The Young Ones
Chapter 9: Protectiveness
Harry woke the next morning and smiled as he looked to his side to find his mum lying there beside him. They had spent the whole day and evening together, just the two of them. Harry felt bad for doing so, needing to do so, when his kids needed him. But it was good, it allowed them to bond properly, as mother and son. He hoped the kids didn't think him a bad mother for doing so.
He hoped they were okay.
Not that he didn't trust Tom or his friends, but he was worried after everything they had already been through.
A surge of emotions erupted in him as he remembered, well, everything.
Anger. Fear. Sadness. Pain. Protectiveness. Love. Awe.
He had to save them.
He had to save himself.
He had to save his family.
All of them.
He looked at his nails, his painted nails, and smiled again though at the memories that were made. He hoped it could be a regular thing between them. Merlin knew they needed something. Anything really.
Merlin, he wished his dad was here, too. That they could be a proper family. He needed them both.
Yes, he knew that when he came into his inheritance he would be able to speak to his dad, and everyone else. But he needed, wanted him here. With them. He knew his mum did also. It was hard to see such a tough, shielded man so hurt. In so much pain. Especially when that man turned out to be his mum.
He just wished he knew what he was doing.
He wished he knew how to protect his children.
How to save them.
How to save himself.
His family.
Everyone.
He couldn't help but snuggle into his mum's side, taking comfort from the warmth and protectiveness he felt emanating from the man. He smiled when the arms wrapped around him, blanketing him in their safety and love.
"Harry, are you okay?" Severus asked, worried.
"Mhm," Harry hummed, "I just… I don't know what to do,"
"I know. But we'll figure it out, I promise. Are you in any pain?"
"A little,"
Severus sat them up and summoned a pain reliever which Harry gratefully gulped down, still snuggled into his mum, soaking up the comfort he had missed out on as a child.
There was an urgent knock on the door, "Harry, Severus, sorry to interrupt your alone time, but we have a situation," Tom said from the other side, "May I come in?"
"Come in, Tom," Harry said, worried.
Tom entered in a hurry, followed by Susan, Harry sat up, looking at them worriedly, though not quite leaving his mother's arms.
"What's going on? Are the kids okay?" Harry asked.
"The kids are fine," Tom said.
"Harry, my aunt is outside the wards. She is alone but she wants to speak to me, you, Professor Snape and the Dark Lord. Erm," Susan said, worriedly, "Dumbledore told her what happened, and I think she… if we aren't out there by half past to speak to her then she will call for back-up and arrests will be made,"
Shock was the first thing that Harry felt.
But that was very quickly replaced by a fierce protectiveness, mostly of his children, but also of his family, all of them, even the Death Eaters that had been good to them since they arrived.
He shot out of the bed, quickly followed by Severus, "Let's go then,"
And he stormed out of the room. His magic was bubbling on the surface the whole way to the gates on the outskirts of the Manor where he could see Madame Bones waiting for them.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Madame Bones?" Harry asked politely, although making no move to hide his fierceness, as they came to a stop before her.
"Headmaster Dumbledore tells me that there are students, including yourself and my niece, that have been kidnapped, along with four young children, Mr Potter. By Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I am here to do my job and assess the situation, and rescue you. As well as to arrest anyone involved in the kidnapping. The only reason I don't have back-up already is because my niece is here, and I want to understand the situation first and determine who and how many will be needed,"
"There is no situation, Madame. We weren't kidnapped, we went willingly,"
"Mr Potter, I am not an idiot. You may have been told or compelled to say that,"
"I can show you the memories of the events in question, and what has happened since we left Hogwarts,"
"Memories can be faked,"
"Only if you are an accomplished Occlumens, or an adult with enough skill, ability, and experience in life. Of which, I am neither. There is always Veritaserum which could be used to determine the truth,"
"Veritaserum can be fooled. You only answer the questions with your perceived truth. If you believe you weren't kidnapped, you will tell me you weren't kidnapped,"
"Maybe I believe I wasn't kidnapped, because I wasn't actually kidnapped,"
"Mr Potter, believe what you will. However there are many students, and four young children at stake here,"
"I know. The four young children you are referring to are my bloody children, even if they are from the future. And the students who came with us are my friends, my family, and students who were abused by their guardians and wanted a safe haven which Hogwarts, and Dumbledore did not provide for them,"
She looked shocked for a fraction of a second, obviously Dumbledore didn't tell her that.
