That Which Returns
*This story is a co-writing collaboration between my self and TimeTurnerUser. Your ideas are always golden TimeTurner!
Prologue
Voldemort had all the intentions in the world to let the fiery redhead Mudblood that Severus was so fascinated with, hell he would be honest, the man was in love with her but thought he hid that from his Lord, let him believe it. Voldemort was not expecting Lily to attempt to fight him off, not with a wand, no, she had done something in that room while he disposed of her idiot husband, he could sense it. Voldemort let his pride get in the way forgetting that for years he had been considered a freakishly powerful Mudblood himself, until his heritage came out. His pride kept him from maybe stunning the beautiful woman and investigating the magic in the room before turning his wand on the second child of the seer's foretelling. Rather than use his large intellect to evaluate the situation Voldemort killed the woman in annoyance, she wouldn't move, then turned his wand on the child before she even hit the floor.
Voldemort looked around again after the green flash of the Killing Curse temporary blinded him and the child when it rebounded, somehow, towards him. When he looked down he saw his body on the ground behind where he was floating. Oh to say Lord Voldemort was not a happy man would have been an understatement. He was pissed! Now in his non-corporal form he could see the energy of the complicated RUNE spell the cursed woman had cast before he made it up the stairs. He looked at the child when he heard him whine and if he would have still had a working jaw, his mouth would have been hanging open. He could see the magical cores of both James and Lily Potter being absorbed by the child. Voldemort could only assume that had to be what the spell the Mudblood had cast was to do besides to shield the child if she died.
Suddenly Lord Voldemort, the most feared wizard in a generation felt fear himself, he felt a pull on his own power, his own core. He knew the spell was trying to steal his core from him. HE HAD TO GET AWAY! Otherwise without a body the spell most likely would take him as being dead and rob him of his core and feed it into the child. BY SALAZAR, THE CHILD IS POWERFUL ENOUGH! With that thought the disembodied Lord Voldemort sneered at the child, Harry, for good measure before rushing out of the badly damaged two story dwelling.
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Chapter 1
Five year-old Harold "Harry" James Potter was bored as he watched his cousin playing with a new shiny toy while all he had to play with was one old badly broken toy. He was happy though, he did have a toy for once. He was always getting in trouble for the odd things that would happen at day school and at the house, it was no home to him, and he decided to see if he could make one of those odd things happen right here right now. Harry stared at the toy in his hands, wishing it would be whole and new again. He felt a tug at something in the middle of his chest, but it didn't hurt, then a warmth spread through his chest, shoulders, arms, then down to the tips of his fingers. The toy began to glow a soft yellow then began to repair. Harry felt rather smug, he had managed to make one of those things his 'family' called 'freakish' happen when he wanted, he filed that information away for later reflection.
Even at five years old he was already showing signs of being highly intelligent. While his cousin and the other kids in his day school struggled to learn how to say their alphabet, count to one hundred, tie their shoes, and all those 'pre-kindergarten' milestones Harry had mastered those when he was three. Once he had mastered that, and gotten a beating beyond any he had had before, he had convinced his very sweet day school room teacher to NOT report home anything amazing he did but teach him everything he could stuff in his brain. She wouldn't understand why he didn't want his family to know about his progress, but he managed to sway her to his way of thinking with a flower a day that he smuggled in his clothes. Once Harry had managed to repair his toy, he sat gleefully playing with it and making plans of what to attempt next, he didn't notice when Dudley began to cry.
Harry did notice when Aunt Petunia came in the room and said in her shrill annoying voice, "Boy, you know better than to take Dudley's toys! You only get Dudley's old broken toys!"
Petunia looked around for where Harry had chucked his broken toy, because that's what Dudley did to them, when she didn't see it she figured he had hid it somewhere to be able to play with one of nice new toys. Petunia shrugged, she was enjoying gossiping with that odd woman across the street with too many cats, took the toy from Harry and handed the toy to Dudley. Dudley smiled like the greedy kid he was and stuck his tongue out at Harry.
"Mine!" Harry said not thinking about the consequences.
He had just fixed that BROKEN toy to new and now the old ugly woman was going to give his toy to Fat Boy! Not going to happen! Harry reached out to get the toy back from Dudley who was sitting about three feet from him. Right as Harry reached out, all of the toys flew into the air and over to Harry. Harry was shocked, he wasn't even trying to get all the toys, he only wanted his. When the toys flew into the air and over to Harry, Petunia screamed, she always hated it when the boy made freaky thinks happen. Harry pushed most of the toys back into the middle between Dudley and him and only kept his own toy to play with and turned his back on the two.
