Before making any contact with Dumbledore, Snape thought of how he was going to tell him that Harry Potter, the brat who lived was sleeping in his house, more specifically in his old bedroom. As a former Death Eater, it would look suspicious. And it wasn't a good thing that Petunia knew how to find him. When the Dark Lord rise, and he will according to Albus Dumbledore, he'll want to know how come they knew each other. It won't help his cover at all! Damn that woman!
He took a deep breath, they were neighbor during childhood it's not like he could choose where to live when he was a child. Well, he'll think about it later. He bend over his chimney, take some powder, threw it and put his head in the green fire.
"Headmaster sir? Do you have a moment?"
He saw Dumbledore turning towards him. Apparently, he was in a meeting. What a worst timing when Snape saw the other people in the office.
Minerva McGonagall was here, so the minister himself: Cornelius Fudge, with his secretary, a fat little woman in pink, what was her name again? And Kingsley Shacklebolt, an excellent Auror who was in charge of tracking Sirius Black who had escaped a week ago.
"Ah Severus! What a pleasant surprise! We were working on some charms to reinforce the security. Let's hope we won't need them very long. Is it something urgent?"
Snape hesitated but then, if he hid something like that to the ministry, it will only bring problems later on.
"I am afraid so, and it has to do with Harry Potter."
They were all listening to him. Snape took a moment and said:
"Petunia Dursley just... threw off her nephew at my door."
As he expected, silence was following his sentence. Dumbledore and Shacklebolt seemed to be thinking about what he just said, Fudge had his mouth wild open, the secretary glared at him. McGonagall raised her eyebrows:
"Are you saying that Harry Potter is in your house?
-That's exactly what I'm saying.
-Then, she dropped him...
-No, she threw him, or rather her husband did. I think it will be best if you all come here, the pensine will be useful too."
They all look at each then at him but nodded. The pink lady had a nasty one. Dumbledore took his pensine very delicately.
Snape back off and soon enough, everyone went in.
"Where is the poor child? asked Cornelius Fudge in a pitiful tone that would make Potter run away.
-Upstairs, follow me please."
They all did as Severus tried to explain a little the situation.
"I gave him a potion to sleep without dream, he had a rough night but he can wake up if there is too many noise."
He showed the room and all the adults came in. Snape tried to imagine how Potter will react if he woke up now seeing five adults over his bed: he will be probably shocked and panicked. He heard whispers and they went out and follow Snape to the living room. Dumbledore had placed the pensine over the table. Snape took his wand, put it on his forehead and pull out a grey hair. He put it in the pensine and they all bend over.
They were now outside his house a few hours earlier. Snape decided to face Potter in order to have a better look on him and the whole situation.
He saw how fat his cousin was, seriously, was that an elephant? How come he didn't explode? He peered at Potter's aunt: she seemed to loathed him so much. But it was beyond that... He wandered if his look was the same when he stared at him. Great, now he was actually feeling sorry for Harry Potter.
Of course, the rest was shocked when she screamed that he wasn't love and all. But hearing that again seeing completely Potter's expression was... uncomfortable
His eyes were empty, like he was shot and he had been somehow. If words had been blades, Potter would have been pierced through all over his body. Snape frowned: it reminded him of his own childhood too much.
"So, this is what happened...They did threw him "whispered Dumbledore when they all came back in the living room.
"Dear me! said Fudge. I never expected that!
-I should have known, muttered McGonagall.
-Now, Minerva...
-I should have known! I was there the night when we let him with these... people! I stand as a cat by their window to see how they were and I felt they weren't good at all. But I thought that she will take care of him because Potter was his nephew! I trusted you Albus! I believed in you! Some people do not change their way! Dead sister or not!"
She then gave an awful look to Dumbledore. As far as Snape could remember, he never saw her watch the old wizard like that.
"I should have stepped in...
-So you are the one responsible for placing Harry in here? said the pink lady with a tone that seemed happy for some reason. It seems you have made a big mistake Albus!
-I'm afraid so Dolores" nodded Dumbledore, still calm
She lost her smile. Snape knew very well why Harry had been placed with his aunt. Only he and Dumbledore knew that. According to him, because of Lily's sacrifice, the blood bond will protect Harry from any curse and since the Dark Lord whereabouts were unknown, it was the safest place for Potter when he wasn't in Hogwarts. But now, with what happened and all the witnesses, it was clear that Harry will never set a foot on his relative's house ever again.
"The letter she talked about, what is from you Albus? finally said Fudge.
-Yes, I told her about Sirius Black and asked her not to let Harry wandered anywhere. It seems it was too much for her.
-And the poor child had to live with them for 12 years! Was he sad in school?
-No at all, answered Minerva, he was like any studen. Happy, sad, angry, but he never showed or said anything about being abused because I'm pretty sure he was!
-That goes without saying, but now what?
-I think, said Shacklebolt, that we have to think about a place for him to stay for the rest of the summer. Then you could think about a proper suitor.
-It's not easy, said Dumbledore. It would have been someone who knows Harry's past who would know how to handle him without making him remember of the bad treatments if there were.
-Albus! Of course there was..
-Only if Harry said so. We need him to talk about it. The Dursley will deny everything, they'll try to place themselves as the victims.
