How Severus Spends His Summer Hols

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns everything that is in reference to the Harry Potter world if it is in one of my works of fiction. If it is not found in one of her creations, then it is mine unless otherwise stated. I am not making any profit from the writing of this story.

A/N~~~~ OMG I don’t know who was responsible for doing it, but to whomever it was that recced me to painless_j; thank you so much. I found that I had made the list at 3 am this morning and woke the house up shrieking.
As to this chapter, it looked as though it was going to be a nightmarishly long disaster and I knew my hands were not going to be up for some 10,000+word monstrosity at one sitting, so I am breaking it into several chapters. Many many thanks go to golden snitch and unbroken halo for their help and letting me bounce ideas off them at ungodly hours.

It boggled the imagination, but Severus and Harry were actually on time for supper. As they walked through the kitchen door to be greeted by the barking of Asphodel and Bezoar, Grant took one look at Severus’ battered and bruised face and did a double take.

“What in the world happened to you?” he exclaimed as he immediately drew his wand to heal his ‘son’. Severus’ hand came up to catch his wrist and with a shake of his head, he stopped him. Grant looked at Severus and then called for Damon, he didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he didn’t like it.

“Grant, there isn’t any need for that,” Severus sighed as Damon came into the kitchen at his husband’s call. He stopped in his tracks as he looked at Severus, the man looked as though someone had taken a bat and beaten him about the head with it.

“What the hell?” he asked as he moved forward and pulled him further into the kitchen. “Did you have a run-in with out of towner’s, boy? Who did this?”

Harry moved out from behind Severus and spoke up. “I did it.”

A pin would have been crashingly loud in the room at that moment if one had been dropped as both of the old men turned and looked at Harry. Harry who was standing there beside his husband with a look in his eye that seemed to say he was not above going back outside and finding something else to throw tonight if he so felt the bloody urge.

“Come again Harry, cause that hound don’t track,” Damon said as he shook his head in disbelief. “You want us to believe you beat the daylights out of Sev?”

“Oh he did it alright Damon,” Severus said ruefully as he pulled out a chair at the breakfast table and sat down. “I deserved every bit of it.”

Grant moved forward and peered closer at Severus’ bruises and at his clothing, noting the odd coloured stains. Leaning in, he gave them a good sniff and then turned to Harry with a little grin on his face.

“Did he deserve it?” he asked as he stood up and went to the sink to get a washcloth. Damon looked at his husband like he’d lost his mind. Coming back with a soapy flannel, Grant began to scrub a wincing Severus, removing some of the ‘bruising’.

“He deserved it,” Harry said and crossed his arms, just waiting to see how this was going to play out. Damon was standing there looking like he wanted to hex him into next week and Grant was having a hard time keeping a straight face, while his husband sat and kept one hand on his waist.

“Would someone like to explain to me just what in the blazes is going on here?” Damon growled. For someone that owned a bar and had dealt with Severus Snape for a dozen years, he had a remarkably crappy temper when his questions weren’t being answered promptly.

“Most of this is stain from black walnuts Damon,” Grant said as he stood back up and looked at his husband. “Remember when I let you have it with green persimmons? Well Harry used Sev for target practice.”

“May I speak now, or would you all rather continue on as if I do not exist?” Severus snorted as he glared at everyone. The others fell silent and looked at him. “Thank you.”

“I did something I shouldn’t have without consulting my husband first. It is something that I do feel you both need to be made aware of, especially you, Grant.”

“Go on, I’m listening,” Grant said as he moved serving dishes from the back of the stove where they had been staying hot to the table and the men all sat down as Severus went on.

“You are both aware that Harry was in an abusive relationship before?” he asked. The older men both nodded as Harry just closed his eyes and drank his milk. “Well a good friend of mine has located the bastard that hurt him and he is bringing him here to be dealt with.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Damon asked as he cut into his meatloaf and continued. “You have a young husband and a baby on the way. Do you want to end up deported or in Azkaban for revenge? Think Severus; use your head for something besides holding your ears apart.”

“Have you thought of going to the muggle authorities?” Grant asked as he automatically refilled Harry’s glass of milk and shot a look to his husband to keep his mouth shut or full of food. Severus started to answer, but Harry spoke first.

“I tried Grant, not long after I began living with him. There had been another person there with me. One of his play times went too long and she didn’t come back,” he said as he toyed with his food. Taking a breath he continued, the others looking on, this being the first time he’d spoken voluntarily of his time with the madman. “I crawled out through a window and found a policeman and told him everything that had been done to us both. Showed him my bruises and what scars I had at the time.”

“What did they do to him?” Damon asked softly.

