Severus : 5 Lucius : 5 Tom : 6
Harry woke up to the pitter-patter of rain against the windows and a warm touch of skin on his shoulder.
"Harry! someone called him, Harry, wake up!"
He slowly opened his emerald eyes. In the dim light coming from the door, all Harry could see was the figure of a kid. The kid couldn't be more than 6 years old. He had straight dark hair and dark eyes.
"What's wrong Sev? Nightmare?" Harry answered. He was still not completely awake. He grabbed his wand from the night-stand and checked the time with a quick Tempus. It was only 4AM.
"Come, Harry! It's Luc, he's sick..." The kid sounded worried and tears were brimming in his eyes.
Harry shook himself awake and quickly made for the door, grabbing the kid and carrying him on his hip. He was really crying now, his sniffles muffled by Harry's tee-shirt where the kid had laid his head in the crook of his neck. Harry kissed the top of his head, trying to reassure him.
Harry exited his room and went down the corridor to the next room, where two children were sitting on the floor against the bay window. The taller one, with black wavy hair and blue eyes, was visibly comforting the other one, a cutie with his long blond hair and silver eyes.
Harry let Severus go from his arms and approached the two. Severus ran directly to Lucius,
hugging his friend tightly. Harry sat in front of them and wiped the tears on the cheeks of his little boys.
"Now, what's wrong? Where does it hurt, Luc? he asked the blond.
-My tummy is aching, Harry! he responded.
-And he's hot too! added Tom from the side.
-You did good, all of you, to call me, Harry said as he applied a cooling charm on Lucius' forehead. Stay here boys, I'm coming back in a minute"
He kissed the three boys on their foreheads and went to retrieve a vial of potion in the bathroom. A simple Cure for all minor diseases. He had learned to brew it with Mrs Weasley, a Christmas holiday when Ron and the twins fell ill.
Back in the boys' room, he made Lucius drink a third of the potion and re-corked it for later. Now that the crisis had passed, the boys looked tired, Tom was even yawning. Harry carried them all to their bed. They had a king-sized bed because they wouldn't sleep separated. They slept in the middle, all cuddled together, with Tom and Lucius on both sides of Severus. Severus and Lucius were both 5 and Tom was the eldest, at 6. They would certainly want to change sleeping arrangements when they grew up.
After making sure they were comfortable and getting to sleep, Harry came back to his bed to catch a little sleep before the morning.
Day 1 – The battle of HogwartsSeverus : 4 Lucius : 4 Tom : 4
The Battle of Hogwarts, as it was instantly named, was at its peak. The battlefield was full of corpses from either side, young students laying with dark creatures at their sides, their eyes wide open, unseeing.
Most of the Death Eaters were dead or had fled. Some dark creatures were still standing and giving the Light side a great deal of work. Some of the last Aurors to be on the Light side had arrived 30 minutes ago and were trying to contain the creatures, so that the students, wounded but still alive, could evacuate to the infirmary.
Harry Potter was duelling with Lord Voldemort while his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, fought against Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy.
All fighters were covered with scratches and cuts, some deeper than others, created by spells and claws and knives. The teenagers were beginning to tire and their spells took longer to fuse. They were getting hurt more easily.
It was that moment that would be decisive for the future of the Wizarding World.
At this instant, an unknown spell came from Filius Flitwick, who was bleeding heavily from a deep gouge on his side. Infirmare Inimicus was the incantation. Weaken my enemy.
A great strike of light hit the three Dark wizards, before surrounding their bodies in a soft golden glow. The glow grew brighter by the second, until it became blinding.
When Harry opened his eyes again, three toddlers sat before him. One had dark brown hair and blue eyes, another had black hair and eyes and the third was a silver-eyed blond. It was easy to understand what had happened and who the toddlers were.
When the remaining Darks side fighters saw what happened, they fled, apparating from the spot, as the wards had fallen ages ago.
Some Aurors were approaching the little boys, wands raised. Their intent was written clearly across their faces: kill the Dark Lord and his most trusted followers before they could make even more damage.
