“Would you hush? He needs his rest!”
Harry was groggily awoken from his potion-induced sleep by the sound of his best friend and his best friend’s mother arguing.
“But mum, I haven’t seen him in a month! What’s the matter with him anyway, has he been here all night? Why didn’t you tell me he was here!?”
“You all came in late last night and went straight to bed! He has been here since yesterday afternoon. He is ill and needs to rest, that is all you need to know. Now hush up.
“Too late now,” Ginny spoke up after Ron let out an irritated huff of frustration and Harry wondered just how many Weasleys had been watching him sleep. “Look what you’ve done, Ron, he’s awake!”
Damn. Harry didn’t know how she could tell as he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but he did so now. He sat up slowly and reached for his glasses on the coffee table. “Uh. Good morning,” he muttered, averting his eyes down to the couch after getting a quick glimpse of many heads full of flaming red hair.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Mrs. Weasley said sweetly. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, thank you, ma’am,” he said politely in response, albeit quietly.
Ron couldn’t keep quiet any longer, “Blimey, Harry, what are you doing here! Not that I’m not glad to see you, I haven’t heard from you since we left Hogwarts!”
“Er- yeah, I’m really sorry, Ron, I just haven’t had much time to write.”
“Now, now, that’s enough questions,” Mrs. Weasley chided. “Harry, why don’t you go take a hot shower before breakfast, there are towels on a shelf in the bathroom. There will be plenty of time to catch up afterward. Professor Snape will be here before long with potions for you.”
“Potions? Why’s Snape bringing you potions?” Ron asked.
Harry flushed and stumbled over his answer. “I uh, he, er...”
Mrs. Weasley seemed to be in the habit of coming to his rescue today. “Professor Snape, and I told you Harry is under the weather. Professor Snape is bringing him potions to make him better.”
Harry smiled at her shyly and hurried off to the bathroom, grateful to have a few minutes to himself to think things over.
He stressed over all of it as he closed and locked the bathroom door. Should he be honest with Ron about his sudden appearance at The Burrow? There were normally no secrets between the two of them, but Harry wanted to pretend nothing had happened. If he told Ron what had happened, it would only solidify things. Mrs. Weasley seemed content not to say anything about it so perhaps he should just follow her lead?
But he had always told Ron everything, along with Hermione. They were best friends. They’d been right by his side through every adventure at Hogwarts, from stumbling across a three-headed dog to facing down a possessed professor. Ron and his brothers had even rescued Harry from the Dursleys just last summer, so it’s not like Ron didn’t know things weren’t that great for Harry at home.
But he had always made a bit of an effort not to bring up his homelife around his friends. Now, here it was all out on display for everyone to see...
Harry lifted up his head, hesitantly meeting his own eyes in the mirror. There was still the faint evidence of a bruise over one of his eyes, and the barest of hints of one having been on his cheek. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week, even though he had been out of it since yesterday afternoon.
It wouldn’t be too difficult to sell the ‘Harry is ill’ theory. Even after all of Snape’s healing, he frankly still looked like crap. He hadn’t seen his reflection before so he wasn’t sure how bad he had looked before.
It must have been bad, considering Snape had stopped throwing insults at him for more than five minutes.
Harry slowly shrugged out of Dudley’s oversized sweatshirt and cringed at the memory of himself whining when Snape had tried to take it off yesterday. He had acted like such a baby. He shook the thought out of his head and stepped into the shower.
He stared at the less-than-faint bruises still littered across his legs. He supposed that he hadn’t done as good of a job as Snape with applying the bruise salve.
He shivered despite standing under the hot water. Was he seriously shaking over the idea of talking to his best friend? Or was it the memory of Snape, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley...
He shook his head. It didn’t happen. The bones were mended, the bruises were fading and besides a little bit of soreness, it was all pretty much over and he was nearly as good as new. None of it mattered now. It never had before.
He stepped out of the shower and breathed in the fabric softener of the fluffy pink towel as he wrapped it around himself. Was everything at The Burrow truly as comforting as he found it, or was Harry just not used to any comfort at all?
He quickly dressed and left the bathroom.
Mrs. Weasley and Ginny had left the living room by the time he returned to it and he plopped down on the sofa next to Ron. Determined to be casual, to be vague but not to flat out lie.
Well, maybe that was a lie.
“What’s going on, Harry?” Ron asked quietly, glancing to the doorway to make sure that his mother wasn’t listening in before focusing back on Harry. “You don’t really look sick to me, although you do have a bit of a shiner on your face…”
Harry shrugged. “Dudley hit me, it’s no big deal. I was a bit ill though, that’s why your parents took me away from The Dursleys so soon but I’m feeling much better now.”
“So soon? We’re practically nearing the end of summer, and I haven’t gotten one letter from you! I thought that the twins and I would have to come break you out of your room again. They didn’t put the bars back up on the window, did they?”
“N-no, Ron, the bars are gone. They weren’t so bad this year, really. I’m glad to be here, though. I’ve missed you loads!”
