Lucius, I trust that you are faring well. I will skip the pleasantries and
get straight to my request- I believe by now you are aware that your son has formed a close friendship with Harry Potter. While this may have been a difficult relationship for him to foster, I know he would not have done so without your permission. Thus, I believe it would be best if you and I could speak openly in
private. Please owl me with your earliest convenient time for us to meet.
Preferably during the Easter break.
Sincerely,
Your friend,
S. Snape'
Severus looked over his scroll to his oldest, and closest, friend carefully.
It was honest, could be interpreted in either favor or displeasure towards Draco's association with Potter, and asked for an immediate audience.
He hoped Lucius would respond quickly. The Easter holidays were rapidly approaching and he needed to find Potter a summer residence before the school year ended.
He had already received confirmation from the Contessa Zabini that Potter was an invited guest for a fortnight this summer. If Lucius conceded to hosting the child for at least two weeks as well, it would only leave Severus with a two week gap left to fill.
It would have been ideal if he could have had Potter reside in a single location all summer but Albus had ended that possibility before it came to fruition.
He had approached the Headmaster shortly after the school year had started and again tried to impress upon him the damage Potter's relatives had done to him.
He thought perhaps that Potter, being who he was, may receive more care in this regard than the Slytherins he has brought up have in the past.
He was wrong, of course.
'I am sure that whatever the child has told you is nothing more than the dramatic retellings of an imaginative mind, my boy. Families should work their difficulties out between themselves.
'Harry must remain with his relatives Severus, the blood wards are the only thing preventing the Dark Lord from finding him once he rises- as we both know he will.'
He had to occlude rapidly to prevent Albus from seeing his rage at stating that abusive families should just 'work it out between themselves'.
Severus had prodded a bit to try and understand how the wards had not yet fallen. He had to do so very carefully so that he did not alert Albus to Potter's homeless status. No doubt the Headmaster would ship him back to Petunia and her whale of a family and then Severus would be forced to kill them.
Then he would be stuck in Azkaban.
Then he would have to murder Sirius Black, manually, without magic.
... which actually might not be a terrible path to take now that he considers the benefits of imprisonment.
But no, the child needs his protection currently.
Another time, perhaps.
Albus had unwittingly told him the key to why the wards had yet to fall in any case- Potter might not consider the house in Surrey to be home, but as long as he does not consider anywhere else to be home either then the wards remain.
And Severus was Slytherin enough to see his opening in that loophole.
If he could find three or four places for Potter to reside at during the summer, preferably none of which that would alert Albus to his location, then his stay would be short enough where he did not quite feel all the way at home.
It was cruel to make a prepubescent child a permanent guest during his holidays, but infinitely kinder than sending him back to sleep on the streets alone.
Which brings him back to his current predicament.
With Potters blessing- he would be spending the first two weeks with the Zabini's in Italy, then hopefully two weeks with the Malfoys, but who could be trusted, by both him and the child, for the other two weeks of his break?
When he considered Potter's friends he had to mark off Theodore Nott. His father was friends with Riddle in school, the Boy-Who-Lived would never be a welcome guest there.
Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom had family members firmly in Albus' trusted Order. They would not hesitate to report to him that Potter was not staying at his relatives home.
Hermione Granger was a Muggleborn. While it was not a definite no, it certainly would not be ideal to leave the child undefendable in a Muggle household.
Susan Bones, and her Aunt Amelia Bones, were Severus' next best shot. Amelia had been a part of the Order of the Phoenix in the war, though she had shown no real loyalty to Albus per say, just the cause.
It was helpful that she also headed the DMLE and had covertly assisted Severus with multiple abuse cases in the past.
He would have to take a gamble on flooing Amelia and carefully asking if she would be amenable to allowing her nieces friend to stay for a couple of weeks.
And then of course he would have to get Potter to agree to this all.
Which he assumed will be a problem.
The brat always was.
When he heard an alarm ringing from his wand, a subtle tracking alarm of his own design, he groaned aloud.
Apparently today he would be dealing with his other ongoing problem- Quirrell.
He had placed the charm on the entrance to the third floor corridor and tweaked it to recognize Quirinus' specific magical signature. Thus, an alarm that only he could hear would alert him if the man entered the area.