About an hour later, Dudley had gotten over his shock and went back to playing with the majority of the toys and had left Harry alone, Petunia had went back into the kitchen to talk with her neighbor who gossiped as much as herself and to plot the boy's demise, when Vernon's car could be heard screeching up to a stop in the driveway.
When Vernon bashed into the house as loud as an enraged bull elephant, Petunia came out of the kitchen where she had just rushed the neighbor off through the back door.
"Vernon, the boy did you-know-what and took Dudley's toys!"
His uncle stormed into the living room where Harry was still playing with his magiced toy with his back turned to the pile of toys and Dudley while Dudley played with all but two toys. One toy he had left between Harry and him, and the one Harry was playing with.
Vernon, red in the face with high blood pressure, rage, and too many pints before reaching home, yelled at Harry, "BOY, GIVE DUDLEY HIS TOYS BACK NOW!"
Harry saw that Dudley was content with the toys he had and had even left one between them as if he was daring Harry to play with it. Dudley had a content smile on his face, until his father bellowed, then he looked scared. Harry had been quite content after Petunia left him alone and wasn't quite ready yet to give up his ONE toy. Harry decided he was going to try again to see if he couldn't get his 'freakiness' to work for him when he wanted it to, if it failed he would just take the beating, but he had to try.
"No," was all Harry said.
His drunk raging uncle came charging at him and Harry raised his hand, he knew what was coming and seriously hoped his experiment from earlier wasn't a one-time deal.
Harry positioned his hands as if to block Vernon from getting any closer and said clearly and strongly, "Stop!"
He saw something red come out of his hands and it blew his uncle across the room. His uncle landed with a bang on the couch which promptly collapsed under the force of the impact and his massive weight. Harry sat there with his hands extended in front of him in shock as he watched to see if his uncle was going to get up or not. When his uncle didn't move except for the rising and falling of his chest, Petunia went into hysterics, assuming the boy would KILL THEM ALL! Petunia's screaming and shrieking upset Dudley who just knew that his Daddy liked to hurt Harry and his Mummy didn't like Harry either and hurt him sometimes too and though he liked Harry he had to act like he hated him too. Dudley, being the below average child, began crying softly because he was confused over what just happened and his Mummy sounded REALLY upset. Harry just shook his head, pushed the extra toy back over to Dudley hoping he would be quiet at least, and went back to playing with his one toy.
After just a few minutes there was a loud knock on the door. Petunia was still hysterical thus didn't hear or bother answering the door. Suddenly the door blasted open, making Dudley cry louder in fright and Harry jump. Harry was quite surprised when someone broke into their house in the middle of the evening so he watched the two men who entered carefully once he hid under a wide table by the wall. Harry saw that one of the men looked to be about as tall as his uncle with long white silver hair and a long white beard. He was dressed very oddly in a bright purple dress. The other man was taller by a good half a foot with shoulder length jet back straight hair, a slightly hooked nose, and was wearing one of the suits like male carollers often wore during December, also in black.
The man with silver hair spoke, "Petunia, calm yourself, tell me what happened! I was informed that much magic has occurred today in this house."
Harry looked from the old man talking to his aunt who was still shaking but had quieted down. She had a look of fear, hate, and recognition in her eyes when looking at the two men.
Petunia began weaving a story that made Harry out to be just short of the son of Satan, telling nothing but lies. Harry became rather annoyed and again didn't think to be quiet so he could watch without being seen as he had originally planned.
"Liar." Harry said harshly and loudly from his hiding spot under the side table.
All the heads in the room turned to him.
"Tell the truth!"
Petunia stuttered around for a few minutes but with the dark haired man glaring daggers at her while the silver haired one ignored her to stare at the boy under the table who refused to look at him. She eventually turned tail and told the true story of what she knew of what happened, including Vernon's attempted abuse of Harry and Harry defending himself.
Both men were shocked, and the dark haired one was unwillingly impressed by the show of control and magic the boy had done that day.
"And pray tell how have you been treating Potter, Petunia?" the black-haired man asked in a tone that suggested he already knew all.
Petunia frowned at being addressed so informally by this man she hated and said, "As any of you freaks should be! We have tried beating the magic out of him! We tried maybe stunting his growth by not feeding him, also hoping to damage or get rid of that horrible magic! We have tried breaking him mentally by locking him in HIS cupboard under the stairs – his room - and we did that for days, made him sit with his own filth. We also tried breaking him mentally by giving him hand me downs and making him do everything on his own and as much of the house work as his scrawny body can handle! He also doesn't know his name, unless those bitches at the day school have told him his name though we told them not to! And we add and add to the list of chores he has to do since freaks aren't good for much more!"
