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Chapter Text

Entering the Great Hall was an awe-inspiring experience for everyone.
The the first years’ eyes were wide with wonder. Other years' eyes were wide open in observation. Who will be a Gryffindor? Or a Slytherin? Maybe this one will be a Ravenclaw? And this one will surely be a Hufflepuff. Bets were on during the Sorting Hat song.

They all had an opinion on the new students. Except on one.

This child left everyone perplexed, students and teachers alike. Was it a girl or a boy? Long, mostly shiny black hair tied in an intricate braid except for one pure white strand that hid half of their face made it difficult to identify them. Their body gave no further clue, small and thin as it was. In fact, this child was the smallest of the lot by a good head.
And they kept their head down, as if they didn't want to be seen and observed.

The Sorting Hat finished its song, which as usual dealt with the importance of the Hogwarts houses unity, and Professor McGonagall explained how the Sorting worked before calling the children one by one.

After sorting several students to the various houses, Professor McGonagall finally called the student who made so many people curious:
“HARRY LOKISON! »

The child, finally recognized as a boy, timidly approached the stool. When he raised his head to allow the professor to place the Sorting Hat on his head, there were jumps and exclamations. The boy's face was indeed special.
The first thing that caught your eye was the large scar that ran from the middle of his forehead to the bottom of his left cheek. It was clear to anyone who saw this face that fire was the reason for this mark. But far from being unsightly, the pink shapes mixed with white that were visible in the scar made it look almost magical.
Next came Harry's eyes. His right eye was a deep emerald green. The left eye, undoubtedly touched by the fire, was black, so black that no pupils could be seen.
But what made people not look away, a usual reaction when you are caught observing something that could cause unease for someone, was the shy smile he gave to the teacher and then to the students who observed.

It was a smile of such innocence, of such freshness that even the most hardened Slytherins felt protective of this child already so damaged by life. His small stature and the state of his face left no one in doubt that his childhood must not have been the happiest.

Harry sat on the stool, the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, thus completely blocking his face from the view of others.

“Harry…Lokison? That’s not your birth name, is it, young man? No, no, don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I see in your head. Your story is both sad and beautiful. A story of immeasurable hatred followed by deep love.
But I have to sort you now or the old fool will start asking questions.
Gryffindors seem too... excited, for someone like you who prefers calm. Oh, they have a good heart but you won't feel completely comfortable with them.
The Hufflepuffs... No, you are only loyal to a few people at the moment and your loyalty must be earned dearly. And you are way too complex, they wouldn't fully understand you despite their good intentions.
Ravenclaws already suit you more but their studious side will only isolate you. I know you don't see this as a bad point but I think it will be better for you to make friends other than by sharing academic knowledge.
I think I'll send you to Slytherin. After all, isn’t your brother a snake? You also speak their language if I'm not mistaken. And then, you are cunning even if you don't have big ambitions yet.
Yes, I think I will send you to

SLYTHERIN!”

The Great Hall was silent for several seconds. That little boy, looking so innocent and frail, among the snakes? Actually, even the Slytherin students didn't expect it. After seeing his face, everyone had bet on Hufflepuff.

Only Professor Snape was not surprised. The child's injuries demonstrated a difficult childhood and it was not uncommon for abused children to end up in his house. After all, cunning was also a quality developed by the need to outwit one's attacker, whoever they were, in order to survive. He was the first to applaud the new student in his charge. He was quickly followed by the rest of the Hogwarts population.

Harry turned back to the head of his House and gave him a rad smile. Although he let nothing show, the smile warmed the heart of the embittered Professor.
He then walked towards the green and silver table and sat down alongside the few first year students already sorted.

Sorting resumed, sending the students to their new home, their new family for the next seven years.
Draco Malfoy was, obviously, sorted into Slytherin and immediately sat next to this intriguing Harry Lokison. He held out his hand, observing the form of his opposite person in detail.

- Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble and Ancient House Malfoy.

- Pleased to meet you, Malfoy heir. I'm Harry Lokison, I'll keep quiet about the houses I'm heir to for the moment, if you don't mind.

Draco was surprised by this answer. But he quickly understood the reason for the Sorting of this boy among the snakes. Yes, some information is to be earned and Harry obviously wanted it not to come to light in public. Especially since it was quite obvious that a good part of the surrounding students had their ears open to hear more about this stranger who seemed to know the customs of Purebloods but whom they had never met.
The Purebloods all knew each other. Even when they weren't around each other, like the Notts and the Longbottoms, or couldn't stand each other, like the Malfoys and the Weasleys, they knew everyone in every family by name.
But they had never heard of Purebloods called "Lokison", or even of any Harry.

They had all heard of a Harry, of course. Harry Potter. Because even though he was a Half-blood, the Potter family was one of the most famous Pureblood families. It was primarily a family linked to the Light that had provided many Aurors recognized for their skills.
But no one knew where Harry Potter was now. They expected to see him this first day at Hogwarts but his name was never called.

Some were disappointed, especially among children coming from Light families. Others were indifferent, including the vast majority of Muggleborns. And some felt great relief. This was Professor Snape's main feeling, obviously, but it was shared by some Slytherins who feared that the arrival of the Boy-Who-Lived would only reinforce the unfair treatment they suffered and Dumbledore's blatant favoritism towards the Gryffindor house where Potter would inevitably have landed.

Reactions to this absence were mixed among teachers.
Professor Snape's relief contrasted with the concern of Professor McGonagall or Hagrid. Hagrid had not even managed to find the Muggle family with whom little Harry had lived. The other teachers did not have the same concern and showed varying degrees of indifference.

