Chapter Twenty-Eight

His Last Will and Testament

Potter pointed a wand in Severus's face. His handler's.

He had put it down, whilst sorting among these things.

"Who's the amateur now? Snape?"

Severus disarmed Harry Potter promptly. Wandlessly.

"Now we'll see whether the great, famous Boy Who Lived, the apparent saviour of us all," Severus spat, "ever bothered to learn wandless magic. Well? Prove me wrong!"

Harry lowered his wand arm.

"I suspected as much."

Snape bent over his cloak, rummaging in its inside pockets.

"And you delayed attempting to attack me all the while, since you've qualms about my being unarmed, and you prefer to fight a 'fair' fight. Even though you fancy yourself at my mercy. The 'notorious' Snape! Ha! Potter, you really are pathe-"

"Stupefy!"

Severus dived.

"Pathetic! Wandless, simple spells, you perhaps know. But I mastered silent wandsmanship as a mere boy! And you still give away what you're about to cast to the enemy! You've failed to protect yourself, and your wife, and have further endangered your children! You swan in here, unprepared, untrained- no. Worse! In spite of training! Reckless, irresponsible! And you think yourself a family man! HA! You're a liability and a failure, Potter-"

"And you think you've done so much better, Snape? For my kids?"

"Absolutely!"

"Despite the fact you're keeping them in a dungeon?"

"I've protected them from him a thousand times better than you could!"

"If you call mass murder protecting-"

"And now you, Potter, have ruined everything I've worked so hard far, everything I have SUFFERED for! Protecting Albus Severus, Lily and the others- All for NOTHING! Because you've gone and got yourself captured. Can't you see, even using that thick head of yours? HE'S GOT NO REASON TO KEEP THEM ALIVE NOW! You've signed your children's own death warrants-"

"CRUCIO!"

Severus was struck square in the chest.

He was ultimately able to throw it off. After a bit of screaming and writhing about.

"Oh, so you are a complete moron after all, then?" This to mask Severus's surprise, since it was so complex, never mind, exhausting a spell, to attempt to perform wandlessly. "I've set the wards so that anyone trying to get through the door remembers a need to be elsewhere. Anyone hearing screams along the corridor and beyond, however, will still remember having heard them. When all know the Dark Lord is absent! Idiot boy!"

"Stop. Calling. Me. A BOY!"

"Well then stop rising to the bate! So you've learnt a bit of misdirection and wandless spells? I could do as much at 14! And that's the standard they set for Aurors these days? 'Protecting the Wizarding Community'. HA! Not even protecting yourself, by the looks of it: no medicinal potions, nor ones for disguises, bar top ups of the one Polyjuice. Always carry spares for alternative disguises, with the hairs as yet unadded! Also, no compass, no whistle, no torch-"

"I'm a wizard!"

"Who's lost his wand! And hasn't any muggle or magical kit as a backup! No spare wand, no Floo Powder. No maps. No water. You haven't got anything of any practical use on you at all!"

"Aren't you shocked? That I used dark magic? An unforgivable? Wandlessly!"

Severus Snape slowly clapped, getting progressively slower. Five times. In acknowledgement of this 'feat'.

The longest pause was before the final clap.

Harry adopted an offensive wand stance.

"Well, what are you expecting? A sticker? A lollypop?"

"CRUCIO!"

Severus couldn't throw this one off. He was probably too weak, he reasoned, after the last one.

Or, perhaps, he didn't want to acknowledge just how good Potter's curse had been. Much better than the last one. And longer.

That did, frankly, surprise him. But he wouldn't show it.

"Again. Far from impressed." Severus fought to contain his panting. "Wandless magic. The crutiatus. Yet you cannot cast a legilimens!"

"What of it?" snarled Harry.

"There are things which cannot be said!"

The walls had ears. And eyes.

"If you were half-competently trained..."

Then Severus Snape could tell Harry Potter so much.

"Idiot boy! Even when I stop occluding expressly for you, and stare at you pointedly, you still don't know how to read my thoughts!"

"Why not whisper? In my ear?"

"If you knew half the things an Auror ought to know about Surveillance Magic, you wouldn't need to ask! You're thoroughly deserving of the title of 'idiot boy'!"