The silver haired one though the woman was telling all this of her own free will, the dark haired man realized the boy had most likely used his largely uncontrolled magic to force Petunia to tell the truth. Severus knew 'Tuney' would never tell the truth otherwise. Regardless of their knowledge of Harry's spell both men were highly angry at the pathetic excuse for a woman in front of them.
"I thought you would take care of the child seeing he is your nephew! How could you do this to your sister's son?" The silver haired man said, though he did know how and why but he had to make it look good for his audience.
The black haired man looked like he was in pain, sad, and angry all at the same time. He said to the silver haired man, "Albus, I can take the child, raise him, help him learn to control his magic so he won't hurt anyone, and treat him how Lily would have wanted. As you well know, I am no longer a spy, so that will not cause issues down the line. Doing this would also make allow me to further repay the debt I owe Lily."
The silver haired man was not pleased with this suggestion but knew it would look suspicious if he did not let Severus do this because of Severus' vow to Lily concerning this child. So rather than show how he felt, he put a look of surprise on his face and said in his best grandfather voice, " Severus, my boy, if any can help him you can. I will allow it. Lily would be proud of you."
Severus walked over to where Harry had been watching the three of them talk and knelt down a few feet in front of the table.
"Come, Harry, come here, child, let's get you out of this horrible Muggle house."
"Severus!"
"What? You can't deny it, Albus."
Albus just sighed, yes it was a horrible house with horrible people in it.
Harry looked the man over who had his hands folded in his lap and was looking at him with his black, as a starless moonless night, eyes. Harry looked at his cousin who was clinging to his aunt's ankle, his hateful aunt, his evil uncle, the old man he didn't like the 'vibe' he got off of, and this man who seemed to, seemed to is the key, care. He figured not many places could be worse than this. Harry picked up his transformed toy and crawled out from under the table.
"There, child, that's good. Do you have anything you want from your, well, room?"
"No."
"Alright."
Severus stood up and caught Albus glaring at the boy and glared right back at him. Albus apparated out of the house (though not far, but Severus didn't know that) and Severus blocked Petunia's view from Harry.
"Go on, I won't let anyone hurt you."
Harry nervously walked past his fuming aunt and the man blocking her from touching him. The tall one followed him out of the living room, past his cupboard, and out of the house.
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| Snape glaring at Petunia |
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Chapter 2
"Harry, shortly we will be traveling by a form of transportation you have not experienced since your parents were alive, called apparition. All that you will need to do is take hold of my hand, arm, or if you like to wrap your arms around my waist and I will take care of the actual transportation. What will happen is we will be moved from the location we are in to a location I hold the image of in my mind. It will make you feel like it must feel to be sucked through a tube or straw under high pressure. Do you understand what I mean?"
Harry looked up at the tall man-in-black and answered, "Yes sir, I understand what you have said but I don't think I will like it. It sounds horrible."
"Yes, Harry, it is quite horrible until you get used to it but it is less horrible than the Knight Bus, which is downright dangerous and terrifying," Severus responded with a laugh.
Once they were a few streets away Severus saw an alley between two stores that would allow them more cover for Apparition.
"Come Harry, we cannot be seen by those not like us. I will explain why this is later," Severus said as he led Harry into the alley then apparated them away.
When Harry landed, he lost his grip on Severus' arm and nearly fell to the ground. The only thing that ensured that he did not was the fact that Severus had fast reflexes from years of dealing with Slytherin / Gryffindor potions classes both as a professor and as a student. Severus caught Harry as he went all weak as a limp noodle and supported him until his equilibrium was restored.
"Thanks," Harry breathed once he could see more than blackness from nearly passing out.
"No trouble, Mr. Potter. Come, I have to key you to the wards of my home here which has been in my mother's family for generations, get you settled in, then I have to call some contacts that my instincts tell me we will be needing," Severus responded.
"Now, Harry, I have to cut your hand very shallowly, just enough to get some blood, and place your hand here on the ward 'wall'. Can you see the wards we are facing?"
"Yes, they are all shimmery and shiney, like the water bubbles that Dudley tries to blow every summer."