But two people, although they didn't show it, shared another feeling: anger.

Professor Dumbledore was furious that Harry Potter was not present. Oh, he knew that the Dursleys wouldn't treat the boy normally, and he was counting on it to have a puppet won over to his cause from the start of the school year. He had planned everything, little Potter would see him as his savior who would take him away from a surly and hateful family. And by sending Hagrid to give him his letter, he ensured his loyalty and his distrust of Slytherin. Everything was calculated, even the arrival of the Weasley family at the station when they usually went there by floo.
But the brat had ruined everything, he was nowhere to be found. Well, he hadn't yet had time to really search, it must be said that there was only a month between Hagrid's failed attempt to find him and the start of the school year. And being the Headmaster of a magic school was a lot of work during summer.

Professor Quirrell impatiently awaited the arrival of the child who had ruined his Master's life. He had learned that the old fool was going to keep the Philosopher's Stone in the school the same year Harry Potter arrived. Using the kid to succeed in recovering the stone was an ideal plan. And if he could kill the child in the process, well... Only, Harry Potter wasn't there. And the old fool had absolutely not communicated the reasons for his absence. He acted as if everything was normal. It was frankly strange and confusing.

It was with these ideas that the feast began. The first year students were amazed when the dishes appeared on the tables. The second year students gently made fun of their reaction while the other students reminded them that they had the same one the previous year.

Harry was delighted when the food arrived. He was starving. His father had accompanied him from New York to London and, with the time difference, he had not eaten in far too long for his liking. He observed his peers to make sure not to make any mistakes, watching the way they used the cutlery and imitating them.

Draco, who discreetly looked at his new peer, understood that he was absolutely not used to the habits and customs of an English meal.

- Lokison, your accent doesn’t sound completely English, where are you from?

- Oh, is that true? I must confess I haven't been to England since I was 5, I must have lost a lot of my accent since then. My current place of residence is in New York, America. My father has several of his friends there as well as his brother and wanted me to spend a little time in an English-speaking country before heading back to England.

- I see. I have to admit that I don't know America all that well. Did you live in a non-English speaking country before?

- I have lived in many places that I think you know as little as America. But we’ll talk about it next time, if you don’t mind, the jet lag has made me hungry, Harry replied with a shy smile.

The meal was spent in a pleasant atmosphere, everyone getting to know their classmates or chatting with the older students to better understand Hogwarts and how it all worked. The surrounding hubbub calmed down after dessert when the Headmaster stood up to make his speech.

His remark about the third floor corridor made the Gryffindors laugh but the Slytherins looked at each other, confirming that they thought something fishy was going to happen this year. Indeed, warning children and adolescents that there is a danger of death was the best way to have a few curious students wanting to check for themselves.

After the school anthem was sang, the students were sent to their common room.

Harry, Draco and the other first years followed their prefects into the dungeons until they stopped in front of a wall seemingly identical to the ones they had just passed. Harry noticed a small snake engraved on a stone at the top of the wall and discreetly showed it to his peers who responded with a nod of thanks.

“Aconite” declared the prefect, Marcus Flint, in front of the wall which then opened to allow access to the Slytherin common room.

At first glance, the dark atmosphere of the dungeons, whose large bay window overlooked the depths of the lake, could seem cold.
But we quickly realized that the room was cozy, its black armchairs and sofas inviting you to rest and read. The walls were covered with bookcases filled with precious tomes. The large fireplace, in which a roaring fire warmed the atmosphere, was covered with sculptures of snakes of various breeds intertwined in complex figures.

The students were invited to line up in order, the youngest in front, the oldest behind, in order to wait for the arrival of their head of house.

Professor Snape arrived once all the students were in place, attentive and silent. The presence of the professor caught everyone's attention. His low, deep voice then rang out.

- Good evening everyone. Welcome to the first year students, I am Professor Snape, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but above all your Head of House.
Slytherin House is the house created by Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of the school. It is also the house in which the main qualities are cunning and ambition.
Unfortunately, many people believe that these qualities will automatically make you a dark or evil wizard and will seek to harm you. This is why the main rule of your new home is mutual aid and solidarity. Slytherin students are a family. Any quarrel or argument between you should not leave the Common Room because you will have to present a common front to the other students in the school. There is no way a Slytherin student will find himself isolated in the corridors.
Harassment or exclusion of one of your classmates will not be tolerated in this house. Whatever your blood or wealth status, I will not tolerate derogatory remarks between you.

With these words, the teacher swept his eyes over his students. He knew full well that some Purebloods would still manage to do it behind his back, but he also knew that the vast majority would not let a few radicals harm the atmosphere in the house. At Hogwarts, it was them against the other three houses. If they wanted to get through their seven years in peace, they had to be united. He was particularly wary of a few sixth and seventh years. Growing up, they had learned many things from their parents, especially in terms of quite dark and cruel spells and curses but also the ideology which had given birth and fruition to the Dark Lord many years before.

- I would hope that I will not need to repeat myself about this particular fact. I would like to inform you, as well as remind your elders, that I expect the greatest seriousness from you in your studies. If you experience difficulties in a particular subject, study sessions will be organized throughout the year. I also advise you to rely on each other for support. Slytherin students are disadvantaged by other teachers, whether they do it consciously or not. To balance their prejudice, I will be visibly biased towards you, giving you more points and taking more away from students from other houses. I also take care of any detention given by your other professors. But that does not mean that you will not be punished harshly in the privacy of this room or my office. I will not tolerate disrespect, laziness or any other attitude in my snakes. If you believe that a sanction is not justified, you come and talk to me about it. If it turns out that the sanction was justified and that you tried to get out of it through me, I warn you that you will not like the consequences.

