(3) Discussions

Tobias Snape could do nothing but stare at his son in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it. Alexander alive? No. His wife was dead because their baby was taken. The boy is dead. He has to be dead.

“Get out,” he rasped finally, drawing his wand in the process. 

“Father,” Severus spoke again, hands up in a placating gesture, “The potion does not lie. It’s true. We knew he was taken but we never knew what became of him. His change in appearance must be due to some blood adoption which would be why the location spells and potions never worked.”

“Are you sure? Are you positive?”

“The boy is a potions prodigy. Yes, I am sure.”

Tobias ran a shaking hand down his tired face. His hand stopped at his mouth as he squeezed his eyes closed. A sob escaped from him and he couldn’t stop. Severus stepped forward and pulled his father into a tight embrace. 

From the point Eileen died, Tobias had mood swings that could be dangerous. At times he had been quite the bastard. He drank, he threw things, and drew his wand. He blamed Severus for the lost of his son and the death of his wife. 

But his boy was still there for him. Now they had found Alexander. It was almost too good to be true. 

After a couple of moments, the two released their grips and sat down at the kitchen table. Severus made tea and they began planning how to get the youngest Snape back to where he belonged.

()

Harry woke to a pounding in his head. He let out a low moan when he tried to open his eyes and the lights blinded him. Where was he?

He took inventory of his senses, first noticing the smell of antiseptic. 

The Hospital Wing then. But why... 

Harry sat up quickly in bed as the memories rushed back to the forefront of his mind. He realized belatedly that this was a poor move as he ended up leaning over the edge of the bed, losing the meager contents of his stomach.

‘I’m not a Potter. I’m a Snape.’ 

Before he could think of anything else, the sounds of raised voices reached his ears.

“He’s my son and you better let me see him, Madam. Why is he here anyway?” came the voice of James Potter.

“Unfortunately I was tricked into an oath to let the boy stay and to keep me from telling anyone about what happened to him. Therefore you will not get either of your requests. Now I suggest you lower your voice before you wake up my patient”

“The little brat just wants attention, is that it?” Harry could hear the sneer in the man’s voice and began to tremble. Please don’t let him through, he pleaded mentally, he’ll kill me, I know he will.

“James Potter, you will leave my wing, now!” Madam Pomfrey replied angrily. Harry let out a breath of relief.

“Now Poppy-” came Dumbledore’s voice.

“Don’t you ‘now Poppy’ me,” she hissed. “How often has young Harry been in this wing due to bullying and attacks? What about when he was sick for a week with Wizard’s Flu last year? Neither parent came to visit. While Henry got a scratch at a Quidditch match and had both parents by his bedside! Now they have the nerve to demand something of me? No, I’m sorry. I will stick by my oath and don’t you dare try to get anything out of me!”

After a couple of moments of silence, footsteps retreated and the hospital wing doors opened and closed. A curtain beside Harry’s bed shifted aside as Madam Pomfrey peeked in on him. 

“Oh! You are awake. I’m sorry you had to hear that,” She said as she waved her wand at the mess at the side of the bed. 

“It’s alright,” Harry whispered. “Thank you, Madam, for your silence.”

“It is my job, though without the added oath I would be required to tell your parents,” Harry’s flinch at the matron calling the Potter’s his parents did not go unnoticed. “Can you explain what happened to you?”

The boy was lost in thought. He was surprised that no one knew yet... then again, he really shouldn’t be. No one wanted him... he already knew that. “No, Madam,” he finally replied softly, eyes in his lap as he rubbed his arm self consciously.

“It’s not a requirement to speak to me about it, but-” Madam Pomfrey cut off as her floo flared and a voice Harry had been dreading echoed through the wing.

()

“Poppy,” Severus Snape called as he stepped through the hospital wing floo. He had heard Harry was in the hospital wing, but the reason why was unknown. 

The rustling of curtains brought his eyes in the direction of the sole occupied bed in the wing. Poppy stepped out from behind the curtains after a quickly hushed discussion. 

“Hello Severus, how can I help you?”

“I heard Mr. Potter was here and was wondering if you needed any extra potions?” He had been the one to make all the potions the boy needed whenever he ended up in the dratted wing.

“No, Severus. I have what I need.”

“May I ask what happened?”

“You may, but I cannot answer. I was tricked into an oath... not that I really regret it though.”

Severus let out an uncharacteristic sigh. “May I speak with him?”

The matron’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “And what is it you need to speak to him about? I know how you treat the Potter children, Severus Snape. Even young Harry who is known through the school as your top potions student. I will not have you upsetting him,” she paused a moment before continuing, “Besides I’m also under oath to not let anyone see him without permission, unless that person was there when I first treated him.”

