Disclaimer – It isn't mine.

Chapter 8 – Found!

Harry woke slowly the next morning, shifting the moment he was aware someone was in the room before he realised it was Albus and halted his initial flight towards the corner.

He smiled sheepishly at his guardian. 'Morning.' He murmured.

Albus chuckled slowly lifting his hand and giving Harry's shoulder a squeeze. 'Don't be ashamed, dear boy, I would expect nothing less.'

Harry sighed before looking back up at the kind blue eyes. 'Albus, I….'

'What is it, my boy?' Dumbledore said quietly, smiling inwardly as Harry subconsciously took his hand in his and held it tightly.

'He's coming soon. I can feel it. I need…. I can't….'

Albus didn't need Harry to explain. 'You need a wand?'

Harry shook his head. 'I need help. I can't even stand the thought of a wand pointed at me. How am I going to survive a duel with Him.'

Albus seemed to think for a moment. 'You are going to have to trust more just than me.' He said slowly.

Harry nodded and swallowed heavily. 'I know.'

'Is there any others you think you can trust to help?'

'Ron and Hermione.' Harry suggested.

Dumbledore nodded. 'Yes, they can help but we need at least another adult. Miss Granger and Mr Weasley are not well enough versed to train you for what you need to know.'

Harry swallowed again. 'Professor Snape.' He whispered hesitantly.

Albus sighed inwardly. 'You know Severus would never hurt you, don't you, Harry?'

Harry nodded. 'Yes.' He said hoarsely.

Albus smiled and patted his knee. 'Why don't you get up and have a shower, put on some robes and come down stairs. We have to work out how to get you a wand first thing.'

Harry smiled and nodded, gently sliding out of the bed and disappearing into the bathroom as Albus stood up and moved to leave the room. There was much to be done. Harry's road to recovery was well and truly beginning and Albus shuddered to think just how little time they had left to get to the end.

Albus was quite surprised to find Severus waiting for him as he stepped out of the portrait. 'Fawkes again?' he questioned.

Snape rolled his eyes and nodded. 'Bloody parrot.' He muttered.

'I wanted to see you anyway, Severus.' Dumbledore told him.

Snape sat down in the offered chair. 'So did I.'

Albus arched an eyebrow. 'What did you need to see me about?'

'You first.'

Blue eyes twinkled. 'We need to get Harry to Ollivanders today.'

'You think he's ready for a new wand?'

'He asked for one…in a way. He said Tom isn't going to wait much longer.'

Snape was silent for several moments. 'He's probably quite right. What do you need me to do?'

'I need you to floo Ollivanders a few minutes before us, explain what's happening and lock up the shop tight as a nut. We don't need anyone surprising us in there.'

Snape nodded. 'I can do that.'

'Marvelous.' Dumbledore smiled brightly at him. 'What did you need to see me for?'

Snape turned slightly and glanced at the closed portrait. 'We need to keep an eye on Draco. He doesn't have Potter's interests at heart in spite of his words to the contrary. While I don't think he would physically hurt the boy I don't see him worrying about using him for his own means.'

Albus smiled inwardly at the concern in the other man's voice. 'It's alright Severus. I know exactly what young Mr Malfoy wants from our Harry and I can assure you it won't happen. After the war is over Harry will not be in any position to give it to him.'

'What does he want?'

'He wants to be one step beside Harry all the way to the Ministry of Magic. What he doesn't realise; what, without knowing Harry he never would realise, is that after the war Harry wants to fade into anonymity. He doesn't want to be in the spotlight any longer than he has to.'

Snape just hummed softly in agreement.

'Was there anything else, Severus?' Albus asked encouragingly.

Snape sighed. 'Yes Albus, there was.'

'And?'

'I want to help Potter. He needs to be trained. My position as a spy is now forfeit and I can no longer claim to be helping the war effort. I will do whatever it takes to make the boy trust me but I want to make sure he is ready for the Dark Lord.' Snape was silent for a moment. 'So that he won't be hurt again.' He added.

'Thank you Professor Snape.' Harry's timid voice startled the potions master who used every once of self control he possessed not to leap out of the chair and throw a hex; scaring the boy beyond all repair in the process.

