The Aftermath
Harry sat numbly on the couch in Severus’ sitting room as Madam Wilkins inspected the house. Lockhart’s voice echoed over and over in his head.
“If there’s one thing, I pride myself on, it’s my memory charms.”
Oh God. Had this happened to him before?
Severus spoke as he showed her around what Harry assumed was the kitchen. “As a Head of House, the summer has been the only time I spend here. Will this do for now, or do I need to find a new domicile right away?”
They emerged from the kitchen and walked up the stairs. “This will be fine for the time being. I’ll make a note that you plan to relocate after the petition is approved.” She said, her voice slightly muffled by the floor between them. “If your petition for guardianship is to be approved, I’d suggest making it appear somewhat more… lived-in.” She lowered her voice and Harry had to strain to hear. “Mister Potter’s been through a lot this evening. I’d recommend taking him to a mind healer. If you need assistance finding one, reach out to our office.”
They reappeared in the sitting room. She quickly bid them goodbye and disappeared into the Floo. Harry found that he couldn’t stop shaking. Severus led him up the stairs to an empty, almost barren bedroom.
“You should lie down and get some rest.” The man said.
That made sense. It did. However, sleeping meant dreaming. And he didn’t want to dream about what had happened today. He sat on the bed, but made no move to lay down. The professor bustled around the room, but Harry didn’t pay attention to whatever he was doing until a vial of a potion was held in front of him.
“Drink.” Severus said gently. “Dreamless Sleep.” He explained, seeing the lack of comprehension on Harry’s face.
Harry instantly snatched the vial, unstoppered it, and gulped it down in relief. Severus helped him to lay down and covered him with soft blankets. Harry closed his eyes and surrendered to the siren call of sleep, knowing he would be safe from the nightmares for now.
******
The last few days had passed in a blur, marked only by meals Severus brought for him to pick at until the next one arrived. He’d retreated into himself, rather than losing himself in the horror of what had happened to him at Hogwarts; in what may have already happened during Lockhart’s tenure his second year. He had heard Severus talking to him, but did not focus on the words or their meaning. He just stared blankly at the walls in his bedroom and – when Severus made him leave the room – the bookshelves in the sitting room.
When Harry awoke this time, it was past noon. He was disoriented for only a moment, before he heard the muffled sound of Severus’ voice and the occasional response from an unfamiliar feminine voice coming from somewhere below. He pushed back the bedclothes and put on his glasses. A note was sellotaped to the closed door. It read:
I am having a brief meeting this afternoon in my sitting room. Should you need anything before my business is concluded, you may call for my house elf, Tilly.
That explained the voices below. Harry wasn’t particularly hungry or thirsty and could think of nothing else he needed at the moment, so he decided to wait for the meeting to end and whoever was visiting to leave. Not much time had passed before he heard the floo, followed by the sound of Severus walking up the stairs. He opened the door to greet the man.
“How are you feeling?” Severus asked.
Harry shrugged in response.
Severus nodded, as if that had answered his question fully. “Join me for tea?” he asked, and the two of them walked back to the sitting room where he gestured for Harry to sit.
Harry glanced at the floo in question after he had lightly sipped his tea.
“I was meeting with mind healers recommended by Madam Wilkins’ office.” Severus said. “This one is a squib, so they understand both worlds and can help you to process what happened to you.”
Harry sighed. “Do I really have to meet with her?” he asked, his voice somewhat gravelly from disuse.
“Them.” Severus corrected. “Mx. Hightower does not use feminine or masculine pronouns.”
Harry blinked in confusion. “Hang on. Mix?” he asked.
“Yes. M-x, rather than Miss or Mister.” Severus explained. “I assume you have not met someone who does not use the typical gendered honorifics before.”
Harry shook his head. “But it’s not like the Dursley’s would have had anyone who wasn’t “normal” around for tea or anything.” He said, making air quotes as he spoke.
“No, I suppose not.” he concurred. “Harry, I know it seems implausible, but I truly think it would be good for you to speak to them. “
Harry did not want to see a mind healer. “How am I supposed to talk to someone about all of this?” he demanded.
“You could simply start at the beginning.” Severus suggested lightly.
“Right, okay sure.” Harry said with a touch of irritation. “I’m eleven, but actually I’m eighteen, and what happened to me last week could have happened before, back when I was twelve, but there’s no way to know for sure. Oh! And also, I’m Harry Potter and Voldemort keeps trying to kill me, not knowing I’m actually one of his horcruxes, and am actually helping to keep him alive!” With that expelled, he slumped back into his chair.
