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Author: Chary Story: Beloved on This Earth Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 1 Words: 178,742
Harry waited in the Great Hall as Snape had instructed for what seemed like ages. Lois remained silent and unmoving and in between checking her breathing, Harry paced, or rather rolled, anxiously. After another twenty minutes had passed he decided he was going to go and look for Dumbledore himself; perhaps Snape had been unable to find him because if he had what could be taking him so long? In any event, if he was with the Headmaster, Snape was sure to have found some way of blaming all of this on him. Harry wanted to get his side of the story in while he had the chance and maybe, he thought hopefully, try to somehow convince Dumbledore not to remove Lois's memories at the same time. Decision made, Harry headed towards the Headmasters office realising belatedly that he had no idea what the password was now. After working his way through all the wizarding sweets he knew, he started on Muggle confectionary and finally hit the jackpot with 'Liquorice Allsorts'. The gargoyle swung open and Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office, very relieved when his familiar voice called, 'Come in Harry,' at his knock. Unfortunately Snape obviously had located Dumbledore, because the two of them were seated together in the Headmaster's office, a tea tray piled high with biscuits and sandwiches on the table in front of them. 'Potter, how on earth did you get in here?' Snape demanded, his black eyes glinting furiously. 'Oh, Harry has a positive knack for guessing my passwords,' Dumbledore smiled benignly. 'How are you feeling?' he asked, scrutinising Harry closely. 'Fine thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, Professor,' Harry continued awkwardly, avoiding Snape's glowering look. 'Of course you're not interrupting. In fact Harry I'm tremendously pleased to see you; you've had us all in quite a tizzy since we discovered you missing yesterday.' 'I have?' Harry asked, surprised; Snape had given the impression that Dumbledore was sure Harry was at least safe, wherever he had disappeared to. 'Indeed yes, I blame myself,' the Headmaster said heavily. 'My main concern was ensuring that the Dursleys spent the specified number of hours within their home. Unfortunately, I was so focussed on magical threat I didn't pay enough attention to the day-to-day obstacles you could run into. That is why this,' he said indicating a small photograph on his desk, 'only sent out a warning if they were absent from Privet Drive for more than a day.' Harry looked closer at the object Dumbledore had pointed to. It was a wizard photo of the outside of his aunt and uncle's house, the trees and grass on view blowing gently in a soft breeze. The left hand side of the picture frame was slightly larger than the right to hold three, small, golden egg timers placed there. At the moment they were all just under three quarters full and the sand within them was beginning to give off a pinkish glow. Harry supposed this was because the Dursleys had been out of the house for a while now. Seeing Harry's interest, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand over the picture and the three egg timers instantly changed into one slightly larger egg timer, which had a crack in the glass in the shape of a small streak of lightening. 'That one's mine then?' Harry asked. 'Yes. It is not on permanent display as I was sure you would be quite safe as long as your aunt and uncle did as I had asked, and a warning signal would alert me if they did not. And, of course, I had given your uncle the enchanted notepaper to let me know if any other problems arose that we had not accounted for. As I had heard nothing from him I assumed all was well. Incorrectly of course, as I now realise. If Severus hadn't returned and checked for your whereabouts when he so luckily did, we may never have known you were injured.' Harry privately thought that the only reason Snape had been checking up on him was in the hope that he would be able to get him into trouble in some way. Still, being at Hogwarts was far preferable to staying with the Dursleys so he wasn't about to complain. 'What I don't understand though is how the Dursleys could protect me,' Harry said, voicing the question that had been puzzling him ever since Snape had told him the Dursleys presence was necessary for his continued safety. A family more doggedly Muggle would be hard to find in Harry's opinion. 'They may not be wizards, Harry,' Dumbledore said with a smile, 'but your relatives intolerance for anything they consider even slightly out of the ordinary, along with their refusal to accept the possibility of a magical world parallel to their own, is a very strong deterrent all by itself.' 'It is?' 'Oh my yes. Of course that alone couldn't possibly hope to repel any wizard and especially not one as powerful as Voldemort, but it certainly bolsters the protection spells we placed on you and their house. The charms and wards we used also needed an anchor, and the strongest link to both you and the house was the Dursleys. Like it or not Harry, both your aunt and cousin share a blood tie with you and your uncle is joined by his own blood tie with Dudley.' 'I get it,' Harry murmured, understanding now. If the Dursleys had been told all of this in the letter Dumbledore had sent them, they obviously hadn't cared about the danger they were placing him in when they cleared off to see Aunt Marge, he realised without surprise. 