A/N: Yes, I do realize it is first year, and icky girls are the least of Harry's problems, but I have already been asked if there will be a love interest (further...MUCH further down the road mind you) for Harry and at this point I am at a loss. I know Draco, Luna, Hermione, and Ginny will NOT be love interests, and Harry has been so emotionally and physically scarred by the men in his life that I think for romantic purposes, he will have to be with a girl in this one. Pansy is out, so perhaps Daphne? Or maybe a gentle male character? Or even an OC? Please leave suggestions in a PM or Review. Thank you as always for your continued support. I have just today outlined my next 5 chapters and am eager to get them written out and posted for you. This will be a long story, perhaps broken into Harry's inital recovery period (maybe his first few years at Hogwarts) and then a sequel or something detailing him coming in to his own? Not sure on structure and length but I would like for us to see Harry all the way through his years at Hogwarts (I camp with the 8th year students mind, so there went Canon out the window. *sniffs* I don't miss it). I would also like to see a whole, and happy Harry post-Hogwarts in terms of the career choices he makes, and the family he creates. Again, any imput would be nice, but I think this story will be amazing. I don't really want to break the 'stories' down by years, because I don't want to drag those years out. A lot will happen his first year, and over the next summer, obviously, and second year will probably be a wild ride, but third and fourth are looking pretty...lame...fifth year is...iffy, and then six and seventh years are gonna kinda be the same as canon and of course there will be year 8, and then whatever lay beyond Hogwarts for Harry. Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter Seven: Promises Made
"Mr. Potter, if I may have a word with you in my office?" said Snape through the common room door.
Harry had been quietly sitting in a corner, presumably working on classwork, when Severus arrived at the Snakes Lair. He quickly gathered up all of his books, and gave a sheet of parchment back to Daphne with a smile and a nod, before following his Head of House out of the door and to his office.
"Tea?" Snape offer, to which Harry politely declined. "I went and attempted to speak with your Aunt today. Obviously, I was unsuccessful. I feel the need to tell you that I ran into your babysitter, Ms. Figg, and she relayed some concerning information to me, at which point I felt it prudent to visit my contact in the Wizarding Children's Services Department at the Ministry. I shared with her what you wrote, and Madame Pomfrey's findings, and my contact, Lady Greengrass, Daphne's mother, was very concerned, and very sad. She is the Head of the Department, and very professional, so all of your secrets are safe with her, but I wanted you to know that there may be some people coming to talk with you, just like we discussed earlier. If you have any questions, or if you need to speak with someone, my office is always open. If you get frightened, or feel overwhelmed, do not hesitate to find me."
"What will happen to the Dursleys?" Harry scribbled on his chalkboard.
"I'm afraid I don't know. You leveled some very serious accusations against them Harry. Lady Greengrass is not taking this lightly, and the Dursleys are not the only ones being investigated. It may take some time to review everything, and as with all things of this nature, it has to be handled carefully, and thoroughly. Our first concern of course is you, but only slightly behind that is making sure that the adults who wronged you are punished. What the Dursleys did to you is abhorrent. The fact that several other adults were aware of your plight, and yet did nothing, is also abhorrent, and they could face criminal charges as well. You do realize of course what your relatives did to you was wrong, but do you also realize that knowing something bad is happening, and not reporting it, is a crime too?"
Harry shook his head in the negative, already looking slightly overwhelmed.
"Well Harry, it is. This is why it is my duty to report such things as soon as I have enough supporting facts."
Harry bit his lip and nodded lost in thought.
"How is your school work coming? Are your classes going ok?" asked Snape after a long pause, trying to sound professionally detached, and somewhat failing.
Harry just nodded again.
"Do you have any questions about anything? School, your lessons, what is going on with the Dursleys? Is anything or anyone giving you any trouble?"
Harry just shrugged.
"If you do not tell me, I cannot help you."
"Draco's a bit of a git, and his two goons aren't that great either." Harry scribbled.
Snape snorted at Harry's description. "What exactly is Draco doing?"
"Just...stuff."
"Just...stuff?" Snape repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Harry only nodded.
"Very well. I will address this 'just stuff' with Messers Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. I suggest you return to your common room and finish whatever you were working on."
"Professor Snape!" Minerva yelled through his floo.
"Yes, Deputy Headmistress?" he asked, noting that it was now almost 9pm. He thought the old cat would be in bed by now.
"You have visitors in my office, Severus. Now."
Snape rolled his eyes, slipping on his teaching robes and walking through the floo and into Professor McGonagall's office.