"Mr Potter, why would you bring your children here, willingly?"
"Because Tom is their father,"
"Who's Tom?"
He looked at her incredulously, "The Dark Lord,"
"Are you really trying to tell me that your future self had children with the Dark Lord?"
"Yes,"
"That is absurd,"
"Why?"
"He killed your parents,"
"Actually, you would be wrong there. James and Lily aren't my parents. In any case, though, I know he killed them. However, he was a tad crazy at the time because of Dumbledore. He is on the mend now, though,"
"Mr Potter, they have obviously filled your head with lies,"
"Nope. It was my children who told us that Severus was in fact my mother, and Severus himself who told me that Regulus Black was my father. I was taken from them and Severus was made to believe I was dead all this time, you see. Dumbledore is the one who kidnapped me and switched me with a dead baby. Then blocked Severus' bearer instincts so he couldn't tell that I was actually alive. So, if you want to arrest anyone for kidnapping, I would suggest making Dumbledore the person you arrest. You could also add child abuse to the charges. Along with a few other things,"
"Susan, you are actually going along with this? Since when are you friends with Harry Potter? Why didn't you tell me? You tell me everything,"
Susan looked so guilty and hurt that Harry felt another wave of protectiveness flood him.
"Auntie, I don't tell you everything. I haven't since I was eight and I realised that you were too busy with work to pay attention to me. To listen when I needed you to. Harry and I have been friends since our third year,"
"What are you talking about Susan? You can tell me anything. You know that," Madame Bones said, aghast.
"No, I can't. Everything was always about your work. But that is besides the point. We left willingly. Dumbledore cursed a second year Hufflepuff with something that cut her quite badly. She has been healed now by Lady Malfoy and Professor Snape, they have healed all the students who have been abused, including Harry who was abused severely by the muggle relatives Dumbledore left him with. Professor Snape is Harry's mum. James and Lily didn't know, they weren't involved in the kidnapping, but Harry was kidnapped by Dumbledore and the Professor made to believe his child was dead. We can all, and will all if you will allow us, show you our memories of everything that has happened these last few days. But we haven't been kidnapped, we went willingly," Harry held Susan's hand gently to try and comfort her, but his magic was coming out more and more powerfully as he wanted to protect his family and his home.
"Are you going to give us a chance, Madame? Or are you going to listen to Dumbledore like all the other sheep?" Harry asked harshly.
"Mr Potter, I don't know what is happening here, but you can't honestly expect me to believe that you of all people came to Voldemort willingly,"
"What if I was to make a vow? On my magic?"
Her eyes widened fractionally, for a second then thinned, "There is no need the threaten your magic like that,"
"It isn't threatening my magic if it is the truth," he stated fiercely, "I, Harry James Potter, because my mother wasn't able to name me before I was taken from him, do hereby swear on my magic that everything I say in the next twenty minutes is one hundred percent the truth. So mote it be," a white string of magic surrounded him and melted into his body, Madame Bones gaped at him.
