-1Albus arrived at Grimmauld Place with the small boy in his arms. The child had begun to whimper the moment Severus handed him over and continued doing so.
Sirius slapped a hand to his mouth when he saw the child in Albus' arms. "He's so little, don't those Muggles feed him?" He walked closer keeping his eyes on the boy. He could see the child was fevered and remembered the importance of casting this spell correctly. This was James' son and he had to do right by the boy. Especially since his guilty feelings were starting to overtake him.
Sirius was tenuously holding onto his sanity but once he touched the boy's fevered face he had to struggle to stay in control. Harry looked so much like he remembered him looking as a baby.
Madame Pomfrey directed Albus to place the child on the table. She shook her head with sorrow when she recognized the fever the child had, "That distressing fever gave us quite a fright way back in June. Severus must have been beside himself to hand the child over in that condition. I dare say, the man is alarmingly protective of the boy."
"Don't mention that bastard's name again!" Sirius shouted. "The slimy, greasy bastard!" Snape was the reason he couldn't raise his godson, Snape was the reason the boy was beginning to turn against him. Snape was even the reason he had resorted to hexing Harry in the first place.
Why couldn't Harry have acted the way he used to? Sirius missed the teenage boy that had gone charging into the ministry to save him. Harry had helped to alleviate some of the pain associated with losing James and Lily. His mind began to slip into thoughts of that day back at the ministry, the day he had fallen through the veil. Nobody noticed as he hugged his arms around his body and rocked back and forth on his heels.
Albus didn't want to waste anytime with Sirius' sanity so close to slipping once again. He looked towards Poppy then at Healer Fairchild. Both women nodded that it was time, then all three looked to Sirius.
Sirius pulled himself together and stepped closer to the table, his mind still dwelling on that day at the ministry.
"Daddy? Want my daddy," Harry cried out through his fevered whimpers.
That little voice had all five adults moving in closer to the table to comfort the poor boy.
Harry didn't know any of these people. All he wanted was to get back to his daddy and the giant Christmas tree and his blue bike. He started to cry in earnest when the man with the long beard lifted up his shoulders from the table.
"Shush now Harry, open your mouth and drink this," Albus placed the vial up to the child's mouth. The boy did as he was told but looked around the room frantically for his daddy.
"Where's my daddy?" Harry asked. He hugged his arms around himself when he saw the man with the mended clothes. He scooted back away from the other man, the one that had been making those awful noises on the day he met his daddy. That man scared him by the way he was looking at him.
Sirius wanted to grab this little Harry and hold him close but knew the kid was frightened of him by the way he moved away. His heart ached when the kid called out for his daddy. It hurt to know he meant Snape and not James.
"Are you ready Sirius?" Albus took hold of Black's shoulders and looked him in the eyes.
"Yes, I can do this," Sirius said in solemn manner. He felt Remus squeeze his shoulder for support.
"Very well then," Albus said and turned towards the scared child on the table. He raised his wand up in the air, "Obliviate!"
Harry's eyes closed and he fell asleep as his mind was wiped clean of all the memories he had just experienced these past few days.
The Headmaster nodded at Black.
Sirius mustered his will to push the spell through his wand. "Adulescentia reverto!"
A burst of energy was released into the air, the child stirred fitfully. Albus suddenly remembered to charm the clothes the boy wore to expand once Harry grew. It only took a minute for the spell to take full effect and for Harry to return to his teenage self once again.
Everyone froze when Harry blinked his eyes open and gazed about the room. Sirius stepped closer and raised a tentative hand to Harry's face.
"How do you feel Harry?" Albus asked, helping the boy into a sitting position on the table.
Harry rubbed his eyes before pushing his glasses onto his face. He ran his fingers through his hair as memories began to unfold. He remembered everything as if it were a dream. He remembered having no control of his feelings, almost as if he was just watching himself on the telly. He also remembered the curse had been cast by Sirius and turned to look at the guilt ridden man. He stood on shaky legs with his heart beating madly against his rib cage.
"You-you…" Harry looked into his godfather's eyes but was at a loss for words. There had just been so much that had happened to him. He sat down heavily in the closest chair before dropping his head into his hands. His head hurt so much, almost as much as when Voldemort had attacked him but in a different way.
Dumbledore knelt before him and placed a weathered old hand atop his own. The Headmaster waited until he looked up at him.