"Would you care to explain why WCS is here regarding Mr. Potter?" she asked sternly.
"Obviously someone has made an allegation of abuse on his behalf, Minerva," Snape said shortly.
"Obviously. I want to know whom!"
"Lady Greengrass, Madame Bones. I must say I am surprised to see you both here so late. To what do I owe this visit?"
"I'm sorry, Severus. I know you have had a long day. We just had a few additional questions for you and some of the other staff that we needed to address tonight, if you don't mind."
"Of course not. Shall we do it here, or in my office?"
"Here would be fine, if Professor McGonagall doesn't mind. We have some questions for her as well."
"What is the meaning of all of this!" Minerva demanded in a slightly high pitched voice.
"Deputy Headmistress," Lady Greengrass said addressing McGonagall, "Professor Snape came to my office today regarding a serious issue involving Mr. Potter. He had extensive documentation to back his claim, and I had no choice but to open up an investigation on behalf of young Harry. I must say that I am very disturbed by what we have found so far, and at this point I must ask you, since you work so closely with the Headmaster, if you had any idea that Harry Potter was being abused, or at the very least, was not receiving adequate care in his relatives' home."
"Albus assured me that Harry was taken care of. That he was happy. I warned him when he first sent Harry to live with those people that they were the worst sort of muggles imaginable! Poor Lily would come to Hogwarts every year in tears over all the things that sister of hers would do to her over the holidays. But Albus assured me that he had spoken with them and told them how important it was for everyones safety that Harry reside in their home. He said it was the only place that Harry would be safe!"
"So you never suspected that Harry was in danger?" asked Madame Bones.
"No! Never!" insisted Minerva.
"And when Harry came to school unable to speak, did that not strike you as odd?"
"A little, perhaps. At first I had thought that he was just a shy and quiet child. Then I thought maybe Severus had scared him a bit. It crossed my mind that maybe he was a little shell shocked with all the news. I've seen it happen occasionally. But again Albus convinced me that it was okay, and that if Harry didn't come around next week he would have Harry looked at."
"Were you aware that Dumbledore is not Harry's magical guardian?"
"No..."
"And the Dursleys are not his legal guardians?"
"No!"
"Professor Snape?"
"I must admit I was not pleased when Potter ended up in my house. I do not much care for the boy based on my history with his parents, so I did not follow him closely. I would not have even given him a second thought had he not been sorted into Slytherin house. James was a toss pot until the end, but it surprised me when I found out that Harry had been sent to live with Lily's sister. I know that she had been fearful of where Harry would end up should something happened to her, and asked that I look after him should she meet her untimely end, which she did, just a few days later," said Snape frowning.
"What transpired that provoked her to ask such a thing of you, if you two were not particularly close?" asked Lady Greengrass.
"I had sent an owl to her. I asked her to meet me at some shady pub on the outskirts of London. I had overheard a prophecy, and feared that it had meant her son, so I tried to warn her. I told her to hide, to take her child and her idiot husband and run. I had warned the Longbottoms the week before in fact. She told me she forgave me for the fall out we had had our fifth year. She...she told me that if anything happened to her, she wanted me to watch over Harry, to make sure he was safe. I tried to refuse, but I couldn't. I loved her. How do you refuse the woman you love, anything? So I promised her that I would watch over Harry, from a distance, and protect him with my dying breath, if necessary, because I loved her. Always."
Lady Greengrass and Madame Bones allowed a small smile, and then thanked the Professors for their time and left.
Severus was up long into the night thinking on everything that had transpired, and going over the notes for the children he would be meeting tomorrow. Thinking it best to get his 'associates' out of the way, Snape had planned a morning tea with the Goyles, mid morning business with Jonathan Crabbe, lunch with the Malfoys (he had a headache just thinking about it), afternoon tea with Lady Parkinson, and dinner at the Greengrass estate.
The next morning at promptly 7am, Severus Snape entered the small manor home of Lord and Lady Goyle.
"Severus," gushed Lady Goyle, "it's so good to see you! I trust our little boy is doing well?"
Severus just sneered.
"Snape!" greeted Lord Goyle.
"Goyle," Severus intoned.
"Come, let us have some breakfast and catch up on how our son is doing," the man smiled.
"Yes," said Severus dryly, "let's."
Breakfast was a small affair, and Severus kept his eating light. He informed the Goyles about the small hiccup on the first day of school, and how he thought that Goyle could use some additional tutoring in some of his subjects so as he did not fall behind.
"Our son is very intelligent Snape. Are you sure private tutoring is necessary?" asked Goyle senior.
