Four years of nearly constant vigilance, of humiliation and degradation had taken its toll. He was near a complete nervous breakdown, could not even sleep without heavy wards around him always waiting for another attack. They were not physical either, but rather subtle and underhanded, but nonetheless mean and vicious. He was so close to breaking free, to gain his independence – just two more weeks and he would be free of the bond that had kept him prisoner.
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The Potions Master was sitting in his comfortable armchair by the fireplace reading a large tome on recent discoveries in magical theory. It was rather dry and not very captivating so his mind wandered to his ward. Who would have thought that a former Death Eater Slytherin could become guardian to the Boy-Who-Lived and a superb one if he said so himself.
He had taken in a neglected and abused boy who did not care about himself, his appearance, his schoolwork or the allies he would need once out of school. It fell to Severus to teach him proper manners, attire befitting the heir to an ancient pureblood house and especially carefully choosing his friends for him. How the stupid boy could think a Muggleborn and the sixth son of an impoverished family, whose Head of House was a running joke inside the Ministry of Magic was completely beyond him. So he had taken it upon himself to find more suitable companions for the boy, purebloods with political and economical power, useful connections for the future. Oh, it had not been easy, the boy had resented what he deemed uncalled-for meddling in his private affairs, but as his guardian he hat quickly disabused the boy of that notion. Of course he knew better, he was older, had more experience and was certain that influence and power were the only matters that counted in the long run. Nobody needed friends if they could have beneficial alliances and so he set out to minimize the time his ward spent in Gryffindor Tower and with his housemates.
First he revoked permission for the boy to play Quidditch, a wholly unsuitable and dangerous game. That it also deprived a rival House of their star player was not really relevant though quite satisfactory. After that he had to make sure to correct the deficiencies the boy's abysmal Muggle upbringing had caused, which required the boy to spend most of his free afternoons, evenings and especially weekends in the dungeons or with approved companions from Slytherin House who could demonstrate proper manners befitting a wizarding child. Those lessons elicited even more protest but by Christmas in the boy's fourth year, the little whelp finally saw reason and followed the requirements his guardian dictated. Those past two years the boy had been a shadow of the brash Gryffindor he had started out as and became a credit to the Potions Master's extra tuition.
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He absolutely loathed what he had become but it had been necessary to survive in the dungeons with Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House Severus Snape as his guardian. When he had first heard about the plan to make him the ward of Snape he was appalled. How could anyone let alone the Headmaster of a school think that making Severus "you are just as spoilt and arrogant as your father" Snape his guardian was a sound idea? But he obviously did and no matter how many objections the future ward of the greasy git had, they went through with it. Snape, while putting up a token protest soon realized that having control over the Boy-Who-Lived could only benefit him. After the guardianship was final he lost no time forcing him to give up Quidditch, give up his friends and practically made him living in the dungeons in a dreary little room with no windows as his study. While he was still allowed to sleep in the Tower, most of the rest of his time was spent learning what Snape deemed essential knowledge he should have learned before coming to Hogwarts.
At the beginning Harry was actually looking forward to finally understanding the Wizarding World a bit better and he worked hard at fitting in with his guardian's rules. Only similar as with the Dursleys the rules changed a lot and if Harry did not adapt accordingly he was punished. Snape could not really withhold food, and as his broom was already confiscated and his friends had all but disappeared from Harry's life, he humiliated him. Scolding the boy in front of the class, in the Great Hall or in front of the Slytherin common room, discussing Harry's numerous faults and shortcomings and on one memorable occasion even spanking him in class when a potion exploded. After this last punishment just before Christmas his fourth year, Harry realized no matter what he did Snape would never stop seeing the late James Potter in him, he would always be punished for someone else's doings and the only way out, short of suicide, would be to bide his time and wait for his 17th birthday when he could finally leave the world he had come to despise.
This plan made him into the consummate Slytherin. He applied cunning and deception to pull the wool over the eyes of his Professors. Outwardly he acted as if he had accepted his new role and new guardian while privately he worked towards his goal. Both Dobby and Winky as free elves could bond to him, even if he was still a minor, without his guardian finding out. They enabled him to correspond with Gringotts to get an account statement and they helped him learn. What Harry needed the most was information; information that for the most part was not available in Hogwarts library, like how to buy a house and ward it, which permits one would need to start a business in the Wizarding World, how to invest in already established businesses, how to transfer money into the Muggle World and most important for Harry, how to hide from the British Magical World. After thorough research into the different educational systems Harry decided that his best option would be to finish at Hogwarts and then simply leave.