He thought it was both subtle and brilliant. A simple way to ensure that he could arrive quickly any time Quirinus entered the area and posed a threat to the stone.
Which, apparently, he currently was.
Severus quickly cast a nearly perfect disillusionment charm on himself and moved swiftly to the third floor.
He slowed his pace, moving carefully and quietly as he approached the corridor. He could see Quirinus in the entrance, but the man was just standing there, twirling his wand.
Was he attempting a silent spell to try and seize the stone? Or was he waiting for something?
Severus decided that he would wait as well, and attempt to decipher Quirinus' motives.
The two men stood there, silently, waiting and watching. Severus was almost prepared to come out from his disillusionment and confront Quirinus face to face when he heard a student.
"- it's not like anyone else is using them!"
He could have bashed his head against the wall with the well of frustration he felt building in him. Unless he was very much mistaken, which he rarely was, that was Ronald Weasley. And where Weasley was there was...
And yes, there's Potter.
Severus shifted slightly to listen more clearly.
"Well, well, well... what's going on here?"
If Severus had not seen the man's mouth moving he never would have believed that the words came from Quirinus' mouth.
He knew that stutter was faked.
He pulled his wand out and had it discreetly trained on Quirinus. If the incompetent fool tried anything he would be prepared to defend the students.
Quirinus locked eyes with Potter, which set alarms off in Severus' head.
"Now... What kind of homework results in four students being covered in blood and scrapes?"
Christ Almighty.
Severus could see that Potter, who was now deathly pale, was indeed covered in small scrapes and blood smears. As was Susan Bones, who stood beside him. Most likely Weasley and Draco as well, but as Severus could only see their distinctive hair around Quirinus that was mostly a guess.
"W-we were j-just..." Potter's terrified stammer trailed off as he desperately looked around Quirinus. Likely seeking an easy escape route.
"Dueling," Bones interrupted smoothly. "We wanted to practice dueling."
Severus was fairly confident that she was lying through her teeth, but she did it rather confidently. It was impressive for an eleven year old girl.
"Dueling?" Quirinus laughed softly. "I don't remember assigning any homework that consisted of dueling in a closed corridor."
"It doesn't seem closed to me," Draco drawled.
"Quiet, boy. I was speaking to Potter," Quirinus snapped.
Who is this man and what has he done with the timid stuttering man he usually spoke with? Severus wondered.
"Don't call him boy, his name is Draco Malfoy," Potter snarled.
Apparently the smallest Slytherin had found his fire at a perceived insult towards his friend.
Interesting.
"You wouldn't have happened to be snooping around beyond that door there, were you?" Quirinus asked him, ignoring the child's obvious anger.
Damn it all.
What else would they be doing up here?
"No sir," Weasley answered. "The doors locked isn't it?"
Severus could have groaned at the boys lack of subtlety. He must be ridiculously ambitious to have wound up in Slytherin. Potter turned towards the red head and gave him a dark look that very obviously said 'shut up'.
"Tell me, Potter," Quirinus said softly, "what did you discover in the chamber beyond that door?"
If Potter and his friends had not already been attempting to pass Hagrid's giant dog, which Severus fully believed they were, then this conversation would be enough to entice them to do just that.
He retreated partially down the stairs, removed his disillusionment charm, and decided to enter the conversation.
"And what is going on here?" He asked coolly. "I believe the Headmaster requested that no one access this floor, hmm?"
Potter looked marginally relieved to see him, an expression which made Severus feel as if though perhaps his efforts to win the child's trust have not been in vain.
"S-S-Severus," Quirinus stammered, "I found th-th-these students r-r-roaming the hall and-"
Severus cut him off, already tired of the return of his faux-stutter.
"I see." He looked over each of the four and saw that they were indeed all covered in minor cuts and abrasions.
"Follow me," he instructed them.
"W-w-wait," Quirinus called as Severus made to leave the area with the students. "P-P-Potter detention t-t-tomorrow for b-b-being up here."
Severus spun around and pointed his wand at the turban wearing idiots chest.
"Potter is hardly the only student out of bounds, is he?" he hissed, out of the students hearing range. "Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, and Bones will be punished by me. I suggest you find a way to explain your own interest in this area along with your targeted punishment towards the 'Boy-Who-Lived' before Albus undoubtedly calls you for a chat."
