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Chapter 6 Dumbledore

Loathe as he was to admit it, the Potter brat wasn't as rotten as Severus had expected. Clearly, he had inherited some of his mother's sensibilities and traits, as well as his father's looks. The boy could be quick to temper and impertinent, and he had almost no manners. The former Severus could attribute to his parents, the latter to his upbringing. There was no telling what damage those muggles had done to the boy. He might as well have been raised by wolves.

After they had dressed and eaten, Severus ensured that Harry's trunks were packed correctly for at least the third time before he shrunk them. Then he led his charge downstairs to the Leaky Cauldron. He had given the boy the Polyjuice and had his hat on. Severus was not taking any chances in case they were delayed longer than an hour in the pub.

Luckily, there was hardly any queue for the fireplace. Severus kept one hand gripped tightly to Potter's shoulder as they waited behind a grisly hag with a wicked-looking shoulder bag that was wriggling. The boy's eyes were wide as he looked around the room as if he had never been in a pub before. The Leaky Cauldron had its usual collection of both miscreants and families. Severus realized Potter was not experienced, but he was also guileless. The boy would have to learn, or the wizarding world was going to eat him alive.

When it was their turn, Severus took his handful of Floo powder from the jar on the mantel and looked down at the boy. He had seen the hag disappear into the charmed green flames and his face was now green to match. Severus resisted the urge to shake his head. The boy had never traveled this way before, but he didn't need to look so terrified.

"I will keep you with me, Potter, so that you do not step out the wrong grate," Severus informed him stiffly.

"How does it work, Sir?" Harry glanced at the powder in Severus's hand and back at the fireplace, not looking at all convinced with their mode of transportation.

"Never mind that," Severus said. "Come here."

The boy stepped forward almost timidly, and Severus considered how best to travel with him. He was small enough to be carried, but it would probably be humiliating to them both. At the best of times, Severus did not trust a Potter to stay where he was told.

"Stand close to me and hold on to my elbow. Do not let go and keep your eyes and your mouth closed unless you want them full of soot."

The boy gaped at Severus for a second and then followed the instructions, much to Severus's relief. He made sure that they were close enough together that they would not be separated in the Floo and then said clearly, "Dumbledore's Office."

Once they were at Hogwarts, Severus stepped out of the fireplace and instinctively grabbed hold of Potter just in time to keep the boy from toppling the rest of the way over. He wasn't the most graceful at this travel method, but it was his first time. Severus reserved comment.

"Thank you, Professor," the boy said.

He did sound grateful. Severus was relieved to see that he seemed to have followed instructions to keep his eyes and mouth closed. He wasn't coughing up soot. He was covered in it everywhere else, though. With a quick charm, Severus cleaned him off. Then he stepped out of the way and turned around. He looked sideways and saw Potter's eyes widen.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Severus greeted Dumbledore, acknowledging the man whose office they were standing in and the object of Potter's gaping.

"Why hello there, Professor Snape," Dumbledore said in a pleasant tone that he probably thought was inviting to the young boy, "Harry, how are you doing today?"

"Hello, Sir. I am fine, Sir," Potter answered in a clear but overly formal voice.

Sending Potter an approving side glance, Severus moved further into the room and gestured for the boy to follow. He noticed that there was no timidity in Potter's stance. He had dressed the boy carefully for this meeting in dark blue wizard's robes that were cut perfectly. He hadn't coached him at all on behavior, though, other than their conversation regarding Harry's past and potential puppet masters. Apparently, Potter had been listening.

"Excellent. Excellent, my boy." Dumbledore gestured for the two of them to sit down. "Lemon drop?"

Severus gestured his refusal of the proffered candy, as he always did. Potter carefully took one but didn't eat it. He kept it in his hands as he carefully sat down. He was surreptitiously watching Severus's movements, apparently basing his own on what the older man did. Severus found this interesting but filed it away for later. The child was probably just nervous.

"So, Harry. How did you find your introduction to the wizarding world?" Dumbledore asked conversationally, his blue eyes twinkling kindly over half-moon spectacles.

"It's all very fascinating to me, Sir. You see, I never knew I was a wizard until Professor Snape came to give me my letter," Potter informed Dumbledore.

That little miscreant! Severus thought. I know what you are doing, you little brat. Everyone in this room knows what you are doing.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore's voice gave nothing away. "Did your aunt and uncle tell you nothing about your family?"

"No, Sir."

