knowing that they can look after themselves…and at the same time, they shouldn't have to be able to. When we find them, we will take in Severus too, won't we, Arthur? Show that boy some love and care."

Arthur gently kissed his wife. "We certainly will, love. Well, I better get back to Hogwarts to expand our search area, and you will need to go to London, I guess."

"Yes, we are gathering there to discuss our options. Oh, I do hope you find that poor child today, Arthur."

"As do I, Molly. As do I. Good luck in contacting Harry."

-Bungalow-

"Well…" Harry said, putting down his bag containing their shrunken belongings, and looking around.

The house had once been well kept, but now it was…dirty. The furniture was intact, but it would need some very thorough cleaning before they could sit on it without developing an acute dust allergy.

Severus stared at it. "Are…are we really going to live here?" he asked carefully.

Harry sighed. "I doubt the cottage is in better shape, and from what I can tell, the wards have not suffered. Strong as ever. Besides…I'm no longer a minor. Magic can't be detected here. You aren't even considered a minor. Can you do magic?"

Severus held out his hand. "Scourgify," he said, aiming at the kitchen sink. A two foot circle of dirt disappeared.

Harry applauded him. "Well done! With magic, cleaning this place up and repairing it will be much faster. Why don't you clean as much as you can here – be careful not to drain yourself – and I will start with the livingroom."

Severus started cleaning. It was fun. He could feel the magic running through his fingers and he learned how to control it. He'd never been able to do that; perhaps it was a remnant of his adult self? He'd ask Harry about it later.

A beautiful white owl flew in.

"Hi," Severus said, stroking the white feathers. The owl looked at him but didn't bite.

"Are you from around here? Or wait…Harry said you were going to come here. Are you Hedwig?"

The owl hooted, apparently pleased with his quick understanding.

I wish I had an owl like this one…but Father would just kill it, just like he killed Ash…

A tear slid down his face.

"I see you have met Hedwig," Harry's voice came.

"Severus?"

Harry would be mad at him for crying. He was a big boy. Big boys never cry.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Harry sounded concerned now.

Hedwig hooted.

"Severus, it's ok to cry when you're hurt or sad," Harry said, kneeling next to him.

Harry was looking at him like he cared about him. Like…like…

Severus suddenly stepped forward and hid his face against Harry's shoulder.

I'm such an idiot, I'm in such trouble, Harry's not going to like me anymore, he'll send me away!

Suddenly two arms were wrapped around him, a bit awkwardly at first.

"Sshhhhh, Sevvy. It's ok to cry," Harry said in his ear, "I won't be mad at you for crying."

"F..Father…I was…your owl and then I thought about Ash and how Father killed him."

Harry hugged the little boy closer, remembering all the times his uncle had threatened to kill Hedwig, and his blood boiled with anger for what the darkhaired man he'd once seen in a memory had done to this little boy.

Severus calmed down, and stepped out of the hug, looking at the ground, redfaced.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Harry assured him. "Was Ash your owl?"

"My kitten," Severus corrected him, "I found him by the road. I took him home and took care of him. But when Father found out, he killed him. He said I could never get attacked…no, attached to something or someone."

Harry shook his head. "That was very wrong of him, Sevvy. And it's not true. My uncle told me all those things too, but it's just not true. I love my friends, and nothing is wrong with that. I am stronger because I love them."

Stronger because he loved them? How? Mother and Father didn't love anyone, and they are…were strong. Maybe it wasn't the same for everyone.

"Do you want to go play with Hedwig? I'll finish up the kitchen," Harry offered.

"Play?"

"Yes, play. She likes to show off how fast she is, so you can race her. Or you could help her find a nice place to perch. Just don't leave the wards. There is a low fence around the garden. The wards end there, so don't cross it. Wait."

Harry took out his firebolt and cast a few charms.

"Learned those from a few Quidditch books. It's for safety. The broom won't let you fall off now, and it won't go higher than the house. Don't try to take them off. You could easily fall and I'd hate for you to get hurt."

Severus' eyes shone with joy as Harry handed him the broom, and he readily promised to stay in the garden. Which was huge, anyway, large enough for a complete Quidditch pitch.

Hedwig gave a small hoot to indicate she would look after their young friend.

Harry watched with a huge grin as Severus mounted the firebolt and swooped off with a look of pure delight on his small, too pale face, Hedwig in tow.