A/N: WARNING: This chapter may be cute and your brain may implode from the cuteness. Anyway. Do not own. Still AU. So here is Severus' reaction to Alexis' actions as well as the resulting conversation with Filius... And a Teddy scene, which is both angsty and cute. Enjoy. X's are scene breaks! Italics are thoughts, usually. Also, use your words.

~Cas

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"You did what?" Severus snarled, sneering at the younger woman. She had hit their child? Alexis? Oh, there better be a good reason for this.

Alexis rolled her eyes. Perhaps she hadn't thought it out as much as she should have, but she had promised the child consequences and she knew that she hadn't actually harmed him. Nor would she ever 'spank' the child without good reason; not unless he put himself in serious danger. The boys had not been in much danger, although they could have fallen and broken bones, but she had warned him. She hadn't wanted him to believe that she didn't follow through. "I promised him consequences, Severus. I warned him to stay off the walls. He is so used to foolishly risking his life without thinking about it first. No one ever told him that his life had value, that is what I was trying to impart to him. Tell me, would you not have done the same?" She retorted finally, looking up from her paperwork to watch the potion's master pace for a moment. Remus merely shook his own head, hiding a smile. The other man had already agreed with her actions. But Severus was a bit rash when it came to his students, just as she was.

He paused for a moment, frowning slightly. He probably would have done something similar, actually. He didn't believe in corporeal punishment, precisely, and he knew that Alexis didn't either. But the stinging spell for older students and a swat for younger students who needed the consequences was acceptable in his mind. They had even told Harry that they would spank him if he put his life in danger, but only then. And only because they wanted him to realize that putting himself in danger had consequences because they cared about him. So he understood her point. He just didn't like it. Nor was he quite sure how the abused child would have taken it, perhaps he would see it the same as a beating? Or perhaps he would understand that they only punished him because they cared about him. Severus finally scowled, resuming his pacing. "Be that as it may, what if he becomes afraid of you?" He drawled finally.

"I don't believe he will. But if he does, I will speak to him. Tim, I believe, was also going to talk to him about his constant disregard for himself, so perhaps that will bring anything to light if necessary." Alexis shrugging, turning back to her work.

"Discipline has never caused either you or Alexis to fear me, Severus. Rather, it has shown you that I care when you misbehave. It will, hopefully, teach Harry the same." Filius injected quietly, his eyes following the pacing young man. The dark-haired man merely nodded, deep in his thoughts. Perhaps it was time for the conversation he had been wanting to have with these two, but they had been busy and it had been hectic. It was still busy and hectic. He had waited for nearly a year, but perhaps the time was finally right. He glanced toward the young woman and bit back a chuckle. She had flushed, eyes staring unmoving at her work.

"Harry is acting out. He is not the only student doing so. But I don't believe physical punishment will stop that. Hopefully, he will come to believe that we care about his safety. But if he keeps taking off..."Remus remarked quietly, eyes following his lover. It was a genuine concern of his, that Harry might do more than just run when he was scared or angry. That the child might decide to run away.

"He needs discipline. If he keeps running, we ground him. We also add a tracking charm, that way when he does run, we can always find him." Severus sighed, shaking his head slightly. That child had a tendency to take off. It was a habit that they needed to break, and soon.

"Have you spoken to him about adoption yet?" Alexis asked, looking up again. The paperwork in her hand, complete legalese, had remained her of what the two men had mentioned briefly the other day.

"Not yet. Is that Bain's paperwork?" Remus asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at the sudden topic change. They were seriously considering adopting Harry, to give him more stability for one. But also to make sure that he would always have them. They had fallen in love with this child, it made sense to adopt him.

"It is."

"He's a good apprentice. He also has a solid talent for potions. " Severus remarked quietly, glancing over Alexis' shoulder as he paced past.

"Lucius will be pleased to hear that. His sponsorship of Bain has helped greatly with the stupid Board agreeing to allow him to stay over the summer and next, if necessary. I need to arrange a meeting between the two." Alexis smirked, looking up at her brother. Lucius Malfoy had been a great help with sponsoring the summer camp and some of the older students. That was one man who may have made a mistake in his youth, but had grown into a good man. Narcissa probably had much to do with that, as did their child. Narcissa had told her that Lucius had grumbled about adopting every single orphan if he could, he was firmly against child abuse, having watched his friend grow up with it. Narcissa had convinced him to work toward opening a home for those children, so that they were wanted and loved. She frowned, turning to look at Filius when the older man cleared his throat.

