Strength of a Child's Mind
Summary: Disaster and Harry Potter does not bode well… at all. And this particular disaster is determined to change both Harry's and the greasy potions master's lives!
Pairing/s: None.
Warnings: Severus!Father, Child!Harry. Spoilers up to the fifth book? Sirius not dead. Maybe something else but you'll see that.
Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter.
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UPDATED: 6 January 2011
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Chapter Eight
Severus woke up to the burning of the two-way mirror he had been given by Albus. He groaned; he had only been asleep about a half-hour. Lucius looked at him sleepily, cracking his neck uncomfortable where he was sitting in an armchair. The man might have been asleep as well; you never knew with the Malfoy.
"Albus," he said into the mirror, glancing over to the blonde who was busy getting the wrinkled robe under somewhat neat condition. Neat-freak; thank Merlin Lucius was still that. Otherwise Severus might get a bit worried about the blonde's health.
"What is Voldemort doing?" the headmaster asked.
"Eh… he's sleeping."
"What? Severus, you have to return now, the school is being attacked!"
"What?" He sprung from his chair. "What about Coran?" It felt stupid to say Coran, Lucius knew already who it really was but the name slipped out easily anyway.
"There is no one else there, right? And Voldemort… did you said he was sleeping?"
"More like passed out," Severus said. "Should I leave Coran here?"
"You can't bring him to the battlefield; it's much too dangerous for both of you. Voldemort will not hurt him."
The potions master closed the mirror and looked at Lucius.
"Why aren't you there?" he asked softly.
"They are the crazy ones," Lucius said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "They will either die or be captured. I have shed enough lives and I am not crazy like them."
"The great Lucius Malfoy giving up on his path?"
"What path? A path of stupidity and craziness," the man said with a weak laugh. "No… I will remain here with the lord and the child. Sell me out if you so wish."
"I won't do that to my godson," Severus said and Lucius looked up at him. "You may have acted like a bastard, but Draco loves you more than anything. You and Narcissa are the most important things in his life. I can't very well go and destroy his life, can I? Just… don't get caught." Severus knew it was unnecessary to add that last thing; Lucius would never be caught unless he wanted to be.
"… Thank you, Severus." The man sounded sincere. Maybe he was a bit sick after all. Severus figured he would not appreciate having his temper taken.
The potions master nodded shortly before running to the Apparition point. He felt a twinge of fear for Harry, but he could not bring the child with him into a battlefield. He would only endanger both of their lives.
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Lucius looked at Harry who snuggled up closer to Voldemort. This was an overwhelming twist of events, but the Malfoy knew better than to act shocked.
Harry Potter had been turned into a child, courtesy of his son Draco. Draco had told him, reluctantly, he was the one who made the accident happen in the first place. Lucius shook his head; his son was so impulsive.
He got up from his chair and leaned in closer to look at the child. He looked nothing like Harry Potter. He did look a bit like Severus, but the emerald eyes should have alerted Lucius directly of who it was. Yet it had not. He had fallen for it all.
He sat back in his chair when Voldemort groaned and masked his face into its usual blank surface. He was not sure how Voldemort was to react on Coran being Harry Potter. Nagini lifted her head from her sleeping-place but did not move. Her eyes watched them.
The man's eyes opened and he coughed weakly.
"Are you alright, my lord?" Lucius asked.
"It feels like… I'm being torn in half," Voldemort said. "Not painful but… uncomfortable. Am I still dying?"
"I… I don't know my lord." It was true; he had no idea.
"What happened?"
"A lot," Lucius suggested vaguely. "The Death Eaters are running amok, attacking Hogwarts as we speak."
"What? Oh, just bloody great." Voldemort's head flopped down on the pillow again. "I knew I should have restrained them or something… the moment I let them go they go crazy."
"Let them go… my lord?"
"I told them to fuck off," the Dark Lord said. "Go to hell, run from the country, whatever… I gave up Lucius. There is no grand victory for me; I guess I should be glad if I can keep my head where it is."