-Those awful Muggles!" cried Umbridge.
They all look at her with a stern look.
"I'm sorry but I am so outraged of what that poor boy had been through!"
Snape thought he was going to be sick. She didn't seem concerned at all, she was thinking about a way of using Potter to show the ministry under a good light. If they convinced Potter that it was the Ministry who helped him to get away from his family, it would bring them a great support. And Snape was sure it was going to happen, it was Dumbledore who convinced everyone that it was the best place for him. But still, he couldn't believe that Dumbledore would let Potter on his way, he probably had people watching over him. If so, he knew all along what was happening and it wasn't a good sign. If not, it wasn't good either. He'll need to talk with in private after that.
"Should we send Potter in Hogwarts?
-No, said Dumbledore, it will be good if he is somewhere else. And we need him to tell what the Dursley did to him. So someone has to supervise him. Someone who doesn't have any responsibility towards someone else and who had a bond with him, a witness of what happened. And there is Sirius Black. He has probably been around Private Drive and he'll try to sneak in Hogwarts, so the boy needs to be in a place somewhere where he won't think about."
Snape had a nasty feeling, if he was thinking where he was going...
"I think the best place for Harry for the rest of holidays is here."
Thunder must have been fallen in the room because everyone was still and looked gravely at him. Snape felt he became paler than usual. No way, no way he was going to baby sit the brat!
"Think about it, Black will look for Harry in places where he might be: his family's house, Diagon Alley or even the Potter's tombs. But he'll never think we'll place Harry in Severus Snape 's house for the good reason that he wasn't friend with James Potter."
Not friend with James Potter? That was an euphemism! He hated the man! Still did! And he hated his son the same way! Unfortunately, the others seemed to agreed.
"It will be a good idea, said Minerva, but I think Severus has the right to say something.
-Oh please, I'm pretty sure Professor Snape will be happy and honored to help Harry Potter, cried Fudge.
Snape froze. He was definitively going to be sick. How he was going to refuse that? He just couldn't. It won't help him at all. He smiled and bow his head.
"Of course, I'll be glad to help but I'm not sure I can make the boy talk. I don't have a... bond as you said.
-I won't be so sure, said Dumbledore, you cured him, fed him and nursing him. I think he will remember that. The boy needs stability.
-Can't we sent him with the Weasley?
-No, Harry needs a calm place in order to move on. He needs to accept what happened to him. I'm pretty sure he never told his friends about his life. And he won't, I think we all know how the mind of neglect child works."
By we, he meant Snape. He curled his lips, how could he make Potter talk? He didn't like him and the feeling was mutual. But he was in a dead end, he couldn't refuse.
"Well, for the sake of the boy who lived. I'm willingly to accept him until the end of the holiday.
-I knew we could count on you!" cried Fudge. Lucius always talks about you in good terms."
There were a crack in the corridor they all shut up and turned their head towards the door open. Footsteps, then a half sleeping Harry was standing in front of them.
"What's all that noise?" he asked yawning.
None of them noticed how loud they had been. Snape rose.
"We were talking about an urgent matter. I'll tell you everything tomorrow.
-'kay..."
Snape sighed. He took him by the shoulder and drove him to the bedroom.
"No, be a nice boy and sleep until tomorrow morning."
But Harry was already asleep. Snape rolled his eyes and went back to the living room. They all stared at him.
"What?
-You really have a way with him! But how are we going to tell the boy? He'll be surprise. Best not tell him anything, declared Fudge.
-I disagree, the boy will ask questions and he won't stay still until he has answers, I know him. He has to know the truth!
-Severus! said Minerva. It will shocked him!
-He'll learn it eventually, the sooner the better.
-I forbid you to tell...
-Not everything, replied Dumbledore.
-What?
-Just tell him that Sirius Black was Voldemort's follower (he ignored the shivering) and he is after him. He is staying with you for his own safety.
-That sounds good enough...
-I still think it's better to tell right away.
-Severus, Harry is under a shock. No need to add one. He doesn't need to know for the moment.
-Fine then.
-Good! said Fudge. Kingsley, make sure all the charms are placed around Severus's house, just a precaution. Thank you very much.
-And I shall sent someone every week to check on both of you, said Dumbledore.
-Yes headmaster sir."
He shook Fudge, Umbridge's hands and they went off Shacklebolt was out making the necessary charms.
"Are you sure you're alright with this? asked Minerva
-It's not like I had a choice, but I'm warning you! The boy will have to follow my rules under my roof!
-That goes without saying. I'll be of then."
When Snape and Dumbledore were alone, he turns towards him:
"Tell me you didn't know!
-I knew it wasn't great but not at that point.
-And it was too hard, I guess to check or to tell them to treat the brat better?
-So you are concerned about him.
-I made a vow, Albus! I swore to protect him! Guess I should have been more worried with the muggles than the Dark Lord! No need of him to break Potter!"
Dumbledore didn't answer. That was indeed his great weakness! Thinking that everyone could be good if given the chance! Like he knew what he was thinking, Dumbledore said:
"You had a second chance that no one will have given to you, so why not others?"
And with that, he left, leaving a very bitter Snape.