Kitten

August 16, 1991 (pt.2)

Back in the tearoom, the rest of the family was sitting and chatting about trivial things. Lucius sat next to his father on the couch overlooking the manner while Narcissa and his mother planned their next shopping escapade in Paris. Draco leaned against his father reading a potion’s textbook. The floo flared to life and everyone turned their attention in order to see Bellatrix enter, her posture straight with her chin slightly raised in a proper pureblood manner. She was followed soon after by her 11 year old son Neville and her husband Rodolphus. 

The occupants in the room rose to greet the family. Narcissa and Lydia each give Bellatrix a hug and kiss to the cheek before doing the same with Neville. Rodolphus laid a kiss to both of their hands before going to greet the men. Draco hugged Neville and began chatting with him while their parents greeted each other. He then made his way over to his aunt and uncle, wrapping his arms around the closest one which just so happened to be Bellatrix.

“Hi, Auntie Bella,” Draco said as he gave her waist a squeeze. 

Bella smiled down at her nephew, her dark eyes dancing with amusement and fondness. She returned the hug and kissed him on the forehead. “Hello, my little dragon. How have you been lately?” 

“Great! Uncle Sev and Tom brought back Hadrian last night and we got to meet him! He’s really small, but Papa said it’s because his relative are stupid and were really mean to him. And we were going to play, but Mama said that I had to go to bed.” He ended his rambling with a pout thrown at his mother though its effect was lost on her and she only chuckled at him along with the rest of the adults. 

Bella for her part kept her composure well considering the news of her recently returned nephew. She looked at her sister and felt warmth spread through her chest at her nod of confirmation. 

“Dragon, why don’t you and Neville go play for a bit while we talk. Severus and Tom should be down later so that the three of you can play together.”

“Okay, Papa.” Draco grabbed Neville’s hand and led the boy to the playroom that was connected by an archway. 

Just then Dobby popped and bowed to the family.    

“Good afternoon, Masters and Mistresses. Masters Tom and Severus be telling Dobby that they will be down in 20 minutes.”

Abraxas nodded. “Thank you, Dobby. Would you bring us some tea? We will require a fresh brew along with  mini sandwiches and some biscuits for the young ones when Severus and Tom make their appearance.”

“Right away, Master Abraxas.” The house elf popped away. A few moments later, a tray appeared and the adults helped themselves. 

“So,” Bella started, “they are finally back together again.”

Lucius nodded. “Indeed. Although Severus has still yet to tell us how he came to come in contact with young Hadrian in the first place.”

“Now, now Lucius. We must be patient. I’m pretty sure the last couple of  days have been exhausting and trying for all of them.” Lydia spoke, always the voice of reason.

“What has been happening? Or what has happened I should ask?” Rodolphus asked. Everyone looked at Narcissa with a somber look, though both Lestranges looked at her with both dread and curiosity.

“I am not entirely sure where Hadrian has been or what he has gone through. All I know is that when I checked him over at his arrival, he was covered in various bruises and injuries. The boy’s entire back was covered in cuts and scars, some of which were still very fresh when we saw them.”

She paused to take a sip of tea and was gratified to see the anger on each face of her family members’ faces. 

“Wherever he has been for the last decade has really taken a toll on his body and most likely his mental health as well.”

“And what of Severus and Tom?” Her sister inquired.

“I am assuming that they are doing everything they can for right now. It is a lot to take in. Not only finding your long lost child, but to find out they were abused would put a strain on any parent.”

Just then there was a knock at the door and Malfoys and Lestranges watched as Tom walked in followed by Severus who was holding a small kitten in his arms. 

“Someone was feeling a little shy,” Tom said as he pet Harry on the head. He lifted his face from where it was buried in Severus’s chest to pout at his Papa. Or pout as much as a kitten could. 

The adults looked on fondly, each of them rising one by one, but staying in place so as to not overwhelm Harry. Narcissa walked up to Harry first, her sister following behind her. 