"Interesting. Good. Now, your hand please...good...this will hurt and I'm sorry...nicely done, just a moment and I will heal it...there! You are now keyed to the wards as am I and no one else..there healed, good as new. Now come, let's find the elves and see if they can't get you a room ready and as you soak in the bath if you like and have a meal."
Harry and Severus stepped through the blood wards of the Prince Estate – which could put Malfoy Manor to shame. The Prince Estate was twice the size and splendor of Malfoy Manor. Harry and Severus headed up the long drive to the marble steps. Almost as soon as Severus had stepped onto the first step four house elves came bounding out the door looking overjoyed, two of which were openly weeping.
"MASTER SNAPE! MASTER SNAPE! We's so glad to see's you!"
"Oof, easy, easy, trying to kill your master by knocking him down the stairs, are you?"
"OH NO! *sobs* No Master Snape! We's love you! We's just excited! OOOOOH a young master tooo!"
Harry was staring at the scene of the tall man in black being assaulted by four odd looking creatures that must be the 'elves' that he had referred to with confusion and shock which quickly turned to horror when one of the two female ones spotted him and called him 'young master' and was obviously ecstatic.
"Master Snape! You's never told us you's had a young master! We's not have a nursery ready or anything!" Said the same excitable female elf.
"Well, I still haven't had a son. You remember Lily, right? This is her son Harry, he will be staying with us from now on and he doesn't need a nursery, just a nice room of a day school age child. Let's all go inside, all of us, elves, inside now," Severus said as he worked to herd his unruly lot of elves and frightened boy into the manor house.
Once inside the elves quickly found their serious side again and lined up in a row for inspection as they should have to begin with.
"Harry, I want you to meet my house elves, I will explain to you about house elves later. If you need something either call them by name or just say "Elf!" That is rather rude and I rather you use their name, but for now that will do. The taller of the two males is Anubis, the other, his son, is Titus. The...fluffier..of the two females is Selene and the other is her daughter and the youngest house elf here, Anastasia. I expect you to treat them as you would want to be treated. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Anastasia, see about a room for Harry close to mine. Anubis, go to Hogwarts and collect all my things, leave nothing behind that belonged to me or any of my family...or anything that once belonged to Harry's as well which is Potter or Evans as far I as I know on Lily's side. I sense things will go bad soon and rather not have anything that belonged to either of our line there or any of my belongings there. Selene, would you please be sure to cook something a young boy his age would eat as part of evening meal and bring us tea in the parlor? Titus, go to Diagon and get Harry a week's worth of garments, all garments, all self-fitting, wizarding robes and 'muggle' styles both, some appropriate books to read, oh and don't forget shoes and socks. Harry, come this way please."
Severus led Harry to the parlor and instructed him to stay back from the fire because it was another form of transportation and it would be used by at least three soon. Harry found that odd and couldn't figure out how until Severus stuck his head it – Harry nearly passed out from fear and shock.
"Hitman, Lucian, & Sons!" Severus yelled out when he placed his head in the fireplace to make his fire call.
He didn't hear Harry suck in his breathe or see the look of shock and fear plaster onto the child's face.
"Hitman, Lucian, & Sons how can I help you today good sir?" asked the receptionist at the law office with a too sweet voice as she fluttered her eyelashes. If he didn't have his head in the fire he would have sicked up at this bad attempt at flirting – but didn't want to know what would happen if he did, he had heard it flew back in your face but he wasn't so sure.
"I need Hitman or Lucian or both to come through to my residence NOW, tell them Lord Prince is requesting their IMMEDIATE services."
"Of course, Lord Prince. I will pass it along."
Severus pulled his head back as the secretary began to get up from her desk. He had one, maybe two, more calls to make before people started stepping through. When he pulled back he noticed Harry's deathly pale face. Severus quickly looked around for what could have made him so scared then he heard the tiny voice of the boy.
"Y-y-you...h-head..HUH?"
"Rather eloquent, Mr. Potter," Severus couldn't help the sarcasm that came out that time.
"Am I to assume you are trying to ask me why I stuck my head in fire and how I managed not to get burned?"
"Y-YES!" Harry finally managed to get out, he hated stuttering!
Severus chuckled at Harry's obvious annoyance at stuttering, he remembered stuttering as a child too and though it did not bring back happy memories it was amusing to see this tiny boy be so annoyed with himself.
"Remember I told you a fireplace can be used for transportation in our world, the Wizarding World, as well as what we did earlier – apparition – and what I called the Knight Bus?"
Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"Well, I didn't think to mention to you that a fireplace can also be used similar in manner to a telephone in that it can place calls. Rather than send and receive sound only over a wire the fireplace that is connected to the FLOO NETWORK – which doubles for transportation – can be used to make a 'floo call' or 'fire call' – both mean the same thing – and in this you put the floo powder in stick your head in up to your shoulders when the fire turns green and state your destination once you are in position. The floo call 'connects' then to either the protective 'ward' in place as ours has or to an open floo that you can look around in as you talk to or call to who you want. Does this make sense?"
"Um...sorta..basically...I think?" Harry answered as he tried to process this.
"Hmm..anyway, don't be frightened. I have to make at least one more call before who I just spoke with comes through," With that Severus stuck his head back into the fireplace to make his second and if he was lucky, last fire call.
"Ministry of Magic, Department of Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones' office!" Severus called out and was spun away to London to the Ministry of Magic.
"Bones' office this is Auror Tonks, WORSHER Prof! Whatcha need?" Was the greeting Severus received.
Severus groaned, shut his eyes, and rubbed at his forehead with one hand before responding to the too-hyper Hufflepuff.
"Nymphadora -"
"Professor! DO NOT CALL ME THAT!"
"Yes, well Ms. Tonks, I need to speak with Amelia Bones and if he is around, Mad-Eye Moody, are they in?" Severus asked as he tried to pretend he didn't find it amusing how easy it was to upset the girl with the use of her first name, he thought it was quite pretty actually.
"Yes, Professor, may I ask what it's in regards to?"
"No Ms. Tonks, you may not, tell both of them to come to where the kings have dwelled and it's about the 'turkey' and the 'egg'."
"Kings dwelled, turkey...egg? Professor...they will understand this right?"
"*sigh* Yes silly girl, they will understand it, tell them and only them and that they are to come at once."
"OK. Will do, Prof Snake!" Tonks said as she grinned evilly and closed the secure connection on her end.
"I swear, the girl looks more like Bellatrix when she smiles like that then she wants to know! Oh, what cheek!" Severus complained to himself as he pulled himself out of the fireplace for the last time and moved to his favorite chair with its back to the corner with a view of both the fireplace and the door.
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Chapter 3
"Master Snape, young master, I's'a having young masters room ready for him!" Anastasia announced once she entered the parlor to find them finishing their afternoon tea that her mother had brought them earlier.
"Thank you Anastasia, if you would remain here in case my visitors come to call while I am away and ask them to hold until I come back? Harry, come with me, I will show you to your room so you can get cleaned up and rest if you like."
"Yes, sir."
Severus led Harry up the grand staircase to the third floor east wing where the family residence was. They proceeded down the long hall that had the best art work and nicest paintings of the Prince family along it until Severus stopped just short of the end of the long hall.
"The door there at the end of this corridor leads to my rooms. If you have a bad dream or feel ill you may enter the first room off this hall, see, it's a sitting room. I want you to then try to remember to knock first before entering my bedroom. It is highly unlikely I will be entertaining a lady, regardless though I have very quick reflexes from my time in the war and would hate to harm you, so always try to remember to knock. Or if you are too scared to leave your room you can send one of the elves to fetch me and I will come. Understand?"
"Yes sir, I'll try to be good and remember."
"I know you will try and remember, and I'm sure you will be good regardless, we all make mistakes at times. Now, see, one room down from mine is your rooms. Again there is a sitting room, I'm sure right now you will probably use it more as a play room and I just ask you keep your toys and such picked up so not to trip yourself, the elves, or me. Through that door is your bedroom, you are to sleep on the bed, understood? (Harry nodded with eyes wide in shock) Well, it looks like Anastasia figures you to be a Slytherin like me and has decorated you largely in green, black, white, and silver. If you want different colors, within reason, we can change the color within the week. This is your wardobe, for clothing only. And here is your bathroom. You have both a huge tub which is typical in this wing and a large shower if you prefer. Again keep your floors, all of them, picked up. Take as long of a bath or shower as you like, the soaps, shampoos, conditioners, etc in the tub are for your use so use them freely. Once you are done if clothes haven't been brought up yet by Titus then just wrap up in a towel and a bathrobe and either rest on your bed or investigate the rooms. One of the elves or I will come for you later, you don't know the manor well enough right now not to get lost so stay in your rooms until then. Do you understand all this, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes sir," Harry said looking at his savior with awe, hero worship, and … well … neither of them knew what that other look was but it disturbed both of them.
"Yes, good, I have to see if Hans, Amelia, and Alastor have arrived yet," With that Severus spun on his heel and made a speedy retreat from the emotion he didn't want to think about at that time.
