True Heart by mandancie
Summary: Starting a new adventure, Harry learns there's more to life than what he's seen.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Professor Snape, Parental Snape > Godfather Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Dumbledore, McGonagall, Ron
Snape Flavour: Snape is Angry, Snape Comforts, Snape is Kind, Snape is Loving, Out of Character Snape, Snape is Stern
Genres: Angst, Family, General, Hurt/Comfort
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe
Takes Place: 1st Year
Warnings: Abusive Dursleys, Bullying, Out of Character, Physical Punishment Spanking
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 28 Completed: No Word count: 100574 Read: 59889 Published: 12 Jul 2020 Updated: 07 Mar 2024
Chapter 8: Things Change by mandancie
Author's Notes:
I'm am so sorry for the lack of updates. I hope this doesn't happen again. Please enjoy this chapter.

“This can’t keep happening.”


“Maybe if you’ve done what you were supposed to do, there wouldn’t be an issue.”


“Someone is helping the boy.”


“Well, you need to find out who that is.”


Quirrell walked out of his office almost bumping into Minerva.


“Is everything alright, Quirinus?” Minerva asked. “You seem stressed.”


“E...everything fine,” Quirinus stuttered. He turned and walked away.


Minerva watched as the Defense professor walked away from her. There was something going on, but she didn’t know what. 


___000___000___000

Harry was flying above the Quidditch pitch. The wind blowing in his face was wonderful. It was a wonderful contrast to the scorching sun. He dove down, climbed again. Making turns and loops. Harry was having fun. 


His broom started to buck and move by itself. Harry tried holding on for dear life. It felt like someone was trying to push him off. 


Harry gripped the handle as tightly as he could. It seemed like his fingers couldn’t grip as tightly as he wanted. He looked around to see if there was someone who could help.


He was all alone. 


Professor Snape. Professor Snape, please help me. 


That thought continued over and over. A mantra in his head. Dread filled the small child when he flipped over the handle of the broom, like the game. The difference was that he couldn’t grip the handle. He slipped. A scream escaped his throat as he free-fell from the sky. It felt like he was falling forever. He finally landed surprisingly not too hard. When he stood and got himself situated, he noticed a shadow looming over him.


“Look at Scar-head,” Draco sneered. “He thinks he’s so special.”


Draco was standing behind him alone with other students from different houses.


“Why would you think we would be friends?” 


Harry knew that voice. It couldn’t be true. He was my first friend. Harry turned and saw Ron standing on the other side of him, jeering him. 


“You’re a nobody. A freak.”


“I’m not a freak,” Harry whispered to himself. “I’m not a freak.”


The scenery changed. Harry stood in front of his Defense class. Professor Quirrell walked over towards the small child. Harry’s forehead began to hurt. His scar felt as if it was ripping open from the inside out. Harry fell to his knees, his palms to his head trying to alleviate the pain. Lowering his head to the floor, the coolness of the stone floor soothed some of the pain away. 


“Get up, you freak.”


Harry knew that voice. It haunted the entirety of his life. 


“I’m not a freak,” Harry softly said. 


There was a sharp smack to the back of his head. Harry learned a long time ago not to cry out when he was hit. 


“You are a freak,” Vernon bellowed. “Don’t you dare argue with me. You know what you are.”


Harry didn’t raise his head from the floor.


“Say it,” Vernon ordered. 


“I’m nothing but a burden and a freak.” Harry’s voice trembled as he mumbled his words from the floor. “I’m a stupid freak that no one cares for.”


“That’s right,” Vernon barked. “You’re nothing but a burden.”


A huge lump clogged Harry’s throat. No one loved him. No one even liked him. All Harry wanted was to fit in. To have friends. 


___000___000___000

Severus was sitting in Minerva’s office with Harry, once again, laying against his chest. It troubled the Potions Professor why Potter’s spawn always clung himself to his person. Potter was supposed to be an arrogant, spoiled brat. Not this clinging spider monkey in his arms. 


Once again, after Harry stopped crying, the boy refused to let Snape go. To make matters worse, that old coot had the brilliant idea of the boy and me going to Minerva’s office since it was close by.


Now Severus was sitting in one of Minerva’s leather high-back chairs with Potter nestled under his chin. To add salt to an already infectious wound, the two old geezers wouldn’t stop smiling at Severus.


___000___000___000

Bill Weasley worked as a Curse-breaker at Gringotts. He was usually commissioned to look over certain artifacts that were acquired by dubious means. He was just finishing his reports on an eighteenth-century vase that was believed to have been stolen from the History Museum in Egypt. 