He hissed suddenly and curled up.
"My lord?"
"My magic… my magic is still killing me."
Harry's eyes opened suddenly and he rose up to a kneeling position next to Voldemort. His eyes were bright but a bit glazed, and he placed his small hands on Voldemort's shoulder. Immediately the man relaxed and so did the child. Harry looked up at Lucius and said:
"Hi."
"… Hello," the man said and sat down on the bed, looking at the Dark Lord who seemed unconscious. Lucius placed a hand on the child's shoulder and said, "Severus had to go for a little while so you are going to stay here with us until he comes back."
Harry was going to reply when his eyes closed and he put his head against Voldemort's shoulder, gasping.
"We have to go!" he said. "Something's coming!"
Lucius was about to answer when he felt the magical signals. He got up in panic; Death Eaters here? That meant…
"They are so not accepting the lord's decision," he muttered as he looked around the room quickly for something that Voldemort would like to take with him. Contrary to popular belief, Voldemort rarely kept anything sacred here. He instead had a cottage in the countryside to which Lucius was going now with the man and Harry. Seeing nothing, he continued, "Alright, child, we need to get moving."
Harry was quick to get up and out of the bed and watched on as Lucius carefully got a hold of Voldemort after throwing the covers aside. They had to go to the Apparition spot, and it had to happen quickly. Nagini sensed their urgency and slithered up and out the door, hissing at them to hurry up. Lucius did not understand what she was saying but he knew he had to hurry.
"Follow me, child," he said. "Do not fall behind."
Harry jogged to keep up with his long strides, holding a piece of the man's robes as he walked.
They turned a corner and met a handful of Death Eaters with their wands raised.
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Severus felt a small sense of satisfaction as Death Eater after Death Eater fell down with shrieks before they died, and gracefully moved through towards the school. He was glad the snow had yet to begin to fall despite it being mid-December; otherwise they might have some more trouble moving around.
He saw the Order and Aurors making sure no one got inside of the school where the students were. Some of the older students, like Fred and George, were fighting alongside the Aurors, some alongside their parents.
"Severus!"
He fought his way to Albus who continued:
"Did Voldemort order this?"
"I don't believe so," the potions master replied. "He should have mentioned something, but he didn't seem interested in taking over the world anymore."
"What was his condition when you took Harry there?"
"He looked like he was dying," Severus said. "It might have something to do that he's lost the mind connection with Harry."
"Afterwards, you're taking us to his Manor."
Severus nodded, hoping Lucius would have escaped by then. He may not like the man very much, but Lucius was Draco's father, and a long time ago Lucius had been Severus' dearest friend.
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"Is this the place?" Moody asked gruffly.
"Yes, it is but…" Severus looked around. Something was wrong.
"What is it?" Arthur asked the man.
"Something… is not right," the potions master said. "The wards… they're gone. All of them."
He tried the door and it swung open. They walked into Voldemort's manor, wands ready for anything.
"I smell blood," Remus said.
Severus felt his blood turn to ice as he changed direction and ran up the stairs.
"Severus!"
He came to a stop once he rounded a corner and his eyes widened. Albus came first, Remus second. Sirius was still not allowed into public, as Pettigrew had yet to be captured. The potions master faintly heard Moody's wooden leg thump as he walked upstairs.
Corpses of Death Eaters littered the hall, one or two dead due a powerful bite from Nagini which had ripped their throats open. Some dead from Avada Kedavra, some from various dark spells. Severus stepped over them to reach Voldemort's bedroom. He opened the door, afraid for what he might see.
It was empty, the covers on the bed thrown back like they had left in a hurry.
"Severus, you have to tell who you left in the manor before you came," Albus said. "Voldemort, if he was dying, could not have done this."
"… Lucius was here," the potions master said reluctantly, knowing Albus probably knew that already. "I asked him why he wasn't attacking Hogwarts like everyone else and he said… he had shed enough lives. He gave up, Albus, and stayed with the Dark Lord. He also figured out who Harry really was."