Thinking fast, Harry threw a shield at the boys and went to pick them up from the ground. They were crying, screaming for their parents. They quite obviously didn't know where they were and who the people surrounding them were.
To Harry, they were only toddlers, scared to death, but the Aurors and his friends were looking at him as if he had grown another head.
"Harry, what are you doing ? asked Hermione, softly.
-What are we going to do with them ? replied Harry, are we going to kill children ?
-You know who they are, mate, added Ron, we can't let them live, they're monsters.
-Mr. Potter, said an Auror, please give them to me.
- I can't do that, Harry sighed. I won't let you harm them. They maybe grew up to become the monsters we know but right now, they are only kids and too many kids have died today already. We can try to raise-
-No, mate, cut Ron, no, you can't give them another chance, they fucked up too much. How do you think you can change them ?
-By giving them what they lacked ! screamed Harry, giving them the love and affection they didn't get, raise them to learn respect and compassion, by being human with them for once ! "
The others were raising their wands, ready to fire Stupefys and take the boys from him, but Harry was faster. He apparated to the first safe place he thought of.
He was now in the seventh floor corridor, with arms full of toddlers still screaming their lungs off, pacing three times in front of the blank wall, waiting for the door to appear. The Room of Requirement, perfect for all situations, impossible to enter while somebody was already using it. He prayed the Room was still capable of functioning after their little stunt with the Fiendfyre earlier.
I need a place to be safe, I need a place where no one can enter, I need a place to raise three children. The wishes were rudimentary but he was in a rush and would make do with what the Room would give him.
After the three passes before the wall, an ornate wooden door appeared. Wasting no time, Harry opened the door and rushed inside with his light burden.
The door slammed shut after him, many bolts sliding into place and a heavy rock falling before it. Harry also sensed wards closing the opening more securely.
They were safe.
Day 21 – Breakfast and nicknamesSeverus :6 Lucius : 6 Tom :8
Severus was just over 6, Lucius 6 ½ and Tom was the eldest, at 8. They were 4 when Harry rescued them. Lucius and Severus aged a year every 10 days approximately and Tom was aging around twice as fast as the other two, a year every 5 days.
Harry didn't know why they were aging that fast, but, according to his calculations, they would come back to their initial age within a year. He hadn't had the time to ask the specifics of the spell before fleeing but it was most likely related to the fact that they lived in the Room of Requirement. Harry wasn't sure it was fully functional and tried to use it as little as possible while living inside it –it was quite complicated.
It had, for the moment, two floors, two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, a bathroom, a study and a potions laboratory. There was also a large garden at the back, where all kinds of flowers were growing.
The defences were holding fast, even if they could hear someone banging against the door every day at noon.
Despite all of this, Harry was trying to raise three little boys alone and to give them all the love they needed, and it was definitely hard.
He gave nearly all his time to them, only retaining some 5 hours a week to read Defence journals that kept appearing on the shelves in the study.
As the boys were all 6 by now, he began teaching them how to write, read and count. He had no idea how the learning went in the wizarding world so he based his lessons on the memories he had from muggle ones he received at that age.
He also began to explain magic to them, what he was doing with his wand on an everyday-life basis and how everything was made easier because of it. He wanted them to know the worth of magic, he taught them everything the muggle way and then demonstrated the easier way with magic.
The boys loved the new spells he showed them and he was delighted to see them as amazed as he had been when he had seen magic for the first time, at 11.
This morning, the three little boys had decided to make breakfast themselves, without telling Harry. As it was a Sunday, Harry was sleeping later and the boys had ample time to prepare everything before he awoke.
Tom was leading the other two, having observed Harry for the past week, memorising where everything was.
He directed them to the cupboards to fetch the glasses, the cups and bowls, and the cutlery.
He took the pumpkin juice, butter and milk from the charmed-cold cupboard, the bread and croissants from the top counter and put it all on the table top.
They arranged the items for all four of them and picked a bright yellow flower from Harry's garden to lay in the middle.
Harry sometimes put flowers from the garden all over the house, brightening the rooms and bringing in new smells.
