The remainder of the Easter holidays proved to be quite tense. The Potters attempted by all means to forge a good relationship with their eldest son, but he, fully aware of their motives and unable to forgive their many years of neglect, wanted nothing to do with his family – a sentiment Brian reciprocated with equal intensity.
While Harry employed every possible method to secure a few minutes of peace, his parents despaired, as all their attempts fell on deaf ears. They had tried everything, and when they asked their friends for advice, they found that while Sirius proved very understanding with the couple (he too had tried in vain to establish a relationship with the teenager), when they consulted Remus, they were met only with contempt and harsh words on his part.
"And what do you expect?" Remus had demanded. "For almost thirteen years, you have, at the very least, ignored the boy, and more often than not, despised him. Do you truly believe that if you simply say 'I'm sorry,' everything will be settled?"
"But we…" Lily had begun, her voice faltering.
"You have been nothing but negligent with him from the very moment he can remember. If I'm honest, I think that for him, you are merely two people with whom he has to live until he reaches the age of majority."
"Don't say that!" Lily had cried. "It's not true, it can't be true…"
"You'd best accept it, Lily… it's the truth."
While his parents were having that fraught conversation with Remus, Harry was in his room, preparing his luggage to return to school, which all seemed like it would be his sanctuary for the time being – at least as long as his parents did not revert to their normal behaviour, or accept that nothing they said was going to have any effect.
It struck him as strange to think that in just a few months, he was going to finish his third year at Hogwarts, and that this would also be his last as a student. Objectively, he knew he had accomplished quite an academic feat, but subjectively, it was impossible for him to understand why no other students could do it. That, in a way, made him sigh with satisfaction; he had achieved what was considered impossible, and most importantly, without any help from his parents.
Then, ignoring the heated conversation unfolding downstairs, he went to sleep. The next day he had a long train ride to Hogwarts, and if he encountered his brother, he would undoubtedly try to play a prank on him during the journey to school. Sometimes, it was truly difficult to have such a spoiled brother.
The morning of the return to Hogwarts was perhaps even more tense than the Easter week itself. The Potters continued to cling to the hope of a more favourable situation developing between their eldest son and themselves. Hopes that were swiftly dashed when Harry remained cold towards them, speaking only just enough to be polite.
Harry knew that he was being spiteful and that he didn't have to behave like that, but from his point of view, it was more than justified. One couldn't behave as if someone didn't exist and then expect that when you suddenly remembered their presence, they would welcome you with open arms.
So, he entered the Express without even bothering to turn and say goodbye to his family. For what? Had they ever said goodbye to him? He went to find his friends and to secure an empty compartment for them. It wasn't very difficult to find them; he just had to listen for the compartment making the most noise, and there they were. After all, the Weasley twins were notorious troublemakers.
Entering the compartment was almost like stepping into a warm home. There was such a welcoming atmosphere that he quickly forgot the tense week he had spent with the Potters, and thus enjoyed a quiet and pleasant journey.
Meanwhile, and unbeknownst to the young Hufflepuff, the Potters had gone directly to Dumbledore's office as soon as the train departed the station, with the intention of complaining about how their eldest son wanted nothing to do with them and how they didn't know how to rectify the situation.
The old man listened to them with his characteristic kind expression, while internally, he plotted how this situation could be manipulated to his advantage. Harry had turned out to be a loose end, since, blinded by Brian and his great potential to be the Saviour, everyone, with a few exceptions, had overlooked Harry throughout his childhood.
It had been a surprise to everyone present when the boy received his Hogwarts letter. For so many years, he had been considered a Squib that it was truly shocking. But that wasn't all; from the very first moment, the boy showed an inordinate potential, and even so, Dumbledore had ignored him, expecting even greater results from his younger brother.
That was perhaps his biggest and most important mistake, because if he had shown a certain interest in the Hufflepuff despite everything, today he would have Harry completely on his side. Instead, he had ignored or hindered him, and as soon as Brian arrived at school, Dumbledore showed his obvious favouritism, going so far as to intercede even when the Gryffindor attacked his brother, leaving him severely injured. All those mistakes had placed Dumbledore in his current predicament; the boy did not want to know anything about the adults he should look to as mentors, and instead, he had placed his trust in those he could not control, like Severus's apprenticeship.
That was another sore point, because although Severus was someone totally dedicated to the light, he was too independent and uncontrollable, which meant the boy was out of Dumbledore's influence until his apprenticeship was over, and then Dumbledore could no longer mould him into someone willing to sacrifice himself for the cause.
