Author's Note: I made it! I survived another exam week! (Collapses on floor in heap) Well, you all aren't interested in listening to me, but there are a few concerns some of you anonymous reviewers had.
Is this slash? – NO. There was nothing sexual at all in what Bleys was doing. Harry was hurt. Bleys was treating the hurt. THAT'S ALL!
Harry returning to Hogwarts: I keep forgetting you all can't see my notes. It's close, people. Some of you may kill me, but it's close.
Typos and Grammar: I blame Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect! Anyone know how to turn it off?
To the twins: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I'm a twin too.
To the editor: Thanks for the info. I've been trying to improve and I have checked this over several times, but I will admit that I may have missed something. "Apparent flaws or mistakes" – Oh, very good. Some people catch them and others do not. I'm glad you are a part of the former. That will make my job more interesting. Please feel free to nit pick any grammar errors or Americanisms. I tend to use those. I am American. Thanks again!
Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you all and you kept me going when I was studying!
Harry came awake slowly and sighed in contentment. He was warm, relaxed, and completely comfortable. He never wanted to move again. He pulled his blankets up a bit and rolled over, prepared to have a nice lie in and ignore the rest of the world for a while. Bleys could do without him for a while, right? Right. Bleys was a grown man and able to take care of himself. Harry rolled over again and snuggled into a comfortable position. He froze when he noticed something odd. He had no pajamas. His sluggish brain caught up with him and reminded him of a few things. Right. Massage. That thought made him pause. What had happened? Why would he have needed a massage? Bleys had mentioned something about him hurting himself, pulling muscles. When had he managed it?
Harry felt a bit of pain gather behind his eyes as images slipped through. He closed his eyes against the pain and was able to see the images more clearly than before, and those images disturbed him. Voldemort. Voldemort had been inside his head! That made no sense. Voldemort was not able to get into his head here. He was sure of it. He sat up, disturbing Alden in the process, who only whined the slightest bit before falling back to sleep. He looked around and found that it was night. Bleys had banked the fire and pulled the cauldron off the hob. A strange smell was in the air near Harry. What was that? He kicked the blankets off him and got out of bed. A small metal container sat on the nightstand next to his bed. Incense? Harry had never really seen incense used, unless he counted the incense in Trelawny's tower, but the smoke appeared similar. It smelled a little sweet, but also a little spicy. A strong whiff of it made Harry a little dizzy. He moved away from it and pulled out clothing from the little trunk at the foot of his bed.
He dressed and went into the bathroom. He splashed cool water on his face and avoided the sleeping mirror. He didn't want it screaming at him to do something with his hair. He understood. His hair was doomed without heavy styling products. He didn't need reminded of it everyday! He was halfway across the room to his books before another little stab of pain caused his to drop to his knees. He blinked away spots before his eyes as another image appeared in his mind. Harry shook his head to clear it, but the image continued. Voldemort lowering his wand, fading away, to be replaced by a smiling Bleys. What? Harry fought to stay upright as the image continued to show Bleys approach Harry (the odd angle told Harry he was lying on the ground) and stoop to pick him up. "You've done very well, lightening child. Very well." The image ended as the darkness had closed around Harry's eyes.
Harry came back to himself, still on his knees with tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. He couldn't tell if they were tears of remembered pain or of his present mental pain. He heard the words of Bellatrix Lestrange the one time he had attempted an Unforgivable. Bleys had not only meant to cast the curse…he had wanted Harry to feel the pain. Harry pushed himself to his feet and stumbled out of the cottage. He had to get away. He needed to be away. He slipped on the paving stones as he continued to the forest. He could hide there. Bleys couldn't find him there. Harry held his hands up to protect his face as he dove into the underbrush that had somehow grown over night. He pushed through until he found himself in a clearing far enough away from the cottage to think clearly.
Bleys had been Voldemort. He had cast the Unforgivable and he had wanted Harry to feel the pain. Why had that happened? Why had he wanted to hurt Harry like that? He had actually wanted Harry to feel the pain. Why? Harry sank to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest. He wanted Paul. He buried his face on his knees and sighed as his mind whirled with what he had learned. He wanted Paul and his aunt. She would screech at Bleys and then take him home. He could hide in his room and forget that the rest of the world existed. That's all he wanted to do at the moment. Forget everything. He had no idea how long he had sat there, just trying to forget. He jumped when Alden burst through the bushes and attacked him with dog kisses.
