Chapter 10
Dumbledore was fuming. He rarely ever got this angry, and even when he was, he was able to control it by practicing Occlumency. However, with Harry Potter missing, his potion's master also missing, and his phoenix gone, he was now feeling something that was foreign to him; fear. How had that spell he had placed on Severus and Sirius been broken? Why did they take the boy away from his uncle?
Dumbledore chuckled to himself at the thought of seeing young Harry hanging in that cupboard, now looking at his memories in his pensieve. He could sit and look at the memories of Dursley and see exactly what he had done to the brat. One thing was very apparent, and that was Harry was going to be extremely powerful once he reached his maturity. The aged headmaster sighed deeply, and placed his pensieve back in its protected cupboard. It wouldn't do to have someone fall into it and see those particular memories.
After taking care of some school business, the headmaster turned his thoughts on how to find Potter and get him back to his uncle's house, where he would, once again, be under his control. But the more he thought about it, he soon realized that with Severus and the mutt working together, and hidden away somewhere, he might not be able to get control over them again until school started in the fall. Smiling to himself, he decided on a different plan of action, one that couldn't fail. He would go see Hermione once again, and place a tracking spell on her, so that if she went out into muggle London, or anywhere else, and ran into Harry Potter, he would be able to find them, and get his hands on the boy once again. Yes, that would work out perfectly. It had been almost a week since he had apparated to her home, but he knew that if anyone would be able to get in touch with Harry, it would be his best friend, and that was Hermione Granger.
Dumbledore then made plans to go see the girl later that evening. He also planned on using Legilimancy on her, just to make sure that she hadn't been lying to him. He knew just how loyal they trio was to each other, especially Hermione to Harry. Dumbledore decided he would use Imperio on her, if she wouldn't cooperate with his way of thinking. He laughed an evil laugh to himself, but was startled by the sudden appearance of his deputy headmistress, Minerva.
How long has she been standing there, he thought to himself. I've got to pay more attention, or learn to lock that door.
"Minerva, what brings you to my office," the headmaster greeted.
"I was just wondering how you were this morning, Albus. You just haven't been yourself these last few days. You've been distracted, and distant. Is there something bothering you? Is there something I can do to help you?" Minerva asked. She had been watching her old friend for days now, and had continually noticed the man's mood swings, his angry outbursts when he thought no one was watching, and had heard him muttering Potter's name. She knew that something was terribly wrong, but she just didn't know what it was, and worse, she didn't know if she wanted to know.
Albus smiled sweetly at his old friend, and his blue eyes twinkled brightly for her, as he offered her a lemon drop. He frowned slightly when she refused, but she always refused them. He often wondered if she knew that they were laced with a compliance potion, but he couldn't prove it. He would have to come up with another way to deal with her.
"Thank you for being concerned, Minerva, but I am all right. I have been a bit distracted lately, but I do believe I have gotten things under control. By the way, I'm going to be out of the office this evening. I have some business to attend to in London, and I should be back by midnight." The headmaster kept the smile on his face as Minerva smiled back at him.
"All right, Albus. As long as you're sure that you're fine. I do hope you know you may come to me if you need some assistance with something. You're not getting any younger, you know," she laughed. She then turned to leave, but felt the unmistakable aura of anger in the room. It was a gift that she had had for many years; the ability to sense emotions, and right now, Albus was literally pulsing with anger. Quite frankly, it frightened her to think he was that angry at someone.
Minerva shook her head slightly and proceeded out of the headmaster's office. She quickly found her own office, and after warding it for privacy, she floo-called the only person she knew she could trust to talk to about her suspicions: Remus Lupin.
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When Harry had went to bed last night, he was hoping beyond all hope that he would be able to get a good night's sleep with no nightmares. He was wrong.
Harry found himself, once more, in the back seat of his uncle's car, with it literally flying out of control down the highway back to Privet Drive. Harry tried valiantly to sit up and open the door and get out of the car, but he couldn't seem to move. He looked down to see strand after strand of rope wound tightly around his body, legs, arms, torso, and to his horror, his neck. It seemed the more he struggled to get free, the tighter the ropes became, effectively strangling the terrified child. His breaths came in harsh gasps, and all he could hear was his uncle's evil, vile laugh. Just as he knew he was going to pass out, he managed to let out one long, horrific scream.
Severus had just decided to head off to bed after being up rather late brewing some potions for the school infirmary. He wasn't sure what was going to happen this year once the school year began, but he knew that regardless of what the headmaster had done, he still had a job and students to deal with. He had just passed by Harry's room when he thought he heard a gasp, and some movement. Then, just as sudden, a loud scream sounded out of Harry's room, a sound that Severus had only heard from someone who was only a breath away from dying. He pulled out his wand and rushed into the room.
He quickly found the boy laying half on, half off his bed, his bed sheets wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply. The child's struggles were quickly lessening, and Severus made use of his wand. He expertly vanished the sheet around the boy's neck and then lifted the limp child back onto his bed.
Sirius had also heard Harry's scream and had come rushing into the bedroom. He got there just in time to his friend placing his godson back on his bed.
"What in Merlin's name happen? He was fine when he went to bed. He was so excited to see Hermione today," Sirius began.
"It appears Harry was having a nightmare and he somehow got his bed sheets wrapped around his neck. He was slowly strangling himself. I think I got to him in time. He's breathing on his own now, the color has come back to his cheeks."
Then Severus sat down on the edge of the bed and grasped one of Harry's hands and spoke.
"Harry? Can you hear me? Come on, child, open your eyes. You're here in your room with me, and Sirius. Come on, Harry, wake up now."
Severus' soothing voice was slowly reaching the boy who was still in the throes of a horrible nightmare. After a few more moments of soothing words, Harry's eyes fluttered open. He was still breathing in short gasps, and even though his eyes were still glazed over with fear, it was evident that the potions master's voice had reached him.
Harry tightened his grip on Severus' hand and closed his eyes as a torrent of tears began running down his face. He then finally took a huge breath and tried to curl up into himself, but Severus would have no part of that. The man reached over and gently pulled the sobbing child into his lap, noticing how thin and frail the boy still was, and held him close. At first, Harry was uncomfortable in this position; after all, this was his professor, but when he felt those strong, warm arms holding him firmly and tenderly, he couldn't help himself: he threw his arms around the man's chest and hung on for dear life, sobbing harder and harder.
Sirius quietly called Dobby, and asked him for a warm wet washcloth, and a round of hot tea for him and Severus, and a large mug of hot chocolate for his godson. He looked over at his friend, who was still holding on tightly to Harry, rocking his ever so slightly, and gave the man a grateful smile. Severus nodded slightly, and turned his attention back to the child in his arms.
Harry finally sat up and looked at his professor for a moment. He smiled briefly and muttered, "Thanks, Professor. No one has ever done that for me before."
At that moment, Dobby reappeared with a tray with two cups of hot tea, and a large mug of hot chocolate. Dobby then handed Severus the warm washcloth, a vile of dreamless sleep, and a calming draught. The professor expertly popped the stopper out of the first vial, the calming draught, and gave it to Harry, who drank it quickly, grimacing at the bitter taste. Then Sirius handed him the mug of hot chocolate, and the boy took the pro-offered mug with a genuine smile on his tear-stained face. He breathed deeply of the rich aroma, and carefully sipped from the cup. He closed his eyes briefly as the calming draught took affect, and then leaned back against the pillows on his bed.
Sirius, who had now joined Severus on the bed, asked, "Harry, are you all right now? That was some nightmare you were having. Would you like to tell us about it?"
At first, Harry shook his head at the thought of having to remember that awful nightmare, much less having to talk about it. But his common sense won out, and he quietly told them about the dream he had been having.
"I was just dreaming about Vernon, and I was in the car. I was all tied up with these ropes, all around my hands, legs, body, and my neck. And every time I moved, they kept getting tighter and tighter. I couldn't get my breath...I felt like I was going to die..." The child's voice faded away as a few more large tears made their way down the boy's cheeks.
Sirius scooted closer and let his godson lean over into his lap. Harry laid his head down in the man's lap, shaking and sobbing once more. He was starting to wonder what everyone was going to think of him, sitting here crying every time he had a nightmare, shaking like a leaf, unable to control his emotions at all. This only made the child shake harder and tears to fall more quickly.
Sirius looked over at his friend, a look of utter helplessness evident on his face, with a silent plea for help in his eyes. Severus quickly summoned another calming draught and then sat down beside of Harry, so that all three of them were now sitting on the bed with their heads at the top and the their legs laying on the bed.
"Here, Harry, drink this now. That's a good boy. Come now, we will get through this, I promise you that."
The professors soft, deep voice penetrated the clouded mind of the sobbing child, and he slowly sat up out of his godfather's lap and then realized that he was basically lying on the bed between the two men. He looked at both men and blushed slightly, but took the pro-offered potion and drank it down. His eyes finally lost that glazed look they had had before, his shaking body and finally quieted, and his tears slowed to a drop or two every now and then. He sat there between his two 'guardians', wondering how in the world he was going to talk about his fears.
Luckily, he didn't have to start the conversation. It was Severus who decided to ask the first question.
"Harry, you do know that Vernon will never get his hands on you again? You do know that, correct?" Severus asked gently.
"I know, Pro...I mean, Severus, but I've been having to live like that for so long, I guess it's going to take some time to get over, you know? I just...I...I just don't know how to get past it...how to forget what he did to me..." Harry trailed off, another large tear slipping down his face.
Sirius looked at Severus once more, and with a nod, he gave his godson another vial.
"Here pup, take this one, too. Yes, it's dreamless sleep. It's still very early in the morning, about 4 am. Let's get a bit more sleep, and when we get up, we'll have a big breakfast, and then we can get ready for your girl to come stay with you. I'm quite sure that will make you feel right as rain."
Sirius couldn't have been happier to see the smile on Harry's face at the mention of Hermione. Severus noticed that the boy actually calmed down enough to let the potions he had taken work, and work they did. Harry closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, a soft smile on his face.
The two men quietly slipped out of the room, with Severus placing a monitoring spell on Harry, so if he was having another nightmare, he would be alerted. They walked to the library and sat down for a moment, and Dobby greeted them with a couple of cups of hot tea.
"Thanks, Dobby. We really do appreciate this. And thanks for helping out with Harry. And for cleaning this place up so well. I know that there's not a lot you can do because of the dark magic in this house, but maybe we can tackle that at a later date."
"It's my pleasure, Sirius Black, sir. Anything for Harry Potter's godfather and his friend. Harry Potter is a great wizard." Dobby continued to mutter about Harry Potter and then popped out of the room.
Sirius then asked, "Sev, is there anything that we can do to stop those nightmares? That boy has been through so much already, and he can't keep waking up like this every night. And, you know he can't keep taking dreamless sleep every night either. I don't even think it's all that effective any longer."
Severus thought for a few moments, and then replied, "I'm just not sure, Sirius. I will have to research this and see if I can come up with a stronger potion for him, but be that as it may, Harry won't be able to take it every night. Perhaps Miss Granger's presence will help alleviate some of the child's fears and depression."
"I hope you're right, Sev. I really hope she can help him. Well, let's get some sleep. I don't expect Harry to sleep too long, even with those potions we gave him. And don't forget, you'll have to go get Hermione this afternoon. And make sure to check her for tracking charms. I wouldn't put anything past Dumbledore at this point."
"I won't forget. And thank you for reminding me about checking for that spell. I will see you later for breakfast then. Goodnight, Sirius."
"Goodnight. Severus."
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Minerva sat drinking a hot cup of tea, her friend, Remus Lupin, sitting across from her. They had been talking for almost an hour before he had reminded her that he had an appointment to go to, and that he needed to be going.
"One more thing, Remus. If you do see Severus, will you please let him know that he should be very careful about his dealings with Albus. I don't know what to think about his behavior as of late, but I intend to get to the bottom of it. Are you absolutely sure that Mr. Potter is safe and unharmed?"
"Minerva, I can assure you that Harry is just fine. He was in bad shape when Severus and Sirius found him, but he's doing fine now; well, as fine as he can, considering. He's still having nightmares, and that's hindering him from sleeping properly. I do believe that Severus is trying to find a way to help him. Please, Minerva, don't let Dumbledore know anything about this. That's why I haven't told you where they are, not because I don't trust you, but I don't trust Albus. I wouldn't put it past him to try to legilimize you, if he thought you might know something. Please be careful, and I will try to keep in touch. You'll see Harry this September for sure. I must be going now. Take care."
Remus gave his former professor a kiss on her cheek, and then threw some floo powder into the fireplace and shouted out, "Lupin's Lair," and was gone in a whoosh of green flames. Minerva sat staring at the fireplace for a few moments, thinking about all that she had just heard, wishing that she could assist her friends more.
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Harry woke up again about 9:30 in the morning. He still felt a bit tired after having that horrible nightmare last night, but overall, his excitement at seeing Hermione helped to combat his weariness. He leapt out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen. He found his godfather and Severus sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the Daily Prophet.
As soon as Harry sat down at the table, breakfast magically appeared, a lot of Harry's favorites. Scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, and something called a waffle, which Sirius explained was similar to a pancake, only crispier and thicker. Harry had a little of everything, then went back for seconds, which included another waffle.
Severus smiled at the boy who was eating enough for two. He knew that Harry would probably eat this way for many days or weeks until he became accustomed to having food accessible all the time. Plus the potions he had been given were helping with increasing the thin child's appetite. By the time Harry returned to Hogwarts in the fall, he would hopefully weigh as much as any other 5th year male, and have gained some muscle as well.
Once Harry had cleared his plate a second time, and had drank a glass of milk and pumpkin juice, he sat back and called Dobby to him.
"Thanks, Dobby. That was the best breakfast ever."
Dobby's large eyes glistened as he heard his beloved Harry Potter praising him. He quickly wrapped his long elf arms around Harry's waist and gave the boy a hug, spouting off more accolades about how great Harry was. The boy could do nothing but grin and pat the elf's head affectionately. Once Dobby had cleared the table, and had popped away, Harry looked over to Sirius and noticed that he was reading something intently in the Prophet.
"What's so interesting in the paper, Sirius?"
"Um, well, actually, nothing. There's no mention of you being missing, nothing about Voldemort, no Death Eater activity, nothing. There was a little bit about me, something about me being sighted in Wales, but other than that, nothing. So, are you ready for Hermione to come over?"
"Oh, yes! I've been so ready! Oh wait!! I've got to go take a shower, and clean up my room, and..." the excited boy quickly ran out of the room and back up the stairs to his room, stripping his clothes off as he ran so he could jump into the shower.
Severus and Sirius laughed as they watched Harry scramble out of the room. Severus then stood up and said, "I am going to go assist Miss Granger in getting her things together and then I'll apparate us back here. I should be back within the hour."
Sirius nodded and watched his friend don his cloak and walk out of the front door. Severus then apparated away to Hermione's house, right in the middle of the living room.
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Hermione had just finished packing her trunk when she heard a pop downstairs. She quickly ran downstairs to find her potions professor standing in the living room.
"Hello, Professor Snape. I'm all ready to go. Thank you for coming to get me."
Severus nodded his head and then said, "You are quite welcome, Miss Granger. However, I must ask that you stand still for a moment. I need to cast a spell to make sure that Dumbledore hasn't placed a tracking spell on you. We absolutely can not have him find Harry. He would only send the boy back to that hellion, Vernon Dursley, and I have no doubt that that muggle would kill Harry if he gets his hands on him again."
Hermione gasped at Severus' words, but quickly recovered and stood still while he cast a few spells to make sure that she didn't have any of the numerous tracking spells on her. Sure enough, as Severus was almost sure that the girl was clean, one tiny, and expertly hidden spell was found, and it also included an alarm to warn the caster if it were being removed.
Severus sat down on the sofa for a moment, trying to think of what to do to take the charm off the girl standing in from of him. Then he abruptly stood, and took out a small pouch from his pocket and tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace. He then warded it with the strongest spell he knew to prevent anyone from listening in. He spoke his destination, "Grimmauld Place." A few moments later, and Sirius' head appeared in the floo.
"Severus, what are you doing? I thought we agreed it would be too dangerous to use the floo right now. Is everything alright?"
"No, it is not all right. It seems that Dumbledore has placed a tracking and a monitoring charm on Miss Granger. He is desperate to find Harry. We must not let this happen." Severus stopped talking, trying to organize his thought when Hermione chimed in with a suggestion.
"Professor, I have an idea. Would it be possible to apparate us to some other location, remove the tracking charm there, and then we apparate somewhere else, and then apparate to where we need to go?"
Severus and Sirius looked at each other via the floo, and both exclaimed together, "Brilliant!"
Severus quickly relayed the plan to Sirius and then extinguished the connection. He then turned to Hermione and remarked, "You really are the brightest witch of your age. That was an excellent plan, Miss Granger. Are you ready to go? Superb. Let me shrink your trunk, and then we shall be off."
Severus shrank the trunk and Hermione placed it her pocket. She took hold of Severus' hand and he wrapped his other arm around her, to help take some of the pressure off of her from apparating. After a moment of feeling like she was being squeezed, she opened her eyes to find she was in the country somewhere. There were no houses, only open fields as far as she could see. Severus quickly whipped out his wand and removed the tracking spell from the child, and then cast a spell to show several footprints leading further away from their current location, which just happened to be about five kilometers from Hogsmeade. He smirked briefly, and chuckled when Hermione's mouth dropped open, seeing the smile on her professor's face.
