Deveraux's School for Magical Beings

Chapter Three

~Harry Potter~
As soon as we landed in the place we were meant to be, Professor Snapes home, I fell to my knees, retching all over the floor. Snape sighed, vanishing the bile, "I am sorry Potter. If I had another way to transport you I would have used it."
I shook my head, "I understand sir. Its not your fault." I felt him grasp my good arm and brace my shoulder, gently pulling me to my feet and wrapping my good arm around his shoulders while I held my broken arm tight to my chest.
Three figures, two women and a boy, appeared in the doorway and the oldest woman, presumably their mother, gasped, hurrying forward. Snape held up a hand, his voice stern, "I need to get him to a bed, Winona. He is more badly injured than I had thought."
The woman backed off, ushering the children, a boy who looked about eight and a girl who could be anywhere from a first year to a fourth year, both stared at me as we walked past, making me nervous. Was this the secret Professor Snape kept? The reason he kept all students at arms length?
We eventually made it to what seemed like a guest bedroom, and Snape helped me into the bed before leaving the room. The woman and children came in, staying off to the side, and finally I blurted out, "Hello, I'm Harry Potter!"
They all chuckled and the woman said, "We know who you are. My husband asked us if we were comfortable with you coming stay with us before he went and got you. My name is Winona, Winona Snape, formerly Winona Carlton. These are my children, my daughter Eiris and my son Augustus, although he prefers to be called August or Gus."
Before I could reply, Snape swooped into the room, a tray full of vials carried carefully.
He began handing me potions, listing off the names as he went, and handed me a glass of mango juice afterwards to wash down the taste of skele-gro.
Afterwards, Mrs. Snape waved her wand, dropping the glamor on Professor Snape, revealing a tall, well muscled man with thick black hair, non-greasy, pulled back from his face and long pointed ears. He sighed in apparent relief and rolled his shoulders.
He turned to me, "I will explain everything after you get some rest. As you know, one of those potions was a was a mild sleeping draught. Get some rest, I will know when you wake and I will bring you a meal, some potions, and I will explain to you while you eat. Get some rest, Potter."
I nodded, carefully rolling onto my stomach and wrapping my arm around a pillow. I heard him usher the others out of the room, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

When I woke, I found Professor Snape sitting calmly next to the bed in a chair, a tray of breakfast foods on his lap.
I carefully sat up, minding my wings and claws, "Good morning sir. Thank you again for coming to get me."
He smiled slightly and said, "You are welcome Potter. However, we will need to go visit the goblins so you can get an inheritance test done. It will be proof that you are what you say you are. Minerva, excuse me, Professor McGonagall, will also be coming by to join us."
I felt a smile spread across my face as I said, "She will? She cares enough to come and visit and see me?"
Professor Snape reached out, laying a gentle hand on my arm, and said, "Many of us staff members care deeply about our students, Mr. Potter. Minerva considers each and every one of her students under her protection like a lioness protects her cubs. Minerva never had children, she was hit with a spell when she was young that made it so she was unable to have her own, but she has grown to consider many of her students close to her own children. You and your parents were among those. Of course she cares. It was smart of you to write to her."
I looked down, avoiding his gaze, and said, "I hoped as my head of house she would be willing to help me. I had been writing to everyone else for several weeks with no reply, so I doubted that they would reply to me in time to help me."