Again his gaze swept the room. Some older students looked down. Indeed, they hadn't appreciated the consequences and had learned the hard way that Professor Snape was righteous, even if the other houses didn't realize it.

- For the last point of this meeting, I inform you that from tomorrow evening and for the duration of a week, a compulsory visit to the infirmary is organized. Tomorrow evening, the first year students will go there to do a health check which will allow me to plan the distribution of potions if they prove necessary. The next day, the second year students will go there and so on. All, and I mean all, students must attend. There is no point in hiding a health problem that could be easily treated. No misplaced pride will deviate from the rule. I assure you that the information collected by Mrs. Pomfrey, our nurse, will not be made public. If the need for a potion exists, I will be informed. If a more serious problem is detected, I will be informed as will Headmaster Dumbledore.

He refrained from saying that the Headmaster had the unfortunate tendency to forget the information he received each year. If he had not been the Head of the Slytherins, many cases of abuse would never have been resolved, because he did not forget and did everything possible to help his students.

- Do you have any questions? No? Fine. My office is open to you every day between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you can come there if necessary. It is also possible to ask me for an appointment. Do not hesitate to come see me or one of your prefects. I leave it to your prefects to introduce you to your rooms. I wish you a good evening, the timetables will be delivered to you tomorrow during breakfast.

Chapter Text

The students spent their first night in their new dormitory without incident. The boys and girls were divided into same-sex dormitories of four students.

Draco invited Harry to share a dormitory with a tall mixed-race boy named Blaise Zabini and a rather discreet boy with glasses called Theodore Nott. They decided by mutual agreement to address each other by their first names.

The four-poster beds covered with green hangings stitched with silver were extremely comfortable and cozy. The boys took turns in the adjoining bathroom before going to bed.

Harry was the first to wake up the next morning, a good two hours before his scheduled time, and took a shower before changing and heading out to spend time in the common room. He immediately became interested in the multitude of books available and set his sights on a heavy tome so old that the title was no longer readable. He sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace and started reading.

Little by little, the common room filled up. Several students looked curiously at Harry who was still immersed in his old grimoire. One of them, obviously a fifth or sixth year, approached to look over the young man's shoulder.

- Hey! What are you reading, Lokison? It seems very complicated for an eleven year old in my opinion. It’s not even written in English!

Harry finally looked up from his book and saw the students looking at him. He immediately blushed and replied shyly:

- It’s a book about potions, it’s written in Cambrian. It’s quite interesting, really!

- In what now?

- In Cambrian, it is a language which disappeared in the Middle Ages. I didn't even know that there were texts in this language left on M... in England!

The young boy’s excitement made a few snakes smile. Others frowned. How could this child read this book if it was written in an ancient language?

It was at this moment that Harry's roommates finally came down from their dormitory. He put a bookmark and put down his book before getting up to join them.
They left together to have breakfast in the Great Hall.

At the end of breakfast, Professor Snape handed out the timetables. Their first class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts, would be with the Ravenclaws, then they would have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and, after lunch, a double Potions class with the Gryffindors.

The teacher reminded the first year students that they had to go to the infirmary after their last lesson.

The students returned to their dormitory to collect the things they would need for the day.
The DADA class seemed like a bit of a joke, Professor Quirrell looking like he was afraid of his own shadow and stuttering a lot. Of course, they only studied theory that day.

- Draco, aren’t there cures for stuttering? A potion, a spell… something? It’s a real handicap if you can’t even pronounce a spell correctly!

Draco thought about what Harry had just whispered to him. He hadn't thought about it before but it's true that he had never heard of a wizard with this impediment. He promised himself to talk to his godfather about it after Potions class.

The Herbology course was much more interesting to them. Professor Sprout presented them with the work plan for the year before showing them the first plant on which they were going to work in the next lesson.

After lunch, the Slytherins and Gryffindors met in front of the Potions classroom. Looks were suspicious, everyone waiting for an attack coming from the opposing house.

Harry suddenly approached a red-headed Gryffindor.

- Hey, Ronald! How are you?

Everyone looked at the little snake with wide eyes. Ron couldn't believe his eyes. He thought that by being sorted into Slytherin, the boy he had spent several hours talking to on the Hogwarts Express would pretend not to aknowledge him.
At first suspicious, he read in his comrade's eyes a gentleness and sincerity which calmed his anxiety.

- It’s going very well, Harry. How did you find your first classes? I got Charms and Transfiguration this morning, it’s really great!

- I got Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. Herbology seems interesting but Defense... The professor doesn't really make you want to be interested in his subject. It’s a shame, the books I read were so fascinating!

- Harry? Do you know Weasley? Draco interjected, looking at the Gryffindor with a condescending look.

- Oh yes, we were in the same compartment on the train! Did you know that one of his older brothers works in a dragon reserve? And another is a curse-breaker for Gringotts!

Draco looked at the redhead, realizing that apart from what his father had told him, he knew nothing about this family. A dragon tamer and curse-breaker? It was far from the dregs of humanity that his father had described to him.

- Dragons? Really? Have you ever seen any, Weasley?