When they deemed everything perfect, they went to Harry's room to wake him up. The door was opened already, Harry left it open because he knew the little guys were too small to reach the handle (Tom was taller than the other two but he slept so soundly that when the little ones needed something they had to come to Harry).
Harry woke up when Lucius jumped on his stomach, blowing the wind out of his lungs.
"Ouch, Luc, what are you doing so early in the morning ? he sighed.
-It's already 10am Harry, said Tom.
-And we prepared breakfast ! yelled Lucius, still perched on Harry, With croissants !"
The boys were smiling, and Severus climbed on the bed to tickle Harry in the neck. They had had a tickle war earlier this week and Severus made sure to remember everyone's weak spots because, as the smallest, he was the easiest target. After torturing their elder, the boys dragged him to the kitchen. Harry was smiling softly and bended down to kiss the little guys on their foreheads.
"Thanks lovely, he said to Lucius, thanks darling, he continued, to Tom, thanks sweetheart, he finished with Severus.
-Lovely ? Darling ? Sweetheart ? they asked, with little frowns.
-I think these would be the perfect nicknames for you cuties, exclaimed Harry, a grin playing on the side of his mouth. Yeah, I'm going to call you that from now on ! "
He laughed at their faces and settled down to honour their beautiful present.
Day 26 – The question of memoriesSeverus : 6 Lucius : 7 Tom : 9
Harry was worried. The boys had been having multiple headaches these past few days. Even with painkiller potions and soothing charms, they were still rubbing their temples in pain.
He had performed countless diagnostic spells but all came back blank. He was beginning to get desperate.
"Harry ? asked Lucius.
-What is it Lovely ? Still have a headache ? I'm working on it, don't worry.
-I see pictures…
-You see what ? demanded Harry, distracted. He was scouring medical journals to find a cure.
-I see pictures, said Lucius, a little louder, in my head !"
That got Harry's attention. He asked the two other boys if they had images in their heads too, and after getting a positive answer, began thinking about a new hypothesis.
"Okay boys, I need your help. Can you describe the pictures to me ?
-There is a big man, and he's angry, Severus began. He's hitting a woman and drinking. He insults me too. I'm scared, Harry."
Harry was paling a little. He had an inkling as to what the 'pictures' were. Memories from their original childhoods.
"I have different ones, continued Lucius. I am alone in a big house and when the people are here they ignore me."
Tom was the last to speak.
"I am in an orphanage, I think, he said. The person in charge, a woman, she's drinking and locking me in my room. The other children are scared of me. I don't know why."
Tom seemed to have better memories than the other two, probably because he was a little older.
So the boys were getting their memories back… Harry didn't know what to do. Tell them the truth or ignore it ? If the process was constant, ignoring it would be counter-productive. Harry wanted the boys to trust him, he couldn't lie to them, not about something so important. They had to know the truth and Harry had to find a way to lessen the pain it was causing them.
First things first : how to tell children that they were only de-aged version of their adult selves ? Harry had no doubt the kids would understand. They were all really smart and seemed to understand all things magic with little effort.
He suddenly had a flash of genius. A story. His boys demanded a story every night before bed and Harry had become quite the story-teller. He just needed to present the situation as a story and get them to find the truth themselves.
"Story time kids !" he exclaimed.
The boys smiled and gathered on the couch on Harry's sides, Tom on his right, cuddling with Severus, and Lucius on his left, his head on Harry's chest.
"Once upon a time, began Harry, there were three great sorcerers.
-What were their names ? asked Lucius. He always wanted the heroes to be named after him.
-Their names were Tom, Lucius and Severus, said Harry. The boys smiled at him. They were strong and had many enemies.
-The enemies were just jealous, Severus piped up, because they're not as strong !
-Sure ! Let's say the enemies were jealous of their strength, agreed Harry. The three sorcerers were on a quest and had to fight their enemies to get the prize.
-What was the prize ? asked Tom.
-They would become Lords of the land and rule over the other wizards.
-That's a good prize, said Lucius, very seriously.
-Yes, continued Harry, so the sorcerers were determined. They were fighting against the strongest of their enemies when one wise foe came up with a plan. He had invented long ago, a time-bending charm.