He dismissed the couple with a few conciliatory words, and then prepared to attend the opening banquet, vowing to watch the boy as much as possible.
The next few weeks were quite normal. Students and teachers seemed to remember that the end-of-year examinations were just around the corner, as was customary at Hogwarts at this time.
The young Hufflepuff continued with his usual routine: he studied, practised with Ginna, and stopped attacks as the visions came to him. Everything that was already normal in his life. Although it was also true that the arrival of letters from his parents was a daily presence, much to his annoyance. The fact that his parents had suffered a sudden desire to connect with him did not imply that he wanted them to know him; quite the opposite.
It was about a month later when this perfectly planned routine was broken as he was summoned to the Headmaster's office. Thinking that perhaps it was his parents who had opted for a more direct approach, he almost refused to go; but finally, he submitted to the inevitable.
What was his surprise when, instead of his parents, he met the man who, a few years ago, had been elected as Minister for Magic: Cornelius Fudge. The man sat in front of the Headmaster, drinking a cup of tea, while they had what Harry perceived to be a friendly conversation. The truth was that, despite appearances, the situation was quite tense between them.
As soon as he entered, the two men turned to look at him attentively; one with a wide smile, the other with twinkling eyes. After overcoming the initial surprise, the boy gave a slight nod before sitting down in the chair that was empty and clearly waiting for him.
"Harry! Oh, how glad I am to see you! I truly wanted to meet you."
"Minister…"
"Mr. Potter," began the Headmaster. "The Minister has come specifically to see you and speak with you."
"As you wish, Minister."
"Well, my boy…" Fudge began. "I wanted to meet you in person; after all, you are history. Never in the entire history of Hogwarts has anyone managed to complete their courses at Hogwarts in just three years."
"Oh, well…"
"It's an honour to meet you, boy, an honour."
"Fine, thank you."
"Have you thought about what you want to do when you finish this year?"
"Well… I'm going to undertake an apprenticeship in Potions, sir."
"In… really?" The man asked with a rather strained smile. "It must be something very complicated to get accepted by one of the current teachers due to your age. In addition, with your academic résumé, it should be very easy to look for another career option."
"What do you wish to insinuate, Minister?" Harry began, his voice even.
"Well, that the Ministry would be willing to take you as an apprentice in any field that was within our power. I even have a proposal from the Department of Mysteries, if you wished, to make you an Unspeakable—"
"I am very flattered by your offer, Minister," the boy said, taking a drink of tea, making the Minister beam with joy.
While the Minister looked as if Christmas and his birthday had come early, the Headmaster cursed in all the languages he knew under his breath (and he knew many).
He should have seen that move coming from the Ministry; after all, it was a logical step for them to take. That bothered him greatly, because if Snape's apprenticeship was already a tangent beyond his control, this was the same, but much worse.
"Perfect! Then I will begin to make preparations for when you finish the school year. I am sure that no one will have any objections…"
"I have told you, Minister, that I am very flattered by your offer, not that I would accept it," the teenager cut him off politely but firmly.
"Pardon?" The man looked at him as if Harry had slapped him. "Harry, I don't think you understand how difficult it will be to be accepted into an apprenticeship. No teacher is going to trust a boy of almost fourteen years old."
"I know, sir, but you seem to forget that I already know a Master of Potions; in fact, I have been taught by him."
"Snape," murmured the Minister with dawning understanding.
"Yes, Professor Snape is a fully certified Master, in fact, he is one of the youngest Masters out there."
"But as far as I know, there is a rivalry between Professor Snape and his family… he will never accept."
"In fact, Cornelius, Severus accepted young Mr. Potter as his future apprentice months ago," explained the Headmaster with his twinkling eyes.
"Yes, yes, of course… Of course," the Minister murmured with a somewhat strange expression.
"Then unless you wish to speak of something else with our young Mr. Potter, I think he ought to go, for if I am not mistaken, he is about to begin his Charms class, is he not, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore said with a happy expression.
"Yes, sir."
"Oh, I won't entertain you any longer, Harry. You know, if anything comes up, don't hesitate to contact the Ministry."
"Yes, of course, don't worry, Mr. Minister, I will."
After that, both the Minister and the boy left the Headmaster's office under the watchful eye of the old man, who had a rather satisfied expression on his face.
It was true that Harry was not under his complete control, but at least neither was he under the Ministry's. And it should not be forgotten that no matter how independent Severus was, he was still one of Dumbledore's men and was, in a way, under his orders. Yes, there was still hope for the boy to be an asset to the Order. He had to plan everything very carefully; if he wanted everything to go well, it would not be a good idea for the plan to fail due to lack of foresight.