"Alden! Get off!" Harry pushed at the dog and squirmed out from under the animal. "Mental dog!" Harry snapped as he stood up and turned to face the dog. "Think you're clever, do you?" Harry asked him. Alden only paused and wagged his tail. Harry rolled his eyes. "Stupid mutt."
Hands grabbed him from behind. "Harry!" Bleys said as he turned the boy in his arms. "Why did you run off?" He questioned as he looked Harry over. The boy had been crying, but why? He only had a few seconds to look over the child before Harry reacted. Harry pushed against him and backed up as far as the little clearing would let him. "Harry, what's wrong?" Bleys asked.
"It was you!" Harry bit out. Bleys closed his eyes briefly before facing Harry again. "You did it." Bleys stopped and thought before approaching his rather livid student. The boy had slept nearly a week and was now approaching the age of thirteen. He could no longer pick him up if he wanted. The child's emotions were becoming more complex as his mind and body came closer to being identical. He missed the days of a six year old Harry Potter. He would have gathered the boy in his arms and let him cry out his fears before explaining his actions. And the child would have accepted his reasoning and left it alone. Now, it would not be so easy.
"I thought I told you to stop suppressing your emotions." Bleys said as he sat down on a log. He motioned for Harry to join him, but was not surprised to find that the boy refused. "Yes, I cast that curse on you." He told Harry. Harry stood his ground, but Bleys could see the anger well up in his eyes. "You needed to learn how to throw it off."
"You couldn't think of any other way?" Harry snapped as he backed away from Bleys. "Didn't you think that I would have accepted that as a lesson?" Bleys stopped and considered Harry for a moment. It was true. Harry would have accepted that as a lesson, perhaps even requested it if he knew that such an ability existed.
Bleys sighed as he thought back to Harry's performance. The boy had broken through his own thoughts. He was able to throw off both the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses. The Killing Curse, well, he could already do that. He just didn't know it yet. "Voldemort would not pause and give you time to prepare yourself. I could not afford to do so if you were to learn this skill." Bleys reasoned with Harry.
Harry made a motion that looked like he wanted to physically attack Bleys before turning away from him and taking a deep breath. "I want to go home." Harry whispered, unable to make his voice louder.
Bleys shook his head. "I'm afraid that you are not quite ready yet." Bleys stood and went over to the boy. He placed his hands on the lad's shoulders to turn him back towards the cottage. He was surprised when Harry leapt away from him and backed up against a tree. He took one look at the boy and realized that he would not be able to teach anything until the boy could trust him again. "I thought you would understand why I did as I did." Bleys said sadly. Perhaps he had mistaken some traits of Harry's personality.
Harry moved away from him and kicked at the log. "For my own good, right?" Harry sneered at him. This situation had escalated far beyond Bleys' reach. He had intended on being next to the boy's bed when he woke up. He should have slept until late this morning. Bleys had left some sleeping aide burning next to the boy's bed for that reason. "Should I start calling you Dumbledore?" That was a grave insult, coming from Harry.
Bleys looked Harry over and sighed. He had to try again. "It is better for you to have the instinct of how to fight this magic, rather than have a set of steps." Bleys told him.
Harry only shook his head and sighed. "I want to go home." He demanded again.
"Your magic is not ready yet." Bleys denied the request. "Let's go back home and we'll talk about this." Bleys said. He turned to go when he was stopped by one word from Harry.
"No." The boy stood as he had left him, but something had changed in him. "I want to go home. You can either send me, or I will figure out a way to do it myself. There are no limitations, remember?" Harry questioned him.
Bleys stepped towards Harry again, a plea on his face. "Harry, please. Just listen to me." Bleys said. "You are a danger to yourself and others as long as your wandless magic remains untrained."
"No." Harry closed his eyes and refused even to look at Bleys. The man could feel the boy trying frantically to figure out a way home. If he knew how simple it was, Bleys would never see him again. Harry seemed prepared to carry out any threat he made.