Ron was surprised at Malfoy’s interest. He looked at Harry who seemed perfectly happy with the way things were going, if his enthusiastic smile was anything to go by. He then decided that, for the sake of the little snake, he was going to make the effort to have an open mind. From what he had observed from the time spent with him on the train, Harry was a fundamentally good child, even if he had had doubts following his sorting into Slytherin. And if Malfoy was friends with him, then maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

- Yes, I went to Romania once, to the reservation where my brother Charlie works, two years ago. It was great, the dragons are really magnificent.

The boys chatted like this until class time arrived under the stunned gazes of both houses. It was never heard of any agreement between Gryffindors and Slytherins, or maybe in extremely rare cases. Moreover, the disagreement between the Malfoys and the Weasleys was public knowledge so seeing these two young boys talking quietly was beyond comprehension.

Professor Snape opened the door abruptly, expecting to find students about to cut each other's throats, like every class in which Slytherins and Gryffindors were mixed together. He was stunned to see three students in the center, excitedly discussing dragons and the others listening to the conversation. He was even more shocked to see that two of the three children were the ones he most feared seeing together, their families’ history not boding well for the ongoing peace.

He brought the students in and began his speech, the same one he gave to the students every year in order to impress them and make sure that the dunderhead didn't do anything in a class as dangerous as potions. Even the smallest poorly prepared or poorly timed ingredient could have disastrous consequences, after all. And he was proud of never having had students seriously injured during his lessons, unlike Professor Slughorn, his predecessor.

Harry, Draco and Ron sat down together at a table and began preparing the Boil Cure as instructed. Snape watched them out of the corner of his eye. He knew Draco would be no problem, he had taught him the basics himself. Weasley could perhaps have the talent of his twin older brothers who, as much as they were infernal, were extremely talented at modifying or inventing potions. Lokison was a completely unknown fact.

Draco, as expected, prepared his ingredients perfectly. Weasley left a little to be desired, he clearly lacked precision. Lokison bluffed the potions master. Not only did he prepare his ingredients carefully but also quickly. He had the agility and delicacy of a Master in his gestures.

He turned to the rest of the class, reprimanded Longbottom who seemed to be very clumsy and almost caused his cauldron to explode several times and noticed that another student, Granger, a Muggle-born, was doing quite well.

When the class ended, two potions were perfect, that of the three boys and that of Granger who had had to do all the work almost alone, her partners leaving her to fend for herself.

Draco called out to the professor at the end of the lesson, asking if there was a potion or spell to help cure stuttering, telling him of Harry's concern about this handicap for a wizard. The professor remained silent for a moment. He hadn't thought about it. How come he had never thought about the consequences of such a speech problem when casting spells? He promised his godson that he would find out and internally swore to speak to the director.

The Slytherins separated from the Gryffindors to go to the infirmary where Mrs. Pomfrey was waiting for them to give them a check-up.

Chapter Text

The first year Slytherins lined up in single file when they arrived at the hospital wing. The nurse asked each of them to sit on a spare bed, in the order in which she would call them.

Each student gradually settled in and the nurse went from one to the other, casting an immediate diagnostic spell, to find out their current state of health, as well as a historical diagnostic spell, in order to see if certain old conditions could cause problems later. It was also a way for her to detect abuse cases, which unfortunately were too common for her liking.

Some students were nervous, others were perfectly calm. Several of them glanced at their peers as if they could guess what the spells would reveal. Without knowing it, everyone suspected that the smallest of their group would undoubtedly have revelations about his diagnosis. And everyone, appreciating the naive young boy, hoped for positive results for him.

When his turn came, Harry sat down on a bed. The nurse cast the first spell and smiled, pleased to see that despite his small stature and the scar tissue on his face, the student in front of her was perfectly healthy.
She then cast the historical diagnosis spell. She turned pale as she saw the parchment that came out of the tip of her wand lengthen more than it should.

She read it carefully. From birth to a year and a half, the child showed the injuries and illnesses that would be expected of any toddler, such as scraped knees and bruised shins.
Then, from a year and a half to 5 years, the list was huge. Lacerations on the back, posterior and back of the thighs, burns on the forearms and hands, the bones of the left hand completely broken, loose teeth, several internal hemorrhages in the abdomen and a head trauma...
This child had not just been beaten, he had been tortured on a regular basis. The malnutrition she expected was closer to starvation than anything else. If this child had eaten more than one small meal a day, he would be surprised.
And the worst… She had a hard time stopping herself from returning her lunch when she read that he had had multiple wounds and tears in his anus and rectum. What monsters could do this to a child not even 5 years old!

The worst was obviously the day of the little snake's fifth birthday. The number of fractures, bruises, internal bleeding was impressive. And that burn on his face was also from that hellish day. This child could never have survived without magic. Even with magic, his survival was a miracle.
And after that day, nothing more. Well, rather, a return to a normal state. Cuts, bruises and abrasions back at a completely normal level for a child who moves well. And a regular and appropriate diet, his growth curve resuming more normally even if the child would always be smaller than average.
A line, written between the child's fifth birthday and the next injury caught his attention. She didn't understand what that meant. She had to talk to the potions master about it.

She looked up at the student who was looking at her with a soft, slightly dreamy smile. She read in his eyes both calm and a certain resignation.

- Mr. Lokison… You will stay after the other students, I wish to speak to you about the results of my diagnostic spell.

- Okay, Madam Pomfrey, can I read while I wait?

- Of course, dear. Stay on this bed. If you want to eat something, call Squick, he's the house elf who takes care of the infirmary. Will you allow Professor Snape to attend our interview?