A small piece of parchment landed on Bill’s desk with instructions to head to Griphook’s office. Bill finished the last bits of the report and left his small office. 


Bill opened Griphook’s door and was met by the top four Goblin owners of Gringotts. 


“Sirs,” Bill said. “What can I do for you?”


“Come in,” Griphook barked.


Bill was used to the Goblins’ way of handling things. He learned early on not to take offense to how they spoke to him. It was just their nature to be jerks to anyone who was not a Goblin. 


“Your expertise is required,” Griphook continued. “It has come to our attention that a mysterious document has been discovered, and we need to check the authenticity of the contents.”


“Understood,” Bill said swiftly. “Where is this document?”


Griphook waved his hand and a folded parchment encased in a clear dome floated towards Bill.


Bill pulled out his wand and started working several charms and spells. His magic was potent enough that it could penetrate the dome around it. Nothing came back nefarious, but there were some underlying issues that he couldn’t place.


“I see nothing,” Bill announced. “But if I’m to run a thorough analysis, I need to take this with me.”


“Out of the question.”


“Absolutely not.”


“It must stay here.”


The other Goblins yelled their disagreement to Bill taking the parchment away.


Addressing the other Goblins, Bill said, “With all due respect, I won’t know what I’m dealing with until I can do a complete analysis.”


“There isn’t any need to--”


“I need authenticity,” Griphook cut one of the Goblins off. “This missive should have been delivered ten years ago. Once it is proven to be the real thing, next it is finding out why this happened.”


“This should be kept quiet,” the Goblin protested. “Imagine the backlash that would happen if it got out. The scandal.”


Bill kept his mouth shut. He knew there would be a scandal whether they had him look through the document or not. Because one thing he learned from the small scans he did, that message involved Harry Potter.


Bill just stood back and let the Goblins decide what they needed to do.


___000___000___000

Severus didn’t realize that he was humming to himself until he felt Harry beginning to move. 


“‘M burd’n. Freak. N’one lik you.”


Severus sat quietly while the boy slept, but when he started hearing moaning, and not liking what he was hearing he knew he needed to wake the child up.


Rubbing the child’s back, “Potter. Potter.”


Harry started moaning as his squirming became more aggressive. The first thing Harry felt was safe. Like no one could bother him. His hands closed into fists, and he felt the cloth trapped in them.


“Potter, once again you are determined to reveal your impersonation of a spider monkey.”


Harry froze. A small groan escapes his lips when he opens his eyes and sees that he is lying against his Potions Professor’s chest. His face burned with embarrassment as he released his clutches on Severus’ robe and tried to climb off his lap. 


“Calm yourself, Potter,” Severus said, tightening his hold on the child, “before you fall and injure yourself.”


Harry stopped moving and felt Snape’s hands under his arms as he was lifted off of the man’s lap. Harry kept his head lowered, grasping his robe and twisting it between his fingers. 


“I’m sorry, Professor,” Harry meekly said. 


“Would you care to tell me what happened? What has got you so upset?” Severus leaned forward, freeing Harry’s fingers from his robe. “Stop that,” admonishing the action.


Harry looked up at Snape. 


“I’m waiting, Mr. Potter.”


“I don’t know what you mean,” Harry said, taking a step back.


“I believe you do,” Severus countered. “Before you latched your person to me, you were upset. You were holding on to Mr. Malfoy’s robes for some reason.”


Harry’s embarrassment of finding himself cuddled against his Potions Professor vanished when he heard Draco’s name. That old anger bubbled up in his stomach.


“He cursed my broom,” Harry yelled.


“I beg your pardon,” Severus said, sitting back in his chair. 


“He cursed my broom,” Harry said again. “During the Quidditch match. He said it. Just like he did during Flying class.”


“Mr. Malfoy did not curse your broom,” Severus sighed. 


“He did,” Harry yelled. “You’re just covering for him.”


Severus looked at the boy standing in front of him, shocked at what he was hearing. The image of James came to mind as he listened to the audacity of this boy. Spoiled. Arrogant. Just like his father.


“You’re just saying that because he’s in your House!” Harry accused.


“Mister Potter!” Severus’ voice boomed throughout the office. Severus’ face was cold. How dare he yell at him. 


Hearing his name spoken in that manner made Harry’s arguments die in his throat. The look Harry received made him take another step back. 


What was he doing? He didn’t know why he was yelling at the Professor. It wasn’t his fault. Why would he cover for someone when, in fact, Professor Snape was the reason he didn’t fall from his broom. Professor Snape saved him and this is how he would repay him? 


