Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

Chapter 5
Minerva walked briskly through the corridors. The past few hours had been incredibly difficult she was still reeling in shock from all that had happened in battle there had been so much to do dealing with the aftermath of the battle sorting out the numerous casualties of war and the deceased the students who were now being sent home, placating the numerous reporters who had flocked like vultures to the castle when they heard the battle was over and then, of course, there would be the numerous repairs to the castle to organise before they could even think of reopening. She sighed, she certainly did not envy her predecessors Albus and Severus anymore.

Nonetheless, in spite of all the pressing duties, she had responded immediately when she had received the floo call from Poppy telling her that Harry had brought Severus home she wanted to see him, she owed him that much after the past year or more that he must have spent feeling very much alone and abandoned by his former friends and colleagues, she would be here for him now.

Looking back she was ashamed at how she and the others had treated him this past year. He had been her friend for many years and in spite of his cold demeanour and acidic tongue she had found that she enjoyed his company, his sardonic wit and cutting remarks hid an intellect just as sharp as Filtwick's and she had relished trading barbs with him. It was true they both tended to get a bit competitive and overprotective over their respective houses, but she had learnt to take it in good jest and see past the snarling facade he put on in public. She had missed his friendship this past year.

She had always seen the good in him from the first time she'd seen him as a small and scrawny first year (much like Harry now that she thought about it) and as she watched him grow up with his best friend Lily. She'd seen him get into scrapes as Albus called them dismissively (boys will be boys he always said) and felt a strong surge of protectiveness for him, wishing that he'd been sorted into her house instead, he had certainly proved himself brave enough. She had always done her best to help him gradually earning a small amount of trust from the wary young boy and that was saying something he was not known for trusting people easily.

It had hurt her to learn that he'd followed so many of his housemates and joined the ranks of Death Eaters, but she couldn't say that she was entirely surprised he was an angry young man who had been treated unfairly all his life, from an unhappy home life to being bullied at school and harassed by the so-called marauders even Albus had snubbed him, his Gryffindor bias fully rearing its ugly head. Behind his carefully schooled expression, he'd been desperate for someone to show him some affection and encouragement, to acknowledge his talent and time after time he'd been overlooked by those who should have cared most notably by his own head of house who was so caught up in his slug club that he failed to acknowledge the talented potions prodigy because he was an unimportant, uncharismatic half-blood.

To cap it all, he'd lost his only real friend, true he had allies in Slytherin filling his head with ideas but none of them really cared about him as Lily had. It was perhaps hardly surprising then that he'd been drawn to a dark wizard who offered him everything power, fame, recognition, acceptance and the false promise of creating a better world for wizards.

No in spite of his unhealthy obsession with the dark arts, she knew deep down that Severus was not a bad child, not evil like some people thought, just bitter and misguided. She had hoped that he would come back to the light eventually and a few years later she had been proved right when he turned up looking thoroughly ragged and distraught, flinging himself desperately on Albus's mercy she had wanted to believe he was sincere when it was announced that he would be acting as a spy for the light side.

The reason for his sudden change of heart was never revealed but she had some idea that it was to do with Lily. She was the one thing that she knew could make him turn if her life was in danger and she was sure that it was no coincidence when he was announced as the replacement for Slughorn to take over not only the role of potions master but also head of Slytherin at the tender age of 21. It was a massive responsibility for anyone let alone a man haunted by his own ghosts and sins, still grieving the loss of his best friend.

And after all those years of friendship, of laughter and comradery, when she thought she'd known him, it had hurt her so much more to learn from Harry that he had killed Albus apparently in cold blood. She'd trusted him to be sincere only to learn that he had apparently betrayed them all and returned to his former master. It had been like being stabbed through the heart how could he do this she had wondered? Sure, she had had her moments when she had doubted Albus when she had been blazing with indignant anger at him but for the most part, he had still been one of the greatest, wisest souls and teachers she had known, for him to die in that manner at the hands of a trusted colleague seemed so wrong she had not believed him capable yet the evidence spoke for itself.

Then last night her world had once again been turned upside down when Harry, who had accused him of murder with such hatred in his eyes, stood up and defended him. He had told the world the truth that he had always been loyal, he had been Dumbledore's man from the moment Voldemort decided to hunt down Lily and her family and he had killed Albus on his orders reluctantly as part of his grand plan, a mercy killing as it were.

