A/N: Again, this is a promise that neither Harry nor Neville will be over-powerful. They will both face limitations and have reasonable boundaries. Yes, Harry is more powerful than other wizarding children his age, but he is not a Dumbledore or a Voldemort yet. As for Neville, I will discuss his abilities later.
I don't want to give anything away too soon, but his magic will strengthen very little (besides Defense, that's the only hint I'll give!), and he only has three "special" talents (like Parseltongue for Harry) given to him due to being an Earth-elemental wizard, and two of the three are closely related, so really he only has two special abilities. That's all I'm saying on this subject and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy.
A/N2: Explanations about the Hogwarts phantoms:
1) I brought in the phantoms because I needed to offer Neville magical guidance for his Elemental talent and have a way to explain Harry's mental state more thoroughly than Silas knows or can say. Even before I started writing, I knew I wanted Neville to be special and thus he needed help. I was going to go with Theo, but this phantom idea got hold of me after reading your reviews and I had to do it. I am exploring and building their characters and importance to the story as I go along.
2) I hope the reason why Rowena, Salazar, Godric, and Helga's last name is Castle is made clearer in this chapter. Basically, they aren't exactly the Founders. They have grown and adapted to the magic and times that have passed since Hogwart's founding. Their personalities no longer match those of the Four Founders. Think of themselves instead as the Founders' children and merely named after them. They cannot leave Hogwarts ever. They are Hogwarts. Their minds were born of the magic absorbed in the very walls, built on by the impressions the Founders left of themselves when they built the school one thousand years ago.
3) I promise that they will not be ultra-powerful. They are very limited in many ways. They have vast knowledge, but cannot act outside their limited territory and often sleep. Dreaming is their main existence. They will make random appearances throughout the story from now on, but will not be main characters. In fact, after this chapter, you won't hear of them for a while.
Grim Plans
Neville sat beside Harry, tightly holding his hand. Everyone else, including Ron and Hermione, were down in the Great Hall eating breakfast. Afterwards, they would make their way to Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Express. Neville was miserable. He didn't want to leave Harry when he was still sick. The sound of someone moaning brought his head up and around.
"Nev." Remus said hoarsely, amber eyes dull with pain.
The clumsy Gryffindor jumped from his seat and hurried to his professor's side. There was a nightstand with a glass of water by the werewolf's bed so Neville helped the man sit up and drink it. Remus drank slowly before settling back down. His eyes were brighter and the tension in his face relaxed some.
"What happened?" He rasped.
"I don't know much, Professor." Neville answered readily. "Harry was in a coma, but he's now just unconscious. Sirius Black is in a spelled sleep. He has a bad case of suppressed pneumonia."
"Peter?" Remus demanded feverishly and Neville swallowed nervously as that hot gaze held his.
"Who?"
"Pettigrew." He repeated impatiently. "Where's Peter Pettigrew?"
"I don't know, Professor." Neville shook his head helplessly.
"He got away, sir." Hermione said from behind him. Neville turned to see Ron standing beside her. "You transformed and knocked Professor Snape unconscious. His spells fell and Pettigrew transformed. Black went after him, Harry sent you running away from us into the forest, and Black got hurt. Harry ran to help him. Black was surrounded by dementors. Harry ran into the middle of it and was badly hurt. He was in a coma, but Madam Pomfrey says that he entered a normal deep sleep early this morning. She hopes he'll wake by this afternoon."
"They would have been killed by the dementors," Ron spat the name in disgust, "but a magic storm kicked up and kicked their arses. Saved Harry and Black's lives."
"It was horrible." Hermione shivered. "That's why you were so injured, Professor. You should see the damage left over. A huge section of the forest is torn up and the ground is black and cracked. Even the lake is damaged. Mermaids came to the surface and Dumbledore talked to them. A dozen of their people were killed. Dumbledore gave them gifts to try and keep them from leaving. I'm not sure if they accepted or not."
