McGonagall looked around the room. Trying to comprehend the situation at hand, she looked from Vernon, to Petunia, to Remus, to the empty playpen in the back corner of the living room. What was happening? Still trying to comprehend the situation at hand, McGonagall could feel a tear form in the corner of her eye. Was this the end of it? The end of Harry Potter? Would he share the same fate as his parents had a year earlier? As Vernon, still very purple in his face, once again roared "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" McGonagall looked at Petunia and mouthed "I'm so sorry" before turning to Remus and gestured him towards the door.
"I'm so sorry for the… the inconvenience, Mr. Dursley. Mrs. Dursley, we'll try whatever we can to find your sister's son and let's hope he's still alive." McGonagall said as she turned and followed Remus out the front door.
CRACK
Seconds later, McGonagall and Remus had replaced number 4 Privet Drive with the front gate of Hogwarts Castle. In silence, they hurried through the castle towards McGonagall's office. Once inside her office, Remus closed the door and dropped his head. McGonagall sat down at her desk and buried her head in her hands.
"Who could've taken him?" Remus asked.
"That's the problem, Remus. I don't know. Nobody, but Dumbledore, Hagrid and I knew that Dumbledore was planning on sending Harry to Privet Drive. Not even the Ministry knew about it!" McGonagall stood up and once again started pacing around her office. As she walked past her window, overlooking the schoolgrounds, she spotted Dumbledore walking towards the Black Lake.
"Minerva, listen to me! It's the only way, Harry will be safe. Lily's blood will keep him safe. It's the only family he has!" With the last sentence, Dumbledore turned around with his back to McGonagall and stood facing the portraits behind his desk.
"Albus, I still think he will be better off growing up in the wizarding world. It's where he belongs, Albus! There must be some family who can take him in?"
"But they aren't HIS family, Minerva! It needs to be Lily's blood relative and since she is a muggleborn witch, Harry needs to grow up in the muggle world. But Petunia Dursley knows about the wizarding world, she will tell him everything he needs to know. I will leave a letter letting her know about the circumstance under which Harry is being delivered to her."
"But Albus, please, there needs to be another way." McGonagall had pleaded.
"Minerva, the ancient magic works this way. By Lily Potter having sacrificed herself for her son, she created a protection spell that will protect her son until his 17th birthday as long as he's living with someone also sharing Lily's blood and that he will call her house home. That someone is Petunia Dursley as she is Harry's only living relative sharing Lily's blood. And as she is his mother's sister, he will definitely call her house home as it will be his home."
"I sure hope you are right, Albus. He's only a little baby after all."
As McGonagall was overlooking the Quidditch pitch, noticing the lack of broomsticks in the air, a thought hit her. What if she WAS right about the protection spell after all and not Dumbledore? What if there wasn't any protection because he never would call Petunia's house home? By using magic, any number of people would then be able to find him. Probably the entire wizarding world would be a suspect by now. McGonagall began to feel lost. If anyone could've taken him, that would include both the Ministry, the good and the bad.
"Remus, who do we know is a Death Eater and is neither dead nor in Azkaban?" She sat down. "Pull up a chair and grab some parchment and a quill."
As Remus sat down, McGonagall started to think about known Death Eaters. All the Lestranges were in Azkaban. As was Dolohov and Rookwood. Rosier was dead. McGonagall knew that Dumbledore had trusted Severus Snape and truly believed that he had changed sides. But what if Dumbledore had been wrong about that too? If Dumbledore could be so wrong about the protection spell, Lily created by her sacrifice, he could surely be wrong about Severus Snape. Right?
Although… it was common knowledge that Severus Snape had been in love with Lily for, like ever. Wasn't it?
"Remus, you knew Severus Snape pretty well, right?" McGonagall asked.
"Well, that's kind of a complicated question actually." Remus stood up and now he was pacing the office and finally stopping by the window and was resting his hand on the windowsill. Remus paused for a while, still standing by the window. "Severus and I were, of course, in the same year at Hogwarts. But even so, he was in Slytherin and I in Gryffindor. Lily was my best friend at Hogwarts, and she was best friends with Severus before she even attended Hogwarts. James and Sirius did, of course, bully Severus whenever the possibility presented itself, for which I was an observer for most of it."
