Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Author's Chapter Notes:
No excuses, just laziness and tiredness. It's coming full circle and I'm almost done.
Chapter 17

~*~*~*December 28th~*~*~*~

A Couple of days after Christmas saw Severus and his companions enjoying a quiet morning as the boys played upstairs with their toys. The Slytherin's fingers twitched as he spelled a privacy ward around the room, the one that would allow them to hear the children but not the other way around. They were due for this talk now, and he wanted to get it out before he lost his nerve. He knew it was wrong to not share what he was hiding and he couldn't be selfish any longer.

"Albus, Remus I have been keeping something important from you," he started out quietly as he sipped his coffee and gazed into the fireplace so he didn't have to see the judgement in their eyes.

"Oh? I find myself keeping something of importance from you both as well," Albus said lightly. "Don't fret, we haven't the time before so it's not either of our faults," he was quick to add before Severus could try to deny it.

Remus glanced between both and frowned. "I don't have anything I'm keeping from the both of you," he said with a smile trying to lighten the mood a little.

Severus's lip twitched in amusement at the joke before he pulled out the three little vials that held the reverse potion and set them on the table in the middle of them. "I've made the cure; I've had it with me it for the last two days. I haven't wanted to administer it yet, for purely selfish reasons," he admitted quietly.

Remus frowned at the little vials before he shook his head. "I know, I've heard you. But the fact that I didn't bring it to your attention means I feel just as selfish," he sighed.

"Boys this isn't a matter of being selfish, this is a matter of allowing those three little boys up there the opportunity to have a great new year. Put the vials away Severus and lock them up. We are not giving them the potions until the day after New Year's," Albus said firmly.

"What?" Severus asked in disbelief as he looked at his mentor.

"I want them to experience an unforgettable New Year. I wasn't going to tell you this yet, but we and boys are going to visit my long-time friend Nicholas Flamel and celebrate the New Years celebration with him and his wife Penelle," he said happily.

"Harry told me that Flamel died because he destroyed the Philosophers stone in his first year. He was quite distraught earlier this year about another death on his conscience," Remus said quietly.

"That is something I do regret not telling him, but Nicholas is alive and well. Harry saved his stone and I gave it back to him. But as far as Voldemort is concerned it is destroyed," Albus said casually, knowing when the child was aged up he would make sure that nothing had happened to the old Alchemist.

"Do not do that Albus," Severus hissed out as his right hand clamped hard over his left arm in obvious pain.

"What does it do Severus?" Remus asked curiously, as he looked at Albus who had the good grace to look abashed.

"It's a stinging burn, that is the name of the Dark Lord. And his followers were beneath him and not allowed to address him as such. To do so would be mean blinding pain for the one to utter his name, and for others to do so around you, would also mean pain. I have you asked you not to do that, and you continue to ignore me. Do you like causing me pain Headmaster?" Severus asked quietly, his tone a bit more formal now.

"Of course not Severus, I just assumed you were afraid of saying his name. You never explained that it actually causes you pain when I say it," Albus said tightly before he shook his head. He could not believe that all this time he was causing one of his confidant's pain, just by a mention of a name.

"I don't want to give anyone that power to hold over me. If you say it long enough I'm sure there are debilitating consequences. Albus just, try to refrain from doing it in the future, at least in my presence," Severus finished lightly.

Albus nodded silently before he resumed talking.  "I also have something of importance to tell you regarding the Durselys and Augusta."

"Tell me about Longbottom first, I need to reassure Neville that he is in no way going back to her house unless he specifically chooses too," he said quietly.

"Neville has already been adopted, Augusta is aware of that and though it pains her she knows it's for the best," he explained quickly.

"Adopted by who?" Severus asked suspiciously, as this was all so soon and new to him now.

"That remains to be seen Severus as I am not able to tell you now. I must tell Neville first when he is back to his normal age," Albus told him seriously.

Severus nodded, he could understand that but he was wary about putting his faith in Albus again. Looked at what had happened before? "Is that all concerning Neville?"