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Severus Snape was enjoying his summer holidays. Only one year left then his ward would take his NEWTs and leave the school. Against all odds the Potions Master had started to like his young charge. Harry Potter had grown up into a fine young man. He had left all those foolish Gryffindor notions behind and become a respectable Slytherin. That James Potter most likely rotated in his grave was an added bonus.
The difficulty now was not to lose contact with the Boy-Who-Lived. He had another year to make the transition from guardian, professor and often harsh taskmaster to friend or confidant. He was sure that the boy would welcome the continued presence of a father figure in his life. After being forced to sever ties with the Weasley family, after the death of his godfather and the disappearance of the wolf the boy was all alone in the world, a frightening prospect for the sheltered child. While he had been strict and demanding since they had met 6 years ago and even more so since he became his guardian at the beginning of the boy's third year, even a stunted and underdeveloped whelp as Potter had come to appreciate the benefits of having a member of staff as his mentor. The boy had chosen to spend most of his time in the study his guardian had supplied, a cozy and quiet room that offered no distractions from schoolwork. He was always prepared for lessons, did quite well on his O.W.L.s and would, given more careful preparation, pass all his N.E.W.T.s with flying colours.
Minerva and Poppy seemed to think that Potter was faking his dedication to the pureblood lifestyle and would break free as soon as he was given the chance but Severus knew better. The boy had no one, was shy, not overly confident in his abilities and did not like his fame. He would continue to need a protector and who better than a former spy, potions professor of long standing and respected war hero. Severus had made himself indispensable in the life of a certain boy hero and would continue to do so for decades to come.
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It was the boy's seventeenth birthday and for the first time the Potions Master had purchased a gift for his ward. Only the little whelp was nowhere to be found. Snape had expected him to be in the Great Hall surrounded by well-wishers and unpacking a mountain of presents. But only Minerva, Poppy, Filius and Pomona were present, quietly eating breakfast and barely acknowledging his presence.
"Good morning. Have you seen my ward?" Severus asked.
"He has left", was Minerva's short response.
"What do you mean, left? When will he be back?" Snape was bewildered at the almost hostile attitude of his co-workers.
"He did not say", Filius answered, "but I would guess never."
"Never? The boy still has a seventh year and his N.E.W.T.s to complete. Of course he will come back."
"Ah, it seems you have not yet read today's paper, have you?" Poppy looked at the Potions Master with barely concealed dislike and handed him the Daily Prophet.
"What does this rag have to do with Mr. Potter's whereabouts?" While still speaking, Snape unfolded the paper and was stunned at the headline
11 NEWTS FOR THE MAN-WHO-CONQUERED
"How is this possible? The stupid little whelp barely passed his OWLs, not one single O, not even in defense yet he is suddenly hailed as a genius?"
"You taught him well, it seems." was Pomona's only comment and Snape gaped at his colleagues.
"What the hell has gotten into you? The boy is leaving Hogwarts a year early and you are calmly munching on your breakfast not even a bit concerned about your Golden Boy?"
"Read the article, most of your questions should be answered then." Minerva snapped but did not look at the Slytherin Head of House.
In an exclusive statement to the Daily Prophet, Harry Potter, the Man-Who-Conquered You-Know-Who last Christmas at Hogwarts in the Final Battle Against All Evil, presented his plans for the future. After having taken his NEWTs a full year early with impressive results Harry Potter announced his departure from the British Wizarding World.
"Ever since I found out on my eleventh birthday that I was a wizard, the Magical World has lauded me as their hero, has celebrated the death of my parents, ignored my rights as the heir to a Noble and Ancient family and yet demanded I give up my life defeating the allegedly most evil Dark Lord in centuries. Now that I have fulfilled my destiny even before coming of age I am finally my own man. I am free to travel the world, free to make my own choices and free to explore what life has to offer. Past experiences have shown that my view of the world is radically different to that of the average witch and wizard in Britain. The people I consider best friends and family are Muggleborns and Purebloods, a Werewolf, a Half-Giant, two House Elves and a Centaur. Yet according to the Law most of them are at best second class citizens, good enough to pay taxes but not even having a right to vote. I cannot see myself living in a world where it is illegal for a werewolf to adopt a child, yet giving an orphaned boy to a Death Eater is apparently no reason for concern.
Sentient beings are treated like slaves, are verbally and physically abused yet we claim to be better than Voldemort was. To me, there is no difference between killing Muggles, Squibs, Muggleborns and so-called Blood-Traitors or killing Goblins, Werewolves and Giants. The breeding ground for the next Dark Lord is still as fertile as it was 70 years ago when Grindelwald gained power and 30 years ago when Voldemort started his quest for world domination. Ten years from now some other discontented wizard will want to take control and will find scores of dissatisfied werewolves, vampires and giants who will jump at the opportunity to punish their oppressors. As long as the Wizarding World is not ready to alter their behaviour and really change the way they treat sentient beings they will end up fighting war after war.