He snapped his fingers and pointed at the mahogany desk. The chair had its back to the opposite wall, the one with the fireplace.

"Sit!"

With a flourish, Severus Snape draped Harry Potter with the invisibility cloak.

"What are you doing?!"

"In case of a firecall!"

Severus Snape opened the top-right desk draw, and removed a sheaf of parchment.

"Am I right in assuming that your affairs are not in order?"

"My affairs? What are you talking-"

"Who inherits the house and money?"

Severus paused. Expectantly.

"When you DIE, Potter!"

"What business is that of YOURS, Snape?"

"Perhaps your house is jointly owned. By you and your wife? Or- have you even paid the mortgage off?"

Harry wrenched the cloak off his head, making to stand and face the nosy bastard.

Severus pressed him back down into the chair. Brushing the cloak aside, he bound Harry's left arm to that of the chair, leaving the right arm free.

"Let me GO, you evil-"

"IS she able to pay it alone? Without your income? Perhaps there is some pension or compensation for your death in service-"

"Fuck's sake, Snape! Why the hell are you going off on one about all this?"

Come to think of it… If Ginevra Potter died… Well if it was all left to her then that was no good either.

"Am I correct in assuming that you have not arranged your affairs? Provided for your children's futures?"

"I am providing for them! I work damn hard, I'll bloody-well have you know-"

"I might just about persuade him to buy them new shoes when they outgrow old pairs. But the Dark Lord hardly being renowned for his generosity… he may just expect them to go barefoot-"

"I can't believe this! Listen to yourself, Snape! Stop it! Please! How can you be so cruel?!"

"Don't have fits of hysterics, Potter. We have little time enough as things stand-"

"For what? For you to make plans for when you've adopted my kids? You're SHOE shopping for them! Before I'm even dead and buried!"

Severus glanced diagonally behind them. At the pale blue and green William Morris-patterned sofa. Besides the door to the master's bedroom. Beneath the painting of a floating woman.

Drowning. Or drowned.

He looked away.

"You won't get a burial."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. No, I'm not."

He avoided looking at the chair again.

It was flecked all over with blood spatters.

Guests assumed it was simply part of the pattern.

Severus knew otherwise.

Much to his regret. Very, very much.

Not that regrets achieve anything in life-

Severus stared at the oxblood swivel chair he had tied Harry Potter to.

He avoided looking at the man. But spoke loud enough for him to hear.

"Did you know that the Dark Lord owns my house?"

"What's that got to do with-"

"Do you know why? How that came to be? I died intestate, Potter. There was no one left who- I Should have- I didn't think. The government took everything."

He frantically rummaged through the draws as he spoke.

"Now he is the government."

He'd found an ink well and a spare quill. He wasn't going to get Potter's fingerprints all over the Dark Lord's things, laid out on the brass pen tray set.

"Don't you see? You need to provide for your children's futures! He won't be able to touch the money, legally, if you knock a will into proper legal shape. I strongly suggest that you allot an annual allowance, for sundry expenses, school shoes, books, and so on… Until they each come into their equal share when they're of age."

"You're seriously trying to convince me that you want to stop him from stealing my money? As if I buy that! You're the one handing me over! How warped is that?! What are you playing at?! What's in it for you?"

"Potter: everything he does is above board."

Harry snorted.

"Don't misunderstand me. He bullies and threatens, coaxes and bribes, yes. But Lucius's accounts were signed over to him. Under duress, yes. But it was all legally signed off and witnessed-"

"It's not legal if it's signed under duress!"

"-The Dark Lord was elected to become Minister for Magic with a majority in the Wizengamot. He was even careful to ensure that it wasn't unanimous, so that it looked plausible, with a seemingly-healthy opposition. 69% of the membership in favour to 31% opposed. He just changed his title so he's Lord Protector, now. He didn't want to be called Minister. Sounds too junior: there are tens of those in the muggle government, coming below the PM. And the Queen. The muggles. He wants to replace all that. By replacing those institutions. Just like Cromwell did. A sort of Principal. 'Il Principe'. Like Machiavelli wrote of, which he's obsessed with. Like Mussolini was-"

"Why are you telling me all this crap?"

