A new home

Chapter 11

When Mark had given Harry the papers to color, he had come up to his room and started doing it. While he was coloring, he was also thinking about Snape's behaviors. The man had seemed nice to him recently. And he didn't know what to do about it. He was quiet sure the man hated him so what had changed the man so quickly? When he was still at the Dursleys', sometimes he had been tricked where his uncle suddenly seemed to care about him and the next minute laughed at him and punished him for believing it. He really didn't want that to repeat. Now he thought about that,  Snape had only done it because the man was his professor, it was his duty. He didn't really care about Harry. He was sad because just yesterday, he had thought that there's someone, an adult who really cared about him, his person and not the Boy Who Lived, but he had mistaken. He mustn't let himself fall for it or he'd be rejected and he couldn't bear that pain. He must remind himself that he doesn't deserve love. It was painful to think about, but it was the truth.
Harry had kept on coloring and later brought it down to Mark. The healer had even given him the packet of crayons. He was so so happy. When the man left, he, Snape and the Headmaster were left in an awkward silence.

As Snape heard Harry running down the stairs, the man had quickly shrank the packet of pull-ups and hid it in his pocket. Now he had to think of something for them to do for the day.
"Harry, do you have any plan for the day ?"
"No, sir" - the boy said shyly, still clutching the crayons to his chest.
"Why don't we go to that place with a big screen, which the muggles call... cinemi?"
"Cinema." - Severus said. It would be a good idea to find something to distract Harry from his medical report until Severus decided what to tell him.
"Is that ok with you, Harry?" - Albus asked the boy gently.
Harry looked up confused, then he said
"Yes, of course sir. I can occupy myself for the day while you go out. I won't break anything, I promise."
Harry thought that with his new gift from Mark, he would have no problem trying to keep himself out of the way.
The two men didn't think so though.
"What do you mean, Harry? You're coming with us" - Severus said, frowning.
"Huh?" - Harry was very confused now.
"But I don't have any muggle money, sirs"
"We'll pay for you, Harry. There's no need for money. You're merely a child" - Albus said.
"But I'm not like any other child. I...I don't deserve it" - Harry was getting frustrated, didn't they understand?
Severus knelt down in front of the child. He knew it would be hard and it would take time for the child to believe. He had been hearing for ten years how he was unworthy of love and care. It certainly wouldn't take them just a few days to fix it.
"Harry, please look at me."
Harry raised his tear-filled eyes.
"I will tell you this as many times as it would need for you to believe. You are a child. You. Deserve. Love. And. Care. And literally everything that the other children take for granted. You deserve to be happy and enjoy your childhood the way the other children do. From now on, you don't have to worry about looking after yourself anymore"
Albus also knelt down
"Harry, those muggles are liars. Don't you ever believe them. You are just like any other child, like Mr Weasly, Ms Granger. They deserve to be cared for, and so do you."
Harry was in tears now. No one had ever said that to Harry. Well, Severus did say that when the man had first found out about his past. But, this time it just hit differently. He wanted to believe very badly.
"How about this, if I ever hear you said that about yourself or believe those filthy muggles again, you will have to write a hundred lines" - Severus said
Harry stared at him with tears still on his cheeks, amused. What a... Snape-ish way to force Harry to do something.

