Summary: The war is over for everyone but Harry. He is still fighting just to survive, but he won't make it on his own. Just when he's given up, help comes along.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, but I do own my imagination which takes me on wonderful adventures.
PLEASE NOTE: I am in the process of revising and finishing this story. I have removed all the chapters that had been previously uploaded because they have been slightly modified.
Chapter 4: Poppy
Friday morning arrived and Harry was both excited and nervous about Poppy's arrival. On the one hand, Poppy held a special place in Harry's heart and he had missed her, but on the other hand, he feared a reaction similar to the other staff members from Hogwarts. He hadn't been in contact with her since the Final Battle. Severus took note of his agitation and sent Harry out to work off some of his nervous energy in the greenhouse.
Poppy arrived soon after one just as Harry was pulling the freshly baked rolls from the oven.
"Harry! What a wonderful surprise! Oh, how I've missed you!" She gave Harry a warm hug, then stepped back holding him at arm's length to get a good look at him. "What are you doing here – with Severus, no less?"
"Poppy, may I present to you my nephew, Harden," Severus 'introduced' Harry. "He arrived Sunday evening to begin his Potions Apprenticeship with me."
Poppy's eyebrows met her hairline. "Nephew? Potions Apprenticeship? What's going on?" She looked from one to the other.
"Umm… I need to go check on lunch," Harry stammered and started to turn away.
Severus reached out and held on to Harry's arm. "Harry is going to be living here now. We needed to create a new identity for him as I have done for myself."
"It is rather unexpected to see the two of you together in the same room and not at each other's throats," Poppy commented, contemplating the unusual situation.
"Circumstances have changed," Severus explained. "We have come to a new understanding."
"Hmm. I will reserve judgment on that if you don't mind."
"Shall we eat?" Harry suggested, changing the subject and heading toward the kitchen.
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"So, Harry, what have you been up to?" Poppy asked after they'd settled around the table and caught up on Poppy's and Severus' bits of news. "I don't think I've seen you since you left Hogwarts after the war. For a while there, The Prophet couldn't get enough of you, but I can't seem to remember the last time I read any gossip. It's almost as if you'd disappeared."
"That about sums it up, Poppy. Would you like some more?" Harry sidestepped the topic. He picked up a dish and offered it, "Poppy? No? Severus?"
"Harry…" his mentor began.
"I'll just take these to the kitchen, then, shall I?" Harry took the platter with him as he disappeared through the archway.
Severus sighed. Poppy looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"
"I think he's worried about your reaction when you learn how he came to be here with me." Severus rose and led the way into the living room.
"And what will I learn?" Poppy asked, leadingly.
"About the state in which I found him." Severus poured them each a glass of fire-whiskey. He handed Poppy a glass and took a sip of his own before beginning the tale.
"You know that I visit the cemetery in Godric's Hallow each Halloween, yes?"
Poppy nodded, sipping her drink. "The anniversary of her death."
Severus nodded. "I usually visit at sundown, but I was busy with an emergency order for St. Mungo's this year, so my visit was delayed by a few hours. When I arrived, I found Harry there… with his arms slit open."
Poppy gasped, "Oh, Severus!"
"I brought him back here and healed him." Severus paused and took a breath. "Did you know that Harry wasn't supposed to survive the war?"
"What?" Poppy exclaimed. "What do you mean – he 'wasn't supposed to' survive?"
"Albus," he began, bitterly, "knew the whole of the prophecy which portended Harry's death along with the Dark Lord's. Harry's death was a requirement in order to guarantee that there could be no additional attempts at resurrection."
"I'm not following, Severus."
"Harry was a Horcrux – unintentional on the Dark Lord's part, but a fact, nonetheless. I don't believe Riddle ever suspected what happened, but Albus did from early on."
Poppy paled, gasping. "How is it, then, that Voldemort is dead and Harry is not? Or is He not dead?"