It had shocked her to the core and she was still reeling from the revelations trying to process it all. To think that he had died cold and virtually alone in the Shrieking Shack, no doubt still believing that everyone despised him and that he would be remembered as a traitor his corpse discarded with all the other Death Eaters, made her feel so guilty. She had accused him of murder and forced him to fight her and flee. Would he still be here if she had not forced him out of the one place he could feel safe where he could claim sanctuary? No, he was a spy, a professional, she had to believe that he knew what he was doing and what the risks were that night that he might die in order to give Harry the information he needed to win the war.

Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty, he deserved better, he had always deserved so much better than what he had got in life and now it was too late to tell him how sorry she was, what she wouldn't give for just one more day with him.

She soon found herself in front of the hospital wing, she had to admit to being somewhat curious as to why she'd been called down, Poppy had been acting rather strangely. She entered the ward and looked around frowning as she checked the beds and saw no sign of a body, perhaps he'd been moved to a private room, yes, that would make more sense she thought as she spotted Poppy at the end of the ward chatting to Hermione who was assisting her.

She looked up in relief "ah Minerva there you are good"

"Harry found him then?" she asked anxiously still looking around for him.

"Oh yes, he's with Harry" she replied sounding surprisingly cheerful.

"With Harry? Can I see him?" She asked, feeling even more confused.

"Of course, they'll be out in a minute" she said leaving her puzzling over her strange choice of words.

What was going on? Why couldn't she see him, was Harry cleaning up his body, had the Aurors asked to examine his body? No, that was just being silly, she would have heard if that was the case. Could it be, did she dare hope that he might have survived, surely not Harry had been quite clear that he'd seen him die with his own eyes.

She turned to Hermione who was still standing nearby, watching with apparent amusement "I suppose you know what's happening Miss Granger?" Hermione smiled pleasantly and nodded, "I don't suppose you're going to tell me are you?" she asked sighing.

"I think it's best if you see for yourself Professor" she explained smiling kindly and encouraging her to sit on one of the beds.

"I see" she said harrumphing in frustration that everyone was being so evasive.

After a few minutes, which felt torturously like hours the door to the bathroom opened and she looked up as she saw Harry emerge from the bathroom. She noted he was carrying a small bundle and gasped in surprise when she realised what or rather who it was. It was a child with black hair and cheeks flushed pink, dressed in cosy looking pyjamas. He was resting snugly against his chest apparently quite content, Harry saw her and smiled, whispering something to the boy who raised his head, turning to look at her, she gasped again those black eyes were unmistakable.

For a minute she entirely forgot about the impossibility of it of the fact that this was just a child and was entirely overcome with the striking resemblance and the thought of seeing her old friend and colleague "Severus? Is it really you? I was so worried, we thought we'd lost you" she said tearfully, reaching out as though to stroke his cheek.

To her surprise, he flinched away as though scared, well admittedly it wasn't actually such a surprise. Severus had always shied away from human contact after all but still to see him so fearful shocked her and made her heartache.

Harry, seeing how Severus was looking increasingly upset and uncomfortable around this woman, who he clearly did not remember, decided to intervene "he doesn't remember" he whispered to her.

She stared at him dumbly as it took a minute for Harry's words to penetrate before she realised that she was right, in her haste she'd forgotten that this was just a little boy, a boy who saw her as a stranger and not an old friend.

"Sev, this is Professor McGonagall, I know you don't remember her but she used to know you quite well, she forgot that you may not remember her and might be overwhelmed meeting new people" he explained as Severus eyed her still looking incredibly wary of the new person.

Poppy chose that moment to intervene "well someone's certainly looking happier now. Why don't we order you some food? I'm sure you must be quite hungry by now" she said smiling at him.

Severus looked up at her, food did sound quite good although he'd gotten used to going without, not knowing when he'd be able to have a decent meal. His stomach decided to intervene on his behalf, rumbling its assent to his embarrassment, apparently, food sounded like quite a good idea.

"I'll take that as a yes then" the nurse replied looking amused "I'll just ask the elves to prepare something."

Harry sat him down on a bed, tucking him in and propping some pillows up behind him which all seemed slightly like overkill before putting one of the bedside tables in front of him and with a wand wave it lowered so it was at a comfortable height for him.

Harry sat down on the end of the bed and Minerva and Hermione followed his lead sitting on one of the beds opposite. A moment later a pop startled Sev as a tray appeared in front of him. He examined it cautiously, there was a red soup which he assumed must be tomato, it smelt good, there was a plate with some warm soft rolls and butter and a tall glass of milk. In addition, there was some yoghurt and a bowl filled with more kinds of fruit than he'd ever seen although he barely recognised any of them, there were apples and pears and an assortment of different berries which he'd seen occasionally when he went to the shops with his Mum. There were some small round fruit that were green and purple, bigger round things, orange, and even brown hairy ones, there were some that were long and thin and slightly curved and a big bizarre thing that looked spiky.