Remus lay back and closed his eyes. Hermione and Ron shared worried looks, but when their Professor didn't move for several minutes they made their way to Neville at Harry's bedside. Harry's breathing was irregular and his face was tight with distress. No one said anything. Neville got the impression they wish he'd move so they could hold Harry's hand, but he wasn't going to.
"Ah, there you are." Dumbledore said to the teens as he walked into the room. "You must be off. Harry's condition has improved and I'll owl you as soon as he wakes. The Express will leave without you if you don't hurry."
"Yes, Headmaster." Hermione answered and pulled Ron toward her to the door. "Are you coming Neville?"
Neville nodded and the others left him behind. Dumbledore smiled down at him kindly and placed an age-spotted hand on his shoulder. Neville reluctantly let go of Harry's hand and made his way over to Professor Lupin. Remus' eyes were open again and he smiled at the young Gryffindor.
"I'll keep in touch." He promised.
"Thank you." Neville smiled tearfully. "Take care of yourself and keep an eye on Harry for me."
"I will. Don't worry, Nev." Remus squeezed his hand. "It will work out. You'll see."
Neville nodded and hurried out of the room. Remus turned his attention to the headmaster who was tenderly brushing Harry's hair from his face. "How is he?" He whispered tiredly.
"He'll be fine. He and Sirius were drained of magic by the dementors, but his levels are slowly rising. Poppy thinks he'll wake in a few hours." Dumbledore took the seat by his bed and pat his leg reassuringly. "How are you, my boy? Do you remember anything?"
"Not after I transformed or before I woke up here." Remus shook his head slightly.
"What do you remember?" Dumbledore asked and listened to his side of the story.
xXxXxXx
Severus sat in his office grading tests and homework. The castle was empty and quiet; it used to be his favorite time of the year. But that was far from his mind now. He was thinking only of Harry and Dumbledore. His revelation about the old manipulator changed nothing. He was still in the man's dept and could not publicly go against him or let the headmaster know of his suspicions. But neither could he let Harry down.
"Professor Snape."
Severus spun around to find a girl standing beside him behind his desk. His eyes widened and then narrowed, knowing no one had entered through his office door and there were no other entrances. She looked no older than fourteen and wore school robes without a House patch. He didn't recognize her and that made him stand slowly, carefully, and place his hand on his wand. There wasn't a child in the school that he couldn't put a name to.
The girl smiled and there was knowledge in her blue eyes that no teen could claim, "Hello, Professor. I'm Rowena Castle. And I'm here to beg something of you."
"What are you?" Severus asked without relaxing in the slightest.
"I am a phantom projected by Hogwarts Castle. Technically, I am the castle as are the other three. However, we have each developed individual personalities modeled after the founders and have taken territories for ourselves." She explained. "Now, we don't have much time so just agree and we'll get this over with."
"Agree to what?" Severus glared.
"Agree to teach Neville Longbottom how to meditate and enter into a trance. In return, I'll have Salazar give you a hand." She smiled prettily.
"Salazar?" Severus sneered disbelievingly. "And where are Godric and Helga?"
"Still sleeping." Rowena answered easily. "That's what we mostly do. Watching everything that happens inside our walls in our dreams. Very rarely does anything wake us anymore. The magic storm woke Salazar. Dark magic and psychology are his obsessions and it was interesting enough to make him stir.
"He woke me up because he wanted information from Neville. We can't ask for things unless we give something back in return. He did a quick scan to see what Neville needed and found out he was an untrained Earth-elemental wizard. My field of study is magic and studying Elemental magic is a hobby of mine, so he woke me.
"Neville helped Salazar, so I'm going to teach him how to master his talent, but first Neville needs to master meditation. But because I'm paying for Salazar's information, he owes me one. I'm going to take him up on that and have him help you with Harry Potter's condition. In exchange, you are going to help me with Neville. Understand?"
Severus was silent for a long minute. His disbelief was slowly falling away into awe. The founder's left themselves in the walls of the castle and the castle had absorbed enough magic over the centuries to give those leftover imprints real sentience. And now two of them were awake.
"How can Salazar help?" He asked carefully.
"I told you." Rowena scolded mildly. "He's fascinated with Dark magic and psychology. He can enter another's mind and study them from the inside, and what he found in Harry he's never seen before. He can tell you things about Harry's condition that you'd never find out otherwise."
"If he can enter another's mind, why didn't he just take whatever Neville knew that he needed instead of bargaining for it?"
"Good question." Rowena approved. "Salazar cannot read a person's mind or look into their memories. He instead gets a feel for a person's soul. He sees who they are inside and the general shape or state of their spirits. Of course, he could probably explain it better."
"And the storm woke him up?"
"Yes, but don't think you've fooled us." She was smug. "We know it wasn't a natural magical storm. That wouldn't have captured Salazar's attention, but mine instead. So the storm had to've been cast by a wizard and Salazar knows it was Harry."
"Who else are you going to tell this to?" Severus asked grimly.
"No one." Rowena reassured. "I only mentioned it because I know you know already and it is best to get these things out on the table."
"You are not bound to the headmaster?"
"Well, sort of." She laughed. "But it's the other way around. The headmaster is bound to protect the castle, in other words: Us. In exchange for this protection, Godric helps him out by talking to him through the wards. We help him when needed as well, but it is purely by choice."
"I thought Godric was asleep?" Severus frowned.
"He is. Even the original Godric talked in his sleep. Besides, wards are Godric's specialty. That's his territory: the castle wards. He's conscious enough to monitor them. When he's awake, he controls them instead of the current Headmaster."
"I see." Severus sat back in his chair and put his head in his hands. He had thought when he woke up that morning things couldn't get anymore complicated than they already were. He hated being wrong.
"Professor?" She came up and put a hand on his arm. "Are you alright? Do we have a deal?"
"Yes, Miss Rowena Castle." He sneered tiredly. "We have a deal. It's not like I have a choice… Merlin help us. Longbottom is one of the fabled Elemental wizards."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last part." She cleared her throat and yelled, "Salazar!"
A long limbed teen faded into sight next to Rowena. He didn't look happy about it either. His arms were crossed and he was glaring petulantly. Severus fought back a laugh. This was the image of a thousand years of knowledge? Rowena lifted her eyebrow warningly at the boy, "You will help him understand Harry's condition."
"I was busy, Rowena!" Salazar literally stomped his foot. Severus' lips twitched and caught the boy's attention. "What are you laughing at! Harry's having a fit and I wanted to watch what happens!"
"WHAT!" Severus jumped to his feet and ran out of his office.
"Good going, Salazar." Rowena glared at the smirking boy and disappeared.
xXxXxXx
Dumbledore had been gone for no more than fifteen minutes and Remus was pulled from sleep. It wasn't a sound or a change in light that woke him. It was the scent of terror that drew him back to consciousness. Tossing aside his blanket, he sat up and found himself looking straight at Harry. His eyes began to glow with protective intensity despite his exhaustion as he took in the teen's trembling form curled in the middle of his bed.
"Harry? What's wrong?" He rasped and slowly pulled himself up. His wounds gave sharp pains and he moaned deep in his throat, but couldn't ignore his pup in need. "Harry. Speak to me."
Harry curled tighter, but lifted head obediently and whimpered, "I'm sorry. Please. Please don't hurt me."
"What's the matter?" Remus limped over to the boy's bed. "No one's going to hurt you."
Harry began sobbing and didn't answer. Remus reached out and gently touched the boy's shoulder. Harry flinched back then went stock still. His cries got louder. Tears poured from his eyes and the sobs came from deep in his chest. Remus murmured soothingly and pulled Harry into his arms, but that only made it worse. Harry wrenched himself away, screaming that he'd be good. His green eyes were wild and the smell of a horrible desperate terror wrapped around him.
Remus backed off slowly and painfully settled into a non-threatening crouch, "Harry. It's me. Remus Lupin. It's alright. Don't be afraid. You're safe, Harry. Tell me what's wrong." He continued to speak soothingly and little by little Harry's crying gentled. The boy huddled at the top of the bed, shivering and breathing raggedly. His face was damp with sweat and tears that were still falling slowly. Though Harry was calming, the terror hadn't eased. Remus crept a few inches forward.