"You are not ready." Bleys told him. Perhaps the boy would listen to reason. They both knew he wasn't ready.
"That has never stopped me before." Harry answered. Well, that was true. Harry had never really been prepared for his many adventures. He wondered how much luck had played in Harry's survival and if Fate was toying with the boy. "Send me home or I'll figure out a way to do it myself." Harry held his emotions in check and faced Bleys with all of the calm he managed to have in front of Voldemort.
"I thought I told you to quit suppressing your emotions." Bleys advanced on Harry. Old instincts came up and Harry backed away from him. Bleys stopped in shock. The boy was afraid of him. This was not a part of his plan. He did not want Harry to be frightened of him. The boy couldn't learn anything this way. Not this one. Not now. Bleys looked at Harry and noticed tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Harry hid his fear well, but Bleys could tell in his stance and his magic. It kept spiking as Harry fought his fear. "Very well." Bleys told him. "I'll send you home." Bleys got down on one knee and put his hands where Harry could see them. Harry was taller this way. "I will be available, should you need me." He told the boy. "You won't be alone." He said. Harry had relaxed the slightest bit. "Come here." Harry fought with himself for a good thirty seconds. Bleys let him do so. Harry needed to trust Bleys enough for this to work.
Harry stepped up in front of Bleys and faced him as though to say, "now what?" Bleys moved faster than Harry could react. He reached out, grabbed Harry, and placed a hand on Harry's forehead. "Take care, child." He whispered. Harry fought against his hands, but nothing shielded his mind. Bleys sent a little thought and Harry's eyes closed and his body relaxed. He disappeared as he fell asleep. Alden came up alongside of Bleys and whined. "You are not getting out of it, either." He told the dog.
Harry opened his eyes in a white room. His first instinct told him that he was at Hogwarts and he nearly panicked. A slight beeping broke through his thoughts and told him that he was in the Muggle world. He sat up and looked around. He was at St. Jude's. He relaxed and disconnected himself from the machines. He mumbled about Muggles and their machines while he pondered the IV needle in his arm. What in the world was going on and why was he here? He undid the tape and slid the needle out of his arm. A nearby cotton ball and pressure from folding his arm at the elbow stopped the bleeding. He waved his hand and a uniform, complete with shoes, appeared on the bed next to him. He hopped down from the bed and waited for his feet to catch up with his brain. He needed a shower.
The doors to the infirmary burst open immediately after Harry had shut the bathroom door behind him and had started the shower. "Where is he?" Petunia demanded as Snape and the doctor swept up to the bed.
Remus demanded. "What happened?" He brought up the rear with Draco. The two had been working on Draco's Astronomy assignment while Snape had calmed Petunia Dursley. The stories about her nephew had upset her, but she was holding up well. Her husband had not been able to stay. Vernon had left for work and told Petunia that he would call her to check in with her to see how she was doing. Remus doubted he had cared about Harry's past at all.
Snape looked at the bed and turned back around to face the group. "He's gone." Snape said succinctly.
The other doctor made a derisive noise in his throat. "That doesn't make sense." Dr. Lansky said as he looked over the machines. "He was practically in a coma. People just don't get up and walk away from something like that." A snort caused him to stop and look at the other doctor. Professor Snake, or something like that.
"You don't know your patient very well. Anything is possible with this boy." Snape told him.
Dr. Lansky coiled up the IV tube. "He shouldn't be able to just get up and walk. Some stumbling would be involved at the very least. We would have heard him."
Snape rolled his eyes and waved his wand to calm the doctor. "Go inform the nurses, security, his therapist. Whatever it is you normally do. We'll look here and spread out. He can't have got far." Dr. Lansky rushed away to do as Snape asked. Snape turned to the rest of the group. "Potter, or whoever took Potter, can not have gone very far."
Petunia stood next to the bed. "You all can defend yourselves against a wizard. I can not. I'll stay here in case Harry is hiding somewhere in this room." She ushered everyone to the door and turned back to the room. She started looking under all of the beds and in the closets, just in case. Harry always seemed to hide in very small things. That was how his cupboard came about. He had refused to sleep in his room as a toddler and instead preferred the cupboard under the stairs. She had tried to talk him back into his room for over six months until Vernon said he would out grow the phase if left alone long enough. Now, Petunia realized that something had to have happened between Harry and Vernon that reinforced what had been a child's fancy. She had yet to find out what had happened, but she had threatened Vernon enough in the past twenty-four hours to ensure that something like that could never happen again.
