Chapter 2: For His Protection
Harry Potter sat up in his cupboard with a start. Dreaming of that green light always seemed to do that to him. There was a time when he was two and woke up screaming, having seen that dream for the first of many; no matter what that flash of bright green light always frightened him. Unfortunately, no one seemed to care that Harry got so upset over a dream like that. The only reason Aunt Petunia even came to see him was to tell him to shut up; the rest of the house needed their beauty sleep. Freaks like him were expendable and didn't need a lot of sleep. After that, little Harry cried himself back to sleep. Harry learned fast after that particular incident occurred; it was the last time Harry ever went crying to his aunt or uncle for some form of comfort over a nightmare; only Dudley got such a thing.
The boy was surprised to find that the door to his cupboard was unlocked. He hadn't been expecting that. Uncle Vernon usually made him wait, causing the little boy to soil himself from not getting to the bathroom fast enough. A quick pass by the calendar as he toddled into the kitchen made Harry almost want to jump for joy. July 31st; his birthday. He would be turning four today. Perhaps, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are going to throw me a party like they did with Dudley. Last month, a surprise party was thrown for Harry's cousin, their precious Dudders. Maybe they would do the same for him. The chances were slim; his past two birthdays had not elicited the same. Little Harry spent his birthday alone in his cupboard after a quick breakfast of toast. He could expect much of the same thing today, despite it being his birthday, what was supposed to be a happy occasion.
As he wandered over to Aunt Petunia, Harry tugged on his holey pants, pulling them up a bit, seeing as they were two sizes too big and once belonged to Dudley. The messy-haired boy also has a ratty T-shirt on, again belonging to his pudgy cousin. Harry passed his uncle and cousin, who were seated at the table, and looked up at the horse-faced woman that was his aunt with pleading emerald eyes. "Aunt Petunia," he asked, "is there anything planned for today?"
"Other than you getting some new chores, no," his aunt sneered. Harry's face fell. "Did you honestly expect that we would celebrate your birthday? You're nothing more than a freak, a waste of space. Now, why don't you go outside and start pulling some weeds?"
"What about breakfast?" Harry asked.
"No breakfast for freaks!" Dudley called.
The raven-haired boy hung his head and trudged outside. It seemed as if there would be no breakfast, no party for him. No, instead he was forced to do chores. Didn't they understand that he was only four? There was no reason for his aunt and uncle to say that he should earn his keep as they called it. For the past few months, Harry often had to pick up after Dudley or help Aunt Petunia do the laundry or cook meals he wasn't allowed to eat. Pulling the weeds was the most recent addition to the list of chores for the scrawny little boy.
Harry sank to his knees in front of his aunt's rose garden. A lot of weeds had cropped up in the garden, almost as if they had just been waiting for Harry to pull. From what Harry could tell, it had been at least a year since that garden was tended to. It might take all morning for the immense garden to be free of the weeds. So, the four year-old started pulling the weeds, leaning into the garden and making sure that none of the flowers were crushed.
By the time he was halfway through pulling the weeds, it was almost midday. Harry glanced around at the yard; it was currently strewn with the weeds, which would only get Harry in further trouble. This wasn't how he was supposed to spend his birthday though; he wasn't supposed to be doing any chores. July 31st had to be a special day, when he was supposed to be happy; a party was supposed to get thrown the way it would for Dudley. But, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never seemed to care; their precious Dudders was all that mattered.
Harry pulled himself off his knees and started gathering the weeds strewn across the yard. Upon doing so, Harry built a cake out of the weeds; this would be the only cake he got. The scrawny boy closed his emerald eyes, preparing to make a wish. When he opened his eyes, the cake was real. Not bothering to ponder how much a thing was possible—he only closed his eyes for an instant—Harry examined the cake. It looked like one of the cakes Harry had seen at the bakery a few months ago; a marbled cake with vanilla icing. He was about to eat a part of it when Dudley came out of the house and spotted Harry with the cake.
When Dudley saw the cake sitting in front of his cousin, he immediately ran back into the house to tell his parents; though it was a Tuesday, Uncle Vernon decided to stay home for the day, most likely to catch Harry when he was doing something he shouldn't; which in his uncle's opinion, he was doing right now. It wasn't long before Uncle Vernon stormed out of the house, about ready to kill Harry. "Boy! What has your freakiness done now?"