"I'm trying to help you understand the enemy!"

"The enemy? You're on his side! And what on earth for: so I can contemplate the ins and outs of which dictators inspired him while he tortures me into insanity? And worse? And stop trying to be so gentlemanly! What is all this, Snape?! Caring for my kids?! Fuck's sake- CURSE me! Crucio me! Just get the fuck on with it. Or summon him! Stop torturing me by dragging it out needlessly, with all these fucking mind games-"

"You will write your will. And I will witness it. And find some second party to do likewise. Assuming you have no plans to leave anything to myself? Or, say, Wormtail?"

"Wormtail?!"

"He shan't summon the Dark Lord."

On any pretext, good news or no…

Not when the 'notorious' Severus Snape expressly forbad it.

"I will see if I can get a message to your wife to do likewise."

"My wife?"

"Potter, should I ever wish to purchase a parrot, I will take steps to consult the appropriate pet shop. She has not made a will either, I take it?"

"I… I never asked- We've never discussed it-"

"I suggest that you leave everything to her, then set out the terms for what happens in the event of her death. I'm not quite sure what happens then. It's a while since I spoke to the solicitor concerning the cases of couples. If the two wills don't quite overlap- At any rate. You might even be able to get a message to her directly. A brief firecall. To advise her to put her affairs in order. And- exchange whatever private words you may have between you. In such circumstances."

Harry reflected on the enormity of all this.

A final goodbye? With Ginny?

From Voldemort's chambers, or study, or whatever this damn place was supposed to be?

And not even in private, by the sounds of it!

Of course he hadn't said a proper goodbye to her earlier! Just 'See you later'!

Think of failure and you will fail, think of success and you might succeed, and all that!

Dear God.

Was today the day he died? Left his wife, his children, his best friends? Left them all behind? To carry on fighting this war alone?

And he couldn't even be sure he'd saved any of their lives!

Fucking hell...

Severus clutched at his head.

He so wished Harry Potter could read minds.

So that he could work out exactly what was going on.

Severus would have to hope the man had some little measure of common sense and ingenuity.

If not, well. He could only do so much.

"Where's my cloak?"

He emptied a mass of items from his many copious inside pockets out onto the mantelpiece. Severus Snape, of course, carried no receipts in his pockets. Knowing that there were many who would wish to monitor him covertly, and not taking the risk that he might drop anything that would reveal his precise habits and routine.

"Where are the damn things?"

Whistle. Compass.

"Still no bloody sign of them!"

The pouch of powder. Not the phone.

"Come on, come on!"

Some money, muggle and magical. Dollars and Euros, as well as Pounds. One wallet for each currency. A keyring torch.

"Ah. Thank fuck for that." His keys. "Always losing the damn things. Where's that wand. Oh, over there. Bugger."

He pocketed it.

"That's not yours!"

"Potter wins the prize for stating the obvious, as always!"

He went to the filing cabinet.

"Top draw. Near the front. I'm pretty sure."

Severus had to keep up the pretence, for Voldemort's sake, of being able to only perform limited magic with permission, or in an emergency. Hence he had keys to the filing cabinet, since he wasn't supposed to use handy, convenient spells that made life easy (such as 'alohomora'). But every spell that was cast was tiring. And he'd need to wipe traces of each later. More exhaustion. Hence he used the keys now.

Well. That was one of the reasons for all this.

He locked the cabinet, pocketing the keys. He left the rest of the detritus.

Above the fireplace.

"This should explain any questions you have, I hope. I had the legal advice all set down. All rather improper, perhaps. Considering the reasons for which it was put together. But it was the best I could do. In the circumstances."

Harry stared at the wad of documents plonked in front of him.

"What is all this?"

"Sample will formats. The workings of trusts, explained. Case law concerning married couples who died with different, competing claims concerning bequests. Their joint bank accounts and such like. I note that page 13 onwards in particular is useful in the cases of discretionary trusts for children, should you wish to set different terms for when they become of legal age, and so forth. Essentially, if both spouses, say, leave everything to their other half in the first instance, all this concerns what typically happens regarding the children should the spouse and remaining parent also die, subsequently. You can of course ignore the advice for unmarried couples with children. There is a section on what happens when there are competing bequests and both parties die together. Also note page 20 onwards regarding intestacy-"

"If both parties die together? I'm giving up my life to save my wife and kids!"

