Chapter 29

"And he didn't tell you anything?"

"Nothing" Tom replied, "I asked how he knew Charlotte or Charlie or whatever her name was, but he didn't give much of an answer. Just muttered something about her owing him one".

"Owing him one?" Lucius asked doubly, "The head of the most powerful vampire coven in the United Kingdom owing a favour to a 16-year-old boy?"

He shrugged, collapsing into his favourite armchair in front of the roaring fire, "He didn't explain any further, and I didn't press him for answers".


"He doesn't seem to trust you very much".


Tom's head snapped to the third man in the room, but Severus stared back unwaveringly.

"I mean, considering you two love each other and all, Potter hasn't actually done anything to prove it".

"Severus" Lucius warned, his voice low, but Snape scoffed, "What? You know I only speak the truth. Riddle's clearly infatuated with the boy, but the brat hasn't been so forthcoming. How do you know this isn't all just a ploy? To get Tom on his side? Merlin knows there's a good few dozen powerful people that'll go where he goes, so Potter winning him over is quite the advantage".

"And why" Tom started, his voice a deadly quiet, "would he want that?"

Snape shrugged and leant back in his chair, "You tell me".

"No, actually" Lucius interrupted, fixing him with a piercing stare, "You tell us... I haven't heard you say much about Harry. I would have thought you'd have quite... the opinion".

"What's there to say? He gets average grades in class, doesn't get much detention, and seems to have a good group of friends".

"Those are common knowledge" Malfoy shot back, "But what do you think of him? Merlin knows you're the best judge of character here".

Severus stared at him closely for a minute before glancing over at Tom, "... How much has he told you?"

"About what?"

"About before" He replied.


Before we found him.


Tom sighed, "He... hasn't said much, if anything at all. I rarely get to talk to him personally, but from what I can tell, and from what Draco and Blaise have told me, he doesn't talk about a time before he came here. As if Hogwarts is the only life he ever had. He doesn't mention before. Ever".

Snape slowly nodded, a thoughtful look on his face

Lucius narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What do you know?"

"About what?"

"About before" He parroted, "Tom answered his side of the question, now answer yours... You seem to have information that we don't know of yet".

"The boy... Potter... He acts very... abruptly, does he not?"

"As in impulsively?" Tom frowned, but Severus shook his head, "No, not like that. More like... Mood swings. Abrupt changes of emotion. Sometimes he's quiet, shy, needy. Other times he reckless, brazen, and uncontrollable".

The other two slowly nodded, for the first time realising how sudden Harry's emotions really were.


"Why is that, do you think?"

Lucius shook his head, "Who knows? I admit that his behaviour swings from calm and in control to overly-emotional and abrupt, but... isn't everybody like that sometimes?"

"Sometimes, yes... At least twice a day, no".

"What are you getting at, Sev?" Tom asked tiredly, and the Potions Master glanced over at him, "... Potter was abused for the first 10 years of his life. He spent the next 6 supposedly on the streets, until the Auror's found him. Yet no one fully knows what happened to him over those six years. From what I can gather, he befriended vampires, somehow earned their respect. Along the way, he found the wizarding world, learnt everything he could, and became adapt with a wand. He is perhaps the most powerful wizard of our world, and has complete control over his magic... Yet not his emotions?"

"... I don't understand" Lucius finally replied, and Snape sighed, "Potter ranges from extreme happiness to extreme sadness within a matter of seconds. In the muggle world, there's a term for that".

"Wait" Tom suddenly realised, "You think he's... that Harry's... that he has some sort of... emotional illness?"

"Mental illness, but yes, something like that. They're rather common in the muggle world".

"But... But how... how the hell did he even get it?"

Severus glared at him, "Were you not listening?! He spent his entire childhood getting verbally, emotionally, and physically abused by his only remaining family! And then he was on the streets, where he suffered more abuse if his medical records or anything to go by".

"... How did you get his medical records?" Lucius asked warily, but Snape waved a hand at him, "That's not important. What's important, is that it is humanely impossible to suffer through all that abuse and not come out unscathed".

"And you think his sudden 180 degree changes are a result of that?"

"Most likely. And if I'm right, then given time they could manifest into something worse".

"Then why didn't you mention this sooner?!" Tom yelled, "He could have- He could have been getting help or- or medicine or- or maybe even a cure or-"

"Don't you think I'd have said something the second I had solid proof?" He snapped back, "As it happens, it was only earlier tonight when it clicked. When he told you two to stay outside during the vampire meeting. When he threatened you so calmly and assuredly, completely positive in his abilities of murdering you if you stepped even one foot out of line. And then, in the meeting itself... When Potter and I spoke to that Charlotte woman about her joining the Light side, she listened to every word he said, took all his ideas into account. And he was... good... at talking business with her. He knew how to negotiate, how to bargain, how to talk the talk. And as much as I loathe to say it... If he hadn't been there, I would never have been able to convince that vampire to join us".

He shook his head, "Look, all I'm saying, is that the reason I haven't offered my opinions on the brat, is because I don't actually think we've seen him yet... Everything he does, everything he says, is all planned beforehand. He works out the pro's and the con's, how people will react, and what they'll think of him afterwards... He knows exactly what he's doing to others... My only concern, is does he know what he's doing to himself?"