“Hello, Hadrian,” she smiled at the boy when he mewed at her. Reaching a hand out, she began to pet his head like Tom had earlier and was rewarded when he closed his eyes and started to purr softly. He opened his eyes when the petting stopped and looked towards the tall woman with wild curly hair and dark eyes. 
“Harry, this is my older sister Bellatrix Lestrange.” 

Topaz eyes met black as the two stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Harry wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but for some reason he felt the same sense of security that he did with the rest of his family. He could see the aura floating around her form. Her magic was dark and harsh, while also alluring and calming. While her exterior was cold, she felt pleasantly warm. That’s why he meowed at her while extending his paw out to her. 

Bella took this as an invitation and walked up to the little one much to the surprise of everyone in the room. Despite Harry becoming more and more comfortable with his parents, they all noticed how slow the boy was to warm up to people- not that they blamed him in the slightest. However, it was still surprising to see him openly reach for another’s affection. They watched Bella take the small Kayte into her hands and bring it up so that they were eye level. Harry surprised them all again when he leaned forward in an attempt to lick the witch on her nose. Bella pulled him closer to allow it sensing that it was the type of attention he craved and needed. She handed him back to Tom who smoothed his fur. 

They moved to the couch as Harry was showing signs that he was becoming more relaxed in their presence. The little kitten wiggled and meowed at his father. Tom put him on the floor and they watched as Harry took turns walking up to each of them. Those who met him the night before either pet his head or picked him up and kissed his head. When he stopped at the man sitting in between his Papa and grandpa, he stopped and sat on his haunches. 
Like Bella, he felt safe in his presence. His aura wasn’t as harsh as his wife’s, but it was still dark and somewhat cold. Almost like a flowing river. He tentatively reached out a paw to bat at the man’s pant leg. 

“Hello little one.” Harry looked up at him when he spoke. “My name is Rodolphus, I am Bella’s husband.”

Harry meowed as if to say ‘hello’ and went back to playing at his leg. The man chuckled but allowed. He looked over at Severus who looked torn between reprimanding Harry for his behavior and amusement at his carefree and cat-like nature. 

The tray they had been sitting on the coffee table disappeared before showing up again with another pot of fresh brew this time with the addition of biscuits and sandwiches. 
“Bella, Rodo it’s good to see you in good health.” Tom said after fixing him a cup of tea. 

“It’s good to see you as well, Tom,” Bella said. “Cissa wrote us yesterday about the return of your son and we would’ve been over sooner, but she mentioned that he was still healing”

“He is, but the worst of his injuries have been dealt with,” Tom said as he looked to his mate. Severus nodded slightly,
“There is still much work to be done, but Tom is right.”

“I am curious about something,” Abraxas stated, “you never had the chance to tell us how and where you found him.” He looked at his son with a slightly inclined eyebrow. 
At the mention of his son’s past, Severus could barely contain his rage. His hold on his teacup tightened and everyone could see the color leaving his knuckles. He looked down at Harry who was staring up at the biscuits longingly. 

“Harry, why don’t you go and play with Draco and Neville. I will have Dobby bring you some biscuits.” 

Harry kitten meowed.

“They are through that doorway, dear” Lydia instructed. 

They watched as he trotted away. When he was out of sight, Severus put up a ward that would let them hear if any of the boys needed something but they wouldn’t hear any of the conversation about to take place. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he began his tale. 

“I’m not sure it happened. And I don’t really know if I want to, but I have a feeling that Dumbledore was responsible for the kidnapping of our son all those years ago.”
“How do you figure that?” Lucius asked. 

“Call it a hunch. The old fool asked me to go check on Harry before they sent out the letters for the school year. He said there was no one else to do it so I agreed. I stayed there watching for an hour and everything seemed normal... a little too normal.”

“What did you see?” His mother pushed.

