When the floo flared up, everyone leaned in a bit closer. The woman that popped through was both nothing and everything like he had expected. Her body was boxy, and she was dressed plainly (and rather muggle) in dragonhide boots, denim pants, and a black sweater. Her hair was straight and choppy around her waist as though she cut it herself. In contrast, her face, however, screamed pureblood - her pointed brow, thick lashes, and sculpted cheekbones left her looking rather like a Black. The only thing that stood out to contrast was the dainty pentagram inked under one acid-green eye. No, the tattoo matched her dangerous aura, a veil of darkness hidden under delicate features. She was an old photograph, captured in nothing but black and white (except those eyes she somehow shared with Potter). Her age was indeterminable - although her appearance implied she was in her late thirties, it felt like it was a guise, a snapshot of a singular moment captured in time. There was a weight and wisdom to her person that hinted at an age and history far surpassing her looks. Snape felt a foreboding sense of cold and darkness he'd not seen achieved in a person besides the Dark Lord.
Snape was impressed. One strived to achieve such an intimidating aura.
"Greetings, thank you for coming on short notice," Albus said, offering her a chair. "I don't believe we have met, I am Headmaster Albus Dumbledore."
"Alabasandria Adams," she said. Her voice purred like car exhaust. "And no, we have not met. I did not have the privilege of attending Hogwarts in my youth."
"Ah, Beauxbatons, perhaps?"
"No, I was homeschooled. Harry, how are you, how are your lessons?" It was obvious she was not impressed with the Headmaster, ignoring them all entirely to focus on Potter, who had a manic grin at her attention.
"They are under the impression that you've kidnapped me or something, mama. Apparently, I have been missing for four years." The boy said flatly. His eyes were sparkling with mischief. Not an ounce of concern or surprise lined his face; the boy looked pleased with the whole situation. His guardian raised a sculpted brow and turned to Dumbledore calmly.
"Missing? Seriously?"
"Harry," Albus chided. "We are not accusing your guardian of kidnapping you. We were uncertain of your whereabouts after the tragic accident with your relatives and we are simply making sure you are safe. Are you aware of the fate of your relatives?"
"They're dead." Potter said. "A tragic camping accident, yeah. Very sad." His voice was emotionless. The both of them acted as though this conversation was boring chit-chat about the weather.
"And you were not present at said accident?"
"Mr. Dumbledore, what is this? An interrogation?! Respectfully, I don't understand how you can be concerned as you clearly never looked for the boy. I've never hidden the fact that I had him. No one ever enquired about his safety or whereabouts."
"I apologize, I did not intend for it to come across as such." Dumbledore tried to assure her. "I was a friend of Harry's parents, you see and we were all so worried when he and the Dursley family went missing."
"How interesting that you only showed concern once he was not in your grasp. Who's idea was it to leave him with such awful muggles? I would assume James and Lily Potter did not approve of such a thing?"
"Ah, you see, when Lily Potter sacrificed her life for her son, a protective barrier of love surrounded Harry. To protect Harry from Lord Voldemort's followers it was decided that Harry should be placed with blood relatives to keep these protections."
"Love - you're saying that love - that is absurd." The woman looked at Albus and the first hint of emotion crossed her face - bafflement. Like Dumbledore was a particularly slow first-year student. "That makes no sense whatsoever. But it is not important anymore, the Dursleys are dead and so these wards are a moot point."
"If they were truly powered by love and not blood they never would have worked in the first place," Potter pointed out. "The Dursleys made it very clear they did not love me and it was mutual."
Dumbledore frowned, his twinkling eyes twitched at the boy's complete lack of care about the situation.
"Look," the child continued. "It's obvious what you're here for, so I'll tell you the story. For my cousin Dudley's seventh birthday he demanded to go camping. Uncle Vernon hated leaving me home alone because he was worried I would steal food, which to be fair I regularly had to do. But Dudley said me being there would ruin his birthday, so they locked me in the cupboard under the stairs while they were gone for the weekend. But then they never came back, and I started to get really worried and scared. I'm not sure how I did it, but at some point, I must have apparated to Diagon Alley. One moment I was in the cupboard thinking about how I was going to die in there and the next I found myself in the Alley. I walked around a bit and eventually ran into mama who gave me some food. When I told her what happened she said I wasn't going back and we found out a couple of weeks later about the bear attack. I've lived with her at her potions shop in Knockturn ever since."
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