Chapter 15: Change of Heart?
Notes: Hello lovelies I do hope all of you are doing good :) here is a short chapter and I do apologize about that, I haven't been able to find myself to be able to type like I did at the starts of this journey, but fear not I am not leaving it! I am going to take a break for a couple weeks to let myself relax some and type away a few chapters. I do hope that when I come back that I would have a finish product! I would love to hear from you guys during this time on inputs on what you would like to happen in the story or tell me if you hate how its going even so I know what I should change. As always thanks goes to my beta for taking time out of their busy schedule to look over everything! I do hope that you all have a good time and see you guys in a couple weeks!
The last thing Harry remember was the giant club swinging his and Hermione's way, before he flung himself at her. He had no idea if he made in time to push her out of the way, but he does remember the pain in his leg, then a crashing sound of the stalls giving away and covering them before passing out. He awoke with a start, ready to start the fight once again, but found himself in the white, sterile room of the infirmary. If that wasn't the strange part of being teleported, it was that his DADA Professor was standing over him, his hands out stretched looking like he was ready to strangle the young boy. The boy was already under enough stress from both the accident with the troll and now being in a new place that his mind snapped back to a time before he was rescued; his uncle standing over him, just like the professor, his purple face enraged and his hands tightening grip around the thin neck of his.
Harry's first reaction to this was to recoil in on his self, and then to plea for his life. "I-I'm sorry Uncle I-I didn't mean to! Please d-don't hurt me!" The young boy called out his hands above his head, his whole body shivering in fear. The possessed man just stopped, The Dark Lord was very confused to see what laid before him; he had lived this before. Why would the Boy-Who-Lived be cowering in fear? Could he possibly know who he was? No, that wasn't possible! The boy had said "Uncle", one of the people he now lived with. The dark lord just shook his head clear, no it wasn't possible. He encouraged his human vessel to continue with the action he had started, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Quirrell scowled, he had just taken his eyes off the boy for a second. How is it possible for the boy to move that quick without him noticing? It was when he took a step closer that he heard footsteps echoing on the stone floor, leaving him with enough time to slip back onto his own cot. In rushed Madame Pomfrey, in her night clothes still, hustling over to the boy's bed, and right behind her was Severus Snape, his trusted Potion maker.
They rushed over to the small wizard's bed to see the covers in a mess on top of the bed, but with no child upon it.
"Oh, where the child could had gone," Poppy mumbled. looking around her spick and span infirmary to see if she could spot the misplaced child. It was a small whimper that Severus heard that alerted him to the child. He ducked his head underneath the bed to see the small child curled up in a small ball, tears glistening down his face as he tried to fight back the whimpers that desperately wanted to escape his throat.
"Come here child, there is nothing to be scared of." Severus said softly to coax the small child from his hiding place underneath the bed, "There is no one here to hurt you, you do not have to be afraid."
Poppy, seeing that she was not needed, took her leave to head back to her private rooms. The Dark lord was in shock, he had never once heard his potion master talk so gently, even to a child. He also knew that Severus harbored a deep hatred for the Potter family, so why was he talking to the child in such as way?
"Sev?" The boy mumbled into the large black cloak, the older wizard hummed in acknowledgement, still holding the boy tight. The boy let his trembling body go limp into the professor's arms, knowing that he was safe, that Severus would protect him from the bad people.
"Harry?" The boy let himself be peeled away from the cloak, to be face to face with the potion master. "Can you tell me your dream?" The boy shook his head, not wanting to talk about his old home life anymore, that was in the past, something he didn't want to remember.
"Harry you know that you have to talk to someone about what happened to you when you lived those muggles. We are very concerned about you, we don't want to see you hurt anymore. We want to help you feel better." The older wizard said spying at his young charger, limp in his arms, concern was written in his eyes.
"I-I D-Don't want to," Harry sniffled, "I-I just want to forget everything, please don't make me." Harry buried his head back into the blackness of the cloak.
"Harry, you do not need to talk to me if you do not wish, we can find someone to help you, even Mrs. Malfoy is willing to help you. Can you please let us help you?" Severus asked the small boy, his heart hurt for the boy knowing that he could give him help, but only if the child would accept the help. Severus sighed in relief when Harry nodded, he knew that the child was scared that people would think less of him because off what he has been through; but this had to happen to make sure there are no lingering effects from those awful muggles. He kissed the top of Harry's head and mumbled into his unruly hair, "Thank you Harry, thank you for allowing me to help."