'Now,' Dumbledore said purposefully, 'I understand from Professor Snape that we have another more pressing problem at the moment.' Lois! Harry suddenly remembered, guilt swamping him. He had just opened his mouth to explain what had happened when Professor McGonagall came into the room looking, for her, unusually unkempt – her robes were dusty along the sleeves and hem, while small strands of hair were escaping from her normally tight bun. 'Hello Professor,' Harry greeted her, careful to hide his surprise at her appearance. 'Hello Mr Potter, how are you feeling?' she asked kindly, examining him closely and nodding once when Harry replied truthfully, 'Okay.' 'Well Albus,' Professor McGonagall said, turning away from Harry to address the Headmaster directly. 'As you asked, I have trawled through all of the relevant past school acceptance lists and there is no trace of a Lois Scott being invited to attend Hogwarts.' 'Professor McGonagall has been looking for our guests name in the archives,' Professor Dumbledore explained at Harry's questioning look. 'As we do not know her actual age, we have searched the ten year period around which she would have most likely turned eleven, based on Professor Snape's estimation.' 'Do you think she could be a witch then?' Harry asked the Headmaster hopefully. 'I'm afraid not Harry,' Dumbledore said regretfully. 'As you know Professor Snape has already checked whether Miss Scott has any trace of magic on her, but in the absence of any obvious explanation, it seemed wise to double-check.' 'But there must be hundreds of names between those years – maybe Professor McGonagall missed her. Couldn't we just look for the people who didn't attend Hogwarts?' Harry asked, grimacing when he caught the immediate tightening of her lips at his words. 'Firstly, Mr Potter,' Professor McGonagall said in an offended tone, 'the only records we have are the lists of people who were deemed eligible to attend the school, irrespective of whether they did or not. Secondly, even if there were a record of people who were invited but did not attend, it would not be a small one – during You-Know-Who's reign, a number of parents turned down places at Hogwarts and sent their children to other magical schools, believing they would be safer outside of Britain. Thirdly, and most importantly, once I had found the correct parchments I used a magical tracker to search the archives for her name, so you see, I cannot possibly have missed her.' 'But her name could have changed,' Harry said, not wanting to give up so easily. 'Perhaps she's married!' 'I had thought of that Mr Potter,' Professor McGonagall said in a chilly voice. 'While there were two Scott's listed during her possible time here…' 'Maybe one of them is …' Harry interrupted. 'A Randolph and an Edward,' Professor McGonagall continued as if he had not spoken. 'There was most definitely no one by the name of Lois, Scott or otherwise,' she finished firmly. 'Oh,' Harry said, disappointed. 'I suppose,' said Snape slowly, 'it is possible that if she were born somewhere other than Britain, her acceptance could have been for another school entirely.' 'Do you have reason to believe she may be a witch after all, Severus?' Dumbledore asked, looking closely at Snape. 'I merely think it best Headmaster to fully investigate all possibilities. After all, if she is not a witch and if, as you say, the blow to the head cannot have caused her ability to see the castle, the only other explanation is that there are weaknesses in the defences surrounding Hogwarts.' 'Hmm yes.' Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes momentarily dimmed. 'I think it's time Harry, that I met your Miss Scott,' he said with a quick, bright smile. 'I presume you will want to accompany us?' he asked affably. 'Actually Albus, I think I'll leave you to speak with Miss Scott alone if I may,' Professor McGonagall said. 'There's no need to confuse her further.' 'Agreed,' Dumbledore replied. 'In that case I will also excuse myself,' Snape interjected softly. 'Nonsense Severus; I'm sure Miss Scott will be pleased to see another familiar face when she awakes.' Harry couldn't prevent the small snigger that escaped him at the thought of anyone, ever, being pleased to see Snape, but silenced instantly at the cold glare the Potions master levelled on him. Leaving Professor McGonagall pouring herself a cup of tea, the three of them headed back to the Great Hall to find Lois sleeping peacefully as Harry had left her. Dumbledore waved his wand over her still form and the stretcher rose slowly into the air and followed the Headmaster from the room. Harry and Snape trailed behind as Dumbledore guided Lois's floating form on a short walk to a small door that Harry had never noticed before. The Headmaster unlocked it with a tiny silver key and they all stepped inside what appeared to be a small and very ordinary bedroom. 'I thought it best we keep any strangeness to a minimum,' Dumbledore explained lowering the stretcher to the bed, which vanished immediately, before raising his wand again and murmuring, 'Ennervate.' *** Lois blinked slowly, her eyes gradually sliding open as she stared blearily around her, immediately struggling to sit up when the wooziness passed. Where was she? She wondered in panic, before noticing the three people surrounding her. Harry, she recognised gratefully, twisting her throbbing head cautiously to take in the tall, dark form of Professor Snape, and an elderly fellow she didn't recognise who was also dressed in robes like Snape. The white-haired man, she saw on closer inspection, had the most amazingly long beard and the kindest, wisest, most mischievous blue eyes she had ever seen. Simply looking at him filled her with a strange feeling of safety and peace. 'Where... where am I?' she finally managed to ask. 'You are within Hogwarts School,' the bearded man answered calmly. 'But, how did I get here? I... I was visiting Harry,' she recalled with difficulty through the throbbing of her head. 