Finally, there was a murky green potion which he examined closely "do you know what it is?" he looked up to see the nurse and others watching him curiously. He picked it up thoroughly examining the bottle before uncapping it with some help and sniffing it.

"Uhm it's like medicine to help me with eating right?" he asked unsure how to articulate it better

She had to admit she was impressed, not because he had correctly guessed what the potion was, it was fairly obvious what its purpose was given that it came with a tray of food plus he had been brought up by Eileen Prince who had the knowledge to become a potions master herself and would have undoubtedly taught her son at an early age. No, what impressed her was the way he had examined the potion and even sniffed it attempting to thumb off the seal like a professional, in fact, it was very much reminiscent of his older self, which was what impressed her so.

"Very good it's a nutrient potion, you'll find that it will make it easier for you to eat. I think your diet was lacking in nutrition before which may have led to you becoming sick and stunted your growth, this potion will help make up for that, it will give you more of an appetite and make sure that you don't feel sick from eating more food. I'd recommend having that first, the taste can be quite unpleasant"

He nodded, remembering his mother giving him similar advice about how all potions tasted nasty. he held his nose and attempted to down it in one go, blargh he grimaced that really was disgusting he thought noticing the adults laughing in amusement. He reached for the glass of milk to wash it down and sighed in relief as it covered the horrid taste before moving on to the soup, it had been kept warm with a heating charm and was thick and tasty and slipped down easily, he ate quickly more out of habit then anything else, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a meal like this he thought.

While he was eating Poppy asked him if he'd noticed anything about the treatments Harry had used on him. He thought for a minute, his mother had taught him about healing potions and had even occasionally used them on him when she had the supplies to make them, he knew that Dittany and Murtlap essence were common ingredients in healing salves and potions and told the nurse this who looked impressed by his knowledge.

Minerva sat watching the young boy eat, marvelling at the change from the man she'd known. She felt so embarrassed, she couldn't believe that she'd become so much by her emotions as to totally forget that he was no longer a colleague but just a child, a child who was scared of her, to him she was just another scary unfamiliar face.

So she sat and watched and wondered how she could try to earn his trust. Eventually, she decided to make her move as he was finishing his soup "Severus?" she started hesitantly causing him to pause looking up at her "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier, I wanted to start again and introduce myself. I'm Minerva McGonagall, I was good friends with your mother"

"You knew my mother?" he asked in astonishment, his soup forgotten.

"Yes, she started not long after I'd started teaching, she was one of my favourite students and we became good friends after she graduated, unfortunately, we mostly lost touch when she disappeared from the wizarding world although I knew she'd had a child hence my surprise when I saw you. You look a lot like her" she explained adding the last bit fondly after seeing his puzzled expression.

"Will you tell me about her?" Sev asked in an almost desperate tone.

"Certainly you are always welcome to visit me in my quarters if you'd like some tea and biscuits, I have plenty of stories. Let's see, your mother was a very talented student, very observant and studious. She did well in my class but potions was where she really excelled, I seem to recall that Horace had a soft spot for her, she was a member of his slug club and a founding member of the gobstones club, she was a champion player in her time you know?" he shook his head listening intently enthralled.

Harry leaned in "we were wondering what happened to his Mum, Sev was quite worried about her earlier" he said placing a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

He looked up at Harry, then at the nice older woman with concern noting that she looked sad "is my Mum ok? Is that why she brought me here?"

She was caught off guard by the question, unsure how to answer without upsetting him "I'm afraid she is longer here but I know that she loved you and that she would want you to be happy" she told him.

"So it's true I'm an orphan" he said sadly.

"Hush now little one, I know it hurts to lose a parent but I'm sure there's a reason she brought you here, you see there are a lot of people here who I know would be happy to act as your family" she paused moving closer to comfort him "I for one would be happy to do so you could consider me to be like an Aunt if you would like?"

He nodded still sniffling "she's right you know, there are lots of people who care about you, I know I do, I know I can't replace your parents but I'd like to take care of you if you'll have me?" Harry asked, rubbing his back, Sev embraced him, clinging tighter in response, he would like that he could tell already Harry was a much nicer person than his father.

"How about I show you around the castle when things settle down? You can meet all the teachers and see some of the magical creatures" Minerva offered to distract him.

He looked up slowly, wiping his eyes as he looked at her "I'd like that Auntie Minnie" causing Harry, Hermione and even Poppy to smile and try to suppress their giggles, Sev blushed and lowered his head hoping he hadn't offended her with the shortened form of her name.