"Not exactly Severus, Augusta seems to think that it would be beneficial for Neville to visit his parents in St. Mungos while he is still this age. She says she remembers him giving his father a moment of clarity due to his ability, but it hasn't happened since then. We assume that would be because of Algernon's influence, that the child buried the ability deep down it was like he had forgotten it," Albus said sadly.

"Fear has a way of doing that Albus, it was clear he knew it was the only way to protect himself," Remus jumped in having been quite silent during the conversation.

"Nonetheless that will not be the case now," Severus said firmly.

"It won't be, his new guardian also has a gift that will be of use for the both of them," Albus replied cryptically. "And no I cannot tell you that either," he said knowing if not Severus then Remus most definitely would be able to figure out who it was then.

As it was Remus was looking at Albus with a look of intense concentration as it was clear he was trying to work out who it was anyway.

"And one more thing before we move to the Durselys, the Goblins are requesting a meeting with you Severus. They inform me that it's quite urgent, especially since you've taken up an heir," Albus said slyly.

Severus stared at the own man in disbelief for a moment trying to figure out what he meant. He frowned as his eyes flicked to Remus and then back to Albus. "Something to do with the Snape Vaults, and Harry I partake?"

"No, the Prince Vaults that still lay unclaimed; so far you inherited the manor and a trust vault which the ministry tried valiantly to take away from you. But there was still the matter of the family vaults, they could not touch that no matter how hard they tried.  However, your Grandfather saw to it that they could not, so you have some business there and to update your will as I said. You signed the documents stating that you would raise Harry as your own," Albus reminded him.

"Yes but Black is the child's godfather, I assumed the man would be filing for custody of Harry now. It's what he's always wanted, even Remus knows that," Severus said bitterly.

"Sirius loves Harry, but Harry loves you and chose you as his father and he knows that. Besides Sirius will soon have his own hands full, so you need not worry about him trying to take Harry from you. He will however always be that child's godfather, and I hope that you will accept that," Albus said sternly. He would not stand by if Severus tried to keep Sirius out of Harry's life. That little boy needed all the protectors he could get.

"Of course Albus," Severus said too stunned to fully take in what the man was truly trying to say.

But Remus wasn't fully lost to his thoughts and turned an incredulous expression to look at his mentor. "Sirius has adopted Neville?" He whispered out in disbelief, he had not expected that. How had he not caught that when he was with Sirius and Neville for that matter.

"Yes, the papers went through yesterday. That being said, while Neville will be his son, he has already named another Heir and doesn't plan on changing it," Albus said quietly.

"Harry is his Heir of course, has been since the day they brought Harry to Gringotts to get him fitted with a Trust Vault," Remus said quietly, this was all starting to make sense now. "I assume he's informed you of his Natural healing abilities then?"

"Yes he did, he is in the same mind of Augusta, he feels that he and Neville might be able to bring the Longbottoms to a moment of sanity if only just for a moment. He thinks that with their magic they might be able to create a potion that will help victims like them, but he's no brewer," Albus said lightly. "There was also talk about using Phoenix tears as well, especially because of how potent each tear is," he added with a smile. He knew that Fawkes would happily provide them when they needed it.

Severus's eyes lit up at the prospect that he was hearing. He had no idea that Black had such a talent nor that he and Neville had been talking about that. He was quite impressed if he did say so himself. He wanted in on this project, and he could just imagine the turn of events if they created something that would regenerate nerves and more. The possibilities were endless.

"When were you going to let Neville know about the adoption?" Severus asked quietly, still in disbelief at what he had heard regarding Black.

"I was going to let him know that everything went through today," Albus said. "Sirius and he already discussed everything. I only found out as a curtesy from Sirius himself," he added.

"Who has he named Godparents for him?" Remus asked curiously.

"You," Albus said fondly, he was the grandfather so he had no need to be the Godfather. He could spoil all his boys rotten.

"But I'm a werewolf," Remus said quietly as if they didn't already know that.

"No one cares that you are Remus, you are good man. And as Sirius is of an Old and Ancient House, there is nothing anyone can do about it," Severus said truthfully.