"I have no doubt of Gregory's intelligence. I do however believe that the approach Hogwarts takes to teaching as a whole may not be condusive to his particular learning style. Mr. Goyle is very hands on, and as such he seems to accel in subjects like herbology, care of magical creatures, and potions. I believe he could be outstanding in the other subjects if he had someone who could devote a few hours a week teaching a different way. And perhaps if Mr. Malfoy would stop treating your son like a troll, his confidence in himself would improve."
"Yes," said Lady Goyle decidedly. "We want our son to succeed. I, unlike my husband, have never appreciated his interaction with the youngest Malfoy. Why my husband plays lap dog to Lucius I will never understand, but Gregory is such a sweet boy, very quiet. He only wishes to please us I know, but him being his own person pleases me the most."
"About that. I fear that young Mr. Malfoy is leading your son down a dangerous path. I do not tolerate bullies, as you well know. Malfoy, being under the impression that Gregory and Mr. Crabbe will fight his battles, has taken to picking on various students throughout the school. While I could care less about the verbal slights they dish out to other houses, I will not tolerate the bullying of other Slytherins. I am sure you have heard through various contacts that Mr. Potter has been sorted into the Snakes Lair, and therefore I am sure that you have heard of his numerous disadvantages..."
"Yes?" said Lady Goyle.
"I feel it prudent then to advise you that I will absolutely NOT tolerate anyone, regardless of house, causing Mr. Potter any further grief. I cannot share details of what I know, but be aware that WCS has become involved in regards to Potters homelife, and that it was I who requested this move."
"Severus-" gasped Goyle.
"Yes. I am sure then that I need not explain myself further. Make sure you let Gregory know that his transgressions will not be overlooked, and that neither of you will be able to save him from the severe punishments I am capable of dishing out should I find he cause young Mr. Potter any distress."
"Of course, Snape. I shall write him today. Keep me informed of his progress, and I will see about arranging for a tutor."
"Very well. I must away. I'm meeting with Crabbe in an hour and a half, and there are some documents that I must obtain."
"I'll see you out," said Lady Goyle.
Snapes meeting with Mr. Crabbe went much the same in that he encouraged private tutoring (although in Vincents case it was because he had the intelligence of a troll), and drew the line at Mr. Crabbe junior causing Harry any grief. He also suggested that Vincent try and distance himself from Draco, and insinuated that while the apple never fell far from the tree, the young Crabbe may want to find extracurricular activities outside of being Malfoys goony.
As lunch approached, Severus' dread increased ten-fold. Lucius was a precarious man, and Severus always had to be careful in the way that he worded things. While his relationship was good with the Malfoys (he was Draco's Godfather after all), he and Lucius often didn't see eye to eye on the way the world worked.
Upon reaching Malfoy Manor Severus was lead into the dining hall by one of the houseelves, and greeted Lucius and Narcissa who were already waiting for him.
"Severus. How good of you to join us," drawled Lucius.
"I trust Draco is adjusting well," inquired Narcissa.
"Very well," said Severus.
The three ate lunch in silence, and then settled in the parlour where Snape partook of the offered firewhiskey.
"I take it, since you are here most weekends, that this is not a normal first year review?" asked Lucius with a raised eyebrow.
"I fear not," said Snape shortly.
"What troubles you my friend?"
"Draco's behavior."
"How so?" asked Cissa.
"While he is an exemplary student, and very respectful of all of the staff members, I have noticed that Draco is a bit of a bully."
"Come now Severus. Im sure he's just trying to toughen the little mudbloods up. What happened? Did a few Gryffindors go crying to McGonagall?"
"I don't care what Draco says to those outside of Slytherin House. I am positive he gets as good as he gives. And he has actually be surprisingly ignorant of those with lesser blood standing that he. He will not however start a fight and then leave it for Crabbe and Goyle to finish. If Draco is to become a man, now more than ever he must learn not only how to pick his battles, but fight them on his own once they have started. Goyle Senior may be an idiot, but Lady Goyle was a Ravenclaw and thankfully Gregory has inherited his mothers intelligence. I will not see that opportunity squashed just because he is expected to bow to Slytherins Ice Prince."
"Severus-" Lucius started.
"I am sure you have heard about Mr. Potter's sorting into Slytherin House..." Severus trailed off.
"Quite the shocker," said Lucius.
"I will not warn Draco again. Mr. Potter is off limits to my Godsons wicked ways."
"I'm not sure we follow..." said Cissa.