- Yes Ma’am.

She then moved on to the other students, prescribing a potion here or giving some advice there.

After being examined, Draco approached Harry who was immersed in the book he had started in the morning and which he had carried in his bag.

- Are you staying here, Harry?

- Yes, Madame Pomfrey asked me to wait, she wants to speak to me. Professor Snape must come too. Don't wait for me, I think the teacher will take me back to the Common room later.

Draco nodded. He thought he knew why his godfather would be there. He said he would be informed of the most serious situations, after all. And there was no doubt for the blond that the diagnosis had revealed a very sad story for his friend.

When all the students were treated by the nurse, they returned to their common room to wait for dinner time. They glanced at Harry as they left. They expected it but hoped the boy was okay.

Professor Snape arrived about fifteen minutes later in the infirmary office, notified by Madame Pomfrey by floo.

- Poppy, you required my presence?

- Yes, Severus. First of all, here is the list of potions needed and the students involved. Nothing to worry about, and nothing that won't be resolved quickly. That being said, like every year, I have at least one student of yours that I need to talk to you about. But this is the first time I have seen a case like this.

- Indeed? Who is it and what makes their case so special?

- It is Harry Lokison. He is perfectly fine now but his past is hard, very hard. I mainly fear psychological after-effects. My diagnostic spell revealed that until he was one and a half years old, there was nothing special to report. For the next three and a half years, this child experienced hell on Earth. Beaten, starved, raped, he went through all the worst things there are. On his fifth birthday, his tormentors obviously wanted to finish the job. The number of wounds, the burn on the face... Everything suggests that there was a macabre purpose in this day. Then, it's strange but there is a complete return to normal.

- Ra... Poppy... A child, almost a baby still... And they wanted to finish him off...

In a rare display of humanity, the professor sat in the office chair and ran his hands through his hair, shoulders down. This was the worst case he faced. He was not an idealist, he knew that human beings, whether magical or not, were capable of the worst. He had experienced and witnessed so many horrors. But to imagine an adult taking pleasure in hurting, mutilating, sexually abusing a child, especially one so young... It made him sick. Even the Death Eaters didn’t go that far with children.

He looked at his student at the other end of the infirmary through the office window. How had this child survived? How could he seem so innocent, so kind, so open after what he had been through? He himself had lived throught much less serious abuse and had become bitter and withdrawn.

The nurse gave the teacher a few minutes to compose himself. He finally stood up and turned towards her.

- There is something else Severus, something I don't understand.

- What is it, Poppy? It is quite uncommon for you not to understand something about a diagnosis.

- Look at this line. I can't read it, I have no idea what language it's written in.

He took the parchment and the nurse and noticed that, in fact, the line in question was not written in Latin nor any language he knew about. It was written in unknown runes. Or at least unknown to him and he knew a lot of them from his training.

They decided to go talk with Harry. They knew they had to learn more about this child and he was the only one who could answer their questions. The latter, seeing them approach, put the bookmark and placed his book on the bedside table.

- Harry, I think you know what the historical diagnostic spell revealed.

- Yes, ma'am, I think I know.

- I'm going to ask you a few questions. If you don't feel comfortable answering it, don't hesitate to tell me. First of all, I would like to know why, or rather by whom, you suffered abuse between the ages of one and a half and five.

- Oh. I don't know his name but he wanted me to call him sir. He didn't want me to say his name so I ended up forgetting it. Dad told me he was my uncle but he doesn't know his name either.

- Uh. Harry, your father doesn't know your uncle's name? And where was your father when you were in the hands of your uncle? Why weren’t you with him?

- Ah, I understand the misunderstanding. Dad is not my first dad. He was the one who found me after I received my “birthday present” from my uncle. He looked after me and adopted me. He told me that I would never have to worry about my uncle again, that he had taken care of him and that he wouldn't hurt anyone again.

The two adults looked at each other. They did not yet know who this man was who had saved this child but they understood by looking at each other that, whatever the fate of the uncle, they would not blame the man for having acted harshly. They understood that the uncle was probably dead now but it was honestly not a great loss for humanity.

- I see. And I also see that your adoptive father took good care of you afterwards, you have no after-effects of your injuries apart from the scars on your face and back. I found something intriguing about your diagnosis, do you know what these runes mean?

- Let me see… Oh, it’s my adoption! It’s a very ancient ritual! Replied the young boy, laughing merrily.

It was then that the professor and the nurse understood something. The child clearly had psychological after-effects. This very infantile side despite a certain maturity, this unfeigned innocence, all of this was the psychological consequence of the mistreatment he had suffered. Perhaps he would never really be in tune with the people of his age. But, on balance, it could have been so much worse that this psychological immaturity was a lesser evil.
It was now necessary to consider possible consequences on his intellectual development.

The professor noticed the book lying on the nightstand.

- What are you reading at the moment, Harry?

- It's a book that I found in the library in the common room. It's a potions book, it's very interesting.

- A potions book?

The professor picked up the book to read the title but was unable to read it. He opened it but was equally unable to decipher the recipes even though he perfectly recognized the typical arrangement of potion recipes on the pages.

- What language is this book written in, Harry?

- It’s Cambrian, sir. The potion here is a bit like the dreamless sleep potion but without the risks of addiction that go with it. And there's a whole chapter on permanent coloring potions. I don't really understand the point of it, though.

-Cambrian? But this language hasn’t been in use for a long time, we know very few words about it. How come you can read this ancient language?