"Harry, do you recall the past few days?"
Harry nodded, yes he most certainly did recall everything that had happened. "I-I had the mind of a small child but … it was as if I was watching myself in a dream. I remember everything but it all really happened when I was six. Severus took care of me but…"
At the mention of Severus, Sirius gripped his wand tighter and took in a sharp breath. Remus cautiously removed the wand from the animagus' hand. He wrapped an arm over Sirius' shoulder for support.
Harry looked at his godfather feeling a heavy dose of betrayal, "You wanted me to be a kid again so I would follow you around without question, didn't you? You wanted me to forget I ever really knew Severus …" He didn't finish the sentence because everyone in that room knew his accusation was true.
He looked at Remus with accusing eyes, "Can't you see that he needs help Remus? Do you really want me away from Severus that bad?"
Remus could hardly defend his actions, "I didn't know he would do something like this Harry. I never would have let him do something like that to you if I had known."
Madame Pomfrey could hold back no longer. She began to assess Harry's condition with a uncompromising swish of the wand. She took in a sharp breath when she realized how fast the boy's heart was racing.
"Albus, what do you know of this curse?" Pomfrey pulled forth a few potions and handed them to Harry.
Harry held onto them without drinking. He wanted to keep a clear mind and hear what the Headmaster had to say.
Dumbledore had taken the seat next to Harry and had placed a hand on the boy's back, "Just what I told you before. I know that the fever he suffered way back in June was the same fever he suffered as a six year old child, both caused by the curse. The fever had been delayed for almost ten years, until the potion had helped his body fight it off. What symptoms does the boy suffer from that are distressing you so?"
Poppy looked worried beyond her usual worry, "His heart …he needs to rest." She didn't want to alarm the boy but she was concerned beyond reason.
Harry placed a hand to his racing heart, willing it to slow down.
Poppy transformed the table into a sofa and helped the boy to lie down. When Harry began to protest she firmly held her ground, "No nonsense from you Mr. Potter. You are to stay here until I deem you well enough to use the floo."
"But, my dad," Harry had to get back to Severus and let him know that he forgave him After all, the man had no choice but to send him back to Privet Drive.
"Your dad is dead! Don't you ever call that slimy bastard dad ever again!" Sirius yelled.
"Sirius, that is enough!" Dumbledore roared. "Remus, perhaps Sirius should return to Saint Mungos?"
"No! Fairchild promised I wouldn't go back if I fixed this!" Sirius yelled at Remus.
Remus nodded. Healer Fairchild had agreed to treat Sirius at Grimmauld Place. The healer thought the hospital was too confining to allow Sirius to heal without flashbacks of Azkaban.
Harry clutched at his heart as it beat painfully against his chest. What was wrong with him? Poppy forced the vial of potion to his lips. He drank only because he was actually starting to get scared he might have a heart attack. He was pushed back against the sofa by Poppy's strong hands.
Sirius knelt next to Harry and took his hand, "Harry, you've all I've got left. I need you now more than ever."
Harry could see the manic look in his godfather's eyes. He didn't have time to think any other thoughts as the sleeping draught took hold. His mind slipped into the peaceful feeling of nothingness.
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Severus paced in his study, waiting anxiously for any word of how Harry was doing. He wouldn't blame the teen if he never forgave him for sending him back. He knew he had no choice but wondered if all of Harry's insecurities with trusting adults stemmed from this incident alone. It would stand to reason that Harry had suffered an emotional blow from this episode happening at such a young age.
He paced some more, worried beyond belief. The floo turned green and Dumbledore's face appeared.
"Severus, it is done. Harry is back, but …"
"What!?! What has happened?" Severus asked with trepidation.
"Harry's heart has not caught up with the change yet. He is resting in a potion induced sleep. Madame Pomfrey does not want him to travel as of yet. He must stay at Grimmauld Place until his heart slows down," Albus regretfully informed him.
"I want to see him," Severus stated.
Albus shook his head, "I am afraid that would only cause a disturbance. Sirius will not be returning to the hospital."
"Will Pomfrey stay with him the entire night? Will she sit at his bedside in case he has further complications?"
Albus nodded, "Of course Severus, I will stay with him as well. I must go but I will keep you well informed."
