Hopes Refuge

A/N... NOT BETA'D. Beta'd version to be posted as soon as I get it back.

Disclaimer. Not mine. no money was made from writing this.... Don't sue.

Chapter Four

For the first time since his Godfather fell through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, the haze that had been covering Harry's mind lifted. Going over the past few weeks in his mind, he couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough to leave the safety of the wards at his aunt and uncles with a complete stranger. By a portkey no less! Letting his wand drop into his hand from it's spot in the arm holster, Harry pushed himself up and away from the young man who had been holding him and set himself in clear view of two different exits, while making sure nothing could attack him from behind.

A slight movement on his left had him dropping down into a defensive position with his wand pointed directly at the black clad figure, who may or may not be his Potions Professor.

“Mr. Potter, just what exactly do you think you are doing?” Came the dark silky growl that demanded an instant answer.

“I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to prove who you are.” Harry said, his voice shaking slightly at he tried to keep his attention on all four people at the same time.

'Now he asks for proof!' Severus sighed to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Very well Mr. Potter, ask your question, just keep in mind that you will be answering questions of your own to my satisfaction at a later date.” He growled out softly.

With his wand still being held steady, Harry dragged his free hand through his hair as he thought back over his years at Hogwarts, trying to find something that only the two of them would know or remember, without touching on any sore points between them. A flash of memory from his first year gave him the question that he needed, considering that one of the people involved was dead. “A few days after Christmas in my first year, you and Quirrell were arguing over something after curfew. What did Filch come and tell you about?”

“You'll have to be more specific then that. Quirrell and I argued often that year.”

“You had become suspicious that something unseen was watching you outside the library and reached out to see if you could grab it.” Harry clarified.

Severus stood quietly for a moment thinking back over that year. “Filch came to us and said that a student was out of bed, he had found a lantern in the restricted section that was still warm.” he finally said, and then gave the teen a glare, “I'm going to assume that was you I sensed.”

Harry dropped his wand arm and sank to the floor, his body shaking in reaction as well as relief. The other four people in the room remained silent until the teen gathered himself once again. Five minutes later Harry looked up at his professor with dull green eyes. “You've already spoken with the Headmaster?” he asked, ignoring the question posed to him, his voice small and defeated.

Severus knew this was not really a question but nodded his head in answer anyway.

Sighing softly Harry slowly stood up and started for the door. “I'll go and gather my things then.” He said, resigned to his fate.

“And just where do you think you are going?” Severus asked his voice once more that dangerous purr.

“We both know that there is no way Professor Dumbledore is going to let me stay here.” Harry replied, “after all, the only truly safe place for me is apparently behind a set of Blood Wards, even if the people there hate me.” He added bitterly.

Severus attempting to walk calmly to where Harry stood, doing his best to bury the rage he was feeling at everyone who should have been taking care of this young man, but judging from the way Harry's body stiffened the closer he got, it wasn't working all that much. “I gave you my word that you would not have to leave, and I intend to keep it. At this time, I have never lied to you, and I don't have any plans to start now.”

Harry looked up, his eyes guarded, not really daring to believe that he would be able to stay. “But..”

“But nothing Mr. Potter. Albus has already given his permission, and the Werewolf has agreed. Being your Magical Guardian, Lupin has more say then the Headmaster does, in what happens to you.” Using a single finger he raised Harry's chin up from where it had dropped, making sure that their eyes once again locked. “Do you understand me Mr. Potter.”

Heaving in a deep breath and releasing it albet shakenly and nodded his head. “My name Sir, is Horatio Black. But if you would like, you may call me Tio.”

“Tio it is then. Now was there anything else you needed to say before we discuss what has brought you here?”

Shaking his head slightly, Tio tried not to panic at those words. “No Sir.”

“Very well. Go and join Tony back on the sofa and we'll figure out what is going to happen from now on.”

Tio nodded his head once more and moved back to the sofa, trying to keep himself from blushing once again when Tony pulled him down to sit next to him, one arm draped calmly across his shoulders.

Rosa had sat quietly in the corner of the room, and watched everything that happened. She saw the confusion when Tio had woken up in another's arms and her heart once more went out to the boy who hadn't been given any kind of loving touch in his younger years, nor that many later in life. She had watched as confusion turned to shock, followed quickly by self disgust. Tio's reactions were those of one who had to fight for his life in more then one occasion, and the fact that he had used something from so far back as a way to make sure Severus was who he said he was, called for either training or experience. At this point she expected it was the latter of the two options. When Severus had convinced him to take a seat on the sofa once more, and Tony had pulled him close, insuring that he was not going to run off, she figured it was her turn.

