"~We're fine Nagini.~" Voldemort hissed irritably, having listened to his familiar's tirade about not scaring her for the last fifteen minutes before finally getting fed up. "~We understand that you were worried but Hogwarts wanted us to see something and we had no control over the ancient magics the school invoked.~"
"~No control, he says. We're fine, he says.~" Nagini hissed furiously as Hedwig occasionally hooted her agreement, giving them looks of disappointment and worry to match Nagini's. "~Do you know how scared I was? I was about to try using one of your trinkets to get a minion or a big eyed floppy eared creature to take you to the house of healers you told me about! You wouldn't wake up! Even the featherball tried to help! It clearly has more sense than all three of you.~"
"~Nagini...~" Voldemort started pleadingly only to be cut off before he could say anything else.
"~No! First we discover that the little one has been hurt badly then you all fall down and sleep so I can't wake you! Its bad enough that you insist on sleeping in that giant overly soft nest that is impossible to strike an enemy from.~" Nagini said furiously with Hedwig hooting punctuation and agreement. "~You will call the big eyed floppy eared ones and tell them that you need a healing minion to check all three of you, then you are staying in your sleeping nest for the day!~"
"~Yes, Nagini.~" Voldemort said meekly, not wanting to piss off his mother/familiar further yet determined to simply sneak out of bed and get some work done once she was either out of the room or asleep.
"~You were so excited about your new mates you did not even make sure they had sleeping skins and colorful day skins to wear today.~" Nagini pointed out finally calming down now that he wasn't arguing with her any more and that it was obvious they were safe.
"Skins?" Harry asked curiously, enjoying Voldemort's sudden blush of embarrassment.
"I think she means clothes," Severus translated with a smirk over Voldemort's predicament despite still being trapped on the bed while warily eyeing the upset soot covered owl out of the corner of his eye.
"I am not lifting your punishment simply because I have been similarly confined," Voldemort pointed out snippily as he obeyed Nagini's demands and sent for both breakfast and one of his Death Eaters that was a certified healer using a house elf as his messenger. The marked healer arrived promptly and listened attentively as Voldemort reluctantly explained what happened, including the fact that they were speaking to her about it at the insistence of the familiars and under protest.
"My lord, as you know familiars are valuable as companions, confidantes, and helpers. Their most important function is often as someone close enough to be fully trusted yet recognize the dangers of whatever we are doing before helping to mitigate whatever damage we may do to ourselves. If your familiar and the owl, who is also clearly a familiar, are worried over what might have happened then an examination is not only wise but probably desperately necessary. The day of bed rest also would not go amiss with how hard you have been working. Let me examine you then you can spend a restful day in bed with your new mates. I will even wait two weeks before warning the other women that you've finally found your matches to hold them off from planning the wedding they will insist on having," The Death Eater offered in stern amusement. Her mirth only grew as Voldemort made theatrical groans and Nagini started insisting on knowing what a wedding was as Hedwig hooted proudly over her Harry-hatchling finding two mates.
"Please don't tell Narcissa first," Severus put in quickly, he might be on the outs with Lucius but he would never willingly cross Lady Narcissa Malfoy nee Black.
"And risk facing her at wand point? I am hardly suicidal Master Severus. Though I can promise to reveal it to her in the first group to reduce her displeasure at not hearing it from you," She shot back.
"Or you could simply tell her that Lucius knew of the possibility and blatantly tried to take Severus for himself," Harry pointed out in disgust as he pulled the man in question half into his lap before running his hand through the silky black locks soothingly. He didn't know if it was just what Lucius had been implying at the meeting or if the treatment he'd seen had been something on going but Harry would be damned before he let that worm near their Severus again.
"Are you perhaps hoping that the Lady Malfoy will bring her husband to heel?" Voldemort asked with a snort of amusement, even as his eyes glittered dangerously at the possible threat to one of his mates.
"If she can't he will be the first person I feed from that I will have no qualms about drinking dry," Harry informed his dominant with a low growl of fury as Severus did his best to curl up next to and in the very obvious protection of the two of them.
"Tsk, tsk, that's no way to treat your food," The healer scolded, clearly amused at their plans for one Lucius Malfoy and more than sympathetic. "Now, I need to know your medical history as best as you can recall so that I can compare it to the history spell I will cast as a normal part of the examination. Since both Potions Master Snape and My lord's files need to be updated and checked for tampering that includes the two of them. Would my lord like to decide who goes first? Or shall I assign priority?"