Apparently, the imp did not see fit to expand on that answer. Severus viewed him through lidded eyes and then looked back to Dumbledore, deciding that, at the very least, this conversation was going to be entertaining. He had expected to have a long talk with the headmaster himself. Potter was beating him to the punch.

"Hmm," Dumbledore did not comment. His eyes flitted briefly to Severus, who raised his brows to indicate the boy had not been coached. "I imagine they felt that telling you your parents' history would be too painful. We often want to shelter the young from the painful truth. To protect them. We do so many things to protect the ones we love."

There was silence for a few moments. Severus was wondering how the boy would volley this one. In his experience, abused children never told anyone they were abused. They were usually ashamed or threatened. It often took years of therapy or a trusted adult's intervention to get them to open up. Severus certainly knew this as the Head of Slytherin House. It sometimes took him until the end of the student's first year, and sometimes not even then, to earn that trust. He'd only had Potter a few days and had nowhere near that kind of close relationship with him.

Still, it was taking everything he had in him not to bite off Dumbledore's head at that last statement. It was surely a preview of the argument that the headmaster was going to give him. He was ready to counter it. Dumbledore could not out-Slytherin Severus Snape.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, hadn't been sorted yet. Where he would end up was still up for grabs. Severus had seen enough traits of both houses to see at least a fifty-fifty split. He looked at the boy to see what he would do.

"Love, Sir?"

"Of course, Harry," Dumbledore steepled his long thin fingers and looked over the tips of them at the small boy. "Your Aunt and Uncle are your family. They love you."

"They aren't."

Even Severus looked more directly at Harry from the emotionless matter-of-fact tone with which he uttered his reply.

"They aren't what, dear boy?" Dumbledore asked.

"My family. They aren't my family."

"Of course, they are, Harry. Your Aunt Petunia was your mother's sister," Dumbledore informed Harry a little patronizingly as if he were a small child.

"That makes them related, Sir. It does not make them family," Harry informed the headmaster.

Severus sat back and looked at Dumbledore, daring the old man to contradict the statement. The headmaster kept his eyes on the boy, sizing him up. Potter kept his back straight and his eyes on the headmaster. He didn't have enough knowledge of the wizarding world to avoid eye contact. Still, Severus didn't think the Headmaster would attempt Legilimency. Severus had been tempted many times himself, but as Potter was young and blameless, he had resisted. Severus glared at Dumbledore.

"What makes you think that your family does not love you, Harry?" Dumbledore finally asked.

"It isn't something you think or don't think, Sir," Harry stated. "I am almost eleven years old. I am not sure how long I have known. I think that maybe when I was little, like really little, I used to hope or wish they did. It was just pretending, though. I knew it wasn't true. Little kids like to pretend."

"Headmaster, if you will, I think that this conversation has run its course," Severus intervened, standing up. "I will take Potter to the hospital wing now, and then you and I can have our discussion."

Dumbledore seemed to be considering this for a moment, but then he nodded. Without a moment's hesitation, Potter popped up, and Severus led him out of the office. Potter showed no interest in Dumbledore's rather bizarre spiral staircase; His mind was miles away. Severus could not blame him after that exchange.

As they entered the hallway and headed toward the hospital wing, Potter stopped suddenly. Severus looked at him expectantly, giving him time to gather his thoughts and say whatever it was he wanted to say. He had been expecting something but just wasn't sure what.

"Thank you, Sir," Potter finally said.

Severus nodded. He wasn't sure how to respond. Then again, he wasn't sure how Potter expected him to either. Potter just nodded, still thoughtful or dazed. They carried on walking.

"Does he really believe that, Sir?"

Without stopping, Severus considered the question. Potter was trailing him, and there was no way for the boy to get lost. There were a few ways to answer that question, and not all of them were what Severus honestly thought. What Dumbledore thought was irrelevant. What he wanted out of Potter was all that mattered. Then again, there was what Potter needed to hear.

Stopping and turning on his heel, Severus ducked down so that he was almost level with Potter's face. The boy stopped short so quickly that the heels of his black leather shoes screeched on the stone floor. Forcing his face into his best sneer, Severus did not answer the boy. He just held his eyes.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks, does it, Sir?" Potter answered after a few beats of this staring.

Severus stood up, still regarding the boy. He said nothing but waited for the boy to continue. Potter thought as if the wheels were turning in his head.