She knelt down next to him "good I think we'll both enjoy that, it'll give me something to look forward to, although I must admit that I'll have to get used to being referred to as Auntie" she said playfully, smiling at him. He smiled back glad that she wasn't upset with him.

The conversation resumed as Harry helped dish up some of the fruit into bowls that he passed around with some yoghurt for Sev. He pointed out and explained that there were grapes, bananas, oranges and satsumas, kiwis, which he unpeeled to reveal the fruit inside and pineapple and melon whose tough outer skin he removed using magic before magically slicing them into small chunks to Sev's wide-eyed delight. He dug into the fruit salad happily enjoying the strange mix of different tastes. Poppy explained that there would be more different fruit later in the year but that they tried to allow the native fruit to develop naturally instead of using magic or muggle methods to force it to grow faster although that wasn't a problem for the tropical fruits that were grown in and around Hogwarts as they were already grown in artificially heated greenhouses or magically sealed pods that replicated their natural growing environment allowing them to produce fruit most of the year-round.

He was feeling quite contentedly full by the time he'd finished the fruit, he tried his best to concentrate on the conversation going on around him but he found his eyes drooping as he felt himself nodding off.

"I think we'd better leave him in peace for the minute, he's been through quite a lot and I'm sure he needs to rest" the nurse said, moving to shoo the others away.

"I'm fine, I'm not tired" he objected even as he knew his body was telling him otherwise and he had to stifle a yawn.

"Nonsense young man, you're clearly falling asleep already" she insisted.

"You'd better listen to her Sev, you don't want to get on the wrong side of her" Harry told him winking at Madam Pomfrey who gave him a frosty glare.

"You won't leave me?" He asked, feeling anxious now, he didn't want to wake up alone again.

"No, I won't, I'll stay right here" Harry replied shifting him onto his lap and running a hand through his hair. The attention felt quite nice Sev thought and he was quite sleepy he supposed it was hardly as though he'd been able to get much sleep last night in that creepy cold shack he thought as he drifted off feeling content. When he was sure he was sleeping Harry lifted him and tucked him in under the covers, still running a hand through his hair as the boy shifted, pressing his face against his hand.

Poppy disappeared briefly into her office to floor call the other heads of house but quickly returned after checking on her other patients, she looked the small boy over fondly and made sure he was settled and sleeping soundly.

"I can't believe I made such a fool of myself" Minerva said when she was sure that he was asleep, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. Hermione put a comforting hand on her shoulder "and I suppose you all knew?" She asked, looking around at Poppy and Hermione.

"I had no idea what had happened, I went to check Harry was alright. Harry saw me and warned me before I made a fool of myself and overreacted" Hermione explained.

"I'll admit I was somewhat shocked when I saw him, I was expecting him to be bringing back a body after all" Poppy added her voice to the conversation, "fortunately my years of medical training kicked in and I realised that I needed to treat him like any other patient" she said matter of factly.

By this point Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn had arrived and were gathered around Severus's bed while Harry explained briefly in hushed tones what had happened.

"Remarkable, I had no idea such a thing was even possible" exclaimed Professor Flitwick in hushed but awed tones.

"The poor dear, who would have imagined that was our Severus" Professor Sprout added, reaching out a hand tenderly to touch his cheek.

Professor Slughorn simply looked stunned at the young boy before Harry led them to a nearby bed while he sat down on Sev's bed ensuring he was close enough to offer comfort if he stirred or had a nightmare.

"So Harry, you never did tell us what happened?" he looked up at Hermione.

"Yes, I'm sure we're all curious" Minerva added.

He thought about it trying to decide how to answer "well I went down to retrieve Professor Snape's body. When I got there I looked around the room where it happened and I couldn't see him anywhere just a pile of his clothes, then I heard someone crying and I saw him, it was like he was in some kind of nest" he paused while they all gasped "I talked to him and he didn't remember anything of what had happened to him or how he came to be here just a less than pleasant memory of his Dad. He'd been there all night throughout the battle on his own. He was quite cold, scared and disorientated and he had no memory of being an adult so I tried to calm him and explain to him that he was at Hogwarts. That's when Hermione came looking for me so I introduced her and we went back through the tunnel"

"Poor dear, no wonder he was so scared that must have been awfully traumatic for him"

Harry paused, giving them time to digest this before he spoke again "I don't think his parents treated him particularly well, at least I don't think his father did, I think his mother was just making the best out of a bad situation. I saw a memory of him having a bath, his father was very violent and drunk, he was shouting and cursing them and even flung a bottle at him, I don't think he liked magic much either"

They all looked at him stunned before Poppy eventually nodded her agreement "my scans confirmed as much, he was covered in sores and bruises as though someone had been beating him with a belt. Not only that but he was terribly thin to the point of being malnourished and absolutely filthy, the poor child, no one should have to grow up like that" she said sadly.