While his four year-old daughter was busy eating lunch, Severus was in his lab brewing a new batch of burn salve. He was about to add the final ingredient when he heard a soft jingle. Severus grimaced slightly and placed the potion in stasis before going to fire-call Andromeda. There was no way that Severus could leave his daughter alone while he went to deal with Potter. His first bout of accidental magic occurred and Severus had to be around to find out what Petunia would do as a result of Potter's magic showing up. "Andromeda, I hate to call you over sooner than expected, but there is a situation that must be dealt with."
"Not a problem, Severus," Andromeda replied. "Nymphadora and I would be happy to come over earlier. I'm sure Apollonia would love having us here earlier. Is this about her brother?"
"It is." Since Apollonia happened to be the twin sister of the savior of the Wizarding World—of the boy-who-lived—Severus kept the truth from coming out. Only Albus, Minerva, Poppy, Pomona, and the younger two Black sisters were aware of the fact that Apollonia had a connection to the boy-who-lived. Severus wasn't even going to tell Narcissa at first, but when the Ministry decided to check the veracity of Lucius Malfoy's claim that he was under the effects of the Imperius by using Veritaserum, it was discovered that the claim was false. Lucius was locked away in Azkaban, meaning that he was not around to poison his young son's mind, or force Narcissa to do the same. And, since the Ministry also made sure that Lucius could not buy his way out of prison by way of placing all Malfoy holdings in trust for the Malfoy heir, Severus had no qualms with telling Narcissa who Apollonia's mother was. "I must go see to Mr. Potter, as he had his first of accidental magic."
"On his birthday too," Andromeda nodded. "We'll be right over."
"Thank you, Andromeda," the Potions Master said. He headed upstairs to speak with his daughter. "Apollonia, I need to run a quick errand. Andromeda and Dora are coming over to watch over you."
"But, it's my birthday," the girl complained.
"Which is exactly why I'm going to get your brother," Severus told her. By the time Apollonia was old enough to understand, Severus informed his daughter of her brother's existence; that her brother was Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. Even if Albus didn't want Harry to leave the Dursleys—Severus later learned Petunia's last name; that she married Vernon Dursley, the man she was dating the last time Severus heard from the Evans family, and had son a month older than Potter—Severus did not want his daughter to remain oblivious to her twin brother's existence. Apollonia knew who her brother was, but had yet to meet him.
"You're going to get him?" she asked.
"I am. Your aunt and uncle do not quite understand magic, and my guess is that I will have to explain things to him. So just give me a few hours," Severus told her as Andromeda and Dora Tonks Flooed into the house. The Potion Master turned to Andromeda. "Apollonia is eating lunch. I really don't know how long this is going to take; Potter's relatives are not magic-lovers. Thank you again for doing this, Andromeda; I'll be back as soon as I can."
"No problem, Severus," she replied. "Now go."
The Potion Master nodded and apparated away to Number Four Privet Drive. Or more accurately, the area between the houses. He quickly disillusioned himself and sneaked around to watch Potter. A scrawny boy dressed in rags was kneeling in the grass in front of a cake. Rags? What is this, déjà vu? Staring at the four year-old savior reminded Severus of his own childhood. His father was a drunk that hated magic; he used up all the money Eileen had, leaving Severus to dress in rags. Now here Harry Potter was in the same situation, looking undernourished for a four year-old. He looked abused. What would the Wizarding World say if they knew that their savior was being abused by his aunt and uncle?
A large walrus of a man thundered outside. "Boy! What has your freakiness done now?" The man, whom Severus suspected to be Vernon—he hadn't seen the man in almost a decade—grabbed hold of the boy, pulling him inside. Severus, under cover of the disillusionment, followed, watching as Vernon shoved Potter into a small cupboard. "This is what you get for your freakiness!" the walrus-sized man roared. "There will be none of that in this house."
Severus clenched his fists. Petunia stood there and watched as her husband threw the boy into the cupboard. She did nothing to stop any of this. What was Albus thinking when he placed the boy here? Did he actually think that Petunia would care for the boy as her own? The Potions Master removed the Disillusionment Charm from himself and glared at Vernon and Petunia. He was less than pleased by the scene he just witnessed, throwing Harry Potter, the savior of the Wizarding World into a cupboard. Petunia gasped at the sight of Severus in her home. "How dare you come here after what you did to my sister?"
"Lily forgave me for what happened," Severus informed the woman. "Though, I doubt she would ever forgive you for how you've been doing to her son. Lily didn't die so that you could abuse him. Nor would she have permitted you throwing her son into a cupboard."
"It's where I live," a meek voice replied. Severus unlocked the cupboard door and pulled it open. The boy-who-lived wandered out, looking up at Severus. "Sir, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help you, Mr. Potter," he said.
"Help me?" the boy asked.
"Indeed."
"No!" Vernon yelled, his rotund face turning bright shade of purple. "I will not allow it! The boy is to be punished for what he did. Instead of doing his work, he ran off and stole a cake."
The boy-who-lived opened his mouth in protest, but Severus beat him to the punch. "Punished? But, the boy did nothing wrong. From what I understand, he turned the weeds into a cake. And, what is the boy doing chores for; it is his fourth birthday? If anyone, it should be your son who does the chores." Severus motioned to the blond boy who just came from the kitchen to see what was going on. The boy—Dudley, if he recalled—seemed to be a younger version of his father. He was already a bit chubby and, if things continued as they were, Harry's cousin could be exceedingly overweight. Severus knelt down in front of Harry. "Mr. Potter, please get go your things. I am taking you somewhere so that you may tell a colleague of mine of your living conditions." Albus needed to know how Petunia was treating her nephew, what the almighty wizard had done.
The boy went to get a few meager possessions, including a light blue baby's blanket, before returning. "I'm done, sir." Emerald eyes met obsidian. "Where are we going?"
Severus shook his head at what little the boy had. "This just keeps getting worse. Mr. Potter, please grab hold of me. I will explain on the way." Harry did as he was told after exiting the Dursley home and the pair apparated to the gate of Hogwarts. The boy-who-lived looked a bit green in the face. "Sorry, Mr. Potter. But, this was the only way; you were placed with your relatives two and a half years ago, after your parents were murdered. With what I've just seen, I must confront the man who did this and explain to him why I was right."
"What is this place?" Harry asked.
"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Severus said. "You are a wizard, Mr. Potter, just as your mother and father were before you. And, in about seven years, you can attend this place."
"How do you know my name?" he asked.
Severus rubbed his temples. In the past two and a half years, not once had Petunia or Vernon ever explained the boy what happened to his parents. Just another black mark for Albus. The Potions Master should have guessed that Petunia would do such a thing, anything to keep Harry from learning that magic was real. "This is going to be a real shock to you, Mr. Potter, since you seem to know nothing of the world you were born into. Everyone in the world knows your name, at least everyone in the Wizarding World. Yes, magic is real. About five years ago, a prophecy was made; a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort—though most people instead prefer to call him You-Know-Who—got hold of the prophecy and targeted you. Your parents died trying to protect; it's how you got that scar."
Potter absentmindedly rubbed his lightning bolt scar. "I wondered how I got it. Aunt Tuney told me that I got it in the car crash that killed my parents. Guess that was a lie."
"It was indeed," Severus declared. "I grew up with your mother and your aunt. When I discovered that my best friend's son was placed with his Muggle relatives, I knew that something like this would happen. Lily knew that something like this might happen."
"You knew my mother?" Emerald eyes lit up.
"I did. Since childhood, in fact," Severus told the birthday boy. "You have your mother's eyes you know." It had been Lily's emerald eyes that Severus fell in love with, those mesmerizingly beautiful jade-colored eyes. Everything else belonged to the boy's father, to James. "The rest of you is the spitting image of your father. I knew them both, Lily more than James." Severus refrained from speaking of his hatred for the boy's father. He was a four year-old boy that did not need to hear any of that. "Now, come; we must have a talk."
As he and the boy-who-lived headed up to the castle, Severus wondered how he could get the boy away from the Dursleys forever. There was obviously something that Albus wasn't telling him. Like why was Harry not allowed to leave the Dursleys? Why did he have to stay there? Upon giving the password, Severus led the boy-who-lived up to Dumbledore's office. Harry seemed to be looking at the castle in wonder. "When we get to Headmaster Dumbledore's office, please refrain from speaking. I will inform the man what is going on."
"Okay," the boy said in a quiet voice.
Severus led the boy into Albus's office. The Headmaster looked up in surprise, particularly when seeing Harry at his side. "Severus, what is Mr. Potter doing here? He is supposed to be with the Dursleys. I thought I made that very clear that Harry had to stay with the Dursleys."
"You did, Albus," Severus intoned mildly. "However, I put a slight security measure on the house. If any magic occurred on that property, I would be alerted. And, it was lucky I did too because Petunia and Vernon Dursley were abusing the boy. His bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs. Plus, they were making the boy do chores on his birthday, working him like a dog."
"I haven't eaten at all today," Harry piped up.
"They're starving the boy!" Severus roared.
All colored drained from Albus's face. "I did not know. But, he has to stay there, despite what's been going on. Harry is safest, so long as he lives in that house. Petunia can protect him."
"How?" Severus asked. "Tell me, Albus; how is it possible that Lily's Muggle sister could provide sufficient protection for Mr. Potter?" There was no way that such a thing would ever be considered possible. Lily was a Muggleborn witch, meaning that her parents and sister would never have magic. So, why was Albus insisting that Petunia could protect the savior of the Wizarding World better than any witch or wizard ever thought possible?
"Blood protection," Albus explained.
"Blood protection?" Severus repeated. If it was blood protection that kept Potter safe, the Dursleys most certainly were not the only ones to who could protect him. "Albus, do you even realize what you're saying? I suppose you haven't realized the most obvious thing. Since you have clearly overlooked this, I will repeat it for you; Apollonia is Lily's daughter; the boy could be living with his twin sister and still be protected. My daughter is the key to all of this; she can protect her brother and also keep him from suffering through the wrath that is his aunt and uncle; Petunia and Vernon can not get their hands on the boy."
The Headmaster allowed a small smile to cross his features. "But, Severus, hasn't your daughter's connection to the boy-who-lived been kept a secret these past few years? Would you really want to subject your daughter to the crowds that will mob the boy?" Albus asked pleasantly. "I placed the boy with his Muggle relatives so that he could grow up away from the limelight that would overshadow his childhood. He could grow up as a normal boy."
"Normal!" Severus shouted. "You call the abuse he suffered normal. I can tell you, Albus, that a life like that is most certainly not considered normal. I suffered through a life like that and I will most definitely not permit my daughter—or her brother—to live through what I did. Not that you even cared what I went through, not at home or at school." Severus glared at the Headmaster. He never understood the life his spy suffered through. "And, I hope you know that Mr. Potter is currently holding onto all of his possessions. Petunia didn't give the boy much. He is not the pampered prince that James was, that I'm sure you expected him to be as well. I am taking Harry to live with his sister. If you want blood protection, Apollonia can provide him with that. But, I am not about to send the boy back to the Dursleys'; in the two and a half years that the boy has been there, Harry has already been malnourished and it would only continue if I did not act."
Severus and Harry Flooed back to Spinner's End, emerging in the house to find Andromeda seated in a chair, reading the Daily Prophet. "Back so soon, Severus?" the disowned Black sister asked.
Harry, for the most part, had followed his protector's advice. He remained silent as the man in black spoke to the grandfather-looking man. Though, a lot of had to do with the fact that the four year-old wanted to know what was going on. Why had this man, who went by the name Severus, rescued him from the Dursleys? There had been other guests at the Dursley house, but none of them seemed to care about Harry, or the fact that he was locked away in the cupboard for most of the day. And, what was this about a sister? No one ever mentioned that Harry had a twin sister. Would she like him? Or would she be like Dudley's friends?
The four year-old looked up at his savior. He was speaking with a brown-haired woman with faint streaks of gray in her hair. She was dressed in a mauve robe, or at least that's what it looked like; Harry couldn't be sure. "Only for a short time," Severus answered the woman. "When I went to check on Harry—to see how he was faring—I found a living situation not appropriate for the savior of the Wizarding World. He was being abused, Andromeda. And, all because of the blood protection Albus insists on using to protect him. Instead of using my daughter as would have been the obvious choice, Albus chose to keep Harry away from the Wizarding World by placing him with his Muggle relatives."
"Abused by his relatives?" the woman repeated.
"You must understand, Andromeda; these people are nothing like Ted's parents," the man warned. "Whereas your in-laws supported him in the fact that Ted had magic, Petunia and Vernon despise magic. They would not have tolerated his magic; they called it his freakiness."
The woman—Andromeda's—jaw dropped. "They're like my family, only the opposite end of the spectrum then." Severus nodded. "Why not just bring him here to live with his sister?"
"Albus thought it would be best to let Harry live a normal life. Had he lived in the magical world, he'd be mobbed everywhere he went, as would my daughter," Severus explained. "So, dear Albus made an executive decision, sending Harry to his aunt's and uncle's house, rather than here with his twin sister, or with your cousin; the boy's godfather."
Harry's eyes widened at that statement. Did he hear him right? He had a godfather. Since going to live with his aunt and uncle, it was made very clear that Harry was nothing more than a burden. Why hadn't he gone to live with someone that cared about him; his sister or his godfather? It would have been much better if Harry lived with one of them from the beginning. One of them—either one—would have loved and cared from him from the second his parents died. But instead, he spent a few years with his semi-abusive aunt and uncle.
"Ah yes, Sirius," Andromeda mused. "I was surprised that he would do such a thing, betray his best friend and kill another. Yet another Black to disappear. Cissy and I are the only Blacks left that aren't dead or in Azkaban. Though Cissy is the only one still considered one."
Harry eyed the pair in confusion. He had no clue what was going on here, or what they were talking about. What was Azkaban? Who was Sirius Black? And this Cissy person; who was that? Severus and Andromeda needed to explain what was going on. He may have only been four, but he could understand some of what was being said here today. Emerald eyes shifted to a pair of girls coming into the room. One was about his age; a bob of wavy black hair and emerald eyes like his own. The other was a few years older with a heart-shaped face and a mop of bubblegum pink hair. The younger one, who Harry supposed was his sister, spotted his presence and ran over, giving him a hug. "Harry!" she exclaimed.
"Apollonia, was that really necessary?" Severus asked.
"Yes!" the girl exclaimed.
"He may be your brother, but you know that's not the best way for you to make an impression," Severus warned his daughter. "Do you really want your brother to see you as being impulsive?" From the corner of his eye, Harry could see Severus's scowl, that he was not impressed with his daughter's lack of decorum. Not that Harry really minded. It was nice to have someone who wanted him around, unlike with the Dursleys. They never wanted him around.
"So, you're my sister, huh?" he asked.
"Half-sister," Apollonia corrected. "Different fathers."
"You're still my sister," Harry insisted.
"Precisely," he heard Severus say. "Which bring me to my point; Andromeda, I'm going to need you to set up blood wards over my house. If Albus wants him to be protected through the blood protection, fine. I'll give him what he wants. But, Apollonia is to be used to in Petunia's stead."
"Blood wards?" Harry asked. "What are they?"
It was Andromeda who explained this. "When your mother died, Harry, she cast a powerful form of magic in order to protect you. So long as you are housed in a place where a member of your mother's family dwells, there is no way for any dark wizards to come after you."
"Which is now here with my sister, right?" Harry queried.
"It has to be," Severus decided. "It's the best place for you, to grow up with your sister." He turned his daughter, who was now seated on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Little princess, I'm going to need you to help Andromeda with the spell; she needs your blood for the spell."
"Okay. What are you doing?" she asked.
"I need to take your brother to Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, your Muggle relatives did not treat him too well. He had little clothing that actually fit him. So, I am to make sure that he has one. That and a few other things will be his birthday gift. After that, you can open your gifts. But, I will have to see to your brother first. With what has been going on at Number 4 Privet Drive, his situation is far more severe than yours," Severus said.
"So, I have to wait even longer?" she asked.
"Just a few hours," he told her.
While his sister and her father spoke, Harry turned his attention to the girl with bubblegum pink hair. The pink hair threw him off; he had never seen anyone who had pink hair. Nor did he know who she was. "Who are you?" Harry asked in a rather blunt fashion.
The girl smiled. "Dora Tonks."
"Actually, it's Nymphadora Tonks," Andromeda stated.
Dora's hair became a vibrant shade of red. "Mum! You know I don't like being called Nymphadora. I bloody well hate it. Dad calls me Dora and at least I can stand that. But, don't ever call me Nymphadora." As her mood returned to normal, Dora's hair returned to its bubblegum pink color.
"How do you do that?" Harry asked.
"I'm a metamorphagus," Dora explained. "I can change my appearance at will." Her features shifted so that Harry was looking at an exact replica of himself. The replica winked and shifted back.
"Wicked!" Harry decided.
"Very," Dora agreed.
"If you two are done," Severus said, "it's time for me to take Mr. Potter to Diagon Alley. Harry, please come with me." Harry nodded and duly followed the man over to the fireplace. He would very much like to obtain a new wardrobe; there was no way that he could continue wearing Dudley's old ratty clothes, particularly when they didn't fit him. Dudley's old clothes were a symbol of his life at Number 4 Privet Drive. Now was a time for new beginnings.
Author's Note: The blood wards that protected Harry are the reason in which Apollonia is around. I wondered what might have happened if another blood relative existed, someone that could give Harry a better life. And, after living in a magical home rather than being Muggle-raised as in canon, Harry should be smarter, more well-informed about the goings on of the magical world and his place in it, a fact that would give him an advantage over Voldemort. It makes more sense than being oblivious to one's heritage.
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