"I know he is manipulating me, Sir. I remember what you told me about how I have to be careful of everyone I come in contact with wanting something from me. But what does he have to gain from leaving me there?" Potter asked, bewildered.

"That, Mr. Potter, is what you need to determine," Severus said. "Do not assume, however, that he is not an ally. He is one of your greatest allies. Just because he needs something from you does not make him an enemy, and in fact, does not mean that he does not also have your interests in mind. It just means that he does not have only your interests in mind."

Potter nodded thoughtfully. Severus turned on his heel, and they continued to the hospital wing in silence. Each of them was reflecting on the conversation with the headmaster. When they reached the hospital wing, Severus called for Pomfrey and told Potter to wait. She came bustling in a few minutes later from her office in the corner. As usual, the matron was dressed in an old-fashioned Victorian nurse's uniform.

"Ah, Professor Severus, you have brought my patient, I see?"

"Yes, clearly."

"Well, Mr. Potter, come. Let's have a look at you," Pomfrey ordered, patting one of the metal hospital beds.

With a glance at Severus, Potter walked over to the mediwitch and hopped up on the bed. He seemed more timid and uncertain than Severus had seen him at any point since they had left the Dursleys. Severus could only assume this was the result of some past experience of his.

"I will leave you now, Mr. Potter," Severus told Potter sternly. "Madam Pomfrey has been our matron here for years. She is very good at what she does, and she will not hurt you. She is going to examine you, and I expect you to be on your best behavior. She will give me a report when I return."

This speech did little for the boy, who didn't even seem to be listening. Severus stepped closer, over to the bed. He exchanged a glance with Pomfrey and then looked back to the boy.

"Mr. Potter!" Severus growled. "Did you hear me? You will behave yourself, or you will answer to me."

The stern tone had some effect as Potter looked up at Severus. However, instead of snapping to attention and responding, he just looked up with sad green eyes that reminded Severus of Lily Potter so much that his heart ached. He had no idea why the boy was responding like this.

"Madam Pomfrey, can I have a word with Mr. Potter alone, please?"

"Of course," Pomfrey said and bustled off.

Severus cast a quick silencing spell.

"Mr. Potter," Severus said quietly. "Would you care to tell me what the trouble is?"

He had no idea why he was so magnanimous. His instinct was to bark at the boy to behave or to talk. Threatening him had gotten them nowhere, though.

For a moment, the boy said nothing, but then he looked up sadly again. "It's nothing, Sir. You can go."

"It is certainly not, 'nothing,' Potter," Severus ground out. "Now stop this nonsense and tell me what is going on. Now."

"I just … I don't want you to leave."

Severus stared at the boy. He knew that the boy had grown attached, but he hadn't expected dependence so fast. This was unexpected and would not do at all. He was going to have to disabuse the brat of the notion that he could position himself as a permanent appendage.

"Mr. Potter, you are perfectly safe with Madam Pomfrey; I already told you that. She is in the employ of Hogwarts, the school you will soon attend. You will soon come to her for anything from a mild case of the sniffles to a broken bone. You are going to have to learn to trust her," Severus insisted.

"Yes, Sir."

It seemed that Potter was far from convinced. Severus might as well have told the boy that he had to walk into the dragon's lair without a wand. With a sigh, Severus sat down next to the boy.

"There is more to this, isn't there. Have you had negative experiences with medical professionals before?" Severus asked bluntly.

"Well, Sir …"

"Yes?"

"I actually haven't had many experiences at all."

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Potter?" Severus demanded.

He was already growing annoyed with this conversation. The boy was looking at his hands instead of Severus's face. He seemed supremely uncomfortable. Severus reached out and placed two fingers barely under the boy's chin, gently but firmly lifting his face until they were eye to eye.

"You've been to your family doctor?"

Potter shook his head.

"A dentist? Muggles go to dentists."

Another shake of the head.

"An optometrist?" Severus asked. At Potter's confused expression, he clarified. "An eye doctor. Surely you have been to one. You wear glasses."

He had fixed the tape on the glasses the first day. They were low-quality plastic and scratched. He had done what he could, but they seemed too small and old. It was coming together in Severus's mind now. The neglect went even further than he had known.

This time, Potter didn't even shake his head. He just stared at his hands.

"I see," Severus said. "Well, I can assure you that whatever tales your Muggle relatives have told you of how despicable medical professionals are, Madam Pomfrey will help you immensely. Your relatives went to doctors? They took your cousin to doctors, didn't they?"

