Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Much to my dismay, I do not now, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter. -sniffs-
Chapter Two

Albus Dumbledore was extremely nervous. He had to make sure that Harry Potter wasn't 'too' damaged when he arrived at Hogwart's next year, because that would make him look bad and that simply would not do. He was supposed to be regularly checking on the child's welfare, as per the Ministry's orders, but really he had much better things to do.

He hoped that he hadn't made a mistake when he had sent his pet Deatheater, Severus Snape, to fetch his future tool. Surely, he could trust Severus to only scare the Dursley family into backing off at least long enough for the child to reach Hogwart's relatively intact. 'I do hope that Severus won't try to remove the child from there. He has such a weakness for abused children and it would be a pity if I had to dispose of him. Potions masters of his caliber are few and far between and his use as a spy is even more invaluable.' Severus could be difficult to control at times, but in the end he generally submitted to Dumbledore's will...or so he thought.

On the whole, Dumbledore wasn't particularly worried about things such as broken bones and bruises, they were irrelevant and hardly unusually for young boys, but now, he had learned of that muggle's other predilections. He apparently liked to have sex with preteen boys. Harry, now having reached Vernon Dursley's favorite age group, would be too much of a temptation to him and that simply would not do. No, it wouldn't do at all. 'I need the boy softened up and malleable...not broken. A little physical abuse can be explained away, but sexual...that's different. It can't be hidden, at least not from Poppy. She checks every child for it and I cannot allow something like that to be discovered. It would be far too damaging to my reputation and I don't want to even think how Severus would react if he found out that I let something that terrible happen to his precious Lily's child.'

With a shake of his head and a soft sigh, Albus stroked his beard and settled down to wait; he was confident that Severus would return soon enough, whether he would be alone or not was the only question.


Harry ran swiftly to the end of the street and sat on the bench located there to catch his breath and think. He knew he needed to get as far a way from his relative's house as possible, but was trying to figure out how. He wouldn't get far on foot and he had no money. He wasn't even sure where he could go that the people in charge wouldn't contact them as soon as he arrived.

Harry already knew quite well that the so-called authorities didn't care. They had come to check on him at the Dursley's several times, because of that nice older lady that lived across the street, Mrs. Figg. The last time they visited his face had been one big bruise and his right arm was broken, but they didn't even blink. One of them, a woman, had only spoken to his aunt and uncle for a few minutes, when his uncle had pulled out his wallet and handed her a wad of money. She had shook his uncle's hand with a smile and left saying that the report would disappear. No, the authorities couldn't be trusted.

'Wait a minute,' Harry thought, suddenly. 'Perhaps, Mrs. Figg can help me. I think she will, but I don't wanna get her in trouble.' Mrs. Figg was probably the only person in the world that he could trust not to tell Uncle Vernon. She was also delicately built and he was afraid that his uncle, who was quite large and mean, would hurt her if he found Harry at her home. Plus, if the Police found she might be charged with something. He was torn, but did he really have a choice? 'I can't do this on my own. I need help to leave this place and I know that she will at least try. It won't hurt to ask.' His mind made up, Harry stood and began to walk back up the street toward her house.

All of a sudden, Harry could almost swear he was being followed. He was getting prickles on the back of his neck and he felt just like he did when he was avoiding his cousin and the boys he hung with during their Harry Hunting games. 'Maybe I should try to stay out of sight, just in case.' He started to try keeping to the shadows and making as little noise as possible. If nothing else, it would be good practice for later. He had heard that a lot of bad things could happen on the streets and if Mrs. Figg couldn't help him that's probably where he'd end up.

Having finally arrived at Mrs. Figg's house, Harry decided to go around to the backdoor where he would be less exposed. Reaching the door, he knocked, thinking, 'I hope that she isn't already in bed and that she will hear my knocking without me needing to shout. The other neighbors would notice that and it would be very bad for both of us.'


When Severus saw the child stop at the end of the street and sit on the bench as if waiting for the bus, he wasn't sure what to think. The bus didn't run at night in this town. The boy seemed to be seriously considering something, so he forced himself to calm and settled down to wait. Within a few minute, the child stood up with a determined look on his face and, to Severus' surprise, started to head back the way he had come. 'What is he doing? It's far too exposed and well-lit here for me to grab him, but I cannot allow him to enter the wards again. If he gets too close, I suppose, I will simply have to take the risk. There will be little choice.' Severus held his breath as Harry nearly walked right into him and then, his curiosity aroused, once again began to follow the boy.

Within a few minutes, Severus had nearly lost sight of Harry several times as he crossed to the other side of the street and began to slip in and out of the shadows. 'Impressive,' Severus thought with a faint smile crossing his face. 'He is quite skilled at using shadows to his advantage, which could prove useful in the future. Especially, if we end up having to hide from Albus.'

When Harry reached Arabella's house, he slipped through the fence and walked around the house and knocked on her back door and Severus finally understood. 'Clever boy! He probably realizes that Arabella would be more than willing to help him. This might work to my advantage, so I had best make my way inside before she answers the door to warn her.' He turned and hurried to the front door and using the alohamora spell, let himself in. He went to the door to the room that he suspected was most likely her bedroom and knocked gently, calling out softly, “Arabella, are you still awake?”

“Who...who's there?” came Arabella's frightened response.

“Don't worry, Arabella. It's just Severus, again. Harry is at your backdoor knocking.” He said. “I believe that it will make things less harrowing for all involved if you let him in.”

“H..Harry is here? Why would he come here?” she asked as she exited the bedroom while cinching her house robe's belt.

