A/N: Currently the poll is at a three-way tie. It will be up for a while, so go over to my profile and vote which house my OC should be in. I realize I may not have said this before so I'll do it now:
Disclaimer: I only own Saphira. Don't know why we have to do this considering this is fanfiction.
Anyways, onto the next chapter! A POV change, this time to our favorite Potions Master!
Chapter Seven
Snape's Observations
Severus Snape watched as the Doctor vanished up the inn's stairs to the rooms. He thought the Time Lord was a strange and eccentric man, and he probably wasn't the first, nor would he be the last. He wondered how the Doctor knew about his love for Lily Evans (he would never call her Potter), when he tried to keep it quiet.
As much as he hated James Potter, he still owed his life to him when James had saved him from a transformed Remus Lupin, after Sirius Black told him that he'd find something at the other end of the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow.
He would repay that life debt by keeping the Potter's son alive. He had only seen the Potter spawn once, and was shocked to see that the boy had gotten Lily's emerald green eyes. The eyes he so loved. And he may as well keep Harry alive for Lily's sake. She would have never forgiven him for letting her child come to harm.
Severus still hurt from when Lily broke off their friendship, but he knew it was his fault. But he couldn't help but be drawn to the darker activities that his 'friends' did. Now he saw where that lead him. Alone and miserable.
With a swish of his cloak, Severus stalked out of the Leaky Cauldron and onto Charring Cross Road and wandered into an alley. What nagged him was why would the Doctor have the Potter boy in his care? Surely his relatives were supposed to take care of him?
Then again, this was Petunia they were talking about. She was never fond of her sister's friendship with Severus, nor the fact that her sister had magic while she didn't. The hatred towards magic mostly stemmed from jealousy. But he wanted to see if she still had that hatred.
Twisting on his heel, Snape apparated to Magnolia Crescent. Seeing that there was no one in sight, Snape quickly transformed into his animagus form.
Since it was nearly midnight, everyone was already in bed or were preparing themselves for it. Had anyone glanced out the window, they would have been taken aback by the creature that prowled down the road towards Privet Drive.
The panther made its way quickly and quietly towards Number 4. Peering through the window, Severus saw that Petunia was still up and scrubbing the kitchen floor. Her husband was away on a business trip, and her son was already asleep.
Transforming back, Severus walked up to the door and knocked lightly, not wanting to disturb the boy's sleep. He could hear angry muttering coming from inside as Petunia made her way to the door.
"Who would be knocking at this hour? Surely something hasn't happened to Vernon?" Severus heard her mutter. Then the door opened, and Severus was staring down at the horse-like woman. He briefly wondered how she could have ever been related to his Lily.
"Oh, its you," Petunia snapped when she realized who was standing at the door. "Snape, wasn't it? If you're looking for the Potter boy, he isn't here. Ran away."
"I know where the Potter boy is, Petunia," Severus said coolly. "He's in safe hands, no thanks to you. What I want to know is why would Potter so readily abandon his relatives? Surly you have pushed aside your hatred and jealousy to look after you only sister's son?" He was slightly pleased to see her flinch slightly- it gave him the answer he wanted. Severus made his way inside the house, ignoring Petunia's protests.
"We gave him food and shelter. We took him in even though we knew what he would become," Petunia snapped.
"And yet he followed an eccentric madman to his home. No child who was raised with proper care and given the correct life lessons would do that, would they? So, tell me why did Harry Potter want to so readily abandon his relatives?" Severus repeated the question. "Now we could do this the easy way, or the hard way." He peered down at the woman before him.
Petunia shuddered under the tall man's dark and piercing glare, but did not give him the answer that he wanted. "I know that you're not allowed to use magic around me. It's against your laws, Lily told me so!"
"That is true," Severus said slowly, still keeping his cool, "however, I do not always rely on magic like many of the others do. It's one weakness that the magic folk have. I have learned to do things without magic. And if- should- it come down to magic, I am sure the Minister would be lenient towards my trial when-not if, when- he found that the 'savior' of the Magical world was abused by his own relatives. And believe me, it wouldn't be just me who you and your husband would have to deal with. Especially if someone like Molly Weasley caught wind of this."