 

Remus swallowed thickly as he thought about the honor that Sirius had given him. "This is what you meant the other day when you said I will be around to help him," he chuckled out emotionally.

"Yes, this is what I meant," Albus replied fondly. "And because there is no woman in his life that he fully trusts to take Neville in the event that something happens to him or Remus; He has also added Severus as the 2nd Godparent," Albus said lightly.

Severus's eyebrows shot up then, his eyes flickering from both Albus and Remus as he silently took that in. "I see," was the only reply he had to offer to it. He would have to give this more thought. He was grateful that they had fall back plans for the child, but he wasn't sure he fully understood the man now.

This version of Black was so much different from the one that he grew up with and he was utterly confused. Had Azkaban Prison changed him that much? It was all so surreal, since most people often came out of the prison worse off then what they went in. How had Black beat the odds, and come out saner then he went in?

Severus cleared his throat, when it became apparent that the conversation was starting to die down. They had allowed him to process his thoughts and he was grateful for it. But now that they were done with Neville, he wanted to know what was going to happen to those awful relatives of Harry's.

"What's happening to the Durselys?" He asked quietly.

"Well at first, I wanted them tried in the wizarding court but then I was reminded they were muggles and after a talking with Kingsley who is quite knowledgeable of the muggle world we both came to a solution," Albus said with a smug expression on his face.

"What did you decide?" Remus asked tightly not up for any games especially when it came to his cub and getting the child the justice he needed.

"They are currently being tried in the muggle world for their crimes. I don't know if you know but even in the muggle world, they consider you a truly despicable person to harm a helpless child. I am assured that they will not be let off so easily. Especially since some of their muggle Aurors have already been the house. And they heard everything out of their own child's mouth," Albus said the smile gone, and is eyes hardened at the things he had read on the transcript not to mention what he had already known.

"What of the child? What is to happen to him?" Severus asked curiously. He didn't know where the boy fell on the spectrum, he didn't know if the child had actively participated in the attacks or not. Either way, he was a 13 year old child, and he wanted to know if something was going to be done to help him. Especially since both of his parents were going to be seeing the inside of a prison cell for a long time.

"I do not know yet, at first they were going to let the boy stay with his Paternal Aunt, until the child informed them of the abuse that Harry had suffered at the hands of her. He's not innocent in all of this either, from my understanding he hurt Harry as well, in fact his parents encouraged it," Albus replied softly.

"Then he will definitely not be staying here," Severus bit out immediately. For a moment, he had some compassion for the child, but that was gone and was never going to return. He knew it was the fault of the parents, but the boy was 13 years old, and he knew better.

"I agree with Severus," Remus said before the old man could open his mouth about second chances.

"Not to worry, I will find somewhere for him," Albus promised, hoping that when Harry was aged up he might want something to do with his cousin. They could not tell now, that was for sure.

"Will Harry have to testify at their trial?" Severus ask quietly.

"No, they have Poppy's medical scan and the evidence is against them. I will not put the child through something as traumatizing as a trial," Albus promised him.

"That's good, then he can continue to heal," Remus added before he took another sip of his tea.

"Now, what are we going to do about Draco?" Albus asked quietly. This is one child that kept him up at night as he tried to figure out how he was going to save him.

"How to get him out of Lucius's influence you mean?" Severus asked dryly, he had been wondering that as well.

"Yes, I think this experience will change him for the better. However Lucius could upset all of that and I do not want to lose him to the darkside," Albus said softly lest his emotions get away from him.

"I can't keep him away from his father, while I'm his godfather I have no true legal claim on him. Not unless something happens to his parents or they give me permission to take him," Severus pointed out.

"You could claim two weeks out of the summer at least for him to spend time with you. As your rite being his Godfather, he cannot deny it," Remus said seriously aware of the pureblooded laws surrounding that.

"That is true," Severus replied slowly. "But two weeks will not be enough to erase whatever it is that Lucius has filled his head with," he pointed out.

"It's better than nothing," Albus said sadly, he would think on it but now his hands were tied. Severus had spoken the truth, and he knew that Lucius Malfoy knew the laws like the back of his hand.