'Good morning Mr Potter.' Snape said quietly as he calmed his racing heart. 'You startled me.'

Harry smiled wanly. 'Sorry.'

Albus smiled benevolently at them both. 'Well Harry, are you ready to go?'

The two older wizards watched as the boy swallowed convulsively. 'Yes.' He whispered.

Albus smiled and nodded to Snape who stood up slowly and walked to the mantle piece grabbing a handful of floo powder and tossing it in. 'Leaky Cauldron.' He called out, stepping into the green flames and swirling away.

'Severus will walk down to Ollivanders and close the shop and them Fawkes will take us there, okay?'

Harry nodded but Albus could see the boy was incredibly nervous. Not that that was at all surprising considering this was his first trip out of the castle since his rescue. Albus opened a drawer in his desk pulling out a calming potion and swallowed a very small mouthful before holding it out. Harry's eyes narrowed and he tentatively reached for the vial. Albus could see the waring going on in the boy's head just by looking at his eyes. His distrust of any sort of potion ran particularly deep and that would take some years to change. Just looking at what a struggle it was to take a simple calming potion broke the elderly wizard's heart and he vowed that everyone who hurt his boy would pay no matter what young Harry proclaimed. He now knew without asking that Severus would also be in on anything of the sort.

Dumbledore glanced at his watch. 'Ready Harry?' he asked gently.

Harry nodded but didn't speak, waiting as Albus came around the desk and Fawkes flew down to perch on his shoulder. He gently clasped Harry's hand within his own and with a flash of fire they were gone.

Harry subconsciously stepped closer to his guardian as they appeared in the middle of Ollivander's shop. Snape had the door closed and his hand in his robe pocket as he scanned the street outside. Ollivander stood behind the counter trying to be as unthreatening as possible.

'Good morning Mr Potter.' The wand maker said softly. 'It is good to have you back with us.'

'Thank you, Sir.' Harry whispered shifting slightly closer to Albus once again.

Ollivander gestured for him to come closer and pointed to the array of items he had laid out on the counter. 'I need to see which one of these cores is best for you. Professor Snape has kindly let me know about your difficulties regarding seeing wands in others hands and I thought this might be the best way of matching you with a new wand.'

Harry gave the potions master a grateful look. 'What do I do?' he whispered.

The wizened old man gave him a soft smile. 'Just hold your hand over each one and if it is the right core it will feel warm to you.'

Harry nodded and raised the hand that was not holding Albus' tightly. One by one he held it out over the different cores. Dragon scale, veela hair, snake fang, dragon heartstring, bat wing, vampire tooth and many other things, even a red and gold phoenix feather. Nothing. Not one core warmed to him.

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, his eyes bright with unshed tears. 'Albus.'

'It's alright dear boy.' Albus said soothingly, patting him gently on the shoulder. 'Maybe we have to find something else.'

Suddenly Fawkes trilled from his perch on Harry's shoulder and plucked two long dark red feathers from his tail dropping them in the boy's hands. Harry gasped as they glowed brightly, warming his hands before spreading through his whole body.

'Two, Fawkes?' Dumbledore questioned. The phoenix trilled again and nuzzled his head against Harry's hair causing the boy to snicker softly.

'Mr Potter?'

Harry reluctantly placed the feathers on the counter in front of the wand maker and waited as he cleared the other cores away and placed several different types of wood down in their place.

'Try again please, Mr Potter.' Ollivander requested. Harry nodded and held his hand over the pieces of wood. The seventh and last one he tried glowed brightly and he could feel the warmth flowing through him once more. Harry sighed in relief not noticing the slightly stunned look exchanged between the two elderly wizards beside him.

Ollivander collected the piece of wood and the two feathers and disappeared into his back room just as Snape stiffened and spun to face them.

'Get him out of here.' He hissed to Albus as the door behind him exploded in a shower of wood and glass and four Death Eaters piled through.

'Go Fawkes. Come back for us.' Albus told the phoenix. Harry cried out as Fawkes whisked him away.

Harry barely noticed as they appeared in Dumbledore's office and the phoenix disappeared once more.