"I suspected something of the sort when he was a student, unfortunately, it didn't help that he was constantly getting into fights with your father and his friends" Minerva added and Poppy nodded her agreement.

"And what's that supposed to mean, surely you're not suggesting this was somehow his fault?" Harry said angrily.

"No, of course not, it's just he was shall we say a reluctant patient and only came in when he'd been badly injured normally from fighting and more often than not because your mother had dragged him in by his ear" Poppy told him, causing Harry to smile at the image he could well imagine a stubborn young Snape trying to avoid the hospital and his mother intervening to ensure her friend was healed properly, "so that meant that his injuries were often dismissed by Albus as being nothing more than that. I tried to raise my suspicions with him, but without Severus actually confirming it that was all they were"

"He was very shy" Minerva confirmed and the others nodded their agreement.

Harry nodded, he could understand that he'd hardly wanted to talk about his childhood growing up with the Dursleys, he'd even assumed it was normal for people like him at least until he'd come to Hogwarts and made real friends. It was an incredibly difficult and embarrassing thing to admit even to yourself that you'd been neglected or worse still abused more so when it was by your own family who were meant to love and take care of you.

"We really did fail him, didn't we? Allowing him to be constantly bullied and go back there to be abused and then to fall into his clutches, he was an easy target for them in a way." Minerva said exchanging a significant look with Poppy "if only we could go back in time and change things"

"We may not be able to change the past, but we can change the future" Harry said causing them all to look up at him "we can make sure that we do things right this time and make sure that he grows up loved and cared for."

"I'll second that, I'm sure that between us we can provide him with as good a family as any" Filius chipped in.

"Quite although I must say that I'm getting too old to be chasing children around" Minerva added primly to which there were mutters of agreement.

"Well, I must agree that I'm a bit old to be taking on the role full time, but I certainly wouldn't object to mothering him from time to time as if he were one of my own cubs" Pomona added.

"I did quite enjoy it when he called me Auntie earlier" Minerva admitted smiling fondly.

"I was actually thinking of perhaps adopting him and making him my ward if he wants me of course " Harry admitted, causing everyone to turn around, "not that I'd deny any of you the chance to spend time with him if I did" he added hastily.

"Are you sure Harry, I thought you hated him?" Hermione asked.

"I hated Professor Snape" he corrected her, "and that was before I learned how he cared for my mother and everything he did to protect me. That doesn't mean that I can just forgive all those years that we hated each other but I see him in a different light now. Besides, he's not Professor Snape, whoever he was before he's just a boy now, an innocent boy who needs love and affection and a lot of care. He doesn't remember being an adult and I don't think that he should have that burden placed on his shoulders"

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, not entirely and I'm not about to rush into anything just yet, but even in a few hours I've grown attached to him and I think he has to me as well" he paused "he reminds me of myself at that age. I hope that I can give him what he needs and support him, with all of your help of course" he added turning to look around at the now smiling faces around him.

"Quite, you can count me in" "I'd love to help" and similar sentiments were echoed by all the staff.

Harry turned to Hermione looking questioningly. She answered "of course you can count on me Harry, I think it's wonderful. I think the two of you can do each other a lot of good, lord knows you both need a family and I'd be delighted to help you in any way I can."

It was true as well, there was something about the little boy that had instantly tugged at her heartstrings. Maybe it was the fact that he looked so small and helpless or reminded them so of Professor Snape but there was something about him that had drawn her and Harry and indeed all the adults in the room to him uniting them all with the common goal of ensuring he grew up happy and loved.

Harry had his own reasons for connecting with him and wanting to take care of him but she'd felt her own connection with him and she sensed that behind those solemn eyes there lay an incredibly gifted, intelligent and inquisitive child, she knew that if she could only encourage him to open up and help him he would be incredibly receptive and she would greatly enjoy raising such a curious child. She wanted to be a part of providing him with a family.

"I'm sure Sev will be happy to hear that, I think he's grown quite attached to you as well" he said smiling.

"Me?" she asked startled.

"Yes, you have to admit you are quite similar and he is missing his mother, I think maybe you fill that void a bit" he reminded her.

"I'd like that I think" at Harry's startled look "to help you look after him that is, you're right he does need a family" she clarified and he smiled at her.

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