“Can you please ask him?” Severus asked, with a slightly pained voice.

“I will, but no promises.” She stepped away and he cast an eavesdropping spell. “Harry...”

“I heard,” came the soft voice of the boy. “How does everyone know I am here? No one was supposed to know.”

“They know you are here, but not why. It was either tell them you were here or let them believe you were missing. With the latter, you may have had to deal with Aurors searching for you.”

Harry snorted, “Do you honestly believe that Madam Pomfrey? If you do then you are even less observant than Professor Snape out there.”

“Ah, yes. Severus. All Potter children are automatically twins of their father, yes?” Potter must have nodded because she continued, “He would like to speak with you.”

“I heard.”

“And..?” there was no answer. “Harry, you will be out of here in a couple of days anyway and return to your classes. You will need to see him eventually. I don’t know what it is you need to speak about, but it will come whether you like it-”

But before she could finish, Severus heard the floo flashed again. This time spitting out the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. 

“Amelia? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We’re following up on your report, Severus. We need to interview Mr... young Harry and begin the paperwork. Have you spoken to your father?”

“I have. You should know that no one has been able to see Harry since his arrival here. The Matron is under oath not to let anyone see him and no one knows why he is here.”

“Thank you Severus. Why don’t you head out for now and I will update you once we are done here?”

That was not something Severus wanted to do, but he knew Amelia would try her hardest to get justice done. 

He walked over to the outside of the curtain and spoke to his brother. “Harry, I understand what you have discovered is quite the shock. I would appreciate the chance to speak with you, but I will not push you. I will return tomorrow unless you have Madame Pomfrey summon me earlier.” With that said, he turned on his heel and left.

()

Amelia Bones watched her old friend sadly. They had been five years apart in school, with Amelia being the older. She had immediately taken the young Slytherin under her wing, noticing how lonely he seemed. 

It was after her graduation that he began to associate with the likes of Malfoy, Nott, and other followers of the Dark Lord. She had been sequestered in Auror training, only allowed to send a letter every few months. She had warned him that it was a possibility, but he didn’t realize how hard it would be not to have anyone to talk with. With the Marauders’ abuse being stepped up, he fell further and further into a self-made black pit. Malfoy and the others were under orders of the Dark Lord to recruit Severus. 

It was hard for her to know he had fallen in with that crowd, but once she graduated from the program, their correspondence picked up again. They spoke at least weekly.

When he took the mark, it was under duress and he regretted it immediately. Not knowing of the Headmaster’s Machiavellian ways, she suggested Severus go to the old man, leader of the light. 

Sure enough Severus agreed and Dumbledore put him straight to work as a spy. The Potions Professor Slughorn had wanted to retire for some time and now that Severus was in the Headmaster’s debt, he was recruited into the position. 

But Severus truly wanted out. He didn’t want to have to constantly confirm his position with the Dark Lord. Every time he had to kill or torture to show loyalty, Amelia would find him stumbling drunk through her floo. He begged her to turn him over, to end this pain. He blamed her for sending him to Dumbledore. He ranted and raged. 

By the next day, he would be calm, though a bit pale. He would wake early and make coffee and breakfast for her, sending her house elves into a frenzy each time. He would apologize profusely, and she would accept, letting him talk about it.

When the Dark Lord was defeated by the Potter boy Dumbledore did stand up for Severus, but she knew the old man was holding it above her friends head. Why else would he still be teaching when he couldn’t stand the profession? 

When Alexander was taken, she was still low on the force and didn’t know too much about what was going on. Her friend did not speak to her much during that time, preferring to try to hunt his brother down on his own. He even took a year sabbatical from teaching to search.

Now though, she was asked to help, and since was in the position to help, she would. 

Amelia looked up at the rustle of curtains to face the Dragon Nurse herself, Madam Pomfrey.

“Madam Bones, how may I help you?”

“I need to speak with young Harry soon as possible. I understand he has sequestered himself, but this is about an on going case.”

The nurse looked confused, “What case would that be?”

“I’m not at liberty to say. I’m not sure if Harry has told you about the events of yesterday...”

“He has not. I will ask him if he will see you.” 

Before the nurse could approach the curtain, it shifted aside and Amelia saw the brightest green eyes peeking out at her. He shifted his gaze after a moment and spoke to the nurse quietly before returning to his bed.

After letting out a heavy sigh, Pomfrey turned to Amelia, “He has agreed to speak with you on the limitation that you tell no one about why he is here.”

