chamber change

duty to the children

Once they were safely ensconced in Severus', now their joint, office the three of them set about rearranging it so that they could all work together without getting in each others way. The first thing to do was move the furniture about and get the elves to bring in another two desks with chairs. These new desks were solid hardwood but in different coloring than Severus' original battered one was. Ironically, Harry got the golden honey colored one, while Tom got the one that was pale beige, where as Severus' was a dark mahogany.

"So, if I'm remembering right we have to work on all of the Slytherin's schedules and double check their grades," Harry reviewed thoughtfully. They might not have originally been his memories but that didn't make them any less vivid. Yes, his brain recognized them as Sev's memories and the one's from Tom as Tom's yet he had no problem using them as if they were his own for the most part. The memories just lacked emotion, like a movie.

"We also need to escort everyone to the Hospital wing for their yearly check up. I am so very glad that Severus started those when he took over as Head of House," Tom pointed out happily.

"And we got away before she started mentioning grandchildren," Severus added triumphantly.

"Hadn't thought about that," Harry agreed with a shudder of dread and suddenly very cheerful over their timely escape.

"The old man was more cleaver than I thought he would be," Tom said thoughtfully, eyes narrowing in suspicious contemplation. "He locked us to the school for at least the next year unless something extra ordinary dissolves Severus' contract. I don't know if wee should try breaking it again if that secret clause was so important that it kept you out of Azkaban. I presume that there is some magic keeping you from speaking of it properly now that you have been reminded of its existence?"

"Yes. It was one of the only ways to keep it from being used against me barring Dumbledore's attempts, though he favored using Lily and Harry as emotional blackmail or the outright threat of Azkaban. Now that the three of us are bound..." Severus admitted, trailing off into silence.

"We are open targets for him to control each other with," Harry finished softly. "Right now Tom is still a mystery to him but the two of us are trying to slip his leash, something he won't stand for in his perfectly ordered world."

"By using Severus and the teaching contract he has bought time with us firmly trapped in his domain to bring us to heel," Tom agreed with a grunt of disgust.

"He will use the students as leverage against us, especially the ones being abused. If he doesn't know yet he will figure out soon that the abused children and holding them as hostage to our good behavior will cut the deepest and hold the strongest to bind us. I told him about the Dursleys and he knows about that bastard Tobias. All three of us begged not to go back and hes denied all three of us even if he doesn't realize it yet," Harry pointed out with deep disgust.

"We will have to make certain the students don't suffer for our battle with him," Severus agreed with a sigh.

"First things first, we sort out our snakes and discuss our schedules with the other Heads of House as well as figure out when to test out of what subjects with the other staff," Tom said firmly.

"I don't want any of us near the wolf but there is no doubt that Dumbledore will force the issue to try and establish another hold on Harry," Severus concluded.

"We did warn him that we shared memories and he promised to let us prank people," Harry pointed out with an evil snicker.

"That reminds me I will make sure to file a complaint about his actions with the board," Severus drawled in open amusement.

"Lucius won't be happy," Tom grinned madly. "And he will enjoy the chance to stump the old goat over our Hogsmeade permission. Knowing him Dumbledore will be forced in to actually treating us as adults or at least removing our physical age as a consideration from anything. Though I'm not sure how the Weasley family siding with us will affect that play."

Their discussion continued as they worked to sort out everyone's class schedule for the year. They were interrupted when they were nearly done by a quiet knock on the door. Bailey licked the air, scenting for danger to his three wizards. What he found had him hissing in distress as he frantically tried to open the door himself.

"Just a moment," Severus called before getting Bailey to move so he could open the door. On the opposite side of the heavy wooden door stood a small collection of students from every house looking at him with desperate hope and clearly not in the best condition.

"Merlin," Tom cursed. He and Harry quickly used their magic to set up benches and cots in the room while Severus ushered the injured students into the decently sized room. Hogwarts kindly expanded the room to fit everyone and had the house elves discretely deliver various food, drinks, and healing supplies off to one side on the desks to help.

"Professor, we upper years checked the firsties in each house and brought the ones we could tell were like us," a quiet older Ravenclaw explained softly. The older students helped coax the younger ones safely inside and to a cot or bench depending on how bad they were hurt.

"You all did well to check Byron. None of you need fear my bondmates, like the rest of us they have faced the same and know the dangers of speaking. The same deal as usual applies, healing and silence in exchange for letting us try to help and coming to us with your problems and fears so that you need not do any of this alone. I am still trying to get many of you removed to somewhere safe for those who have trusted me enough to let me try but there are still problems stopping it. I, again, swear to all of you I am doing my absolute best in any way you allow me to help," Severus promised gravely. Everyone watched as he very obviously sealed the door from those attempting to enter for everyone's peace of mind. He cast a powerful special diagnostic spell he had developed over the entire room before turning to tend to the most dangerously injured and ill student first.

"You can come to any of us for help, even our snake Bailey," Harry offered. "I would never have been able to leave the ones hurting me without Tom and Professor Snape. Part of it was probably because everyone thinks I am something special when it was my mother not me that stopped the Dark Lord. You all have a better chance than I did and we are willing to help if you let us."

Tom gave a sound of firm agreement while tending to a little first year with a gash along her forearm that looked like she was nine rather than eleven. Bailey moved carefully through the room, checking on the ones his wizards hadn't gotten to yet and letting skittish hands pet him, soothing the ones attached to the hands. They worked steadily through the students, young and old, handing out potions, applying healing pastes, quietly comforting and listening to truth mixed with lie about the source of the injuries. By the time they were done all of their patients were laid out in cots asleep through exhaustion or the effects of a potion provided to them.

"The spell earlier scanned them in nearly every way that Poppy could have if they had gone to the hospital wing. It also made a record of their injuries and added it to the files I keep on them. About once a week or once a month I duplicate them as needed and add them to Poppy's files. Depending on how fast I have to get them out of their situation and if I can get past Dumbledore claiming exaggeration on the student's part I take a copy of their file to the ministry or to Lucius. No matter how hard we try some still don't make it back to the school or survive long enough to be pulled out," Severus informed his bondmates gravely. Tom and Harry just wrapped the normally dour wizard in their arms and allowed him to break down and cry.