"But, Remus, did you know about any feelings Severus may have had for Lily?"
"Well, as the observer of the group, I knew a lot of things. James had, definitely, noticed Severus' feelings for Lily, which humored him a great deal. Mainly because James thought Lily was way out of Severus' league and knew he could never get her." Remus looked up from the windowsill. "Professor, are we even sure that it was a Death Eater who took Harry? I mean, what if any good wizarding family thought it best for Harry to stay in the wizarding world?"
McGonagall also looked up. "I agree, Remus. Anyone could've taken him at this point. I just think that if it wasn't a Death Eater, the boy is probably not in any danger. At best, it would've been the Weasleys. He'd still be a little different because of his black hair, but he'd be safe and loved. I still think that Severus Snape would be the place to start because he was close to Dumbledore toward the end of the war but still had been a Death Eater. Remus, I don't always trust Dumbledore's judgment and if Severus Snape could be a spy for Dumbledore, he most certainly could be a spy for You-Know-Who."
A moments silence followed McGonagall's concern about Severus Snape. McGonagall once again got up and started pacing around her office. As she became worried, she had a hard time sitting still. The more worried she became, the more she started pacing. A trait that she had always been known for. She knew that Remus also knew this, which worried her even more, which led to more pacing.
"Professor Dumbledore! He's coming after them! The Dark Lord is coming after them! You've got to hide them. Hide them all!" Severus pleaded with Professor Dumbledore. "I don't care what you do or how you do it. Just hide them!"
Dumbledore shrugged. "Severus, how do you know this?"
"Professor, I cannot tell you this, you just have to trust me, when I say that the Dark Lord is coming to kill them!" Severus pleaded looking pale.
At this McGonagall had been worried. She stood still in the corner of the room, watching the scene unfold between the two men. Just watching. For now.
"Professor! I beg you, please help the Potters. Help Lily. Help her for me!" Severus continued to plead with the Headmaster.
"Severus, maybe there is something we can do. But you should know, this may result in you never seeing Lily Potter ever again. Are you ready for this?" Dumbledore asked.
"Professor, if you don't hide them, I definitely will never see Lily again. He will kill her!"
"Severus, I will hide them. But there is something you'll have to do before I can do it. You have to be honest and tell me how you know this." Dumbledore looked up at Severus Snape. He looked him directly in his eyes. Dumbledore waited for an answer as Severus Snape broke down. As he fell to the floor, he started crying. Crying, right there in the headmaster's office.
McGonagall became very worried. What was it the Severus knew? What was it the Severus neglected to tell? Should she interrupt them? Should she offer her opinion? Should she just stay still? She chose to stay still and wait.
A silence filled the room. Neither Dumbledore, Severus or McGonagall made a sound. It was as if neither of them was breathing at all.
A sudden sob broke the silence. "Because I told him to."
As McGonagall starred out the window, remembering the conversation, she had overheard between Professor Dumbledore and Severus Snape about a year and a half earlier, she kept on thinking. There was something, that was so not right about this. If Snape had been a spy for Dumbledore, he of course had to keep up appearances to You-Know-Who, but why go the very extreme and tell him to kill the Potters and where he would find them? Again, she began pacing the room. She couldn't help but feel that something was just not right about Severus Snape.
"Professor, you got to tell me what you are thinking?" Remus broke her train of thoughts.
"Remus, do you remember the conversation with Dumbledore where Lily and James had to choose their Secret Keeper?"
"Yes, Professor. I do. What about it?"
"Well, Lily and James naturally asked Sirius to be their Secret Keeper, didn't they?" McGonagall looked around the room. She was very lucky to be Professor Dumbledore's close, trusted friend, because that meant that she was always around for everything that happened in the wizarding world. And that particular conversation took place in Godric's Hollow instead of in Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts.
"The spell works this way," Dumbledore explained, "you, your son and your house will be invisible for anyone who hasn't been told where to find you, by your Secret Keeper. So, your Secret Keeper must be someone you trust to the fullest. You lay all your trust and your fate in one person and one person alone."
