The Wraith of Hogwarts
by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

Sighing in relief as the last class of the day was over, Severus Snape returned to his office, muttering to himself about the stupidity of the dunderheads, whom he had to teach during that afternoon. He lowered himself into the chair behind his desk, already letting pass the potions in front of his mind, which he had to brew for Poppy as soon as possible. 'Oh no,' he suddenly remembered, 'I won't be able to brew much tonight. Cicero's going to bring the Potter boy here. Oh well, maybe Minerva has time, considering that she wanted to become his guardian so badly.'

'You're the one to whom he chose to communicate through telepathy,' an annoying little voice spoke up from the back of his mind. 'He didn't speak with anyone else.'

Severus let out a long sigh, mentally readying himself for an evening together with his meddling colleagues and an invisible five-year-old, just when Cicero popped up with a small sound.

HP

"Master Severus," the elf spoke up, bowing. "I brought little Master Harry to you."

"Thank you Cicero. I will take him from here," Severus replied, before he addressed the boy, whom he knew to be left from the elf due to the elf's hand that seemed to be tightly holding on to something. "Hello Harry, and welcome to your new home. Did you have a nice day?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.

A faint 'Yes sir,' penetrated his mind.

Severus glanced at the elf, questioningly, wondering why he had not disappeared by now.

"I'm sorry Master Severus," Cicero apologized, before he asked, "Will it be all right if I fetch Harry for breakfast tomorrow morning, so that he can take the meal and attend classes together with the elf children? He has been together with our two five-year-olds, and I believe that they have become friends already."

"If that's what Harry wants, it's fine with me," Severus replied, not letting show his growing impatience.

'Yes please, sir,' he received Harry's thoughts.

"All right Cicero," Severus decided. "Thank you for taking care of Harry."

"It's a pleasure. He's a very amicable and intelligent boy," Cicero replied, before he turned to Harry and asked, "Why don't you show Master Severus your painting? I'm sure he'll like it. I'll see you in the morning then." With that he popped away.

Only when he arrived in the elves' quarters, Harry's telepathic reply reached him. 'Thank you Cicero.'

HP

'Well, how am I supposed to care for an invisible five-year-old?' Severus wondered, inwardly groaning at the task ahead. He looked startled, when all of a sudden, a parchment manifested in front of him. 'Ah, Harry's painting,' he realised, studying the drawing with interest. "I see you have already become friends with Nina and Tony," he spoke up. "I'm very happy for you."

He almost sighed in relief when the child replied, even if it was telepathically.

'Yes sir. They're very nice.'

"That's good. Now Harry, let's go and have a look at your room first, will we?" he spoke up, looking in the direction in which he supposed the boy to be.

'All right sir. Thank you sir,' Harry's answer came promptly.

Severus walked in the direction of his private quarters but remained standing in the door frame to make sure that the child indeed left his office, when he motioned him to go ahead. As soon as he felt the child pass in front of him, he proceeded into the living room and showed the boy his quarters.

"The green door leads to the bathroom, the yellow one to our small kitchen, the blue door leads to my bedroom and the black one to my potions lab," he explained, before he continued in a stern voice, "I expect you to never set a foot into the rooms behind the blue and the black door without my permission."

'Yes sir,' the boy confirmed his understanding, and Severus nodded contentedly.

"Now the red door," he continued, "is the door to your room. He strode into Harry's room and motioned the child to sit on the bed, while he pulled over the chair from the desk for himself. "I wish to speak with you for a moment," he said, slowly. "First of all, I would like to introduce myself, as I believe that no one properly introduced us yesterday."

'Yes sir,' the boy threw in, causing Severus to nod contentedly, as he continued, "Very well, I am Professor Severus Snape, the Potions professor and Potions Master as well as the Head of Slytherin House. As long as we're alone or together with my colleagues, you may call me 'Severus', just not in front of other students."

'All right Severus,' Harry let him know his understanding.

"Has anyone told you about the four Houses of Hogwarts?" enquired.

'No sir,' the child replied quickly.

"There are four Houses, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and we have a Sorting Hat that sorts all students into the House, which matches their character best. When you're eleven and old enough to become a student here, you will be sorted too," Severus informed the boy, before he explained about Professor McGonagall, Harry's other guardian. "Harry, both of us have known your parents very well. Your mother was my best friend, even though we were in different Houses at Hogwarts." 'And your father was my worst enemy,' he thought, but did not voice his thoughts for the boy's sake. "Anyway," he continued, "we're both happy to have you here, and we want you to know that what your relatives did and said to you is absolutely despicable. What exactly did they tell you about being invisible? I think I didn't properly understand what you told me yesterday." 'I'm going to let you repeat that sentence until you notice how ridiculous it is,' he thought, giving the child an expected look, seeing from a spot on the bed cover where the boy was sitting.