"There are possible indications that he does not in fact intend to kill the children."

No guarantees, however. Not by any means. And, of course, all the evidence to the contrary...

"I will do everything I can to see to it that they remain alive."

He had nothing to say on the subject of the wife.

What exactly could he say?

"It might simplify matters enormously if you were to name me as executor-"

Harry laughed hysterically. Incredulous.

"I would distribute everything promptly and equitably in accordance with your wishes. You have my word-"

"-as a warlock and a gentleman?"

"Yes."

"Like what your master says?"

Severus considered his next statement very carefully.

"These are very trying circumstances indeed. I am doing my very best. You have come here. You made a calculated decision. You understood the risks. Unfortunately, you failed in your endeavours. You must try to understand the position I am in. You must see, how I am doing the best I can for your children-"

Harry snorted.

Did he not follow? If Severus told Harry Potter how he might escape-

The children had to come first.

Lily was the youngest Potter.

She would surely be the first to be killed.

To punish Harry Potter. For escaping.

And Severus.

For helping.

Only a handful of idiots believed that the Dark Lord listened to every word of every conversation at any given time. He had the means.

Just not the time….

"I am giving you an opportunity to sort out your affairs. Make it count. It's a luxury I never had."

Much to his regret.

"On reflection. Having given the matter some thought. You can be executor to my will-"

"I appreciated your trusting me-"

"I haven't finished. Don't interrupt! Like I say, You can be executor to my will-"

"Thank you-"

"-over. My. Dead. Fucking. Body."

Severus stormed off in the direction of the ebony desk, on the room's other side.

"Get on and write the damn thing!" he snarled.

He searched for a recent back issue of 'Accounts of Potioneerial Research' in a draw.

"And cover yourself with the cloak in case anyone comes by fire, for God's sake!"

"I've already decided on the first term!"

"Good for you!"

"I, Harry James Potter, being of sound mind and body-"

"Get on with it!"

"Hereby do declare-"

"Yes yes yes-"

"-as my last will and testament-"

"Always one for theatrics and boasting, as ever!"

"-that my son, Albus Severus Potter-"

Harry paused. Snape didn't interrupt again.

"-shall, by deed poll, at the earliest instance, undertake to change his name, and shall subsequently be known as Albus Fred George Potter. In homage to his uncles on his mother's side. All documents featuring reference to the name denoting that of Severus Snape, murderer-"

-Severus leapt from his chair-

"-shall be handed in-"

-He made a beeline for the desk-

"-and destroyed by the appropriate authorities-"

-Severus snatched up the document-

"You cannot legally compel a child to change his name!"

"I can ask him to. And he will listen. He won't want to associate himself with his father's killer-"

"I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

"You call this helping? What: like you said you tried to help my mother? You as good as murdered her. Even if you didn't cast the spell. You got the ball all the way to the line and passed it. He just tapped it in."

"You talk of football at such a time?"

"You're the organ grinder. He's your monkey. Everyone knows that. You're just too afraid to get your hands dirty and kill those you betray yourself. COWARD!"

Severus Snape tried to steady his shaking hand as he pointed his handler's wand at Harry Potter.

At which point. The fireplace went off.

Voldemort had returned.

A/N

Between James and Severus, in the chapters so far, the clues are all there. I'll not say further than that, to avoid giving anything away.

Keeping note of the scores as it were and will update and comment on them next time.

Football, of course, in British English, refers to Association Football. Known in some countries colloquially as "soccer", and not to be confused with American Football.

Aiming for Monday for next chapter but we'll see how we go, it's not quite there but many subsequent chapters are complete and ready to go, including 30, so I hope to aim for more regular updates for you going forward.

Hope you've all had a good week, and see you next time x

(PS: a reader in Germany wins for fastest chapter open! If you're the same keen bean as the reader who so clearly wanted to win the contest Monday: I'm not surprised! I'll comment on all that next time...)