Aperture Science

The sensation of using a portkey was one that not even the most experienced wizard could become used to. Even the creator of the portkey-construction spell described the travel method as, "the most nauseating feeling of lack of balance that anyone could ever feel." No matter how many different attempts were made, there was no way that was found to make the portkey any more pleasurable. While there were some people who were able to stay standing while portkeying, they generally disliked the hooked fish feeling that the portkey gave them.

Severus Snape was one of these people.

The only positive thing that he could say about the portkey was that it allowed for easier, quicker transportation of other people. Apparition was fine if you were travelling alone. Much faster, a little strange feeling, but significantly better. Sidelong apparition was incredibly difficult, especially if you were transporting a muggle. Or a hyperventilating, struggling, abused, and scared Potter.

Portkeying was definitely the better form of transportation in this case.

Upon landing, Severus instantly began the traditional "telling off of the old coot." For some strange reason, it seemed as if the missions Severus was sent on by Dumbledore generally ended up never finishing in Severus's favor. The man was manipulative to the point of insanity. For Severus, saying no to Albus Dumbledore was almost like saying no to the Dark Lord. It just wasn't done. In either case, it wasn't healthy. The Dark Lord would kill anyone who said no, and Dumbledore would fill the transgressor so full of sweets their teeth would fall out.

"Headmaster, I have found the Potter brat."

"Excellent! Am I right in assuming that's him?" The Headmaster said, his eyes twinkling madly.

"Yes sir. But I must tell you, the boy is not... right in the head."

For once in his life, Severus Snape managed to knock his mentor off his omniscient throne.

"How so?"

"As I was trying to... Coax... Him out of his little hideaway in an alley, I noticed that he was whispering something to himself. As I got nearer to him, I began to think that either I was going insane or I have aged more during my years teaching here than I thought." Severus said. There was no way that he was going to let this little bit of information out quickly. The longer he took in telling this bit of information, the more information he could glean from his former mentor.

"I do believe I know the feeling," the Headmaster said with a knowing smile. "Continue."

"It appeared as though he was not whispering in English, sir, but I recognized it."

"And what was he saying, Severus?" By now, Professor Dumbledore was truly interested in the information that he was being given and was no longer engrossed in the muggle candy he had been fondling previously.

"Sir, there is only one person that I know who would be able to translate." Severus was rather amused at how long this had dragged on. Usually, he would've just jumped to the point, but, on those occasions, he was only confirming suspicions that Dumbledore had. For once, he had unknown information that wasn't of life or death significance.

"And who is that?"

"Sir, Potter was speaking very fluently in parseltongue."

To say the Headmaster was shocked would have been an understatement. For the first time in a long time, he had been struck speechless. He had always suspected that there might be some residual effects of surviving the killing curse, but there was no way that he could've researched any similar cases. No one had ever survived the killing curse until Harry Potter. By now, it had become known to the elderly Headmaster that the symbol of the light had one of the darkest abilities known to wizard kind.

"Severus, is there any other abilities that he has shown whilst you were transporting him? Any sort of defensive or accidental magic?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Severus quickly thought back through the entire discovery and transportation of the boy who lived. If ever there was a time that Severus loathed having instant recall, it was now. While anyone else would've been able to quickly say that, ‘no,' there was nothing else that the brat could do and be done with it, Severus knew that he couldn't. Even if he tried, Dumbledore would just ask him if he was sure.

"No, sir," Severus replied at last. "Nothing else was apparent."

"Well, I believe then that we shall have to make certain of this, now shouldn't we?" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling madly.

"And how do you propose that we do this?" Severus said, fearing he already knew the answer. Nothing good could ever go his way when Dumbledore was in an eye-twinkling mood.

"Observation, my dear man!" Dumbledore said, gesturing wildly.

Unfortunately, the Potter clone saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly cringed out of the way of what he deemed to be a possible threat. In the midst of ducking his head, he managed to knock it against one of the nearby shelves, upsetting several of the devices which had been sitting there. Try as he might, the boy was unable to stop them as they fell to the floor in a series of sickening crashes.

Though he had not been able to prevent their decent, and impact with the floor, the miniature James Potter did try to clean up the mess that he had inadvertently made.

"POTTER!" Severus yelled just as the boy was reaching for shard of glass that was coated in a slightly gooey, and possibly poisonous, potion. Harry jerked away from the loud, incomprehensible yelling that was going on and nearly rammed his shoulder into the very shelf he had knocked his head against.

"Come here, Potter," Severus ground out as calmly as he could. The boy was an exact clone of his father in the Snape-irritation department. Only, Potter Sr. wasn't one to jump away from a possible threat. No, he would jump towards it.