Harry just clung tighter to the man, his soon to be father, afraid that if he let go, the man would vanish and leave him behind. Severus slowly stood with Harry in his arms, then laid on the hospital bed, letting the boy relax after his scare. "Harry I need to leave to get ready for class, if I leave would you be alright." Severus asked the small child after about an hour of lying there. Harry just shrugged, he didn't want to be left alone, but he knew Severus need to go back to his job. "How about Levi comes down here and joins you? Would you be alright then?" Harry thought about it for a moment, then nodded his head, yes. If Levi was down here, he could fight off the bad men that wanted to harm Harry.
It was shortly after Severus left that Levi made his appearance, the small child had already drifted into a restless sleep, while the Dark Lord himself had found sleep, while Severus was comforting the small wizard.
Levi had placed himself around his small hatchling hissing to the child so that he could get a rest full sleep, and get back to his classes faster. It was the hissing that pulled the Dark Lord from his slumber, and the sight he saw shocked him. There upon the small child's bed was a snake that looked much like his old friend.
"You are fine child I am here, now hush go to sleep," The snake hissed to the younger wizard, and as if the boy could understand the snake. The dreams went away and the child went into a deeper more restful sleep. The Dark Lord was again surprised, he knew the child did not have an ounce of Slytherin blood in his body, so there was no way the child should understand the snake.
"Old one, why do you comfort the child, when he cannot understand you?" The Dark Lord hissed to the snake. The only reason why he was here was for the stupid stone. He wanted his body back and the stone seemed like his only ticket, but it just so happened this was the same year one Harry Potter was here. He was going to, as the muggle say, get two birds with one stone while he was here, but things kept on getting stranger and stranger, and he didn't like it.
Levi snapped his head from his small charge, to the older wizard that spoke his tongue, "That is none of your business," Levi hissed angrily, curling his body around Harry to protect him from the vile man before him. Yes, Levi could tell who he was, and was not comfortable with that man being so close to his hatchling, "The real question is why you are here, do not think I will let you harm my hatchling."
The Dark Lord was now very confused of what was happening. "I was going to take care of him earlier, but something happened that stopped my hand. I am now very confused by everything that's happening," he answered honestly, "I was wondering if you, old one, can tell me what is happening here." The snake tasted the air around him, trying to see what the man's real plan was. He smelled the Dark Lord was he was being honest, still Levi didn't lower his guard once with the man that meant harm to his hatchling.
"I wish I could tell you but I have no clue myself, I am only here to take care of my hatchling and make sure nothing worse happens to him." The snake hissed at the man, "I will tell you more, if you promise that you will not harm my hatchling, he has had enough happen to him in his life." The man narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure of what the snake had meant, of course the boy had been through a lot, he had taken away his body, he had destroyed all his work in one night, so why should he give this snake and the boy a chance? But something was bothering him, was it what the young boy said to him, was it the way he acted around Severus, or was it the snake before him giving him a chance to make do of all the wrongs he had done in his life?
"I will listen to what you have to say, old one, but if I do not like what you have to tell me, then everything is off the table," The Dark Lord said, Levi just nodded his head and began hissing the tell of one Harry Potter's life before everything. For even though the snake had only been with him a short span of months, the boy had told him everything, and things he didn't tell Levi saw through his dreams, or through his incoherent mumbling. It had broken Levi apart that he could not have found his hatchling sooner, but at least now he could help him. He could stay be his side when he needed him the most and make sure that nothing will happen to him again.
After the story was finished, the Dark Lord sat in silence thinking of what the old snake had told him, there was nothing different between them anymore. The Dark Lord could no longer hate the boy that lie in front of him. No, Harry could understand the Dark lord more than anyone else could. What does this mean? What could the future hold for all of them now? The Dark Lord was unsure of what he was supposed to do now, this changed everything, all he knew was that he need to talk to Harry or Severus soon, made all the hurt and suffering can be put into the past now that everything was in the light. He quietly thanked the snake for his time, and for telling him everything, and he promised that he would do nothing to his hatchling he just needed some time to think of everything that was told to him. Then maybe for once in his life he could save someone instead of hurting everyone, all he needed was a little but more time.