“As soon as I told them who he was, I was loaded into the back of the car and delivered back to him. Morgan Taylor has a seat in the Lower House of Parliament. They aren’t going to touch him. And now he’s after children.”

Harry began to fork his rice into his mouth and stare at his plate as the other three sat there stunned at the revelation. Severus had had no idea that Harry had not been kept alone, but then again, the younger man had never spoke of his time there. As for the governmental issue, he did recall something about Taylor’s family having something to do with muggle law making in Parliament. Harry was right, conventional channels simply wouldn’t work.

“So what about your asylum Severus isn’t this going to get you deported?” Damon asked as he broke off a chunk of corn bread and motioned towards the younger man.

Severus shook his head in response and replied. “It shouldn’t at all Damon; we won’t be using magic at all to deal with him. Lucius and I will take care of his disposal,” Severus said as he watched his young husband eat.

“Well see to it that it doesn’t get your ass tossed out of the country Sev, we kind of enjoy your obnoxious company around here.”

“It won’t. By the way, I have a bank draft for the deed you put up for my bond, Damon,” Severus said as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Both older men waved it away when he pulled it out, they weren’t worried about the property, they were worried about their boy.

“Put it up for now Sev, we’ll deal with it later,” Grant said as he cleared some of the dishes from the table and brought dessert over from the oven. Harry looked at the apple crisp and then at the vanilla ice cream that was set next to it with some bowls, gaining all that weight might not be too bad after all.

“Damon, Severus told me that they got to hear the baby’s heartbeat today at the doctor’s,” Grant said as he began to dish up the apple concoction and pass the bowls to Damon to top with ice cream. Damon looked at the young married couple and grinned. Now there was good news. Harry smiled shyly and finished up the last bit of meatloaf on his plate before he was ready for dessert.

“So what did Max have to say?” Damon asked as he set a bowl in front of his husband and picked up the next to top with ice cream. Harry only stared at his empty plate and didn’t say anything. Finally Severus answered for him.

“Harry needs to gain nearly fifty pounds by the end of the pregnancy and he is further along than we thought he was at first. Almost at the end of the first trimester now,” he said as he placed his hand over his husband’s glad to note he didn’t pull away. Damon let out a low whistle and put an extra scoop of ice cream in the bowl he was holding then passed it back to Grant, who added extra apple crisp before it was set in front of Harry.

“Eat Bit, every bite. I want that bowl scraped clean before you leave the table,” Damon said with a gruff smile. He was worried about the little wizard and he knew Grant was as well. Harry sat up straighter in his chair and groaned slightly as he looked at the heaping full bowl. He looked up at his husband a little worried that he wasn’t going to be able to finish this, especially after the meal he’d just eaten. Severus leaned over and kissed his cheek softly and whispered in his ear.

“Eat what you can and I’ll finish it for you, don’t worry about the old man, he’s all bark.”

Harry started laughing at that and soon the older couple were looking at him and glaring at Severus who was attempting to look innocent. Damon raised one eyebrow and looked at his boy before he slapped his dessert down in front of him.

“I might be an old man, but I’m not deaf Sev,” he grunted as he dug his spoon into his own bowl. Grant just ate while shaking his head at the antics of his little family, deciding that they were all going to drive him nuts before it was all over with.

Harry stood and began to clear the dishes away as soon as he finished his meal, only smiling as Grant told him he didn’t need to. Severus soon got up and helped the young man clean up and load the dish washer before coffee was served. He was putting off asking for Grant’s help with going into Harry’s mind as long as he could.

After everyone was settled in the living room, coffee or milk in hand, the dark haired wizard brought up the subject.

“Grant, Harry has given me permission to use Legilimens to gain access to the memories of the time he spent with Morgan. He’s already told me that he isn’t able to talk about it, so that is why he offered to let me in his mind,” he began as Harry lounged against him, their hands intertwined, Harry’s head leaned back on Severus’ chest. The simple fact Harry was still comfortable enough to allow this contact with his husband bolstered Severus’ confidence in the fact that they would persevere through this without any doubt.

Grant sipped his coffee and looked thoughtfully at Harry for several long moments before he spoke. He didn’t like the idea of putting the younger man and the unborn child through what amount a mind rape regardless if consent was given or not.

“I think there has to be another way Sev, something safer for Harry and the baby.”

“We are open to suggestions,” Harry said, speaking up for the first time since they had retired to the living room. The men were all happy to see that he was taking an active role in this conversation and not just letting decisions be made for him. He tipped his head back and looked up into Severus’ face and smiled as the older man looked down and kissed his forehead gently.

“I use a variant of a dream walk with some patients that are not able to verbalize their past traumas. It is a mixture of Native American, wizarding, and Aboriginal magics,” Grant began to explain as the others looked on in interest. Severus especially since he was always curious about new forms of power use.

“What would happen?” Harry asked as he pulled an afghan up over his shoulders. Even though it was late summer, the night’s were starting to get a bit of a chill in the breeze at times and just to have something over him made him feel a little more comfortable.

“Harry, we would need to sedate you so that you didn’t thrash about and possibly harm yourself or the baby. Damon would have you in his arms to give you the support and the human contact to keep you from becoming disoriented by the proceedings.” Harry and Damon both nodded at that while Severus looked on curious about his part.

“Sev, you and I would each drink an infusion made with peyote that will allow our minds to walk freely along the astral plane. While this is happening, Sev, you will be held against me while your wrist will be bound to Harry’s so there is a physical bond between the two of you.”

“No offense Damon, but will he be able to handle everything if something happens?” Severus asked as he turned the procedure over in his mind. So far it had great potential and merit as far as Harry’s safety was concerned.

“None taken Sev, I want you all to be as safe as possible and that was my question too,” Damon said as he looked at his husband, reaching over to lay one wrinkled hand over his husband’s.

“I would like Max and Allie to be here as well. Max is a physician and a healer. I would like him to administer the sedation to Harry and to monitor him at all times. As for Allie, we need a witch to draw the circle and invoke the incantations needed.”

“Okay, so once Harry is sedated and we ingest the infusion, what happens?” Severus asked, carding his fingers through Harry’s long hair after taking the hair tie out and shaking his braid loose. Harry sighed in happy contentment at the petting and nestled in closer as he listened, his bright green eyes following everything.

“I will help you find the thread leading into Harry’s conscious. It will be different than Legilmens in that you are not forcing your way in, we will be asking his permission. If we are lucky a spirit guide will meet us on the edge of his conscious and take us in without causing him stress.”

Harry sat up a little at that, leaning forward on one elbow, he looked at Grant.

“I have a spirit guide?”

“No Harry,” Grant replied as he shook his head. “Severus will. The spirit guide is there to take him to where you want him to go and to keep him out of what you wish to remain private. It will be someone or something familiar to Severus, most likely someone or something that has passed on.”

“Will I know that you are in my mind, I mean like I do when Legilimens is cast?” Harry asked as he resettled back against his husband’s chest and drank what had to be his fifth glass of milk that evening alone.

“You might be aware of our presence Harry, but it won’t be intrusive, more like inviting a friend in out from the cold,” Grant replied as he drained his cup and smiled as Damon poured him another from the carafe they had brought in from the kitchen. “Thank you baby.” Damon only leaned in and kissed the wrinkled cheek of the man he loved so dearly.

“What kind of side effects can we expect from this?” Severus asked as he wound one arm around Harry and pulled him closer to him. He wanted to keep him safe above all else.

“Harry will probably have a headache from the sedative. Sev, you and I will be groggy and disoriented for a few hours, maybe even until the following day. We can expect nausea from the infusion as well as possible dry mouth, hallucinations and anything else you might expect from a hallucinogenic,” Grant answered as best as he could. He knew the main focus was on Harry and the unborn baby and he understood completely. The reason he had suggested this method was to make things easier on young Harry.

“What I have to ask is this,” Damon said as he leaned forward and set his cup down on the low table in front of him. “Is this really needed Severus? Do you truly need to know everything Harry went through?”

Severus looked at him for a moment before he answered slowly. “I need to know what happened to make Harry like this. You didn’t know the Harry I knew before, if you did, you would need to know too. I can’t even begin to imagine and he isn’t able to talk about it.

“It will help me know how to avoid situations that trigger panic attacks for him and maybe it will help me learn how to help him heal,” he finished as he stroked his husband’s tummy tenderly.

“Sev does have a point Damon, he needs to be able to support Harry as he works through things and he won’t know how unless he knows what he’s dealing with,” Grant agreed as he looked at his husband over the lip of his own coffee cup. Damon looked at Harry and smiled as he watched his son-in-law snuggled in on the sofa next to Severus.

“Harry, how do you feel about this?”

“Everyone in this room is my family and I am okay if my family knows. My biggest fear is that you won’t want me in your family after you find out about me,” he said quietly as he toyed with the fringe on the throw. “The things I did were awful, sick, twisted, and I honestly won’t be surprised if Severus decides to take the baby when she is born and divorce me because of them.”

“Harry!” Severus exclaimed shocked by what his younger husband had just said so calmly.

“I won’t be surprised and I won’t fight him either,” Harry said as he sat up and pushed the afghan to the side. “If I may be excused now, I’m tired and I’d like to go to bed.”