Harry didn't move a muscle. He could only stare at the man who had whisked him away to a magnificent room in a castle only to yell at him for destroying said room. It was only a matter of time before the beatings started. Harry could only hope that they didn't take place in front of the strange old man with the candy. For some reason, Harry felt that the candy-man wouldn't harm him.

Not moving, unfortunately, seemed to be the worst possible thing that Harry could've done in front of Severus Snape.

Severus started muttering under his breath about "arrogant Potters and their abnormal progeny." Why couldn't the boy follow a simple instruction? Was he really just that dumb? Or maybe...

"Headmaster, is there any way to discover a person's native tongue?"

"Why do you ask? Surely, there is no way Harry could be a native speaker of any language other than English. None of the monitoring spells that I placed on him said that he had ever left the country," Dumbledore said, mildly confused.

"But is there a way?"

"No. Severus, the brain is a very complex. There is very little magic that is not highly regulated, or illegal, that deals with the brain. Why do you ask?"

"It doesn't seem to matter what I say, Potter doesn't seem to understand a single thing that I say. It does not appear as though he is only ignoring me, as I originally thought."

Both men turned to look at the pre-teen whose eyes were flickering between the two of them. Harry's muscles were coiled, as though he were ready to jump away at any moment. It was obvious that he was still very spooked about the mess that he'd made. His facial expression, however, was the confirming factor that both Dumbledore and Snape had been looking for.

His head was cocked ever so slightly to the side and his brows were furrowed, as though he was deeply in thought. To both the elder men, his confusion as to what their conversation pertained to was so evident, he looked like a first year muggleborn that had just been told they had to take their N.E.W.T.'s.

"What are we going to do with him?" Severus couldn't help but ask.

"We will need to return him to his relatives. They've never once complained..." Dumbledore started, only to be interrupted by a scowl Severus sent him. "Severus, he needs to go back there. It's where he's safest."

"Headmaster, look at the boy! He is practically skin and bones! Besides, even you cannot be so blind to have not noticed the bruises!" Severus snapped. Though the child may have been a Potter, he was still just a child. No child should have to go through that kind of treatment.

"What bruises, Severus?"

Severus, who had been watching Harry closely to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid with the remnants of the broken devices, spun around so quickly he felt mildly dizzy.

"What do you mean "what bruises", they're all over his neck!" Severus growled.

"Severus, look at his neck." Dumbledore said seriously.

Severus turned back to Harry, knowing that he couldn't have mistaken shadows for bruising. There was no way that shadows could've appeared to be hand prints. Besides, Harry also had a split lip. There was no way that he could have hidden that without the use of magic.

When Severus looked, however, all the evidence was gone. There wasn't a mark on the boy short of that wretched scar. Maybe there were other things about the boy that couldn't be assumed. Harry Potter was turning more into an enigma as the day wore on.

Severus drew his wand and quietly said "Finite Incantatum."

The effect was rather instantaneous. The bruises reappeared, as did the split lip, but both disappeared yet again rather quickly. Harry's magic had again covered his bruises just as it did every time he was injured.

"Interesting!" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling madly at the amount of power displayed. "Well then, if you are so adamant about him staying, we should find him a room. Don't you believe so, my boy?"

"Of course, Headmaster. Do you have any ideas?" Severus asked, a feeling of dread beginning to eat at his insides. Somehow he knew this wasn't going to go his way.

"Since he speaks parseltongue, I believe it would be best if he were to stay down with the Slytherins. Do you have any objections"

"None, for now."

"Though, it still is the summer. Would you be willing to take him in for the rest of the summer?" Dumbledore asked.

"No. I have too many other things that I need to do," Severus snapped.

"Severus, please. You are the head of Slytherin, and you have the most experience with both abused children and parsletongue. You are the best choice for the boy. If he went to anyone else, any of the other teachers, they would either be wary of him because he speaks a "dark" language, or they'd fawn over him."

"Albus, I have potions I need to make for the Hospital Wing..."

"I have confidence that you will still manage to finish them all."

"... and I need to prepare for the upcoming year!"

"Severus, you use the same rubric and lesson plans each year. If this has anything to do with the fact that he is a Potter, you must remember that James was definitely not a parselmouth."

Severus just remained silent. Dumbledore had several points all of which were very valid.

"Excellent, you'll do it then?" Dumbledore asked, assuming Severus's silence would mean yes.

Severus turned to Harry and motioned for the boy to follow him. There was no way Severus was going to get out of the office if he didn't submit to Dumbledore's will this time. Severus couldn't help but wonder where his summer free of bratty children went.