I refuse to live in a world of hatred and violence, I had enough of that already to last me a lifetime. Farewell and enjoy the few short years until the next war, if you are lucky your children will be old enough to fight by then."
Those words are part of a letter Mr Potter sent to the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler for publication. Further enquiries at the Ministry revealed that Mr Potter had taken his NEWT exams at the beginning of July and his Apparition Test on the morning of his birthday just before taking an international Portkey to an undisclosed location on the continent.
See page 4 for detailed NEWT results
See page 5-7 for Harry Potter at Hogwarts
See page 8 for James and Lily Potter – martyrs of the First War against You-Know-Who
See page 9 for Severus Snape – Death Eater or Dedicated Guardian for the Boy-Who-Lived
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The Potions Master could not believe what he had just read. Why on earth would Potter go to such lengths to leave Britain on his seventeenth birthday? They had been getting along quite well; the boy never said anything and seemed content. Quickly leafing through the rest of the paper he registered the 11 NEWTs were in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, History of Magic and Astronomy. He had not even known the boy had studied Creatures and Muggle Studies, let alone was competent enough to pass his NEWTs and with an O as well. Even Griselda Marchbanks, that old harridan was gushing about his perfect exams and the last time she had made any complimentary remarks about a student was when Albus Dumbledore had aced his exams.
He could not believe the whelp calling him a Death Eater and heavily implied the werewolf would have made a better guardian than the Potions Master. While some of his questions were answered, more had popped up while reading the article. Snape looked up from the paper and found Poppy and Minerva still sitting there quietly talking among themselves and completely ignoring him. He cleared his throat and addressed the Gryffindor Head of House.
"I don't understand the ungrateful little snot. Those despicable Muggles starved and beat him and the werewolf nearly killed him. Why on earth would he have preferred to stay with them rather than at Hogwarts with me?"
"Are you really that stupid, Severus?" Minerva asked. Snape bristled with anger but McGonagall held up her hand stopping his outburst. "You were just as abusive as his Muggle relatives and Remus only attacked Harry because you decided that your revenge on an innocent man was more important than giving Remus his potion when you realized he had forgotten it."
"Think back on your own schooldays, Severus", Poppy interrupted. How would you have reacted if your Head of House had spanked you in front of the whole class, in particular in front of James Potter and Sirius Black. Don't tell me fourteen year old Severus Snape would have accepted physical abuse and not plotted revenge."
Minerva took over again. "You belittled and humiliated the boy at every turn. You cut him off from his friends, forbade him to play Quidditch, interfered with his choice in electives and effectively banned him from the Tower, insisting he spend time with those despicable pureblood elitists who only barely escaped Azkaban after Voldemort's defeat. Why Albus agreed to this I will never understand."
"Oh please, don't tell me the boy came crying to you because of a well deserved punishment. If he had paid attention in class and not nearly killed himself and his classmates by exploding his potions, I would not have had to punish him. As I said it was wholly deserved."
"The boy did not come crying to anyone but I overheard Mr Malfoy bragging how he had thrown an ingredient into Mr Potter's cauldron and how funny it was to see him spanked by you. I also noticed the 100 points I took from Mr Malfoy were returned the following day and the weeklong detention with Mr Filch was cancelled as well." McGonagall shuddered with anger. She had witnessed Harry being humiliated and teased for months after the spanking, but no matter what she tried neither the Headmaster nor Snape listened to her.
"So young Mr Malfoy tried to kill Mr Potter and the rest of his classmates by throwing an ingredient and exploding the cauldron yet you did not even let his well deserved punishment stand? And you wonder why Harry calls you a Death Eater? Killing Harry Potter and not caring who got hurt in the process was what Voldemort was famous for and you obviously supported it. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in you." Poppy's disapproval was hard to bear for the Potions Master. Even as a student he had always liked strict but fair Poppy Pomfrey. She was nearly the only one who ever took his side against the Marauders and called them out on their bullying behaviour. Could she be right? Had he really become what he despised the most?
Poppy saw that something had finally gotten through the thick skull of Severus Snape but she could not deny herself one last dig. "Harry once told me you reminded him a lot of his Aunt Petunia, the words you chose were apparently a bit different but the sentiments behind them quite similar."
"This is ridiculous. Whatever the boy might say, I never was and never will be even remotely similar to Petunia Evans." Snape was outraged at the accusation.
"I know you have met Lily's sister when you were younger. Think back on the way she treated you back then and compare it to the way you talked to Harry ever since he came to Hogwarts. Was Harry really wrong?" With this last comment both Minerva and Poppy got up and left the Great Hall. Snape stayed behind, shocked and dismayed at the way his day was quickly going downhill.