"Since Lucius works so closely with the Ministry, I am sure he will catch wind of rumors once certain issues come to light. What I will share with you now is only being shared in the strictest confidence. No one outside of this room can know."
"This sounds serious," said Lucius sitting up.
"Imperative," said Severus. "Harry Potter came to Hogwarts unable to speak. While he is exceptionally brilliant, and seemingly kind, Mr. Potter is not without burden. As you know I require my first years to submit to a physical. Harrys was...a nightmare," said Severus closing his eyes.
"How so?" asked Lucius.
"I dare not repeat those findings in front of your wife...or any lady for that matter. Let us just say that the evidence gathered was enough for Lady Greengrass to take the case herself, and to involve Madame Bones from the very beginning."
"Should we even be discussing this?" asked Lucius one eyebrow raised.
"Probably not. But I must impart on you how serious the matter is. Harry has been abused in the totality of the meaning, for the majority of his life, and at this point I am not confident that he will ever recover from the horrors he has already faced. Therefore it is my duty to ensure that he suffers no further abuse or unnecessary trauma. Draco has a wicked tounge, and during the first week of classes, he has seemed to direct that mostly at Dumbledore's Golden Boy. Seeing as how my warnings have not been taken seriously I am having to resort to asking you to speak with your son Lucius. Obviously none of the student body knows what is going on, and if I have my way they never will. But Draco must tread lightly. The Ministry's investigation has only begun, and so I can not tell you what the more qualified findings are, but as of yet, I am entirely unsure how stable Mr. Potter's magic is, and I cannot gaurentee the safety of others if he is violently provoked. Harry is terrified of the male sex, fearful of raised voices and taunting; very mindful of those who invade his personal space, and, again, is unable to speak due to a grievous injury that was most likely near fatal, and was assumedly survived only because his magic saved him."
"Severus! What are you insinuating?" asked Lucius looking appalled.
"I insinuate nothing. I know how much you love Draco, and what he means to you. I understand that he is spoiled, for good reason," he said looking at Narcissa, "but he must bring his childish ways to a halt before he starts something he cannot finish. Harry Potter is not to be trifled with. I care not that he is supposed to be the old codgers Golden Boy, or that he is the Potter's son. I don't give a damn that he rid the world of the Dark Lord. I made a promise to Lily Evans to protect her son, and now that it is painfully obvious that no one else will, I will only be stopped by death in my pursuit to see that Harry is brought out of this travesty of a life."
"I understand, Severus. I will arrange a meeting with Draco later in the week, if that is alright. I think discussing this face to face will be more productive. I won't mention anything of consequence, but I will let him know the Potter boy is to be left alone, and I will suggest that he puts Crabbe and Goyle to good use insuring that others leave Mr. Potter alone as well."
"Thank you. Lucius. Cissa, as always, it was a pleasure. Now if you'll excuse me, I must away. I have two more visits scheduled for today and I fear they will both run long."
Tea with the Parkinsons was no grand affair. Pansy did well in her classes, drooled over Draco like a little lost puppy, was popular with her classmates, and mostly kept her nose down when it came to trouble.
Dinner at the Greengrass Estate, was a whole nother matter.
"Severus," greeted Lady Greengrass.
"Delilah," he returned.
"All is well, I assume?"
"Of course. Daphne is an exemplary member of Hogwarts, just as I expected. She's made several friends, is towards the top of her classes, stays out of trouble, even mediates some trouble, and, she has been very kind to Mr. Potter."
"Really? I've made no mention of his case..." she trailed off.
"I assumed as much. But Daphne is very adept at reading people. She has been very cautious when approaching Harry, is always soft spoken around him. She has been making sure he has all his school work in order, and I am pretty sure I caught her explaining something to him last week. I would imagine she inherited her mothers mannerisms."
"I would hope so. I am glad that she is doing so well, and that Harry has a student to watch out for him."
"Yes. I informed Lord and Lady Goyle, and Mr. Crabbe in a round about way that they were to insure their sons left Harry alone. And I glossed over the issue with Lord and Lady Malfoy. They will instruct Draco to leave him alone, and will...encourage...him to watch out for Harry, and to influence Crabbe and Goyle juniors to do the same."
"I imagine Lucius will be neck deep in it all by the time this case is over."
"I figured as much. His expertise is far to valuable to overlook."
The two sat in comfortable silence for a while.
"I would imagine you have prepared yourself for more than a meeting about Daphne?" asked Lady Greengrass.
Severus nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose.
