Healers bustled about in the room, levitating Dumbledore to a bed, checking Harry, and picking up Wormtail. The rat was conscious, but barely.
"What shall we do with him, sir?"
Remus Lupin shrugged. "We promised he'd go to Azkaban if he would help us, so patch him up and take him there. Do inform them that this is an Animagus who should be guarded especially close.
"Thank you….Remus…" Peter managed.
"Don't thank me," Lupin's eyes flashed, "if it weren't for Harry, I would have killed you long ago. I will never forgive you for what you did. The Peter I went to school with is dead. All you are is a Death Eater that resembles him somewhat."
With that, he turned back to the children he was still holding. The girl was cuddling the toddler close, trying to soothe the upset boy who fought to reach the Headmaster.
"Ganpa, Ganpa, Sev'us wants Ganpa!"
Remus took the child on his arm. "Come, we'll go see Granddad," he said to the shocked boy, "but you must be quiet because Granddad and Harry need to sleep now."
Severus nodded, and let himself be carried to Dumbledore's bed.
"Ganpa?"
"Granddad will be fine," Remus soothed with a glance at the Healer, who nodded brightly.
"Yes, indeed," the woman tapped the boy's nose, "Grandpa is just very, very tired so he has to sleep."
Remus smiled and then hurried over to Harry's bed, the boy still on his arm.
"How is he?" he anxiously asked the Healer.
"It's – fighting. The magic is fighting. It will be a very rough night for him, but he does have a chance now."
Phoebe held on to Harry, tears falling on his chest. "Fight, Harry, stay with me. Don't leave me, please, Harry!"
Remus bit his lip.
"Can Severus go to Professor McGonagall?" he asked Fiona.
"She, she's running the school on her own now, sir, with the Headmaster, Mr and Mrs Potter being here. I could…I could take him, but…"
"Nooooo!! Sev'us stay wif Ganpa an'Harwy!" the child wailed, realizing they wanted to take him away from the people who were his family.
The werewolf shrugged. "I'm going to stay here tonight. Fiona, why don't you go back to school and let Professor McGonagall know what has happened and that erm…Severus will stay here. I'm sure the Healers can supply whatever he needs. I will contact Professor McGonagall in the morning, or if there is news. Also, ask her to check if Pettigrew did actually arrive at Azkaban."
An aid came by just after Fiona left to see if anything was needed. Remus requested a bed for him and the child, and something to eat. Dinner time had past in all the excitement and he figured the youngster would be hungry.
Severus looked up shyly at the man. He remembered strong arms around him, and the man had been nice, letting him see Grandpa, but now everyone was asleep, Fiona was gone and he was basically alone with a stranger. Phoebe had fallen asleep again as well, curled against Harry.
"So, this is what has become of you, Severus," Remus muttered, studying the boy. Black hair, black eyes. Not a very large nose, no greasy look to the hair. Not skeletal either, like the Potions Master had been even as they just started Hogwarts.
"G..Ganpa…?" tears were forming in the dark eyes and Remus realized he was frightening Severus.
"Sorry, little one." He took the child on his knee, "The nice nurse is going to bring us something to eat, and then you can sleep in Granddad's room. Would you like that?"
Dumbledore had been moved to an adjacent room, and the door was open so Remus could keep an eye on everyone.
Severus nodded happily. "Sev'us stay wif Ganpa an'Harwy an' Eebe."
"And Remus," Remus added, "my name is Remus."
"Wee…Wee…Weems? Wee-mus?" Severus tried.
"Close enough," the werewolf laughed. A few plates came in with food. Severus eyed them hungrily.
A piece of meat pie, some baked potatoes and a few scoops of applesauce later Severus yawned. Remus smiled and washed him up. He had been given permission to transfigure what needed, so he changed a chair into a small bed in Dumbledore's room. Then he made the wall transparent there so that he could see the boy and the boy could see him. Severus insisted on kissing Harry, Phoebe and Albus goodnight, so each sleeping or unconscious roommate received a sloppy kiss somewhere on their heads. It didn't wake them up.
Putting a nappy on the child – Fiona had informed him that Severus was potty trained during the day but had trouble waking up to go potty during the night – he tucked him in.