He gave Quirinus one last withering look of disdain before ushering the children down the staircase and away from the disconcerting situation.
As he shepherded the injured first years down to his classroom they attempted to explain the situation- which he had no wish to hear of at this moment.
"Sir, we-"
"Silence Draco."
"But Professor-"
"Bones, do not speak to me at this moment."
"Bastard..."
"Detention tomorrow, Potter."
The children finally fell silent and exchanged nervous looks as they followed the Potions Master to the dungeon.
He opened his classroom door and gestured to the desks closest to his. "Sit."
Three of the students trudged to the row of desks with their heads ducked low. Potter, of course, edged carefully around Severus and flinched when he the door closed with a slam.
So clearly he trusted Severus to protect him from Quirinus, but not to refrain from injuring him as a punishment.
Building trust with a trauma victim is rarely a linear experience, Severus reminded himself.
He left the children where they were in favor of gathering a few vials of healing potions from his private store.
When he re-entered the classroom he saw that the other students were clearly glancing at Potter repeatedly. Concerned for his despondent state or seeking instructions on the upcoming conversation?
Severus sat the bottles of healing solution on the desks.
"If you would please roll your sleeves up, I can heal the cuts you received from 'dueling'."
Potter glanced up sharply at him before scrunching his nose and-
Son of a bitch.
-wandlessly and silently healing him and the other students of their injuries.
Severus rolled his eyes at the children's gasps of surprise. Potter was so dramatic.
"I find myself to be made useless in favor of Potter's whims. Malfoy and Potter, two points from Slytherin each for being out of bounds, you are dismissed. Miss Bones, same goes for you."
He eyed Weasley closely, the red head was clearly the weak link in the group and the most likely to supply him with answers.
"Weasley, remain seated."
Ronald shot a panicked look towards Potter.
Who gave him a cool look of disinterest back.
"Unless you wish to receive a detention on top of your point loss, I recommend leaving, now," he barked at the still seated students.
Draco and Bones immediately leapt to their feet and made their way to the door. Potter walked past Weasley, grasped his shoulder roughly and whispered something low in his ear.
Severus was too far away to hear what he said but Weasleys gulp and rapidly paling face were unmistakable.
Clearly Potter inspired both friendship and fear in equal quantities with his housemates.
Clever boy.
As the students left the room Severus sat at his desk and focused his narrow eyed glare on Ronald.
"Explain, immediately, the events of today before I arrived on the third floor," he ordered harshly.
Weasley fixed his eyes on his desk and began concocting an absolutely fictional tale.
"Uh, we were dueling, right? And uh, Harry is really strong, okay? And so we were like 'let's go somewhere with no other students' and then we remembered how the third floor was already out of order, cause that's what Professor Dumbledore said, so we went up there. And I guess we got carried away a bit and then Professor Quirrell showed up and, blimey, he's a weird bloke. And... and then that's when you showed up, sir."
Ronald glanced up at him, in an obvious attempt to gauge if the Professor had accepted his story.
Severus kept his gaze inscrutable.
"Which student, specifically, had the clever idea to use a forbidden corridor for dueling practice?"
Weasleys face relaxed, he clearly thought that his story had been accepted.
"Uh, I'm not sure, maybe me?"
Severus raised a brow at him, "Maybe you? Were you hit on the head during your duels and forgot a conversation you allegedly had this very morning?"
Weasley's ears turned red, "Definitely me, sir."
"I see."
He folded his hands together and studied the boy in silence long enough for Weasley to begin fidgeting.
"Yup, so can I go?"
"Soon," Severus assured him. "Which student was able to land a cutting curse on Mister Potter? I have heard he is rather fearsome and quick in his duels."
Weasley twisted his hands around on his lap before lying to him again, "That was also me. I didn't mean to, I think I just got lucky."
"Indeed," Severus drawled. "What curse did you use?"
The boy gawked at him, open-mouthed.
"Uh, well, it was..." he trailed off and frantically looked around the room, as if searching for a response. "It all happened pretty fast, I don't remember what spell I used."
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Potter clearly had chosen a loyal friend in Weasley.
An abominable liar, subtle as a traipsing bull- but loyal.
Or terrified.
Some mixture of the two anyway.
