Chapter 4
Harry woke up suddenly, listening to the silence around him. His eyes didn't open, his breathing didn't change, in fact, the only indication that he was awake was his heart rate was up. He listened intently then...
Just there! That noise. It sounded like someone sneaking about their rooms. He slipped silently out of bed putting his stealth and tracking training to good use. Stalking towards the sitting room portion of their chambers, he followed the noise. When he heard a sigh and the tell tale sound of that particular walk, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Alden."
"Ahhh!" Alden jumped back a bit. "You came out of nowhere!"
"You woke me up." Harry informed the young man.
"I was totally quiet except for a few tiny drags of my feet on the floor." Alden protested.
"Sleep training." Harry reminded the young boy.
"Oh, right... Sorry."
"Why are you up and sneaking about the chambers?" Harry asked, flicking his hand towards one of the candelabra effectively lighting the candles, then went to the couch.
"I couldn't sleep." Alden admitted.
"Nightmares?"
"Sort of."
"Well?" Harry prompted.
"You know it's amazing how you just kind of wave your hand and something happens that normally needs a wand and a verbal incantation." Alden told the man.
"You're deflecting. What kind of nightmares?"
"They're not actual nightmares, and it's the kind I'd really rather not think about right now."
Harry frowned. "Do they have anything to do with the war?" Alden shook his head. "Bullies?" Another shake. "It doesn't have anything to do with what happened before does it?"
Alden blinked. "Lots of things have happened 'before', you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that."
Harry crinkled his nose. "With Muertof."
"Oh. No, nothing to do with him, just..." The boy let out a sigh. "I don't know why, but for some reason, I've been dreaming about Teddy turning into a werewolf."
"Well, his father was a werewolf, and according to Tamara, he seems to be a type of one himself. It is within the realm of possibility that one day he might shift into one, or something like one." Harry explained.
"But what if he does? It's supposed to be super painful, and I've never been around a werewolf during their transformation, they lose their heads."
"That they do, but remember, Severus is a Potions Master, he can make Wolfsbane." Harry reminded the child.
"Oh yeah. I'd forgot about that." Alden said. "Wait... How did you survive the Liridon's transformations for 11 months?"
"They locked me up." Harry admitted. When Alden looked horrified, the young man elaborated. "Macoval built a cage for me. Every full moon, I'd get in the cage around 2 hours before dusk, and since it was enhanced thanks to my magic, they couldn't get in when the moon came out."
"Were you scared?"
"Oh I was terrified the first few times. I didn't get any sleep during the full moon for at least 5 months. I mean, you try to sleep when you're locked in a cage and you've got 50 plus hungry werewolves stalking around you trying to figure out what you are and if you're edible. But eventually I got a bit used to it and I was able to go to sleep."
"So what do we do if Teddy ever turns into one?" Alden asked seriously.
"Turns into what?" Severus asked sleepily, making his way into the sitting room.
"A werewolf." Harry supplied.
"We have a room." The older wizard said dismissively as he sat down on the couch on the other side of the teen while going through the motions of waking up.
Alden blinked lightly. "I don't think he's awake yet."
Harry chuckled. "We have a room set back at the manor that's specially fitted to keep from being destroyed. When Remus was helping Severus try to improve the Wolfsbane, he needed a room which could hold a frightened, hungry werewolf during his transformations, and Severus would take off from Hogwarts once a month for that. If Teddy ever does shift into a werewolf, we can put him in that room for the night."
"But what if he gets lonely?" Alden protested. "And keeping him locked up in a cage, he's a kid, he wouldn't understand and-"
"Hey hey hey, it's not a cage. Would you like to see it? It's very civil." Harry offered.
"You'd let me?"
"You live there don't you?" Snape asked the child.
"Well yeah, but I-"
"Then you're allowed to see the house you live in. Think boy." Severus told him.
Alden gave a sharp, short laugh. "Yeah I suppose I didn't think that one through well."
"Then it's settled. We'll pop by the manor today after the Sorting Feast and let you see the room." Harry said with a smile.
(¯`·. Hp/Ss .·´¯)
"-and as your Head of House, I expect you to come to me or Headmistress McGonagall if you have any problems. Yes Mr. Flashtor?" It was Sunday the third of September and Harry was prepping the Gryffindors for the year.