"Well, I do believe that will send our headmaster on a wild goose chase, as least for a while. Thank you for the idea, Miss Granger. I do believe we should be going now."
"You're welcome, Professor. But, seeing as how we're going to be spending the rest of the summer together, would you please consider calling me Hermione?" She stood nervously, hoping that she hadn't made her professor angry, and was again shocked to see the normally sour man smile warmly at her.
"Of course, Hermione. I will be happy to call you by your first name. However, we really do need to be leaving this area. I expect Dumbledore will be arriving any moment, and I'm not ready to deal with him or his heinous deceptions just yet."
He stepped close to the girl, wrapped his arm around her, and just as they were apparating away, they briefly saw the headmaster apparate to their location. Luckily, his back was turned to them, so he didn't see who was apparating away. He was too busy looking at the footprints leading away from the area. He was so intent in following those footprints, he didn't even notice that someone had apparated away only a few feet behind him. Dumbledore proceeded to follow that false trial, which would lead him directly to the Shrieking Shack.
Severus and Hermione appeared again, this time in front of Hogwarts outer gates. Severus left a minute amount of a piece of Harry's clothing that he had brought along with him for just such a subterfuge, and then after wrapping his arm around Hermione for a third time, they apparated away, this time, to Grimmauld Place.
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It didn't take Dumbledore long to reach the Shrieking Shack, and once there, he soon realized that Harry wasn't there, and hadn't even been there. The old man was livid, and shot a few blasting curses into the snow to vent his rage. Once he had calmed himself slightly, he apparated back to gates of Hogwarts, and was about to walk through them, when he noticed a tiny piece of cloth clinging to the gates. He pointed his wand to it, and was overjoyed to see that the cloth actually belonged to his quarry, Harry Potter. He grabbed it quickly, and ran though the gates, and began his search on the grounds of the school. This would take him several hours, but he would never find the boy. Severus had done his work well.
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Severus and Hermione appeared at the front door of Grimmauld Place, and after Severus rechecked Hermione once more for tracking spells, he opened the door and showed her in. Sirius greeted them at the door, and he enveloped the girl in a warm embrace.
"Hey, Sirius! It's great to see you! Wow, you really clean up well. You're very handsome."
Sirius blushed slightly at the compliments from the witch, and gave her another crushing hug, then turned to lead her into the living room. Severus pulled out her trunk and spoke a quiet, "Engorgio," and the trunk returned to it's proper size. He left the trunk in the hallway, knowing that Dobby would take it up to the bedroom they had cleaned up and furnished for the teen witch.
Hermione never made it to the living room. Harry suddenly ran out of the room and when he saw the girl of his dreams, he stopped briefly, the both of them looking deeply into each others eyes. Then they both rushed together and wrapped their arms around each other, holding onto the other tightly, Harry sobbing loudly into the girl's hair, and Hermione sobbing with him, feeling his frail body trembling. The two grown men quietly excused themselves, seeing that this was the medicine that Harry needed to help him heal. They left the teens alone to finish their hellos, knowing that once Harry had calmed down, he would probably fall asleep for a while, and that would give them a chance to discuss with Hermione what all had happened thus far this summer, and to enlist her help in finding out what else Dumbledore had done to them, and to Harry. It was going to be a long, and hopefully productive summer.
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Hi everyone! I'm so very sorry that it's taken me this long to update again. Please rest assured...I will never abandon this story. I will finish it, and I will do my best to not let this many months lapse again between updates. The reasons for the delay really don't matter, but for those who want to know, my computer crashed, and I lost all of my files, so I've been using a lap top from my sister to get back on line. Then, on October 6th, I fell and broke my left ankle in 3 places: both sides and across the top. Man did it hurt! I had surgery and they put a metal plate on one side and several pins in the other. I was laid up for a month, unable to do much of anything. Now...I'm fine now...I was up and walking again after 2 months, even tho I had this huge boot thingy on my foot. They never did put a cast on my leg. I will say this...the prayers my church and friends and family said for me really did help! I was walking without assistance right after Thanksgiving, and I took that boot off permanently not long after that. The doctor wasn't too thrilled about it, but...it really wasn't up to him to heal me! Thank God for His healing touch!!!
I hope you all have enjoyed reading this latest chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you all! I will do my best to answer all emails and reviews!!!
Take care everyone, and don't forget to review!!! Oh, and thanks a million to everyone who has added me and this story to your favorites, and to your favorite author's lists...heck...all of those lists!! Thank you so much!!!!
Yours truly...Nita