"Ronald, I am going to be very clear with you. You are an appalling liar and I pray to Merlin that you are not questioned by the Headmaster over today's events."
Weasley gnawed on his fingernails for a moment, a disgusting habit, before blurting;
"Look can you talk to Harry instead? Because he's sort of in charge of the gang and I can't say anything, okay? He's my best mate."
Severus could appreciate the position Weasley was in but he only had one thought in mind as he dismissed the boy:
Never let Albus Dumbledore hear that Potter has created a fucking gang.
The child, as amusing as he was, was also becoming increasingly difficult to keep alive.
***
Of course, Sunday morning, Severus was summoned by Albus.
Unsurprising really, he knew this would be coming.
"Severus, come in dear boy!" Albus cried after Severus knocked politely on his door. "Come, have a seat!"
Severus sat in one of the offered chairs and attempted to position his body to appear as at ease as possible.
"Albus," he nodded his head. "How can I help you?"
Albus peered at him happily over the rim of his glasses.
"I heard that there was a situation yesterday regarding Mister Potter in the third floor corridor."
Severus sneered at his insistence on sounding omnipresent. He likely heard it from either a portrait, ghost, or perhaps Quirinus himself.
"There was," Severus said coolly. "I encountered Quirinus, Potter, and a few of Potter's friends all on the third floor in what seemed to be a confrontation."
Albus hummed happily, as if this were wonderful news.
"I wondered if Harry would become interested in the mystery or not." He laughed, "You know his father would have been up there on the first day."
Severus bit back a scathing remark about James Potter's lack of ability to follow rules and chose to focus on Albus' pleasure that Potter was nosing around the stone.
"You sound pleased that an eleven year old child is interested in confronting the obstacles we created," Severus said carefully. "I thought those were intended to prevent theft, not be seen as challenges to a young boy."
Albus sat back in his chair and smiled serenely.
"Ah, but curiosity can be so overwhelming in children, can it not?
"Are you hoping for a confrontation between Potter and Quirinus over the stone?" Severus asked, hoping for a rebuttal but knowing in his gut the truth.
"Hmm," Albus hummed thoughtfully. "We do not yet know that Quirinus is after the stone."
Severus snorted at Albus' statement. Obviously Quirinus was after the stone.
He did not miss that Albus had not answered his question either.
Which, truly, was as much of a confirmation as he needed.
As he reclined in his sitting room that evening he thought back and wondered when he became disillusioned with Albus.
Certainly the man had been no friend to him when he was a student. He had ignored an attempt on his life as nothing more than a 'harmless prank'.
When Severus turned sides in the war Albus had taken the mantle of a pseudo-father, while still being a demanding taskmaster.
He had thought, foolishly, that him and Albus had grown close over the last ten years.
Yet... he could not call a man his friend or ally that designed challenges that put Lily Potter's son in harms way.
Nor could he forgive Albus' initial threat when he shared his memories of Potter.
'... if it comes down to stopping him, I will ensure it is done in a way to keep you separate and safe.'
He knew now that he could pinpoint his disillusionment with Albus at the same point he could Voldemort- any man willing to kill a child was no man he was willing to follow.
***
"Sir?"
Severus looked up from his grading, meeting the curious green eyes seated at the desk across from him.
Potter had been in detention the last hour, writing lines about appropriate language, and had been worrying his lip the entire time. Severus knew he had something on his mind but since the child had kept silent up until now he did not believe he would be privy to his thoughts.
"Yes?"
Potter bit his bottom lip, before abruptly clearing his face of any expression except slight boredom.
The child was a natural occlumens.
"Sir, I was wonderin' if I could ask ya a question. And if ya gave me your real honest answer then I'd let ya ask me one, l-like we sometimes do?"
Severus leapt on an offered opportunity to learn more about Potter.
"I accept. However, if I deem your question to be inappropriate, or one I am unable to answer without lying to you, then I will refuse to answer and it shall be no harm done. Acceptable?"
"Yes sir."
Severus watched and waited patiently as the child's gaze flickered around the room. He knew Potter frequently had difficulty expressing his thoughts and was willing to give him time in this unprecedented offer. Clearly the question was important to him.
"What if ya don't like chocolate or vanilla?" Potter blurted.
He raised his brows at him but kept his face impassive.
