Chapter 17
“What do you mean he escaped?!” Molly Weasley screamed.
Dumbledore resisted the urge to rub away the headache that always seemed to come about when the woman spoke. He was hosting a meeting about his plan to get back Harry. They had received word from Figg from across the street that she hadn’t seen the boy working on his chores in the front yard like he usually did. He had waited a couple of days to be sure, but when he noticed that the cuffs he had placed on the little rodent were no longer there, he knew the boy was truly gone. He called a meeting to strategize the best way to get them back and where he could possibly be. He had an inkling of who may have something to do with the boy’s disappearance. Severus Snape hadn’t answered his call when he summoned everyone. Although to be fair, Severus generally kept to himself and tried not to interact with the headmaster in any way if he could help it. And whenever the school years ended, it was like the man fell off the face of the earth. Albus knew the man had a family of his own, but whenever he pushed the potions professor about his home life, he was met with short, and often cold, replies.
He would try to get in contact with Snape again later, but right now he had bigger fish to fry. He looked around at the table of his most loyal followers. The Weasleys had been under his thumb well into the first war and they had never strayed. The youngest Weasley boy along with the Granger girl had been given the task of keeping Harry in line during the school year, and stuck to him like glue when he stayed with them during the summer. But since he was missing, that wouldn't be able to do that. They needed to fix that. Fast.
“Arabella has informed me that he has not been out doing his daily yard work like he normally does. He-”
“Boy’s most likely being a lazy good for nothing. Always was a waste of space.” Molly interrupted.
“Be that as it may, we need to get him.” The headmaster countered. He would not tell her about the cuffs even though her youngest son was well aware that he had placed them on the boy. He may not have known what they were used for, but he knew they existed.
“Where would he possibly go? The little crient doesn’t have any friends to seek refuge. Not unless he sought help from someone in the wizarding world.”
“But that’s not possible!” Ron Weasley exclaimed. The adults turned their attention to the redheaded boy causing his face to turnt the same shade at his hair. “We made sure that we were the only people that he was friends with.”
Molly offered her son a proud smile before turning back to Albus. “So what do we do now? Who could he have possibly run to?”
“I have right to believe that someone may have abducted him. Either that or he summoned someone.”
“Albus…” Molly whispered shocked, her face suddenly pale. “You can’t possibly mean?”
The headmaster nodded his head with a tired nod. “I’m afraid so.”
Ron and Hermione looked at each confused. “Who has Harry?” Hermione asked.
The headmaster looked at the bushy haired child with a grave expression.
“The Dark Lord.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They family finally made it outside a little while later with everyone on their own horse save for Harry who opted to ride with Lucius. At first it was awkward with the boy sitting rigid until the blonde’s hands came around to hold the reins. The close proximity relaxed Harry a bit and soon he found himself leaning back against the man’s strong chest.
Harry looked around with wide and fascinated eyes as he tried to take in all the details. There were different wild flowers as well as some wild animals that roamed around. He had been most fascinated by the peacocks. He had never seen one up close before, but he had seen them in books and they were so much more beautiful in person. To be fair he had never seen a real life horse up close either. They were much larger than he thought, but Lucius had introduced him to all of the horses that they had in their stable. The nicest one was Draco’s and Lucius’s own horse Midnight. It took Harry by a slight surprise that Lucius’s horse was completely black, he had expected him to take one with a coat like Narcissa’s that was covered in brown and white spots.
They rode at a slow pace. Even Tom had joined them and it was an all together nice outing with everyone. Any questions that Harry had were answered and he was never once chastised for being annoying or being stupid. He knew he shouldn’t have been so surprised that Lucius knew so much about the plants and animals here, but he did own them.
Now the sun was hiding low in the sky casting about a beautiful hue of reds and pale pinks. They decided to head back after Harry leaned further back into Lucius' chest with a yawn. The blond looked down at Harry with a fond smile on his face. He reached one hand up and ran his hand through the messy tresses on top of the boy’s head. Despite its unkemptness, it was as soft as Draco’s but just as thick, if not thicker than his husband’s. Doe-like eyes looked up at him, and Lucius chuckled softly when the boy blinked sleepily up at him.
“Sleepy, darling?” He asked gently. A small nod was his answer. “I think it's time to head back, get some food in our systems and call it a night.”
Everyone was in agreement seeing that even Draco was leaning forward on his horse blinking slowly every so often. The walk back was serene, and by the time they made it back to the stable the sky was close to a deep orange. There was quiet conversation between the adults, but both boys were nearly hanging on to their parents from their fatigue.
“Dobby,” Narissa called. Pop
“Mistress calls for Dobby?” The little elf bowed.
“Can you bring us something light for supper?”
“Dobby brings dinner for family”
The family moved to the dining room. They all sat around each other save for Draco and Harry who opted to sit on the laps of Tom and Lucius. They were both just about asleep, and when the food came, Lucius shook Harry while Tom went to work on Draco. The men smiled fondly when both boys whined a little and snuggled into their respective cuddlers. Lucius shook Harry gently while talking softly into Harry’s ear.
“Come on Harry, time to get up. You can eat and then go to bed.”
