Chapter 9

The truth as it is

In his undeniably long life there had been a handful of situations that had shocked Albus Dumbledore and his meeting with Harry Potter had been one such. He leaned back in his seat and felt the waves of remorse and guilt wash through him. He had truly not known the depth of Severus's prejudice and he had not anticipated those feelings to be so strong even after all these years. He had been woefully insufficient in recognizing the signs and perhaps it was time that he had the long overdue conversation with one Severus Snape. This amount of vitriol would undoubtedly kill the wizard from the inside and would do no one any favours.

At the same time Severus was not the man who would take accusations lightly and the last thing anyone needed was to make him any more anti Potter. Dumbledore ruminated over this small problem and came to a decision. He went to the pensieve and closing his eyes; he waved his wand in a complicated motion and sat back in apparent satisfaction. He then sent a patronus to Severus Snape asking him to come to his office for a discussion that he was definitely not looking forward to.

It was not long before the long frame of Severus Snape was seated in the headmaster's office looking expectantly at him. "Good morning Severus. I have just had a very enlightening discussion with one of the students and I want you to have a look at the memories that he provided me with. I would like your opinion on the matter"…he said gesturing to the pensieve.

"Is it Potter?" Severus asked in a resigned voice. He had been expecting a discussion and perhaps this was it. "Why do you ask Severus? Is there something that I should know about?" Dumbledore replied and Severus dimly noted the lack of twinkle in the man's eyes. An uneasy foreboding rose in his gut as he reluctantly rose to accompany the old man into the pensieve.

"No Albus. I was just wondering as to what issue could there be that would require my input?" he asked weakly. "You will see my boy" Dumbledore said cryptically and Severus wondered whether the hat was right in the sorting all those years ago.

Soon he was inside the pensieve and he saw a teacher berate a student and assign unfair punishments. The face of the student as well as the teacher was not familiar to him although the punishments and the words spoken were very reminiscent of what he had had with Harry Potter. But seeing the events from a third person point of view even he was shocked.

The anger and derision that dripped from the teacher's face was almost toxic. Had he looked like that?The events and words were too familiar to not be him and this was Dumbledore's way of making him see what he had become. regret and guilt swirled through him anew and a sharp spike of pain stuck his chest when he saw the student wonder if he should polyjuice himself to avoid ridicule….Had he really pushed Potter to that? What kind of a man had he become and at that moment, he seemed to be more monster than human in his own eyes.

Had he changed that much that there was nothing human left in him? The punishments that he had given now seemed drastically excessive and why did he mock Potter when he was suffering? It truly seemed that he had become the death eater that he pretended to be. He had not wanted to acknowledge the pain that he had caused and he could not pretend that he had not seen the pain in the boy's eyes whenever he had ridiculed him.

He could not fool himself and say that he had not noticed the boy being weak after the so called occlumency lessons. He felt deep shame as he reluctantly acknowledged that he had used the lessons to torture the boy. It had been nothing less than that. He had wanted to hurt and bring down the boy and what a job he had done…he had truly stuck the blow and had felt a false sense of victory. Had he really sunk that low that he had reveled in causing another pain? And not a criminal or deserving candidate either, he told himself but a mere boy. He should have risen above the prejudice but had instead allowed it to rule over him.

For the first time in years he felt moisture rise in his eyes. He shuddered to think what Lily would do if she was here. She would hex him senseless and hex him again when he awoke he thought with a faint smile.

He shook his head as he envisioned her and sadly exited the pensieve. He had hardly glanced at the headmaster and he could feel his gaze piecing through him. He deserved every word of reproach and steeled himself for the disappointment in the old man's gaze. However he also felt a dim sense of respect for Potter in standing up to him and felt relieved that he had not broken the boy totally. His spirit had survived and he wowed that he would do what he could to rectify the situation in the future and start acting like the adult that he was. Right now it was Potter who was more mature and he wondered if he would ever be forgiven for chasing the boy out of his home.

"This boy has now asked to change his school. What are your thoughts Severus?" Dumbledore said looking at Snape thoughtfully trying to gauge the other man's thoughts. The raw emotion on the potion master's face was answer enough but Albus Dumbledore was not quite done. He was angry with the man but he was not the only one at fault.

"Please let's stop playing games Albus" Severus snapped before adding in a softer voice "Does Potter really want to leave Hogwarts?" he asked in a fearful whisper afraid of the answer.

"Can you really blame him Severus?" Dumbledore asked keeping his gaze on the potions master. Severus shook his head mutely "what do you plan to do?" he asked and almost knew the answer before it was spoken aloud. "I plan to give him what he wants….Merlin knows I am equally at fault in that child's case. Why Severus?"...he paused delicately "It's a question that I should have asked you a long time ago but in my naiveté I believed that you would be able to separate the father and child but so much hate Severus? For the man who gave his life to save the woman you loved? Severus I implore you, give up the hate and search for the love that you once had in your heart" The words were scathing and for the first time Severus Snape was subject to the power and restrained anger that emanated from the old wizard. He squirmed in his seat; there was nothing he could say in his defense.