A door opening caused her to turn around. Harry came out of the bathroom, completely dressed and drying his hair with a towel. "Harry James Potter!" Petunia said as she advanced on her nephew. How dare the boy cause them all this worry! "Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?" She demanded. Harry stopped in shock and let the towel fall to his shoulders as his aunt hurried over to him. What was she talking about? "We come back and find you gone, heaven only knows where, and you don't let us know where you are." Oh, so that was it. She bustled him back towards the bed in which he had been and nudged him to a sitting position. "You were only in a magical coma for the last seven hours. Do not move from this bed!" She ordered.
Harry watched as his aunt marched away from him and into the hallway. Harry was not going to disobey. She had scared him. She sounded like Molly Weasley. Harry recognized the tone. It was the "how dare you scare me, but I'm so glad you're alright" tone and Harry had heard it from Mrs. Weasley more than once. It had been directed at Ron, mostly, and Ginny, but he had been on the receiving end once or twice. He had never thought that he would hear his aunt using the tone with him. He recalled what she had said and his eyes widened. She had said "magic". She returned with several people in tow. Paul was leading the way, followed by Remus, Snape, and Draco Malfoy, of all people. What in the world had been happening while he was asleep?
"Hold still, Potter." Snape ordered as he pulled out his wand. Harry tensed, but did not move. This was Snape. The man had not revealed his secret to Dumbledore yet, and was to be trusted. That didn't mean that Harry had to trust him too far. Snape appeared to be satisfied with what he saw and ended the spell. "He is in perfect health, miraculously." Snape commented with his usual dry wit. Well, what did they expect?
"Could someone please tell me what is going on?" Harry asked, just slightly perplexed.
"What do you remember?" Snape asked. Harry considered the question. Did Snape know about Bleys, or was he asking about before Bleys?
"I was having a nightmare." Harry answered. Something twitched in Snape's face, but he said nothing. "It was rather, ah, intense. That's all." Harry shrugged.
"Dear Merlin help us." Snape said to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The boy is possessed and he doesn't remember a thing."
"Possessed?" Harry asked. Okay, so he knew that he had been with Bleys for what could be several hours, but he had not been possessed, had he?
"It's okay, Harry." Paul said as he moved forward. "You're alright, and that's all that matters now." Good old Paul.
Harry nodded and thanked Paul, trying to order his thoughts enough to lock them away. The entire group was surprised by Dr. Lansky returning. "Ah, here he is." Harry had actually forgotten about the doctor. "You look just fine to me. What's the last thing you remember, Evan?" The doctor had the slightly glazed look Harry remembered from the Muggles at the World Cup. Too many Memory Charms here. Harry twitched a finger and smiled as a little more coherency came into the man's eyes.
"I'm feeling fine, Dr. Lansky. I just remember the nightmare I was having. It was intense." Snape moved into the background and snorted as he heard Harry's explanation. "When can I leave?" Harry asked.
"Not for twenty-four hours. I want to keep an eye on you, just in case." Dr. Lansky said as he consulted Harry's file. Simple observations filled the space about Harry's condition. "I suppose you're hungry?" He asked Harry.
"Have you ever known me not to be?" Harry asked.
"Several times, Evan. Several times. Mostly when your nerves are bad." Dr. Lansky said as he moved towards his office. "I'll call and have something sent up. In the meantime, I want all visitors not related to my patient to clear out. You can stay, if you want, Paul."
Snape approached the bed and stared down his nose at Harry. "I have no idea what you did, Potter." Snape told him once the doctor was safely in his office. "I will find out." He promised his student.
"I have no doubt of that, sir." Harry agreed. "Thank you for all of your help." Harry said and inclined his head in a sort of bow. Snape's gaze narrowed, but he only returned the nod and swept out of the room.
"Are you ever going to have a normal year?" Draco asked as he stepped closer to Harry.
"Ah, the bouncing ferret has joined the Light side. That's good. We don't torture our followers." Harry said with a smile.