- It was Grandfather who taught me. He taught me lots of other things too, like Cyrillic or the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. I really enjoy learning the different languages that exist and Grandpa said I was very smart! The boy added proudly.

The adults were reassured. If his intellectual development was such that it allowed him to learn other languages, he would not have any problems in this area.

The nurse said Harry could go back to his dorm, she had to write a report on every student she had seen and she knew it would take several hours.

Then, for once, she would allow herself a glass of alcohol before going to bed. She was emotionally exhausted from this evening.

Chapter Text

Following this interview, the professor accompanied his student to his Common room before going to the Headmaster’s office.

Once he arrived in his Common room, Harry went to sit on the sofa next to Draco. He snuggled up against him, took his book out of his bag and resumed reading where he had left off. At first surprised by this cuddly attitude, rare in the house of snakes, Draco felt filled with a warmth to which he was unfamiliar. He let his hand run through his friend's black and white hair. The smaller boy almost purred under the caress.

It was then that a sinister-looking seventh year arrived. He looked at the two young boys with a disdainful look. He moved even closer in order to speak to them without being heard by prying ears and cast a discreet silencing spell.

- Malfoy, I don't understand how you can let a Mudblood touch you like that. And your attitude is unworthy of the great house of Salazar Slytherin.

- What is a Mudblood? Harry asked naively.

- A Mudblood is someone mediocre, like you, who doesn't have pure blood. Only Purebloods should have access to Hogwarts and even the right to have a wand. Only we deserve this education, magical children of muggles should be drowned at birth. And Half-bloods are a disgrace to the wizarding race, how can wizards stoop so low as to go so far as to breed with muggles. This is already what the great founder of our house advocated. Lokison, if you were a Pureblood, we would know you or your name, which is not the case. You are nothing, you are even less than nothing, just a stain in the great world of wizards. I don't know what you're doing in Slytherin, how the Sorting Hat could have sent you there, but the only use you could have would be to serve as a release to those who deserve it. Your little innocent look would spice up the experience, if you know what I mean, he said, giving the boy a lustful look.

- Warrington! Draco exclaimed, outraged. What right do you have to talk to Harry like that? Just because you don't know his name doesn't mean you have the right to say things like that to him!

- You blonde prat, shut your trap! If your father knew you were messing with a Mudblood... If you weren't his only heir, he would immediately disinherit you. What a shame for a worthy Pureblood to have a son who does not hesitate to drag such a respected name through the mud…

- Uh… Warrington, right? Why would I be used as a release? I thought we were united in Slytherin, that's what Professor Snape said.

- The professor is an idealist and a coward! And you are worthless compared to Malfoy or me who are the heirs of great families.

Warrington stopped his tirade there, noting that they were attracting a little too much attention. He didn't want this conversation to go back to Snape because even if no one could hear what they were saying, Alexander Warrington's reputation was well established and no one could doubt that the discussion was less than friendly. Whatever he said, the Potions Master was a powerful wizard and it was best not to alienate him.

He walked away from the first two years forming plans in his head to find a way to separate Malfoy and Lokison. There was no way a family such as the Malfoys would be tainted by the filth of impure blood. And then, Lokison's innocent air made him want to dirty this innocence, to pervert it, to satisfy his most twisted desires. He would possess this child, his broken angel's face would be magnificent covered with tears.

- Draco, is it so important to be the heir of a great family? Because I am heir to several but Dad never made a big deal about it. He doesn't care much, I think.

- Well… How can I explain it to you. An heir is the one who will continue the lineage, who will ensure that the name, fortune and reputation of a family does not end. So yes, in a sense, it's important to be the heir of a family. In my case, it's all the more important since I'm the last Malfoy after my father, unless he has a second son. I will have to start a family and have at least one son so that he can keep my name alive.

- Alright I understand. Hmm, tell me, Warrington, what is his family situation that makes him get on his high horse like that?

- Horses, what horses?

- Muggle expression, not important. Tell me what you know, please.

- Warrington is in the same situation as me. It's even worse because his father, unlike mine, suffered an infertility spell a few years ago. So his whole family depends on him and his future children. Which in no way excuses the way he treated you. I'm going to talk to Severus about it after dinner.

- No, it's okay, don't worry. Everything will be fine.

At his words, the youngest snuggled up against his friend again, relaxed completely and resumed reading until dinner. Draco looked fondly at the youngest.

After dinner, everyone returned to their dormitory where they went to bed early, the first day of class had been tiring.

It was in the middle of the night that a heartbreaking howl rang out, waking up the entire house. The students rushed towards the source of the noise which turned out to be the seventh year dormitory.

Professor Snape in his dressing gown came running after being warned by the prefects. He saw Alexander Warrington doubled over in his bed, holding his private parts and screaming.
He immediately took action and cast a sleeping spell on his student before taking him to the infirmary.

The students who remained behind asked the other seventh years what had happened. They replied that they had no idea. They had gone to bed around eleven o'clock, each closing their bed curtains. The dormitory door was closed as usual. The latter only opened for the students of the dormitory in question, for the prefects or for the Head of house. So no one had been able to enter and the three students in the dormitory had not seen or heard anything suspicious before the scream.

The students gradually returned to bed. Draco escorted a dozing Harry back to his bed before going to end the night himself.

The next morning, Professor Snape gathers the students in the Common room.

- Last night, one of your peers was attacked. He suffers from serious and permanent injuries. Did anyone witnessed anything?