"He is. It seems, to the best of our ability to understand it, that when the Dark Lord attempted to kill Harry, he, in actuality, 'killed' the Horcrux. Both Harry's scar and my Dark Mark have disappeared, unlike last time when it only faded. I don't imagine Albus was aware that one soul could die while the other continued. Albus intended from the start to sacrifice Harry at the right time in order to insure the Dark Lord's defeat."
Severus paused and took another sip of the amber liquid. "Harry mentioned that when he supposedly 'died', Albus appeared to him in a sort of limbo. He was shown the remains of the Dark Lord's soul and was given the choice of continuing on to the hereafter or returning to his life.
"Regardless, given Harry's expected demise, and thus no need to provide for a future, Albus used the entirety of the Potter and Black inheritances for the war effort. Harry is homeless and knut-less."
"That manipulative old man…" Poppy began. "I always knew he kept secrets, but I never knew he could be so deceitful!"
"You don't know the half of it," Severus mumbled.
"He could teach at Hogwarts – I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have him." Poppy suggested as Harry walked into the room with tea and pastries. "At the very least, he'd have food and a place to live."
"No, Poppy, I'm not welcome there," Harry admitted, sadly. "In fact, there's no place in the wizarding world where I am welcome anymore."
"Why ever not? Though I know you never liked the hype, you are Harry Potter. Wouldn't everyone wish to claim you?"
"I was able to overcome the greatest Dark Wizard in modern times, first as an infant, then multiple times during my school years before finally eradicating him at just 17 using only an expelliarmus. I am also the only known person to have survived the killing curse – twice, in fact. They are frightened of me and of what I might become, of what I am capable of becoming given the proper circumstances. Voldemort's death, caused by my magic, has branded me a murderer, despite not ever having been given the choice. They think I am too powerful and, in their experience, such power is dangerous. I don't really blame them for feeling that way."
Harry paused, poured out the tea and sat down. "Regardless, my magic is not what it used to be. I'm not sure I would even be able to survive in a magical environment as I am now."
Concerned, Poppy asked the inevitable, "What do you mean?"
"My magic was affected negatively during the Final Battle," Harry began. "I don't know if it was a backlash of Voldemort's destruction, an overuse of magic, whether I was cursed or if it might have been the death of the horcrux. For all I know, my unique magical abilities might have been the result of having a piece of Voldemort living inside me. In any case, my magic has been unpredictable ever since. I experience power surges and outages, fluctuating control and erratic function. Additionally, I also seem to be affected in the presence of Muggles. With them, my aura emanates a seemingly dangerous atmosphere which repels them. So, I can't survive in their world either."
"Have you seen any healers, Harry?"
"I've been to every specialist you can think of including some who work in the Dark Arts and muggle physicians who are aware of the wizarding world. I even went to Bill Weasley – you know he's the foremost in the field of curse-breaking? "
At Poppy's nod, Harry continued. "I've been tested and observed in every possible situation using every possible method that they could devise. No one has been able to find evidence of any curse. Whatever is wrong with me seems to be permanent and undetectable."
He took a deep breath. "It's been ten years and I just couldn't do it anymore. The loneliness and the emptiness are destroying me. I had already given up when Severus found me."
"Do you mind if I run a few diagnostic scans of my own? Maybe, though I don't want to get your hopes up needlessly, but maybe, I might find something. After all, I was your primary caregiver for many years. My knowledge of your medical circumstances may give us some insight."
"We were hoping you'd offer, Poppy," Severus admitted. "We would have asked you, though, had you not. Harry has filled me in pertaining to the treatment he received at the hands of his 'relatives', so you can feel comfortable knowing that you are not breaking any confidences." Harry nodded at the Medi-witch as she glanced at him for confirmation. "So, we hope, with your acquaintance of Harry's medical history, your training and experience in healing and with my knowledge of potions, curses and the Dark Arts that we might be able to come up with some answers."
The three spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing what Severus had ascertained about Harry's plight. Poppy promised to return the next day with her medical equipment and reference materials.
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A/N: Please review – I'd really like to know what you think!