"Your head is still too big to fit in the room." Draco returned with equal animosity. Both boys regarded each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. There was an unacknowledged truce in that moment. Harry decided that he and Hermione had to introduce Draco to Star Wars sometime soon.
"Glad to have you aboard, mate." Harry told him as he patted Draco's shoulder. "You touch Hermione and you'll have to answer to me." He warned. Draco only stared at him. Harry couldn't keep his composure and chuckled. "Actually, it's her you're going to have to worry about. She has a wicked right hook."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it." He started to turn when Harry caught him. Harry tilted Draco's face to the light.
"Why didn't you tell Snape that it still hurts?" Harry asked as he ran a finger over Draco's scar down the right side of his face. Draco pulled away from the touch and raised a hand to the scar with his eyes wide in shock.
"Draco!" Snape snapped from the doorway. "We are leaving!" Draco gave Harry a questioning look. Harry only shrugged. "Now!" Draco scurried after Snape and disappeared through the door. "You lot go back to where you belong! He's awake and will be back with you tomorrow!" Harry heard Snape say to someone out in the hall. He thought he heard Sparky say something to Snape, but was not sure.
Remus laughed to himself as he came up to Harry. "Harry?" Remus looked Harry over and mussed his hair. "What happened?"
Harry turned and smiled at Remus. "Beats me." Harry answered. "One minute, nightmare. The next, I'm waking up here and dying for a shower." He shrugged again, as though to demonstrate his own confusion.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked.
Harry looked himself over. "All ten toes. All ten fingers. Eyes are still here. Nose." Harry stopped and looked behind him. "Yep, I'm all here." He told Remus. "I'm fine."
"Good to know. You'll let someone know…"
"If I start to feel bad, yes, I promise." Harry answered. "I swear." He said, looking into Remus's eyes. "How close is the full moon?" Harry asked.
"Not too close. What do you need, Harry?" Harry stopped and looked at his aunt.
"We need a car. I can't have you taking taxis all the time, and I'll need transportation eventually, especially once I am licensed." Harry explained.
"We'll talk about that once you come home." Petunia said. "You don't need to worry about a car just yet." She told him patiently.
Harry made a face and sighed. "Remus still needs one." Harry patiently explained, as though it were obvious. Okay, so he sounded like he was pouting. He was tired!
"Yes, and you need to be resting." Darn, how did she know? Oh, that's right. She had raised him. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Lupin." Petunia said with a smile for the werewolf.
"My pleasure. I'll stop by later in the week, Harry. No more scary stuff, okay?" He asked Harry.
"It's not my fault." Harry grumbled good naturedly as Remus patted him on the shoulder and moved away from him and out the door. Paul followed him to the door and told Harry he would check in on him later, as Harry had given him some extra paperwork. Harry only shrugged at the man and Paul left the room.
Harry turned to regard his aunt. Her expression was just a little intimidating. "I heard you." Harry told her. Petunia stopped arranging the blankets and looked at him. "When you were talking to me, while I was asleep." Harry explained further. "I do want to try." He said. "To be family." Harry glanced at her as though to judge her thoughts. He was shocked to find that she was crying.
Petunia pulled him into her arms and hugged him tight. "I'm glad." She whispered. Harry's own arms wrapped around her and he closed his eyes. This felt good. The two of them stayed like that until a nurse came in, bearing a tray Harry was more than willing to eat.
Snape had reached the door with Draco only to be stopped by an old friend. "Hadrian? Follow me, please." Snape motioned to Draco with his head and followed the man down the hallways to what could only be his office. Sensei gestured them to seats and started pouring out some tea into cups.
Draco looked at the cups and noticed that there were no handles at all. That was different. Sensei took one and handed another to Draco. Sensei and Snape toasted each other before drinking. "Hi, Dad." Sensei looked up at the boy with a towel over his face. "I fixed that equipment…" He trailed off after he pulled the towel down and noticed that his father had guests. "Sorry." He started to leave when Sensei stopped him.
"Take Drake with you. He will be bored listening to adults." Sensei said with a twinkle in his eye. Draco turned to Snape in appeal to allow him to stay. Snape smirked and motioned for Draco to follow Rick. It felt good to treat him like the child he should be.