This time the boy nodded.

"Will you behave for Madame Pomfrey, then?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir."

"Very well. I think you can apologize to Madam too. I will explain, briefly, so you do not have to do it," Severus told him. At the look on Potter's face, he reassured the boy. "Don't worry, I am going to simply tell her you have limited experience with the wizarding world. Will that suffice?"

Potter gave him a relieved nod.

Severus walked over to Pomfrey's office. The door was open. She had not been able to hear what they had said due to the silencing spell.

"Madam Pomfrey, I apologize for Mr. Potter's hesitance. He was raised by muggles and has had limited exposure to magic," Severus told her bluntly. She would read between the lines.

"Of course, Severus. I will be performing a complete diagnostic scan, as you requested. We will find any old injuries as well as any nutritional deficiencies," Madam Pomfrey said. "The poor boy."

"He doesn't need our pity," Severus assured her. "He needs us to make sure that he is taken care of."

"You are right, as always, Severus," she placed a parchment in a file and followed him out the door. "Every time we see one of these cases, I hope it will be the last."

"Yes," Severus agreed.

He walked back with her to Potter, who seemed to have steeled himself for the occasion. The boy gave him a subtle but confident nod. Severus returned it, then turned and left. If the boy was going to be brave for him, he wasn't going to ruin it by seeming to coddle him.

The trip back to the headmaster's office was much quicker than the one to the hospital wing because Severus's angry steps took him there twice the time. Severus found himself needing to slow down before he got there to make sure that he had his temper in check. He was a Slytherin, after all. He prided himself on keeping his Occlumency shields up and his mood passive. Sometimes it was easier said than done.

"Severus, my dear boy, that took longer than I thought." Dumbledore fished.

Severus sat down in the same chair he'd taken before, glad to avoid the lemon drop farce. He was sure the headmaster laced them with a calming potion. He knew he wasn't the one that did it, but that didn't mean he didn't get them from somewhere else.

"Yes, well, Potter had a miniature panic attic at the idea of a simple medical exam," Severus spat out. So much for keeping his temper in check.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore's brows were raised, but he gave no other indication of a reaction.

"Apparently, his muggle guardians never took him to any doctors or dentists, including an optometrist. Merlin knows where the glasses came from," Severus informed the headmaster, watching for a reaction.

He was not disappointed. The headmaster might be trying to play this situation to advantage, but this was information apparently even he had not known. The old man appeared troubled.

"The boy confided this in you?" Dumbledore asked.

"With some prying, yes," Severus told him. "I made him tell me why he was nearly catatonic at the idea of Pomfrey examining him. I am still not sure why it scared him so much. I think there is more to it than just never having been to a doctor. Denying a child medical treatment for ten years is more than simple neglect, Headmaster. It is inexcusable."

"Severus, I received your letter," Dumbledore began to head Severus off. "I am aware that you feel that the Dursleys were less than ideal guardians. However, the boy is alive and appears to be doing remarkably well, considering."

"Considering," Severus repeated dryly.

"Yes, well, the blood wards kept the boy alive and safe from Death Eaters all of these years. As you know, they rely on a blood relative. The only one Harry has is his aunt. She may not love him as well as I had hoped, but I am hesitant to believe that she does not love him at all. Perhaps the child exaggerates because he is not treated with the same level of affection as his cousin. That is to be expected, after all. He is her own son."

When they were children, Lily Potter had taught her friend Severus to count to ten when he was ready to lose his temper. It had never worked with Sirius Black or James Potter were taunting him, but they deserved whatever he sent their way. There had been many instances when it had been invaluable advice, however. He marveled at how all these years later, he still used the trick. By the time he had counted to ten, he was ready to answer Dumbledore's ridiculous statements.

"The blood wards are such ancient magic that no one knows exactly how they work. You were going on guesswork as much as anything else. Do not tell me I am wrong, Albus. I have researched this more extensively than you have. That is dark magic, and you know it," Severus began.

"Now, Severus, it is not precisely dark magic. Intent is …"

Severus cut him off. "Codswallop. That is not going to work with me. Look at who you are talking to before you go down that road." Severus shook his head. "As for the second part of your argument, Harry's aunt has no love for him. None at all. I could label the emotions for you. Do you have a thesaurus? Let's start with the A's. Abhorrence, animosity, bitterness, disgust, dislike, enmity, hatred, hostility, loathing …"

"Yes, Severus, I get the idea," Dumbledore said without his trademark twinkle.

