Harry was exceptionally happy. Today had been one of the best days of his life. First, he'd had pancakes for breakfast! Pancakes that he didn't have to make, and didn't have to beg and needlessly hope for! Then he'd got to ride on a real live hippocampus! Now there was something to write to Ron and Hermione about! Then he and Emmeline had walked along the cliffs to the Dover pier. They'd had lunch at a fast food chain instead of The White Horse. Mostly because by that time they reached the other end of the cliffs, they were both starving. Harry was marvelling at his appetite lately. He'd never got nearly this much food at the Dursleys', but now he ate whenever he was hungry. He was pretty sure he'd gotten taller too! That was nice! After lunch, he and Emmeline walked along the pier. They say a few war memorials, and Emmeline even gave Harry a few pounds to use the periscopes to see France. He grinned out across the water. There was so much out there in the world that he just had to see one day! Maybe he'd get to see those hippocampus races in Istanbul!

“What's Turkey like?” Harry asked excitedly. Emmeline laughed.

“I wasn't in Turkey actually. The sunken city was off the coast of Georgia, closer to Russia. Yusuf just happened to be the underwater expert the team hired.”

“What's Georgia like?” Harry asked just as enthusiastically.

“It's very temperate and mild. There were quite a few muggle luxury resorts in the area we stayed in. Not that we stayed at any mind you. We were living out of a local wizard's garden shed.” Emmeline admitted with a chuckle. Harry grinned. “I will say, the most interesting place I ever stayed for work was Mahoutokoro.”

“Mah-who where now?” Harry asked in shock. How did she say it all in one breath like that?!

“Mahoutokoro,” Emmeline repeated. “It's the wizarding academy of Japan.”

“You've been to Japan?!” Harry demanded in awe. Emmeline grinned.

“Yes. I was allowed to research and assist in repairs for the school's rookery during my apprenticeship. It was truly an astounding experience, even if I did get pooped on by one of their giant petrels.” Harry laughed. Emmeline looked out to the ocean with a smile. Harry had been so carefree today. All her worry from earlier was unfounded.

"Ms. Emmeline, may I ask you a question?" Harry suddenly asked as the periscope turned off once more.

"Yes, dear?" Emmeline said.

"Did you ever date anyone else besides Professor Snape?" He asked as casually as he could. Emmeline's chest tightened.

"Yes." She admitted quietly. "As a matter of fact, I was married for a time."

"Married?!" Harry cried in alarm. She'd been married?! But he'd been so sure that she was still in love with Snape!

"Yes. For a year." Emmeline muttered. 

"Only a year?" Harry questioned in confusion. Emmeline sighed. This was always a difficult thing to discuss.

"It was an arranged marriage," Emmeline explained. Then she sighed heavily. "I happen to be a descendant of a very powerful business family."

"Really?" Harry asked in awe. But she seemed so… normal.

"My grandfather is the CEO of The Cleansweep Broomsticks Company. He helps develop the broom himself." Emmeline admitted. 

"That's why you're such a great flyer!" Harry cried with a grin. Emmeline nodded then she looked out to the water, lost in a memory.

"My mother is the daughter of the broom creator. My father owns and operates a publishing company that produces popular wizarding magazines like witches weekly." Harry let out a low whistle.

"So you're like… really rich," Harry said. Emmeline laughed.

"Well no. In fact, you probably have much more money than my family." Emmeline reminded him.

"Oh yeah!" Harry cried, then he laughed. "You know, I constantly forget about all that money. I went so long with having so little that I never really process it all." Harry admitted. Emmeline hummed before she shook her head.

"The Vance name is quite young compared to the Potters. We're just starting to amass wealth." Her face twisted. "At least that's what my father had planned for me."

"But it didn't really work out that way?" Harry asked casually. Emmeline shook her head.

"The family name will likely die with me," Emmeline said flatly. "Unless by some miracle my mother has another child."

"Well, couldn't you have kids?" Harry questioned. 

"No," Emmeline said flatly. Harry blinked at her with a confused frown. She sighed. "That is why my husband left me. There were… many attempts. Eventually, it was discovered that I am unable to bear children." Harry choked on his breath.

"Oh! Oh my goodness, Ms. Emmeline, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" Harry began with wide, horror-filled, eyes. Emmeline placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright Harry dear. I know you didn't mean anything by it. You're just curious." Emmeline said tiredly.