"Why weren't you here last year?" The fourth year inquired.
"I was away on business." Harry told them. "Yes Ms. Malshrot?"
"You said at the feast that we should expect for there to be changes in the way Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught, even from when you taught it before. What kind of changes were you talking about?" The third year girl wondered.
"You'll just have to find that out the rest of the school now won't you?" He said with a grin. "Now, since there are no more questions, third through seventh years, you head on up to your dorms, and first and second years, you stay down here in the common room for a small bit. Chop chop." The children separated themselves and when Harry was with the first two years he gave an almost apologetic smile. "Alright. This is a speech that's supposed to be only for the first years, but since I wasn't here last year, and I have no idea how Professor Dedworth was with you lot, I figured I'd let the second years know as well."
"He was awful." One of the second year girls piped up causing small giggles to go throughout the room.
"So I've heard. Right. Should you get homesick, the prefects are there for a reason. You can go to one of them, and if it's too much they'll take you to me or Madame Pomfrey, but they will normally come to me first, so if you aren't comfortable with coming to me, ask for Madame Pomfrey. You will not get in trouble if any of that happens. If you are caught roaming the halls after curfew and aren't on your way to or from Astronomy, accompanied by a prefect or staff, or with a pass, you will get a detention, no ifs ands or buts about it. There will be no fighting with other houses simply because of house prejudice. If someone else starts it, you are allowed to finish it, but only under the condition that you do so in defense only. Do not use offensive spells. Professor Flitwick will be checking the wands of all involved in any fights to see just what the last spell cast was. If his findings are inconclusive, or if you cast any offensive spells, you will get a detention. Yes Mr. Zeigler?"
"What if we're out after curfew because we're helping another student to get to a prefect or staff or something like that?"
"The prefects are set up so there will be one in your dorm at any given time after curfew, though they'll probably be asleep half of the night. You go to them, wake them if need be, and they take the best course of action. Should I catch, or another member of staff bring it to my attention, that any of you have bullied any other students, you will be dealt with accordingly, detention being on the top of the list. Everyone got that? Good. Now, go back to your dorms, and please send the 5th years and up down to the common-room."
Harry hummed to himself as students shuffled out and older students shuffled back in minutes later. Once the three eldest houses were present he garnered everyone's attention. "This is just a friendly reminder that the use of Veritaserum on students in year five and above who attend Hogwarts is permitted in cases where it is believed another beings life may be in danger. In other words, if you do something that risks the life of another student, you will be dosed with a truth serum to see if you did it with malicious intent or if it was an accident so the proper punishment can be taken, and it is completely within the school's legal rights. Your parents have been informed of this with a note that came with your list of supplies for the year. Yes Mr. Hawksworth?"
"What happens if we did it out of defense?" The fifth year asked.
"Then both you and the other party shall be punished. Yes Ms. Dingle?"
"Will you make Halloween fun again?" The seventh year asked.
Harry blinked in surprise at the randomness of the question. "What do you mean?"
"Well you were behind the whole booth and costume contest in '98, then in '99 Dedworth rallied against that and thanks to him the rest of the staff kind of fell out of their happy mood, and the Halloween Ball was just awful. It was a bunch of us sitting around in uniforms drinking pumpkin juice and doing nothing." She told him.
"Hmm... Well, the restoration effort of those affected by the war has went along smoothly, and right now they don't really need the galleons that would be raised from the booths, so, if you lot can come up with a charitable cause for the money that we'd raise, then yes I don't see why we couldn't do that." Cheers went around the room as the students started clamoring. He called their attention again and quietened them down. "Alright alright, I'll have something set up before the week's out. Now get on to bed, we've got a long day come tomorrow."
(¯`·. Hp/Ss .·´¯)
"They keep looking at me." Harry whispered, taking a quick bite of his casserole.
"What do you expect? Alden's a Slytherin and his dad is Head of Gryffindor." Snape whispered back.
"So?"
"So, they would want to know how the Head of Gryffindor treats his son and acts in public with the Head of Slytherin."