“No..,”he whined. “Sleepy.”
The elder blond chuckled. “I know you are, but you can’t go to bed without dinner.” He received another whine out of the child even as he ran his fingers through his hair. The adults couldn’t help but coo at the two sleepy little boys.
“Come on, Dragon.” Tom shook his grandson. “You and Harry can eat and then get you some much needed rest.”
The blond child rubbed at his eyes and let out a little yawn. “Okay.”
The food appeared and everyone dug in. Dinner was a quiet affair, everyone slowly becoming tired from everything that took place today. There was still much to discuss if they were going to bring Harry into their family. Severus was well aware that Dumbledore was up to something and was sure to know that the child was missing by now, and he knew that the miserable old bastard was sure to be furious. It was only a matter of time before he summoned him. The potions master would play the part of a naive employee, but he would not allow the old man to hurt his family.
When it was clear the boys couldn’t eat anymore and were quite literally sleeping at the table, both Severus and Lucius picked them up and carried them to the stairs where they would eventually lay them down in Draco’s room- they could shower in the morning. The triad walked to the base of the stairs with their children and bid farewell to Tom who went to floo back to Riddle manor. After he was gone, the trio walked up the stairs, Narcissa in between the two men and the two very tired little boys. Narcissa walked to the room left of theirs and opened the door gently. Casting a soft lumos , a calm glow filtered throughout the room. The blond woman hurried to pull the covers back and the men placed their respective bundles under. Each boy was given a series of kisses to the forehead by each parent. They opted to turn the light out but thought better of it, and shut the door gently behind them.
Their night routine went by quickly, all of the slytherins realizing just how tired they were. Severus was the first one to get into bed followed by Narcissa, then Lucius who always took the longest in the bathroom.
“You would think, even as tired as he is that he wouldn’t spend so much time oogling himself in the mirror.” Narcissa teased as she walked out of the bathroom suite before crawling into bed. Severus snorted. Just then the door to the bathroom opened, Lucius walking out with a slightly affronted look on his face.
“I heard that. Plus, one does not get clear skin overnight Cissy.”
The duo snorted/smiled at their silly lover before cuddling under the silk linens. Although they were tired, all of their minds seemed to wander to the little Potter in the next room over. Narcissa broke the silence.
“What are we going to do?”
“About Harry?” Severus asked.
“Yes. You know Dumbledore knows he’s missing by now. At least I think so. Eventually he is going to put two and two together, and he won’t stop until he has Harry back under his control.” None of them wanted that.
“We’ll have to make it official.” Lucius chimed in. “A full blood adoption would make it to where no one could take him away from us.”
“You know how dangerous those are, Luce.” His husband commented. There was a slight shuffling as the man turned to face his lovers.
“We don’t have a choice. If we want him to stay with us permanently, without any interference then we need to do everything by the book.”
A silence fell over the trio as they were all lost in their own thoughts. They both knew he was right. The only issue was the ritual itself was considered to be of the darkest magic and they could all face life in Azkaban if they were tried, especially with the meddling old fool in charge of the wizengamot. Severus sighed after a couple of minutes had passed.
“Let’s just get some sleep, and we’ll work this out in the morning.”
With that he leaned over and kissed his husband before leaning down to deliver a kiss to his wife. The two blonds exchanged goodnight kisses as well before closing their eyes and falling into a peaceful sleep.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No one was sure how long they had been asleep before an ear piercing scream woke them up with a start. The trio pulled their wands from under their pillows and made a dash to the room next door. Bursting in, wands at the ready, they scanned for any signs of danger before their eyes landed on the small brunette child sitting up right in the bed, eyes wide with pure fear and his blond companion next to him looking almost as equally terrified with tears running down his eyes. Severus, who was closest to Harry’s side ran to the small child before taking him into his arms. Lucius and Narcissa ran over to Draco who had just thrown up, and was now puking over the side of the bed.
Snape wrapped his arms around Harry, rocking him gently and whispering comforting nothings in his ear, even as the child continued to scream.
“It’s alright, little one. No one is going to get you. You are safe here. Breath, Harry. It’s alright darling. You’re okay. No one is going to hurt you. Mama, Daddy, and Papa are here. You are okay, my little one.”
The deep rumbling of his voice had the effect that he wanted as the screams soon tampered off until the poor child was left sobbing in Severus’s chest. Narcissa, who had run a diagnostic scan over Draco was now holding him in her arms while her son wept almost violently into her chest.
“Luce, can you get me the calming draught that is in my nightstand? It’s in the first drawer.” The potions master asked. The aristocrat took no time before taking off in the direction of their bedroom. Severus looked down at the child who was still sobbing and trying to bury himself into his person. He ran his fingers through Harry’s messy locks and began to softly sing a lullaby.