"Why did he leave you for that?!" Harry suddenly demanded, a firm scowl darkening his face. "I mean seriously! What an absolute prat!"

"You sound like Severus." Emmeline declared with a chuckle. "He offered to poison him."

"Why didn't you take him up on the offer?!" Harry demanded. Emmeline chuckled. Then her face grew far away.

"I didn't want to be a Slytherin." She finally muttered. Harry blinked.

"What?" Emmeline gave him a sad look.

"My parents had always been very disappointed in my house. My father even forbade me from mentioning it at family gatherings. After Hogwarts, I tried to distance myself from that time as much as possible." Emmeline sighed. "It's somewhat unfair of me to entirely blame Severus for how we ended. I was the one who started forcing him to meet in secret. I wouldn't even introduce him to my parents, because I was worried how they would react."

"Did you ever meet his parents?" Harry questioned. Emmeline gave him a sad look.

"No. I never got the chance." She sighed sadly. "His mother sounded like such a lovely woman."

"And his dad?" Harry questioned. Emmeline made a noise.

"I'm afraid any of what Severus had told me of his father before his mother's death has been completely negated by the despicable way he treated Severus at her funeral." Emmeline declared. Harry nodded. He knew that was probably the case.

"Did professor Snape ever meet your parents?"

"Not while we dated," Emmeline confirmed. "He did meet my father a few years ago during an interview for potions monthly."

"Oh," Harry muttered.

So their relationship had already been falling apart even before Snape broke things off.

"Guess you two leaving Hogwarts kinda ruined everything," Harry remarked. Emmeline sighed.

"Yes." She said flatly. "It really did."

"Would you have married him?" Harry suddenly blurted out. Emmeline blinked.

"If he had asked…" Emmeline whispered. She looked out to the water, lost in thought and memories. Finally, she bit her lip. Then she turned to harry with a rather lost expression. "Perhaps." She finally answered. Harry didn't say anything or react. 

He had a feeling he'd reached the moment Snape would have told him to mind his own business long before then. 

Ms. Emmeline was just too nice to tell him to stop.

Severus was staring down at Albus, barely holding back his emotions. The man was staring at the paper in front of them with wide eyes and a horrified expression.

"A cupboard?" He finally choked out.

"Yes. Alongside brooms and rubbish." Severus sneered. The old man let out a distressed moan and sunk his eyes into his hand. 

"A cupboard." He finally repeated. Then he looked up. His face was not distraught, but absolutely furious. Severus took a step back as the old man folded his hands in his lap. " Petunia and Vernon were exceptionally lucky."

"What do you mean?" Severus demanded in confusion.

"Lucky that the death eaters killed them before I discovered this." Albus declared. "I would not have ended their suffering quite so quickly." He finished menacingly. Severus blinked. The man suddenly leapt up from his desk and stomped over to his floo. "Arabella!" He roared. The old squibs face appeared with slight worry.

"Yes, Albus? Is everything alright?"

"Come through," Albus demanded. "Now "

"Oh Albus I'm still-" Arabella cried in alarm.

"NOW!" Albus roared. The woman jumped before she disappeared, only to reappear in the room a moment later. She looked tired, and her skin had the quintessential green tinge but was otherwise healthy looking. But Severus reminded himself to disinfect before returning to Dover. He wouldn't want to have to help Harry through Dragon Pox on top of… everything else. "Would you care to tell me why you chose not to tell me about the extent of the neglect which Harry faced with the Dursleys?" Albus asked coldly. Arabella blinked.

"I'm not sure what you mean Albus. I told you they didn't feed him as much as I thought was right, and that the Dursley boy was a little tougher than I would have liked, but otherwise, everything seemed fine."

"Seemed being the keyword." Severus sneered. Arabella blinked at him in confusion.

"What has happened?" She asked worriedly.

"Severus found this during his expedition," Albus explained, holding the paper out to her. Arabella looked at it with slight confusion. It seemed like a normal child's drawing, something you might see on the outside of a door. "He found it in their cupboard under the stairs."

"What?!" Arabella cried in alarm. "On the door?!"

"The back of it, near the bottom," Severus confirmed. "There was an old cot folded up, which I assume is what they had him sleep on."

"They made him sleep in a cupboard?!" Arabella whispered in horror.

"So you had no idea?" Albus demanded with a frown.