Once Harry was alone in his room he carefully placed his toy down on his bed, looked around, and squealed with delight as he began running laps of joy around the HUGE room that was ALL his!
After a good twenty minutes of exhausting laps Harry finally collapsed on the floor gasping for breathe as he remembered the odd names the man-in-black said before he left.
"*giggles!* HANS! HANDS! Hahahahaha! AL...A...STAR! Al's a star! *giggles*"
Once Harry managed to get over his laughing fit, wheezing, and euphoria he pulled himself off the floor and headed into the huge bathroom. He was a little scared of the big tub, after his aunt tried to drown him once, so he decided for now, he would take a long HOT shower...but not too long or too hot...he didn't want the man-in-black to suddenly get angry at him.
As he scrubbed at the week old dirt off his arm with the sea sponge with oatmeal smelling soap on it Harry tried to remember what the nasty old man who had been with the man-in-black had called the man-in-black.
"Aunt Petunia called him 'that Snape boy' so I guess she knew him when he was little like I guess mum did too. What did the old man call him...S..no, he didn't call him Snape...but it did start with an 's'...S..Se...Se'vus...? NO that's not right, but close. Finally that arm is pink again rather than dirty brown!"
Once Severus left Harry's room he quickly made his way to the parlor again to find Anastasia braiding a ribbon through her hair as she sat on the coffee table facing the fireplace. Once she heard him step into the room she quickly jumped down and let her hair and ribbon fall forgotten to the side of her head as she stared at Severus, wondering if she was in trouble.
"Relax Ana, you are not in trouble, finish your braid. I take it no one has called for admittance yet?"
"No Master Snape, the receptionist from the Hitman said he would be here in the hour and A'ur Tonks said both would be where ever it was you meant in the hour."
"Very good, sounds like Nymphadora is annoyed with the lack of information coming her way. Once you are done with your braid would you tell your mother I will need tea for at least four and likely more and I could use a spot of something now while I wait. Oh, and fetch me Archimedes please, I will have a message for him to take shortly."
"Yes, Master Snape Sir, right away!" and with that Anastasia popped off to do as she was instructed.
Severus shook his head at the young elf's eagerness as he pulled parchment out to write a rather important letter on.
Fifteen minutes later Severus had sent off his owl with its letter and was now becoming rather impatient for his visitors to arrive, it wasn't like he was inviting them over for cocktails. Finally when Severus though he would have to go to the law office and the Ministry and drag them back to his manor with him, his Floo turned green.
"Snape! If you want me to come through you have to take this damn ward down! I swear! They say I'm paranoid! HA!"
Severus took a deep breath, as efficient as the old Auror was, he was far from his favorite person. Severus cast the wandless wordless spell to open his Floo and stood before his desk watching Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody step through his Floo and use both his magical eye and normal eye to survey his surroundings. As Alastor stood there inspecting the place with his magical eye and sneering at Severus, out popped Nymphadora Tonks and Amelia Bones. Alastor's magical eye found where Harry was through the roof and stayed planted there as his other eye looked at Severus as if to say "well let's hear it". Severus just raised an eyebrow as if to say "in due time the rest of the party isn't here." All Severus got for that was a sneer and Moody taking the second most secure armchair in the room.
Shortly after Severus and the Ministry personnel had been served tea by Selene the Floo turned green again and out stepped Severus' law team Hans Hitman, Lucifer Lucian, Hannibal Hitman, and Alexander Lucian, with two Muggleborn interns to act as gofers and note-takers.
"Well, is this your whole party now, Snape, or do we have to wait longer?" Mad-Eye barked once he had surveyed the lawyers and their lackeys for a threat, the threat was minimal.
"No, we have the whole 'party' as you call it now. Please everyone, be seated, and let me explain today's events."
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Chapter 4
Once every one was settled and tea had been passed around Severus began his tale.
"Now I'm sure all of you are wondering why I asked all of you to join me here -"
"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Alastor yelled out.
Severus just glared at Moody as he was thumped in the back of the head by his boss.
"I apologize for his outburst Severus, please continue," Amelia said as she gave Moody a 'if you do that again a thump will be the least of your worries!' look.
"Thank you Amelia. As I was saying I asked you here to discuss a matter that I feel is of the utmost importance. Today I accompanied Albus to a horrible Muggle suburb in Surrey because of one of the instruments he had set to -"
Again Severus was interrupted but this time not by someone talking but by a rather shocking sight landing just at his feet.