'And you,' she finally remembered pointing an accusing finger at Snape, 'were trying to kidnap him!' 'I was doing no such thing!' Snape snarled. A sharp look from Dumbledore banked his rage and he said in a quieter tone, 'I was merely escorting Mr Potter back to school. As you will recall,' he said as though talking to a child, 'you insisted on accompanying us to ensure he would be adequately cared for. We had just arrived here when you tripped and hit your head while walking up the stone steps to the school.' 'I did?' Lois said doubtfully. She really couldn't remember much past confronting the unfriendly stranger at Harry's house and something to do with a spatula? However, Snape's dark velvety voice was sinfully seductive, the hypnotising command in it making her want to believe his version of events almost without question. 'I'm afraid so,' the white-haired man replied. 'Please let me introduce myself – I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts,' he said holding out a firm hand for her to shake. 'I hope you will accept our hospitality for the night; it's the very least we can do considering it was while protecting one of our students that you were injured,' he said, turning back to Professor Snape to say, 'Severus, perhaps you could see to getting something for Miss Scott to take for her headache?' 'There's no need, really, I don't want to put you to any bother.' Lois insisted weakly, but her voice lacked conviction. She really felt most unwell and barely noticed when Professor Snape slid silently out of the door, closing it quietly behind him. 'It's no trouble at all, my dear,' Dumbledore assured. 'I think you should stay Lois,' Harry piped up. 'You look dreadful,' he said truthfully. While her sluggish brain was still frantically trying to process all the information she had been presented with, Lois suddenly found herself staring into a small glass containing a clear liquid that the newly returned Professor Snape was holding out for her. 'I don't think…' Lois began before the Headmaster interrupted. 'It's just a simple painkiller Miss Scott, it really will do you no harm.' Looking up at him, Lois was struck again by his kind gaze and knew instinctively that she could trust him with her life. 'Okay, well thanks,' she said raising the glass to her lips. She drank the medicine in one gulp, surprised to find that unlike most liquid painkillers, it had no taste at all. Her eyelids drooped almost immediately and she relaxed back onto the soft pillows, while Harry reached across to draw the downy quilt over her. 'Just before we leave you to your rest Miss Scott,' she heard Dumbledore murmur, as she began to drift into sleep, 'is there anyone you need us to inform of your whereabouts?' 'No,' she said simply. 'You have no family locally then?' he asked. 'Please do not worry if they are abroad, we could easily contact them for you.' 'No, all my family's in England, or at least, they were,' she mumbled. 'You were born here then?' The Headmaster asked oddly - just as though they were two strangers indulging in meaningless chitchat at a cocktail party, Lois thought, vaguely amused. 'Yep, born and raised,' she managed drowsily before her fluttering eyes fell closed. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore raised his hand to quiet him and shepherded both Harry and Snape from the room, locking it silently behind him. 'Well that's it then,' Snape intoned. 'The other Professors will be back soon,' Dumbledore said heavily. 'Until then, the three of us here will have to begin checking the wards and spells protecting Hogwarts immediately – there is obviously a break somewhere. Hopefully it only involves the charms shielding it from Muggle eyes.' He turned to Harry and smiled encouragingly at him. 'Well, that's nothing you need to worry about just yet Harry, but I must ask that you please stay within the castle itself until we know what we are dealing with. Also, I'm afraid, if you wish to see Lois again before she leaves, you cannot have your injuries healed today.' Harry nodded immediately, indicating that was fine. 'Very well then, would you like Professor Snape to get you a Pain Potion in the meantime?' Dumbledore asked, bushy eyebrows raised questioningly. 'No!' Harry said quickly unwilling to take anything Snape had prepared, which was a great shame because in all the confusion of Lois's arrival this morning, he had forgotten to pick up his pain medication from where it sat next to the kitchen sink. 'I mean, erm, I'll just take the Muggle stuff I've got. Thanks,' he added belatedly. He wasn't in too much pain anymore, but if it did get bad, he would just sneak to the Infirmary and see if Madam Pomfrey could give him something. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling merrily and Harry wondered, not for the first time, whether he really could read minds. 'In that case then Harry, you may as well head off to your dormitory to get settled in; the password will still be the same as it was when you left at the end of last term. I'll ask the house-elves to send you up some food.' 'But what about Lois, Professor?' Harry asked quickly as the Headmaster began to turn away. 'Her memories will obviously have to be Oblivated,' Snape said in a hard voice. Harry looked over at Professor Dumbledore. 'Will they?' 'Lois won't wake now till morning Harry; let's wait until then before we decide. Perhaps we can simply remove her memories of the last day or so,' he added comfortingly. Sincerely hoping that would be the case, Harry set off for Gryffindor Tower, his belated realisation of how happy he was to be home dampened by his worry over what the next day would bring.
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