James Birdsong: I like your review, it's great for encouragement, yippee!
This chapter is somewhat longer than the others, I did not find a suitable place to split it.
Chapter 10. The Best Option.
Snape had resumed his Muggle appearance and walked resolutely towards the Evans' house; behind him walked Harry, looking resigned. He knocked at the door, and Petunia went to open it, but Vernon pushed her aside and opened it himself. He looked first at Snape and then at the boy.
"I suppose everything went well?" stated Vernon, appreciating Harry's sad look.
"He's certainly done everything I've instructed him to do."
"He knows it's in his best interest to obey. Nothing like imposing discipline on difficult children from the time they are small."
Petunia was able to look at Snape throughout the conversation, because Vernon's back was turned, and she thought she saw contempt in his gaze.
"I'd like to be able to count on him tomorrow, too, would that be possible?"
"Yes, there's a bricklaying crew coming in two days and there's no point in cleaning this house any more. We'll give it a thorough cleaning after the work. He'll be better off working outside."
"Have him ready tomorrow at 9. No need to worry about his dinner. I've given him something at home."
"Excellent." Vernon said.
"Good night." Snape.
"Yes, good night." Vernon said, as if saying that little polite phrase annoyed him.
Snape slyly put a spell on Harry, so that his uncle and cousin wouldn't pay attention to him, and left without addressing Petunia, pretending he didn't know her, which she appreciated.
Back at his house Minerva was reading the report he had written.
"As soon as I finish reading it I'll start adding my part."
"Okay. Then we can send it to Poppy so she can add what she thinks is appropriate."
"I'll take it to her myself. If it's all right with you I'll give it to Albus first thing in the morning."
"Harry is coming too tomorrow. We'll be here waiting for your news."
For a few minutes there was only the rustling of parchment pages. Then Minerva looked up.
"You have been very thorough, and also very cold."
"I have put down the unvarnished truth. I am merely stating the facts to let others be the judge of them."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to be so objective."
"I don't think Albus expects that of you."
"True." she agreed.
At nine o'clock in the morning Snape was about to leave to find Harry when he heard a knock at the door. It was him.
"My Uncle Vernon told me I had to come at 9."
"I was going to come and get you." said Snape, "but I suppose it doesn't matter. I've made breakfast."
"I've had breakfast..."
"Let's see if I've got it right, toast."
"Yes."
"If I leave you alone with that until lunchtime Madam Pomfrey will make me regret it."
Harry smiled and sat down at the kitchen table, where there were two plates. Harry deduced that the one with a glass of milk in front of it instead of coffee was for him. He ate his breakfast more slowly than he had the day before, as Snape had instructed him. Snape decided to ask him something.
"Have you always been given so little to eat?"
"I remember a long time ago my aunt always left some of her food on her plate, and I think she did it on purpose. I would take advantage of it to finish it. But one day Uncle Vernon noticed and said I was behaving like a dog, eating leftovers. From then on, he said he would be the last one to finish to make sure I threw all the leftovers in the garbage. Then he told my aunt that if we could waste food he would give her less money to do the grocery shopping."
Snape decided to keep quiet and let Harry enjoy his breakfast without him having to hear what he was thinking. These were violent, painful actions that he would find satisfying to take.
"What are we going to do today?" Harry asked after taking his plate and glass to the sink and washing them.
"First I'll tell you some stories from the pictures you found in the trunk, but then I have to prepare some ingredients for my potions. You can help me. I need to separate the leaves from the stems of some plants."
"That I can do." he said eager to help.
"Sure you can, it's not complicated. But first the pictures."
For a while Snape gave him some details about the photos in the envelope, while Harry listened intently. When they were finished, Snape put them away again. Then he turned to Harry.
"To help me with the plants you'll have to wash your hands again with a special solution." he said pulling a vial out of one of his pockets. "Wet your hands, rub them with this and then rinse with water."
Harry went upstairs as Snape cleared the table and put a bag of plants on top. Then he put a glass bowl and a bag in a garbage can on the floor.
Harry went downstairs and Snape showed him what to do. Five minutes later Harry was busy with the plants while Snape chopped other ingredients on the counter.
Almost an hour later the fireplace lit up. Harry looked over, expecting someone to come in, but saw only a head in the flames.
"Albus wants you to come right away. He says if Harry is with you to come too." Professor McGonagall's head said.
"Right away." Snape said . He took out his wand and cast a spell over the ingredients to preserve them. He then said to Harry. "Since this is your first time traveling through Floo you will go ahead of me." He picked up a handful of greyish powder. Then he remembered how he had mispronounced Hogwarts, so he wanted to make sure. "You need to clearly say 'Dumbledore's Office' and then throw the powder in the fireplace. Repeat it so I hear it."
"Dumbdoor's office."
"No, it's Dumbledore." said Snape pronouncing more slowly.
"Dumb-ledore" repeated the boy.
"Dumbledore. Try again."
"Dumbledore."
Right. But say the whole sentence one more time.
Harry repeated it correctly and then Snape handed him the handful of powder. After following the instructions, Harry found himself spinning in a sort of tunnel until he emerged through a carved out fireplace into a room unlike anything he had ever seen before. Luckily Minerva was waiting for him on the other side and pushed him out of the way before Snape came out and tripped over him.