-What's that ? demanded Severus.
-It's a charm that can alter time at one point in space, answered Harry. It can be used in herbology, to make plants grow faster or in the medical field, to put patients in a stasis, long enough for the Healers to find a cure. It takes a great deal of energy so it's not used that much."
Harry had done some research, with the help of the Room. Apparently, Flitwick used a variant of this charm, with the same wand movement and focus but a different incantation.
"When he used his charm on the sorcerers, it had a different outcome, however." He added a pause for effect. "They became children ! The charm had taken their time and reversed it, so that the strong sorcerers would be at their weakest point, before they had learned any magic."
The boys were captivated by the impromptu story. Now for the difficult part.
"One of their enemies saw that the sorcerers, became toddlers, were in a danger of getting killed by the strongest of his side. He knew that the sorcerers were great and fought them only because he had to. He liked the sorcerers and wanted to be with them but he couldn't leave his friends on the opposite side. His name was Harry." The boys had their eyes wide open. Never before in a story was Harry on a different side from them. He continued his story without letting them the time to comment.
"Harry took the sorcerers and Apparated in a safe place. The time-bending charm would fade away with time, the sorcerers would be adult again in a short time, he reassured the boys, who were getting sad for their heroes, but for the moment they were toddlers and he had to take care of them. He would make them happy in hope that the three sorcerers would be grateful when they became adult again. The end."
Harry was a little anxious, waiting for the boys to voice their opinion about the story, as they always did.
"I like this story, said Severus, the sorcerers are protected and happy at the end.
-And they gain a new ally." added Lucius.
Tom was looking at Harry, thinking about the story. Some things seemed familiar, even more with their names.
"We are the sorcerers, aren't we, Harry ? he asked. I remember when we were little you explained that you were our new family. And that's why you have four wands ! They're our wands !
-Is that why we have pictures in our heads ? asked Severus.
-Yes, answered Harry, proud that the boys put it together. You are the sorcerers, and the wands are yours. And I think your memories, from your first childhood, are coming back to you."
The boys took a moment to think about it.
"That's so cool ! exclaimed Lucius, are we really strong ? Are we going to be the Lords of the land ?
-Yeah you're really strong, you'll remember, you're awesome!
-But Harry, if the story is true, that means you're our enemy."
Silence fell after Severus' intervention. So much for guarding their trust with truth.
"I said in the story, explained Harry, that I had to fight you. I was born and raised on this side and all my friends and family were your enemies. If I had tried to join you, I would have been killed. I admired you from afar and sabotaged some of our operations to help you. I'll show you in the Pensieve if you want."
The boys looked reassured.
"And am I not taking good care of you ? Because that's the most important thing right now. You can't remember me as I was before, when I was your enemy, but now that I'm your family, aren't you happy ? That's the only thing I want, to take care of you. I hope that telling you the truth will help you. I'm sure that lying and hiding what I was to you in the past could only harm you in the future. Take some time to think about it. During that time I'll find a way to stop your memories from hurting you."
Day 31 – HeightsSeverus : 6 Lucius : 7 Tom : 10
It was four days after the big revelation. The boys had seen some of Harry's memories, and thought a little on their own. When they had come back they all agreed that Harry was really on their side anyway and that, as he was their family now, there was no problem. They were now constantly asking him for information on their adult selves and Harry tried to tell them all he knew. Tom was delighted to know that he would be the Lord and the other two would be his subordinates. Severus said that he always knew he would be the best Potions Master in history and Lucius was happy that he was rich and had a son, as it was 'important to continue the Malfoy line'.
The memories were flowing in more easily since they knew what it was and when they were in pain, Harry made them take some of the extra memories to put in the Pensieve. They remembered but the memories were not as vivid and overwhelming.
Today they were asking about their future heights, as Lucius had taunted Severus because he was smaller.
"Who will be the tallest when we get back to our adult selves, Harry ? asked Severus.
-I don't really know… I think it's you Sweetheart. Then again you're all really close in height. Maybe you have some couple of centimetres on them ?