'No one wants to see or hear a freak,' Harry replied, as if he knew the sentence by heart.

"Why would you be a freak?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.

'Because I sometimes do freaky things,' Harry thought to the professor, hesitantly.

"You're a wizard, Harry, and all magical children do accidental magic from time to time. That doesn't make you a freak. Do you understand me?"

'Yes sir.' The reply sounded confident, and Severus nodded in appreciation.

"Very well, child, so why would you need to be invisible?" he asked, however, did not receive a reply. "Harry, I am not urging you to make yourself visible. Don't misunderstand me. You may do this in your own pace and may decide by yourself when and to whom you wish to be visible or invisible. I just wanted to show you what rubbish it is that your relatives told you and that there's no need for you to remain invisible and quiet. I would be very happy to be able to see you and so would at least Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. But as I said, the timing is up to you." He glanced at his wrist watch. "Now it's almost dinner time, and I suggest that we go and see if Proessor McGonagall is in her quarters, so that I can introduce her to you, and then we'll go and have dinner in the Great Hall."

HP

On the one hand, Harry felt very much reassured by the professor's kind words about making himself visible or not being his own decision. 'On the other hand, the professor is very kind to me and also became my guardian plus said he'd be happy to see me, so maybe I should make myself visible just for him,' he mused as he walked behind his guardian into the other professor's rooms.

"Minerva," Severus called his colleague, causing Harry to step behind the Potions Master in spite of knowing that he was invisible.

'Oh she's the lady in the green robes, who came to the cat lady together with Severus,' Harry realised, smiling. 'I like her too,' he thought, feeling very happy to have two very nice guardians.

"Have you heard from Harry?" the old witch asked in what seemed to be concern that almost made Harry feel bad because of being invisible.

"Yes, he's here with me," Severus replied, smirking. "Harry, this is Professor McGonagall. Go over and let her know that you're here please.

"You may call me Granny or Minerva in private," the professor addressed him, smiling in his direction.

'That's the professor of whom Malcolm said that she was like a granny to me when I was smaller,' Harry thought. Seeing that the older witch held out her arms for him to come to her, he hesitantly stepped over and allowed the professor to lightly hug him. 'It's all right,' he told himself, nevertheless feeling very much relieved when she released him.

"Very well then, shall we head to the Great Hall?" Severus asked and suggested taking the short-cut through Harry's room.

"Harry, will you please give me your hand?" Minerva requested. "The halls are going to be full of students now and we don't want you to get lost or hurt in the crowd.

Harry hesitantly slid his small hand into Minerva's and walked between his guardians, only to stop dead in his tracks when they entered the Great Hall. 'So many students,' he thought, horrified.

"When you've got used to living at Hogwarts, you may sit at the House tables and eat together with the students if you wish, but for the time being I suggest that you join us at the Head table," Severus whispered and motioned for Harry to sit between Minerva and himself.

Harry noticed, frightened, that the Headmaster was sitting right on Minerva's other side. 'Oh well, at least he can't see me,' he thought, trying to calm himself. He became distracted when Minerva placed a little of everything on his plate and just like the elf children instructed him to eat as much as he could.

Suddenly, one of the other professors spoke up, causing Harry to let his fork drop onto the plate in shock. "Minerva, is someone invisible sitting between you and Severus? It looks strange to just see the food being picked up and vanish mid-air."

Minerva gave Harry a comforting smile, before she rose from her chair. "Dear students, just in case you were wondering who was sitting between Professor Snape and myself, Professor Snape and I have taken in a five-year-old boy, who has so-far been abused and mistreated by his guardians. Due to the abuse, the child is very shy and wants to remain invisible and silent for the time being. His name is Harry and I wish all of you to be very kind to him. Thank you." With that she sat down again and continued eating.

All of a sudden, the Headmaster's voice penetrated his ears. "If Harry wants to grow up at Hogwarts, he should make himself visible and speak at least to the teachers here. Hogwarts is a dangerous place for someone invisible."

HP

If Harry had not popped away in panic, he would have heard that several of the professors sharply reprimanded the Headmaster for his harsh words.

"Albus, it's not as if the boy remained invisible just for fun," Minerva was the first to reply in a very upset voice. Turning to her right side, she said soothingly, "Don't worry, Harry; if you want to remain invisible, that's all right." Only when she reached out in order to pat the boy's hand, she noticed that the seat next to her was empty.

"Harry's gone," she said aloud, casting the Headmaster, who was just in a heated discussion about the child with Madam Pomfrey, Rolanda Hooch and Pomona Sprout, a furious look.

'Harry, where are you?' Severus thought to the boy, inwardly sighing in relief at the reply.

'In my room sir.'