"No. No, please. I'll be good. Please no more. Don't hurt me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please." Harry chanted, his green eyes pinned to Remus and getting more and more upset the closer Remus got.
The werewolf backed away again and Harry's voice tapered off. He started rocking, but his green eyes never left his professor's. Remus felt pressed down by the fear in the room. The wolf in him wanted to growl, to howl his defiance and destroy the cause of the terror. Unfortunately neither wolf nor man had any idea what Harry was so afraid of. So the human won out and he began to sing. It was the lullaby his mother use to sing to him when he was a child and in pain after the full moon.
"Don't hurt me no more." Harry whispered pleadingly. His eyes grew heavy and they fell almost shut. Remus moved closer and the boy didn't react. He was tired. Terror is a draining emotion, especially when kept at a fever pitch for long periods.
"Don't." Severus said very softly from the doorway. Remus looked back at him questioningly. "Don't touch him. It will make him panic."
"What's going on?" Remus asked between versus and began the lullaby again. Harry was swaying, tears silently running down his cheeks, his eyes gently closed. Remus wanted so badly to hold him, to love and protect him.
"That is what I want to know as well."
Severus spun and found the headmaster standing behind him. His hands clinched, but he had enough control to keep his face blank. Remus sniffed at the air and his bright eyes watched Severus' back curiously, but he didn't stop his gentle singing. The headmaster looked passed both men and watched the broken teenager on the bed before looking back at his Potions Master.
"I believe it is due to the dementors." Severus said evenly. "Potter was especially affected by them and being surrounded may have left lingering damage."
"I see." Dumbledore said gravely and moved into the room. Severus warned him not to go closer. "Nonsense, my boy. I am not threatening."
Remus watched the old man approach and with every step the headmaster seemed to project increasing amounts of serenity and wisdom. It was very soothing. Remus fell silent and backed away to give him room. He wanted to help Harry. But he was forced to a stop only an inch or so away from where he started by the faint, but undeniable scent of anger and nervousness coming from the silent dark-haired man in the doorway.
He looked back, but could see none of this on Severus' face. The ebony eyes met his for just a second and he's own widened. It was the headmaster. Severus didn't want the headmaster near Harry. Remus' head snapped around to watch this newly revealed threat. All his protesting muscles tightened, reading to pounce should Dumbledore give him the slightest reason to.
Harry's wide green eyes were open, had been so ever since Remus had fallen silent, and was watching the headmaster approach. The old man smiled softly and his blue eyes twinkled hypnotically. There seemed to be no negative reaction in the boy, but Remus' and Severus' sharp eyes saw the barely visible tremors in Harry's hands and shoulders. Each step Dumbledore took made them worsen.
Unseen by the others, Severus discreetly cast a sleep canceling spell toward Black. The sick man sat bolt upright as soon as Harry started screaming. The boy was cowering on the bed. His arms were up protecting his head as he screamed into his knees. Dumbledore yanked his hand back and tried to coax the boy to calm, but Harry was having none of it. Crying hysterically, shaking with fear, the green eyes jumped erratically around the room as he begged them all for mercy.
Black was trying to get out of bed, coughing and hacking in-between demands to leave Harry alone. Remus was standing and growling. His whole body was vibrating with the effort of not yanking the headmaster away from his pup. Severus stood rigidly in the doorway to the room. His face was blank, but his nails were slowly digging into his palms. Harry's tortured cries and gasping sobs tore into each of them.
"Get out of my way!" Poppy yelled and shoved passed Severus. The Potion Master took a step inside to catch his balance. "What is going on in here? I demand you all leave at once! I must tend my patients!"
Dumbledore wisely backed away and Poppy began casting spells on the hysterical child. Remus made his way to Sirius and held him back from trying to get to his godson. It wasn't hard to do. The man was pale and dripping with sweat from taking a mere three steps. His skin was feverish and he could hardly breathe around the liquid in his lungs.
