Albus Dumbledore liked to give the impression that he was in control of any given situation. He didn't like surprises although he rather enjoyed springing them on others.
Today he was truly exasperated. His blue eyes still twinkled madly but while they might convey good humour they were actually concealing a racing brain as he tried to salvage his plans.
Hagrid had been thrilled to be asked to take Harry to Diagon Alley to collect his school supplies, so why on earth had he been so careless last night and upset one of the thestrals? The resulting broken ribs and black eyes meant that Hagrid wasn't going anywhere for at least the next week.
"Well," he mused, "if I can't have a positive introduction to Hogwarts, I'll have to go with negative re-enforcement instead. I can't spare Minerva today, we have only a month until the start of the school year."
"Severus, son, do you have a moment?" Dumbledore summoned the dour young potions master as he endeavoured to escape from the breakfast table without being seen.
"Yes, Albus?" The frustration at being caught morphed into irritation and defiance at the headmaster's next words.
"Please could you collect Mr. Potter from the Dursleys and take him to Diagon Alley for me?"
"Would not Filius or Minerva be better suited to this errand, Albus?" Severus Snape knew there was no getting out of this assigned task but protest was expected and it gave him time to consider how to accomplish the mission and there was always the hope that Albus might let slip some clue about the desired outcome.
"I need Minerva today and I can't really ask Filius to go to a muggle neighbourhood."
"But my brewing for Poppy can be pushed further and further back until I am pulling all-nighters ten days before the start of term?"
"It would be good for you to get out in the fresh air … besides, you knew Petunia when you were younger, didn't you?" The twinkle in Albus' eyes grew perceptibly brighter.
"I'm hardly her favourite person, Headmaster." Snape stated as neutrally as possible. "In fact," he groused to himself, "it is to be hoped that she no longer recognizes me." He paused for a second. "How do you want me to handle this Albus? I don't usually do the visits to the muggleborn children."
"Exactly the same way you handle your Slytherins, of course!" Albus beamed at the capitulation. "Oh, and can you pick up a package from Gringotts for me? You'll need to come and get Harry's vault key as well."
Severus Snape had been a spy and before he'd been a spy he'd been a Slytherin. He took pride in his ability to roll with the punches, absorb information on the fly and generally carry on calmly while Armageddon rained down. In three sentences, Albus Dumbledore had shredded his ability to function.
Firstly, he wasn't surprised that Albus knew he visited the families of some of his Slytherins but given the old man knew that, how could he be so ignorant to the purpose of those visits as to suggest Harry Potter might be in need of the same intervention? Was he hinting at known problems in the Boy-who-lived's household? Surely not. But then, had anyone ever checked?
Secondly, he knew what Hagrid was collecting from Gringotts. Albus wanted him to waltz around Diagon Alley with an eleven-year-old in tow and the philosopher's stone in his pocket? Not bloody likely.
Thirdly, and don't think he'd missed this, why did Albus have Harry's vault key? The boy himself should have it or it should be waiting at Gringotts for him to collect.
Knowing he was several seconds too slow in replying he just nodded and made a swift exit from the great hall.
Two Gringotts' keys acquired and one escape from Albus later, Severus Snape found himself outside Minerva McGonagall's quarters.
"Come in, Severus!" She called as he raised his hand to knock.
"Infuriating woman," he muttered as he opened the door.
"How are you today? Looking forward to your field trip?"
Severus snorted inelegantly. "No Minerva I am not. I feel like I just got thrown into shark infested waters without a wand. What do you know about Potter's family?"
"Albus said you knew Petunia."
"Twenty years ago I knew the child that became Petunia. Have there been any reports of problems or accidental magic? Has anyone checked on the boy in ten years?"
"No, no and no. Albus wouldn't allow it on the last one. I did ask."
"Do you know why I visit some of the Slytherins at home?"
Now Minerva McGonagall looked flustered. "I, erm, heard that, erm, you were, erm, 'convincing' them to change the way they were raising their children."
"That's one way of putting it. I look at it as 'putting the fear of the Dark Lord into them' if their children return to me with bruises or scars, mental or physical, that cannot be explained. My reputation precedes me, so usually they listen." He paused. "If you know that, surely Albus does? If so, I am very concerned that he thinks Mr. Potter should require such support."
Minerva is now looking faintly ill, he observes, so maybe now would be a good time to give her a dose of reality. "It isn't just Slytherin families I visit, you know."
Ten minutes later, he leaves, clutching a sheaf of parchments about introducing muggleborns to the wizarding world. Behind him, Minerva McGonagall is muttering about it never being too early for a fortifying nip of whisky.
Gringotts first. That is obvious. Back to Hogwarts, then on to Privet Drive.
The stop at Gringotts is uneventful. He minds his manners. Trying to remember everything Lucius taught him while removing the supercilious prejudice is not always easy but he is bringing Harry Potter in later and there is no need to damage the boy's relations with the goblins by irritating them now.
He returns to the castle and hands the small package over to Dumbledore who has the gall to look disappointed in him. So he was meant to flash the mystery in front of Potter? He is lost for words again. What is Dumbledore playing at? That's a headache to consider later.
He stops off in the dungeons and thinks about the next stage of his plan. He needs muggle clothes, a set of robes, his "intervention" kit and a headache relief potion before he goes anywhere.