"Speaking of adoption..."Filius began, trailing off when three pairs of eyes turned to him.

"You found a student you want to adopt?" Alexis asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at the older man. She had told the staff that if they wanted to adopt one of the students who were wards, that she would help them. She knew Pomona and Charity were talking about each adopting a child...or ten. Those women had big hearts, but she was surprised that Filius wanted to adopt a child...and perhaps a bit jealous. She had grown close to the older man, as she knew Severus had also.

"Not precisely." Filius replied quietly, eyes going between gray and nearly black ones. Remus was watching him with a slight, knowing smile. Although he did care for the sandy-haired younger man, he knew that even if he didn't adopt the werewolf, the man would become a part of his family, legally even.

"Well?" Severus questioned, raising an eyebrow at the older man. The charms master was looking at him like he did when he was in trouble. Although, he took comfort in the fact that those intense eyes were also watching Alexis. He bit back a groan, dropping gracefully into a chair at Filius' gesture.

"Filius?" Alexis frowned, glancing at Severus. The half goblin was acting odd, odder than normal anyway.

"I'll go make tea, shall I?" Remus remarked suddenly, standing and heading into Alexis' small kitchen, breaking into a grin once he was out of Severus and Alexis' sight. This would be good for both of them, for all three of them actually.

"It is not a student that I wish to adopt. Rather, I wish to adopt my two children, as I have come to consider them. Of course, that is if they wish to be my children legally, as they are already the children of my heart." Filius remarked finally, watching two sets of confused eyes before realization lit in both of them. He bit back a smirk, shifting restlessly. Hopefully, they would not shoot him down. That was his worst fear, that they would not want him.

"Us?" Alexis croaked, finding her voice after a few moments of strained silence. She understood Severus, he always called the other man 'son'. But her? He had only know her for two years, although they had grown quite close in the last year and a half. Filius had taken her under his wings, had brought her and Severus closer together. She already thought of him as a parent, but she had not been aware that he felt the same. He was part of her family already, making it legal wouldn't change too much.

Severus turned onyx eyes to meet Alexis', slightly raising an eyebrow. Her eyes were bright and she gave him a slight nod. He turned back to meet Filius' eyes, allowing a small smile to grace his features. "We would love to become your children, as you have already been a better father to us than either of us had as children."

Filius smiled at the younger man, turning his eyes to Alexis. He knew, of course, that Severus would only speak for Alexis with her consent, but he wanted to see if she had anything to add to this. After all, it would change their lives, even if not drastically. Both were adults, but even adults, especially young ones, at least in the wizarding world both were considered young still, could use the guidance and understanding of a parent. Perhaps someone to hold them accountable for their actions as well, although he had been doing that for both of them for a while. He was going to adopt a twenty-six and thirty-two year old, which would bring a thirty-three year old son-in-law, he could help with the wedding!; a nearly thirteen year old grandson, perhaps two, and he was nearly certain Alexis was planning to adopt at least two students, if she could. "If Alexis is healthy enough by the Solstice, we will hold the ritual then and I will go ahead and file the papers." He remarked softly, raising an eyebrow at the young woman.

"Alright. But there is one condition to this adoption. We get to call you Papa or Dad." Alexis grinned, causing the older man to chuckle quietly.

"Yes, that is fine child." Fine indeed. He would love to be their papa, their dad.

-x-

Once again, a child was out of bed. This time, however, Alexis was blindly following Hogwarts' magic deeper into the castle. The child, she was not clear which child it was, was somewhere in the intricate twisting of the corridors, deep within the fifth floor. Hogwarts had alerted her to a distressed child, whose magic was not in control. The closer she got, the more she could feel the bursts of magic spilling off. The child must have ran blindly from the third floor rooms, that was the only explanation on how they were so deep on the fifth floor. She stopped next to an old unused classroom, one she was hoping to use for one of the new classes, eyes quickly scanning the room. Magic was pulsing from here, but at first glance no one was there. She could feel the child though and she smelt..blood. It took her a moment to find him under one of the desks, his back pressed against the wall. He didn't see her, but it only took a second to recognizing him and to see the blade he pressed into his leg. Alexis moved slowly, cautiously toward the small boy. She made a bit of noise and his head snapped up, knife still held to his leg. "Teddy?" She called softly.