Silence fell. Internally, several students but also the Potions Master were not really empathetic towards Warrington, his extremist ideas and his more than questionable methods of intimidation were known to everyone.

- Fine. If any of you hear anything that could tell us what could have frozen your fellow Slytherin’s testicles to the point of rendering him permanently impotent, don't hesitate to come see me.

The fact that the professor was talking about this subject did not go unnoticed by the snakes. It clearly indicated that the Warrington family would have no descendants but above all it indicated that the potions master was not voluntarily hiding the fate of his student.

House politics would change drastically in the seventh years. Warrington was a political figure through his position as heir to a great house. He was now nothing but the last link in a dead lineage. He would no longer have the same importance and would no longer be able to use his status to terrorize and influence others. The professor was fully aware and thus showed his position.
The students got ready to go have breakfast after their teacher left.

Draco took the opportunity to take Harry aside. He had suspicions and wanted answers. Harry wrung his hands nervously under his friend's suspicious gaze.

- Tell me Harry. Yesterday we were talking about the importance of heirs and you asked me for details about Warrington. Don't you have something to do with the fact that he can no longer have children?

Harry looked at Draco then looked down. He made himself as small as possible and said in a fragile voice.

- You don’t understand, Draco… I never want to be someone’s release again, never again… You saw the look on his face…

Draco's eyes widened. This part of the conversation came back to him. He looked at his comrade and noted that his eyes, both green and black, shone with tears that would not fall. He then remembered that he had been held by the nurse the day before and thought about the reason for the scar on his face and his frail appearance

He then gently took the little snake in his arms and said softly:

- Okay Harry. I'm not going to tell you that I understand but that doesn't matter. I won't tell anyone, I promise. But... Hmm... How did you manage to get into a seventh year's dorm? The doors of of-age students only open for them, the prefects or Severus.

Harry hesitated and looked into his comrade's eyes. He judge that he could trust him. After all, even though they had only known each other for two days, Draco had promised not to tell anyone what he had done. And he felt a connection with the blond, as if he was one of his brothers.

- Well, how to explain…I was adopted when I was five. My dad used a ritual that made me a bit like him. And he has powers that wizards don't have because he's not like the wizards of Midgard. I used those powers.

-Midgard? If I know my mythology well, and I know it quite well, Midgard is simply Earth. But if your father isn't like the wizards of Earth, where did he come from?

- My dad was a Jotun, a frost giant from Jotunheim, before being adopted by Grandfather with the same ritual that was used for me. So now he's half Jotun and half Asgardian.

-Jotun? Asgardian? You mean that Nordic legends have some basis in truth? These worlds and these peoples really exist? Gods and creatures?

- Yes, Draco. But can we talk about it at another time? I'm hungry…

Harry's sheepish look as his stomach rumbled made Draco smile softly. He said to himself that his new friend was definitely very strange. How could he go from such an incredible topic as the existence of the Norse gods to his stomach in a matter of seconds, as if the topic was benign.
They finished getting ready and left for the Great Hall.

Chapter Text

After escorting Harry Lokison back to his common room, Severus Snape went to the headmaster's office.

When he arrived in the office, he found that Professor McGonagall was present. No matter, maybe she would help the old fool open his eyes to the harsh realities of life.

- Ah, Severus my boy, how are you?

- Good evening, Headmaster. I am here to speak to you for two things that were brought to my attention today. First of all, a student came to me to ask me a question which surprised me because it was a subject I had never thought about before.

- What did that student talk to you about, Severus?

- About Professor Quirrell and especially his stuttering. How does he pronounce his spells? He is incapable of enunciating a sentence without repeating it ten times. How can he teach our students if he can't cast these spells himself?

The Headmaster and his Deputy were also surprised not to have thought of it. The Transfiguration professor looked thoughtful. She regularly wondered why Albus had hired Quirrell as DADA when he taught Muggle Studies before and seemed scared of everything.

- You quite are right, Severus. Unfortunately, with the curse of the position, no one wants to apply... So when Quirinus asked to take the position for this year, I didn't really have an argument against it. He will therefore remain a defense professor as long as he can.

- Is there no solution for his speech issue?

- I don't know. And I forbid you from talking to him about it. He's already so nervous, poor man. If he has an inkling that his colleagues view him negatively, it wouldn’g help him. The subject is closed. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Severus took a deep breath. He knew he was going to talk to a wall about Quirrell. He just hoped that wouldn't be the case for the subject of Lokison.

- My first year students have completed their start of year visit to Poppy, Albus.

- Oh, you still do that? This is honorable of you. I suppose you have come to tell me about a student whose situation is not the easiest.

The Potions Master looked at his colleagues and prepared to tell them about the most difficult case of his career. He inwardly thanked the man who had saved the child, Severus would at least not have to deal with a situation that required the removal of the child from his family. Albus had an annoying tendency to refuse to take a child away from its parents, no matter how abusive they were. He assumed that family was best, even when its members didn't get along, and refused to accept that a child would sometimes be better off with people other than those who shared the same blood.

- The situation itself has already been resolved, the abuse took place in my student’s early childhood. But I still had to inform you about it as this is the first time I have encountered such a case.

- Who is it? Asked the Transfiguration professor, even though she suspected the identity of the student in question, she remembered the physique of a particular student during the Sorting.

- Harry Lokison. He was apparently left in the care of an uncle during his early childhood before being picked up by his father on his fifth birthday. In the meantime, he has experienced the worst you can imagine in human beings.