"I am sorry Albus, I let my prejudice overcome me" he said "I am not the one who needs your apology Severus" Albus Dumbledore snapped back before saying "however you need to know that he had asked to transfer to Durmstrang and I have endorsed it".

"But he won't be safe Albus…you have to dissuade him" Severus said in alarm. "He had a strong case and I am afraid that you will get your wish for a Potter free zone" the sharp words seemed ill fitting to Albus Dumbledore but Severus knew that he deserved it.

"Should I speak to him…Albus help me, I don't know what to do. I never meant for him to leave Hogwarts" he looked up with haunted eyes. Dumbledore looked at him with pity in his eyes "There's nothing to be done now my boy. But if he chooses to come back we will have to let him know that this is his home. And Severus there is one more reason that I called you here. We have lost one student and I don't want to lose one more in the form of Neville Longbottom. I don't want to make the same mistake again and hereby take this as a warning that I do not take kindly to ridicule and slander of any student in Hogwarts by teacher or student. I speak this as headmaster of the school and there will be consequences to your actions from now on" he said sternly.

Severus nodded suitably chastised. "Is there no way that I can make amends Albus?" he asked feeling miserable. "Not right now but there is something that Harry wanted you to see" Dumbledore said laying the vial of memories meant for Severus on the table.

"That's it then?" he asked not knowing what he was waiting for but Dumbledore had something more to say "He asked you to answer the question where's the prince?".Severus was puzzled "Did you take a look at it? Do you know what it means?" he asked.

"Of course not. These were meant for you" Dumbledore said simply. "Accompany me then…please" Severus requested. Dumbledore acquiesced and they once more went into the pensieve wondering as to what more have they failed to learn.

They landed in the foyer of a well kept house, and by the looks of it muggle. The house was ridiculously clean as if someone had obsessed over it. They ventured inside and saw an obese man sitting at the dining table with the paper in his hand. An equally obese child of about seven was seated across from him and demanding food quite obnoxiously. A thin tall woman flitted into the kitchen where Severus saw to his immense shock a messy haired Harry Potter rapidly trying to transfer the contents of a pan onto a plate.

"Boy! Go serve it fast" She snapped as Potter scurried to do her bidding. He placed the plate on the table and rushed to get a third serving when he saw his aunt taking her place at the table. They saw him stand tentatively to the side of the table and Severus's sharp eyes noted the lack of a fourth setting at the table. He looked at the headmaster and saw the twinkle die down in his eyes as he seemed to have noted the same.

Once the family had finished the food where the young blubber boy had taken seconds and thirds, Harry came in with the coffee for his uncle. Severus saw the blond haired menace strike out a leg in Potter's path and opened his mouth to warn the little boy but came back to reality when the headmaster laid a hand on his arm.

With a sinking heart and knowing that there was nothing that he could do he saw the coffee spill over the obese man. The man got to his feet in a towering rage as Potter visibly shrank back from him. Severus felt an insane fury sweep through him as the man viciously backhanded the too-small-for his age Potter and sent him sprawling to the floor while screaming a host of obscenities at the small boy.

"Freak!!Not able to be useful in any way…what a waste of space! You ungrateful lout…stop moping and get this cleaned up and then get started on your chores. Two days of no food will set you straight. Do you understand?" he screamed as Potter slowly got to his feet keeping his eyes averted from his uncle. His lip had split open and he had a palm shaped bruise on his cheek. Unshed tears threatened to spill over but Potter was biting his lip keeping the tears at bay.

"What do you understand boy? Speak up" the uncle taunted with a cruel glint in his eye "do my chores and no food for two days" Potter's voice came out small and fearful. "Get started right now. If they are not done by the time I am back you will pay for it" the uncle threatened shoving a piece of paper into the little boy's hands. Severus just had time to peek into a very long list of chores in the boy's hand.

Potter seemed to shrink even further at the threat and he immediately started cleaning up the mess. Severus Snape stood feeling sick at what he had witnessed and did not even register that the scene had shifted. His assumptions were falling around his ears and his world was shifting in perspective.

He was startled to suddenly find himself in the yard as the memory shifted and Potter was crouched over the weeds. The boy looked weak and exhausted and Severus felt a wave of anger course through him as he realized that the boy must have worked through the day on an empty stomach. He kept casting fearful glances at the driveway and almost froze with fear when he saw his uncle's car drive in. He tried to finish the weeding in a frenzy but was soon startled out of it when he heard his uncle bellowing "BOY! Get in here now!".