At his feet was none other than the very naked, soaking wet, crying, form of Harry Potter.
Severus sat there staring at the boy for a minute before pulling off his traveling cloak, which he had yet to take off, and quickly wrapping the wailing form of Harry Potter. As soon as Harry felt the material touch him he grabbed it with both hands and quickly wrapped it around himself as he attempted to hold his head.
Harry saw his man-in-black let go of the cloth and go to sit back down and he launched himself at his man-in-black, losing the cloak and being stark naked once again.
Severus teetered with the sudden force of a five-year-old body colliding with his and grabbed at the slick and wet boy as he started to slide down the front of his frock coat.
Harry desperately tried to hold on to his man-in-black as he slipped down his thin form and clutched at cloth and buttons alike as he tried to 'monkey' himself around the tall dark man. The intelligent, logical part of his brain was screaming at him he was acting like a baby and was going to be in so much trouble for (a) doing magic (b) being NAKED in front of guests (c) ripping buttons off the man-in-black's shirt!
Finally Severus, after losing eight buttons, managed to get a good grip on Harry and settled him the best he could on his hip. Amelia had gotten up and picked up the cloak and now that Severus was unlikely to drop the Wizarding World's savior she handed the cloak back to him.
"Well, I suppose a naked Harry Potter has something to do with what you were trying to tell us?" Amelia asked.
Moody and the lawyers were looking between confused and amused (more amused for Moody since he knew Potter was there already) and Tonks was in the corner behind Moody snorting as she tried not to laugh at what she had just seen.
"Yes Amelia, Mr. Potter here, hush now child, is the point of why I asked you to come-"
"I-I-I'LL BE G-G-GOOOD!" Harry suddenly screamed out as he tightened his grip on his man-in-black's neck.
Harry had thought his man-in-black was going to hand him off to the stern sounding woman who had just spoke to the man-in-black and in his fear and emotional state had broke one of the 'Harry Potter's rules to ensure I live to see 18' : he interrupted an adult!
What Harry didn't know is that all Severus was trying to do was turn Harry so that he could sit in his lap rather than having the two of them remain standing.
"Hush child, you have been good, you just did accidental magic after you hurt yourself. You are not in trouble. I am just trying to turn you around a bit so we can sit down," Severus said softly in Harry's ear as he touched the back of the child's head trying to see what kind of damage he had done himself.
"I get to stay?" Harry asked in a whisper into Severus' right ear which he was cradled by.
Severus turned and looked at Harry and said, "Of course you're staying, you silly boy."
Once Severus had checked Harry's head over and made sure he didn't have a concussion, he called one of his elves to him to get a child's headache remedy and clothes for Harry. When the elf was back with the clothes and he had taken the headache remedy, which he voted as 'icky', Severus used his cloak to 'hide' Harry so he could dress. Once Harry had finished dressing Severus dried his cloak with a charm and wrapped the fidgeting Harry in it before placing him back on his lap.
"Now, let's see if I can't finish what I am trying to say now without being interrupted. As I was saying, I accompanied Albus to Harry's old residence, the one he was at until a few hours ago, due to one of Albus' gadgets reading abnormally high magical activity in the house proper. We found Harry's uncle unconscious on a broken sofa, his aunt hysterical, his cousin crying – I believe in confusion – and Harry hiding under a low table. Petunia, Harry's aunt and Lily's sister, tried to make Harry out to be a troubled child, evil, all that but it was obvious she was lying. Harry called her out on her lying and unknowingly cast a truth spell, similar to Veritaserum, on her. Petunia, when questioned again, confessed to abusing Harry in every way save sexually, and that they never wanted him and had been forced to take him in, and they had done everything they could to destroy the magic in him. Albus did not seem pleased with the thought of Harry leaving their home, much less coming with me. I honestly think he expects the boy to act as a 'sacrificial lamb' against the Dark Lord at some point in the future and I won't allow it. I have asked you all here because I do not trust Albus NOT to try and harm myself, Harry, or those despicable Muggles – though some time in Azkaban wouldn't hurt the adults. I do have a copy of Harry's birth certificate and baptismal certificate, both have on there who he should have been placed with years ago. As you see, Albus circumvented Lily's and James's wishes on whom was to take care of Harry if something was to happen to them. Albus, I believe, had Obliterated everyone who is alive on those forms. Due to my Occlumency shields and finding these documents when I was moving my office formerly into what was my grandfather's study, I was able to remove the Obliterate and remember."