“If you are quite finished with your dramatics,” Severus began, seeming almost relieved and amused by Harry’s outburst. “I can assure you that they have taken a vow of silence and understand the complexity of our situation.”
“You told them about the time travel?” Harry asked, astounded.
“Of course not! As if our situation were not already complex enough.” Severus said. “No, I did not tell a person I just met about our journey to the past, especially not a mind healer.”
“But you told them about L-lockhart.” Harry countered.
“Yes. As that is the incident you will be discussing, it was prudent to share what happened with them.” He paused before continuing in a reassuring tone. “If they are not the right fit for you, we will find someone else. But mind healing is an important part of your treatment plan.”
Harry felt his anger flare back up at this. “Shouldn’t I be involved in the creation of my own treatment plan? You said we were equals in this! Why are you suddenly treating me like a child?”
“A mind healer is integral to the healing process regardless of your age.” He said calmly. “I did not intend to leave you out. I wanted to find an appropriate candidate as soon as possible, and you were in no condition to help with the search.”
“I don’t want to talk about what happened. To anybody. Ever.” Harry insisted. “I’ll be fine.”
Severus finished his tea. “Their office is attached to the floo network. We will not need to go outside or see anyone else unless that is what you wish. You have an appointment tomorrow morning. Why not see how it goes before deciding against it?”
Harry considered this. At least he wouldn’t have to see anyone else. He didn’t know if he could handle that right now. He had thought Lockhart was safe, harmless even, but he had been wrong about that. But Severus was safe. “Will you be there too?” he asked timidly.
“If that is what you would like.” Severus responded immediately.
“Fine.” Harry sullenly agreed. He would go to the office and follow Severus’ stupid treatment plan, if only to get this over with so that the two of them could get back to what really mattered: finding and destroying Voldemort’s horcruxes.
******
The first thing Harry noticed about Mx. Hightower was their bright red blazer and dark red corduroy pants, followed closely by the pierced eyebrow and kind smile on their thoroughly freckled face. With auburn hair slicked back and to the right with a few wavy strands loosely framing the face, they could have passed for a distant Weasley cousin. At face value, they were a polar opposite of Severus.
“Harry, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” They greeted him warmly. “My name is Haven Hightower. Why don’t you come on in and have a seat? Professor, you can sit in the waiting room or if you’d prefer I can floo him back to you after our session.”
A brief spark of panic arose in the pit of Harry’s stomach, but Severus placed his hand on his shoulder and chased it away. “Harry has asked me to stay with him.” He informed them and steered Harry to the couch where they sat side by side.
To Harry’s relief, the mind healer made no comment to discourage this. They sat down in the chair facing the couch and smiled. “Why don’t we get to know each other today, before we talk about what brings you here.” They suggested.
Harry shrugged. “I’m Harry Potter.”
“I know. But I’m more interested in how you would describe yourself, not what I can read in the Prophet.” They said. “Why don’t you tell me about your family?”
Harry tensed. He could feel Severus’ eyes on him, but he refused to budge. The Dursley’s had nothing to do with this. It was none of their business.
“I see. We can circle back to that in future sessions.” They said straightforwardly. “How about you tell me about what you like to do in your free time?”
“Oh.” Harry said, taken aback by the easy topic change. “Um. I like Quidditch. I’m actually on the house team; youngest in a century.” They nodded and indicated for Harry to continue. “I like to draw. I’m not good or anything, but it’s fun. And I like reading. But not as much as my friend Hermione.”
Severus snorted beside him, but said nothing. Harry felt the slightest twinge of a smile.
“Good.” Mx. Hightower said. “Tell me about Hermione.”
“She’s really smart. She’s one of my best friends, her and Ron. She’s muggleborn so she understands when I talk about muggle things, like cinema or the telephone.”
Harry relaxed and continued to speak about his friends and interests, responding to occasional prompting questions. Before long, the session came to an end.
“Shall we schedule a follow-up appointment?” Severus asked quietly.
Harry hesitated. The appointment was not as bad as Harry had anticipated. It was nice to have a change in scenery, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about talking about serious things with them. He took a deep breath and nodded once.
Something akin to pride flickered in Severus’ eyes.