"No!" Arabella cried in shock. "Goodness no! Albus if I had known I would have told you immediately! To do such a thing to a child!"

"Harry never told you? Never indicated anything like this?" Albus argued. 

"No," Arabella confirmed. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Oh, the poor dear! I should have known, shouldn't I? I should have seen something!" She began sobbing into her hands. Albus' harshness soften and he sighed, putting a hand on her shoulders.

 "Hush now Arabella," Albus reassured her. "How could you have known, if Harry never said anything." The old headmaster sighed. Then he turned to Severus, who was watching this with narrowed eyes. 

So Albus had known about the beatings and the lack of proper meals. 

And still, Harry had suffered. 

"Severus," Albus began upon seeing the man's judgemental glare.

"I hope you realize how badly this has affected Harry." Severus interrupted keeping his voice level, despite the rage bubbling under the surface. He folded his arms tightly. "You put him in my care. So I will be doing my very best to repair this damage." 

"Severus," Albus began, "please understand. I only kept him there because of the wards. Lily's sacrifice. I was willing to risk it for his ultimate safety. But if I had known this-"

"See Albus that is the great difference between me and you," Severus interrupted again, before levelling the old man with his coldest sneer, "I could never justify the torture of a child for the greater good." Severus finished coldly. Albus' face had gone sickly pale by this point. Severus didn't bother remaining to hear the man stutter out his justifications. Instead, he took the paper, rolling it up into his pocket, then he waved his wand, disinfecting his person, and stepped into the flames, disappearing for Dover and the teenage boy he would now have to get into a very difficult conversation with. 

Harry grinned as he rushed up the drive to the cottage. Emmeline had promised to go flying with him again. Honestly, this day was just getting better and better! Every time Emmeline flew with him she taught him some new trick. Last week she'd been teaching him how to effectively steer with no hands and a few days ago she'd shown him how to fly upside down! But when he opened the door he froze. Snape was leaning on the back of the sofa, arms folded casually, though his eyes looked contemplative and far away.

"Oh, Severus!" Emmeline cried with a grin. "You're home. Did your business go well?"

"Emm, can you go make some hot chocolate?" Severus said plainly. The woman blinked. Hot chocolate was Severus' beverage of choice when bad news was going to be delivered. She cautiously looked between Harry and Severus then made an almost silent grunt of dread. 

"Harry dear… why don't you and Severus go sit in the dining room." She suddenly declared.

"But what about flying!?" Harry whined rather petulantly. Severus gave him a nebulous look, looking one part admonishing and one part rather a bit surprised. Emmeline frowned.

“Later, Harry.” she insisted. The teen gave her a sad look before he slumped in a dining chair, giving his professor a dirty look. The professor flicked his wrist, casting a spell over them before he placed a piece of paper in front of him. Harry sucked in a breath. He stared down at the sign in sheer terror. His vision began to tunnel slightly.

“-rry! Harry listen to me!” Severus shouted. Harry blinked at looked at his professor, who was rubbing his back and squeezing his shoulder. “Take a deep breath.” Harry sucked in a breath as instructed. He continued to do so, with Severus' deep voice guiding him along. With each breath, he felt a little steadier, as his professor continued to rub his back and squeeze his shoulder with each slow intake. When Harry leaned back into the chair Severus released his fortifying grip. “Better?” Harry still didn't quite trust himself to speak. So he just nodded. “Now… when did it start?” Severus murmured as gently as he could. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He couldn't talk about this. He was supposed to be safe here. The Dursleys were gone! What did it matter? “Harry… please,” Severus begged. Harry opened his eyes. The man looked distraught. He was actually begging. 

“Forever.” Harry finally choked out, he looked down at the sign he’d made. It was the second one he'd made. The first had been torn up by Dudley after their teacher complimented him and not the brutish boys. He made the second one using the pack of broken crayon stubs Dudley hadn't wanted anymore. But when he'd foolishly asked Aunt Petunia to hang it up for him, she'd flown off the handle and crumpled it up. Harry had fished it out of the trash after dinner. He asked his teacher for the push pins the next day. “As long as I can remember,” he repeated, as a few tears dripped onto his cheeks. He rapidly tried to rub them away when suddenly his face was buried in the shaggy, slightly scratchy, grey sweater of his potions professor. Harry hiccuped as the man held him to his chest. Then he buried his face fully and sobbed. He told him everything. Every injustice, every hurt, every impossible task. The cat flap, the bars, the endless chores, the childhood dreams that had never been fulfilled, and above all that old belief he clung to in his youth, that maybe, just maybe, if he was good, and he did all they asked and he followed all their rules,

Maybe they would love him.