"So, according to this either you or a werewolf are the only two opinions left as to where Harry is to go according to his parents' wishes due to the fact that Sirius Black managed to blow himself up along with Peter Pettigrew and those Muggles, the Longbottoms are both in St. Mungo's long term ward, and Emma Potter died shortly after Harry was born?" Amelia asked.
"Yes, and though Lupin would love to get his paws on Harry, regardless of the time of the month it is, due to his illness he would not be able to care for a growing five year old as he should, nor could he provide for him financially. I have resigned my post at Hogwarts, which I have long wanted to do and have been preparing to do for some time, am well with no aliments, and have more than enough gold to support a child until he has either reached maturity or completed a mastery."
"You have it all figured out, dontcha, Snape?" Moody grumbled as he spun his magical eye around to check everyone over again. He was certain that the only threats in the room were Snape, Bones, and the wild card in Snape's lap – the rest of them couldn't hold a torch to the magic that was in that boy, not even Snape, Bones, and himself combined...and Moody didn't like that much. Sure he thought the kid was alright, way too attached to Snape though, but OK, but he could turn dark way too easily with all that power.
"Why, yes, Alastor I spend all my time plotting your demise," Severus sneered back at Moody as Harry giggled at 'Al-a-star' again.
"You know what I meant, Snape!"
"Oh?"
"You figured out how to get control of the most powerful child in this country, probably this world, has seen since Albus Dumbledore, hell maybe even Merlin, was born!"
"I am not trying to 'get control' of anyone. I am trying to see my best friend and her husband's wishes for their son are upheld this time. All I ask you and Madame Bones to do is back this request and speed it through the ministry with little to no fuss. I see Hitman and team are hard at work already on their end, I have the blood adoption potion that I was going to owl out to a customer that I will use for us instead and send theirs in two days, do I have your agreement to help in this matter? Amelia?"
"Yes," Came the reply from Madame Amelia Bones, though she knew Severus could be a hard man at times and was a deadly enemy she could tell he would take good care of this abused and used boy.
"Alastor?"
Moody grumbled around for a bit then sighed, "FINE! Yes I will do my part to make sure Potter is safe and that means him staying with you as the Potters wanted, but when the time comes to train him – sooner rather than later Snape – I want to be a part of it!"
"Of course Mad-Eye, who could refuse a child Auror-level training?"
The only response that Moody gave Severus was a spinning eye glare, that he was SURE had to make Snape at least a LITTLE sick.
By the end of the visit the lawyers had not only drawn up adoption papers, but also restraining orders against all known associates – including but not limited to Order of the Phoenix Members – and their children, of Albus' (that of course excluded Severus, Mad-Eye, and Amelia – Amelia because she could be considered an associate by way of her membership of the Wizengamot). The lawyers had also drawn up restraining orders against both adult relatives of Harry's and his 'Aunt Marge' which he told them about at one point.
Severus signed the adoption papers, Amelia signed as both judge for it and for the removal of Harry from his prior guardians care, Moody and Tonks signed as witnesses making the adoption official. Severus had left it up to Harry if he wanted to change all his name, his last name only, or part of it. Severus had told him that his mother had wanted to name him Alexander Harold Evans Potter, but his father demanded his heir have a 'proper Potter' name and said Harry could have the first name Harold, but the full name was to be: Harold James Potter. Harry decided after listening to this and quizzing everyone in the room what their names were and how they were named that he wanted to be named what his mother wanted him named with an addition. Harry decided he would be called: Alexander Harold Severus Evans Potter Snape-Prince. Harry chose to add Severus name in his because he had saved him from his relatives, that old man, and because he liked him a lot. Harry also decided that since Severus' full name was (since age fourteen when his mother had died and maternal grandfather had removed him from his father's care) Severus David Snape-Prince, he wanted to have the same last name since they were going to be father and son..literally..after he drank the blood adoption potion which he really didn't get all the way but knew it was for the best.
Amelia had been busy as well drawing up warrants for the arrest of Vernon, Petunia, and Marge Dursley for child abuse, child neglect, and child endangerment. Amelia also drew up a warrant to remove Dudley from the Dursleys care permanently, there was a good chance the child had magic and it just hadn't shown itself or he was a Squib. Regardless of the boy's magical situation he needed to be in a safe home and the one he was in was not one.
Amelia sent Tonks and Moody to execute those warrants and to bring in the 'cat lady' from across the street that was aware of what was going on for questioning. According to Severus she was Arabella Fig, the widowed Squib bride of a suspected You-Know-Who sympathizer.
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| Amelia |
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