Once the headmaster left Severus sunk back down into a chair. He didn't like knowing that he wasn't able to stay by his son's side when the boy was ailing.
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Harry wasn't sure how long he had been asleep but by the look of the other people in the room he knew it had been awhile. Poppy was sleeping in a chair transfigured into a recliner. Sirius was slumped at the end of the sofa and Remus and Dumbledore were nowhere to be found. He sat up and swung his legs to the ground. His heart beat painfully against his chest but he didn't care, he had to get back to Snape Manor.
Oh Merlin, he suddenly remembered what happened once he returned to Privet Drive after disappearing for two days. He couldn't help cringing at the thought of those horrible days following his return way back when he was six. The words Severus had spoken to him before he was sent back kept playing in his mind.
He was determined to get back to Snape Manor no matter what Poppy said.
With that thought in mind he quietly pocketed his wand and went to the floo. Sirius cried out in his sleep, never coming fully awake. Poppy stirred a bit but she also stayed asleep. He felt bad leaving Sirius without saying goodbye but he was getting tired of hearing his godfather give him such a hard time about his dad. All he wanted to do was to get home.
As quietly as he could he whispered out, "Snape Manor," then stepped into the floo.
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Harry stepped into the living room at Snape Manor, relieved to be home again. His heart beat painfully as he looked for his dad. He found the man sleeping in his chair behind his desk in the study.
The moment Harry walked into the room, Severus startled awake and looked around. Their eyes met before Severus stood up and slowly walked around to the front of his desk. He leaned back against it, his hands pushed into his pockets.
Harry could tell his dad was waiting for him to speak first, "Um, don't get mad, but … I sort of snuck out of Grimmauld Place while Poppy was sleeping."
"I am not mad."
Harry felt as if Severus could see right into his soul with that piercing look he gave him. He walked further into the room, surprised at how nervous he was. Maybe it was just because his heart was still racing or maybe it was because he wasn't sure how to convey his feelings. Those two days spent as Severus' six year old son had touched him deeply. He knew they had changed him profoundly. He saw his father waiting patiently for him to speak first. and was overcome with gratitude for so many things this man offered.
He walked closer to his father until they were toe to toe. Without saying anything at all he leaned in and wrapped his arms around the only father he had ever known.
Severus felt a great burden lift from his shoulders as he realized his son held no animosity towards him. He wrapped his own arms around his son.
"I never meant to lie to you Harry," Severus whispered into the top of his son's unruly hair.
"There was nothing you could have done."
Severus waited until his son pulled back then he looked him the eyes once more, "Do you recall what happened to you?"
Harry nodded, "I remember everything now. I even remember Dumbledore casting that Obliviate spell against me right before he sent me back. I was in there with that six year Harry but the whole thing was like a dream I had no control over, I could only watch it unfold. Now when I think back at that time it seems as if it really did happen ten years ago."
Severus was afraid to know the answer to the next question but had to ask, "What did Dursley do to you when you returned, after you went missing for two days?"
Harry pulled away from his father's touch. He wrapped his arms around his chest, hoping to quiet his speeding heart. Merlin, that memory was a bad one now that it was finally revealed to him. He shook his head and walked to the fireplace, leaning his forehead against the cool stone mantle.
A moment later he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder offering support.
"Harry?"
Harry shook his head, "Please don't make me tell you."
Those words alone alarmed Severus. Now more than ever he had to make Harry face that memory. "Harry, I insist," he stated in an unyielding tone.
"It's just that … it's hard to think about. This spell Sirius cast against me literally snatched me out of the past. I remember being here with you and everything that happened but it feels as if it really did happen ten years ago. My mind was that of a six year kid when it was happening. I don't understand this spell. I'm so confused," Harry said in a tired voice filled with emotion.
"I'll explain it as I know it. It is quite like the time turner Ms. Granger was in possession of during your third year. But you are quite right in the fact that you were snatched out of your life as a six year old. You were brought here for two days then sent back. The two days spent here actually changed your past. The Dursley's must have believed you went missing for those two days. I can not imagine their response to your return was a positive one?" Severus asked once again, sensing the importance of not letting Harry bury that memory.
Harry didn't want to tell but he knew he had to. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder and focused on that. "It was awful, they were awful but … it was the last bad punishment I ever received … I mean, until this past summer. I think Uncle Vernon got scared."
