Kitten

August 16, 1991

It was almost 5:30 in the morning and all of the occupants of Malfoy manor were sleeping peacefully in their beds. Everyone except a small dark hair boy. Harry was twisting and turning in his bed and there was a slight sheen on sweat on his forehead. Little hands gripped the emerald green sheets in a vice grip. 

*Nightmare*

Harry was back in his cupboard in Privet Drive. His aunt and cousin were gone and it was just him alone in the house. The door to his “room” was unlocked and when he stood up, his stomach rumbled in pain. He hugged around his middle and felt his ribs. He walked to the kitchen but there was nothing there, but a table. The boy walked around the kitchen looking for something to eat when he suddenly felt like he was being watched. 

    He turned around and saw his uncle Vernon standing above him. Harry could feel himself shaking but his feet were glued to that spot. In a flash Vernon was in front of him and grabbed the boy by his hair, a pudgy hand wrapping around his throat. He went to scream but no sound came out. Then he felt his oversized breeches being torn off and his uncle’s body weight on his back as the man got on top of him. He opened his mouth to scream, plead, beg, but no sound left his mouth. Then he felt an excruciating pain erupt in his bum. And all at once he was able to scream. “Good boys get rewards, pet,” his uncle whispered in his ear. 

*Nightmare*

    Harry woke up with a scream before he covered his mouth with both hands. He looked around the room, his frame shaking horribly in the dark. He shifted and felt the coldness under him and realized that he had wet himself in his fright. Fearing punishment, Harry’s tremors intensified. He closed his eyes and transformed into his kitten form, Harry looked over the side of the bed. His throat closed at the height, but he would deal with that if it meant he would escape punishment. Jumping off the bed, the little kayte ran to the dark corner hiding in the shadows under the window. He curled into himself as a means of protection and tried to fall into a fretful sleep. 

    In the next room over, Severus and Tom both woke abruptly from the intense fear and anxiety that they felt through their bond with their child. Both grabbed their wands and made their way next door. Not bothering to knock, the parents held their wands at the ready in order to face any imminent threat to their son. Looking around and finding everything to be in order, they lowered their wands and looked towards Harry- only to find that he was no longer in his bed. The smell of urine hit their sensitive noses and judging by the feelings that they had gotten from him earlier, they figured that the boy had had a nightmare. 

Since the wards in the room had not gone off they knew that the boy was still in his room somewhere. 

“Dobby,” Tom called. 

In an instant the house elf was standing in front of them. 

“Yes, Masters Tom and Severus?”

“Where is Harry?” Severus answered. The servant nodded. 

“Young Master Harry be in the corner hiding.” Dobby said while nodding toward the corner by the rocking chair under the window. Tom transformed into his feline form and walked over to his terrified kitten. In this form Tom could sense an increase in Harry’s fear and stress. While he made his way to comfort his son, Severus crouched down to Dobby’s height and asked,

“May you go to my lab and bring me a calming draught as well as a small jar of healing salve? Also, a pot of tea and two cups. I will call later if we decide to have breakfast in Harry’s room instead of in the dining room.” 

Dobby nodded. “Right away Master Severus,” he said before popping away. 

With that done, Severus changed forms and walked over to the corner where his mate was trying to get Harry to come out and talk to him. Tom was reassuring him that there was nothing to fear and that he was perfectly safe here. 

 “Come now, little one,” he purred, “it’s alright. Everything is okay and no one will hurt you.” Tom laid down on his front paws so that red eyes met topaz ones. 

“N-no. no. no. no,” Harry kept repeating through their bond. 

Severus could make out the trembling figure of his kit. Following his mate’s example, he too laid down. 

“Papa is right, darling. No one is angry at you. It is alright.”

The parents sent feelings of comfort and love through their bond. They hoped that it would have the desired effect, and it seemed to be working when Harry mewed and slowly began to uncurl from within himself. There were still tendrils of uncertainty running through the boy, but they continued to reassure their son. They even went so far as purring at him. Harry looked between the two of them and, feeling safe, slowly emerged from his corner and walked in between them. He then laid down in the middle of them and was rewarded with licks on his face and down his body. The little kayte kitten could not keep himself from purring. 

Harry noticed he was closer to his Papa’s chest and latched on. Tom startled slightly at the action but soon relaxed as his cub nursed. Severus just watched the interaction with fondness and love; feelings he sent to both of them. If anything, that little action showed that Harry was coming to trust them at least partially. It was a slow process, but it was steady. Tom continued to groom his son and his husband moved a little closer to them both. 

“That’s right, our sweet boy. You’re safe here,” Harry’s papa reassured. “Mama and Papa are here.”  

There was a soft pop a few meters away and the adult Kaytes looked up at Dobby who had his arms full of the potions Severus requested. Behind him was a floating tray of piping tea. He placed it on the bedside table and snapped his fingers to clean the bed sheets. Severus nodded to him and the house elf bowed before he popped away. Light was beginning to filter into the room and it was too late for everyone to go back to sleep, so the little family sat there for a few more moments in silence before they decided it was best to start the day. There was a lot to do today with lots of important people that Harry had yet to meet. 

“Harry, darling, do you think you can change back for your Papa?” Tom asked. 

The boy looked up at him and released him. They didn’t want to rush him if he wasn’t finished, but they were certain that the house was waiting for them. Harry changed back but didn’t say anything, instead he reached out for Tom who took him easily in his arms after they changed back. 

The family got off the floor and sat on the bed. Severus opened the healing salve and placed it on the nightstand. The potions master crouched down and made eye contact with Harry. 

“Harry, we need to put more salve on your back, then you can decide whether you want to stay here with us for breakfast or if you want to go to the dining room with everyone else.” 

Both parents watched him contemplate it, 

“Can we stay in here?” the boy asked shyly. 

“Of course, we’ll have plenty of time to interact and you can even play with Draco.”

Harry gave a small smile, but otherwise snuggled into Tom’s chest. He stiffened slightly when his shirt was taken off his head, but relaxed shortly after. Gooseflesh rose on his skin when his mother’s cold fingers put the paste on his back. After a few seconds the cold was gone and replaced with a pleasant warmth. 

Severus banished the calming draught back into the lab and called Dobby for breakfast, telling the elf to inform the family that they would stay up here for breakfast. The elf nodded and then brought them a tray with cantaloupe, strawberries, and raspberries. With that there were homemade crepes and a couple pieces of toast and jam if Harry was still hungry. They had an assortment of juice, coffee, and milk along with the Daily Prophet. 

The family ate breakfast snuggled up in bed. A comfortable silence fell upon the family. Every so often, one of his parents would ask him a question about himself that he answered to the best of ability. Besides he listened to the two of them talk and banter with each other while he nibbled on a couple pieces of toast and fruit. When he was done they showed him to his bathroom and how to call them if he needed help. They asked him if he wished to shower or to have a bath, when Harry chose the latter Tom filled the tub with warm water while Severus spelled in some sweet smelling bubbles. 

The two of them transfigured him a towel and a comfortable set of clothes that he could wear until they went shopping. A negative head shake was given when they asked if he needed anything else, so they left him to his own devices; telling him again to call them or a house elf if he required something else.