- Severus, let's not overreact. The worst? It's a member of his family, his uncle as you say, he couldn't have done that much harm to the little one.

- Albus! Remove the rose-tinted glasses that are before your eyes. Whether it came from an uncle or a complete stranger, what this child went through was pure hell!

- Severus, calm down. Albus, listen to what Severus has to say, I think he knows more than you since he just came back from the hospital wing.

- Thank you Minerva. So I said that he experienced the worst. He was starved, which damaged his growth, as shown by his current size. The signs of malnutrition on his bones confirm that he will never be very tall. He had numerous fractures, both from crushing and twisting, which suggests more than brutal manipulation of his body. He has scars on his back and the back of his thighs that suggest a belt, whip or other object was used to beat him. He suffered several times of internal bleeding due to blows to the soft parts of his body. There is obviously the burn on his face which results from a flame directly applied to the skin. Miraculously, his left eye does not suffer from any after-effects other than a change in color. His magic must have come into play for that because theoretically he should have been completely blind in that eye. And, finally... He has several internal scars on his rectum suggesting repeated sexual abuse.

This last information made Professor McGonagall jump, her face showing her horror at what she had just heard. This child's life had been even worse than she had imagined. She turned her gaze to her mentor and was stunned not to see the same horror reflected on his face.

- You’re saying the situation was resolved when he was five? Why are you telling me about this child then?

- Apart from the fact that you could show a little empathy, I wanted to point this out to you in case this information turns out to be important at some point.

- Well, I take note of what you told me. Anything else, Severus? I also have to talk to both of you, so if you're done with your student, we can move forward.

The two teachers were stunned by the Headmaster’s attitude. Of course, the situation was resolved but it was important to know about it. If ever a student attacked this child whose scars were not only physical, it could have significant psychological repercussions. It was important to know their students and to know which ones might be particularly fragile.

The potions master pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to calm himself. He hadn't expected anything better from Dumbledore, after all.

- Fine. What did you want to talk to us about?

- Another Harry, actually. Harry Potter and his family are nowhere to be found. Hagrid visited the Dursley family's home address during the holidays after we received no response to his invitation. This is the house where I left little Harry almost ten years ago. I had given them instructions not to move until the child entered Hogwarts. And yet, another family had lived there for several years. I didn't have much time to investigate but I know that no one knows where the Dursleys went after they moved. The reports of the person I left to watch and protect Harry leave something to be desired, she thinks more about her cats than the good of a child. She thought the boy in the family who had lived on Private Drive for four years was Harry... It's important to find him. Dark families can find him and harm him. And he needs a magical education. You know, as I do, that Voldemort is not completely gone. If he comes back, Harry must be ready to fight for his life.

- Albus, Harry's family may have gone abroad after realizing how dangerous their nephew's life was. I know this is something I would do for a family member.

- Hmm. This is a possibility, it would explain why my research on British soil has been unsuccessful for the moment. We'll have to look for it in our free time. Contact people you know abroad. We need to get Harry back and make sure he's okay. If Lily and James knew we lost their son…

McGonagall looked sad and nodded. She just hoped that the Dursley family had evolved positively since that day she had spent observing them. The Potions professor, for his part, found it distressing that Dumbledore was more worried about a child who undoubtedly lived a privileged life with a caring family than a child who had experienced the worst.

The two teachers took their leave and returned to their quarters.

In the middle of the night, Severus Snape was woken up with a start by one of the his Prefects. Apparently, screams of pain were coming from a seventh year dormitory.

He ran in after putting on a dressing gown and discovered one of the few students he couldn't stand, Warrington, in his bed, holding his private parts. He cast a sleeping spell on him to prevent him from suffering needlessly and transported him to the infirmary.

The nurse was promptly awakened and cast a diagnostic spell on the sleeping student.
She was shocked to find that Alexander Warrington's testicles were completely frozen. Not like they had been put ice on them but like they had been soaked in liquid nitrogen. The damage was irrecoverable. Not only was the young man now sterile but he would be unable to have normal sexual relations, no potion or spell would repair the destroyed cells.

Professor Snape was feeling mixed.
It was very worrying that one of his students was attacked like this in his dormitory. His students were supposed to be safe in the House. But he doubted it was a random act and instead thought it was the result of one of the seventh year's too many bullying techniques against the younger ones.

He had observed this young man who had gone from an arrogant, pompous and supremacist boy to a thick brute of a young man but cunning enough to never be caught. His father was a low-level but very ambitious Death Eater. There is no doubt that if the Dark Lord had not been arrested 10 years ago, the father would have climbed the ranks and the son would have followed the same path.

Warrington's impotence was not in itself a bad thing. They were a cruel family who would not see the lineage continue. He would no longer have any social status or influence among the Slytherins and would no longer pose a problem. He couldn't even rely on his friends, he only had alliances that no longer had any reason to exist. It was for this reason that Severus decided to make the consequences of the attack public.

Returning to his House, he went to the seventh year boys' dormitory and cast several detection spells. He found no trace of magic other than that of the students of the dormitory in question. Neither the door nor the bed curtains showed any trace of foreign magic. It was very strange.

He finally went back to bed, the day had been long and full of disturbing events. He knew he would probably never solve the mystery of the Warrington attack or change Dumbledore's twisted outlook on life.

So, instead of lying in bed for hours mulling over what he had experienced on that second day, he did what he almost never did in case one of his snakes needed him. He took a small portion of Sleeping draught, hoping to make up for the few hours he had to rest.