Teddy froze, eyes wide with fear. He clutched his knife tightly, tracking her movements. The headmistress approached slowly, but stopped a few feet away and did not block him in. He had plenty of room to escape if he needed to. But he had a feeling that she wouldn't hurt him. He wasn't sure though. Hadn't she gotten upset that Harry had done something bad? Wasn't he being bad?

"Teddy, could you put the knife on the floor child?" Alexis asked gently, crouching a few feet away from the boy. She wanted him to feel safe around her, so she would not take it from him. That was too heavy-handed, and dangerous. The magic surrounding the boy was barely within his control. She did not want to cause him to lose control; she was not certain what kind of damage his accidental magic might cause.

"Why do you wear a glamour, professor?" Teddy asked suddenly, eyes meeting hers. There was no accusation there, just curiosity.

She froze, gray eyes flashing briefly before sighing softly. "That is a very long story Teddy. How did you know I was wearing a glamour? Can you see through it?" Alexis asked slowly, settling down on the floor. It might just be a long conversation, she might as well save her knees from the pain they would feel later.

Teddy hesitated, grimacing slightly. He still held the knife but it was no longer against his skin. He didn't like hurting himself in front of other people. Besides, his leg was already bleeding pretty nastily. "One of my friend's sees magic. He mentioned it earlier, but only to me. He didn't know what it was, but he can't see through it." He shrugged finally.

"Ah, I see." She frowned slightly, eyes focused intently on the boy's leg. Seeing magic was a rare gift, it usually came about at puberty. And although she would like to ask more, there were more pressing matters here. Namely, the boy in front of her. "Teddy? Could I heal your leg please?"

"No!" He cried, jerking backwards suddenly.

"Easy Teddy. I won't hurt you. I just want to stop the bleeding, I can even leave the pain if you like." She added quickly, sighing softly. It was not something she liked to do, but she could just get the wound started healing and leave the majority of the pain. Otherwise, he might harm himself again.

Teddy hesitated, finally slowly stretching his leg out toward her. "You won't make it go away?"

Alexis' eyes soften, shaking her head slowly. "No Teddy. I will not make the pain go away. It's alright. I will not hurt you." She replied quietly, feeling her heart clench. Fear made him sound so much younger than he was. But she knew that children often did regress to a younger state of mind when they were afraid, especially abused children. Teddy expected to be punished, not for breaking curfew but for harming himself. She knew it would take a while before the child felt safe here but his reactions were so...heartbreaking.

He nodded finally, giving his silent permission. Wide eyes watched as she rested a gentle hand on either side of his wound, fascinated as the wound burned briefly and then closed, scabbing over. But the pain was still there, just like she promised. "You didn't use a spell, Professor?" He knew healing spells, what she had done was not a spell. It was actually quite advanced, something that he might eventually learn as an apprentice if he had any talent for it. Not everyone could heal and fewer could touch-heal.

"I didn't." Alexis clarified, smiling at the small boy. It was not surprising that Teddy would recognize the form of magic. "I am a touch-healer primarily, Teddy. As are many Mind-healers." She added quietly, gray eyes meeting brown. "Can you tell me what happened, Teddy?

Teddy grimaced, biting his lip. "I'm alright, professor." He murmured, staring at his feet. It was a lie and they both knew it, but it was a necessary lie.

"I see. Let me clarify my question, then. Why are you hiding here Teddy?"

He wasn't hiding, exactly. He had just ran, wanting desperately to find a place where he could harm himself in peace. Because he needed the pain, it helped him forget. "Space." He whispered finally.