"I will do all that I can to save Draco from this life," Severus said quietly as he touched his dark mark briefly before he stood up. The conversation had taken a dark turn and he just wanted to go find the boys and give them all a hug.

"Shall we go find them? I have to inform Neville of the good news," Albus said trying to instill some of that earlier cheer back into his voice.

"Push those conflicting emotions behind those barriers, I have no desire to explain to Neville while we feel like someone has died," Remus chuckled out humorlessly.

"Right," Severus said knowing the man was speaking the truth. He took a breath and pushed those dark emotions back before he turned and headed out the room, dispelling the privacy ward in an instant. They had some children to comfort.

~*~*~*The Next Day~*~*~*~

The next day found Severus with a rare but cherished moment alone with the three boys. Remus had gone with Black to make sure that the choice of housing he chose was alright for him and Neville to live. He didn't want them to find any dark surprises, so Remus had gone along for the ride.

Albus had gone back to Hogwarts to speak with Minerva, Severus wasn't sure what the Headmaster had up his sleeve he just hoped that he might be able to find something they could use against Lucius as leverage. The Potion Master watched the three boys play in the snow in their snowsuits as he wished that everything didn't have to be so complicated.

He didn't like having to go behind one of his oldest friend's back, but Draco was his godson and he was important to him. He didn't want to leave the child backed into a corner with the only option out to be the dark mark. He didn't want a life of servitude of that child. He had so much potential and he wanted him to flourish and choose what he wanted to do, like the other two boys. He would fight for Draco to make that dream a reality. He shook the thoughts away before he turned back to watching the boys play.

Severus bent down to pick up some snow to make a snow ball and froze as his magic registered the wards around his floo flaring. He relaxed when he realized that the only people who could come through were those that he personally keyed in. He knew whoever it was wasn't going to harm them and so he turned back to the boys. These boys constantly got into everything and he didn't want to turn his back on them for too long.

~~*~*Floo Room~*~*~*~*~*

Lucius Malfoy looked around the empty sitting room silently before he walked through to where he knew the potion's lab was. He knew he had flooed over unexpectedly and he knew that Severus not mention Draco both loved potions, so it would make sense that he checked there first.

They bonded over the love of that and he didn't mind, his son was picking up great skills. He knocked on the door of the laboratory a few moments before realizing that they weren't down there.

"Severus? Draco? Where are you?" He called out before he turned and headed into the kitchen.

He turned to call a house elf when he saw something out of the window of the kitchen. Lucius moved closer, his eyes easily able to identify Severus and the three small children that he was with. However, he was confused, and slightly worried. What in the world was going on? He watched enthralled as his friend ran around with the boy happily, a feeling of nostalgia hitting him for a moment.

The blonde aristocrat had remembered Draco being so open and happy at this age. And he had missed it, he hadn't been sure how long, until that moment. He swallowed thickly, trying to figure out what he was going to do. He didn't know what was going on, but he would be getting to the bottom of this.

As much as Lucius wanted to run out there and hug his son, he knew he had to give it some thought. Why hadn't Severus told him? What had happened to cause them to de-age? And why did he have Longbottom and Potter? There was so many unanswered questions, but he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing.

He took a breath before he turned away from the scene in the backyard and headed back to the floo. He would send Severus a note so they could talk tonight. After all he had come to his Manor with a purpose and he had left with so many questions. Nodding to himself, the blonde Pureblood flooed back to his Manor, he had some things he needed to talk about with his wife before tonight.

~*~*~*Backyard~*~*~*~*~*

Severus turned back to gaze at his manor, before his wand fell into his hand. He didn't currently see anyone now but his instincts were screaming at him. He had felt someone's gaze on them for a moment and the fact that they didn't come out here with him had him on edge. Who had it been? There was no point to go in now and look for them, as the wards at the floo had registered yet again. He knew whoever it was had left, he would need to give another look at the book on who exactly was allowed entry into his manor. He just didn't have a good feeling about this.

 

Chapter End Notes:
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