Clipped Wings Chapter Four: Some Questions Answered

Severus stared in shock as Albus pointed his wand at Potter. Potter's eyes widened and filled with tears, he flinched slightly and the tears started to fall down his pale cheeks. Severus wondered for a moment if the slave handlers had tortured the slaves with spells, most did, but not all. By the way Potter was acting, he would be willing to bet that they had tortured Potter, but what spells did they use?

Suddenly Potter's eyes met Albus' and his body went stiff, his breathing became labored and his face began paling even more than it normally was. Severus shot Poppy a look, did she know what was going on? He didn't, was Albus hurting Potter? Poppy looked just as shocked as he felt.

When Potter let out a pained moan Severus immediately pulled his wand out and pointed it at Albus.

"Expelliarmus!" He growled. The wand flew from Albus' hand and landed on the floor at Severus' feet. Potter slumped to the floor, tears continuing to pour down his face.

"What in Merlin's name, Albus?" Severus demanded, walking over to the boy on the floor.

"Albus, what were you doing to that poor boy?" Poppy snapped angrily almost at the same time, following Severus' lead and walked over to the boy. Potter whimpered and tried to scoot away, he was holding his head as if it was in pain.

"Potter, stop moving." Potter looked up at Severus with confusion and fear, but he stopped trying to get away. "Does your head hurt?" At first Potter didn't say anything, but at Severus' growl, he nodded his head, then winced.

Poppy pointed her wand and began running diagnostics.

"I was only testing his shields." Albus said from behind them. Severus turned slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"You couldn't have told us before?" Severus snapped.

"I didn't think of it." Albus said airily. Severus shook his head, summoned a potion, and handed it to Potter.

"Take this, Potter." Severus said, "It will help your headache." Potter looked at him with huge green eyes, but didn't take the potion.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" The idiot boy blinked once, then twice.

"Who's Potter?" Potter finally asked, looking worried, as if Severus would hit him for asking.

"You are." Severus snapped.

"No, I'm 58532..." Potter said confused.

"No, your name is Harry. Harry James Potter." Severus said annoyed. Potter looked at the floor and cocked his head. When he lifted it again, he was frowning slightly.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Poppy asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Potter flinched away and eyed her.

"Potter, answer Poppy!" Severus snapped irritated. Severus told himself that even though he wasn't going to treat Potter as a slave, he still needed to listen to his elders. It had nothing to do with being curious, or Merlin forbid, worried.

"Oh...Nothing, ma'am." Potter said, then continued at seeing Severus' glare. "I...Well...I think I remembered something? But maybe it wasn't a memory...It wasn't too clear."

"Well, what was it?" Severus asked.

"J-just my mum. I think. She was calling me...H-Harry." Potter frowned.

"Oh." Was all that Severus said. Potter was able to remember his mother? Did he remember her death then? What an upsetting thought.

"Drink the Potion, Potter." Severus said after clearing his throat, it was only a tickle. Definately not a massive lump that had formed with sympathy, no, only a tickle. The air was very dry, how could he not get a throat tickle? He cleared his throat again as if to prove the point.

Potter took the potion, after shooting Severus a strange look, and swallowed it, not even making a face in disgust.

"Good, feel better now?" Severus asked, Potter nodded. "Alright, sit down then." Potter looked confused.

"B-but, I am sitting..." The brat said.

"No, sit down on the couch." The brats eyes widened again in fear.

"I'm not allowed to sit on the couch though..." Potter said, his voice cracking slightly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5853- No, it was Harry, wasn't it? That's what Master said, and what Master says is law. So his name was Harry, not 58532. Was his name Harry before? It seemed that he could remember something, a woman with red hair, and she was yelling, "Not Harry! Not Harry!" and then there was a flash of green light. Was that his mum?

"No, sit down on the couch." Master said. What? On the couch? Didn't this man know that slaves are never allowed on the furniture?

"I'm not allowed to sit on the couch though..." Harry tried. His voice cracked in the middle from trying to keep his emotions in check. He couldn't keep crying like he had, he didn't want Master to get rid of him. It'd only been a day since coming, but Master was so nice to him. He wasn't like other people's Masters, he hadn't hit Harry once, and even gave him blankets to sleep on.