As the two tucked in for dinner, a sudden feeling of dread came over Severus. Usually the cases he reported were cut and dry. This child suffered this transgression, the parents admitted to perhaps punishing their child too severely, a warning was issued, and everything went back to the way it was before.
With Harry it was reports, and intensive investigations; examinations and inter-departmental cooperation. WCS had never petitioned custody in any of the cases he had reported.
"Were you successful in petitioning custody of young Mr. Potter?"
"Not as yet. He seems secure and well cared for at the moment so I used the week to gather additional information. It took two days of meeting with the goblins before I was able to acquest the Potter's wills."
"And?"
Delilah paused for a moment.
"The information contained within the wills was most disturbing. It has caused several issues to come to light, and the Aurors had to be appointed to conduct an investigation of the Potters Estate and other subsequent matters."
"What sort of issues?" asked Snape with a raised eyebrow.
"Both Lily and James made it painfully clear that Albus Dumbledore was to have nothing to do with their son. He was to go his Godfather, Sirius Black. Were Sirius to be unavailable to care for young Harry, the list continued to name the Longbottoms, Remus Lupin, and as an addendum in Lily's will, you."
"How on earth did Albus manage to bypass the wills?"
"Memory charms. The goblins were under the impression the wills had already been read. Madame Bones and I both found it terribly...odd...that each person listed has been rendered otherwise incapable of claiming inheritance of young Mr. Potter. Mr. Black is in Azkaban for murder, the Longbottoms are unfortunately, permanently indisposed, and I fear Remus is in no financial or physical condition to care for the boy, especially given Harry's...condition."
"Why was I on the list of acceptable gaurdians?"
"Lily was under the impression that you would provide the best care actually. Did she not speak to you about it?"
"I agreed to watch Harry from a distance. I most certainly never agreed to care for the boy."
Delilah just nodded.
"Mr. Blacks case has been reopened. Very disturbing that. Apparently he never received a trial. Of course, the investigation will take several months to complete, and there is no gaurentee that the man is still sane. Over a decade in Azkaban and all..." she trailed off.
"I am sure the Ministry has several capable families to step in," said Severus.
"Oh I'm sure they do. But how many would be able to deal with the underlying issues, and how many would foster him simply for his name?"
"It would be safe to assume the Potter's left a trust account to care for Harry? I see no reason then why Mr. Lupin could not take up the mantle..."
"He is unreachable. No one seems to know where he is. And even if they did..."
"He is still a dangerous animal," snorted Severus.
"Yes," said Lady Greengrass with a frown.
"I have no time for snot nosed children," said Severus firmly.
"I imagine not," Delilah smiled lightly.
"And I have no knowledge of how to raise a child."
"Yet you teach them. And Dumbledore obviously had some sort of faith in you. He did after all make you the youngest Head of House in Hogwarts history."
"He's getting senile in his old age," said Severus dryly.
"You care for your Snakes while they are in your charge."
"It is my professional duty."
"And how many other professors give the same level of care?"
"My situation is precarious due to the unfortunate decisions of my youth. I do not wish to tempt the law..."
"Severus. Please. Do not think so lowly of yourself."
"I have little patience for children. I fear I would do more harm than good."
"Yet you have been Harry's only champion..."
"I am a death eater. Should the Dark Lord return, Harry's life would be in even greater danger. What's to say I would not hand him to the Dark Lord on a silver platter?"
"You are a spy, not a death eater. And you would not forfeit a life so. The promise you made to Lily said that much."
"The courts would not allow it."
"They would have no choice. I have deemed you worthy, and as the last surviving parent, Lily's will is law. She herself noted that she wished you to care for her child."
Severus opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.
"I thought as much," smiled Delilah. "I'll draw up the paperwork and file it Monday with the appropriate channels. I'll need to meet with you Wednesday to go cover some paperwork. Will a late supper work for you? I can come to the school if that is easier. I have some things there I need to address anyway."
"Wednesday will suffice. My only concern is Dumbledore. He will know somethis is remiss."
"I believe the Board of Governors will have that situation addressed," said Lady Greengrass with an all knowing smile.
"Ensure that they do," was all Severus said as he rose to leave.
"Don't worry Severus. Everything will be okay in the end," she soothed.
"I hope for the boy's sake it is."
And with that Severus apparated to Hogsmeade and then stormed to Hogwarts and to his chambers to drown his woes in a bottle of liqour.
APOLOGY: So...I am the worst author EVER and this has been entirely too long in coming, and I am so SO sorry for that. I promise I will try and work on my stories for a few hours each day so that updates are not months coming. It feels so good to be writing again! WOOHOO!