He was extremely tired by the end, and the potion master looked just as exhausted. He was rubbing his face with his hand, looking utterly drained.

“I'm very glad that Albus was not here to hear this.” he suddenly declared.

“Why?” Harry asked, voice hoarse from the periodic crying.

“He did not take even just the minor revelation that you slept in a cupboard very well,” Severus muttered bitterly, both at the fact that sleeping in the cupboard had truly been a very minor thing in the sheer scale of the Dursleys' neglect and the fact that Albus hadn't seen the little neglect he had known about as justifiable enough to save the poor boy from his truly disastrous childhood if you could even call it that. Then he flicked his wrist and the bubble disappeared. Immediately Emmeline rushed in looking terrified.

“What did you say to the poor boy Severus?!” she cried as she wrapped Harry's head in her arm and pulled his face to her chest, giving the man a scolding frown. she looked down at the puffy-eyed boy and pet his hair. “Oh, Harry darling are you alright?”

" 'm okay…” Harry whispered, his gaze flicking down to the picture on the table. Emmeline followed his gaze and frowned. She gave Severus a confused look but he just waved her off and mouthed ‘later’. She huffed before she drew back into the kitchen, and returned with the promised hot chocolate. 

“Now. Here is what we're going to do.” Severus piped up after he took that first fortifying sip. “Tomorrow Harry, you and I are going to go to St. Mungo's. It's been a terrible oversight of mine, but I realized today that you haven't been giving any of your vaccinations.” Harry made a face.

“Do I have to take needles for them all? The nurse at school gave me the measles vaccine a few years back and it really really hurt.” Harry complained.

“A needle? Like a sewing needle? How would that help?!” Emmeline cried in shock. Harry blinked.

“No, wizards don't administer vaccinations with needles,” Severus assured him with a chuckle. Emmeline really should have taken Muggle Studies instead of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. “It is a series of potions, but you will have to stay to be monitored, in case you have a bad reaction.”

“Alright,” Harry muttered.

“We’re also going to get your eyes checked.” Severus declared, knowing now that Harry's glasses were likely not his proper prescription. “I think I'll ask the healers for a general check-up as well. I know Poppy gives basic health checkups when students become injured, but getting a baseline for your health is important.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry murmured, cradling the hot chocolate in his hands. It was surprisingly good at banishing the gloom that was lingering.

“I'm only doing what should have been done from the beginning.” he insisted, some of his earlier rage returning. “Wherever your aunt and uncle are, they are likely getting quite the angry lecture from your mother.”

“Most definitely,” Emmeline agreed. “I don't what you know about your mother Harry, but Lily Evans was a terror when she was angry." 

"It's a redhead thing," Snape muttered into his already half-empty mug. Emmeline rolled her eyes. 

"That's just an old myth."

"I dunno…" Harry piped up, a small tired grin spreading. "Mrs. Weasley is pretty frightening when she's upset, and Ron gets so angry his whole face goes red!" Emmeline huffed. 

"Shush you and drink your cocoa." She declared. Harry nodded, sipping at it slowly, savouring the sugary sweetness. When he tipped the last bit back Snape cleared his throat. 

"Harry… I have a new rule for you to follow." He suddenly declared. The boy blinked at him. Had he done something wrong? Or said something he shouldn't? "You are to tell us if something is bothering you or upsetting you." He gave Harry a stern frown, "failure to comply with this rule will result in the removal of your privileges."  Harry blinked. That was it? Well, that would be easy enough. His life had been pretty awesome since coming here. He couldn't think of anything that upset or bothered him.

Aside from the air of awkwardness that surrounded Emmeline and Severus every so often.

But he was working on that one. 

"Alright." He responded after that short internal monologue. Severus nodded.

"Now, why don't you go take a nap? We'll come to wake you for dinner." Harry nodded, and drifted, almost wraith-like up the stairs. Emmeline turned to him, gaze growing very accusatory and concerned. He sighed and gestured for her to take Harry's seat before he renewed the silencing charms. 

He had a feeling that Emmeline was not going to like this.