Chapter 6

"Harry!"

Hearing his voice called, Harry turned and smiled in greeting as Draco strode down the corridor to catch up to him. He'd just left his classroom after his last class of the day. Today he'd sent Mr. Morgan to the caretaker for his Friday detention after the boy had continued his insolent behavior in the prior two detentions that week. He was looking forward to an evening away from the castle, actually.

Casting a silencing spell around them, Draco fell into step beside Harry toward Slytherin Tower. "I'm glad I caught you. Something's come up with one of my Slytherins, and Poppy and I have to have Wizarding Child Services in to review the case." The blond professor's expression promised dire things towards the parents of his snake if he had anything to say about it.

"Not a first-year if they've hidden it two weeks into term, I hope?" Harry noted. Out of all the changes Severus had instituted as Headmaster, the absolute dedication to rooting out child abuse of the students was the one Harry supported the most. He didn't think a first-year could sneak through the required physicals at the beginning of the year, but it took about three weeks to work through all the students beginning with the first-years, and the scans didn't always pick up on less physical means of abuse.

Draco shook his head. "Fifth-year. His father died last winter and seems like the mother's gotten unhinged in the meantime. He's the youngest and only one left at home, so only one student to deal with, but it'll likely take all evening." He sighed. "But I'd promised Louisa the night off for something. She's agreed to stay if need be but didn't seem too happy about it."

"Want me to watch Allie, then?"

"If you don't mind? I could try to track down one of the others, but she's most comfortable with you."

"That's because I don't guard every little thing I say not to remind her about magic," Harry said. "I'm happy to look after her, although I'd planned on attending a Weasley family dinner tonight at the Burrow. She's welcome to come along, or I can cancel and do it some other time."

"She'll be okay going there. She's been now and then. Fleur's fostered a few of my Slytherins before." The Slytherin Head of House looked thoughtful. "Actually, if you don't mind, ask her if she's got room for one more. I think she'd be a good match for Alfred Kelly."

"Of course." Harry still found it somewhat amusing that while Fleur Delacour Weasley was about as physically opposite of Molly Weasley as could possibly be, she had turned out to be as motherly as the late matriarch had been. Although where Molly had reared her own brood and adopted just a few strays, Fleur had become a full-time foster mother. There was rarely a time when she and Bill didn't have at least one foster child living at the Burrow in addition to their own children.

"Thanks, Harry. I'd better get back to the Infirmary before the boy thinks I've abandoned him to Poppy and Severus' care." With a smile in gratitude, Draco canceled the silencing spell and reversed direction down the corridor.

Harry stopped by his own quarters briefly to pick up extra nappies to add to the bag he'd packed for Richard when he'd dropped him by Draco's quarters with their shared nanny that morning. The dinner invitation had arrived at lunch, when Fleur had managed to secure promises from Ginny and Ernie they'd be there.

Stepping next door, he spoke the password quietly and was shocked at the sound of yelling as soon as the portrait door swung inward. It was neither of the children, but rather the nanny whose voice was raised. Concerned, Harry stepped forward into the room. The nanny's next words made his blood run cold.

"You little Squib, you've ruined my evening plans again! I don't know why I even keep this job. It's not like your father's ever going to be grateful to me for looking after you." The sheer loathing in the woman's voice made Harry want to vomit.

He'd heard enough, but before he could make his presence known, the woman drew back as if she intended to slap the little girl sitting at the table looking resigned. Harry didn't even think twice before he stunned the woman, feeling a sense of dark satisfaction that her head made a solid thunk against the stone wall before she hit the floor.

Ignoring the nanny, he stepped over her to reach Allie, gathering the child into his arms. "Are you okay, love?" he asked, looking around for his son and finding the boy sitting solemnly with one of Allie's plushies, green eyes wide as he looked from the nanny to his father.

"S'okay," Allie mumbled against his robes, her voice subdued. "She had to cancel her date because of me."

"That's no reason for her to talk to you like that. None at all. And no reason for her to dare slap you either." He moved to the sofa with the child, pausing only to send a petrification spell at Louisa on the floor. He'd take no chances the woman would break free of the stunner while he was talking to Allie.

"But I'm an inconvenience."

"No child is an inconvenience," Harry said softly. He had the sinking feeling this wasn't the first time the nanny had berated the child, because her tone had held the flat sound his own had had when he'd called himself a freak in his childhood. He resisted the temptation to rise and give the woman a solid kick for her treatment of the sweet little girl. Tipping Allie's chin up with a finger, he made sure she met his gaze. "And you are a beautiful little girl anyone would be proud to call their own."

"Daddy says I'm beautiful." Tears were welling up in her grey eyes now, and Harry felt a surge of hope that the loving way Draco had always treated the child would make the nanny's abusive behavior easier to overcome.

"Your daddy is absolutely right. It's your nanny who is a very bad woman." He hugged the now silently crying child close. "I'll make sure she never says bad things to you again." By removing her tongue, he thought darkly, knowing he wouldn't go that far with the woman, although Draco's family might. He wasn't sure who the woman would need to fear the most – Lucius or Narcissa – when this was reported.

When Allie's tears had subsided, Harry sat her gently on the sofa and wiped her tears with his handkerchief. Letting her keep the damp cloth, he transfigured one of Richard's spare nappies into a sling and lifted his son into it. He'd come back later for the rest of the baby's things. Lifting Allie onto his hip, he flicked his wand at the petrified woman, floating her behind him as he headed for the Infirmary.

If she managed to bump into a few walls "accidentally" on the way, he felt not a second's guilt. She deserved each and every bruise, and besides, his attention was on the children he carried, not some resentful bint who'd directed her ire at a defenseless child. His timing couldn't have been better if he'd planned it; he met the representative from WCS in the corridor outside the Infirmary.