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It was out of the question to take his N.E.W.T.s with the rest of his classmates at the end of his seventh year. He knew he needed to get away from his prison and his tormentors. After Voldemort's demise a few months ago he had hoped to gain a bit more independence but both Snape and Dumbledore had refused. He was still not allowed to play Quidditch, his broom was still locked up and he was still forbidden to spend any amount of time with his friends in Gryffindor Tower. With no distractions Harry worked like a man possessed to be able to take his final exams a year early. With all the studying Snape had been insisting on for several years he was way ahead in all his classes, he even found the time to learn about magical creatures after Snape had switched his electives to Arithmancy and Ancient Runes and declared Harry's choice rubbish. Harry had to agree with Divination being rubbish but he would have enjoyed lessons with Hagrid.
Due to an unexpected stroke of luck and with a bit of help from Griselda Marchbanks, he was allowed to sit the exams at the beginning of July. Snape had been invited to a Potions Conference and Harry had stayed in the castle mostly unobserved. He took breakfast with the few remaining teachers in the Great Hall, was then transported by House Elf to the Ministry, sat his exams and brought back again by House Elf in time for supper. Snape usually kept him busy in the dungeons and had so thoroughly isolated him that nobody wondered about his whereabouts during the day.
He was pretty confident he had done well and was prepared to put his plan into effect. Today was his birthday, finally an adult in the eyes of the Ministry and Gringotts. He now had full control of his affairs and his vaults. First stop was the bank to transfer a substantial amount of gold to a Muggle bank account which he could access from around the world, after that a quick shopping trip to purchase enough Muggle clothing to not attract attention in an airplane or a train. Last on his agenda was the Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Transportation for his Apparition Test. With his license safely tucked away he took his portkey, waved goodbye to the desk clerk and vanished.
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It had taken another week for Severus' anger to slowly dissipate and even longer until he was ready to admit to himself that maybe Poppy and Minerva had been at least partially right. Maybe he had been a tad too harsh and sometimes not entirely fair but comparing him to Tuney surely was going too far. Only to prove them wrong he borrowed Albus' pensieve and carefully selected two memories. One of Tuney from the summer after Lily's first year at Hogwarts and one from Harry's first detention in the dungeons. Snape spent a few moments thinking how Poppy would have to apologize for even thinking Severus Snape was in any way, shape or form similar to Petunia Evans before diving into the memories.
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Another school year and another Welcoming Feast and Potions Master Severus Snape was even angrier than usual at the end of his summer holidays. Three weeks since he had watched himself in the Headmaster's pensieve and he still cringed at the memory. Even Tuney's mean little face was similar to his own when he was scowling at the Gryffindor. And how he had called the boy a worthless little whelp in the same tone Tuney had used to call Lily a useless freak. Lily had always been so hurt when her sister called her that. How could he have become his own worst nightmare?
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The school year had gone surprisingly well. Snape looked over the Great Hall at the Leaving Feast and felt a pang of regret when his gaze passed over the Gryffindor table. Weasley, Granger and Longbottom had suffered most from Harry's disappearance. Throughout the year more and more secrets surrounding the Boy-Who-Lived had emerged. After Christmas in his fourth year the boy had completely stopped listening to his guardian but he had been cunning and sly about it. He had met his friends in the evenings when Snape had other students for detention and could not check up on him. They had only met in abandoned classrooms away from prying eyes and Potter had asked an oath from his friends which kept them from ever mentioning those meetings as long as Potter was still a minor. Now though they could talk about Harry and all of his friends did enjoyed doing so, preferably where the Potions Master could overhear them.
It was a bitter pill to swallow that the boy had bested him at his own game. The Gryffindor Golden Boy was more of a Slytherin than the Slytherin Head of House. Pomona had been right, he had taught Harry well. If only he could talk to the boy once more, apologize to him and make sure he was all right. But it obviously was too late. Potter had made it quite clear he didn't want anything to do with his former guardian. Only after Potter had left, did the Potions Master realize how much respect he had lost because of his treatment of the young Gryffindor. Minerva and Poppy barely talked to him any longer and only if it could not be avoided. Filius and Pomona now viciously defended their students if there was even a hint of unfair treatment from the Potions professor. Even Albus had distanced himself from the former spy, trying to mend fences with Minerva McGonagall and the rest of the teachers, who blamed Dumbledore for allowing the abysmal treatment of Harry Potter.
After a dismal school year Severus decided to leave Hogwarts after seven years as a student and 16 years as a teacher. It was time to move on. Maybe outside of Hogwarts he could find happiness or at least peace.
*fin*