Minerva tapped Harry's shoulder to get his attention, because the boy had been staring at the sheer number of strange objects in the room. "Headmaster Dumbledore, this is Harry Potter. Harry, Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Pleased to meet you." Harry said.
Dumbledore looked at the boy and noticed the clothes he was wearing.
"I'm pleased to meet you too Harry. Tell me, did you wear special clothes to work today?"
"No, Headmaster, it's my usual clothes."
"I understand. It says here that you would like more food from your family."
Harry reddened, "I'm not supposed to talk about my family."
"I know, but it's important that we know what's going on. Professor Snape thinks you need help, and maybe your aunt does too."
"You can help us?"
"Yes, Harry, we can if you tell us the truth."
Harry thought for a moment. "I'd like the to give me more food, let me shower more often, give me clothes that fit, they don't have to be new, and let me have some toys and books. I'd also like them not to get mad when I get good grades, and not to punish me when something weird happens."
"Like what?"
"Like growing my hair overnight or suddenly being on top of a roof when other kids come to hit me."
"Okay, Harry, I appreciate you telling us. This is a very important question I'm going to ask you, and I want you to think carefully. If your Uncle Vernon didn't live with you, would you want to go on living with your Aunt Petunia and your cousin?"
"My Aunt Petunia isn't so bad, but I'd want Dudley to stop hitting me and calling me a freak. And to not tell other kids that they can't be my friends."
"Yes, we'll keep that in mind. Thank you for telling us." Dumbledore turned to Minerva. "It's important that as few people as possible know what's going on. I need to talk to Severus, can you take care of Harry while I do that?"
"Of course, it won't be any trouble." then she turned to Harry. "We're going back to Mr. Snape's house."
Harry asked, "Mr. Snape. would you like me to finish with the plants I'm cleaning?"
"You have little work left, so if you're not tired finish it and then you can go out and play."
Harry smiled. "Alright. Thanks."
"Did you ground him to prepare ingredients?" Minerva wondered.
"No, he asked if he could help." Snape replied.
Minerva and Harry returned to Snape's house through the fireplace. Dumbledore waited for them to leave to speak to him, however it was the younger man who spoke first.
"Why is it so important for Harry to be with his relatives?"
"Why, straight to the point." Dumbledore said in a tired voice. "It's a delicate matter, having to do with ancestral magic. Lily's sacrifice activated an ancient magic that I've been able to summon to protect him, so as long as he lives with someone of his mother's blood his home will be impenetrable."
Snape nodded. "Then it is fortunate that Mrs. Dursley wants to get rid of her husband, because he is totally irrelevant."
"It is extremely important that Harry is under the protection of his mother's sacrifice. The defenses of the Dursley household were up shortly after her death."
"From what I know of how ancestral magic works, I believe that if Petunia takes up residence in the Evans house that magic will be even more powerful than in the other. It is her home of more than a generation, she has ties to the house and Harry has already begun to have them since he learned that the trunk and toys he found in the attic were his mother's. I think her behavior towards Harry has been provoked more by fear of her husband's wrath than by any real animosity towards the boy." Snape said.
"Then that is what you propose. It is feasible, but they will have to be watched. Besides the fact that they are close to your house and you have some relationship, even if only as neighbors, may complicate things."
"What's left of the summer I'll be there, just two blocks from them, so I can discreetly come over to see them. During the school year I might visit them at most once a week, but you'll need to put someone more permanent near them. In any case I agree that I should not establish a close bond with that family, at least in appearance. It would be inconvenient in case the Death Eaters rise to power again."
"The person who was guarding the other house can move out as well. Is there vacant housing in the neighborhood?"
"That won't be a problem. But if there was someone watching I don't think they've done a very good job."
"The person who was watching is a squib. Reports came to me, but she was never able to confirm her suspicions. Outwardly Harry's situation didn't seem that serious."
Snape looked at him skeptically.
"You're the best spy I know, not everyone has your ability to find dark secrets and deduce what someone is thinking." Dumbledore added.
"That's fine, in any case by the time term starts the situation will be more or less settled and we can make a decision. I'm going to propose to Petunia that she leave her husband, but I need to know if the Ministry is going to provide a pension for Harry."
"I'm surprised it hasn't come in all this time. Harry is a war orphan and he is entitled to it. The Ministry received more than enough funds with what was seized from the Death Eaters, but maybe it hasn't been coming to them because they are Muggles, I'll look into it and sort it out. The Muggle branch of Gringotts will take care of getting the money to her."
"When can you give me the details? I need all the information before I talk to her."
"I can find out as early as this afternoon."
"If so I will talk to her as soon as I have the information, but I will also tell her that hosting Harry has its risks."
"I don't think it's imperative that she knows."
This time Snape held Dumbledore's gaze, unwilling to relent. "She is an adult who is entitled to make her own decisions. I will explain to her what she may face, and I think she should have a way to contact us and an escape route should the worst case scenario present itself."
It was clear that Dumbledore disagreed with this, but Snape was adamant.
"All right, but tell her as little as possible."
"I will inform you of what I have told her, and we will find a way to keep them safe as discreetly as possible." said Snape ending the conversation. He rose from his chair ready to return to his home.
"Severus..." Dumbledore hesitated for a moment. "You have no idea how ashamed I am of this situation. I should have taken better care of Harry. I'm glad he can count on you."
"I'm doing it for Lily."
"I'm sure she would thank you."
Snape did not answer. He walked to the fireplace and disappeared into the flames.