“Mr. Potter,” a silky voice broke into the conversation. Harry glanced up quickly to see Snape’s lean figure standing in the doorway.
“I have brought your potions. You must take one each morning with breakfast for as long as I deem necessary.” He handed Harry seven glass vials. “I will bring more next week. I will check with Mrs. Weasley to ensure that you have taken them correctly,” Snape added, giving him a pointed look.
Harry flushed hotly and lowered his eyes down to the ground. “Yes sir, I- thanks. I will take them just like you said. Uh… I have to go to the loo, excuse me,” he said before rushing off and leaving Ron alone with their fearsome professor.
****
Ron glared at Harry’s retreating form fleeing to the restroom while wondering the best way to make an escape of his own.
It was all for not, however, as Snape spoke up before he could move.
“Mr. Weasley,” Snape inquired in his dangerously soft voice. “What is this about breaking Mr. Potter out of his bedroom?”
Ron would have looked away if he hadn’t had his eyes focused on the floor already. Oh, shit. Had the greasy git been eavesdropping on them in Ron’s own home!? He had no right! Harry really wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to know about that, especially not Snape.
“I, uh,” he swallowed thickly. “I don’t think that Harry would want me talking to you about it. No offense, sir,” he added quickly although he didn’t actually care if the old bat was offended or not.
“I assure you that it would be in your best interests to answer my question, Mr. Weasley,” Snape threatened softly. Ron gulped.
“Oh, well, sir,” he started out hesitantly, knowing that lying wasn’t the best idea when it came to this particular man. “Last summer Harry wasn’t responding to my letters and I was kind of worried about him so Fred and George and I went to Surrey to check up on him. His bedroom door was locked from the inside and they had bars on his window. I think he had been locked in there for a while… uh, we had to pry the bars off with the flying car.”
By now his mother had come to stand in the doorway and he flushed at the sight of her, remembering the howler she had sent him after Harry and he had flown the car to school last year. He really should have listened to Harry when he’d said it was a bad idea.
“And did it not occur to you to inform an adult of this?” Snape glowered.
“We did!” Ron defended hotly. “I told mum as soon as we got home!”
Snape turned his scowl on to Ron’s mother, who now looked as though she had been struck.
“I- oh, dear. I just assumed that the children were trying to get out of trouble, I didn’t take them seriously I- oh my...”
“What’s the big deal?” Ron asked, honestly confused. “We’ve all known forever that The Dursleys are horrible to him.”
“Just how horrible would you say?” Snape questioned.
“No worse than you, sir,” Ron snapped and then instantly regretted it.
“Ronald Weasley!” his mother scolded. “Do not speak to your elders like that.”
“Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it? Did you know that Harry sicks up before every potions class because of him? He makes Harry so nervous because he’ll take any opportunity to jump on him!”
“That’s enough,” she reprimanded harshly. “I’m so sorry, Severus, please excuse his behavior. I will be having a talk with him.”
Surprisingly, Snape had stayed silent throughout the entire tirade and rather than exploding at Ron as he normally would for saying far less than he had just spewed out, Snape simply just stared at him for a moment and then slowly nodded in response.
“I must be going now, Molly,” he said stiffly.
“Oh, won’t you stay for breakfast, Professor?” she asked him. He shook his head no.
“I have other errands to attend to. Do be sure that Potter takes his potions properly.” And with that, Severus Snape strode over to the fireplace and flooed away without a second glance at Ron.
Ron who was fixing to die.
“Ronald,” she said sternly. “It does not matter how much you might dislike them, you do not speak to your elders like that!”
“Mum, I apologize for being rude, really, but he is insanely cruel to Harry! It’s not right!”
His mother sighed. “It may not be right, but that is something that he will have to answer for himself. It does not give you permission to treat your professor with disrespect.”
Ron nodded, looking down. “I’m sorry, Mum.”
She hummed softly in response and turned back to the kitchen. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”
He frowned to himself, truly feeling bad for upsetting his mother but knowing that he had said what needed to be said. Ron was still musing when Harry returned from the restroom.
“Thanks for leaving me alone with him, mate,” Ron muttered absently. Harry blushed.
“Sorry, Ron…hey, how come you have never mentioned to me that Snape is a healer, anyway?”
Ron snapped back to attention. “Oh, uh, I dunno just never came up, I guess,” he replied meekly, his mind thinking back on all of the times the horrid potions professor had checked over him while he was still in his nappies.
Harry shrugged at his response and went into the kitchen for breakfast.
***
The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was startled out of his dazed reverie when the door to his office was slammed open, and Severus Snape stormed in hissing the words, “You lied to me.”
Albus Dumbledore recovered from his initial surprise quickly, sitting up in his throne-like chair with the usual twinkle in his blue eyes as he inquired, “Oh? And what is it that you think I have lied to you about, Severus?”
Severus paced the room angrily for a moment before plopping down in one of the armchairs in front of the headmaster’s desk and glaring at the ancient man. “You promised me that Lily’s child was happy and healthy, that he was very much loved by his relatives.”