'Mr Potter?' Harry spun to see Cornelius Fudge and two Aurors waiting patiently for the Headmaster. Well they had been waiting patiently. At the sight of Harry, who Albus had yet to alert the Ministry had been found, they had all stood up and moved towards the Boy-Who-Lived who in turn made an almost comical flight over Dumbledore's desk and into the corner.

'No, no, stay away.' Harry whimpered, sinking down the wall to curl into a ball. 'Please don't.'

Fudge continued coming as one of the Aurors moved to the fireplace and called for reinforcements.

'Mr Potter, where have you been?' Fudge demanded.

'Please don't.' Harry cried, the small ball getting smaller by the minute. His green eyes darting fearfully between the Minister and the Aurors which seemed to be multiplying rapidly as two by two they stepped from the fireplace.

'Mr Potter, stop this nonsense this instant and explain yourself.' Fudge yelled rather loudly.

'No, no don't please. No!' Harry screamed as Fudge grabbed his shoulder.

'STOP.' Albus bellowed having appeared torn and bleeding in the middle of the room, Snape supported by one arm which he thankfully released as the potions master dropped into a chair. 'Get away from him.' Albus practically hissed as he darted around the desk, mindless of his injuries as he roughly pushed Fudge aside and knelt before Harry.

'No, please don't. Get away.' Harry whispered over and over. Snape quickly downed several vials of potion from within the folds of his robes before standing and moving towards the headmaster, herding Fudge and his Aurors back towards the rear of the office.

'Harry?' Albus said softly. 'Harry can you hear me?'

'No. Stop, don't please. No.' Harry keened, tears streaming down his cheeks.

'Harry, listen to me. It's safe. You're here at Hogwarts with me. No one will hurt you here, I promise.'

'Please.' Harry whispered again, his big green eyes fixing on the blue ones in front of him.

Albus knew what he wanted and held out his hands so Harry could hold them tightly. Slowly, inch by inch, Harry moved towards the headmaster; the Aurors and Fudge caught between fascination and horror as they tried to figure out just what had happened to their saviour. Finally Harry collapsed against Dumbledore and closed his eyes, tremors wracking his entire body.

'Breathe, dear boy.' Albus said soothingly as he gently rubbed the boy's back. 'That's it. You can do it, Harry. Just push them away. Picture them disappearing. They're all gone. Take a deep breath. Good boy.'

'Headmaster.' Snape said quietly, crossing the room and handing Albus a blue filled vial. Albus accepted the vial with a nod and held it up to Harry's lips.

'It's just dreamless sleep, Harry. You need to rest. Severus made it especially for you. Harry looked past the headmaster to see Snape, whose robes were currently blue making him blend in with the Aurors.

'Go on.' Snape encouraged and Harry clasped the vial and downed it, his eyes fixed on the black ones across the room.

Both Professors breathed a sigh of relief as Harry fell limp in Dumbledore's arms. The headmaster gently pushed the hair back out of Harry's face and stood, lifting the boy in his arms and cradling the small figure to him as he pushed through the stunned group and disappeared through the portrait.

For no reason anyone could fathom Fudge actually stayed silent until Dumbledore returned, sealing the portrait with a muttered word. Albus finally sat down at his desk with a sigh, allowing Snape to pass several potions across the desk as he muttered several different cleaning charms.

Eventually he conjured some tea, gestured for the Minister to sit down and looked up, the normally twinkling blue eyes weary. 'Good morning, Cornelius.' He said quietly as he sipped his tea, frowning at Snape who had tossed yet another potion into it.

'Dumbledore, what on earth is going on? How can you just send Potter to sleep like that? We need to know where he has been, what happened?' Fudge insisted.

Dumbledore held up a placating hand. 'It's alright Cornelius. We know what happened. Harry has been with us for over a month now. We just kept it quiet.'

'Quiet?' Fudge snapped incredulously. 'We have had Aurors looking for him round the clock.'

Dumbledore glanced back up at the Minister, his usually twinkling blue eyes hard. 'You stopped looking for Harry months ago, Cornelius.' He said coldly.

'Well what in Merlin's name is wrong with him? He looked crazy. Well, crazier than normal.'