An apology was on Harry’s lips, but Professor Snape spoke first.


“I would suggest you calm yourself, Mr. Potter,” Severus said coolly. “I don’t know to whom you think you’re talking. I am not one of your little friends, but if you speak that way to me again you will be sitting on a sore bottom for the next week. Am. I. Understood?” The last three words were enunciated slowly. 


Harry gulped and replied with a quiet “Yes, Professor.”


“Very well,” Severus said after a beat of silence. “Now, as I said before Mr. Malfoy did not curse your broom during the match,” raising his hand to stop Harry from saying anything, “because whoever did was a lot stronger than a student.”


Any argument Harry had died in his throat. It wasn’t a student. That meant it was an adult. Someone wanted to hurt him. How was he supposed to survive this? He was just a small nobody; he couldn’t go against an adult.


Severus looked at the small child standing before him. All the color faded from his cheeks. The image of James was no longer on the boy’s face. Potter was once again the small child that latched himself on him. He reached out to the child, grabbing his arms in fear that the child would collapse. 


Pale green eyes looked up at him. Pure fear showed on the child’s face. Severus’ heart actually hurt for the child. 


“Save me,” Harry whispered. “I’m just a freak. I’m a nobody.”


“Listen to me, Harry,” Severus said calmly, cutting off Harry’s stream of disparaging words. He didn’t like what he was hearing, but he couldn’t dwell on it now. The boy needed reassurance before he started to panic.


“You are a well-protected child. I along with the Headmaster and your Head of House are searching for whoever cursed your broom. But for your safety, I would implore you to not go looking for unnecessary danger.”


“I don’t--”


“I do recall someone sitting on a ledge in the owlery.”


“But nothing--”


“Also someone decided to forgo the rules and was wandering around the corridors while there was a troll in the school.”


“That’s not my fault,” Harry adamantly said, color rising in his cheeks. “I didn’t know about the troll.”


“You would have,” letting go of Harry and sitting back in the chair, “if you were where you were supposed to be,” Severus said, arching an eyebrow. He silently praised himself for getting the boy out of his depressive state.


Severus stood up and walked towards the door. 


Harry lowered his head. “It seemed wrong.”


Snape turned and looked back at Harry. “I beg your pardon?”


Harry looked up at Snape. “It seemed wrong.”


“You have to be clearer,” Severus sighed. 


“Going to a celebration on the day you find out your parents died the same day.”


Severus’ brow creased. There were several things about the child’s sentence that bothered him. 


“I never even knew what they looked like until Hermione showed me in a book,” Harry continued. 


Severus opened the office door. “Stay out of trouble this time, Potter. And don’t start any more arguments with your classmates.” 


“I didn’t start it.  Malfoy did.” Harry became indignant. That wasn’t fair. He didn’t start it.


“Out, Potter,” Severus growled. 


Harry huffed as he walked out of the office without a backward glance. 


Severus left after Potter, heading to his chambers. He had a lot on his mind to think about. 


___000___000___000

Bill was in his office when Griphook walked into the room. Bill didn’t say anything. He learned early on that goblins felt entitled to go anywhere within the bank. There was no privacy. 


Griphook put the parchment on Bill’s desk. 


“I have been entrusted to handle the welfare of the Potter’s estate. I cannot have things coming back to blemish my stellar reputation. I must know what happened with this document, and once finished, have it sent to where it should have gone ten years ago.”


Griphook turned and left without waiting for Bill’s response, closing the door behind him.


Bill knew Griphook was going against Goblin protocol. The other Goblins were adamant that this document shouldn’t be analyzed. Griphook usually wasn’t this forthcoming with instructions, nor did he grant Bill privacy. 


Bill looked down at the parchment and began his work on breaking whatever curse put on it.


___000___000___000

Harry walked into the Gryffindor Common room and was accosted by Ron, Hermione, and Neville. 


“Harry, what happened?”


“Harry, are you alright? We were worried about you.”


Neville and Ron asked at the same time. 


“Give him a moment,” Hermione said. “Harry, come sit down.”


Hermione took hold of Harry’s arm, and he allowed her to pull him towards the sofa.


“Harry,” Hermione said. “Are you alright?”


Harry nodded but shrugged at the same time.  


“What happened?” Neville asked quietly. “You were missing from lunch. Ron told us what happened with Malfoy.”


“It’s nothing,” Harry said. “I have a lot on my mind,” standing up, “I don’t want to talk about it now.”


Harry walked up the stairs to the dormitories and climbed into his bed, pulling the curtains closed. He told his friends the truth; he had a lot to think about.


TBC


To be continued...


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