"And you left the boy here?" Kingsley exclaimed, Moody agreeing.
"He wasn't going to kill him, he said so himself. Lucius Malfoy is many things, but he would never kill a child," Severus said. "He seemed to know what was happening to both the Dark Lord and Harry."
"Whatever," Moody said. "When we find him, he will go to Azkaban like everyone else."
"Maybe not," Albus said and looked at the potions master. "Did he really say he gave up?"
"He said he had shed enough lives," the man replied. "He didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. He didn't want to remain on a path of craziness and stupidity."
"Talking won't help us to find them," Arthur said reasonably, holding his hands up. "Any idea where they could have gone, Severus?"
"Lucius have many places to run to," Severus said. "So has the Dark Lord. I have no idea where they are."
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Lucius looked at the different potions ingredients and Voldemort had to chuckle at the miserable face the blonde had.
"You are not that bad on potions," the Dark Lord said before coughing.
"I don't work well under pressure," Lucius said. "The child is fine, but you are still dying."
"You can call him Harry."
"… How did you know?"
"I felt him… days ago. He was so angry that it made me nauseous. I knew it was Harry. I knew at the same time it was Coran."
"Didn't you want to kill him then?" Lucius asked as he lit the fire and put a cauldron over the flames, then removing his robe to leave him in shirt and pants. Lucius making potions with robes on usually ended up with Lucius running around screaming while said robes were burning.
"Why should I? He gave me peace," Voldemort said. "A peace I couldn't find before. Look at him… could you kill him?"
Lucius looked over at Harry who was listening to something Nagini was telling him, giggling.
"No… I couldn't," the blonde man said softly. "But I will not let you die just because he was turned into a child."
"Without magic I might as well die," Voldemort said.
"I won't let you die," Lucius repeated. "Harry doesn't want you to."
"Tom, is it true you worked as a clerk in a store?" Harry suddenly shouted.
"What? Nagini, what are you telling the boy? There is no need to retell my whole life to him!"
If snakes could grin, Nagini's would have been a sight to see.
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Severus felt if looks could kill, he would have died twenty times over or so. Molly had gone wild after they had come back, and now shot him glares as she talked to the children.
He himself felt hollow. Where could Lucius have gone? He seemed to have places to hide in every other country. Albus at least did not seem keen to throw the blonde man into Azkaban. Could it have been because during this year, Lucius had not been on one raid Voldemort had ordered? Severus had not even seen him wear Death Eater robes.
Draco sat next to him, quiet. He had been told who Coran really was and had not said a word since. But it was building up; the potions master could see it. If he just waited for a few minutes, something would come from the blonde teen.
"Sev?"
There it was.
"Yes?"
"Father would never hurt Harry," the blonde said. It was not a suggestion, it was a fact. "Not because Voldemort told him not to, but because Harry was in my age."
"And that means?"
"We're children," Draco said. "At least in father's eyes. He would never hurt a child."
Severus heard Moody's snort over that and saw Draco's jaws clench.
"But Harry is the Dark Lord's enemy," Severus said.
"I spoke to father… a few days ago," Draco said. "He said quite bluntly that Voldemort probably didn't consider Harry his enemy anymore."
"And why's that, Malfoy?" Ron asked, glaring at the teen.
"In the end, our greatest enemy is death," Draco said. "We can't fight it, but Voldemort… tried his best to do it."
"So it is certain he is dying?" Albus asked as he sat down a bit from them.
"More or less," the blonde said and looked at the headmaster. "Are you going to throw my father to Azkaban?"
"He's a Death Eater, so of course!" Moody snapped.
"Oh well, then I guess I should be going as well," Severus said sarcastically. That silenced Moody for some reason and Draco looked down on the floor.
"Draco, do you have any idea where your father might have gone?" the headmaster asked.
"What, so you can arrest him and kill Voldemort?" Draco asked.
"We are not that cruel."
"Tell that to my father," the blonde teen said and looked at Albus. "Try telling him you're not going to hurt Voldemort, and he might consider letting you know where he is."