"Go have fun. I'll collect you when it's time to leave." Draco glared at him, but got up and left the room. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him." Snape said with a sigh.
"He's very quick to grow up." Snape looked at Sensei and nodded.
"He's had to." Snape explained. "His previous family demanded a lot of him." Snape explained.
Sensei smirked. "Like yours demanded of you." Snape looked up at Sensei, startled and wondering if Potter had somehow communicated anything to Sensei.
"I don't know what you mean, Leonard." Snape said in an offhand tone.
"Deshi is different like you are different." He explained. "He has this power you always had. He also has something else, just like you have." Sensei motioned to Snape's left arm. Snape shifted his jacket to cover his arm. "You and he are wizards?" Snape gave Leonard a look that told him everything, but said nothing. "Ah, I see. I had wondered where you went during the school year."
"You knew I went to school." Snape said in a bored voice. "I never felt the need to elaborate." Snape held out his tea cup for more to drink and sighed. "We are not allowed to reveal our world to anyone. Even family needs permission to be told."
"I understand." Leonard said with a faint smile. "Deshi said the same, during Diagon." Snape looked up at Leonard with an eyebrow raised.
"He told you?" This could be very bad. If Potter had revealed their world to anyone, even a person as trustworthy as Sensei…
"I forced it. I do not like secrets much, especially when it concerns a student." Leonard took some of his own tea and looked out the window. "His life is in danger?" Sensei's comment was not a question.
"Since the day he was born. I should think that he is used to it by now." Snape commented.
"Oh, he is. Forgetful of the value of his own life, because of that." Sensei told him.
"I've noticed that." Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought, at one time, that he had no regard for the lives of others. We've had to save him many times. Now, I realize that he is not worried about his, but others." Snape shook his head. "I'm tired of seeing that boy unconscious."
"What do you have to do with deshi?" Snape folded his arms and considered the man next to him.
"He is your deshi, is he?" Snape said in a distracted voice. Sensei wondered of what the taciturn man was thinking. "That's good."
"Hadrian." Snape closed his eyes and sighed.
"Your deshi is one of my students at school." Snape explained. "You already know his real name and what he is, and by relation, what I am." Snape told Sensei as he moved towards the window and looked out. He moved the curtain back and considered how much to tell the man with whom he had trained.
"You real name is not Hadrian?" Sensei said as he came up along side him. "Is it, brother?" Snape smirked at the old nickname and shook his head.
"No, merely an alias." Snape confirmed as he turned to look Sensei in the eye.
"Many faces, many names." Sensei dismissed it and shrugged. "What have you been doing with yourself?" Sensei gave him a sidelong look and smirked. Snape returned the look and turned to look out at Draco. He and Rick were talking in the gym. The topic eluded Snape, but he figured it was something all teenage boys enjoyed. Sensei's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "The boys will be fine. Your son and my son together. No school will be left." Sensei smirked and Snape shared it.
"You don't know Draco." Snape told him.
"Mischievous, like his father." Sensei nudged him in the shoulder. "Sly and cunning with an innocent face to the world." Snape stopped and glared at Sensei.
"Leonard, you know that you were the cause of many of our 'mischievous adventures'." Snape sneered at his comrade.
"Yes. Yes, I was. Our poor sensei. Beside himself most of our student days." Snape nodded.
"He was mostly concerned with what he was going to do with you." Snape agreed. "He despaired of you ever really learning."
"Now, look at me." Sensei said with mock sadness. "A teacher and a father. The old man would die of shock." Sensei directed the way with his chin and Snape fell into step with him as easily as when they had both been students. The two left the office and started down the hallway. "So, my brother is a magic one and he protects the children." Sensei mused. "Interesting choice."
"I have my vows." Sensei turned a surprised face towards him before smirking again.
"The same as I, little brother." Sensei told him. "Come. We will find something to eat and then I will hear all about it." Snape followed Sensei, fighting the feelings of nostalgia as his old training partner started to speak of his own students and their progress.
Author's Note: Okay, that's all for now, guys. I'm pretty much tapped. I don't know when I'll have another chapter out, maybe next week. No promises. I have Xmas presents to make.