Poppy knew what she was doing and soon Harry began to fall quiet and then went to sleep. She cast a few more spells and tests and then hurried over to Sirius. She ordered Remus to lay him out on the bed and no one listened to the convict's weak protests and demands to see his godson. Dumbledore calmed him as best he could, but Sirius was delirious and not easily soothed when he had Harry's cries still ringing in his ears.
"I swear!" Poppy muttered darkly as she cast three healing spells on the sick man. "And you wonder why it takes so long to get better! Black, you stay in this bed or I will spell you unconscious again! Remus, help me get these potions in him."
Sirius didn't argue, but he glared mutinously at the witch as Remus gently poured potions into his mouth. "How is Harry? Do you know what's wrong with him?" The werewolf asked, knowing more information might settle him and Sirius.
"I don't have all my tests back, but I fear it was the dementors. I believe he is trapped in his worst memory." She answered as she went back to the boy's bed and began to fuss with his blankets tenderly. It was easy to see that she was just as distraught as the men.
"A memory?" Remus paled, remembering what Harry had been saying. He was begging not to be hurt anymore. Who was hurting him? He growled. Oh, he knew who it was. It was those sick muggles. It had to be.
"WHO DID THAT TO HIM?" Sirius yelled and then broke into violent coughs.
Poppy scolded him, brandishing her wand. He shoved her away and she looked ready to retaliate when Dumbledore intervened, "We are not sure, but rest assured I am looking into it." He promised gravely. "However, I have suspicions that Harry may remember the night his parents were killed by Voldemort's hand."
Severus snorted at that. Everyone in the room except Poppy and Sirius knew very well there was more to it than that. Dumbledore shot him a very stern look and he subsided. But Remus had no such qualms; "From what I heard, it sounded like he was asking not to be punished." He rasped angrily. "He was not even two years old when Voldemort killed James and Lily. He couldn't talk then, let alone beg for anything."
"He could be responding to the event as he would now." Dumbledore explained. "It is not necessary for him to relive the memory with the same mentality he possessed at the time."
"I've seen abused children, Headmaster." Remus argued. "He flinched when he was touched and then held still expecting a worse punishment if he fought."
"We know nothing for sure." Dumbledore said in such a way it was clear the subject was closed. "Until we do, it is pointless to guess."
"Should I make inquiries?" Severus offered casually.
"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "I will go with Harry back to his home and see what I can find out."
Convenient, Severus thought in disgust. He hated the man more in that moment than he ever thought possible and it took all his self-control not to lash out.
"Headmaster!" Remus protested. "You shouldn't bring Harry back there until you are sure he will be safe."
"I will be with him Remus." Dumbledore challenged him with his eyes and Remus backed down reluctantly. "He will be safe. Count on that."
"Of course, Headmaster."
"No." Sirius mumbled thickly, just barely hanging onto consciousness under all the healing spells. "Harry won't go back. Those muggles could have hurt him and I'm his godfather. He stays with me."
"I'm truly sorry, my boy." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "But that is not possible. Harry needs the blood protection offered by his aunt and we have no proof of your innocence. Harry must go back. I will make sure he is fine. Poppy will make sure I know how to care for him."
"I thought Poppy was going with you." Severus spoke up.
"She was, but she has been called away to St. Mungo's. It seems that an epidemic of Dragon Pox has broken out. They need her help. Already she has postponed her departure and can't wait."
"When will you leave?" Remus asked tiredly.
"Tomorrow morning." Dumbledore answered. "Now get in bed Remus. You are injured and Poppy has been glaring quite fiercely at you these last five minutes."
Remus smiled weakly and allowed the medi-witch to guide him to his bed. Sirius had fallen asleep after Dumbledore refused him and tears were drying on his pale cheeks. Dumbledore made his goodbyes and left the room, ordering Severus to follow him. Severus did so without saying a word. He was not surprised to find himself being lead to the headmaster's office.
