Chapter 17: Healing

Severus was standing over Harry's bed the next day checking his vitals, when Harry awoke he noticed Severus standing above him but Severus did not notice him being awake.

"How did you get here?" Harry croaked aloud.

"It's good to see you awake Harry. Draco summoned me yesterday after you collapsed, he didn't have the skills to help you so he summoned me. There is nothing to worry about though he swore me to secrecy before I was brought to see you." Severus explained sitting in the chair beside Harry's bed. "Are you feeling hungry?"

"Not really. Why are you helping me?" Harry asked sitting up.

"Because of Draco and because of your mother." Severus replied simply.

"My mother?" Harry queried confused.

"Yes, your mother was a very good friend of mine once upon a time. I owe her more than I could have ever repaid." Severus replied while he looked through his potions bag. Pulling out a potions vial he handed it to Harry. "Here drink this. It's a simple nutrient potion."

Harry opened the potion's vial and gently sipped the potion down. "Can I have some water?" Harry requested softly. Severus stood up and moved over to the dresser where a jug of water and cups sat. Slowly he handed over the cup and sat back down beside Harry's bed. "Where's Draco?" Harry asked after he drank down some of the cool water.

"He and Poppy are searching to see if they can find a potions lab and what ingredients are there and what aren't. We have a way to undo the damage that has been done to your body but we need to work out what potions ingredients will be needed before I can work on it. This potion depending on the dosage given will de-age the drinker's body and returning them to the way they were at that age. Then you will age a year every two days, we can take you back to six months old and allow you to grow as you would have had your growth not been stumped the way it obviously has been."

"If I'm to be de-aged like that I think there are some people I would like to invite to be here as well." Harry replied.

"Let me guess the redhead and the bookworm?" Severus replied sneering at the thought of those two imbeciles running around the house this summer.

"Invite those two backstabbers? I think not." Harry growled angrily.

"I thought you were the best of friends?" Severus inquired confused.

Harry rolled to his bed side table and picked up the letter Fred and George had sent him. He handed it to Severus and lay back in the bed, tired beyond belief. As Harry dozed off Severus opened the letter and began to read.

Dear Harry,

We thought you needed to know what was being said about you by Dumbledore and his little followers. We know that this will be hard for you to read but you must trust us this once Harry, you were always more of a brother than Ron ever was. You always enjoyed a good joke and never hated us for being talented in certain areas. We would always choose you over him and the rest of the buggars that would betray you. Just know if you ever need us call for Dobby, he still listens for you if you ever need him but he is bound to us now rather than Hogwarts. Don't worry we are taking good care of him and his girlfriend Winky. From what we have gathered both via listening devices and what we have heard at Order meetings and from our parents, Dumbles is peeved that you became such good friends with Neville and Luna as he doesn't have them or their guardians under his control. We know that Ron has screwed you over in the past and that Hermione was always on you to go to Dumbledore about everything we're not sure what part Ginny was to play in all of this but we know she's in on it. People think we're not real smart but we see stuff a lot of people miss, we've always noticed that there are only a few people who have always acted consistently when it comes to you. Professor Snape may be a slimey bastard but he was always a slimey bastard to almost everyone. Draco was always a jerk to you and from what we know it was because you turned down his friendship in first year so at least he was consistent about being a jerk.

Let us know if you need anything, you're still our favourite brother.

Love the Twins

Severus read through the transcript and glared hatefully into the middle distance imagining how he would love to pay back Dumbledore for using children like this. Severus began to wonder with all Harry had been through if Dumbledore may have been the true Dark Lord all along. Severus knew that Dumbledore saw things in black and white and that he moved people around as if they were chess pieces but maybe he controlled both sides of the board. Thinking back to the early days of the first war with Voldemort things had never been as extreme as they had become during the final few months.

Severus rose from his chair and placed the letter on the chest of drawers before he leaves the room allowing Harry to rest.

Severus tracked down Draco and found him and Poppy going through potion cabinets. They both had parchment and quick-quotes quills taking down every ingredient they found.

"How's it going?" Severus asked.

"Pretty good, we're almost done listing all of the ingredients. There are a few cabinets with actual potions in them and we found a few neither of us could open. We figure that they must be blood warded." Draco explained as he continued to work. "What we have sorted out so far is on the table."

Severus looked over the four sheets of paper. He noted that there was only one ingredient missing from the lists. He smiled softly to himself knowing this could be an answer to all Harry was self-conscious about.

"Why don't you two go have some lunch and I'll finish up here." Severus said needing some time alone to process everything he had learnt.

"Are you sure Severus?" Draco asked.

"Yes Draco. Poppy, Harry is asleep for the moment but perhaps a light broth could be prepared for when he wakes up." Severus suggested.

"Of course Master Severus, Sir. Is there anything else youse be needing?" Poppy asked preparing to go back to regular house-elf duties.

"No thank you Poppy," Severus replied before she went on her way.

"Do you think Harry will be okay Sev?" Draco asked nervously shifting in place.

"I believe with time he will, but it will be a long process. We may heal his body of scars but the mind is a very different thing. He will need support and love. Not just romantic love but family love. I believe you can help with this, he wanted to invite some people to be here but he may need some help with the writing. Why don't you go help with that after you eat while I begin the potion?" Severus suggested.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea."

Harry was sleeping as Draco entered his room. Draco decided to sit at the desk while he waited for Harry to wake up instead of bothering his rest. One of the house elves appeared silently bringing him a plate of sandwiches and two bowls of soup, one was mostly broth and the other held a lot of vegetables and meat.

Draco ate his soup and some of the sandwiches as he waited for Harry to wake up. Once he finished his lunch he grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill and began thinking of things that would be needed if more people were to be joining them.

Draco was just about finished with the list when Harry began to stir. He put the parchment and quill down and moved to go sit on the edge of Harry's bed.

"Hey," Harry said as he came around.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Draco asked helping Harry sit up and lean against the head board.

"Better." Harry replied as he watched Draco move over to the desk grabbing the bowl and plate.

"I've got some lunch for you." Draco said handing the bowl to Harry.

"Thanks," Harry answered, starting to eat.

"So Sev was saying you wanted to invite some people to be here with us." Draco mentioned trying to start a converstion.

"Yeah. It's not that I don't trust you but I don't trust Snape, not completely." Harry said quietly.

"He won't hurt you Harry, I made him swear an unbreakable vow that he would neither harm you nor reveal your location." Draco said trying to ease Harry's concern.

"I know that Draco, but how long have Snape and I hated each other. I know that every time he looks at me he just sees my father, and I'm sorry for that but I just don't feel comfortable with only you and a man who hates me for looking like a dead man." Harry replied.

"Okay Harry, okay. Who do you want to invite?" Draco asked.

"Neville and his Grandmother, Luna and her father and the Twins." Harry answered.

"Are your hands steady enough to write or would you like me to?" Draco asked gently. Harry held out his hands which were trembled violently while he looked away from Draco ashamed. "So you tell me what to write and I'll write it." Draco got up and grabbed some parchment, a quill, ink and a board to lean on.

"Just something simple, I figure we can explain the situation to them when they get here. It's not something I really want put in a letter." Harry said leaning against the pillows. "God I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Because you're healing Harry, your body is using all its energy to fix itself." Draco said while he wrote the first of three letters. As Draco wrote Harry dozed off again. So Draco moved to his room to finish writing the letters. When they were completed Draco set the letters off to the side ready to be sent off once Harry read through them and approved them. Draco back on his bed and relaxed into the soft comforter.