Amelia immediately nodded and walked forward to the side of the curtain. “Harry?”

“You can enter, Madam Bones,” she heard the young voice speak.

()

Harry looked at the older woman with some trepidation. What would happen now? Was he going to be obliviated? He almost welcomed it... 

“Hello, Harry,” she muttered a low greeting. “Do you understand why I am here?”

He shook his head. “Not really”

“After your class yesterday, my friend Severus fire-called me and requested my help in getting a cold case reopened and solved. He told me that one of his students had taken the heritage potion and revealed to be someone he had been searching for fourteen years.” 

She pulled a folder from a bag that was slung over her shoulder. Opening it, she began to explain, “On July 31, 1980, Snape Manor was broken into. The members of the family were attacked while the youngest child was kidnapped. Alexander Snape was taken from the family home and searched for over many years. All attempts to find him were for naught. No potions, no tracking spells, nothing was able to find this child. There are different notes in this file that suggest reasons that locating with magic and potions did not work. We now believe that a blood adoption ritual was used.”

Harry nodded as he listened to the story. So he was kidnapped as a baby and someone did a blood adoption ritual on him?  “That’s why I am a carbon copy of James Potter,” he murmured. He raised his voice, “So what happens now?”

“Tobias Snape, your paternal father, would like to obtain custody of you.”

Harry’s head snapped up, “Why?”

Amelia looked surprised, “Because he is your father and has been missing you, just as your brother has.”

The boy scoffed, “Right. Now that I’m revealed to be Snape’s brother he will be all kind and loving to me? Meanwhile before as top of his class I was treated as dirt. Should I run and give him a hug next time he comes in?” He sneered sarcastically.

Though wanting to laugh at the similarities between the boy and his brother, the woman narrowed her eyes, “You are not the only one suffering here child,” she said slightly angry. 

“Maybe not, but you don’t know what I’ve been through Madam,” he hissed in reply. He didn’t care about the woman’s position. No one understood. No one knew how it felt... how he felt... to be no one. To have no one!

She softened her voice. “I am here to see what you would like to do. As of right now you are a ward of the Ministry. James and Lily Potter are being questioned by neutral Aurors.”

“I hope you use veritaserum, because getting the truth will be difficult.”

“What would you like to do, Harry?”

Harry thought about that. He was fourteen years old. He could always remain a ward of the Ministry for four years until he hit his majority. He knew he didn’t want to stay with the Potters, but did he want to go to the Snapes? Right now the answer was no. 

He heard Madam Bones call his name again and shrugged, “I don’t know,” he answered, looking at his lap. “I don’t want to ever see the Potters again. But I don’t know... I don’t know.” 

He laid back and put his back to the woman as tears flowed down his face. It would probably be best to remain a ward... this way he wouldn’t have to worry about his new family not liking him. After all, he knew he could never be good enough for Snape. Who knew what their father was like...

()

Severus did return the following day to see if Harry would speak with him, and when the boy declined, he returned again. And again.

Multiple times a day the Potions professor could be seen making his way to the Hospital Wing. Most people had no idea what he was doing, but Poppy Pomfrey watched her colleague become more and more depressed as the young boy continued to decline the meeting. She had no idea what it was about, but hoped to find out soon. Severus wasn’t the only one who was falling into a depression. And for the younger boy, that was particularly dangerous.

Two days after Harry had been admitted, Severus strode through the hospital wing doors, his shoulders slumped. He walked to Madam Pomfrey for his morning request, expecting the usual, but hoping that his brother would allow him to speak about what had happened. True he could have spoken through the curtain, but he felt like this conversation was one that needed to happen face to face.

He found the nurse in her office updating some medical charts. “Good morning, Madam,” he said softly.

“Oh! Good morning Severus!” She replied, surprised.

“Will he allow me to meet with him today,”

“Actually yes,”

“Okay, thank you. Sorry for...” Severus froze. Wait. what? “Would you mind repeating that?” he asked in a whisper.

“Harry said he would meet with you today. Don’t forget he gets out tomorrow. He was concerned about being cornered and decided to meet with you on his own terms.” Severus nodded and watched the matron walk to the curtain. She wasn’t there long, only glancing in on her patient. 

“Can I...” he began, but Poppy shook her head. Unable to help himself, Severus’ shoulders slumped down. 

A light touch on his arm brought his attention back to the witch. “He’s sleeping. And before you ask, he’s not pretending. He did not sleep well last night so he exhausted himself. Come by during lunch and you can speak with him then.” 

Severus nodded his head and left the wing, heading to his first class of the day, sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors.