Note: Thank you to: Tenshi-Chicuu and PeachDancer82 for reviewing so early^^
A Father's Love
Chapter 3: Hogwarts…
~~**~~ Three years later~~**~~
"I START HOGWARTS THIS YEAR!!!" Draco ran up and down the halls of Snape Manor creating a hullabaloo of happiness that the house rarely saw.
"So how do you think Draco is going to take to going to school this year?" Remus asked Severus as Draco passes the drawing room for the third time.
"Ohh do shut up Remy." Severus snapped at him.
"Okay okay you are the one who gets to live with him ALL summer long." the werewolf grinned at his friend.
"What's going to happen this year Remy? With Harry's birthday in a couple of short months… he'll be turning eleven this year…" Severus whispered.
"Sev, he will be like any other boy or girl and you will be fine. I am going to be there and so will Draco. And Albus and Minerva… we will all be there for you and for Harry. Don't think we won't be, not for a second.
"HOGWARTS HOGWARTS!!" Draco yelled up and down the hall, he stopped when he saw that his uncle was slouched over and crying in the chair while Remus sat next to him patting his back. "Uncle Sev? Uncle Remy? What's wrong why are you so sad? Is it because of him?" Draco wanted to climb in Severus's lap and let all the tears flow, but that was uncle Remus's job now. Draco had just recovered from his usual school year beatings and was more energetic then most to finally be on vacation even if he wasn't really on vacation… no he was just with his two uncles.
"Yes Draco, I miss him very very much. I can't have him… he wouldn't be safe. I would be killed. I can't save him…"
"Save him from what Severus Snape?" Remus snapped at his lover and friend.
"Voldermort…" Sev whispered lowering his head confessing his fear in the open.
~~**~~ Two Weeks Later~~**~~
"Ready to go Draco? Got your cloths and books?" Remus asked of the eleven year old.
"Yeah I got em… are we going to Hogwarts now?" The boy answered.
"Yes. We are going to be in Uncle Sev's room when we get there so try not to break anything okay?"
"I haven't broken anything yet." Draco said defensively.
"Okay then." Remus chuckled at the boy and shrunk the bag to put in his pocket. "Go on now."
Draco moved to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of powder and stepped in, he yelled out 'Hogwarts Dungeons!' and was spit out the other end into his uncle's arms. Remus followed quickly after.
"Sorry boys but I have an urgent message from the headmaster, there is something I must do. Do feel free to settle in. Draco if you can find a room with a huge picture of a silver dragon and golden snake painted on the ceiling, that's your room." He turned to Remus, "Here." Severus handed Remus a letter. "Wait for twenty minutes to read it. And don't stop me. Albus told me to do what I have to do."
Remus nodded and Severus disappeared back to Snape Manor through the Floo network.
"Uncle Remy!! Help me find my room!!" Draco yelled out enthusiastically. Remus joined the boy searching the dungeon for the mysterious room. After an hour of searching they found it, it had two four-poster beds both covered in silver and gold drapes. Remus knew that it was not Snape's room he had found. He remembered the letter and opened it carefully. There were two pieces of parchment the first one read:
'Dear Severus,
It is high time you took to raising your son, go and fetch him. Number Four Privet Drive, London.
Headmaster of Hogwarts
Albus Dumbeldore
P.S. His relatives don't like wizards so be careful.'
And the second, written in a hurry with very sloppy handwriting considering the normal very elegant signature of his lover, said:
Remy,
I have gone to get Harry I will be back soon.
Love Sev.
P.S. You can sleep in my room.
"Draco, you are going to have a roommate, and soon." Remus said still staring at the two letters.
"Really? Who? When?" The boy asked very excited and curious.
"Yes, Harry and very soon." Remus said answering all of the boys questions in order and with short answers.
"YOU MEAN HARRY IS GONNA BE HERE!"
"Yes Draco, that is what I said." Remus said in shock and exasperated at the energetic fury of Draco.