"Have a seat, Severus." Dumbledore gestured to the chair across from his desk, but didn't sit himself. Instead he stood with his hands on the desk. "I am not happy, Severus. I know you don't approve of Harry returning to his Aunt's, but it must be so. Do not question me. I am looking ahead and know more of the consequences of doing as I am than you. Believe me when I say that not sending Harry home would be far worse for the child in the long run."
"Yes, Headmaster." Severus bowed his head a few inches.
"Good. Now I have a few questions." Dumbledore settled into his chair, satisfied that the man had been put back into place. "How many people know of Harry's condition?"
"So far as I know, only I do. Harry may have told others, but I doubt it. The boy tends to say as little as possible." Severus sneered. "His fellow Gryffindor friends know nothing, as usual."
"What about Remus?" Dumbledore asked sharply.
Severus shrugged, "It is possible, but again I doubt it. The Wolf was just overemotional and will see you are doing what is best when he calms down. I know his wounds must pain him still and that was fueling his distress."
"Good, good." Dumbledore nodded and leaned back with a smile. "You are right, my boy. I will do what is best for all of us, including Harry. Trust in me as you always do and help me keep an eye on the others. I'm not sure they can be counted on to think levelly for a while yet."
"Yes, Headmaster." Severus bowed his head still further.
"I know you like to finish your lesson plans for next year before you leave for your summer holiday. You may go." He smiled benignly.
"Thank you, Headmaster." He stood and made his way to the door.
"Oh, and Severus? I might have need of you in the upcoming months. Stay in communication."
"Yes, sir." Severus answered and slipped down the stairs. His skin crawled with anger and disgust, but he was use to the feeling from the time he spent before Harry rid them of the Dark Lord and controlled his reaction well. His stride was even and unhurried, but his mind was racing; the beginnings of a plan were taking shape.
xXxXxXx
"You've been busy." Salazar grinned, appearing in the chair across from the Potions Professor's office desk.
"You have information about Harry's condition?" Severus asked. He was too tired to banter or beat around the bush with the phantom. It had been hours since the scene in Harry's sickroom and everything was ready and set in motion. All that was left to do is wait.
"Fine." Salazar shrugged. He preferred to get straight to the point anyway. "I've never seen a mind divided like Harry's. It's really amazing." His brown eyes lit with excitement. "From what I understand, it wasn't the dementor's that led to Harry's magic drain. When his oldest alter came Out, the one the others call Demon, he mostly used his own magic store, but he drew on the other alters' magic to focus his attacks. His own magic is chaos and he needed the more stable magics of the others to get the subtler results he craved.
"Pure destructive magic, or Dark magic as it is called now, is very chaotic, as you know. It takes great focus and/or emotions to get specific results. The alters were drained in order from oldest to youngest." He continued. "At least, that is what I surmise from their magic levels and the fact that Boy suffered no magic drain. Anyway, the reason Demon was stopped was because of Boy.
"It is Boy's job to stop pain. The other alters were incapacitated because of the pain of the dementors, but Boy is use to pain and could ignore it in favor of his powerful need to stop them from hurting. So he left his cupboard and forced the Demon's door closed. Unfortunately, he is not the strongest alter and it took him several minutes, about seven from my calculations, to force Demon back In. And in this time, Demon had gone through Gabriel, Silas, and Rose's magic. After draining Boy, my theory is Demon's magic would have lost the little control it had and truly start a storm.
"So. Demon was forced In and the other alters were drained enough to sink them into recuperating comas. They are still recovering and it will be about four more days before they will return to consciousness. In this time, it is Boy who will remain Out. Personally, I think this is a good thing.
"Forcing Boy Out when there isn't pain or fear to cope with will give him mental strength and begin to heal him. I'd advise against having Harry try and merge with Boy as he has with Kitten. Boy isn't anywhere near as stable as Kitten and Rose, relatively speaking, and Harry will be insane and irreparably damaged. There is a reason Boy is separated from the main personality; he is completely insane and you should tame that before Harry confronts it or it will destroy him for good.