"Right, let's get on with this then," he said, calmly, "Susan and I have been friends since our third year, along with a number of other students, from all Houses. We became a family shortly after when we realised that none of us had the family we truly needed, nor deserved. We listen to each other, we help each other, we look after each other, in the ways which we were deprived of as children. We love each other, and protect each other in ways that no one else has before, at least not that we can remember in some cases,
"During the opening feast at Hogwarts four children who claimed to be the future children of myself and Tom Riddle, also known as the Dark Lord Voldemort, arrived in the middle of the Great Hall. I believe them, and so does Tom, because we feel the connections to them that magical parents do between themselves and their children. I am their mother, even if they haven't been born yet, and Tom is their father. Dumbledore fired a spell at them and I jumped in front of them to protect them. There was an argument, during which my friends and my mum joined me in protecting my children. I contacted Tom via our mind link and he said he would be there to help in ten minutes. I collapsed due to my injuries and my children told mum and I the truth about our relationship, Dumbledore didn't deny it when mum confronted him. Was even going to say that it was 'for the greater good'. Needless to say, when Tom arrived and Dumbledore hurt a Hufflepuff girl for wanting to come with us, to be safe from her abusers, we all left, willingly,
"I was put with Lily's muggle sister and her husband and son. They all hated me, hated magic, and they abused me for it. Physically, emotionally, mentally. I won't go into details because you don't need to know. I was, however, kept in a cupboard for the first ten years there, a tiny cupboard which was also used for cleaning materials. I was moved when my first Hogwarts letter came and was addressed to the cupboard. They thought someone was watching them. Not that anyone ever was, or they would have known how I was really treated there, right? Either that or they were watching and they didn't care, didn't try to help me,
"I asked Dumbledore multiple times whilst I was at Hogwarts to not return there, and each time he would say that I have to for the 'blood wards' that protected me and my relatives from the Death Eaters and Tom. However, if I am, in fact, not Lily's son, then I am not related to them, so the 'blood wards' would never have worked. He has also sent multiple abused children back to their abusers over the years, including Tom, Severus, myself, and many of the children who came here with me,
"Tom and the Death Eaters have been nothing but good to us, especially the kids, since we arrived here. There have apparently been a number of lies told by Dumbledore about the Dark side of the war. And Dumbledore was in fact the one that manipulated Tom into doing a dark ritual that tore apart his soul and mind, hence his more bloody years. But that has been fixed now, and he is sane again. He is going back to his original plans. But Dumbledore seems to be wanting to continue this bloody war, even when I begged him not to for the sake of my children,
"So much so, in fact, that when I went to speak to Dumbledore a few days ago, on my own, he cursed me with a particularly nasty cutting curse that almost killed me. I managed to portkey back here, but I know now that he still wants his war. And he doesn't care about me, or the children of Hogwarts who have to live through it,
"We have also found out from the children that when I turn seventeen I will come into my inheritance as a necromancer. Apparently that was when my future self found out about Severus being my mum, and when I was turned away from the Light by those who feared me because of the way everyone perceives necromancers, which is a load of bull, by the way. We can't bring back the dead. We aren't Dark. We are a mixture of everything, every magic. But that is information for another day,
"We have also found out that in the future our oldest child, Regulus, was murdered by Ronald Weasley, who kidnapped myself and my four kids at the time, whilst I was pregnant with Lyra, and tortured us along with a resistance group. He murdered Regulus when I went into labour, ten weeks early, and my magic went crazy, crashing the wards hiding us and allowing Tom and everyone else to find and save us. My oldest child died in my arms and I couldn't save him. And I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure that that future doesn't come to pass,
"So, Madame Bones, are you going to help us? Are you going to listen to what we have to say? Are you going to be fair, like you have always portrayed yourself to be? Or are you going to side with the man who has done and will continue to do terrible things to the children of this world? We need to know. I mean, we knew he told you Aurors about what happened and that you wanted to ask if mum and I wanted to press charges against him. But you coming here alone, and not wanting to listen proves something different. Or is it just you who wants to arrest us? And the rest of the Aurors who want to ask if we want to press charges?
"Lumos," Harry said, allowing a ball of light to form in his hand, not even bothering with his wand and somewhat relishing in the shock that the others were showing, "Looks like I was telling the truth,"
Madame Bones looked shocked, beyond that even. She also seemed to be having some trouble with… something. Her eyes squinted in thought, but also as if she had a headache. That is when Harry noticed that her eyes looked glassy and something clicked in his mind. He looked around beyond the gates to see if anyone else was there and he couldn't see anyone but he knew that there were many places for someone to hide.