"Scared? In what way?" Severus asked. He could barely hear Harry's response, it was such a quiet whisper. The boy turned to look at him with sadness in his eyes.
"He thought he almost killed me with his punishment. They got scared and threw me in the cupboard for days. It frightened them to the point that they never touched me again. He never beat me like that again until …"
"Until this past June," Severus whispered.
Harry took a step forward pressing his face against his father's robes. "I was so scared, I was so bloody scared! When I was six I didn't remember you or anything that had happened to me while I was here, not until now, not until Sirius brought me back. Uncle Vernon kept asking me where I went for those two days but I didn't have an answer. He… Vernon … he beat me bloody because he thought I was lying," Harry's voice cracked into a sob. He stuffed his face further into his father's robes as he tried to forget those horrible days. Days spent quietly crying by himself in a cupboard under the stairs. He remembered missing something that had been precious to him but at the time was unsure of what it was. Now he knew.
Severus felt the pain his son suffered and wished things had been different. He held him tighter, "You deserved much more son. If I could have kept you here with me, I would have. I would do anything to change those years you suffered at the hands of that demented man."
Harry's heart hurt now more than ever as it thumped madly against his chest. He stepped away from his father as he clutched at his shirt. "My heart … why does it hurt so much?."
Severus remembered Albus' warning regarding Harry not being able to use the floo. He made Harry sit down before fire calling Poppy at Grimmauld Place. When he looked into the kitchens he saw Poppy and Sirius still fast asleep. His anger flared at their incompetence, "Poppy! Merlin woman don't you even know that your patient has left!"
Poppy sat straight up looking around frantically for Harry. She saw Severus and knew the boy had snuck home. "Did Harry leave? I told that boy to stay here!" Poppy exclaimed as her own anger flared against her patient.
Sirius snapped awake looking for his godson.
Severus pulled back out of the floo before he lost his temper with the incompetent fools. He spelled the floo so Black couldn't come through but left it open for Poppy.
A moment later a very flustered medi-witch came through the floo into Snape Manor. She marched right over to Harry and gave him a piece of her mind, "Harry James Potter, I told you to sleep! You've only made this situation worse by your display of willfulness! Whatever possessed you to use the floo when you were expressly forbidden?" She whipped her wand out, casting assessment spells at the foolish boy.
Harry looked at his father, hoping he would save him from this diatribe. His father seemed to understand his silent plea.
"Kindly tend to my son without recriminations."
Poppy ignored Severus as she continued her tirade, "Now you will have a longer recovery time due to your defiance. You stay on that sofa until you have permission to get up, is that understood?"
"Yes Madame Pomfrey. Sorry I left without permission," Harry said, not the least bit sorry. He saw his father roll his eyes. He had to force himself not to laugh when the man covered his ears behind Poppy's back. He obediently drank the potions that were thrust at him.
"Merlin, I have never seen a boy more prone to mishap in all my years!" Poppy complained as she wrote out a detailed list for Severus to follow. "When I come back to check on you, you had better be in that same spot or I will pack a bag and move in here to keep watch!" Pomfrey turned her attention to Severus, "Spoiling him will only lead to more disobedience!"
Harry took in a sharp breath over that comment. Honestly, the woman had to be blind if she thought Severus spoiled him! He had never been so relieved to see her go as Poppy bustled back through the floo.
"I am confident there is not a more annoying medi-witch in all of the wizarding world, " Severus dryly affirmed. "I suppose you should just stay where you are at until Pomfrey deems you healthy."
"Yeah, I don't imagine having her as a room mate would be very fun."
Severus pulled a chair next to the sofa and sat down, "She said that I spoil you."
"Hah! Obviously she's not around us to know any better," Harry asserted.
Severus raised an eyebrow, "You think me strict?"
"I think you're … fair," Harry said.
"Fair," Severus repeated, bleakly, "I do believe that is the first time a student from Hogwarts has deemed me as such. I dare say that my reputation is in serious jeopardy. "
Harry laughed, "Don't worry, your reputation is still intact as far as all the other students are concerned." He felt the dreamless sleeping potion begin to cloud his mind. In a drowsy voice he said, "You're a good dad."
Severus felt a deep seated contentment upon hearing those words and leaned foreword to kiss his son on the forehead.
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