Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter. I hope you like it.
Chapter Four
 

Severus' thoughts were racing. He knew that Albus must never get his hands on Harry. But how to prevent it? Severus began to pace agitatedly. “You are right, Arabella. We need to protect Harry from Albus, but finding a way to do so is going to be difficult at the very least. Albus is young Harry's magical guardian,” Severus paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his visage, “....or so he claims. The Potters did have a will, Lily told me so, however, Albus claimed that none was found. For reasons I do not think I need to explain, I now have doubts as to the veracity of this claim. What if he had found the will and simply decided to conceal or destroy it? He wants to control the 'Boy that Lived' and, as we have already learned, is willing to do just about anything to accomplish his goals. Lily would have taken measures to ensure that Harry never ended up with Petunia. This I know to be fact. Lily was well aware of her sister's hatred of all things magical." Severus paused, briefly, an interesting idea coming to his mind. "Albus convinced the Ministry that he was the best candidate to protect Harry and they awarded him magical guardian status until such time a will was produced.” Severus smirked. “Perhaps it's time that I called in a few....debts.”

“Debts, Severus?,” Arabella queried, beginning to get nervous at the obvious signs that Severus was beginning to let his Slytherin side rule.

“There are certain...associates that owe me favors and several of them work for the Ministry. Many magical documents, most importantly wills, are automatically duplicated and placed within certain specialized vaults within the Ministry. Unfortunately, they are not open to the public, but with the right connections one is able to persuade those with access to locate certain documents. They need only know what to search for.”

“Wouldn't the Ministry have checked these vaults before now?” Arabella's brow furrowed slightly when Severus shook his head in the negative.

“Do you really think that Albus wouldn't have considered that possibility, Arabella? I'm sure he convinced the Alice Longbottom that it was unnecessary with little difficulty. Sirius Black, on the other hand, would have stubbornly insisted upon inquiring about the will.”

“Sirius Black, Severus? Isn't he the man that betrayed the Potters? Why ever would he have the ability to make such a request?” Arabella was beginning to get the idea that Severus had begun to figure something out and it was bothering him.

“Because he is Harry's godfather. Sirius Black should have been the one who gained custody of Harry when Lily and James died, but he was thrown into Azkaban before he could claim him. I was informed by Albus that he was convicted of murdering Peter Pettigrew and several muggles. However, I do not recall ever hearing about a trial, but I had assumed that there had been one. Now of course, I'm not sure there was one at all.”

“Surely they couldn't have convicted him without first trying him?” Arabella was shocked at the thought.

“It was war, Arabella. Trust me, I doubt they cared about trivial things such as mere legalities.” Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he mused, “Several things have always bothered me about the circumstances surrounding Pettigrew's murder. The bodies of the muggles were complete, but all they found of him was a single finger; there was very little blood and the rest of his body was never located. Where did it go? It certainly couldn't have vanished without a trace. The Aurors arrived moments after the slaying and one even claimed to witness it, so Black could not have hidden the body if indeed there ever was one; he simply didn't have time. I cannot help but wonder if Pettigrew actually died in that alley or if he simply escaped. Black's wand was snapped at the scene, which is odd. Usually, the wand would be tested to establish guilt and it wasn't. The lack of motive also bothers me. Why would Black kill his friend? It doesn't make sense. In retrospect, I now believe that Albus decided to remove him from the picture and arranged for him to be dealt with. What better way than to frame him for a murder he didn't commit and toss him into Azkaban?" Severus' eyes narrowed, slightly. "I've always found it difficult to believe that Black betrayed the Potters. My own observations told me that he and James Potter were closer than brothers and I was shocked at the news that he apparently had. Now, however, I suggest that just because Albus claimed that Black was the secret keeper, doesn't mean he actually was. If you add to that the attack against the Longbottoms, whom were tortured into insanity just a few days later, the playing field was completely clear for Albus to take full control. Rather convenient, if you ask me.”

“So what you are saying is that you feel that Albus orchestrated all this just to insure he gained guardianship of Harry. Doesn't that seem a bit crazy and far-fetched even for him?” Arabella exclaimed.

“Arabella,” Severus chided gently. “I don't believe he created the situations; he merely took advantage of and twisted them to suit his needs. I believe he persuaded the Ministry to jump to conclusions rather than actually investigate when it came to Black. Remember, Albus is a master manipulator and think about what we learned about him just today. We discovered that he was so adamant to keep Harry under the care of the Dursleys that he Obliviated all of us and left Harry, a helpless toddler, in that home despite having full knowledge of their treatment of him. That in and of itself says a great deal about the lengths he is willing to go to stay in control. Sirius Black gaining custody would have been disastrous to his plans. Do you want to know why?"

At Arabella's nod, he continued. "During one of my conversations with Lily, she explained that they had made thorough plans as to Harry's education and upbringing and that if anything happened to them, Black had been apprised of them. They were well aware of the danger they were in and wanted to ensure that their child would be well taken care of. She trusted him implicitly with Harry's welfare. I know its unexpected to hear me say this about him, because it could be construed as a compliment, but I am positive that Black would have followed Lily and James Potter's instructions to the letter and certainly would not have allowed Albus to interfere with them. If Albus wished to have nominal control over Harry's future and fortune, he would have to eliminate Sirius Black. He had no choice.”