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in question. “And?”
“And he is not!” Severus growled.
“What is it that has brought you to this conclusion, my boy? You have told me several times that the boy is a pampered and spoiled little brat. Why this sudden change of opinion? I am quite curious.”
“My viewpoint changed as I was mending the broken bones caused by his family."
Dumbledore sat up straighter in his chair. “What happened?”
Severus stood again and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Weasleys called me to their home yesterday afternoon to tend to the boy. He was practically bruised from head to toe.”
“The Weasleys sent for you? How did they come across him?”
“They picked him up from a muggle hospital. Arabella Figg informed them that he had been injured and left the house. Apparently,” Severus paused on the emphasis to send the headmaster a glare, “this was not the first incident of violence she has witnessed.”
Dumbledore sighed heavily. “Harry is fine now, presume?”
“Physically speaking, yes. Mentally, is anyone’s guess. Childhood abuse can, as I am sure you are aware, lead to many issues down the road, even into adulthood.”
“Abuse is a strong word for the situation at hand, Severus. Perhaps he is not as loved or spoiled as his cousin, but-”
Severus cut him off. “If not abuse then an extreme case of neglect, and that is not even taking into account his injuries!”
“Did Harry tell you that his relatives caused the injuries? Boys his age do tend to be involved in the occasional scuffle.”
“Do try not to placate me, Headmaster, I know abuse when I see it.”
“That is still your opinion, Severus, it is not fact. I’m sure that if you had asked the boy he would have informed you that his injuries were not received at the hands of his family.”
“Oh, I am also sure that he would have lied about it, as the majority of abused children do! Why are you so adamant that it is not abuse? He had a fractured rib, it could have punctured his lung and he could have died.”
“He was going to receive medical treatment on his own, he would have been fine either way. And you say that he is irresponsible!”
“It is becoming apparent that you are the irresponsible one. With the sheer number of abused children who walk through these castle doors every year, one would think you could get your head out of your arse. Blood means nothing! The way you’ve treated Potter is more than just negligence. Arabella Figg told you about her suspicions, on several occasions! You assured me that the child was in good hands when you never so much as checked up on him in twelve years! You completely dismissed the child you claim to care so much for.”
“I do care for him, Severus,” Dumbledore sighed. “I, like you, desire for the boy to be happy and loved, but Harry needs to live with Petunia Dursley for the protection of the blood wards.”
“No, Albus, what he needs is to be cared for, not beaten to a bloody pulp by his family for the sake of wards. They may have protected him from outside threats but they did nothing for the inside.”
“The wards are essential to Harry’s protection. I will put up spells to prevent an incident like this from ever occurring again, do not worry yourself over it.”
“Why did you not do that before? It is too late now. There are no spells that will make them love him even a fraction as they do their own. Are you truly senile, old man? Potter will not be going back to that household.”
“Severus,” the headmaster’s gaze hardened. “The choice is not yours to make. Harry may stay with the Weasleys for the remainder of this summer, but he must return to the Dursleys each summer until he is of age.”
Severus glared back at him with disgust. “No, Headmaster, the choice is not yours to make.” He shuffled through his robes and drew out a copy of Potter’s abuse report. “You know that it is my responsibility as a healer to file a report with Family Services about an abused child. You cannot cover this up any longer.”
He slammed the report down on the desk. “I sent a copy of this to the Ministry.” He turned to go and paused at the doorway. “You had me swear to protect her child and yet you could not do the same. I trusted you before, but I have played your game long enough. I made that vow to her, not to you. I will do my best to honor it.”
***
Severus left less angry than he had come in, but the anger was replaced by disappointment. He had always known, really, that the old coot was a manipulative bastard but he didn’t want to acknowledge the implications of it. That he would leave an innocent child in the clutches of abuse and do nothing to stop it...
He walked past the apparition wards beyond the Hogwarts gates and spun home to Spinner’s End.
He walked into the house and collapsed onto the couch, rubbing his temple. He had been doing that a lot lately. He sighed, once again thinking back on the Weasley boy’s accusations. It was true what he had said, shamed as Severus was to admit it. He was aware that perhaps he had been overly harsh with the child but had he really been causing the child to be ill?
Severus had been on an emotional roller-coaster ride ever since uncovering Potter’s abuse the day before. How could he have let his hatred blind him so as not to see what was right in front of his face? How could he have failed the child he had sworn to protect so badly?
He now had to rethink every thought he had ever had about the boy and he wanted to resent him for it, but he couldn’t. He was only angry at himself. And at Albus and the Dursleys of course.
An owl appeared at his window in the kitchen carrying two letters and Severus rose to retrieve them. He snatched the Ministry sealed envelopes from the bird. He had sent his report to them the day before.
Severus tore into the first letter and scanned the parchment, seeing that Vernon and Petunia Dursley had been taken into custody. The second letter informed him that Harry Potter had one living blood relative who could take custody of him.
Severus Snape.
Ebullition
Chapter End Notes:
thanks for reading!!