Petunia swallowed and looked away, and Severus knew he'd won this battle. Turning away from Petunia, Snape looked around the house. The house was unnaturally neat and clean, there were two television sets- one in the living and one in the kitchen- and on the mantel piece were different pictures of a fat, blond-haired, watery-eyed boy. There was no sign of Harry having ever lived here. He walked out of the living room towards the staircase, where he paused, looking at the cupboard.
Severus saw- from the corner of his eyes- Petunia suddenly grow nervous as he gazed at the cupboard. Now why would she be nervous over a cupboard? Unless...
Kneeling down, Severus examined the door of the cupboard. He noticed that there were extra latches one the door, which made him furrow his brow. He unlocked each latch, and pulled open the door while pulling out a flashlight from the pockets of his robes.
What he found inside made his blood boil: there was a mattress that seemed old and had some springs and fluff poking out of the sides. Not even Severus' own father was that cruel. Sure, Tobias Snape would physically abuse Severus- more so when he was drunk- but he never went as far as keeping him in the cupboard under the stairs.
Closing the door, Severus turned and quickly went up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He gazed into each of the rooms. He saw Dudley Dursley snoring away in his bed, not knowing that a wizard was examining the house for clues to his cousin's well-being. The room next door only fed the Potion Master's anger. It was full of broken toys and untouched books. The bed looked more recently used then the one in the cupboard- Harry was either getting to big for the cupboard and the Dursleys were forced to move him into this room, or something else caused the Dursleys to make the sacrifice of giving the spare bedroom to Harry. Severus had a strong feeling that it was the latter rather than the former.
Severus quickly made his way back down the stairs and glared at the ashen-faced Petunia.
"Explain," he said in the deadly quiet tone he reserved for students he caught red-handed, or those in detention. Petunia bit her lip, but did not reply.
"Petunia Dursley, explain to me why Harry Potter was living in the cupboard under the stairs when there are clearly enough bedrooms for every occupant in the household, along with a guest bedroom to spare."
The woman quailed under the Potion Master's deadly look, but still refused to answer. Gritting his teeth, the dark-haired wizard hissed, "then so be it."
Severus turned, his cloak fluttering around him, and stalked out of the house. When he reached the end of the driveway, he placed a curse on the household and its occupants. The Dursleys would suffer for their mistreatment of Lily's son. Ten years of misery- for the ten years of misery Harry had suffered while in their care.
Satisfied with the result, Severus apparated away from the neighborhood and into Hogsmede, where he made his way back towards the castle.
(Line Break)
"Ah, there you are Severus," Albus exclaimed as the potions master entered the Great Hall and swiftly strode up to the Head table. "Where have you been, my boy?"
Noticing that all the teachers that both James and Lily had and were fond of were present in the room, Severus smirked in the slightest bit as he relayed what he had been doing, leaving out the conversation he had with the Doctor.
When he had finished, he was pleased to see the other teachers looks of horror and disgust.
"Well I'll be!" Minerva huffed, looking angry and flustered. "I told you those Muggles were bad, Albus, and yet you wouldn't hear it!"
"Punishing a child for accidental magic by shoving him into a cupboard? How inhumane!" Pomona Sprout shouted.
"What about the boy's condition, Severus?" Poppy Pomfrey, the school's matron asked.
"Don't fret, Poppy dear," Minerva said, calming down slightly to pat her friend's arm. "Harry is in good hands now. The new professor will make sure Harry is in healthy condition by the time school begins. He has already gotten nicely tanned."
All the while, Albus looked gravely at Severus. When the professors had all calmed down, they looked towards Albus, waiting for him to say something.
"Thank you for telling us this, Severus," he began softy. "Had I known that Harry was in the state he was, I would have done something about it. I must speak to Mrs. Figg about this. I should have chosen someone younger than her, considering her somewhat poor memory."
Severus nodded his head, then took his place at the table. Throughout dinner, he was lost in his memories of Lily. And then he vowed to keep her son safe from Voldemort, no matter the cost.
A/N: Okay, I based Snape more off the movie version than the book version, because I prefer the movie Snape. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
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