"You are allowed, because I'm telling you to." Master said. Harry thought for a minute. When he was being trained, they said that he was never allowed to be on furniture. But Master said to, so that meant he had to, right? That was one of the first rules he ever learned, always obey Master.

Carefully, his eyes on Master the whole time, he got off the floor and walked over to the couch and stood there for a moment before carefully sitting down. He was a bit surprised at how pleasant it was. He'd never sat on a couch before, but now he understood why so many people did. It was soft and he sank right in, so much better than the floor.

"Now," Master said while walking over to the armchair across from 5-Harry. "I'd like you to meet a couple of people. This-" Master waved in the direction of the old man with a beard, but stopped at seeing that the man wasn't there anymore.

"Poppy, where did Albus go?" Master asked harshly.

"I-I don't know, I was checking over Harry." The lady stammered, looking flustered. Harry bit his lip, he'd seen the old man slip into the kitchen. Was he supposed to speak up and say so? But he knew that slaves weren't supposed to talk without being spoken to and he'd already pushed his luck by asking who Potter was.

Master must have saw his anxious look and demanded to know if he'd seen the old man, what was his name? Albus?

"I-I saw him go into the kitchen." Harry said, keeping a close eye on his Master. Master looked annoyed, but Harry couldn't tell if it was directed at him or not.

Usually any anger, irritation, or frustration was taken out on him, even with the slave handlers. Once in a while they'd beat up another slave, but he was the main outlet. He didn't have much time to ponder it though, because Master got up and marched into the kitchen, the woman on his heels.

When the door shut he could still hear the voices, so he listened, knowing he could get into huge trouble for doing so.

"Albus, I thought you left like you did when we were healing Potter." Said a voice, Masters. So that's how he got healed? Master did it? That was hard to believe, but at least he hadn't healed himself. And it was nice not having the chain digging and rubbing into the raw skin in his neck.

Harry didn't catch what the old man said, but his Master asked, "So how were his shields? Were you able to get through?"

"No, Severus, the shields were strong, very strong indeed; I was unable to break them, or even get through in the slightest bit." The old man said. The rest of the conversation was silent, Harry guessed that they finally realized that they forgot to put up a silencing spell.

A couple of minutes later Master came out with the lady, but the old man wasn't with them. Which was alright with Harry, there was something about the old man that put him on edge. There was just something…not right.

"As I was saying, Potter," Master said sounding tired. "That old man that was just here was Albus, Albus Dumbledore." Harry nodded. "This is Madam Pomfrey." Harry nodded again, but who were these people? Master said they were Albus Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, but who were they to Master? Were they friends of his? For some reason, Master didn't seem the type to have many friends.

"You look confused, Harry dear," Madam Pomfrey said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing ma'am." Harry said. He didn't want to make them mad at him for asking too many questions, and he was sure he'd figure it out over time.

"You're sure?" Pomfrey questioned.

"Yes ma'am."

"There are some things I'd like to discuss with you, Potter." Master said, attracting Harry's attention. This was new, he'd never heard of a Master actually discussing something with their slave. It was always just giving orders, and the slaves following the orders.

"Do you remember when Albus pointed his wand at you, and you got that headache?" Master asked, sounding like he was trying to hide his irritation.

"Yes, Master." Harry said.

"Do you know what he was doing to you?" Harry slowly shook his head.

"He was checking your Occlumency shields." Master growled. "Do you know what that means?"

"No Sir," Harry said. "Slaves aren't supposed to know anything about magic, Master." Harry saw Master grit his teeth and clench his fists, and he shrank back. Had that been the wrong thing to say?

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." Master said. Harry's mind raced, what had he called his Master? He thought back, but didn't recall.

"Sorry Master, but what don't you want to be called?" Harry asked and tensed, waiting for the blow, or curse, to come.

"Master." Master said, "I don't wish to be called Master." Harry's mind reeled, what was Master on about? What else was Harry supposed to call him, by his name? He could be killed for that. Was this Master's way of saying that he didn't want Harry anymore? Would he get sent away? Would Harry get executed, or his magic sapped? Would he have to go back to sleeping out in cold, wet places? Would he have to go back to being 58532?