Snape's eyes narrowed as he watched Dumbledore's expression become even colder. 'What do you think is wrong with him, Minister?' The potions master spat. 'He was held by the Dark Lord for almost four months. Do you think he and his Death Eaters treated Potter like an honoured guest?' He added with a sneer.

'Severus.' Dumbledore reprimanded him. 'Please sit with Harry for me.' He handed the potions master another cup of tea but not before the younger man saw the slight wand movement the Headmaster made towards it from behind his desk.

Snape took the cup and sniffed before slipping around the desk and disappearing up the stairs to Harry's room even as Fudge began to speak again.

'Now look here, Dumbledore. I don't care what the brat has been through. Obliviate him if you have to, but get him back to normal. He needs to be in school, he needs to be seen.'

Dumbledore arched an eyebrow. 'I'm afraid that isn't possible, Cornelius. Harry has been through a traumatic experience. Obliviating him is a short term solution and in the long run would do more damage.'

Fudge slapped his hand down on the desk. 'I don't care, Dumbledore. The boy only has to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He can be fixed after that is done. And until then the public needs to see that he's okay. They he is back and strong enough to do his job.'

Dumbledore rose from his chair and several of the Aurors closest to him actually stepped back towards the fireplace at the expression on his face. 'I am asking you politely to leave, Cornelius.' He said quietly, his voice sharp.

Fudge sniffed regally. 'Not without the boy, Dumbeldore. If you won't fix him then I'm taking him to St Mungos. Dawlish, go get the brat.' He added imperiously.

Dumbledore didn't say a word as he stepped over to the fireplace and lifted the pot of Floo powder just a Dawlish barrelled back down the stairs. 'He's gone. Snape's gone too.'

'What!' Fudge burst out. 'Where is he, Dumbledore?'

'Goodbye, Cornelius.' Dumbledore murmured coldly.

Fudge folded his arms over his skinny chest. 'I'm not leaving without him, Dumbledore.'

The headmaster's mouth lifted into a smile that looked entirely out of place on his normally genial face. 'Goodbye, Cornelius.' He repeated calmly.

The Minister huffed and puffed, his face turning and attractive shade of purple however Shacklebolt took one look at Dumbledore's expression, feeling the weight of the man's magic swirling around them and signalled to three other Aurors who together bundled the Minister towards the fireplace and through the Floo.

Dumbledore waited patiently until the office was almost empty.

'You have some explaining to do, Albus.' Shacklebolt said quietly before he too grabbed a handful of floo powder and disappeared into the green flames.

'Albus, are you alright?' Severus asked as the elderly wizard as he stepped into the bedroom at Grimmauld Place.

The headmaster sighed and sat down on the bed, reaching out to gently stroke his fingers down the sleeping Harry's face. 'Fudge wanted him obliviated. Wanted him back in school and visible.'

The potions master sneered. 'Wanted the weapon on display then.'

'He who wields the weapon, wins the war.' Dumbledore murmured distantly.

Snape didn't respond to the comment, instead watching the emotions play over the older man's face. 'What now?' He asked eventually.

Dumbledore looked up. 'I need you to stay here with him.' He said softly. 'I need you to help him, teach him. There is no one I trust more than you to ensure that he survives this final confrontation.'

Snape frowned. 'What of my classes?'

'I will take them. Hopefully it won't be for too long, but he needs to be strong enough to do this. He is not a weapon, not in my eyes, not any more. But Tom did choose him, and Harry cannot escape the fact that he must complete this task, any way he can, before he can have true freedom.'

Snape stared down at the Boy-Who-Lived. The child really was tiny. It was unlikely he would have survived a protracted duel with the Dark Lord even if he had been whole. Sure, he'd survived meeting him several times, but he'd still barely escaped with his life each time, and a duel to the death could well result in an outcome neither man wanted for Harry. That only left one option.

'The uproar will be enormous if we choose that path for him.' Severus said quietly.

Albus finally looked up and Severus saw the determination shining in the suspiciously bright eyes. 'Yes, but it is the only way he will survive, and in the grand scheme of things, that is the only thing that matters to me anymore.'