"That is your question? You wish to know my preferences in ice cream flavors?"
Potter blushed and grimaced down at his desk.
"N-no, I just m-meant... well, p-pretend ya had two choices, okay?" He looked up at Severus through his messy fringe of black hair. "And ya don't really like either choice, cause they both suck, but everyone says ya gotta pick one or the other- w-what would you do sir?"
Severus appraised him for a few moments- thinking through his response.
"Rarely in my life have I ever been in a situation where there were only two choices," he said. He held his hand up when Potter looked ready to interrupt. "No, listen. There have been many times where I believed there were only two choices but I was wrong. There is always a third path that can be taken, it just may be hard to obtain it and hold it. Do you understand?"
He could tell that his response, to whatever the true question may have been, did trigger a thoughtful look from Potter.
"Yes, sir, thank you."
Severus acknowledged his thanks with a small nod.
Potter tensed up, tightening the muscles in his shoulders and limbs and gave a small grimace, "Go ahead."
Severus considered asking him the true events regarding the third floor, though he was already sure that the foolish boy had attempted to get past Hagrid's beast and so he chose not to waste this opportunity seeking validation for an answer he already believes to know.
"What was the most difficult part of living on your own?"
Potter's facial expression relaxed, as did his tense posture.
"That's easy," he snorted. "Bein' alone all the time. Not much fun, is it? Not havin' anyone ya can trust, gotta work by yourself just to find a bite to eat or drink. But it's better than Surrey, ain't it?"
Pitiful.
Severus inspected his fingernails in a stab at feigning indifference to Potter. "Was Surrey much worse than London?"
When Potter did not answer after nearly a minute Severus believed the child was going to refuse to altogether. He slyly eyed the child out of the corner of his vision and saw him deep in thought with his brows furrowed.
"Bit different, wasn't it? There I didn't know that I was gonna have to fight every day. I knew the rules but I always got in trouble anyway, didn't I? Thought they'd like me eventually but they hated me up til the day they told me to leave." Potter raised one shoulder in a shocking display of indifference, "Didn't get to eat much and got beat up a lot though, so I 'spose some of it was the same."
Severus thought back to the injuries the child had sustained while at the hands of his relatives, fractures, lacerations, and burns.
"Why were you unable to eat?" He asked, tapering down on his curiosity.
"'Freaks don't get food'," Potter quoted. "Had to eat out of the bloody trash bins, didn't I?"
Severus considered if he could possibly murder Petunia Dursley without the blood wards falling and alerting Albus.
"I see," is all he said out loud.
Potter seemed to be in a sharing mood tonight. Perhaps the weight of all his past was simply too much to continue carrying alone, or, more likely, he was not monitoring himself as tightly as usual.
"They just hated me, didn't matter how good I was, or how quiet," he said. "But it didn't matter, did it? Cause I knew I was special. Knew I could do things no one else could do." He looked at Severus and his green eyes were blazing, "Sometimes I wish I could go back, ya know? Make 'em regret everything they ever did."
Severus could certainly understand the impulse and the need for vengeance.
He himself had not shed a single tear when his father eventually drank himself to death.
"If it wasn't for them, and Voldemort, and Dumbledore, I woulda had a different life, right? Maybe I coulda stayed with someone who cared but nooo," Potter sneered. "He just dumped me off like fuckin trash."
"Language," he murmured softly.
Potter laughed and gave him a bright smile, a startling contrast to the sneer he was wearing just a moment ago.
"Ya may not know this sir, but I never even used that word til I met ya. You're a bad influence."
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. Hopefully crude language was the worst of his habits that Potter emulated.
"I do not find that reassuring Potter, as I have made many poor decisions I do not believe that I am a man whom you should mimic."
Potter leaned close to him, suddenly serious and still from his incessant fidgeting.
"Would you change it, if you could sir? If ya didn't have to be dark or light, if those choices didn't matter no more, would you find that third choice?" He asked softly, his eyes sharp.
'What if chocolate and vanilla both suck?'
Severus gave him as solemn of a look as he could, given that he was speaking with a child.
Slowly he said, "If there were ever another choice for me, say a third flavor outside of chocolate and vanilla, I believe that would become my preferred flavor."
Potter grinned, apparently pleased that Severus finally understood his simile.