The men waited a few minutes for Harry to consider their words. The Albus spoke up.
"Do you agree to come with us now, Harry?"
Harry nodded, wiping his face.
"Mark require you to have a snack at between meals. I'll make something." - Severus said and walked into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he walked out with a tray of carrot sticks, a few slices of cheese and a glass of milk. He also brought tea for himself and the Headmaster.
"Remember to drink your milk first"
All three of them sat down and Severus took out one of the books Mark had given him and started reading. It was 'Parenting guides for first-time parents from experts' . Albus chuckled, never in his life would he imagine Severus reading that. If he was lucky, he could capture a picture of that and put in an album.
After 15 minutes, Harry started to play with his food so they decided to move on. The boy still left 3 carrot sticks and half of the cheese.
"Go use the bathroom before we go, Harry" - Severus reminded the boy. He didn't want the boy to be shy in public and end up not telling them when he needed.
Harry quickly complied as the men cleaned up their small snack and tea.
Five minutes later and they were walking down the streets to the nearby town, where Severus knew there was a cinema.
They decided on the movie 'Paddington'. Honestly, Severus could care less about children's movies. But for Harry, he could tolerate it. God knows how long the boy had been longing for a chance like that. Even Severus' father had taken him to movies on occasions when he was in a good mood and not drunk. Harry deserved to experience real childhood.
Harry was engrossed in the movie. It was like he was having the time of his life, watching movies with popcorn and drinks. Drinks. Now came the problems. The drinks had caught up with his bladder. Caffeine makes us need the bathroom faster and more frequently. Cokes and sodas do contain a lot of caffeine. The room was also cold, which is another factor that make children need to pee more frequently. Luckily, the movies had just ended and they were heading out. Harry didn't know why but when he had noticed the urge, it had started to become too much and he started to squirm. Severus noticed
"Harry, do you need to use the bathroom?"
The boy nodded slowly.
Severus knew he had to be quick after hearing what Mark had said earlier.
"Albus, wait here, I'll get the boy to the bathroom."
He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and quickly walked to the direction of the bathroom. However, as it always is after a movie has ended, the bathroom was crowded and there was a line. Severus knew Harry wouldn't be able to wait. Fortunately, he spotted a staff.
"Sorry, is there any other bathroom nearby?"
"There's a family bathroom that way" - the young man said quickly guessing the state Harry was in.
They quickly made their way to where the staff had pointed after Severus said a quick 'thank you'. As they reached the bathroom, Severus pushed Harry in front of him, ushered the boy inside and locked the door behind them. Then, he quickly steered Harry to stand in front of the toilet and lifted the seat for him. However, Harry didn't move.
"No" - Harry whimpered softly.
"What?" - Severus said looking down at the boy who suddenly looked fearful
"I...I don't want to stand to pee. I want to sit down"
Severus was confused.
"Why not?"
Harry just shook his head.
"Ok, you can sit for now, we'll talk about it later" - Severus sighed as he put the seat back down.
Harry reached his trousers but couldn't undo the buckle. He was getting desperate and his fingers were shaking.
"S... sir? I can't undo my trousers"
Severus quickly turned the boy to face him, undid his trousers. Harry quickly pulled down his underwear, sat down and immediately started peeing, he didn't even wait for Severus to turn around.
The man sighed and turned to face the wall to give Harry some privacy. Why wouldn't the boy stand?
They would have to talk about that when they got home.
They came back out a few minutes later. Albus'eyes were twinkling.
"I see you two have made it"
Harry blushed.
On the way out, they stopped at the souvenirs shop. The men pretended they didn't looked at Harry so the boy could freely look around. Harry had started to get obsessed with Paddington. It was his first movie after all. He had spotted Paddington hooded blankets in the shop and really liked them. They looked very soft. He himself still kept the blanket that he was wrapped in when he was delivered to the Dursleys. It was from his parents. He had brought it to Hogwarts and to the Prince Manor. Toppy had washed it and it was in his trunk. All of his possessions or his parents' stuff that were still at the Dursley's had been collected and brought to Price Manor. The blanket from his parents had brought him comfort for many years, but now it was too small for him and he really wanted a new one. However, he couldn't ask the professors for it. It would be too much and he didn't want to be a burden.
The men had noticed and had waited to see if Harry would say anything. They knew they would get him one anyway though, to children, those things brought them comfort and Harry definitely needed it. However, the boy just looked away and kept on walking as if he hadn't even seen it. Albus decided to step in. He walked to the shelf of blankets, picked one up and said:
"Ah, a Paddington Bear blanket. I think it would be a brilliant idea for you to have one, Harry, my boy"
Harry turned around, his eyes widened.
"N...no, you don't have to"
Severus could see the boy was restraining himself.
"But I really want you to have one, too, Harry" - Severus said
It took another five minutes until they had convinced Harry to accept it. Still, Harry loved it and clutched the fluffy blanket  the whole time they walked home.

(The blanket was like the second one but it had the pictures like in the first one)
It was past lunchtime when they had gotten home so they quickly ate the sandwiches Toppy had made.
"I'll come back to Hogwarts after dinner." - Albus said as they finished lunch.
Severus nodded.
Harry yawned as he put his plate into the sink.
"Go and lay down on your bed, Harry. Rest for a few hours." - Severus said, remembering Mark's advice.
Harry made his way upstairs, holding the blanket close to his chest.
The afternoon went quiet smoothly. While Harry was taking a nap, Severus continued reading and discussed with Albus what to tell Harry of his medical report. They decided to tell Harry about his bladder problems and Mark's requirements.
About half past two, Harry walked down, his hair crazier and messier than ever, holding his stuffed giraffe in one arm and his blanket in the other. It was like he was going to transfer the sitting room into a bedroom. He sat down on the couch and was given another snack. He ate quietly as they sat in a comfortable silence.
After that, Albus took Harry outside and they walked around the garden while Albus pointed at different plants. They had a quiet dinner with pasta, which ended up quiet messy for a certain green-eyes boy. The boy's hands and face were covered in sauce. Severus was glad the boy hadn't had his bath.
"I'm going back to Hogwarts now. I'll return when I can. My work's nearly finished. I hope you two will have a good time together" - Albus said as his eyes twinkling, seeing Severus clean Harry's hand so that the boy wouldn't 'decorate his house in Gryffindor red'.
"Goodbye, sir. Thank you for today" - Harry said and went up to take a bath while Severus' face was a picture of horror.
Severus had never thought he would be shocked at the prospect of his adoptive father leaving his house. But now, he was supposed to tell Harry what Mark said all by himself? It would be a nightmare.
"Really, father? You're cruel"
Albus chuckled
"Now, now, Severus, it would be a good practice for you if you were to become his guardian"
It didn't sound very reassuring for Severus. But before he had the chance to say anything else, Albus had gone through the floo with a quick "See you later, Severus"
Severus was horror-struck. He was going to have to have that dreaded talk to Harry now and he also had to look at that issue he had discovered earlier at the cinema.
He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Happy Lunar New Year to you all, especially those who celebrate like my country. Next week is the holiday and I don't have school. Hopefully I will be able to update next week even though I have homework. Teachers are cruel to give homework during holidays.  😭