Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and company.
Author's Note: This story will be updated about once a month until I finish Silver viper.
Prologue
At 1:10 AM on the last Sunday in February an alarm went off Snape's rooms . Grumbling he got up and went to check on it. It was the wards on the Dursley residence. They have collapsed. This is trouble. Sprout was awake at this hour having the midnight to four shift in the infirmary. She'll do for his backup.
Dressed he went to the infirmary to find Sprout idly reading a book. "We need to go to number 4 Privet drive immediately." he said.
"Emma," Sprout wakes the sixth year.
"Madam?" the sleepy Emma asked.
"If any one comes in you are in charge." Sprout ordered. A flick of her wand has her cloak about her. "There's a pub called the Gilded Rose that's on the Floo network. We can pick up help there if we need it." Snape blinked. That was not what he was expecting. Once they where at one of the few public floo connected fireplaces in the castle. "Hufflepuff is the house of loyalty and hard work. The pub is owned by a former student of mine and his Sister in law is an Auror who was in the Order."
Of all the surprises he had when he came to teach here the most surprising was Pomona Sprout. They exited the Floo into a rather staid English country pub. From it's stable yard they could Apparate to Privet drive with ease. The house was intact. A quick unlocking charm on the door got them inside. Sprout headed upstairs immediately while Snape check the downstairs.
What he found was a bland muggle house and no sign of the black haired Harry Potter. Sprout came down stairs. "Is there a bedroom down here?" she asked.
"No." Snape replied.
Sprout removed a packet from her cloak. She cast a soft murmured spell then the door to the cupboard under the stairs light up. "Open it." she ordered.
Snape did so. Inside there was mattress on the floor covered with cheap sheets and blankets, a few broken toys. "So this is were they are keeping him." Snape commented. "He's their dirty little secret." Noting there where no books of the kind 5 years olds have. Not even the ripped or damaged ones.
"Indeed." Sprout commented. "Let's find the boy." she murmured the spell again with some added words. A ball of light sprang from her wand and lead them at a walking pace to were Harry Potter was. It lead them to Magnolia Crescent and the house of Mrs. Figg. Which at this late hour had it's lights still on.
Severus knocked on the door. Mrs. Figg with a fussy Harry Potter in her arms answered the door. "May I help you?" she asked.
"Arabella dear it's Pomona." dropping the hood of her cloak so the woman could see her. "Do you know were Harry's Guardians are?"
"Gone to his sister's for her birthday. They leave young Harry here every year. Though they are usually back by now." Mrs. Figg replied. "He's not family."
"I see, Madam could you watch Harry a little longer while we ascertain what has happened to his guardians." Severus asked.
"Certainly though he was left with only what he was wearing."
"I'll be by with some things for him later in the morning." Sprout promised her.
Sprout cast another spell on the packet and a map appeared in front of her. The location isn't that far. "Let's arrive a little ways off. I think that is were the muggle A1 runs." Severus told her.
A whispered word and the roads are added to the map. "It is," Sprout replied.
They appear on a pedestrian walk way over the A1 in the distance they can see muggle emergency crews working. A disillusionment charm later they are in the middle of it. A muggle sedan hit a lorry head on killing every one in the sedan. Severus gets the name of the morgue they are taking the bodies to then it's back to Hogwarts via the Gilded Rose. By this time Dumbledore has returned from London and a late night sitting of the Wizengamut.
"Your report?" he asked tiredly.
"The Dursley's are dead Head on collision with a Lorry. Potter was left with Mrs. Figg so wasn't any were near the accident. I'll collect the Death certificates from the muggle authorities." Severus said. "It would be best if he was placed with a wizarding family or one who has a working knowledge of the magical world."
"I concur Albus." Sprout added.
"Thank you both." Dumbledore dismissed them. He rose to his feet and headed to bed he will have a long day ahead of him. Before he goes though he sends Fawkes to his assistant requesting the Potter family tree and Harry's file.
Arriving at his office a little past 7 AM he found his assistant already hard at work. The files he requested already on his desk. The first thing is to find a Potter relative able and alive to take him. That proved harder then he thought. It seemed early death was the norm for the Potter males and of the handful of Potter born females none of them lived in the British Isles that wouldn't do. Young Harry had to go to Hogwarts. That left him trying to track down Lily Potter's relatives.
That information was included in Harry's file so he opened it and stopped the front page was a blood claim from one Wiltrudis Baines Witch. It included her relationship to Harry. He was surprised he had never thought to look at the sisters of Harry's magical Grandmothers. He turns again to the Potter family tree hoping to find a closer relative so he can over turn the claim. Nothing. Lily Potter's family tree is as bare of living members as the Potter family tree.
He has his assistant bring in Wiltrudis Baines file. It is distressingly thin. No Hogwarts records, no registered wand. Ollivander has for years supplied that information. An Apothecaries license. A fixed port key loci. Tax information. An apothecaries license requires considerable skill in magic so not a squib.
A check of the clock reveals it's close to tea time. He'll stop by for some tea and check her out. He portkeys to the farm which proves to be next to the Dragon reserve. There he is met by a house elf in a dirty smock with a trowel in his hand.
"Is Miss Baines at home I am here about her claim to Harry Potter." he said to the elf.
"Mistress be home. Go to up the house." the elf pointed the way then went back to whatever he was doing.
Dumbledore followed the stone path to the front door of a lovely cottage. He knocked on the door. A woman of 60 or so answered it. "Miss Baines?" he asked.
"Prof. Dumbledore do come in this is about my claim on Harry?" she asked him.
"Yes, there is very little in your file on your background." he followed her to the parlor and took the seat she offered.
"I am Ys trained never did attend Hogwarts. Though both of my children did. David attended 1960 to 1967 and Rose attended from 1964 to 1971 Rose was in Ravenclaw and David was in Slytherin. My sister was in Gyffindor."
"Your family has no house affinity then?" he asked.
"Slytherin if there is no strong trait otherwise. We're an old Blood family." she replied.
Her use of the term old was interesting very few used it these days. "What do you mean by old blood?" he asked.
"The usual definition of old blood is a family that has at least one line of ancestry that's been magical since forever. Including muggleborns into the family does not change the family status like it does for a pureblood." she replied.
By the time he has finished his questions to his satisfaction. It's near dinner time. He excused himself. The claim will have to stay. Young Harry will be raised by Wiltrudis Baines there is no way he can over turn it. Now he has to scramble for damage control. That means finding some one to watch the house hold. A young female apothecary apprentice maybe. He'll have to think on this.