"Why does he care so much about You-Know-Who?" Moody demanded to know. "That man's a monster!"
"Father said he was different before and apparently these last few weeks Voldemort has returned to how he was before, in the past. Before he became crazy."
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"It smells horrible."
"I know but you have to drink it."
"Why do I have to drink it?" Voldemort asked.
"Would you rather die?" Lucius asked. "Drink it up. Right, Harry?"
"Right!" the boy said happily.
Voldemort glared at them both before downing it. He made a grimace of distaste as he gave the cup back to Lucius and said:
"This will allow me to live?"
"Yes."
"Without magic," the man said tonelessly. "Without magic I'm as good as dead. I'm no use."
"You can read me stories!" the boy said. "An' make Sev'rus angry by ruinin' his potions an' get chased around with a spoon."
"A spoon?" the former Dark Lord said, quirking an eyebrow. He now looked to be in his mid-thirties with short, dark brown tousled hair and blue eyes, his body quite normal besides a bit pale.
"Yep! Or whatever Sev'rus can find close by."
Lucius snorted at that.
"When are we going back?" the boy asked and for this Voldemort looked over at the blonde man.
"As soon as Tom has recovered a bit more," the man said. "But within a few days."
"Really? Sev'rus must be really worried by now."
"Yes, but I do think I can take the blame for that," Lucius promised.
"Lucius, you should leave me here," Voldemort said. "They are going to kill me anyway."
"No, they're not!" Harry insisted.
"Harry, I've done a lot of bad things," the man said, looking at the child. "I've killed a lot of people."
"But you aren't Voldemort anymore!"
This made the former Dark Lord blink.
"It's true. You have a complete new body, and with that must a complete new name come," Lucius said.
"They won't let me live," the man said and shook his head. "Not when they've chased me so far."
"Lemme handle 'em," Harry piped in. "An' if they wanna kill you, I'll stop them."
Somehow, they did not doubt that the boy actually would.
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The students had all been sent home as it was nearing the Christmas holidays and now the only ones at Hogwarts were the Order plus the Weasley children, Hermione and Draco. Narcissa had through a letter sincerely told them she had not heard from Lucius at all. She had been worried about both her husband and her son, but knew Severus would keep her child safe. She would have gone to Hogwarts herself but she had fallen ill a few weeks prior and needed to rest.
Severus himself was going through something akin to hell. The Order members, some of them, were glaring at him all the time and still wanted Lucius thrown into Azkaban and Voldemort executed on sight.
Remus and Sirius were two of the few Order members that had actually spoken to him, to everyone's surprise.
Right now he was sitting on his usual spot by the Head Table, listening to yet another pointless argument to which he did not feel like adding anything as it would not help (and no one would listen).
Albus rubbed the bridge of his nose and finally called out:
"Everyone, settle down!"
Slowly, they did so. The children were elsewhere, not allowed to listen in. So only Bill and Charlie were allowed to be there (Fred and George had been allowed but opted to distract their younger siblings and Hermione). Draco was probably in the Slytherin common room or in Severus' rooms. Percy was at the Ministry, still following Fudge like a lost puppet.
"Lucius Malfoy is not to be thrown into Azkaban," Albus said and looked around. "He will never be convicted by Cornelius, and he has been seen to do little Voldemort-business since Voldemort returned."
"Are you willing to forget the man's past?" Moody said.
"No one was a saint back then, not even I," Albus said. "While he was no saint, Lucius has suffered during this time and the past, maybe more than what we have realized. As he stated to Severus, he wishes no harm to anyone."
Moody muttered something but said nothing aloud.
"Also, about Voldemort," the headmaster continued. Most people had stopped flinching when he said the name. "It depends entirely what shape he comes back as. He might even be dead at this very moment."
Severus dragged his hands through his hair, aching to hold Harry again. It had been almost three days since he last saw the boy. Used to see him and hold him often, the potions master now felt strangely empty. Never in his life did he think a child could make him feel this way but yet here he was.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked.