"Then why is it only the first and second year Slytherins who keep staring?"
"Because the others have already seen how you are and simply aren't interested."
"Hey Sev?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm going to need a release session tonight."
Severus looked at his young husband with concern. "Has something happened?"
"Aside from it being almost 3 weeks since I've hunted anything, no."
"Well, we'll head by the Room of Requirement after dinner."
"What about Alden coming with?"
"He hasn't wanted to train in the room since about 2 weeks before the end of last term."
Harry snapped his head up and furrowed his brows. "What? Why wasn't I told?"
"I presume I simply didn't think to tell you in the letters. It didn't seem important."
"Important?" Harry exclaimed in a hushed tone. "It was to keep him from lashing out or simply not doing anything when he was bullied."
"And he's done marvelously with that over the last year. Harry, not everything stood still when you left. Life went on, people grew, and new relationships formed." Severus told the young man seriously.
Harry's fork fell to the table, which was luckily covered by a tablecloth that didn't let it sound out. "Oh my god... You've found someone else, haven't you?" He asked, fear coursing through his veins.
"Absolutely not." Snape said rather more loudly than he'd wanted. A few of the conversations between the staff stopped and they glanced towards the two.
"What the hell did you mean by 'new relationships formed' then?" Harry demanded.
"Merlin, don't you use that lump that resides in your head that you call a brain?" Severus snapped. "Mrs. Lovegood was a person I'd never expected to welcome into my home so easily, but I did, because a relationship with her through your cousin was formed when they got married. Not to mention a relationship with the Aberforth started after the Muertof incident. He was one of the only things that kept me from getting drunk off my arse because you were gone, which mind you was extremely hard on his part considering we met weekly in a damn pub."
"I'm sorry Sev, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Harry said with his head lowered a bit.
"Yeah, well I am too. I probably should have informed you when Alden felt good enough with himself to stop training his reflexes." Severus admitted.
The corner of Harry's lip quirked up, then his monitoring charm went off. "Teddy's up, I'll go see to him. The session can hold off until he goes back to sleep."
"Yeah alright." Severus said with a light sigh as Harry got up.
The younger wizard gave him a quick peck. "I love you."
"I love you too and I wish you wouldn't make me say that in front of 20-something staff members and almost 300 children." Snape said grumpily.
As Harry was walking from the Great Hall, Alden caught up with him. "Hey, what happened?"
"Teddy woke up."
"No I mean when you were fighting with Severus." The teen amended.
"Oh, that was irrationality on my part, and that's all I'm going to say." Harry told the young man. "Get back to dinner."
"I'm done already."
"Really... Then perhaps you could watch Teddy for me for an hour or so." Harry mused.
"Where are you going?"
"Room of Requirement."
"Oh..."
"Yeah."
"Alright then." Alden said with a slight nod. "I can watch him for you."
(¯`·. Hp/Ss .·´¯)
Severus walked into the rooms he and Harry shared around 10 pm that night. Merlin he was glad that Minerva had the side doors to both of their offices connect to a passageway that went directly to the hallway in front of their rooms so both could be in their territory in a flash. "Alden?" He asked when he saw the young boy trying to put a fussy Teddy to sleep. "Why aren't you in your dorm? Where's Harry?"
"He said he was gonna-"
"Aldy no!" Teddy screamed.
"- go to the Room of Requirement for an hour."
Severus went over and picked up Teddy and started rocking the toddler. "How long ago was that?"
"Oh about 6 o'clock." Alden said with a sigh. "He wouldn't eat anything besides potatoes, so that and a bit of a nutrient potion in his juice was all he's had. Mashed potatoes of course."
"Thank you Alden. You can go back to the dorm if you like."
"Actually, I'd rather stay here. I'm worried for Harry. He seemed kind of... off earlier, and I want to make sure he comes back okay."
Snape allowed the young man to stay there for a bit, and about an hour later when Teddy had finally fell asleep and Alden was napping on the couch, the boy had refused to go to an actual bed, Severus decided to go to the room to check in on Harry and see if everything was alright.
After pacing 3 times in front of the entrance, the door appeared as per the usual, and Snape went inside. After the door had closed behind him, his eyes widened at what he saw.