Chapter four

When Severus arrived back at number 12 he levitated a large trunk inside, Harry showed him a few rooms until he finally settled on Mrs. Blacks room which Harry had renovated in tans and browns. He stood at the door watched as Severus unpacked his clothes from the trunk before pointed his wand at the trunk again to reveal another section filled with shoes then another with bathroom products.

'You don't mind me watching, do you?'

'No, I don't, I'm just curious as to why you want to.'

'I like watching you, you're very graceful, that's something I'm not. I still fall out of the fireplace when I floo, stumble when I apparate.'

'Just takes practice and discipline. Your time over the last few years was concentrated on other things, dangerous situations. The only things left in my trunk are all my potions equipment and ingredients. If you have no use for it I would like to convert the basement off the kitchen as a potions room.'

'It's yours, I just keep it shut. I stored all the old portraits in the attic, I did think about the basement but I figured the attic was better and I could seal it.'

'Then I will unpack the rest tomorrow. I should shower so we can go out to dinner.'

'I showered right before you came…home,' Harry blushed making Severus chuckle, 'I'll go change,' Harry stared at Severus for another minute before heading to his room which was down one floor. When Harry dressed he headed into the living room to wait for his date, which made Harry grin hugely.

'What has amused you this time?'

'Us, dating, it just seems so incredible.'

'Because you never thought I was interested. But you are a very nice looking man Harry, it is easy to be attracted to you for your looks but it's your nature that attracts me. We can talk as we eat, are you ready?'

'Yep,' Harry smiled as Severus held his hand out, Harry placed his hand in Severus and they left the house hand in hand.

Harry let Severus lead him as he still didn't know many good restaurants. The one they went into looked nice and had dimmed lights to give privacy but enough light that you could see what you were eating.

'So, did you go to the ministry?'

'Yeah, I am bonded to her, it was done sixteen days after she was born, I was just over a year old. The thing is, Dumbledore told my parents about the prophecy in the February that year and we were bonded in August. Wouldn't you think that my parents would have told the Weasley's because there was a chance I could have died, something I always expected. But if the Weasley's were told, why did they do it and why didn't they ever tell me? Maybe they weren't told, so I'm really confused.'

'It is possible they were not told. But look at what could have happened if you did die that night.'

'Well, really the only thing would have happened is she would have been a widow. She still would have been known as Ginevra Potter but she could have married again, then her name would change.'

'True, so really there is nothing.'

'So they probably didn't know,' Harry took a sip of his wine, 'But I had a thought, Dumbledore gave me my father's cloak when I was eleven. If I died would that mean he would have given it to her?'

'Yes, as she was legally your next of kin even if you died as a baby.'

'So Grimmauld place probably wouldn't have gone to her then because it would have meant I never met Sirius, so she wouldn't have gotten his money either,' Harry stared down into his glass, 'She would have been entitled to anything of the Potter's, right?'

'Yes, like those pictures you have up at the house and the house in Godric's Hollow. You seem upset, tell me why?'

'I found out that the Potters were really wealthy, so even though that house in Godric's Hollow was an average home, they did have manor houses all over the place, also in other countries. In my mother's diary she wrote that she always felt uncomfortable in those large places and talked my father into a family home before she got pregnant. He agreed as long as they spent time in their other houses during the holidays. If they knew of the prophecy and if they knew what the Potters were worth then maybe they…' Harry sighed, 'I can't believe that though, money never interested them.'

'I see where you're going, if they knew everything and there was a big chance you could have died which means Ginny would be entitled to everything that is now yours. You are the only person to survive the killing curse so if they did know then that would have shocked them and maybe that is why you were befriended by Ron and the twins, why Ginny was obsessed with you. I do remember that she followed you everywhere her first year and she was very upset when you dated Miss Chang.'

'They always treated me like family, like they cared about me. It was the first time I never felt I was worthless or a freak.'

Severus heard Harry's voice break, 'Hey, you are not a freak or worthless, why would you believe that about yourself. Your name was celebrated around the magical world; everyone was fascinated with you as a boy. So many families petitioned the ministry to take you in, you were wanted.'

'Not by my family, they hated me,' Harry took a couple of deep breaths before he looked up; 'I didn't know I was a wizard, I had no idea about this world, I didn't even know my name until I was five and started at school. The teacher yelled at me for ignoring her, when I asked what she meant she said she had been calling my name for five minutes but I never answered her. The kids laughed when I said, is that my name, Harry, they thought it was funny but the teacher thought I was joking around. At lunch time I tried to explain and tell her what I was always called at home, you, boy, freak, she didn't believe me and said the Dursley's were upstanding citizens. When I met Ron I had my first friend, the twins were always good to me. Then they rescued me just after my twelfth birthday. Dobby had used a hover charm and the ministry sent an owl about underage magic, the Dursley's realised I couldn't use magic and if I did I would be expelled. They locked me in my room, put bars on the windows, slipped food through a small flap in the door and only allowed out in the morning and night to use the bathroom, even Hedwig had a lock on her cage. But the Weasley's never locked me up; I was able to play, have fun, eat and they treated me as they would anyone in the family.'

'Then if they did treat you as you should have been treated there is a chance they did not know about the prophecy or your money. I have to apologise Harry, I used to believe you were treated like a celebrity by your relatives. You seemed so sure of yourself and even with the looks I gave you; you were defiant and never back down. I found myself believing you were well treated, cherished and loved even spoiled. I should have remembered what Petunia was like, she was jealous of Lily and her magical abilities and she did often call your mother a freak. I am so sorry Harry.'

'You didn't know, only Dumbledore did, but not until the end of our second year. Just before we left he asked me why I seemed apprehensive. At first I was going to make something up, but I hate lying. Finally I just blurted it out and even yelled that he knew how I was treated because my first Hogwarts letter was address to Harry Potter the cupboard under the stairs. He calmed me down and explained that the magic around all children about to start at Hogwarts would have the letters automatically addressed, that he had no idea they locked me in a cupboard. Finally he told me that the reason I had to stay was for my safety, it was to do with old magic, but he wouldn't explain any further.'

'He did tell me about the blood magic and the magic of love, that is why he placed you with Lily's sister. But now I know the truth, he should have put you with a magical family, someone from the order.'

'Alice Longbottom was my godmother, I only just found that out and she was already in St Mungo's at the time. Sirius was locked up, Remus was a werewolf and after what happened with Pettigrew Dumbledore might have been worried that there were more spies. I wanted to know why he couldn't let me go with someone else after Sirius died, that's when he sort of hinted about knowing people's true agenda. Anyway, I'm married to her, I'm alive but I can't believe they would do that, it would be hard to prove though, one way or another.'

'Maybe not, Miss Granger is not a very convincing liar, Mr. Weasley's ears turn red when he lies, I do know that Ginny is a very convincing liar as I tried to catch her out a few times, but I never did.'

'Hermione can lie if she's had time to think of answers that sound believable, if it's sprung on her, no, she's hopeless. Ron got better over the years and he learned to take his time before answering so he didn't just make up something that was obviously untrue. He gets this look that I'm sure he practiced to make it right. If he was asked something and he needed to lie, he would gaze at the person for a good few minutes and all you would see is someone upset or angry, but he was thinking up stuff to say.'

'Then maybe we can work on finding the truth from your friends. But there is a possibility that they know nothing about the money and they didn't know about the prophecy. For all we know only Arthur, Molly and Ginny knew the truth, maybe not Ginny until she was older, but we can sit and discuss this over the next few days and work out questions. How about we head home where I can make you exhausted again?'

Harry's heart rate picked up, his breathing picked up and before he knew it the blood was heading south again.