Alexis frowned, raising an eyebrow at the child. "You needed space? To be alone? That is understandable, Teddy. Why did you decide to harm yourself?" She questioned quietly, summarizing what she knew of the child in her mind. Pureblood, nearly thirteen, heavily abused. He had also quickly became friends with Harry, the two were nearly always with each other these last few days before camp started. She knew he was quiet and withdrawn, not surprising really with the amount and type of abuse he underwent. He was a self harmer, loved dragons and was terrified of being touched. His birthday was also in a few days. She could easily understand the need for privacy, they were working on adding some free time to the camp so the children weren't always surrounded by each other. But she was a mind-healer and finding a child harming himself under a table at one in the morning sent warning bells off in her head. It wasn't a sudden whim. Something had happened to cause the child to need to harm himself. It was just a matter of hoping that he would trust her enough to talk to her about it.

Teddy hesitated, briefly closing his eyes. It was personal. Why would he tell anyone about something so personal? He knew that Severus wanted him to start talking about it, the man had listened for two years when he had felt like talking, which was rarely, but he just wasn't sure he could. He wasn't suppose to talk about it.

"May I tell you a secret, Teddy?" Alexis asked suddenly, catching his eyes as he quickly looked up. A nod was her only answer. It was not, perhaps, a secret she should share with a student, nor was it what the child thought she would say. But she had this feeling that it would help. Being honest with this child would show him that she trusted him, and in turn he might start to trust her. "When I was younger, I used a glamour to hide who I truly was because I was frightened. I didn't want anyone to know that I was scared and hurting, so I pretended I wasn't. I still use a glamour, to hide how sick I was from those who cared about me. A while ago, I realized how hiding from them was really my mind's way of hiding from myself." She remarked quietly, meeting wide eyes. She knew that he understood the message she was trying to send him, the words she wasn't saying. That hiding from herself hadn't been healthy, that this was something very personal about herself, something she did not want repeated.

Teddy blinked, looking up at his professor. Wasn't that personal, what she just said? He had been taught that personal matters were not to be discussed. Of course, he had learned this from the end of his father's wand, but that was not important now. He knew a true secret when he heard one and he would not betray her trust. But why would she, a powerful witch, trust a little whelp like him? He was nothing, a nobody. Wasn't that what his father had said? A useless little bastard? But didn't Tim say that his father was wrong? And he knew that the headmistress would always keep her promises and that she promised not to hurt him. He trusted her not to hurt him, so shouldn't he trust her with his own very personal secrets? If his father found out, he'd be dead. Literally. But he knew that if his father ever found him, he would also be dead. Because his father's secret, well one of them, was out. And many of the purebloods were angry at his father. Because children, apparently, were important to the wizarding families and precious, something to be loved and cared for. Not beaten and...damn it. "I couldn't sleep, professor. My mind would not quiet." Teddy remarked finally, briefly meeting her eyes once more. As his fear receded, his articulate nature returned.

"What was causing your mind distress?" Alexis asked quietly, eyes soft. It was clear that the child was processing a lot in his mind, Teddy was not one to say something without thinking first.

He bit back a sigh, gazing off into the distance for a moment. His birthday was soon, that had been keeping him awake. Not from excitement, but fear. His father had always made sure his birthday was spent uncomfortable and often in pain. He knew that some of the things his father had done were inherently wrong, but they had been done to him and he did not really count, did he? He was a waste of space, he knew. And he was tired. His mind would not shut down though. He kept expecting his father to just appear to punish and humiliate him. Admitting fear was a weakness, but hadn't his Professor just admitted being afraid once to him? And she was not weak. Perhaps his father was wrong there too. "Fear." He admitted finally, coming to a surprisingly easy decision. For some reason, he trusted her.

"What were you afraid of?"

"Father. He always comes before my birthday." Teddy shrugged, biting his lip, eyes lowered.

She hesitated for a moment, before slowly reaching out and resting a gentle hand on the child's shoulder. He flinched but didn't pull away. Alexis knew the extend of abuse Teddy had suffered, from his medical records and the small amount that Tim had managed to get from him. The boy had suffered from physical and sexual abuse for years; he had never told anyone about the sexual abuse and he had hid it well. She could only guess at what he meant, but she knew that either way, it was not good. "What did he do Teddy?" She asked gently, letting a drop of calming magic flow from her hand into the child. His body had gone rigid and his breathing had came in rushed bursts.