"Indeed," the child drawled. Mimicking Severus' own phrase so exactly that he let out a surprised laugh.
Even if Potter was a nightmare to keep alive, it was assuredly worth it in these moments.
***
"Severus!" Amelia Bones cried in surprise. "How are you? What can I do for you?"
Severus, whose knees were aching kneeling on his office floor, nodded at her and requested to come through to speak privately.
"Of course," she said easily. "The password is contraseña."
Severus gave her an amused look after flooing through and brushing the soot from his robes.
"Your password is password?" He asked sarcastically. "Very original Madame Bones."
Amelia sat behind her desk and gave him an impish sort of smile, not unlike the one he has seen before on her niece.
"Well British Wixen aren't likely to have any interest in Spanish, are they Severus? Plus it reminds me to finish learning the damn language."
Severus chuckled and sat at the seat across from her at her gesture.
"I suppose that is true enough," he allowed.
Amelia called for a tea service and poured them both glasses.
"Now, I'm sure you didn't take yourself away from your students and classes to talk languages with me Severus. What can I do for you?"
This is one of the many things he admires about Amelia Bones- her lack of interest in small talk.
"I have come to you with a rather intensely private request. I wish to ask you a favor and I would prefer- regardless of your answer- that this conversation never leaves this office."
Amelia eyed him steadily behind her glasses.
"Have you committed a crime?" She asked bluntly.
"No."
"Have one of your students committed an egregious crime?"
Severus' lips twitched at the qualifier.
"No," he assured her.
"Will I be putting my job or my family at risk by hearing your request?"
"No."
Amelia sat back in her seat, took a small sip of her tea, and finally tilted her chin at him.
"Let's hear it then."
"I have a student in my house who is in need of sanctuary this summer," he said slowly. "The child cannot return to his relatives but his placement would need to be a secret to the point of an Unbreakable Vow." He grimaced as he knew he would need to fully inform her of the risks. "There are those who would be incredibly interested in his whereabouts. However, those would be the very ones who the child would need shielded from."
Amelia raised her brows in interest before furrowing them in thought.
"Are you here to have me assist you in finding a placement for your student?"
Severus held her gaze as he shook his head.
"I am not, I am here to ask if you would be willing to take placement of the child for the last two weeks of the summer holidays."
He had not yet received confirmation from Lucius. However, he had mentioned to Draco that he was awaiting his fathers response in a request for Potter to stay with them briefly over the summer. He was utterly confident that the acceptance would reach him soon.
"And you see no difficulties from any opposing parties to Mister Potter staying with Susan and myself over the summer?" Amelia asked shrewdly.
Severus blinked at her in surprise. He had not said that the student in question was Harry Potter.
She always was rather sharp and quick on the uptake... for a Hufflepuff.
"Apologies, I was hoping that if you refused I would not need to reveal the students identity. It seems that you saw right through me."
Amelia smirked at him, "Susan has been sending constant letters about her best friend, Harry Potter. She's also mentioned how much she worried about what kind of life he has outside of school." She adjusted her glasses and narrowed her eyes at him. "So, Severus, between you and I, what kind of life does Britain's Magical Boy-Hero have outside of Hogwarts?"
Severus hesitated. He had to tread carefully in order to protect Potter's tentative trust in him. Yet, Amelia Bones would undeniably be a powerful ally that could be easily swayed through pity for the orphaned child.
"I have sworn secrecy to Pot- Harry. However," he pulled a parchment out of his robe pocket and offered it to her, "if this were to fall out and you read it- then I have committed no act that the child can find treasonous."
Amelia accepted the scroll, a copy of Potter's extensive medical scan, and glanced at her watch.
"I have a department meeting in ten minutes, may I pursue this and owl you my response?"
"That would be more than acceptable," Severus assured her. "If you were able to do so quickly it would be preferable as we are approaching the end of term soon."
Amelia nodded her understand and he bade her a good evening.
The bait had been laid, the request had been made, all he could do now was wait.
***
The very next morning Severus received a scroll specifically delivered to his private quarters.
Severus, I accept. Please send me the dates and location where I can
pick up the potion. Sincerely,
Madam Bones.
Yes, Amelia was very quick on the uptake. Even for a Hufflepuff.