"AWSOME!" Draco said before going to wash up and make the room look nice with some of the things Sev and Remy had gotten him for his birthday, posters and toys and books… lots of books. Draco loved to read, he already had his potions textbook and liked to read it. He didn't have any of the others though. Draco wanted school to start so badly. In a mere twenty minutes Draco had the room looking like he wanted and he had started to read his text book when Uncle Severus rushed in with a boy smaller then Draco and rushed him to the bed.
"REMUS!!" Severus bellowed. Remus came running. "Get my bag… Poppy is still away." Remus rushed out of the room and back again in a hurry. "Come help me quickly. We don't have anymore time to waste."
Remus and Severus started working on the unconscious boy. Severus undressed his son with one swift flick of the wand and Draco could see that the other boys bruises were numerous and very bad. Draco stayed away from the bed. Remus was handing Severus potions and gauze, as he needed it. Draco watched from the other side of the room. Above the Dragon and Snake watched also moving around each other, the snake hissing out different sounds. Draco began listening to the snake and he heard the same hissing being repeated over and aver again.
"I think that's all I can do." Severus said after three hours of work. He stood and nearly collapsed.
"Damn you Sev you aren't a healer, you can't give energy like that and be alright!" Remus shouted at him.
"Shut up Remy, he's my son wouldn't you have done the same thing for your son?" Severus replied groggily. He then heard the muffled crying of the other boy in the room. "Draco? Come here Draco." Sev whispered Draco poked his head out from behind the curtains of his bed, before getting up and running to Sev's open arms. "Everything will be alright. No one will ever hurt you or Harry again understand? No one." Severus murmured to the boy.
"What happened to him?" Drako asked scared out of his mind.
"Bad people. He lived with bad people Draco like your father." Severus carried the boy with him to the bedroom that he and Remus would share later, but now he needed to rest and Draco needed to be comforted. Remus showed up shortly after Severus and Draco had fallen asleep. He tucked them in and put a warming spell on the blankets that surrounded two of the three most precious things in his life. Remus went to find any professor that could help. The full moon was tonight and he would have to go to the Shrieking Shack to hide during his transformation from human to werewolf.
The next morning when Severus woke Draco was gone and Remus was nowhere in sight. Then Severus remembered the lunar cycle and knew exactly where Remus was. His next thought was Harry and he whisked out of bed to the boys' bedroom where he found the charms professor Flitwick and the Minerva looking after the still unconscious Harry and the silent Drako.
"You did a nice job of healing him." Minerva said when she saw Severus enter the room. "You also look terrible. Clean yourself up and get something to eat and then you can come back here. Now shoo!" She commanded of him as she peered over the rim of her glasses. Severus was going to argue but didn't. This woman had taught him for eleven years and been his co-worker for the last nine, he respected her greatly and he trusted her to care over his son and adoptive nephew for another hour or so.
Over the next several weeks' teachers came back from their Vacations and Draco was allowed to wonder around a little on his own, he mainly talked to the portraits on the wall and peeves the poltergeist. Harry was still unconscious but there was color coming back to his face. The bruises were starting to heal properly and the several fresh bloody cuts and bruises had finally stopped flowing. Severus had put Harry in pajama bottoms because Draco still shared the room with him and he figured that his son would want some privacy while he slept. Severus began fearing the worst: that his son would not make it to the conscious world again.
With school beginning in a week, both Harry and Draco received their acceptance letters and their school supplies. Drako read his quickly and Remus took him to Knockturn Ally while Severus kept Harry's waiting for the boy to recover. Severus lay his head down on the bed and began to cry again thinking that his son was as good as dead and he had never even been able to tell him how much he loved him when Harry woke up, five days before term started.
"Where am I? And who are you?" The disoriented Harry looked around in panic at the man by his bed who had been crying.
TBC…
Note: Yeah I know Harry in a coma for a month or more seems unlikely but that's what I wanted.
Thank you to Zorra and Jennifer for reviewing the last chapter!!
Chapter 4 should be here soon… within a couple of days hopefully^^