“ Come stop your crying, it’ll be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. ”
Harry looked up at the man holding him,
“ I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry.” Severu looked down into Harry’s eyes. “For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can’t be broken, I will be here, don't you cry. ”
Severus began rocking as he sang
“ Cause you’ll be in my heart, yes you’ll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more. You’ll be in my heart. No matter what they say. You’ll be here in my heart always. Always. I’ll be with you. I’ll be there for you always. Always and always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. I’ll be there always. ”
By the time he had finished, both little ones were staring on in wrapped attention, even Narcissa had tears in her eyes and she watched her husband. She hadn’t heard him sing that song since Draco was little. To hear it now, for some reason just made her fall so much more in love with the man. She looked down at her little dragon who was still sniffling. She laid a gentle kiss to his forehead and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Severus was doing the same thing with Harry whose hands were wrapped tightly around the fabric of his Daddy’s night shirt. Daddy? Where had that come from?
Harry had never looked at the man in such a way before, yet somehow it just felt right. His nightmare had been awful and he couldn’t escape it. When he came to he was in the arms of his potions professor being rocked and sang to. Even though there wasn’t much light in the room, Harry didn’t have to see the man’s eyes to feel the warmth that he radiated. But was it too soon? He knew that the Malfoys wanted him, but what if he couldn’t call him that? What if he couldn’t look at them that way? He wasn’t supposed to. Just because they were nice to him didn’t mean they wanted him for a son. He was their charity case. They felt bad for him- nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t his place to bestow such titles upon them even though, in their short time together, they had started to feel like the parents he never had. But what exactly did parents act like? He didn’t have any good examples in the past.
His only blood relatives hated the very air that he took up, and the Weasleys were hardly family. They knew the headmaster had hurt him and had done nothing- they helped him. He was nothing to them. For the first time in his young life, Harry felt like someone genuinely cared about him and what happened to him. Maybe even loved him. But he was a freak. Auntie had always said so. They couldn’t be any different. A heavy weight fell into his chest at the thought of these people looking at him so lowly, of them hating. He tried to hold in his tears. A sob broke through the air and heads turned to see Draco staring red eyed at Harry. For some reason, to Harry, it felt like Draco knew. He never had to say anything since the blond was always picking up on his emotions. They both stared at each other red eyed before Harry let his tears finally fall.
“No more tears, love.” Severus rumbled. “It’s alright. I promise.”
Harry shook his head. “You can’t.”
Severus looked down at the child, confused. “Can’t what, Harry?”
They all waited with baited breath for him to explain.
“You-you-”
“Breathe. Just breathe, you’re safe here.” Harry took his directions. “Now what can’t we do?”
Lily’s tear filled eyes looked back at him.
“You can’t love me. No one does.”
“Harry-”
“E-everyone hates me.” The savior sobbed. “No one ever wants me. I’m just a freak. No one will ever love me. Auntie said so.”
Severus wrapped his arms around the child tighter and rested his chin on the top of his head. “Oh Harry,” he said sadly. “My little one, you have no idea how loved you are. But one day you will see. We will make sure that you know that you have filled us with a different type of love and we will always cherish it. We already love you, and nothing you can say or do will ever change that. Ever.”
“But auntie said,” he protested. It was Lucius’s turn to object.
“Your aunt was a liar and the lowest piece of filth. Severus is correct, Harry. We do love you. We love you just as much as we love Draco, and that shall never change. You are welcome here. You have a home here.”
“Really?”
The blond smoothed down his hair. “Always and forever.”
This brought on a different wave of tears and Lucius took the boy out of Severus’s lap, also taking note that he had wet his pajamas but he paid that no mind. He walked around the room with the child on his hip like he used to do with Draco.
“I know,” Lucius cooed. “There’s so many emotions aren’t there? It’s alright, let them out. You are safe here. Papa is here.”
Harry pulled back from his hiding place in the man’s neck. “Papa?” He asked apprehensively, daring to hope that he had heard correctly. His heart jumped when the man nodded firmly before placing a kiss to his forehead.
“Yes. Mama, Papa, and Daddy are here. And a big brother.”
The duo looked over at Draco who was snuggled up to his mother. Dragon offered a small smile before going back to his place where Narcissa’s shoulder met her neck.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and back to bed.”
Harry whimpered. Lucius shushed him.
“You can sleep with us tonight. Both of you,” he said looking over at his eldest.
It was then that Harry noticed that he had completely soaked the pajamas that they had given him. His face flushed a dark red and he let out another whimper.
“None of that,” Lucius said as he rubbed his back. The man could still feel the bumps and ridges of his spine. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’ll get the two of you cleaned up and back to sleep in no time.”
Severus took Draco from Narcissa and carried him into their bathroom after Lucius. They knew the boys were too big to bath together but right now it didn’t matter. They were extremely exhausted and needed to sleep. The men took quick work of stripping them of their clothes, hissing softly under their breaths when they saw the marks that littered Harry’s small body, old and new. They would worry about that later. Right now they had two extremely tired little ones who needed to sleep. They washed them and then put them into clean clothes. Lucius transfigured a napkin into a pair of protective leak free underwear to put on Harry; just as a precautionary measure.
When they exited the bathroom, they noticed that Narcissa had already enlarged the bed for all of them. She climbed in first, followed by Severus putting Draco on her right between the two of them and Lucius placing Harry on her left in between them. Both children were asleep before their heads hit their pillows. The men climbed in behind them before reaching across the three being in between them, cuddling them close. Severus noxed the lights and the trio followed the children to the dream world only seconds later.