They had to be careful. He couldn't let any harm come to his children, his family. Not again.
Not ever.
"We have to let her in, and give her something to take away whatever is controlling her," Harry whispered to Tom, Severus and Susan, "But carefully, someone is probably waiting for us to open the gates or something,"
He didn't have to say who he thought might be there, but he saw the pain in Susan's eyes, he squeezed her hand gently, hoping to provide some comfort.
An idea popped into his mind, "Dobby,"
He smiled at the elf that popped before him, "Yes, Master Harry?"
"You see Madame Bones on the other side of the gates?" Dobby nodded, "I need you to pop to her, and bring her here, very quickly, don't let anyone else in with her. Then, when she is here with us I need you to stun her so she can't do anything to us in her controlled state. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master Harry," and with that Dobby is gone, appearing again a second later with Madame Bones and stunning her just as she went to take out her wand.
"Thank you, Dobby,"
"Now what?" Susan asked nervously.
"Mum, do you have a cleansing potion on hand at all?"
"No, but I can make one in about two hours, the stunner should have her knocked out for longer than that, elf magic is rather powerful,"
"Fab, thanks," and with a nod Severus is off to make the potion, "Tom, can you have one of your elves take her to a room please. Luna said she would be able to help us so we need to make her comfortable, and yet we also need to make sure the kids are safe, just in case the potion isn't completely effective. Who knows what have been done to her,"
Tom glares slightly at the order but does so anyway, Susan goes with her aunt and the elf. Then it is just the two of them. They hadn't been alone for, well, a while.
"Where are the kids?" Harry asked.
"In the library with your friends and a few of my inner circle," Tom said, "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Harry breathed a small chuckle, "But I guess I am quite used to that at this point," he started walking back to the Manor and Tom fell into step beside him, "How are you?"
Tom looked shocked that he had asked.
"Why does it matter how I am?" Tom asked.
"I wasn't the only one to witness that memory, Tom. They are your children, too. All of them. I may have the bearer's connection to them, but you have the father's connection. What we saw hurt all of us. Just because I am, will be, his mother, it doesn't mean that everyone else is irrelevant. You are in pain, too. You deserve to be looked after, and helped, and asked if you are okay, too. Even if we don't know him yet," Harry said, his heart twisting in pain, "Plus this whole thing is just a bit weird, and painful, and yet everything all at once. How do you feel about everything?"
"I…" Tom said, still clearly in shock that Harry cared enough to ask how he was, "I'm… I don't know. I have kept everything locked away for so long… Well, I've had my emotions stolen from me for so long that everything is just a bit confusing at the moment. But I do know I feel… hope. Hope for the things that I have wanted my whole life but have been snatched from me. And also a lot of pain from what we have learned. And this urge to do whatever I can to protect them, and you, and everyone. This protectiveness which I have never felt for anyone before, and yet feel like has always been in me. I don't know,"
"That's okay, Tom. We'll figure it out. Together. I am quite unused to these things also. But we'll get there. As a family,"
They couldn't help but smile at each other as they entered the library to find their children and family laughing with each other as they worked on their various projects and entertained the children.
This was it.
This was their family.
And they would do everything they could to protect them.
Hiya my lovelies, how are you?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and Harry's inner mama dragon peaking out. How do you think Madame Bones will take everything? And Arthur and Harry are going to have a chat soon also about Molly, Ron and Ginny because I kinda skipped that bit as I wanted to fit some other bits in. And of course more bonding to come also. What kinda things would you like to see? I am always interested in seeing what people want to see, or whatever really.
I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you would like to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes and more. It is also where I have somewhat of an update schedule and will be keeping you updated on what I am working on, both fanfics and original works, and such. So if you are interested in joining then I am more than willing to accept each and every one of you into it.
I hope you are all having an amazing day!
Kind regards,
Paige xx