-I don't believe you, cried Lucius, I'm totally the tallest !
-Don't be so childish, chided Tom, it doesn't matter."
Tom was trying to be more mature than the younger ones but Harry saw that he was displeased by the fact he wouldn't the tallest. Harry had an idea to make them settle down.
"Let's make a growing tree, he said.
-What is it ? they asked
-We choose a spot, in the house, where we will mark down your heights and you can compare them. Come on, choose a wall or a doorway, we'll start now."
The boys chose the doorway linking the kitchen and the garden and Harry used his wand to slightly burn the wood. Tom was the tallest but also the oldest and Harry told Severus that he could compare his height to Tom's when he would reach 10 years old.
Harry was glad to see that he was making progress. From what he had seen of Dumbledore's memories, Tom had been a quiet and sullen child the summer before Hogwarts.
Here, at 10, Tom was a happy and smiling little boy. He loved Severus and Lucius like he would his brothers and reached out to them and Harry for physical affection.
Harry didn't know much from the other two's childhoods, only that it was far from loving and warm. He was scared that he spoiled them too much but would never stop complimenting and cuddling them.
Apparently the boys retained from their memories a thirst for love and recognition and didn't take it for granted, which prevented them from being too spoiled. It also broke Harry's heart to see them flinch from his touch the first day after they regained their memories, as if he would strike them. The instinct to recoil vanished the second day, after being swallowed in a sea of hugs and kisses.
The boys also seemed to like it when he used the pet names he came up with –Lovely for Lucius, Sweetheart for Severus and Darling for Tom- and he used them all the more when he realised it.
As Tom was getting bigger, he asked Harry to have a room of his own. Harry was reluctant to use the Room but it worked quite well for now, providing them with books and food as needed, even if sometimes there were some mishaps.
He took all the boys' possessions from their room and wished the Room to create separate sleeping quarters for the three of them. One of the rooms had a window upside down and another was bare white everywhere but on the ceiling where all the tapestry was concentrated but the boys loved their new rooms. Tom took the one with the upside down window, as he loved lazing in bed and could see outside without moving from his position. Severus loved the drape of the tapestries and the cozy feeling it was giving off, so he chose the second one. Lucius didn't like anything out of place and was quite happy with the perfect third room.
Day 37 – Tom's wand and the beginning of magical studiesSeverus : 7 Lucius : 8 Tom : 11
When Tom was finally 11 (finally because he couldn't stop talking about it, anticipating the memories of his first year at Hogwarts and finally being able to do magic), Harry gave him back his wand and taught him first-year material. Harry used his experience as a teacher from the DA back in fifth year and first year books he got from the Room. All the books had bright pink covers but the contents seemed untouched.
It helped that Tom remembered most of his first year and could re-learn a spell and master it on the first try. The program had apparently been a little bit different when he attended Hogwarts because some of his memories contained spells and potions from Harry's second year.
From that point on, Tom had free access to the bookshelves and could ask any book from the Room. Before that, it had been Harry who wished the books in and out the shelves.
Lucius and Severus were jealous and became quite impossible to handle because they wanted to spy on Tom when he was practising.
After a while, Harry accepted them in the study with Tom and him while they were practising. He occupied them by giving them potions ingredients they had to label and sort. Harry discovered he was quite adept at potions when nobody tampered with his cauldron or distracted him. He exercised with Tom and became better with Severus' help. He was already a little genius in potions, knowing most of the ingredients needed in potions for first years to third years and their different uses. Harry had given him an encyclopaedia of medicinal plants and potions ingredients some weeks ago and he appeared to have swallowed it whole.
Lucius was particularly interested when Tom was practising wand movements, spells and charms. He imitated him with a stick he had found in the garden.
Tom was brilliant at every subject. It seemed to Harry that he just knew or felt the magic so intimately he just had to think about the effect to have the incantation, or wand movement. It was quite impressive to see him at work.
He wanted to learn everything and made the perfect student, always concentrated and attentive.
To spice things up, Harry gave him assignments. He could use the books or seek help from Harry but had to do most of the work himself, as Harry only gave him clues and not the answers.