James and Lily looked at each other, held each other's hands and looked around their living room. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had come to Godric's Hollow to initiate the protection spell that would hide Lily and James Potter along with their son Harry, from the world around them. With them were James' best friends Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew and Lily's close friend, Severus Snape.
"Professor, I do not think this is such an easy decision," James had started out. "I mean, we have a lot of friends whom we trust."
"James, please. I think we all know who the obvious choice in this case would be." Remus had interrupted. "Personally, I think it should be Sirius."
"Remus, I feel honored, but I don't want this honor." Sirius blurted out.
"Sirius, you are James best friend of his best friends and you are the godfather of his child. It's a pretty obvious choice."
McGonagall stepped forward and raised her hand to stop the bickering of the two young men before her. "Boys, please. This is a great honor to be given for sure, but it is also a life-threatening decision. James and Lily must be smart about this. No, Sirius," McGonagall stopped Sirius as he opened his mouth to interrupt, "I'm not saying that you'll betray James and Lily, of course you wouldn't. Neither of us here would." She looked into the emerald green eyes of the baby she was holding. "I am just saying that the lives of all here depend on this decision."
"Professor McGonagall is right," Lily said, crawling into the strong, loving hold of her husband. "We need to be smart about this. We need to think way outside the box. Maybe even find someone who doesn't know us. Maybe even a muggle."
"Maybe, that's way out of the box and way not necessary." Sirius said.
"Or maybe," Remus paused, sitting down on the Potters' scarlet-polstered couch. "Maybe that's what You-Know-Who wants you to do and you go for the obvious choice and choose Sirius."
"If I may," Dumbledore interrupted. "If I may suggest someone? I suggest Severus."
McGonagall held Harry into her chest. "Albus, please explain yourself!"
"Voldemort," everyone else in the room shuddered at the mention of the name in which all of them feared. "Voldemort, believe Severus to still be a loyal Death Eater and will probably not think of him being James and Lily's Secret Keeper."
Remus stood up and went to stand in between Sirius and Peter. "This actually makes sense." At this Sirius hit Remus in his ribs.
Sirius stepped forward. "I change my mind. I would like to receive this honor anyway. It would be my finest hour, protecting James and Lily and not to mention my godson."
"Seriously, Black! Do you have a problem?!" Severus moved toward Sirius. Sirius however was taking this provocation as a challenge, as he always did.
"With a Death Eater protecting my godson? Yes, I have a problem, Snivellus!" Sirius provoked, moving even close towards Severus.
McGonagall had to step in before this got out of hand. "Boys! Everybody who is not a Potter and not above 25, OUT!" Both Severus and Sirius prepared to make a remark but had learned many years ago not to argue with Professor McGonagall's stern look and followed Remus and Peter out the door. "Albus, we need to find a solution for this now, so that James and Lily can be safely hidden away."
James finally let go of his wife and moved across the room to face the other three, Professor Dumbledore, his wife Lily and finally Professor McGonagall who was still cuddling his baby in her arms. "I agree that we need to think out of the box. But not too much. Asking this of a stranger may be a bit of an overkill. I nominate Peter for this task."
The other three stood dumbstruck, not really knowing how to react to this.
"But James." Lily started. "But… Why?"
"Because, You-Know-Who wouldn't think about Peter. He's just Peter. No offense though, to Peter."
"That's not a bad idea at all." McGonagall said.
McGonagall turned towards Remus. "The thing is though, I think this may have hit Severus more than we realize."
"Professor, I realize that you have Snape high on the list of suspects, but we don't know that it's him. Had he been made Secret Keeper, do you seriously think he would have told You-Know-Who where Lily was hiding?"
McGonagall was out of her mind, worrying about Harry Potter's safety and whereabouts, not knowing who had him. Remus was of course right. But Severus had also been the easy suspect. "I don't know, Remus. If it's not Severus, we might as well, veritaserum everyone in the wizarding world!" McGonagall could feel herself tearing up. She could still feel the boy in her arms as if she had been holding him for the past year and a half.
If it wasn't Severus, who could it be? Where was Harry?