The Stubborn Old Headmaster

36

'Harry, where are you?' Severus mind thought to Harry.

'I'm so sorry, Dad,' Harry thought back, trying hard not to make a sound. 'It's all my fault.'

'What is your fault?' Severus asked in genuine surprise.

'That Felix is sick. A voice told me that it could happen, but I didn't want that, and I'm so sorry.'

'Harry, Felix being sick is not your fault. Please come here and talk to me. Felix only has a cold, which happens to small children all the time, and it's not your fault. It has nothing to do with what happened this afternoon.'

'Are you sure that it's not my fault?' Harry asked, hopefully.

'I'm not only sure, I'm positive that Felix's cold is not your fault,' Severus replied firmly, sighing in relief as Harry slowly made himself visible right next to Felix.

"Harry, what are you doing? Do you think it's the right time to play making yourself invisible?" Minerva asked incredulously, causing Harry's eyes to fill with tears.

"Harry seems to believe that it's his fault that Felix has a cold, which of course isn't," Severus quietly explained to his wife. "Minerva, do you want to take Felix with you into your bed?" he then added, knowing that she always let the boys sleep in the parents' bed if they were sick.

"Well yes, but on the other hand, he's in such good hands here with Harry," Minerva replied, hesitantly, sensing that her oldest son needed the reassurance as a full family member and older brother. "Harry, don't you mind having your brother here?"

"Of course not," Harry gave back, feeling very reassured at the trust his mother seemed to have in him. He lay back, sighing in relief.

"Harry, in that case I want you to take a dose of Pepperup potion to be sure that you won't get sick as well," Severus spoke up in his soft silky voice, handing the boy a small phial, glad when Harry gulped it down without making a fuss.

"All right my dear, sleep well and call for us if you need us," Minerva said as she tucked Harry in and placed a kiss on his forehead, before she gently wiped Felix' flushed face with the cold cloth Harry had provided for the little tyke.

"Minerva, I'll follow you in a couple of minutes, I'd like to have a few words with Harry," Severus quickly filled her in, before she left the room, nodding her agreement.

"Harry, would you like to show me the memory of the voice that spoke to you?" the Potions Master queried, carefully casting the Legilimens spell when Harry nodded and turned his eyes to look straight into his father's. "That was Dumbledore," he told his son, pulling back out of his mind a minute later. "You know better than to listen to that old fool, Harry," he said softly, gently brushing an errand strand of hair from the boy's forehead.

"Thank you, Dad," Harry whispered in apparent relief. "Good night."

"Good night, son," Severus gave back, observing in relief that a small smile played on Harry's lips as his breathing evened out.

"Why in the world is Harry so quick to believe everything is his fault," Severus mused aloud as he lay down in his own bed next to his wife.

Minerva let out a long sigh. "It's probably still the after effect of his time with the Dursleys in combination with those of Dumbledore's attacks. He always felt guilty because he thought he'd endanger all of us," she replied softly, nestling into her husband's arm.

ハリーと頑固な校長先生

A few weeks later, Harry was just helping Felix to complete a huge floor puzzle of Hogwarts, when his parents announced they had to speak with him about something.