"I'll go and look for him," Severus spoke up, glaring at the Headmaster, who was still in a fight with the Healer and her friends Minerva and Rolanda. He swiftly left the Great Hall, telepathically giving Minerva the information that Harry had returned to his room as he stepped out into the deserted corridor.

HP

'Albus behaves like an absolute dunderhead,' he thought, as he strode through the corridor, in which Harry's room was situated opposite of the hospital wing. 'How could he say such a thing in front of the child?' He knocked at the door before he opened it and let himself in.

"Harry?" he asked, gently. However, there was no reply. "Harry, just ignore the Headmaster for the time being. He's a stupid old coot," he said in a soft voice, against better knowing. However, the child remained quiet.

'Strange,' Severus thought, looking around in concern. 'Maybe he needed to use the bathroom,' he finally thought, when he noticed that the wardroom door stood slightly open. 'It was closed when we came into the room earlier,' he recalled and, with a feeling of foreboding, crossed the room. 'But why would he be hiding in the wardrobe?' he thought, grimly, and decided to call Cicero, recalling that his elf had been able to see the boy earlier.

"Yes Master Severus, if Harry makes himself invisible like an elf, I'm able to see him. However, if he wishes to remain unseen by everyone, not even the elves can see him," Cicero explained, before he allowed Severus to look at a picture in his mind.

Onxy eyes stared into those of the elf, and through the open door of the wardrobe, Severus could see Harry, who was curled up in a corner of the furniture, fast asleep with a small thumb tucked in his mouth.

If Minerva or Poppy had been in his place, they'd certainly have fawned over the fact how cute the child looked. However, Severus merely looked at the spot, where the boy seemed to be, in concern, before he pulled his wand and carefully levitated the child out of the wardrobe and into the bed. Harry never woke up, not even when he carefully pulled out the covers from under the boy and gently tucked him in. 'He must be exhausted. It was a long day for a five-year-old. I wonder if he's completely all right now,' he thought, resolving to let Poppy check on the boy, while he was asleep.

"Why is the boy able to make himself invisible like an elf?" he suddenly remembered to query, quirking an eyebrow.

Cicero looked remorsefully, as he replied, "I'm sorry Master Severus. We taught him how to make himself invisible, because it's easier for him than with wish magic, and we showed him how to pop himself through the castle, in case he needs to get away from the Headmaster quickly."

'Ah, that's how he was able to return from the Great Hall without anyone noticing that he left,' Severus realised. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Thank you for teaching him," he replied to the elf and dismissed him, before he cast a spell over Harry that would alert him if the boy woke up or was in distress.

He had just reached the door and was about to step into his own quarters, when a sudden thought crossed his mind. 'Such small children usually have cuddly toys.' Smirking, he returned to the boy's side and conjured a green, stuffed dragon with onyx eyes. He placed a charm on the toy that caused the dragon to make roaring sounds at a push on its belly. Leaning over the child, he placed the dragon right next to where he assumed the boy's head to be and finally left the room in order to brew some much needed potions.

HP

When Harry's mind turned back to awareness, he found himself in a most comfortable bed, safely tucked into soft covers and his left arm wrapped around a green cuddly toy. 'Like Dudley's teddy,' he thought in absolute delight. 'Is that mine? And how did I get here?' he wondered, before he recalled what the Headmaster had said to him at dinner and that he had popped back into his room and crawled into the wardrobe. Somehow, he had felt safe in the small spot, as it slightly resembled his cupboard. 'The Headmaster really doesn't like me,' he thought, sadly, when he realised that it had probably been Severus, who had picked him up and placed him into the wonderful bed. 'Maybe it was him who gave me the stuffed animal,' he mused, somehow feeling loved and cared for.

He was pulled out of his thoughts, when Severus entered the room.

"Good morning Harry," his guardian said in a soft voice, giving him a questioning look. "Did you sleep well?"

'Yes sir,' Harry thought back to the older wizard. 'Thank you sir.'

The professor nodded. "You're welcome, child. Can you explain to me why you were asleep in your wardrobe last night?"

'It felt safe,' Harry replied, hesitantly, 'and I didn't know if I was allowed to sleep on the bed.'

"Harry, please forget everything that your relatives told you," Severus said, firmly. "Of course you may sleep in the bed. That's what the bed is for."

'Thank you for the teddy,' Harry relayed to the man. 'I love it. Dudley has one, but I never had one.'

Severus smirked. "You're welcome, child. This is not a teddy but a dragon though. It roars if you push its belly. If you rather prefer a teddy, I can transfigure it to a teddy though." He cast the boy a questioning look that turned into a half-smile, when the dragon suddenly began to roar.

'He smiles,' Harry realised, feeling very happy. 'Should I make myself visible to him? He was so nice and even gave me the teddy.' He was just about to summon his wish magic in order to allow Severus to see him, when Minerva entered the room through the connecting door to her quarters.

tbc...

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