His shoulders slumped in defeat and he dragged his feet into the house. Severus and the headmaster followed not quite wanting to see what would undoubtedly follow. "I see you haven't finished the chores you lazy worthless freak! We put a roof over your head and give the clothes off our back and this is how you repay us?You know what the punishment for this is. Go to the porch and be like that till morning...if you dare disobey, the consequences will not be pretty" he thundered. "Please uncle…I didn't mean to be late" Potter pleaded weakly but was silenced by the venomous glare that he received as the uncle simply said "now!".

"Be like what?" Severus wondered in bafflement but the question was answered when Potter went to the porch and kneeled down hanging his head and biting his lip again to contain the outbreak of tears. Severus felt a wave of nausea as he remembered that he had used the same punishment on Potter and immediately felt sick. Oh Merlin! What had he done! How much must he have hurt that boy…tears rose unbidden for the hardship that the little boy was going through and for what he had caused. He found the uncle despicable and if he had done the same thing then he must be despicable too. "Oh my God! Albus what have I done?" he lamented in a whisper and saw that the headmaster had tears in his eyes as well "Not just you Severus…what have I done?".

"I don't want to see more Albus" Severus whispered but knew that he now owed the boy at least that courtesy. So he fell silent as they were pushed onto the next memory to confront a twelve year old Potter. The scene almost looked the same as Potter stood before a raging more obese uncle. "How dare you spoil the dinner with your freakishness! You will pay for that boy! Upstairs now!" he ordered and Severus vaguely remembered the incident where an underage Potter was supposed to have used magic over the holidays.

Potter and his friend had come to school on that blasted car and he now felt ashamed that he had pushed for the boy's expulsion. In retrospect he was grateful that Dumbledore had not listened to him, for Potter would have been locked in with this family for the whole year.

There was no telling what would have happened as even now he reluctantly followed the headmaster up the rickety stairs to see a small room with multiple padlocks on the door. Once again he felt sadness overtake him as he realized that this must be Potter's room and he was almost afraid to guess the purpose of the locks.

"How dare you spoil everything with your freakishness!I will make you normal if I have to beat it out of you…this is the last time I warn you boy!" the man was shouting at the top of his voice. "I didn't do it Uncle…please" Potter's voice only seemed to inflame the disgusting man further. "You dare speak back to me! I will teach you your place if it is the last thing I do" the man raged as he hit the boy across the face. Potter stumbled and did not fall down but he was not prepared for what happened next.

Severus felt frantic with worry as he saw the evil giant remove his belt and bring it down on the boy. Potter looked up with surprise not having expected the blow as the second one rained down almost immediately. He saw the boy try to shield his face as the belt came down repeatedly on his chest, back and legs. By the time the beating was over the boy was on the ground and curled into a ball pleading with his uncle for mercy. The snowy owl in the cage flapped her wings becoming agitated over what her master was suffering and Severus could identify with the emotion pretty well. Abuse was not new to him he mused as he stood and watched the memory shift again.

The memory shifted a bit and Severus saw that it was a few days ahead. They were in the same room and this time Severus looked around. The room was small, with a bed that no decent human being would sleep on and a torn ragged blanket that would serve no purpose. The room was dark as there were now bars on the windows and to his utter rage a cat flap on the door. What kind of monsters were these people?

Potter was sitting on the floor looking wan and weak. He seemed to be just skin and bones and the clothes that he wore were clearly the other boy' s as quite a few Potters would have fit into them. He was however brought out of his observation as the cat flap was lifted and a can of soup was shoved in.

Potter did not seem to be surprised by this as he slowly moved to the can and took out the pieces of meat and gave it to his owl "I am sorry Hedwig. This is all we get today. I know it is not much but I promise that I will set it right when we get to Hogwarts" he whispered as he drank the liquid portion of the soup.

Bloody Gryffindor! Severus cursed and then the anger took hold of a different thought "Did you know of this Albus?" he asked looking askance at the headmaster who had been grappling with his own guilt. "No Severus …I had no idea. It seems that I have much to atone for" he said in a voice laden with regret.

"They are treating him like an elf Albus. How can we allow this? They are monsters..How can they treat a child like this ?" the words came out shocked as he continued "I am not sure I am ready for any more of this Albus" he confessed quietly.

"No Severus we need to know how deep this goes…how much has to be set right in the poor boy's mind. I owe it to Lily and James" the headmaster said as the scene shifted relentlessly taking them to the next memory.

Author notes: I am immensely thankful for the lovely words and follows that you have given the story…a 103 followers…wow .I am truly humbled. I am sorry for the delay (yet again) and wow to do better in the future. The next chapter will be a continuation of this one so stay tuned and thanks once again. I know I might be contradicting myself a bit here but the next chapter will be a couple weeks in coming as I am going to be touring for the next 10 days! I will be in Europe and hope to get a bit of insight into London that might help in the writing!Ciao and take care.