“Horatio Octavius Black!” she stated firmly bringing all attention to her, and found with satisfaction the 'deer in the head lights' look that Tio gave her for the use of a middle name he didn't know he had before then. “Would you like to explain to me what exactly full Medical Rest means to you?”

Tio gave Rosa a panic stricken look and took a deep breath. Never had he expected that she would give him a middle name, and then use it without a warning. “Um.. rest and relaxation?”

“Precisely. Rest and Relaxation, nothing taxing in the least. So explain to me why you were up on a broom? Doing something that could in more ways then one, hurt you once again.”

“I was relaxing...” Tio attempted to explain.

“No magic. No homework. No doing anything that can and will strain your magical reserves to the point where they will not recover. Do You Understand Me?”

Panic turned to confusion as Tio listen to Rosa, and that confusion slowly turned to horror. “But flying...”

“No buts young man, you are not flying until you are given clearence by me and no one else.”

Tio felt tears start to form, and brushed them away. Turning to his Professor, with pleading eyes, he attempted to get through to him. “Professor Snape, please, I haven't been in the air since Umbridge banned me from Quidditch. I need to be able to fly.”

“NO!” Rosa replied for Severus, her voice firm.

Tio could no longer hold back his tears, and with a small sound of despair shrugged off the arm around his shoulders and practically ran from the room. Tony only allowed himself a disgusted look at the three adults before following after him.

Severus flinched when he heard a door down the corrider slam shut, and sighed in frustration at the reason behind it. Rubbing his temples in an effort to reduce the headache he felt forming he directed his next words to Cal. “I think you better go see if he'll let you in. I highly doubt Tony will get anywhere with him at the moment.” A clear dismissal was heard in his soft voice for any that knew what to look for. He didn't look up until he heard the door to the study close as the man left.

Summoning a bottle of Scotch and a glass, he remained silent as he sipped at the fingers worth of liquid he poured. His eyes where emotionless when he did finally look up at Rosa. “You have just destroyed and report you may have built with that young man.”

Rosa looked back in disbelief. “No actually I didn't. I gave that young man clear bondaries that can not be crossed. He needs someone to take charge of his life.” she replied softly.

With a snort of disgust Severus stood and started pacing, as he tried to find some why to make her see the error she made when it came to young Tio and flying. “How many times have you put me on full Medical Rest?” he finally asked.

“To often to count.” Was her immediate reply.

“Then why did you still allow me to brew my potions?”

Her brows wrinkled in confusion as she tried to figure out where Severus was leading with his questions, but still she answered. “Brewing allowed your magic to recover faster. It allowed you to focus on only what you wanted to focus on. After spending the day in your lab you always came back recharged, and ready to take on the world once more.”

Severus nodded after she answered, he knew exactly what brewing did for him, no matter what the situation. Now to get his true point across. “Before the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I watched that young man like a hawk. He was a sickly green color and nothing anyone said to him helped. He was that way right up until he summoned his broom and mounted it. After he took the wound from the dragon he was against, Madam Pomfrey made the comment that she couldn't believe how much he healed before she had a chance to get to him, and no one could give her a reason why.” His voice remained soft through out his explanation, willing Rosa to understand what he was trying to say. When her look remained confused he almost gave into his frustrations, and instead took a deep breath. “Rosa, don't you see? Flying to Harry is the same thing as brewing is to me. It's the only real time he can let everything go. When Umbridge took away his broom this past year, something died inside of him. Even I noticed it. Taking away his chance to fly was probably the cruelest thing you could have done to him.”

Rosa took in this new information and then paled drastically. “What have I done?” She whispered into an empty room

~~hp~~

Tony followed Tio from the room angry at the so called adults. From what he could see, that short flight that Tio had taken earlier meant the world to him, and from his reaction to being grounded from flying, he deduced that Tio's love for the air meant more then Rosa would ever know. Reaching what he presumed to be Tio's room he knocked and tried to open the door, only to find it locked. “Tio? Please Tio let me in?” he called softly. His answer came when the wards around the door adjusted themselves slightly and he 'felt' as they locked and silenced the room he was trying to reach, just as Cal arrived.

“How is he?” Cal asked.

“Not good. The wards around his room just readjusted themselves to lock and silence his room. We're not going to get into him anytime soon.” Tony sighed.

Nodded his head in understanding. “Can you conjure me up a chair? I'll remain here and monitor his mood, until he decides to come out.”

“And until then what am I going to do?”

“Track done the others and start thinking of ways to give him some of the things he missed growing up.” Cal answered immediatly. “I'm sure the lot of you can think of something to keep him occupied until Rosa takes him off of MR.”

Tony stood silently for a moment, already considering a few ideas. “Can you tell me how bad you think in may have been for him?” he asked softly.

Cal sighed, “you know I can't.”

“But...”

“But Yeo and Mikal will probably relate to him best.” Cal admitted.

~~hp~~

Tony smiled sadly as he watched group of five people who sat in one of the many clearings on the Estate. Even though he could hear them joking around, none of them really put any effort into it. They all had similiar backgrounds, some more so then others, and they had all survived with help from those who lived here, and in turn helped others to survive as well.

Many individuals had come and gone over the years, and once healed as much as possible here, 99% of them had been relocated to different places that had been deemed safe for their continued healing. These five, had stayed, and had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

The only girl of the group was Sofia, but she never let that stop her from putting the rest of them in their place. She had been fighting for her survival in the streets of London, when Severus had found her five years ago, at the tender age of 11, snatching her from the arms of two men, who had caught her stealing in order to pay for the drugs her mother already had her addicted to. The dirty street urchin that had arrived then was nothing like the girl she was now. Standing at 5' 5”, with her long strawberry blond hair pulled back in an ever present french braid that reached her waist, she had turned into a talented artist. Many of her water colors adorned the walls of the Manor, and she had received commisions from some of the wealther families in the area as well. The money she made was donated to programs to help the homeless. She never forgot her past and could be found talking at different schools during the year, in the hopes of saving another child from what she had lived through.

Tony was pulled back to watching the five by Dez tripping over a log, and his shoulder length hair becoming tangled in the twigs littering the ground, sending the other four laughing. Of them all, 17 year old Dez was the only one who had not been abused in one way or another. He had been born in the Manor, shortly after his mother had arrived by herself, bleeding heavly after being attacked by her boyfriend. To bad she had left him an orphan days later by committing suicide. Tony sighed again, he himself had only been 2 at the time, so both boys grew up together, driving everyone on the Estate batty with their pranks. A small snort of laughter escaped him as he remembered Dez's 17th birthday, extremely glad that his uncle had not been around to be the victim of one of the many pranks at that party, and looking forward to what ever Dez had planned for his own 19th birthday at the end of August.

Another burst of laughter, and Tony watched as Mikal chased Yeo around the clearing. Those two had become friends fast, and had relied on each other for the healing and comfort that they needed. It didn't matter that Yeo was of Asian decent and a muggle or that Mikal was a wizard and as white as they came. Mikal with his sand colored shaggy hair, stood 2 inches taller, but Yeo more then made up for it with his purple and blue spiked hair. Both prefered to were clothing that showed off their lean muscles, and in return most people respected the fact that in a fight these two would come out on top. Those who didn't, learned the hard way that when you messed with one of them, then you messed with them both. A shudder went through Tony's body as he remembered Cal's words about these two relating to Tio more then anyone else. He could still clearly remember when they had both been brought home by Cal, broken, bleeding, and rejected by their families. They arrived within days of each other, and really had not parted in the past four years. Now with both of them 18, Tony highly doubted they would ever be able to seperate from each other.

The one Tony worried about the most at the moment was the last of this group. 21 year old Stephen had come to the Estate 7 years ago, when he lost control of his magic. Unfortunately his loss of control had unleashed not only regular magic, but also a very rare elemental fire magic, causing the destruction of the school he had been attending at that time. The catalyst for his lost control had come in the form of the merciless taunting of his school mates, enraged further when he caught his then girlfriend cheating on him with two different guys. He had walked in on her being double teamed, and loving every minute of it. Now he needed the absulute control that only Severus had been able to teach him, but in a situation like this, he needed to be watched constantly so that his soft spoken exterior didn't turn into a raging inferno.

Shaking himself from the past, Tony approached the group, causing all to fall silent. Meeting Stephen's eyes he smiled slightly, knowing his next words would calm everyone down. “The good news is that he's staying.”

They all sighed in relief, the tension immediatly leaving the group. Only Sofia seemed to realize that there was more. “And the bad news Tony?”

Sighing again, Tony shook his head. “Tio locked himself in his room after Rosa informed him he's not allowed to fly until she clears it.”

There was a few seconds of silence before the meadow erupted in sound once again.

“What?!”

“She can't do that!”

“But..”

“ENOUGH!” Tony bellowed, “There's more.” was said in the silence. “She's given him his restrictions. No magic, no home work, nothing that can cause a drain on his magic. I'm sure that if she could have gotten it away from him, she would have confiscated his wand.”

After a few minutes Yeo spoke up, “he's totally defenseless without the use of his magic, isn't he?”

“Unfortuntly yes. I'm going to assume he picked up a few things over the years, but...”

The others nodded in understanding. No matter what he had picked up over the years, there was still a very large gap in Tio's education.

“So what are you going to do about it?” A silky voice asked from behind.