"You did not let me get to revulsion, headmaster, which I think sums it up rather well."

"Regardless, Severus, they are what he has. He must stay there."

Severus looked at Dumbledore. "Let us take this from another angle, headmaster. Suppose we decide that we are okay with keeping a boy locked in a cupboard for ten years and feeding him scraps while withholding medical attention and not giving him weather-appropriate clothing or even a stitch of clothing that fits." Dumbledore gave a start at the venom with which Severus spat out the last word. "Isn't it a good thing that we have nothing to worry about because said child is safe behind the blood wards? Nothing else can go wrong.

"Surely there is no precedent for a child turning to, say, dark magic in these conditions? I, for one, am glad that the crucible of neglect, abuse, and the intentional ignorance of said neglect and abuse from the wizarding world has never had negative consequences in the past."

Dumbledore sighed. "Now, Severus, there is no need for sarcasm. Surely you cannot be suggesting …"

Severus cut him off by jumping up and slamming his hand down on Dumbledore's desk so hard that the candy dish jumped a few inches in the air. He leaned forward into the old man's eyes, daring him to look. Dumbledore did not take the challenge. Severus was disappointed.

"I am suggesting nothing. I am telling you what is going to happen! Tom Riddle? Me? Countless others, Dumbledore," Severus thundered. "You are offering Potter up to the Dark Lord on a silver platter!"

"Severus …"

"Do not patronize me, Headmaster. I am not in the mood. You will listen. Why do you even keep me around if you won't listen to me? It surely isn't to teach potions!" Severus snarled. "That boy is innocent now, and he hasn't been sorted yet. I have spent several days with him. You can tell the Hat to put him in Gryffindor, but that boy will go to Slytherin just as likely. If he does, you will lose him."

For several minutes, no one said anything. Severus stood, still hunched over with his hair curtaining his face slightly. It was a pose he often hid behind. Severus had hoped the conversation wouldn't have to go this far, but he'd known it might have to. What he'd told Potter was the truth. Severus hadn't told Potter that one of the people who was manipulating him was himself. He didn't like to see himself in that role, but he was. He would do anything and everything possible to keep the boy alive. From his perspective now, that meant two things—getting him away from the Dursleys and keeping him out of Slytherin. These two things were interconnected. He couldn't do one without the other.

"Very well, Severus. Bearing in mind that you know little of the complex politics involved in Harry Potter and his placement, what do you suggest?" Dumbledore looked pointedly at Severus as if he had just made a particularly foxy chess move.

Severus glared at the headmaster and sat down. "You do not have any alternatives?"

"To the blood wards? Do you honestly believe I would have left him there if I did?"

"I do understand that at the time, you needed a quick placement. Black is in prison. Lupin is worthless and legally can't take guardianship anyway. The Longbottoms are … indisposed. For Merlin's sake, man, is there no one?" Severus demanded.

Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles and eyed Severus but said nothing.

"Something has to be done about the Dursleys," Severus said.

"Again, what do you suggest? One problem cannot be solved without the other, Severus."

Severus sighed and brushed back his hair with his hand. He was growing frustrated with the entire situation. Nothing with the Potter brat was ever simple. He realized that Dumbledore had never addressed their immediate problem in their conversation.

"Where are you putting him for now?" Severus demanded.

"Oh, well, yes. That is a different matter. I have a temporary solution. The blood wards are ample protection from Death Eaters for the rest of the summer because Harry has already been behind them for so long," Dumbledore stated. "I just had to find a family willing to take him in until the term starts."

"Yes? A suitable family. He is not a stray puppy, Albus," Severus scoffed.

"Yes, indeed, my boy," Dumbledore scoffed. "This family will take him in with open arms. They are an old Order family and have children Harry's age. I daresay he will have a good time. He deserves it." These last words were spoken softly, almost as if the headmaster was talking to himself.

"Very well," Severus agreed. "I will take him there after his medical exam. What shall I tell him about the Dursleys?"

"Nothing, yet. Has he asked?"

"Interestingly, no. I rather think he expects to never return. He thinks I rescued him," Severus ground out the words as if literally pained him to say it.

"Hmm," Dumbledore was thoughtful but didn't respond more.

With a sigh of defeat, Severus rose. "I take my leave, then. Good day, Headmaster."

"Keep me posted, Severus."

"I always do."