A quick "tempus" shows that it is already 10am. Time to get the show on the road.
Now, does he try to impress Petunia or irritate her? He doesn't try to suppress the wicked grin on his face.
If anyone saw the man walking up to the front door of 4, Privet Drive, they might've thought, aging rock star, Hell's Angel or just "trouble". Severus Snape was pretty sure teacher would not make anyone's top ten but wasn't that the point?
He had dug out his skinny jeans, annoyed to find that he had to expand the waist. The original Ramones T-shirt still fitted but his leather jacket needed letting out across the shoulders. He ignored the doorbell and raising his fist, beat a sharp tattoo on the front door.
"Yeah, waddaya want?" The miniature blubber sack demanded glaring up at him. This was Harry Potter? Snape just glared back forcing himself to remember that there were potential issues here and his perfectly rational hatred of James Potter HAD to be set aside.
"Dudley! What have I told you about opening the door to strangers?"
Not Potter then. But Petunia? The sour horse-faced woman marching towards him was Lily's sister? Suddenly the need to add a couple of inches to the waist of his jeans seemed a small price to pay for the passing of time. Glancing up, Snape noticed a smaller boy sneaking a look through the bannisters, obviously interested but trying very hard not to be noticed. Damn. Warning sign number one.
"Not really a stranger, though, am I Tuney? It's been a long time though, hasn't it?"
Harry Potter watched in disbelief as the man Aunt Petunia would definitely term "undesirable" had the cheek to use a nickname for her.
"YOU. HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP HERE. YOU SHOULD'VE DIED WITH HER!"
He flinched but met her fury. "I would've died for her in a heartbeat, Petunia. Life seldom works the way we want it to. You, of all people, know that. I've come to take Mr. Potter for his school supplies. Would you like to introduce us?"
He has had time to scan the hall and the lounge. Plenty of photos of Dudley but not one of Harry. Warning sign number two.
"BOY! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"
Three and four are immediately chalked off of his list. Albus was right to send him here. He feels sick. Why had no-one been checking on the boy?
Seated in the lounge, Severus Snape waits impatiently while Petunia shoos Dudley up to his room. He is working hard controlling his fury at what has happened to Lily's child. He looks up at Harry Potter, standing in front of him, his posture a mixture of anxiety and defiance. The boy was carefully studying his scuffed trainers. The oversized clothes were as bad as anything the potions master had worn as a child. "Oh, dear Merlin. Where to begin?" Snape muttered.
"Harry, look at me please?"
Lily's green eyes shine out of James' face.
"Sorry about the drama, I couldn't resist teasing your aunt a little."
The boy winced, doubtless thinking he would pay for that teasing later.
"I'm Professor Snape, I will be one of your teachers when you come to Hogwarts. I knew your mother and aunt when we were children."
Now he had the boy's attention.
"I'm sure you are tired of hearing it but you really are the image of your parents. Your father's face and your mother's eyes."
"Really, sir? I wish I remembered them."
"Really. I will find you some photos later. Now we have lots to do today, so we need to get going but I just need to check first that you are well enough for a strenuous day out."
"What does strenuous mean, sir?"
"Requiring a great deal of energy or effort, Mr. Potter."
"Oh yes, sir, I do the gardening and cleaning, so I can do that."
Snape would have to be deaf not to hear the alarm bells going off. He fights down the urge to use legilimency. This will be by the book.
"I know you've been told you are a wizard Harry, but do you know anything about how magic works or how we use it?"
Harry shakes his head, flinching again as Petunia hisses at the use of the "M" word.
Snape slips his wand out of the pocket he had added down the seam of his jeans and lets Harry see it. He casts a simple 'lumos' and lets the boy look at the result. "I'm just going to cast some spells on you to check how you are doing." Virtually no-one at Hogwarts would recognise this Severus Snape. He is handling the boy very gently, aware of the fight or flight responses and the tension in his spine where he can feel his aunt glaring at him.
The medical diagnostic spells are a mixture of knowledge from his potions mastery, field medicine from the Voldemort war and some of Poppy's custom charms that she taught him when he asked her about dealing with the more difficult child welfare cases he saw as Head of Slytherin.
Harry watches the wand waving curiously, squeaking slightly when one of the health monitors is applied. Severus has been told that it tickles, so he is unsurprised. The fear that crosses the boy's face over the noise he made, is displeasing, however.
As the last of the spells complete, a glowing parchment drops into his lap. He glances down it quickly. Nothing he hadn't started to suspect but nothing good. Sustained, systemic abuse. Probably since the day he had been left there. Under-sized, malnourished, a series of healed fractures to ribs, arms and hands. The glasses were the wrong prescription and the extensive bruising he sported matched fists rather than accidental impacts. He re-enforced his occlumency shields before he became guilty of a burst of accidental magic.
On the other hand, no current issues to prevent today's excursion, although it would be slow going with several stops for food, drink and rest.
The boy was looking at him nervously.
"Nothing to worry about, although I will be having a chat with your Aunt and Uncle when we get back." Harry flinched again. The words had been softly spoken but they carried intent and Petunia started blustering.
"Later, Tuney, Harry and I have more important things to be doing right now. Come along Mr. Potter…"
And Harry Potter followed Professor Snape out of the front door of 4, Privet Drive.