Harry’s knees buckled as soon as they hit solid ground again. He didn’t fall though. The tight arms around him, wouldn’t allow for that to happen. Snape was holding him up and hugging him close to his chest. Harry tried to take a breath, but all he had in him were heart-wrenching sobs. The shock had it, Harry however, was not aware of anything but the strong arms holding him and stroking his neck, whispering “It’s going to be okay, Harry. I got you.” Was it okay? Was anything okay? He died. What was he supposed to do with that knowledge?
********************
Severus wasn’t letting Harry out of his sight. Not today, and definitely not until this whole nightmare has been dealt with. He had carried Harry away from the maze as soon as he landed and told Dumbledore to deal with the masses. Without hesitation, he had cast a featherlight charm on Harry and lifted him into his arms to carry him back to his quarters. The boy was so much smaller than he should be for an active fourteen-year-old. Severus carried Harry all the way back up to the castle and down to his private quarters. After placing him gently on his bed, he realized that Harry was still shaking.
“Harry, I need you to let go of me for just a moment. I need to get you a couple of potions, and to see to your arm. I promise we will talk, but not right now. Right now, you need to be taken care of and to rest.” Severus brushed the hair out of the small boy’s eyes.
Harry hesitantly let go of his professor’s hand. But didn’t take his eyes off him. Harry watched this man just save his life for the umpteenth time in his life, and still for the life of him, could not figure out why. It always seemed that Professor Snape hated him, but then he would do little things that would make him second guess, and then he saved his life…again. How was he supposed to handle that, or anything from tonight for that matter? So, Harry just watched. He watched his professor go to his private potion stores and grab two vials and a jar and walk back to him.
Harry was eyeing him carefully, so he showed him what he brought over, “I have a calming draught for your nerves and anxiety right now” he held it up and handed it to Harry who downed it without hesitation. Severus held up the next vial, “Dreamless Sleep-“ Harry made to object, but Severus stopped him with a raise of his hand. “For when you are ready Harry. I will not put you to sleep until after I have seen to your arm and any other ailments you might have, nor will I put you to sleep until you have asked any questions you might have. I will advise however, that you only ask the pertinent ones first. You really need rest to heal, and we have as long as you want after you awake to discuss anything else.” Harry nodded. “This last one is called Essence of Dittany. It is a healing paste for your arm after I have seen to it and made sure there is no infection.”
Severus made to get his medical kit for Harry’s arm when Dumbledore’s head came into the fireplace, “Severus! Are you there? I need you in the defense office immediately!” Severus just rolled his eyes. To which Harry just snorted.
“Headmaster, I am tending to Harry and refuse to leave him until he has calmed and been healed enough to go up to the hospital wing, what is so urgent that it cannot wait a few hours?” Severus stood at the fireplace and was tapping the mantel impatiently.
Dumbledore gasped, “You have Harry with you? He is safe?” Severus nodded and gave the headmaster a look that embodied ‘Obviously’. “May I step through?” Severus stepped back and let the headmaster step through to his quarters.
Albus stepped through and looked at Severus in question. Severus, to his credit, didn’t roll his eyes again, and just motioned to where Harry was laying on the man’s bed just watching them both curiously. The headmaster walked over to Harry and knelt down next to him. “Harry, I know you have been through an extreme ordeal this evening, but I must insist I ask you-“
“Sir! Now is not the time t-“ Albus raised a hand to pause Severus’ interruption.
“I must ask you, when we were in the hospital wing at the end of your first year, what did I tell you was the reason Professor Quirrell could not bare to touch you?” Severus’ eyes flashed for a moment in recognition. Albus just sat patiently, waiting for Harry’s answer.
Harry cocked his head to get a better look at the headmaster, “It’s been a while, but you said that my mum’s sacrifice left a mark in my skin and that it was love that saved me that night.” Severus quirked a brow at the two. “To be frank Professor, I don’t understand that still. I understand that she loved me and sacrificed herself for me but there had to be more to it, right?”
Dumbledore chuckled, “Right you are my dear boy, but that explanation is going to have to wait.” He turned a hard stare at Severus. “We need to get upstairs to the Defense classroom; Moody is the imposter. He cast an Imperio on me as soon as you left with Harry and made me think he took Harry away from you, that you were the one who was the imposter. Obviously, I knew then that wasn’t true. Can you come with me with any Veritaserum you might have in your stores as well as the clearing solution for Polyjuice, We need to know who has been posing as Alistair.” Dumbledore looked from Severus over to where he was looking; Harry.
“I will gather what we need and meet you up there, but only AFTER I see to Harry.” Severus gave the headmaster a hard look, not budging from this position. Albus resigned to him and made for the flu.
Severus strode over to Harry and knelt down next to him. Harry looked up at his professor, “Sir, is there two people named Barty Crouch? Because I think the imposter is him but I can’t explain how, it doesn’t make sense to me either, unless there are two of them.”
Severus blinked, “You- How-, never mind that, Why do you think he is the imposter, Harry”
Harry hesitated, not sure if his professor knew of the map or not. He seemed to last year. “There was two Barty Crouch’s on the map all year, yet Percy Weasley kept saying he was sick, but then Moody was always in his office while Barty crouch was where ever the imposter Moody was.”
Severus mouth hung open for a moment before realization came to him. “I am going to wring those boys necks when we gat home!” Severus stood and went for his potion stores once more, throwing powder into the flu along the way and yelling “Sirius Black” as he went.
Harry was confused, “Sir, if you need to go upstairs, I can stay here. My arm is fine.” He didn’t want to be a burden and this imposter was much more an issue than he was.