Severus and Arabella both jumped when the large grandfather clock in the room suddenly began to chime. Severus turned to look at it and noticing that it was midnight sighed. “It is quite late and Harry is most certainly exhausted. We should put him to bed. I will wait to scrutinize his memories until morning.”

Arabella, feeling a bit emotional, knew that her red eyes and tear streaked face would upset Harry. Wiping her eyes with a tissue, she said to Severus in a soft voice, “I agree. While I do wish that we could get all of this done tonight, Harry is a young child and needs his rest. I will go upstairs and make up the beds in the guest rooms. Please go and fetch him.”

Quickly surmising Arabella's reasons for not wishing to join him in collecting Harry and feeling the need to lighten the atmosphere in the room, Severus smiled slightly and with a slight courtly bow said, “As you wish.” Arabella returned the smile and allowed herself a giggle at Severus' reference to her favorite tale and turned to leave. As she made her way up the stairs, Severus closed his eyes for a moment and occluded his mind. He knew that he too needed to be calm if he didn't wish to frighten the boy in any way. Once he was confident that he was fully calm, he quietly proceeded to the kitchen.


Harry yawned and stretched slightly. 'I'm bored and sleepy,' he inwardly groused. All he really wanted to do at that moment was go to sleep, but he knew that the man wanted to look into his mind. 'What's takin' them so long?' His patience quickly wearing thin, Harry began to fidget more and more as time passed by.

Soon, though he had been trying his best to heed what the man had asked him to do, he simply couldn't remain sitting a moment longer. He stood and began to wander aimlessly around the kitchen, trying to keep himself awake. He quickly realized, however, that it wasn't working and decided that he might as well find a someplace to sleep.

He glanced about the room and spying the large and rather plush rug that was lying on the floor in front of the kitchen sink, he thought, “Surely, Mrs. Figg won't be too upset if I move that rug over there to the corner and took a nap on it,” he muttered to himself. He sidled over to where the rug was and quickly snatched it up from the floor. He decided, seeing as the rug was quite generously sized, that he could easily wrap it about him like a cocoon. Doing so would help block out the light and keep him warm, but still allow him to breath freely. Satisfied that he would be comfortable enough in the rug, Harry rolled himself up into it, rested his head on his arms, and slipped silently into sleep.


Severus entered the kitchen and gasped with dismay. Harry was no where in sight. “Harry, where are you?” he queried, careful not to raise his voice. After futilely glancing around the room in an attempt to locate the child, he took his wand in hand and gave it a flick muttering, “Point me Harry Potter.” He was bewildered when his wand directed him to what appeared to be a rolled up rug in the corner. He silently crept over to the rug and carefully unwound it. To his relief, Harry was sleeping peacefully within, a serene look on his face. Severus gazed at the sleeping boy for a few moments, then whispered, “Let's get you into a bed.”

Careful not to jostle the boy awake, Severus slipped one arm under Harry's legs and, supporting his neck with the other, tenderly picked him up. He felt his eyes begin to burn slightly with tears and his jaw clench in anger at how light the child was. He was several stones too light for his age and body type. 'Damn those bloody muggles! They will rue the day they decided to mistreat you!' Taking a deep, calming breath, he began to slowly and carefully navigate his way through the house. Upon reaching the second floor Severus softly called out, “Arabella? Which room shall I place him in?”

“He knows which room is his, Severus. He has stayed here many times.” Arabella replied as she walked out of the Blue Bedroom. Her eyes widened at the sight of Harry cuddled up in Severus' arms, clearly sound asleep. “Poor thing was completely tuckered out, wasn't he? He is used to the Yellow Bedroom which is to your left, Severus.” Walking over to the door and opening it for him, Arabella watched as Severus gently placed Harry on the bed, slipping Harry under the covers and tucking him in. It was clear to her that he had already beginning to fall in love with the child. Suddenly, she knew that somehow, someway, everything was going to be alright. “Severus, I've prepared the Blue Bedroom for you. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight and sleep well.”

"Good night, Arabella. May your dreams be sweet." Severus wasn't prepared to leave Harry alone in the room just yet, so he carefully sat down upon the bed. Unable to resist, he began to card his fingers through the child's fine black locks. A sad smile crossed his face when the child leaned into the movement of his hand, clearly craving the gentle touch. Continuing to stroke Harry's hair, Severus allowed himself to linger for perhaps half an hour. Finally, he decided that it was past time for him to seek his own respite. Severus leaned down and brushed his lips across Harry's forehead, then reluctantly stood and began to walk toward the door. He didn't wish to leave the room, but he knew that he too was going to need his rest. Before dousing the lights, he turned to take one last look at Harry. “Good night, my Harry.” he whispered, “Sleep well and know that you are safe. I won't allow anyone to ever hurt you again, sweet boy. I swear it.”

 


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