"Are you going to send me back?" Harry asked sadly. "I promise I will be good! I'll cook and clean, and set out your clothes every day. I won't eat very much, and I'll even sleep outside!"

"What are you carrying on about?" Master snapped. "Why would I send you back?"

"Well, you don't want me to call you Master. I've never heard of such a thing, so I figured that you were going to send me back; aren't you?" Harry looked at his Master with worried eyes.

"No, Potter, I'm not sending you back." Master growled. "Just call me 'Sir' instead of Master."

"Yes Ma-Sir." Harry said.

"Good, now back to what we were talking about. Occlumency shields are shields that block people from penetrating your mind. That's what Albus was trying to do, penetrate you mind, but he was unable because you have natural Occlumency shields." Master explained. Harry nodded, but he didn't really understand. How could he have natural Occlumency shields? And what did they have to do with anything?

"We will still work on improving them, and keeping them strong." Master continued. Harry didn't nod, wasn't practicing Occlumency shields the same as doing magic? But maybe it wasn't? Either way, it was protecting himself from magic and that was just as bad.

"What Severus is trying to get at is, you no longer have to be a slave because you can protect yourself from people getting into your mind." Pomfrey said. Harry stared at her, not a slave? What was this woman talking about? Of course he was a slave, it was the only thing he was good for, wasn't it? It must have been a trick, Harry decided. They would wait for him to stop acting like a slave, and then they would punish him.

"Do you understand, Harry?" Pomfrey asked. Harry hesitated, he really didn't understand, but he didn't want to make them mad, so he nodded.

"No more cleaning, no more sleeping on the floor of my closet, and no more eating on the floor." Master said, confusing Harry more. If he wasn't allowed to sleep on the floor in the closet and eat on the floor, where would he do those things? Maybe Master wanted him to start sleeping outside? And maybe he wasn't allowed to eat anymore at all, but he didn't know what to think about that.

Harry was fine with the idea of sleeping outside, it wasn't too terrible and he got fresh air, but not eating? Hunger hurt and he didn't want to go through it anymore.

"Come, and I'll show you to your room." Master said.

"Yes Ma-Sir." Harry replied, getting off the couch. Master turned quickly, robes snapping around his legs, and began walking. As Harry passed Madam Pomfrey, she reached out and ruffled his hair. Harry flinched slightly, but as she ran her finger through his hair, Harry got a strange feeling of longing.

Harry decided to ignore it and followed Master, expecting him to lead Harry outside. He didn't, however. Instead Master led Harry though the kitchen and down the hall, they stopped outside of a room across from Master's.

"You may stay in this room." Master said, grabbing the door knob and swinging the door open. Harry peered in curiously, and then looked at the ground. He'd remembered seeing that room when he was exploring that morning, it was a small guest room that looked like it hadn't been slept in for some time.

"Well, go in." Master snapped, making Harry jump in fright. He stepped into the room just far enough to be considered in the room, and looked back at Master, not knowing what to do. Master looked pained, and slightly annoyed, and Madam Pomfrey was standing next to him looking sad. Harry wanted to ask her why she was sad and try to make her feel better, but he knew nobody would ever want a dirty slave comforting them.

"I know it's not much," Master said, sounding quite uncomfortable. "but it should only be temporary." Harry looked back up at Master, temporary? What was that supposed to mean? Would he be going back to the closet soon?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Why don't you stay here and check out your room while Poppy and I go talk?" Severus asked. Potter nodded, but didn't move, so he gave the little brat a small shove further into the room. Potter glanced back at him, and then hesitantly took a step further into the room, then another.

"Come along, Poppy." Severus snapped and quickly turned to leave. On the way back to the kitchen he told Poppy to firecall Albus, and he would make some tea. Severus had questions and he wanted answer, he was tired of getting left out of the loop.

When Albus and Poppy came into the kitchen, Severus set three places for tea at the table, setting Poppy next to him and Albus across the table. Poppy looked curious as she sat down, but Albus had on a hard mask.

With the Dark Lord in power, Albus was almost never seen with his usual twinkling eyes, but it as it was then, hard and angry. Something had changed in the old man, and Severus was willing to bet that it had something to do with Potter.

"How did Potter end up as a slave?" Severus demanded after everyone was seated. "He was supposed to be with his grandparents." Albus' mask slipped a bit and a little bit of surprise showed, along with something else that Severus couldn't place.

"For young Harry's protection, I placed him with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon." Albus said, "I couldn't have anybody know where he was, not even you, Severus."

"Petunia and Vernon! You know how they are, horrible people! Why did you not place him with his grandparents?"

"Simply, they're dead." Albus shrugged. "They died a while before Harry was born, and Petunia was the only living family poor Harry had left." Severus felt infuriated, how could Albus be so blind?

"I can't believe you were stupid enough to leave Potter in their care, you know how much they hated magic!" Severus exclaimed. "Did you ever check up on him?"

"Now, now, Severus, I made a mistake." Albus said quietly, "I am only human, after all."

"Potter being in the slave business could have been prevented though, had you placed him in a caring family!" Severus slammed his hand on the table in anger. He had planned on asking Albus if he had a home for Potter, so he could get the brat out of his house, but he no longer felt comfortable leaving him in Albus' care. As it was, he needed to know what Albus was planning.

"Have you found a new home for him yet?" Severus snarled.

"Actually, I was hoping you would take him." Albus suggested. "It's the safest place for him right now, and with his glamours nobody will ever recognize him. The death eaters would expect you to buy a slave eventually, it all works out."

"Me, Albus?" Severus asked, "It may be the most safest, but it's also the most dangerous. Have you any idea what the Dark Lord does with death eater's slaves? He likes to have his fun with them, sometimes killing them in the process. Very slowly and painfully, I might add. Do you really want that for H-Potter?"

"Just don't tell Voldemort and the Death Eaters that you have a slave now." Dumbledore shrugged and Severus could only stare in shock. Had Dumbledore finally fell off his rocker? Did he actually believe that would work?

"Albus, there had been Death Eaters there when I bought Potter, it's probably already gotten to the Dark Lord." Severus said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but Potter is a beautiful boy, if a bit scrawny, he would probably be raped repeatedly by the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord."

"Tell the Dark Lord you sold him. Or that you got too rough and he died." Albus said, sounding oddly cold.

"Yes, but what happens then, if the Death Eaters decide to raid the house and find him? The wards are strong, but I wouldn't trust them against a whole army of Death Eaters."

"Give him to me when you're called, Severus." Poppy spoke up for the first time, "I would love to watch him." Severus thought that was actually a really good idea, he trusted Poppy with his life and Potter's.

"I could make him a portkey that will bring him straight to headquarters when I get summoned," Severus said thoughtfully.

"Yes, and I'm sure Molly and Arthur would love to meet young Harry." Poppy put in.

"Then it's settled." Dumbledore said, a slight growl to his voice. "Harry stays with Severus." He quickly stood up and without a word to Poppy or Severus, strode out of the room so fast it was as if Voldemort himself was on Albus' heals.

Once Severus was sure that Dumbledore had gone, he turned to Poppy and put his head in his hands.

"Something's different with Albus." Severus said, "He's so cold, and I get the feeling that he either had something to do with Harry being in the business, or he really doesn't care."

"I got the same impression." Poppy murmured, placing her hand on Severus' arm for comfort. In Poppy's mind, Severus might as well be her son, and she didn't like seeing any son of hers in such emotional distress. She wasn't sure what part, exactly, was bothering Severus…The problem with Albus, or if he was agitated that little Harry was in such a mess, or if it was a combination of both; on top of that, having to go on Death Eater meeting while worrying whether Voldemort would learn about Harry, putting all of them in danger…Yes, Poppy could see why her son would be in such distress.

Poppy stood, pulling Severus to his feet, and wrapped him into a strong hug. Surprisingly, Severus returned it immediately with a deep sigh.

"I don't know what to do, Poppy." Severus said, trying to pull away. Poppy wouldn't have any of that, she held on. It was for her benefit too, after all.

"We'll think of something…" Poppy murmured soothingly.

Authors Note: So what do you guys think so far? Weird place to stop probably, but I couldn't think of a good place, sorry. I hope nobody minds a motherly Poppy, I really hadn't expected her to play such a big part, but I have a feeling she will. That's just how the story wanted to go, I guess.