Noticing both of his new mates' obvious discomfort Voldemort opted to be examined first, reciting the various injuries and treatments he had received over the years as far back as he could remember. Before he was even half way through the monotone recitation two warm bodies, one larger and one smaller had latched onto him cocooning him as best they could as they attempted to shield him from his obvious emotional pain. Both of them were horrified to discover that he had been subjected to multiple exorcisms during his time at the orphanage and sadly understanding when they heard he had been punished for defending himself on more than one occasion.
The fact that Voldemort sported more injuries and illness from his difficult childhood than what he had gained from his time on the battle field had them both cuddling closer and fighting the urge to be sick before finding his childhood caretakers for a talk. Severus' tale of injuries was nearly as horrifying to Harry making him fiercely glad that Tobias Snape was dead and that Voldemort was no longer insane. This also had the added benefit of helping Harry to understand their protective and possessive traits better, marking them as a near perfect match for him. By the end of the review even the healer was heart sick at how the three had been treated over the years, finally understanding why the duty of routinely reviewing their histories was rotated between the upper ranked healers.
"If I had not given my healers oath..." She seethed, noting down their extensive verbal histories on a special blank piece of parchment to be compared to the spell generated one that took but a swish of her wand to generate. As she watched the spell generated histories automatically compare with her notes she became sick to her core as she realized that the men in front of her should be dead if not for their large magical cores having kept them alive. Since she had used both the new and the old spells to check them they managed to catch some untreated long term damage that explained why both familiars had been so frantic. Yet the mental trip to Hogwarts had done them some good as their cores already showed signs of having healed most of the way in the last several hours. Had she been called even a few hours later there would have been no sign of the original damage to notice.
"There was damage to your magical cores that never healed. The fact that its healing now is astonishing and easily justifies strict bed rest for the next week for all three of you," She told them frankly. "However, since we aren't sure where the damage came from originally nor what catalyst restarted the healing I will be by daily to check on you, possibly more often. Depending on your progress when I next check I will allow you light activity and release from being trapped in bed. I suspect that the way you've comforted each other since I arrived has actually helped you heal emotionally if not physically or magically. Continue to comfort one another and if your healing continues to progress at this rate by lunch time you shouldn't need any potions or treatment aside from rest."
"Thank you," Harry said politely from the middle of their cuddle pile. It was Nagini who showed her out of the room, smug in the fact that she and Hedwig had been right about them not only needing to be checked but also needing bed rest. Bed rest they used to come to terms with not only what they had learned through the emotionally grueling medical exam but the quiet conversation that rose and fell throughout the rest of the day as they cuddled. The arrival of the Evening Prophet shattered the quiet atmosphere and brought smiles to their faces.
Albus Dumbledore: Gift Wrapped Traitor?
My dear readers it grieves me to inform you that I have discovered something heinous about the dearly beloved former Headmaster. Yes my dears you read that right former Headmaster, for the magical castle and school that is Hogwarts has declared him unfit to be a member of the staff in any capacity. How did this come about you might ask? I must truthfully tell you that I do not know for while I was the one to discover the venerated wizard gift wrapped and gagged in shredded robes which, from the color, appeared to be his own I was unable to glimpse the contents of the evidence that accompanied him. Though the Aurors quickly took possession of the compiled evidence file I was able to catch sight of the summary dismissal in the form of a letter to the Ministry.
I fear I must sadly inform you, my dear readers, of the fact that you have entrusted your children to a man who has willfully put them in danger and attempted to murder an heir of a Hogwarts Founder! Which hidden heir he took such despicable acts against I was unable to determine in the short time between when I discovered him in my stroll across the Ministry atrium and the arrival of the Aurors. What's more the wonderful, powerful, and clearly protective magic castle that many of us attended during our school days had deemed it appropriate to expel even his belongings when delivering the old man to the Ministry.
Why is this important you may ask? It may not be important to you but I was certainly startled by the number of dark and forbidden objects and books that were among his many belongings dumped upon him and still being transported in 10 second intervals when I arrived. Things that no parent would want around their children. Things that even the darkest of families have brought forward and turned into the Ministry for destruction at the discovery of a joyful pregnancy and a babe to come.
I entreat you to join me in petitioning the Minister and Wizengamot to question this disgraced man, if he can be called such, under Veritaserum and in front of a full court to account for his actions. We would also hope that they will be wise enough to question him upon the evidence and various forbidden objects in his possession upon arrival at the Ministry in great hopes of resolving this. Hopefully the final outcome will ensure the further safety of our children as they are dutifully prepared for our riggorous world.
Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Special Correspondent