The woman raised a brow at the nanny, who had no obvious injury yet still remained utterly frozen.

"It seems you've two cases to investigate tonight, Mrs. Reid," Harry explained.

"Are the children okay?" she asked, shifting her attention to the important matters immediately.

He nodded. "I think so."

At that, she opened the door to allow him to enter ahead of her and didn't comment when the nanny made another "accidental" bump of her hip into the door jamb on the way through. He figured she'd probably wanted to do that sort of thing a few times herself over the years, working a job like hers. He thumped the woman onto an empty bed just as Draco rounded the privacy curtains of a hospital bed.

"Harry? Is something wrong with Louisa?" he asked.

"I caught Louisa yelling at Allie. Before I could stop her, she tried to slap her." Taking a deep breath, Harry reminded himself to mind his language with the children right in his arms. "I did stop her before she managed that, but I'm not sure if she'd done it before."

The blond's expression warred between rage at the nanny and concern for his daughter. Concern won when Allie raised her head and turned, reaching out for her father. Taking her and going to sit on a bed, Draco cuddled the girl close while Harry strode forward to find Poppy. He suspected calming draughts might be in order, as well as physicals for both children. He hoped today had been the first time the woman had become physical with either child, but he knew words were as damaging if spoken often enough.

When the fifth-year boy who'd been the original reason WCS had been called realized what had happened with Allie, he'd insisted that the little girl be seen first. It took just under an hour for Allie to be questioned gently by Mrs. Reid. Once Louisa realized she was well and truly caught in being abusive by Harry, she confessed easily and was taken away by an Auror. Draco reluctantly left his daughter to oversee the interview with Alfred Kelly, after Allie quietly assured him she was happy to stay with Harry and Richard.

He found them when he was done, having a tea party of sorts in the far corner of the Infirmary. Harry had managed to bring Allie out of her shell with his antics at transfiguring items for their tea party, getting her into outright giggles when he'd made them all matching pink hats and feather boas. Richard was happy to play with the soft feathers, munching on one end of his boa as he sat with his hat lopsided. A house-elf had been happy to provide actual tea and miniature sandwiches for the party.

"Is this a private tea party, or am I invited too?" Draco asked his daughter, shooting Harry a relieved look at how carefree Allie seemed to be.

"What do you think, love? Do we let your Daddy join us?" Harry asked her.

She tilted her head sideways to study her father, and then nodded. "He needs a hat and feathers, Harry."

With a grin, Harry transfigured the required items, resisting the urge to laugh at how silly the blond looked. Draco took the empty seat at the little table, doing his best to look dignified as he took a tiny sandwich and a cup of tea. After a bite or two, he studied his daughter, unable to stay completely playful. "I'm sorry, Allie," he said, voice cracking. "I didn't realize..."

The little girl shot out of her chair and flung herself into her father's lap, knocking her hat to the floor. His teacup spilt on the table, but Harry cleaned away the mess quietly. Allie hugged Draco tightly. "I know you didn't, Daddy. I should have told you."

The pain in the grey eyes that met Harry's over the girl's dark hair made Harry's heart ache. He felt equally guilty because he'd never noticed anything off in the nanny's behavior either. They'd been so very lucky he'd not held that Friday detention as planned and had shown up early to get the children.

"I want you to promise you'll tell me immediately if anything ever happens like this again, Allie. No matter who it is."

She nodded. "Uncle Harry made me promise him too."

The pain ebbed as gratitude took its place, and Harry smiled. "Seemed a bit silly for her to keep calling me Mr. Potter at a tea party," he added. "But I think our tea isn't a real dinner, so we should go find some."

Allie wriggled around to look at Harry. "Can we all have dinner together?" she asked hopefully. "Not in the Great Hall?"

"Oh, Merlin. You had dinner plans, Harry," Draco said, looking abashed.

"I'm sure the Weasleys will understand." Harry began to return the transfigured items to their former state, gathering Richard into his arms. "I might even impress young Miss Alcyone there a bit further and cook dinner for us all if you like."

"Oh, really? You can cook, Uncle Harry?" the girl asked, sounding intrigued by the thought. "No house-elves?"

He nodded. "With and without magic."

Draco's agreement was a foregone conclusion as soon as Allie turned pleading grey eyes his way, and the walk back to Harry's quarters was passed with the girl quizzing Harry about what he could and couldn't cook. He set her to play with the baby with a promise he'd start teaching her to cook soon, and Draco followed him into the small kitchen alcove.

"I can't thank you enough," he said quietly.

"No thanks are necessary," Harry replied. "I just wish I'd done more than stun her and bump her into a few walls."

"I'm scared to hire someone else. What if they turn out to resent her too?"

Harry paused in pulling items out of the cold cabinet and nodded. "Maybe you should consider a house-elf," he suggested. "At least then you know she's safe from anything like that, and honestly, I think having a nanny just makes it more obvious to everyone that she's different than the other young children."

The other man sank into a chair at the table and looked thoughtful. "You're right. I'll ask Mother to send over the elf who cared for me as a child."

"Good." Harry flashed him a reassuring smile. "Now get off your lazy backside and help me chop vegetables for dinner. Allie likes carrots, right?"

Laughing, Draco rose to help, and Harry felt a surge of satisfaction. As horrifying as finding out how the nanny was treating Allie had been, he'd helped put an end to it and the children would be safer than safe now, under the dedicated care of a family elf.

And Merlin help anyone else who hurt either Allie or Richard. Harry was utterly in love with the little girl, and anyone else who mistreated her would find themselves getting more than a stunner from Uncle Harry.