A/N: I missed Rolanda Hooche, how about you? It may be a while before I update again-my new job is going to keep me busy!!
Later that day, Hooche told Harry to see her after flying lessons. When the class period ended, Harry went up to her.
"You wanted to see me, Madam Hooche?" said Harry in case there were student around.
She nodded as she looked around to make sure none of the other students were nearby.
"Sport, I need to ask you something," said Hooche. "How are you handling this? I know with your mum, you, and Severus being deceived by that old coot and all that life might be a little too much for you to handle right now, but I think you are doing a fine job, Harry." "What am I supposed to do?" frowned Harry. "I mean-I have to deny that mum is my mum and that Severus and Poppy are my godparents and you and Albus are my honorary godparents. It's easier for me to deny Albus now that he is a traitor!"
Hooche could tell that Harry needed to talk to somebody about that night and she was willing to step up to the plate.
"Harry, let's go to my office and have tea, perhaps?" she suggested.
Harry and Hooche went to her office to talk about Harry's situation. Harry told her how he never wanted to kill anybody as much as he wanted to kill Albus that night and how he was grateful that the stunners missed hitting Severus directly in the heart and his mum was still alive.
"I know wanting to kill or even thinking about killing is wrong, but that jerk nearly killed my mum and Uncle Sev," sighed Harry as Hooche gave him a chocolate frog.
"Thanks," he said right before he ate it.
"Harry, what Albus did to your mum was wrong, but remember, thinking about killing a man is just as wrong as well," said Hooche. "I think you should go to your dorm and rest for the day. I will let your other professors know that you are not up to going to classes for the rest of the day. I will merely tell them that you are ill and need to sleep." "Thanks, Aunt Ro," said Harry as he headed for his dormitory room.
As Harry was heading back to his house, he was thinking in the back of his mind this is all my fault. If mum did not rescue me from the Dursleys years ago, she would be safer than she is now, lying in there with all those machines hooked up to her and worrying about me. It's all my fault. She would have been better off without me.
Harry went into the dorm room only to pack his bags and take off for someplace other than Hogwarts. He knew that he should be somewhere else and not here risking everybody's life.
As he was packing, Ron entered the dorm room.
"Blimey Harry!" Ron stated. "Where are you going?"
"Far away from here," he said sadly.
"Where to?" asked Ron.
"I don't know," Harry shrugged as he packed his last personal belonging.
"Why?" asked Ron.
"Because mum and Uncle Severus are in the hospital because of me. If I weren't around, none of this would have happened," said Harry as he took off. "Good bye Ron and thanks for being my friend." "Harry, as your friend, I do not think that you should run away!" said Ron. "I think you should know something before you actually follow through with this idiotic plan." "What's that?" asked Harry.
"Mum said that after you came into Aunt Minnie's life, she had never seen her happier since she got to raise your mum," said Ron. "She was miserable for five or so years. She spent a month of it in the scratcher and would refuse to get out of bed until Poppy forced her out and made her take a shower. There were times she would cry herself to sleep." "She still did that when she got me," said Harry as he sat his trunk down.
"Really?" said Ron.
Harry nodded. "I had nightmares of my real mum dying and the Dursley's beating me up and locking me in the cupboard under the stairs. I still have those nightmares once in awhile."
"Everybody still has them," said Ron. "Now you better unpack or I am telling Aunt Minnie."
Harry unpacked his trunk and then lied in his bed. While he was lying there, he thought about his mum and Uncle Sev and then he took a nap.
Later that day, Minerva was breathing regularly and was released. After she was released, she walked by Ron, who was talking to Hermione.
"And I stopped him from running away," bragged Ron as he finished his story.
"Ron, is he all right?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, he is napping in our dorm room-lucky bugger! Got out of the rest of classes," said Ron as he and Hermione walked to the Great Hall for dinner.
Minerva ran up to her Chambers and through the fireplace to check on Harry. There he was, asleep in his bed. She then wondered why in the world would he want to run away from me? Did I do something wrong?
Then she looked at the boy as he lied sleeping and thought thank Merlin he did not leave me. He should know better than that with Albus and the Dark Lord on the loose.
She turned around and there was Albus.
"Come on Tabby, love me do," said Albus as he grabbed into a passionate kiss.
Minerva woke up screaming which caused Severus to shoot right up from the bed.
"Minerva!" he said as he got out of the bed and made his way to her bed. He gathered her up in his arms, as best as he could since he was still weak from the stunners.
"Min," said Severus as he held her close to his chest. "Minnie, I am here."
He started to sing to her, one of the songs she would sing to him when he was in this state:
In the beginning, there was the cold and the night
Prophets of angels, gave us the fire and the light
Man was triumphant, armed with the fate and will
Even the darkest ages couldn't kill…
Minerva calmed down to the sound of silky voice and smiled because she felt safe in Severus's arms.
"Oh Merlin!" she said as she looked up at Severus.
"It's okay, Minerva," he said as he rubbed small circles on her back. "It's okay, love."
"Severus," said Minerva as she pulled away from him. "You shouldn't call me that. I am old enough to be your mum."
"I don't care!" said Severus. "Damn it Minerva! I know that I love you and care for you and see myself spending the rest of my life with you! Can't you see that?" "Yes, but what about Harry?" asked Minerva. "I cannot feel like I am neglecting him for passion."
"You don't have to worry about that," said Severus. "I will help you raise, just as I have been these last few years." With that, he grabbed her into a passionate kiss and Minerva pushed him off the bed and made him fall onto the floor.
"Severus!" she said in horror. "I know that you have Harry's best interest at heart, but I cannot let myself fall into this!"
"What do you do when you get lonely? Nobody waiting by your side?" asked Severus. "You've been running, hiding much too long. You know it's just your foolish pride." Minerva looked at him and realized that Severus may be right. She has been using Harry as a shield to hide herself from romance and now Harry was older and did not need his mum as much as he used to.
"Maybe you are right, Severus," she said. "But do you think we could go out on a date first?"