“It was more like what I didn’t see. This whole time Albus has made it out to seem like Harry Potter had grown up spoiled, pampered, a complete replica of James.” Severus spat the name out with contempt. “In the time I had been there, not only had I not seen any sign of the boy, but I watched as the people he was staying with leave and come back multiple times. Each time without him.

“I don’t know why but it rubbed me the wrong way so I vowed that I would come back, even if it was nothing. Well you know how much of my hunches aren’t wrong?” 
His family nodded. 

“I was right. The next way I apparated there just before the sun rose and waited across the street in my cat form. It wasn’t for another hour that I watched as Harry walked out of the house. He walked to the backyard and did his business like some type of animal. He drank from the hose out back and he was wearing clothes that were 4 times his size.”

“He used the bathroom outside?!” 

“They made him drink from a hose??” 

Those questions were fired at him from those around the room and Severus could only nod. 

“That’s not the worst part of it though.” He could feel his eyes sting with unshed tears, but he pushed them back.

“How much worse can it get?” His father asked.

Severus glanced at Narcissa and he knew that she understood what he would say. She said nothing and simply waited for him to finish. 

“I moved over to their lawn and I could hear some banshee screaming about making breakfast and then a boy and a woman left the house. I could still hear yelling from himself but I didn’t want to break my cover so I waited even though it was killing me. Then Harry walked out and he seemed to be limping. He went back to tend to the garden out back and I could-I could-” Severus could feel bile rising in his throat and he fought to keep it down. 

“What love?” Tom asked gently. He took Severus’s hand in his and laced their fingers. 

“He hurt him in the worst way possible, Tom.” Severus whispered. He could not say the words. No matter how much he knew they deserved to know, he could not utter them. The potions master looked at his husband as a tear fell down his cheek and it was all they needed to understand what he meant. The family sat in shocked horror. Lydia let out a sob and fell against Abraxas whose face had morphed into a stone cold mask. Lucius was not different though unlike his father he was not against showing his anger and his eye burned like molten silver. Rodolphus had his fingers intertwined with his wife’s, and even though the gesture was soft and gentle, the pair looked murderous. Tom could feel his eyes changing as his anger and despair increased, but he knew he had to remain calm. For his mate and their son. 

“After that I couldn’t leave him,” Severus continued. “It didn’t matter if he was the son of my supposed sworn enemy. No child deserves something like that. So I stayed with him well after sundown. He wasn’t afraid of me so I stayed in my cat form. We played and then,” Severus shrugged, “I don’t know, something told me that despite all that he had been through Harry wouldn’t be afraid of me so I changed into my Kayte form and we laid there in the backyard.”

“How did you know he was yours, Severus?” Narcissa asked. 

The man shrugged again. “I think he felt it more than I did at first because after I shifted he watched me for a few seconds before he turned into his kitten form. And it wasn’t until then that I felt the bond. He was calling out to me and he just knew that I was his mother.” 

The healer nodded. She understood what the man meant. It was something about being a mother- the bond you have with your child is something special. But being a creature mother only amplifies that feeling. It’s how she felt when her little dragon was born, and it was something she knew that her sister went through when she had her nephew. 
They all sat around in silence as they were all lost in their own thoughts. The air was thick and the tension was high. They could hear the boys playing in the next room over and it seemed to null the mood a bit, but not by much. 

“Severus”

Said man looked up at his father.

“You never did tell us who you found him with.“ They were Lily’s relatives. Her sister and her family.”

“Muggles?” Abraxas roared. “That meddling codger left my grandson in the care of muggles?!”

Severus only nodded, and they all watched as the Malfoy Patriarch began muttering to himself and pacing around the room. 

“Where are they now?” Lydia asked. Her tone was soft but her eyes were hard. She was absolutely furious. 

“I had Dobby lock them in the dungeons to be dealt with at a later date.”

Tom nodded to his husband. “Good. They will pay love. Them and everyone else who had a hand in hurting our son.”