“Perhaps it would be best if you asked him that question. I know what I suspect, but it is possible, although improbable, that I might be incorrect. Go, answer the door. I will wait here and listen. We wouldn't want to startle him into flight.”

“Yes, your presence might frighten him. You are a stranger and a man.” She firmed her lips and nodded. “I had best hurry. It would do none of us good if Harry began to shout to catch my attention. The last thing we need is to wake the neighbors." She quickly walked through the kitchen to the back door and opened it up. Upon seeing Harry, she attempted to look surprised to see him, then quickly ushered him in. “Is there something wrong, Harry? It is awfully late and your family surely wouldn't approve.”

“I...I need your help, Mrs. Figg.” Harry whispered, suddenly finding himself having to fight back tears.

“My help, dear? Of course. Come sit down at the table and I will make us some hot cocoa and we will talk. Will that be alright?” she said gently, having seen immediately that the boy was getting emotional.

Not a moment later, Harry found himself flinging his arms around her and sobbing uncontrollably, just like a baby. He was overwhelmed by the feelings that poured out of him at her words. He couldn't remember a time that anyone had been so kind to him. He almost pulled away when she gasped with surprise, but then she wrapped her arms around him and gently rubbed his back, humming softly and murmuring, “There, there, child...let it all out.” And so, he did.

Once she felt Harry had calmed enough, Arabella pulled away. She calmly walked over to the stove and lit it, then after filling the tea pot, set it on the burner to heat up. As she was doing so, she asked, “Do you feel better now, Harry?”

“Yes, ma'am, I do. Thank you.” he hiccuped in reply, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He wasn't allowed to cry in front of his relatives, so usually he suppressed his feelings, but he knew, somehow, that Mrs. Figg wouldn't mind.

Arabella motioned for Harry to sit at the table across from her and once he did, she reached out and grasped his hands. “Tell me what is wrong, Harry, and I will do my best to help you. No matter what it is.” She kept her voice soft and steady, not wanting to set him off again.

Harry nodded, sniffling, trying to be brave. “You...you believe me when I say that my uncle hurts me, right?” At her nod, he continued. “Earlier today, my uncle told me something that really scared me and...and now I think that I need to be far away from him to keep it from happening.”

“What did he tell you?” she said, trepidation rising.

“He....He....” Harry knew he had to tell her, but was scared that his trust might be misplaced. He had been betrayed far too many times.

“Go ahead, Harry. I promise that I won't make any judgments against you.” She prompted carefully, not wanting to rush him.

Harry decided to say it as quickly as possible, because he didn't think he could otherwise. “He pushed me against a wall and touched me on the butt and said that my arse was his tomorrow and I don't think he meant hitting me. Then he locked me in my cupboard again and I was so scared, Mrs. Figg.” The words all ran together as he said it but now that he had said it out loud, Harry found himself feeling oddly light and calm.

“I'm sorry, Harry, but I didn't catch all that. Could you tell me again?” Mrs. Figg queried, obviously confused.

Before Harry could respond, Severus stalked into the room, clearly enraged, having understood perfectly what the child had said. He knew that he had most likely scared poor Harry with his abrupt entrance, but he'd had enough. Thoroughly infuriated, he snarled, “That sick bastard, Dursley, is planning to molest the boy, Arabella. I had wondered why Albus sent me to check on him despite having ignored your warnings for so long, but now...now I understand perfectly. He is due to start school next year and Poppy is adamant about checking all the children for sexual abuse. She does it every year, with the full support of the school governors, which that manipulative old man knows well. The Ministry would have been immediately contacted when it was discovered and his guardianship revoked. He could even be ousted from Hogwart's. He could not and would not risk it.”

Pacing back and forth his eyes blazing with ire, Severus continued. “The wards around the house might have been set up to monitor intent, so perhaps that's how he figured it out Dursley's plans. I doubt very much that he would ever admit to it though.” He knew now that he should never had trusted the headmaster with Harry's safety. He should have insisted on raising the boy himself, despite his status as a spy and former Deatheater. “He told me that Harry was perfectly safe with his mother's relatives, that I needn't worry, but now I think he was lying to me. I'm sure that the he suspected all along what would happen, but thought that it would be a sure way to make Harry easier to manipulate. Albus wouldn't bother concerning himself over mere physical abuse, particularly when its results might be of use to him.”


As the tall, thin man with a harsh, hawk-like face and black hair that had entered the room so suddenly paced and growled in anger about someone named Albus to Mrs. Figg, Harry was trying to figure out why he felt so comfortable in his presence. Mrs. Figg kept looking over at him, as if worried that he would bolt or something, while trying to calm the furious man down, but he truly felt almost secure for the first time in a very long while.

'Who is this man and why does he seem so safe to me?' Harry wondered. He wasn't quite sure what to think, while he supposed that he should be scared of him, since he was truly intimidating to look at, he instead found himself relaxing in the man's presence, and he didn't know why. For some unknown reason, his gut told him that this man would never hurt him and would keep him safe, just like Mrs. Figg. There was something very familiar about his voice and the way he looked, something hidden just on the edge of Harry's memories, just out of reach. He was sure that he somehow knew this man. So when the man paused for a moment to take a calming breath, Harry decided he would simply have to ask. “Do..do I know you, sir? I don't know why, but...I feel like I do, though I can't exactly figure out how or when we met.”

Severus froze at the inquiry, anger forgotten in his shocked state. His eyes wide and glistening with tears, he whispered hesitantly, voice filled with wonder, “You remember me?”

Chapter End Notes:
Much as I tried to get Albus to be nicer, he just wasn't cooperating. He just wanted to be manipulative and uncaring. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Thank you for reading.

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