"As for Rose, she is very close to merging with Harry. Once he understands her purpose and origin, he will accept her. Unlike the other alters Rose actually wants to rejoin Harry. She loves him and she loves you, Remus, and Neville. She wants Harry to get better and believes that loving you all will help him. She's right, of course. But I'd be wary. Once Harry accepts his feelings of attachment, Silas and Gabriel may not cooperate so well with him.
Salazar got an intense look on his face as he thought of those two alters; "Silas and Gabriel are different than the others, in fact they have obtained a state of consciousness that rivals that of Harry's. They have the ability to think, rationalize, and react as individuals and aren't obviously pieces of Harry's original personality.
"I believe that they've achieved this mostly due to the fact Harry is a wizard and have used magic consciously. Magic has a way of changing things in strange ways, and because of this I wouldn't encourage Harry to merge with these two alters until after Boy. And last, Demon.
He leaned forward and made sure he had Severus' complete attention; "Now there is good news, bad news, and worst news. The good news is that Harry and his natural alters have relative control over Demon. And Demon does not influence Harry in anyway as the other alters subconsciously do.
"The bad news is that originally Demon was a pocket of Voldemort's hungry, angry, destructive Dark magic trapped inside Harry. He was not born from Harry like the other alters, but instead forced inside of him. Demon was foreign.
"And the worst news is that Harry and the others have been feeding Demon. He has grown and become able to reason in the most primitive ways. This base intelligence is how Demon was able to know to specifically destroy the dementors and not just randomly lash out, and why he thought to torture them before casting a death blow. Because of this, Demon is stronger than he was and may in the future be able to influence or even overpower the other alters. Granted this wouldn't be for several more years yet, but it's good to be aware of it.
"The last thing I discovered about Demon is that Voldemort is still connected to Harry through Demon. That means as the Dark Lord regains strength he may be able to strengthen Demon, allowing the dark alter to make a takeover of Harry's soul faster than he would naturally. Of course, it would be worse if he were to reabsorb Demon back into himself with all the anger and hate Harry has added. This would make Voldemort much more powerful than ever before.
"The good part about Harry strengthening Demon is the possibility that Voldemort might not be able to reabsorb Demon because Harry is making Demon his own so that Demon is no longer Voldemort's to call back." Salazar fell silent expectantly and wasn't disappointed. Severus' reaction was all that he could have hoped. The man just stared at him dumbly. Salazar couldn't blame him; he had just dumped a lot of information in the man's lap. Feeling merciful, Salazar faded away and left the man in peace.
Severus didn't notice the phantom's departure and that alone spoke volumes on how shaken he was. Silas had been a great help, but hadn't known any of the things Salazar had been able to find out. And the information about Demon was… frightening. Severus felt like screaming out in rage and exhaustion. What was he suppose to do with this? It was impossible; all of it! Instead of breaking down, he calmly summoned his best liquor with a flick of his wand. He didn't feel the least bit guilty. He deserved it.
xXxXxXx
Dumbledore woke with the wards informing him that an adult former student and a current student had left. There was only one student left at school. It had to be Harry! Lifting his sleeping robes to his knees, he ran for the area that he had felt the disturbance in. He was following a glowing yellow trail only he could see from the tracking spell he had cast the instant the wards were breached.
He was surprised to find himself being led away from the front gates, but instead halfway under the school. Sirius must know of an underground passage! When he reached the floor with the Hospital Wing, he ran into Remus who was clumsy with pain. Dumbledore grabbed him and held him on his feet, demanding to know what happened with sharp blue eyes.
"Sirius! Harry and Sirius are gone!" Remus panted out, panicked. "I woke up and they weren't in their beds! I went to the infirmary, but it was empty. Poppy's already gone. We have to find them!"
"Calm down, Remus." Dumbledore said and leaned the man against the wall. He was pleased that Remus was still on his side and had come to him, but he could not allow Harry out of his grasp. "I will search for him. Go wake Severus and have him find me."
"Yes, Headmaster!" Remus spun with an agonized whimper and made his way as quickly as he could toward the dungeons.
Damn that man! Dumbledore cursed as he found himself at a dead end in front of a statue of a one-eyed witch. He wasted precious minutes discovering how the opening worked, and then he was diving into the passage and running on into the dark. The trap door at the bottom of Honeydukes was already open and he came flying out. Sirius and Harry were nowhere to be seen and he followed the yellow trail to the front door where it abruptly ended.
Dumbledore lifted his wand and a quick spell revealed that Sirius hadn't apparated. Damn! He could have followed an apparation, but this by no means meant he had lost them. He raised his wand again, but didn't cast a spell. A sharp bang exploded in the night and the Knight's Bus came to a screeching halt in front of him.
"Have you seen a sick man and an unconscious or hysterical teen?" He demanded as soon as the door opened.
Stan gaped at the powerful wizard for a second before nodding. "Yes, sir. They came on the bus a few minutes ago, didn't they Ernie?"
"Take me to where you let them off." Dumbledore ordered. "No stopping in between. It is imperative I catch them."
"Of course, sir! Take'er away, Ernie, and make it snappy!"
Dumbledore was thrown to the ground twice before the bus came to a halt. He leapt agily from the vehicle. The yellow of the tracking spell could be seen again, but it was fading quickly. He only had a few more minutes before he'd lose them. He stared into the late night crowds of downtown London and grimly cast an invisibility charm before apparating down the block. He made three jumps before the yellow disappeared. He'd lost them.
"Headmaster?"
He turned to find Severus striding toward him, "Severus. Sirius has run and he has Harry. I've followed his trail here, but I've lost them. Continue the search. I'm going to the Ministry. I've been putting off Cornelius, but I believe it's time to inform him that we know Sirius' location. If they are still in London, we will find them."
"Stupid mutt." Severus sneered. "What is he thinking?"
"I have no idea, my boy." Dumbledore shook his head. "But he is sick and has suffered greatly in Azkaban. If you find him, don't damage him too greatly."
Severus glared in answer and Dumbledore apparated away with a forced smile. Severus waited a few seconds just to be safe. He turned and walked slowly up the street, shedding his wizarding clothes as he went. He didn't dare to cast magic. That could be traced. After going three blocks, he found a busy road and hailed a cab. He got in and gave terse directions to an abandoned muggle theater.
Sirius was sitting next to an unconscious Harry in the alley between the theater and a department store. Harry was shivering in his sleep despite the arm around his shoulders that was holding him close to his godfather's overheated body. Sirius had a coughing fit every few minutes. Neither was doing too well.
Severus sneered down at the convict and hated that he needed the mutt. "Here." He offered him directions on a piece of paper. "This town is about two hours from the city and is near a house I own. No one knows of its existence. Take a room in the smallest inn. I will fetch you and bring you to the house as soon as I can. Lupin will join you soon."
Sirius got to his feet and accepted the piece of paper with the directions and the thick wallet of muggle money. "I'm going to want answers later, Snape." He bit out.
Severus sneered and bent to pick up Harry since the filthy mutt obviously couldn't do it. It was harder than he thought possible to release the small teen into the other man's arms, but he did it. "Just stay alive." He spat. "If Harry wakes, don't touch him. Talk to him and give him space. He won't come out of the fear completely, so don't expect him to. You might have to order him to eat and drink. Can you handle that or is this too much information for your addled mind to handle?"
"Shut it!" Sirius growled, cradling his godson. "I can take care of Harry."
"For your sake, you better." Severus threatened and a cab pulled up before Sirius could answer.
Severus watched the cab pull away before turning and walking in the opposite direction. When he got back to the point where Dumbledore had left him, he summoned a new robe and began a false search, hoping he'd lead both the headmaster and the Ministry astray. He only hoped that the few days Remus and he would be tied up with Dumbledore, Sirius and Harry would be okay alone. He was not comfortable in the slightest leaving Harry in the care of a seriously ill man bordering on insanity, but there were literally no other options available.
Chapter end.