"This is just so strange," Remus thought as he stroked his former school rival's hair and sang him a lullaby.
ssssssssssss
Albus Dumbledore woke up with a killer headache. Every muscle seemed tense and sore. What on earth had he done yesterday? Ran the New York Marathon? Swam across the Channel?
Slowly memories made their way back and he forced himself to sit up in bed. Before he could try to reach the glass of water besides him, Remus was next to him, propping him up on pillows and offering him a headache potion.
"You were magically exhausted," he informed the Headmaster, "the muscle aches will ease in a bit, I am told."
"Severus?" But he already saw the boy, asleep in the blankets. Remus carefully picked the child up and settled the small body next Albus.
"Harry?" the ancient wizard asked next.
The werewolf smiled tightly. "Still fighting. He's been more or less stable through the night, and the Healers are getting more hopeful with each hour that passes. The dark magic is slowly seeping from him. If he manages to stay alive long enough for all of it to drain, he will recover."
"Oh." The old man looked frail, due to his exhaustion. "I thought…"
"You thought that Harry would jump out of bed the moment it was done? Even in our world, there aren't always miracle cures, Albus. If Harry survives he will need time to recover. The Healers aren't even sure yet that he won't have permanent damage. He came very close to dying."
Albus nodded, wanted to respond but he felt his eyes close again. Sleep claimed him.
sssssssss
Light. Floating. Quiet.
Harry wondered about it. He had been sure voices were calling him earlier but now all was silent.
Wasn't he supposed to be dead yet?
With some effort he opened his eyes. Ah. Dark. Night.
A warmth on his side made him turn his head slightly and he smiled. Phoebe. His wife. She was sleeping next to him, her head against his shoulder.
He wasn't dead! How was that possible?
"Severus," he moaned, realizing that there was only one way in which this could have come about.
Phoebe opened her eyes, stared into this face. Tears ran down her face.
"You're awake," she whispered, stroking his cheek with a finger.
"Severus," Harry rasped, "told you…not use…"
"Shhhh," Phoebe soothed, "Severus is fine." She got up and helped him drink a few sips of water mixed with an energy potion.
The other occupants had heard sounds from their room and came rushing to their side. Remus took Harry's hand.
"Hey, Cub."
Harry glared at Dumbledore. "You used Severus. I told you not to."
"We didn't, Harry," Albus tried to calm the obviously angry man, "not like you think. We managed to help Severus along with you."
"We captured Wormtail, Harry," Remus explained softly, "Wormtail spent years doing Voldemorts research. He knew how to extract the dark magic from Severus without hurting him, infusing it with Albus' magic and sending it into you."
The angry glare softened. "Sorry, Albus."
The Headmaster laid a gentle hand on his Professor's thin shoulder. "It is quite alright, my boy."
A Healer rushed in. "You were supposed to WARN when he woke up," she scolded, waving her wand over Harry.
A few tense moments later, she looked up with a small smile.
"I think we can safely say you are in the clear, Mr Potter, though you have a long way to go yet."
Phoebe turned to Albus and sobbed into his shoulder in happiness.
sssssssssssss
A week later Harry was discharged from the hospital with strict orders to rest up and eat well. Phoebe contacted the Headmaster to arrange leave for both of them for the rest of the school year.
"We'd love to return, Albus, but Harry has to get therapy to learn to walk again, this time properly, and he needs to gain strength and weight. Molly and Arthur have offered to have us stay with them, and we accepted. Molly quite looks forward to feeding Harry up, I believe. I'll be over to help as soon as Harry is stronger, but that may be a while."
Albus's eyes twinkled. "Oh, Molly will spoil Harry rotten, undoubtedly."
Phoebe sighed a bit. "I think I will have to really put my foot down from time to time. Will you and Severus come to visit often? We'll miss you."
"Of course, dear," the Headmaster reassured her, "As often as we can."
"I'm still grateful I could keep Harry," Phoebe said softly, "I was so afraid to lose him."
She stood up. "I'll see you and Severus soon, then. Be good, boys," she picked Severus up from where he was playing in a corner of the room and gave him a cuddle before going to rejoin her husband at the Burrow.
A/N I'm taking a break from this story for a little while to work on my other stories that are still waiting to be completed. So I won't update soon, but I promise I won't abandon it.