"I'm as fine as the situation allows me," Severus answered.
"Can't be very well, can it?" Moody asked. "You who left Potter with one Dark Lord and his follower. Not to mention that snake."
"Alastor," Albus said warningly. "Severus, you've barely slept anything. Go and rest."
Severus was about to protest when the door to the Great Hall opened.
"Sev'rus!"
The man was up before anyone could see him move and he took an uncertain step forward at the sight.
Harry grinned and ran forward. Lucius quirked an eyebrow at the energetic boy, Nagini perched on his shoulders and to them an unknown man next to him dressed in simple black robes. The unknown man looked tired.
Severus hugged the child tightly, hearing chairs scrape against the floor. Sirius' steps sounded and Harry was handed over to his godfather. While the child did not understand why the Black hugged him so hard, everyone else did.
"Lucius Malfoy," Albus greeted and rose up. "And…?"
"Please Albus, you don't recognize me?" the unknown man said. "How rude; I at least recognize you."
The old man's eyes widened behind the half-mooned glasses.
"Tom?" he said uncertainly. All tensed up. Only one Tom could be with Lucius, and that was the Dark Lord.
"Yes, for Voldemort is dead and buried," the now named Tom Riddle said. "And why did you have to drag me with you, Lucius? I can barely walk."
"Well, I did promise Harry to return him to Severus today," Lucius said. "I can't very well break a promise to a child."
"But me you can drag around wherever you want," Tom moaned and took a hold of Lucius' shoulder. "I'm too old for this. Too tired too."
Albus walked forward and now Severus looked at the two.
"Are we going to Azkaban?" Lucius asked softly to the headmaster. This old man was the one who could either save them or help killing them.
"Arrest them now!" Moody shouted. He was still stubborn on that point.
"No, you can't!"
Harry was gone from Sirius' arms and now ran back to the two. He placed himself in front of them and said:
"If you do, we'll go away again!"
"Harry," Albus said. "Calm down. We don't intend do… if they don't intend to hurt anyone."
"Can't do much damage anyway," Tom muttered. "Unless you try to feed me a lemon drop; I'll strangle you then Albus."
"You're not going to use Avada Kedavra?" Albus asked. "It's faster."
"Can't," the man said and straightened up from Lucius' shoulder. They all looked confused at him. "You know I was dying."
"Yes."
"Well, Harry was as well. Through some weird connection me and Lucius still hasn't figured out, I helped stopping Harry to die. But I was continuing to die, and would've if not for Lucius and Harry here."
"What did you do?" Albus asked.
"I made a potion, containing a small bit of Harry's blood, willingly given," Lucius said as Harry backed up a bit more and then wanting to get picked up by Tom. To everyone's surprise, the man did it. "That would allow Tom here a new body and a new life but in exchange he gave up everything he was before."
"He still got his magic!" Moody said, wand ready and pointed at them as he walked up to Albus.
"Aah, the irony of it all," Tom said with a sarcastic smile to Lucius. "When he said everything, he meant everything. And the most noticeable with Voldemort is his magic. A magic I don't have."
Albus' eyes widened.
"Does that mean…?" he asked.
Tom shrugged as he held Harry closer.
"I'm no better than a Muggle now," he said. "And you know the strangest thing with that, Albus?"
"… No." The man was feeling a bit faint.
"I'm perfectly fine with it."
Tbc…
Like it?
Chapter nine: First of all, the last chapter of this story! Aah, I really liked writing this but all things has to come to an end, and in a way I'm glad because then I have one less thing to worry about. Anyway, chapter nine might take a while to get out and it contains following:
A little more bickering about what to do, with it all ending the way Harry wants (maybe a lesson or two to not shout at his precious people?) Then Poppy does a scan on Harry, and comes to a shocking conclusion. And what happens after all this, with Christmas and all? Will Tom get chased around with a spoon in the end?
Look forward to the last chapter!
Until later,
Ja,
Tiro