Teddy relaxed slowly, allowing the little bit of calming magic to settle him. "He...a lot of things, professor. He did a lot of things. Mostly, he cursed me. Sometimes, when he was drunk, he beat me. And sometimes he...did the bad things. Birthdays were the worse." He replied finally, shuddering slightly at that last thought. He had hated the beatings and the curses, but the...bad things were worse.

"Do you realize that it was not your fault, Teddy? He hurt you because he was a cruel, vile man. There was nothing you could have done to stop it. It does not make you bad or worthless. Certainly not unwanted or unlovable. You are a bright, kind young man, with plenty to show the world." Alexis said quietly, squeezing his shoulder. Bright eyes filled with unshed tears met hers before blinking rapidly. She smiled softly at the child and opened her arms in welcome to him. The boy had been denied the comfort of a gentle touch for years, all physical contact he had known was violent and angry.

Teddy hesitated. He was not used to this, not sure of her offer. He did not really like to be touched but a part of him was screaming for the contact. His heart wanted it, even if his mind was still wary. He slide slowly from under the desk, biting his lip briefly. Her kind smile was encouraging, but her eyes shone with such care and concern that his head ached. He was not used to someone caring that much about him. He was a Slytherin, he was used to wearing and reading masks. The headmistress usually wore one, but now it was gone. Her concern was not faked, not that he could tell. The weight of the day and the conversation finally became to much and he suddenly hurled himself into her lap, trying to force the tears to not fall.

Alexis caught the child with ease, settling him on her lap so that his head was on her shoulder and her arms were wrapped around the small body. He was nearly thirteen, yes. But his emotional growth had been stunted, so this was not unexpected at all. He was also too small for his age, which made it easier to hold him comfortably on her lap. She rubbed smoothing circles into Teddy's back, resting her chin on his head. "You are safe child. No one will harm you Teddy. I promise you that. I will protect you." She whispered soothingly, before starting to murmur comforting nonsense into his ears.

Teddy froze at her words, feeling something inside his heart break free. He was hurting, he knew. Deep inside, he had always been hurting. But it felt like his heart was healing, as silly as it sounded to him. It wasn't exactly logical, but her comfort made him feel better. More human, cared about. Loved even. The constant stream of murmured words calmed him, his tears slowing and fading. He blinked rapidly, trying to fight sleep. But he lost that battle, snuggling against his professor and closing his eyes.

Alexis glanced down at the child, smiling softly. He was sound asleep on her lap and she really did not want to wake him. With a quick decision, her wand was in her hand and a Patronus cast. Several minutes later, two men entered the old classroom, eyes landing on her gently rocking the sleeping child.

Charlie bit back a grin, glancing at the contemplative Tim, before moving quietly to the pair on the floor. He crouched, helping Alexis to shift the child into his arms before standing and heading back to the camp rooms. He was just relieved to have found the boy. His eyes had taken in the scabbed leg and the knife on the floor, he knew what had happened there. Now it was time to tuck this child back into his bed and hope that he stayed asleep.

Tim reached a hand down to Alexis, pulling the stiff woman to her feet and steadying her. "I want full details...in the morning. Let's get you to bed." He remarked quietly, warm brown eyes watching the younger woman. She was staring after the disappearing back of Charlie and his small bundle.

"How long would it take to sever his father's ties?" She asked suddenly, gray eyes sparkling.

"With Lucius' help? Two weeks. Why?" Tim asked, frowning slightly. He could almost see the wheels in her head turning. Something had happened between the two of them, he was just not sure what.

Alexis shrugged, turning and vanishing the knife that still laid on the floor. He had to be her ward before she could do anything else, she knew. But just the thought of that small, brown-haired boy made her heart warm. He was a quiet, intelligent, witty child. Most just could never see past the hard outer shell. She wanted to pull back the edges, to help her child heal. "I wish to adopt him." She turned gray eyes back to Tim, raising an eyebrow at him.

The older man just grinned, squeezing her shoulder as he led her back to her own rooms. That sounded like a grand idea, indeed.

-x-