Severus paused, “Harry, you are always the priority, and I promise as soon as the catastrophe of today has ended, we will all sit down and figure out a plan together on how to move forward. I just ask for a little more patience.” At that moment, Sirius’ face came into the coals.
“Severus? What’s happened? Is Harry okay?” Sirius sounded scared. Harry was shocked at the address though; he thought Professor Snape and Sirius hated each other.
Severus rolled his eyes because he just did not have time to play twenty questions with a mutt at this precise moment. “Yes, yes he’s here. I need you and the wolf in my quarters now, if you please. It’s urgent.”
Severus didn’t get a chance to finish what he was saying before Remus and Sirius had stepped through his fireplace. Remus grabbed Professor Snape’s arm, “Where is he? Is he okay?” He pointed t where Harry was laying.
Harry hesitantly waved, “Hi, Padfoot.” They rushed towards him and Sirius pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m okay, promise.”
“He is most certainly, not okay. He is breathing, and coherent, which is a positive thing. He is not, however without injury or trauma. I will leave him to tell you what happened if he so wishes, but he is to not leave your site or this room until after I have returned. Please see to his arm, while I go upstairs to handle, hopefully the last, of our problems for today.
Remus nodded and Severus walked through his flu, leaving them. He had opened Severus’ Medical kit and straightened out Harry’s arm to see the damage. “Hi Cub, can you tell us what’s going on? Or do you need to wait?”
Sirius held his other hand while Harry watched Remus work on disinfecting the cut on his arm. “A lot happened; I don’t think I am ready to talk about it all yet. Can you just as Professor Snape? He was there, he and Mr. Malfoy saved me.”
Sirius took in a breath and shared a look with Remus, “Of course Pup. We’ll talk to Severus when he returns. How are you feeling?”
Harry watched Remus finish up putting that Dittany stuff on his cut, “I’m cold and feel like I’m going to be sick but I am okay, I think. Professor Snape is acting weird though, and now he went to get the Barty Crouch double because I told him it was on the map. Did he know about the map? He does now.”
Sirius chuckled and kissed the crown of Harry’s head. “Yes, Harry. He knew of the map. If I’m not mistaking, he gave Moony here some of the last bit of charm work to make it work. But don’t tell him I told you, he would skin me alive.”
Harry smiled, “When I wake up, you three have a lot to tell me because there are so many questions. Right now though, I think that Dreamless Sleep sounds good right about now.”
Remus handed him the vial which he quickly downed. It was almost instantaneous that Harry was asleep once he closed his eyes. They both gave him one more hug and kiss and went into the sitting room to wait.
********************
Severus didn’t return for a few more hours, but when he did, Harr was still asleep. They decided to move him up to the Hospital wing once everything calmed down. It was better to monitor him while Severus finished out his classes for the term. Remus was asked to finish since the real Alistair Moody was in the hospital wing as well.
It was two days before Harry decided to wake up. He was a little disoriented, but he remembered everything that happened. He just hoped he didn’t have to repeat it that many times. Moony and Pads were there when he woke up to comfort him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay. Professor Snape came in to make sure he was taking his potions and was healing alright. Hermione, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys had come to see him as well. All of Whom, did pester him to know what happened until Molly shooed them all away so he could rest some more.
Eventually, Dumbledore, Padfoot, Moony and Professor Snape all came to talk to him. They had all pulled up chairs on either side of him with, Professor Dumbledore at his feet to look at all of them. He had started talking to them about what had led up to that night with Voldemort; how Wormtail had performed the ritual but Couch made it so that Harry would be where they needed him to be. As soon as Harry and Cedric had touched the portkey, Severus’ mark had burned letting him know there was a call to answer. He had apparated in just as Harry had taken the Aveda Kedavera for Cedric.
That was the part Remus and Moony couldn’t get their heads around. He took the curse, and yet he was still here. Why?
Dumbledore sighed, “I have made conjecture after this, and after the events of Harry’s second year of what it could mean. My theory is not set and stone, however, I will learn from previous mistakes and share with you; I believe Tom Riddle had made several Horcruxes. One of them being the book, and another, by mistake being Harry.”
He had gone on to explain the awful soul magic and how it lived within Harry all these years, but his sacrifice had destroyed the horcrux within him. That act of selflessness allowed for Death to bring him back for another chance at life. Dumbledore thinks there are still more, but now that the imminent threat of Voldemort returning has been resolved, they can make a plan to hunt them down and destroy the rest.
Harry, however, was more concerned with what Padfoot, Moony and Professor Snape had to do with everything. They all chuckled and shook their heads when he said as much.
“That Harry, is a long story. One that we would happy to tell you when we get home.” Sirius said as he ruffled Harry’s hair.
Harry’s neck almost snapped with the speed he turned and looked at his godfather. “What do you mean when we get home?!”
Remus smiled, “So Padfoot and I have been searching for a way to convince Professor Dumbledore to let you go home with him. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as signing a paper because Sirius is still a convicted felon. You can however be put into a foster home with a willing wizarding couple who your parents agreed to have you live with in their wills, should Sirius be unable.” Harry stared back at him in utter confusion. “Severus and I found your parents wills, in which they stated should something happen to them or Sirius, we were to be allowed your custody.”
Harry was in shock again, “You mean… I can- I don’t- What?” He rubbed his eyes.
Severus reached over and grasped his hand, “You get to leave there, Harry.” He and Harry shared a look, knowing what that meant for the boy. “You get to come home.”